In fact, all furniture produced by YiJiu comes with a notice that reads, "Please place in a well-ventilated area when in use," but virtually everyone ignores it.
Subsequently, the servant brought Godemid a bottle of Paris Cola and a glass of wine.
The latter nodded at the servant and expertly poured the drink from the glass bottle into the wine glass, causing large bubbles to form immediately in the dark purple wine.
This was the latest drinking trend among the Parisian nobility. The soda drink enhanced the sweetness of the wine, and the bubbles helped the aroma spread more quickly throughout the mouth. The lingering scent that followed a burp was truly delightful.
However, due to limited production capacity of the soda, Paris Cola was only sold in France's major cities, so this way of drinking had not yet become popular throughout Europe.
As Godemid knew, the price of Paris Cola had been driven up to 5 shillings in England, which was more than 6 francs per bottle.
As he indulged in the effervescent wine, the door to the conference hall was pushed open once again. A middle-aged man of average height, wearing a black silk short coat and with a composed look in his eyes, strode in.
Next to him was a man with a pointed chin and a hooked nose.
The people in the room immediately stood up to greet the two men, "Viscount Ford, you look very well."
"We've all been waiting for you, Viscount Ford."
"Isn't that Mr. Hope? Long time no see."
Godemid also hurried to bow in greeting.
Though he had heard of these two men, this was his first time seeing them in person.
Leon Fould was a financial magnate in France, owning banks and transport companies, and was the mastermind behind the Farmers-General of France.
The man with the hooked nose was Dutch, named Henry Hope, who owned numerous banks in Holland, Russia, and Sweden.
It was rumored that his fortune exceeded Ford's, but as a foreigner, his influence on the Tax Farmers Association was not as profound as the latter's.
Ford took the lead at the conference table, firstly courteously inviting Hope to sit beside him, then addressing the attendees directly, "As you all might have heard, the government plans to reclaim the tax farming rights. I've invited everyone here today to discuss how we should respond."
Yes, the fewer than twenty people in this room were the financial powerhouses who controlled France's taxes. Some of them did not even appear publicly in the Tax Farmers Association, but the public tax farmers were supported by their funds.
Like Hope, a major player who controlled the taxes of several French provinces and profited immensely from it.
Immediately, a chubby-faced man dismissively waved his hand, "There's no need to worry. Without our tax money, the French Government would go bankrupt immediately."
An elderly man beside him nodded and added, "Even without financial issues, the government's tax officers will soon drive His Majesty the King to despair. During the Sun King's era, due to their excellent ability to embezzle, the King handed tax collection over to us. What can Louis XVI possibly do now?"
Their words elicited a wave of agreement, but Hope coughed lightly and said seriously, "This matter concerns our business. Since the Queen is considering this, she must have made preparations. We need to respond preemptively."
Ford immediately responded, "Firstly, we must form a financial alliance. No one should lend tax money to the government in the form of a loan."
Everyone nodded in agreement, feeling that this strategy alone was enough to make the government give up on tax reform.
Hope then added, "We can also exert pressure on the Royal Family through bureaucrats."
Ford nodded in agreement, "Many in the bureaucratic class have invested in tax farming. By offering them some more benefits, we will certainly fill the nation with voices of opposition."
The corpulent man sneered darkly, "If the government wants to collect taxes itself, it will definitely appoint a large number of tax officers. If necessary, we can threaten them or even kill a few to deter the others."
Hope didn't quite rough approach and looked at his glass of wine, "If it really comes to that, it should be the top officials we go after, not the tax officers."
Those present immediately started supplementing the plan with various details, appearing very confident.
Two hours later, Ford looked at the plan copied by the clerk and nodded slightly. Seated here were the smartest people in Europe, weathering storms in each country. How could Queen Mary or ministers like Brian possibly outmatch them?
The tax revenue of France would always belong to them!
After the meeting concluded, the financial moguls headed upstairs to attend the banquet.
Godemid watched Ford's retreating figure, hesitated whether to voice his own idea, but then thought the current plan was already good, so he drained his glass of wine and quickly walked upstairs.
Palace of Versailles.
In the tea room of the Petit Trianon Palace, Queen Mary frowned as she handed Joseph a thick stack of documents, her expression uneasy, "My dear, just the rumor of the tax reform you planned has brought me so many objections."
Joseph also frowned as he flipped through the documents, all were official objections to canceling the tax farmers system.
Most were from local officials, but the list also included three governors and the assistant to the Justice Minister. Even the King's brother, the Duke of Provence, was clearly opposed.
Joseph roughly counted; there were more than 40 objections.
He wasn't surprised, considering many officials had invested in tax farmers. Touching their interests, they naturally would vehemently oppose.
Queen Mary continued, "I've heard there are even more objections on their way to the Palace of Versailles. Perhaps, now is really not a good time to proceed with the tax reform?"
Initially, when her son spoke of reforming the tax system, she hadn't hesitated and agreed, especially since ministers like Brian and Mirabeau were also supportive.
But now, with so many officials expressing opposition, she couldn't help but doubt whether her son had truly made a mistake.
Joseph took a deep breath and gave his mother a confident smile, "Dear mother, give me a few more months, and I'll make sure you see satisfactory results."
"Alright, then try again," the Queen nodded.
She really trusted her son now, and then hooked her arm with Joseph's, "Come dine with me tonight. Oh, it looks like Alexandra will also be there."
Joseph nodded absentmindedly, his mind buzzing with thoughts on how to handle so many officials opposed to canceling the tax farmers.
Should he first try to lessen their loss of benefits?
Joseph walked down the corridor, with nobles stepping aside to bow to him and the Queen.
He suddenly narrowed his eyes, yes, now that he held the levers of administrative, judicial, and financial power, why should he consider the interests of these "lesser folk"?