Joseph Yigordmid sat down in the chair, looking somewhat expectant as he asked, "Is it the task I set you on that has borne fruit?"
He had met this British banker previously, on Jean Sone's recommendation—a greedy and cunning speculator, and also one of the higher-ups within the Tax Farmers Association.
Thus, he had promised substantial benefits to have Godemid act as an inside informant, gathering incriminating evidence on the tycoons of the Tax Farmers.
Now, with Godemid mentioning "good news," it seemed quite possible that he had found something.
But Godemid simply spread his hands: "Your Highness, you know, those people are very crafty, and I have still been unable to find any evidence of their illegal activities."
Joseph immediately frowned and was about to say something when the Englishman revealed a smug look: "So, out of desperation, I had no choice but to manipulate them into committing a crime. And I must say, I was quite lucky—they accepted my suggestion rather swiftly."
Joseph was somewhat surprised: "Oh? What exactly did you have them do?"
"This," Godemid rubbed his hands together and smiled, "Your Highness, as you see, I have done more than what you asked of me. Perhaps, in addition to our previously agreed terms, you could grant me a few small favors."
"I have several friends who wish to hold positions in the finance department, and I hope Your Highness could arrange some spots for them."
Joseph's face immediately cooled.
These financiers really looked for any chance to extend their tentacles into the nation's financial core, and from there, to gradually take control of the entire financial system.
But Joseph was no easily fooled politician—this was not yet the 19th century, where the Jewish Consortium's methods of financial control were mature. The Rothschild family's brilliant maneuvers would not come into play until 20 years later, but for him, all of these were historical documents he had read countless times.
So, the moment Godemid perked up his rear end, Joseph knew exactly what he was up to.
"That is probably not possible," he declared decisively, "France's finances must be absolutely controlled by the government."
He was blunt—telling him, I know you want to infiltrate the financial system, but don't even dream of it.
Joseph continued: "However, I can offer you some other benefits. For instance, allowing your bank to expand its business in France, or introducing you to some quality investment opportunities. Oh, I've recently been told about a pretty good project by my friends in England."
According to the previous agreement, Godemid was to help collect compromising information on the Tax Farmers in exchange for managing the funds of the Atlantic Insurance Company. That is, the Englishmen buying insurance would first deposit their money into his bank, then transfer it to France.
The Atlantic Insurance could sell over 500,000 British Pounds worth of insurance each year, which was more than 12 million Francs. Just by moving these funds through Godemid's bank, he could make hundreds of thousands of Francs, as well as enhance the reputation of his bank.
So Godemid had readily agreed to cooperate.
He now saw that the Crown Prince was very young and seemed rather easy to deceive, so he wanted to test the waters, but had his suggestion swiftly and firmly denied.
He could only nod with a forced smile: "Thank you for your generosity, Your Highness. I hope we can have more cooperation in the future."
Joseph neither agreed nor disagreed and asked, "Can you now tell me what you have done at the Tax Farmers Association?"
"Oh, yes, Your Highness." Godemid said, "I suggested that they hide the tax records and exchange them with false documents during the handover with the government's Tax Administration.
"They intended to use these documents as leverage to continue farming some of the more profitable taxes."
Upon hearing this, Joseph's eyes narrowed. Without the authentic tax records, once the Tax Administration began tax collection, it would likely fall into chaos very quickly.
Not to mention, just the missing records of back taxes and pre-paid taxes would be enough for taxpayers and Tax Officers to come to blows.
Furthermore, the tax amounts for land and factories would have to be completely reevaluated. Market taxes, based on estimations, would be a complete mess—the tax is roughly levied according to the size of your stall, and new Tax Officers would certainly have endless disputes with the merchants.
It had to be said, this method was indeed very malicious. If the Tax Administration was caught off guard and messed with in this manner, it would surely become a pandemonium.
But Joseph wasn't without his own countermeasures. For instance, his first thought was—the documents are gone, but the people are still here.
Who knew these tax documents the best? Certainly, the Tax Collectors employed by the Tax Farmers, who were actually responsible for collecting the taxes.
If the Tax Administration found serious problems with the documents they received, making it impossible to carry out normal tax collection, he could arrest thousands of these Tax Collectors on charges of "participating in tax evasion."
These people were the living tax data. Locked up at night, they would be handcuffed during the day and accompany the government's Tax Officers to collect taxes—each problem resolved would earn them a 5-day sentence reduction. In less than half a month, they would have the country's tax work in perfect order.
Of course, now that Joseph knew about the Tax Farmers Association's switch of tax documents, the initiative was on his side.
All he needed to consider was how to secure the evidence and create the most favorable situation for tax reform.
Joseph then looked toward Godemid and asked, "Do you know where the tax documents are stored?"
"Yes, Your Highness." The latter nodded proudly, "Being the initiator of this plan, I was responsible for many aspects of it. The documents should all be in several villas owned by Viscount Ford in Antoine Town."
"Very good." Joseph ordered, "Go back and act as if nothing has happened. As soon as you're sure all the documents have been gathered, notify me immediately."
"Yes, Your Highness."
A large force of Paris Police flooded into Antoine Town, surrounding all the properties under the name of Ford and his family to the surprise of the townspeople.
Then, the intelligence bureau began their search inside the houses.
Since the target was clear, it didn't take long for them to find and fill over ten horse-drawn carts with a large volume of tax documents.
After the tax documents were sent to the French Tax Administration, the Paris Supreme Court immediately issued hundreds of arrest warrants. Clearly, they had been prepared in advance, just waiting for a stamp to be put into action.
Subsequently, intelligence agents across the country, with the cooperation of the police, arrested almost all the heads of the Tax Farming Bureaus on charges of "forging tax documents."
These so-called Tax Farming Bureaus were tax institutions set up by the Tax Farmers, serving a similar function to the government's Tax Administration. Most of the Tax Farmers did not take on the role of head of the Tax Farming Bureaus—they were the financiers, akin to the chairmen of the bureaus, while a large number of hired "Tax Collectors" carried out the actual tax collection work.