Chapter 543: Facing Justice
As Joseph recounted his horrifying tale in a low, devilish tone, Forl and the other tax farmers trembled uncontrollably, their bodies drenched in cold sweat.
But Joseph wasn't done yet.
"I heard that after that skinless ball of flesh writhes its way out of the ground, it often remains alive… even scurrying around in agony on the ground."
"P-please stop!" Morel, overwhelmed with terror, shut his eyes and pleaded in a trembling voice.
Joseph nodded slightly, and the group sighed in relief—only for Joseph to abruptly slap his forehead as if remembering something.
"Oh, I almost forgot. They say the final step involves pouring a bucket of boiling water over that writhing mass of flesh!"
"Ahhh!" Morel screamed and collapsed to the floor, a wet stain spreading across his trousers. The others were equally petrified, either clutching their chests as if about to vomit or staring off into space as though their souls had left their bodies.
Of course, Joseph's gruesome story wasn't something he had learned from the intelligence bureau. Their methods were limited to smashing fingers or driving stakes through legs. His tale was borrowed from the pages of The Deer and the Cauldron—a masterpiece of imaginative cruelty designed to plunge its audience into a living nightmare of despair and terror.
Seeing his audience thoroughly cowed, Joseph's voice turned sharp:
"If you believe you can keep your secrets and hold on to your ill-gotten wealth, by all means, go ahead and try."
No one dared to respond. Most were too busy wiping their sweat or fighting the nausea roiling in their stomachs.
Finally, Forl managed to compose himself enough to croak:
"If you push me like this… I'll take my own life! That way, no one benefits!"
Joseph raised his eyebrows and replied in a slow, deliberate tone:
"If you surrender your fines and face trial, I can ensure that your heirs inherit your titles and remaining assets.
"Your families and legacies will endure."
The room remained silent. Joseph added:
"Also, those who merely violated regulations without committing severe crimes, especially those without significant criminal records, may not even face the death penalty.
"However, those who ordered attacks or murders of tax officers, like Borrellet, or those who incited disruptions in national trade, like Barreau and Deconte, as well as others involved in extensive killings, such as Antoinel—well, their fates are all but sealed."
Extreme pressure followed by a glimmer of hope, coupled with strategic efforts to sow division—this was the ideal way to break a unified resistance.
Morel quickly assessed his situation, his eyes lighting up with hope. It seemed he belonged to the less culpable category described by the Prince.
If his life could be spared, why should he align himself with someone like Borrellet, whose doom was certain?
Morel calculated rapidly. With a fortune of 1.4 million livres, even after paying fines and accounting for recent expenses, he could leave his family around 200,000 livres. Perhaps, after serving a few years in prison, he might even regain his freedom.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, his legs trembling. Bowing his head low, he said:
"Your Highness, I am willing to pay the fines. I only ask that you honor your promises…"
Joseph nodded, his expression calm.
"You have made the right choice. This is the attitude of a true penitent."
Forl looked on at Morel in despair, a flicker of envy flashing across his face. As the president of the Tax Farmers' Guild and a key orchestrator of resistance against the government, he knew his fate would be far harsher.
After a long pause, Forl bowed his head and agreed to Joseph's terms. He understood that the Prince's promise to allow his heirs to inherit his title and assets was essentially a veiled threat. If he refused, even those would be lost.
Moreover, with Morel and the others already yielding, any further resistance on his part was futile. Worse, defiance could lead him to experience the horrifying "mercury flaying" Joseph had described—something Forl swore to himself he would avoid at all costs.
Within minutes, the other negotiators capitulated as well. Drained of all energy, they left the Tuileries Palace with hollow expressions, ready to convey the Prince's terms to the rest of the Tax Farmers' Guild.
At the same time, two carriages departed from the Dutch embassy in Paris.
An intelligence agent monitoring the front entrance exchanged glances with a tax investigator stationed under a tree across the street. They signaled to each other, and the tax investigator mounted a horse to tail the carriages.
They were keeping an eye on Hope, a Dutch banker who had taken refuge in the embassy to avoid arrest after the recent wave of executions and arrests among tax farmers.
As the carriages rolled away, a voice called out from the embassy:
"Safe travels, Visgauf. Tell my wife I'm doing well in Paris."
The investigator turned to see Hope waving from a second-floor window, his voice cheerfully addressing someone in the carriages.
Still, the investigator decided to shadow the vehicles, later confirming that the passengers were all embassy staff with no sign of Hope.
Convinced Hope was still at the embassy, the investigators returned to Paris to resume their stakeout.
However, half an hour after their departure, the embassy staff emerged again. This time, they dismantled the carriages' roofs, revealing Hope hidden inside a secret compartment.
Later that night, Hope and another fugitive, Vankević, disguised themselves and joined a trade caravan. Two days later, they boarded a ship from the Picardy coast, bound for Britain.
Half a month later.
The Paris High Court handed down its verdict against Borrellet: guilty of murdering tax officials, five civilians, kidnapping, smuggling, and 16 other charges. He was sentenced to execution by guillotine and fined 10 million livres.
While numerous tax farmers had already faced trial and execution, none had the notoriety of Borrellet.
A prominent loan shark controlling over a third of northwestern France's usury market, Borrellet wielded enormous influence in both political and business circles.
But this time, his downfall was decisive and public.
The court's ruling also exposed extensive details of his crimes, leading to the unmasking of the largest smuggling network in northwestern France.
(To be continued…)
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