Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Fouche, adrift for half his life, resents not meeting a wise ruler, if only Your Excellency would not abandon…

Prosper nodded, “This mission is extremely important, so there definitely will be substantial rewards.”

The friar suddenly lowered his head. Just as Prosper was about to ask, he abruptly raised his head, coming closer with a voice tinged with a hint of excitement, “My lord, I’ve given it careful thought; directly poisoning the food isn’t safe enough, like if someone were to eat late! By the way, could you provide me with some funds?”

“Certainly, how much do you need?”

“20 livres,” said the friar, interlocking his fingers forcefully as if holding onto something, “I’ll find an excuse, like it’s my birthday—after all, none of them remember my birthday—and have a small banquet, buy some good wine, and poison it in advance. This way we can ensure they all eat it at the same time…

“Additionally, I can invite you to join as well, saying that you’re my relatives. If anyone is not deeply poisoned and tries to destroy the intelligence in their dying moments, you can finish them off immediately!”

Upon hearing this, Joseph shook his head, then nodded and pushed the door open, “It’s him, the very Fouche I am looking for.”

Eman followed him in, explaining to a surprised Fouche that it was just a joke and there were no foreign spies.

Joseph sat down opposite the friar, glanced at his expression, and said, “Mr. Fouche, you seem somewhat disappointed?”

“No, not at all…”

Joseph got straight to the point, “If, right now, you had to set up an intelligence department as quickly as possible, what would you do?”

Fouche looked briefly at the young man before him, then quickly averted his gaze, rubbing his hands, “First, may I ask how much funding I have?”

After thinking for a moment, Joseph said, “500,000 livres, and if necessary, we can add more.”

A glint of indescribable brilliance flashed in Fouche’s eyes as he nodded, “500,000… In that case, the most efficient method would be to recruit those who have served as secret police, or rather, the royal police.”

“Are there many people like that?”

“Yes,” Fouche immediately said, “During the old king’s reign, the royal police force was immense, and they were everywhere in Paris. Perhaps it is to cut expenditure, His Majesty has dismissed more than half of the royal police. These people all have significant experience and can start working almost immediately.”

Joseph frowned slightly, “Those dismissed by the royal police should be the less capable ones, right?”

Fouche smiled, “You might not understand, but the royal police are not determined by capability but by relationships and silver coins. In fact, it is the dismissed ones who are the truly capable workers, because they spent their time gathering intelligence, neglecting to curry favor.”

“Besides them, I can also recruit from universities, and even military academies—they’re intelligent and have been exposed to the upper class. With just a little bit of training, they can become qualified spies.”

“Also, there’s the postal service…”

Joseph listened and nodded inwardly; Fouche truly had an exceptional talent in intelligence, and Napoleon indeed had a keen eye.

He then grew curious, “You’re a friar, how come you know so much about the royal police, universities, and even the postal service?”

“Watch more, listen more, think more,” Fouche gave Joseph another glance, “I must allow myself to know more—about the royal police, nobility, the Church, schools, the rich, the poor, and even thieves. I won’t always be in this monastery; that knowledge will come in handy someday.”

“Very well,” Joseph nodded, “Then, one last question, are you willing to work for me and oversee an intelligence organization?”

Fouche’s pupils dilated suddenly, his hands nervously rubbing together, “If I’m not mistaken, you must be the Crown Prince, right?”

Joseph nodded; any future head of intelligence would be strange not to discern this.

Fouche immediately stood up, eager to bow and said, “Your Highness, I wish to become your most loyal servant.”

Joseph nodded but felt like laughing inside at the so-called “loyal servant” comment—Fouche was like a vulture that swooped down without hesitation for a bite as soon as it saw flesh. He had outstanding abilities, but his loyalty was truly questionable.

Historically, he had betrayed the National Assembly for the Jacobins, the Jacobins for Napoleon, and finally, Louis XVIII for the restored Napoleon…

Joseph was now daring to use this man because he was certain that no one else could offer a higher chip, so he would stay loyal to himself.

Besides, his abilities were currently needed to establish the framework of the intelligence agency, and once it was on the right track, it was entirely possible to replace him depending on the situation.

After all, there were times when a scoundrel could be of use.

“Then, let’s go see your new office now,” said Joseph, rising to his feet.

Fouche hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, “Your Highness, about the 500,000 funds you mentioned just now, was that for real?”

“As long as you show me the capacity that satisfies me, even several more lots of 500,000 are entirely possible.”

Joseph knew that intelligence work was inherently costly and wasn’t afraid of Fouche embezzling. In fact, a bit of embezzlement might even make him easier to control. Moreover, he planned to establish another department focusing on curbing officials’ embezzlement and corruption.

The party left the Monastery and took a carriage to a sizable villa on the western outskirts of Paris.

This was a property Joseph had bought more than ten days prior. Since it wasn’t in the center of Paris, the price was reasonable, and it was conveniently close to the Palace of Versailles. This would be the future office location for the intelligence agency.

In the villa’s large ground-floor hall, a huge conference table had already been set up. At the moment, Fouche, Captain Prosper, and seven other spies who had already arrived in Paris were neatly seated around the table.

Joseph surveyed everyone and began, “The current intelligence agency falls under the jurisdiction of the Police Headquarters, known as the ‘Police Affairs Department Intelligence Division,’ but it is not governed by the Police Headquarters and reports directly to me.”

He looked at Fouche, “Fouche will temporarily serve as the head of the Police Headquarters Intelligence Division.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Thank you for your trust.” Fouche, still dressed in priestly robes, stood up and bowed, looking somewhat peculiar.

Honestly, he still hadn’t figured out why the Crown Prince had so swiftly entrusted him with this significant responsibility. It all felt like a dream; just yesterday, he was praying for a day to rise to prominence, and today the Crown Prince had sought him out…

Suddenly, it occurred to him that the Crown Prince must have been observing him for a long time in ways he wasn’t aware of!

With that thought, he felt considerably more at ease. Hopefully, the “Child of Divine Favor” really had Divine Power…

Joseph continued, “Captain Prosper, you will serve as the command leader of the operations team, responsible for specific actions.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“Captain Contan,” Joseph turned to another senior spy, “You will be in charge of intelligence personnel training. You must teach intelligence courses at the Paris Police Academy at least two days a week. In addition, you can also select talented students from the academy to join the Police Affairs Department directly.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“As for the duties of the rest, including a few who have not yet arrived in Paris,” Joseph gestured towards Fouche, “will all be decided by the director here.”