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The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 287
🕑 Added 2025-06-27 19:07:01 +0000 UTCChapter 287: The Cheerful People of France
Joseph rubbed his ears and set down the draft of the "Franco-Austrian Trade Agreement", frowning as he looked toward the massive floor-to-ceiling windows.
The windows were tightly shut, yet they couldn't block out the tsunami-like cheers surging from the Versailles Palace Square.
He suddenly recalled that today marked the finals of the Star of France, and he shook his head as he stood up. It seemed he would have to move to the Tuileries Palace if he wanted to work in peace.
Eymond approached briskly, bowing as he said, "Your Highness, Her Majesty the Queen sent someone to remind you that the competition is about to start."
Joseph nodded, stretched lazily, and had a servant help him change into a fresh outfit before heading toward the square. Since he couldn’t focus on work anyway, he figured he might as well join his mother to watch the competition. She greatly enjoyed such events.
When he stepped out of the palace gates, he heard noisy voices coming from the Marble Courtyard:
"No, you need to put more emotion into it! Especially in the part where your father passed away..."
"Back then, my father worked five jobs every day so I could continue dancing. He was busy until midnight and had to wake up at five to head to the workshop."
"I may have no right hand, no family, and hardly any friends, but I still have my voice. Singing is everything to me..."
"Truly! That day, I heard the voice of God... It restored my faith, and I boldly returned to the qualifiers, finally achieving success! Thank God!"
Joseph shook his head with a smile, recognizing the people as contestants preparing for the finals. The Marble Courtyard had been repurposed as their staging area.
To maximize the dramatic appeal of the competition, Joseph had previously instructed all contestants to share a personal story before performing, the more touching the better.
To his surprise, the 18th-century French participants proved remarkably adept. Within just a few rounds, everyone had realized the importance of "pre-performance stories." When two contestants had similar singing and dancing skills, the more poignant story would determine the winner. In fact, a deeply moving story could even outweigh raw talent.
As a result, the contestants’ tales grew ever more elaborate. Some reports claimed that playwrights had begun offering their services to craft "pre-performance stories" for a fee.
This, in turn, greatly boosted the competition’s popularity. The event had not only become a sensation throughout France but was also a hot topic across much of Europe.
The Star of France organizing committee even compiled and sold the contestants' stories in booklets. The qualifiers' editions had already reached three volumes, selling exceptionally well.
The temporarily constructed wooden spectator stands surrounded the towering stage in the middle of Versailles Palace Square. Designed to hold over 5,000 seats, every seat now accommodated two people, with many more spectators standing on the outskirts, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the stage.
To accommodate the competition, the Paris City Hall had mandated that all workshops and shops give employees at least one day off during the three-day finals, significantly increasing the crowd size.
Joseph made his way to the VIP section of the stands via a path cleared by his guards. Along the way, citizens bowed in greeting upon recognizing the Crown Prince.
Joseph took a seat beside Marie Antoinette and casually discussed the competition with his mother. His mind wandered to the last time he had attended an event like this, watching a sword duel with Clementine during Louis XVI's birthday. He suddenly felt that such occasions seemed livelier with a young girl chattering away nearby.
Still, with his cousin having returned to Austria, he couldn’t help feeling relieved. He truly feared the Queen might force a match upon him, leading to a near-relative marriage. Given his modern understanding of genetics, such an outcome would be nothing short of a personal disaster.
...
A resounding fanfare erupted around them, accompanied by drumbeats and music. Louis XVI's sister-in-law, the Countess of Provence, stepped onto the central stage to announce the official commencement of the Star of France Finals.
This was followed by the host recounting the twists and turns of the qualifiers, encouraging the contestants to deliver their best performances.
On the stands, hundreds of reporters from various nations scribbled furiously in their notebooks to capture every moment. The competition had become the talk of the town—whichever newspaper published first would rake in the highest sales.
The French audience was no less enthusiastic. They cheered themselves hoarse or were moved to tears by the contestants’ stories, fully immersed in this grand celebration.
For once, the hardships and frustrations of daily life were utterly forgotten.
In fact, since the preliminary rounds began two months ago, the people’s lives had revolved around the contestants and their widely acclaimed performances.
During this time, the French were arguably the happiest people in Europe. Unless faced with imminent starvation, no one would heed calls for revolution now.
Joseph gazed at the stage, where the contestants sang and danced with fervor, then scanned the enraptured faces of the tens of thousands of citizens. He nodded to himself, affirming the effectiveness of widespread entertainment in pacifying the populace.
His thoughts turned to the post-competition period. Perhaps he should organize a national sports event—or even a pan-European one.
Promoting popular sports would not only improve public health but also offer a healthy outlet for emotional release.
It might even stimulate the economy.
Joseph began mentally cataloging sports of the era: horseback riding, fencing, tennis, golf...
These were mostly aristocratic pursuits. Cricket seemed the only one with potential for popularization among the general public.
He sighed. Fine, it seemed he would have to "invent" football himself.
Of course, in this era, a leather-stitched football would be beyond the means of ordinary people.
Joseph began planning: the government could allocate funds for each parish to purchase communal footballs for public use.
A smile tugged at his lips. With this, he might even witness the World Cup in the 18th century!
And why not launch the French Football League early? Perhaps he could even establish a professional team—the Paris Crown Prince Team? The thought filled him with a small thrill.
Combined with other events already on the agenda, like the Louis Awards and the new Paris Fashion Week, France would enjoy an unending stream of grand festivities throughout the year.
Joseph suddenly slapped his knee. Paris property prices would undoubtedly rise again. He needed to expedite new real estate projects, particularly in the undeveloped lands between Paris and Versailles. That was all money waiting to be made!
...
Three days later.
The Star of France competition concluded, with a young man named Aurélien Tonna, a commoner from Brittany, taking first place.
The runner-up was a merchant from Paris, and the third-place finisher was a clerk from Bordeaux.
This wasn’t because commoners were particularly talented, but rather because most nobles were too proud to compete alongside commoners and chose not to participate.
However, when the Versailles Palace aristocrats saw Tonna being awarded a trophy and 30,000 livres by the Countess of Provence, followed by his induction into the court orchestra amidst thunderous applause, they were filled with regret. Quietly, they resolved to compete in next year’s Star of France.
What was noble pride worth compared to 30,000 livres?
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