I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 531 Execution
Because of this, today the nobles who participated in the violent attack on the tax collectors will also go to hell together with the ordinary prisoners whom they usually look down upon.

This would make the nobles feel that this was an insult to them.

It sounds ridiculous, but in that era, it was really a big deal for the nobles.

A matter of personal identity!
"Thank you for your advice." Joseph looked at Baron Breteuil and sighed, "Perhaps the nobles should gradually get used to 'integrating' with ordinary people."

The nobles' superiority and contempt for the common people are not only manifested in luxury and privilege, but have also permeated every detail of their words, deeds and thoughts.

From accents, eye contact and behavior, to food, accommodation, work, and even prisons and death penalty, nobles have completely different things from commoners.

This is already a natural and subconscious behavior, which will inevitably lead to the division of social classes.

Although Joseph knew that this was a big problem, he also knew that it was the most difficult problem to solve.

Historically, it took the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in France to resolve part of this problem, but it has been recurring for several times since then.

Baron Breteuil tried to say, "Your Highness, we can execute these noble prisoners in secret. It won't take too much effort..."

"That's not necessary." Joseph waved his hand and looked out the window at the crowd rushing to the execution ground, "I have already made arrangements.

"Today, there will be no distinction between nobles and commoners among the prisoners. They will all be given the same status. I believe that the nobles will have no objection to the unified execution."

In fact, this execution was also an attempt by Joseph to gradually eliminate class divisions.

As long as people accept that nobles and commoners are beheaded together, it will become a common practice in the future.

Then came the convergence of prisons for nobles and commoners, and then the unification of certain living habits... Slicing the sausage slowly, although not very efficient, can minimize social unrest.

Joseph wasn't even sure his method would work, but it was better than doing nothing.

Breteuil wanted to persuade him again, but he heard the Dauphin say: "In fact, not only the criminals in this joint trial, but also the people on the list you just gave me will be executed in the same way."

The Minister of Justice was shocked when he heard this. What he had just given to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to sign was a list of tax farmers who had recently been tried, and on that list were great nobles such as Borore and Antonel!
He originally thought that His Royal Highness was just making a gesture and would later seek pardon from Her Majesty the Queen for these people - although the Crown Prince is currently in charge of most judicial work, the power of pardon, which is a power only the king can possess, will still be held by the Queen for the time being.

But I didn't expect that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would even want to execute Borore. You know, in the past, a nobleman of this status could pay a fine even if he killed someone in public. This is a tradition and convention.

What annoyed Joseph the most was this practice that should have been thrown into the dustbin of history long ago.

He glanced at the clock in the corner, stood up and motioned for Emand to fetch his coat, then patted Baron Breteuil on the shoulder and said, "It's almost time. Do you want to go to the Louvre Square with me?"

"Ah?" The Minister of Justice was stunned for a moment, then nodded quickly, "Okay, Your Highness."

Half an hour later.

With the help of the Crown Prince's personal guards, a large number of police officers managed to clear a passage through the crowd, allowing Joseph's carriage to enter the center of the square. It was not because the police in charge of the special passage were negligent, but mainly because the number of people who came to watch this time far exceeded their expectations.

More than 1 people poured into the Louvre Square, which was originally very wide, making the square seem extremely crowded.

Although Joseph had the car windows tightly closed, the cheers and shouts around him still made his ears buzz. "These damn guys are finally going to hell!"

"Thanks to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who judged these evil tax collectors!"

"Long live His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! Long live the High Court!"

"Did you see that? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will not let them go!"

"They have this day too! Haha!"

Although Joseph was prepared, he was still somewhat shocked by the extent of the people's hatred for the tax farmers. After all, when he returned triumphantly from the Southern Netherlands with the Guards, there were far fewer people who came to watch.

Soon, he was accompanied by Ksode, the president of the High Court, the supervising judge and other officials and arrived at the high platform on the north side of the square. The platform was three meters high and he was finally able to escape from the sea of ​​​​crowds.

He sat down on the chair in the middle and looked across. He saw a taller rectangular wooden platform built in the center of the square more than 30 meters away. On it was a device that looked like a long-handled guillotine, which was completely different from the guillotine he had seen in documentaries.

It’s probably a good thing that that guillotine didn’t happen.

Joseph muttered to himself and signaled to the president of the High Court, Dibol, who was standing beside him: "Please start."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Dibol then gave some instructions to his men, and soon, heavy drum beats were heard all around, and the people who came to watch suddenly quieted down.

Then, the orchestra also began to play, and after more than ten minutes, the music stopped abruptly. Duport said loudly to the people: "Today, we are honored to welcome the distinguished Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Please join me in paying respects to His Highness."

Tens of thousands of people in the square immediately bowed deeply to the VIP seats. Unlike in the past when they bowed purely out of compliance, this time they were expressing their highest respect to the Crown Prince from the bottom of their hearts.

It has long been known among the people that this tax reform was presided over by His Highness, and it was also under his insistence and promotion that these evil tax farmers were arrested. How could they not be grateful?

Joseph smiled and nodded to the crowd, then went to the stage to make a brief opening speech, and finally announced the start of the execution. Immediately, a rapid drumbeat was heard in the square, and a prisoner with his hands tied behind his back walked onto the platform under the escort of two burly executioners.

But what followed was not a court official reading out the prisoner's crime, but a man dressed as a farmer following behind them.

He seemed a little nervous at first, but when he turned around and saw the tax collector who was about to be executed, he clenched his fists and his body began to tremble violently with excitement.

He completely forgot the speech and process he had practiced repeatedly before, and shouted loudly with red eyes: "This bastard, Adrian Berni, falsely accused me of concealing the land output and asked me to pay a fine of 50 livres! In order to avoid the fine, my sister had to become his mistress... As a result, she died of dystocia caused by him two years ago...

(End of this chapter)