Life of Being a Crown Prince in France - Chapter 1233 - 1138: School

Chapter 1233: Chapter 1138: School

Hmm, Joseph had seen this dye before in documentaries about Egypt, where Egyptians mastered the extraction technique thousands of years ago.

Later, Napoleon brought it back to Europe, and its elegant hue quickly caused a sensation, with the output of French blue textiles increasing by over thirty percent that year.

In fact, what Joseph didn’t tell Le Roy was that it was the “Egyptian cultural consumption” that was truly profitable.

Currently, this mysterious ancient nation of the eastern Mediterranean is almost a myth to Europeans.

The historical exploration of Egyptian civilization by archaeologists brought by Napoleon ignited a wave of Egyptomania in Europe that lasted for decades.

Various Egyptian style lion claw chairs, papyrus inlay furniture, Cleopatra-style headdresses instantly became a fashion in Europe, driving enormous amounts of consumption.

In the same year Napoleon returned to France, sheer Egyptian-style gauze skirts accounted for 40% of the women’s clothing output in Lyon!

The drama “Cleopatra” was performed over 200 times in Paris within a year, all sold out.

Even statues in the shape of the Sphinx were crazily sold.

As for other archaeological works, newly found species specimens, Egyptian herbs, and even mummy powder, they were just add-ons.

Joseph roughly estimated that Egyptian culture could increase France’s annual income by more than 50 million!

Of course, the most important of all is the Suez Canal.

He vaguely remembered that the canal used a natural lake called “Bitter Lake” in the middle, and everything else depended on French geologists’ field surveys.

However, he could at least help the geologists avoid two mistakes—

One was to trust the ancient canal routes from the Pharaoh’s era. The second was that the Red Sea was not 10 meters higher than the Mediterranean.

Yes, historically, these two errors slowed the canal planning by countless times and it wasn’t until the mid-19th century that a feasibility study was completed.

Currently, Massena’s army is assembling in Toulon and will set sail for Egypt in half a month.

Salem III has already prepared nearly 70,000 troops, waiting for the French Army to land on the western side of Egypt before they will launch an attack from the direction of the Sinai Peninsula, forming a pincer movement against the Mamluks with the French Army.

Meanwhile, the Franco-Spanish allied forces will also begin a fierce attack on Gibraltar, to divert the attention of the British, and also to block the British fleets that might be sent towards Egypt with war.

After that, as long as Muhammad Ali grows stronger, France could, through some “diplomatic methods,” gain control over the Suez region without offending the Ottoman Empire.

During this process, French geological experts should have roughly completed the planning, after which they could start digging this canal called the “artery of Europe.”

Yes, to dig the Suez Canal, the cooperation of the Ottomans and Egyptians must be obtained.

Otherwise, even if they don’t send troops to attack the construction teams, simply refusing to provide labor would mean not a single cubic meter of earth could be dug out.

“Your Highness.”

Eman’s gentle reminder brought Joseph back from his thoughts.

When Joseph looked up, he saw a middle-aged nobleman bowing with over twenty people at the gate of the small courtyard, obviously waiting to greet him.

Le Roy hurriedly introduced, “Your Highness, this is Viscount Dibisson.”

Joseph smiled as he stepped forward, saying to the middle-aged man, “Very pleased to meet you, Viscount Dibisson.

“Your generosity has brought knowledge and reason to Paris. I believe countless children in Paris will forever remember your name.”

The latter bowed again in surprise, “I have merely done some insignificant things, esteemed Crown Prince.”

“You are indeed a humble gentleman,” said Joseph, “Those are 4 schools, I heard you spent more than twenty thousand francs?”

“Ah, twenty-three thousand francs,” Viscount Dibisson hurriedly replied.

He paused, then gestured to a young girl slightly behind, “Your Highness, actually, most of this money came from Miss Clary. I only handled the construction of the school buildings and the recruitment of teachers and the like.”

“Miss Clary?” Joseph felt he had heard this name somewhere but couldn’t recall exactly, guessing she might be a noble from the Palace of Versailles, “You are quite an extraordinary lady, what made you think of building schools?”

“It…it was because…”

Clary appeared very nervous and could not complete a sentence for a long time.

Seeing her discomfort, Joseph indicated towards the courtyard, “Shall we have a look at the new school?”

Viscount Dibisson quickly said, “Oh, yes, this way please.”

Inside the gate, Joseph saw the “New Primary School” sign hanging on the humble building in the center of the courtyard.

Yes, this was a primary school. A new type of school unprecedented in this era.

Only, the name was indeed a bit too plain.

Once inside the school building, Viscount Dibisson signaled the staff to bring some books.

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The daughter of a fabric merchant, once engaged to Napoleon, it was her ninety-eight gold coins that helped Napoleon reach Paris just in time and embark on the road to becoming a hero in turbulent times. Désirée Clary was born in Marseille, France. She was the daughter of the wealthy silk merchant Francois Clary and his second wife Françoise Rose Somi. She commonly went by the address name “Eugénie”. Désirée was the youngest daughter in her family, and always remained very close to her many siblings. Her sister Julie Clary married Joseph Bonaparte, later becoming the Queen of Naples and Spain. Her brother Nicolas Joseph Clary was granted the title of Count Clary. Nicolas Joseph’s daughter Zénaïde Françoise Clary married Louis Alexandre Berthier’s son Napoléon Alexandre Berthier, the 2nd Prince of Wagram, and their daughter Malcy Louise Caroline Berthier de Wagram married Joachim, the 4th Prince of Wiraum.[1] Like most girls from the French upper class before the revolution, Désirée was educated in a convent. However, at the age of 11, the French Revolution of 1789 broke out and the convent was closed. Désirée went back home to live with her parents and began receiving home education. According to some historians, Désirée was devoted to her family of birth throughout her life.

During Bernadotte’s tenure as Governor of the Hanseatic League Cities and Governor of Hanover, Désirée visited Hamburg several times with her son, but she never stayed long and quickly returned to Paris each time. She was unhappy living anywhere other than Paris.