Life of Being a Crown Prince in France - Chapter 1494 - 1400: Win-Win

Chapter 1494: Chapter 1400: Win-Win

(ps. At the beginning of this month, there is an additional Chapter for monthly ticket holders. Please save a monthly ticket to unlock the extras. The young author expresses deep gratitude.)

In a spacious hall of more than 300 square meters on the west side of the Palace of Versailles, Joseph watched the craftsmen fix various wooden frames of different heights, nodding slightly.

He approached a half-long “small bed” with a soft cushion, lay down, raised his hand to remove the barbell placed overhead, tried a few bench presses, praised the craftsmen a few words satisfactorily, then walked towards a seat with a string of “iron plates” hanging beside it.

This was precisely the “Asclepius Hall” in preparation, essentially the Royal Gym.

There were all sorts of equipment like rowing machines, cable stations, and chest press machines. Although most were wooden and seemed somewhat cumbersome, they were not inferior in use.

Joseph casually picked up a pair of dumbbells and was about to sit down to try them when he saw Baron Breti and Finance Minister Godan appear at the door.

He exhaled and gestured for them to come in.

The two saluted, and Godan spoke first: “Your Highness, regarding the location of the European Settlement Bank, some adjustments might be necessary.”

“Is there a problem?”

The Finance Minister took out a report and respectfully handed it over: “This is the result of multiple tests by the Preparatory Committee. You know, the shops in the Royal Palace are getting denser. If the Settlement Bank is set at the East Hall, the horse-drawn carriages from various countries coming for business will inevitably block it in the future.

“And widening the roads would require demolishing a large garden in the middle and involve over 40 shops.”

Joseph rubbed his forehead. At the time, he only thought the Royal Palace was more magnificent, and placing the Settlement Bank there would make it more prestigious. Unexpectedly, the commercial area there developed so quickly that even the garden in the middle was filled.

“Then, what is your suggestion?”

Before Godan could answer, Baron Breti interjected: “Your Highness, the Settlement Bank Preparatory Committee hopes to use the Luxembourg Palace as the bank’s headquarters. However, the East Hall there has already been designated as the House of Representatives’ place. Adding a Settlement Bank would likely make it even more crowded than the Royal Palace.”

The Luxembourg Palace was built by Louis XIII’s mother and had been semi-abandoned for decades, so Joseph designated it for the House of Representatives.

Godan sneered secretly, saying: “Your Highness, the House of Representatives doesn’t really need such an imposing place. Just pick any building for them in the eastern district.”

Joseph was almost amused. The Finance Minister, a typical financial capitalist noble, seemed to disdain the historically hard-won House of Representatives.

It seems it’s possibly because he’s already seated in the Senate or because there are Members of Parliament in the House of Representatives whom he doesn’t like, referred to as “sans-culottes.”

Joseph shook his head: “The House of Representatives has been almost renovated, so let’s not move it. Is there anywhere else in Paris suitable for the European Settlement Bank?”

Baron Breti said: “The north side of the Louvre…”

Godan immediately replied: “You know, it’s even more crowded there than the Royal Palace.”

“Or the Ismail Manor in the North of the city.”

“That place doesn’t match the Settlement Bank’s status at all.”

“Then…”

Baron Breti mentioned several locations in succession, all of which Godan denied with various reasons.

Joseph was also frowning a bit, as Godan was indeed justified in his reasoning.

In recent years, Paris’s population has increased rapidly. Many parks have been filled with residential buildings, making it truly difficult to find a place with both grandeur and less congestion.

While he was pondering, he saw Eman intercepting someone at the door, whispering something.

Through the gap between the guards, he vaguely saw that it seemed to be Doctor Lemoyne, who was also the director of the Royal Botanical Garden and responsible for researching the quantitative analysis of sugar content in urine and urinary ketones this time.

Joseph immediately gestured to Eman: “Please let Mr. Lemoine come in.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Once the doctor entered the Royal Gym, Joseph eagerly asked: “Is there any progress with the testing experiments?”

Doctor Lemoyne hesitated slightly, shaking his head with some embarrassment: “Not yet, Your Highness.”

“Oh, sorry, it’s my impatience. Do you have any matters to discuss?”

“Here’s the situation, Your Highness,” Lemoyne pondered, “The nobles at the Palace of Versailles have a keen interest in medicine, but this occupies a lot of my experimental time…

“I hope you would allow me to move the laboratory to Montreuil. Ah, just next to the ’Blood Sugar Laboratory’ would be fine.”

Joseph asked numerous questions before finally understanding that lately, the nobles had been discussing the Queen’s illness, which led them to learn about diabetes. So, they sought Lemoyne to test their urine sugar levels individually.

Each of these nobles had significant influence, making it difficult for Lemoyne to refuse any of them. The laboratory had been open for days, almost entirely dealing with them.

Lemoyne cautiously glanced at the Crown Prince and continued: “In fact, Dr. Walkerland and others are encountering similar problems. If all laboratories could be unified in Montreuil, I believe the overall research efficiency would improve greatly.”

Montreuil is a village in the east of Paris. Previously, due to the study of diabetes requiring a large number of pigs – rabbits’ pancreases differ from humans, and the pancreas of mice is too small, current surgical capabilities cannot meet the need, so pigs are the best experimental material –

And keeping hundreds of pigs would severely worsen the environment at the Palace of Versailles, so the laboratory had to be placed in Montreuil.

Joseph originally set these medical laboratories near the Palace of Versailles for the convenience of checking his family’s health.

However, now thinking it over, these studies are not something that would yield results quickly, so moving them all to Montreuil also seems feasible.

He was about to nod when he heard Baron Breti say: “Doctor Lemoyne, forgive my directness; even if you move your laboratory to the countryside, those enthusiastic nobles will still come to seek ’medical discussions’ with you.”

Lemoyne hesitated, reluctantly saying: “Being farther always helps…”

Joseph frowned, considering whether to station guards to monitor the laboratories. But then he saw Eman come over, whispering: “Your Highness, moving so many laboratories will cost over a hundred thousand francs.”

This large-scale establishment of medical laboratories was unexpected, so Joseph didn’t go through the Ministry of Finance to allocate funds but paid with his private funds instead.

His personal account currently held seven to eight million francs.

And this situation made Eman, a very conscientious manager, a bit pained, striving to calculate meticulously for the Crown Prince.

Upon hearing this, Joseph was suddenly moved.

Wait a minute, the nobles’ concern for their health, while affecting the laboratories’ work efficiency, is simultaneously an opportunity!

As long as they pay, the laboratory can assign dozens of people specifically to serve them. Wouldn’t everyone win then?