Chapter 717: The Vatican's Interests
Pius VI gripped the armrest of his chair tightly, suppressing his anger as he said:
"So, bullets have already been fired at the Holy See, and yet I'm to sit idly by?"
Chiaramonti lowered his head and replied:
"Your Holiness, Austria is of great importance to the Church… Moreover, we cannot yet confirm that the assassin was sent by the Holy Roman Emperor."
"Who else could it be?" Pius VI gritted his teeth. "Who else would have the audacity? And it happened right after I refused his request to publicly deny the Crusade! Such timing—it can't just be a coincidence!"
Chiaramonti carefully chose his words before continuing:
"Your Holiness, antagonizing Austria would create many problems. It could even lead to a schism within the Church."
Hearing this, most of the anger in Pius VI's eyes instantly dissipated.
He was well aware of Muzarelli's influence within the Church. Not only did Muzarelli control a third of the Vatican's finances, but nearly 30 cardinals—out of a total of 70—belonged to his faction.
Now that Muzarelli had secured Austria's backing, his prestige was soaring.
If conflict were to break out between the Vatican and Austria, Franz II could very well support Muzarelli in splitting the Church.
Yes, Austria had that power. Among the Catholic nations of Europe, France was already largely detached from the Vatican. Spain remained loyal, but it was too preoccupied with its internal troubles. As for Liège, Cologne, and the recently aligned Poland, their influence was negligible.
Thus, Austria's sway over the Vatican could not be ignored.
Pius VI took a deep breath and turned to Chiaramonti:
"Then what is your suggestion?"
"This incident is actually an opportunity," Chiaramonti said. "For you—no, for the Church—removing Archbishop Muzarelli as a destabilizing factor is what truly matters.
"If you insist that Austria was behind the attack, European nations, out of sympathy and respect for you, will condemn Austria—or at least remain silent.
"Under this pressure, Franz II will have no choice but to abandon Muzarelli and seek reconciliation with you."
Pius VI's eyes lit up. If Muzarelli could be brought down, forgiving the Holy Roman Emperor was indeed an acceptable trade-off.
Chiaramonti continued:
"Of course, while adopting a firm stance against Austria, it's essential to offer them certain concessions.
"Franz II is most concerned about the rumors regarding the Crusade.
"Muzarelli has already refuted these claims in the Church's name, and we do not need to contradict him. Repeatedly changing positions would only damage the Vatican's credibility.
"Later, you need only declare that Muzarelli acted without your authorization. This will shield the Church from the Eastern European faithful's anger while satisfying Austria."
Pius VI smiled. "In that case, it seems we should be thanking Archbishop Muzarelli."
He looked back at Chiaramonti and said:
"Once the assassin's background is fully investigated, you shall represent me in Vienna."
"It would be my honor, Your Holiness."
Two Days Later
Paris – Versailles Palace
Lamarck removed the needle from Camille's arm and looked at her.
"How do you feel, Miss Delvaux?"
"I feel like I could leap about like a deer in the garden," Camille replied with a small curtsy. "Thank you for your care these past days. I would not have recovered so quickly without you."
After ten days of treatment with penicillin and glucose, her lung infection was nearly cured. Aside from her slightly thinner face, there were no visible signs of her recent illness.
Lamarck glanced at the empty vials on the table and smiled.
"I didn't do much; all credit goes to the antibiotics His Highness developed and the miraculous syringe."
He leaned in slightly and whispered:
"Do you know, each dose costs nearly 30,000 francs? There's less than 2 grams of this precious medicine left in all of France."
Camille froze.
She recalled receiving a total of seven injections. That meant the Crown Prince had spent 210,000 francs worth of medicine on her recovery!
A warm feeling surged in her chest, and her eyes reddened. Turning to Joseph, who had come to visit her, she curtsied deeply.
"Your Highness, I don't know how to thank you. Such precious medicine… You are the kindest person in the world to me, second only to my grandmother."
Seeing her about to cry, Joseph chuckled.
"Dr. Lamarck is exaggerating. Don't worry about it. Besides, many rabbits used the medicine before you did."
Camille remained serious. "Your Highness, you saved my life. I must find a way to repay you… Oh, I know! I should repay you for the medicine."
Despite her lavish spending, Camille was quite wealthy, with assets amounting to 280,000 francs—enough to cover the cost of the penicillin.
Joseph waved her off with a smile.
"The medicine doesn't cost nearly as much as Dr. Lamarck said. But if you insist, consider it an investment in the Paris Pharmaceutical Factory."
He suddenly remembered something else. "Oh, by the way, the Hérou family paid 300,000 francs as compensation for the recent incident."
Émard handed over a small wooden box containing several promissory notes.
"This much?" Camille was astonished.
She hadn't done anything to deserve such a fortune, yet this was the second time Joseph had secured significant compensation for her—first from Baron Walter, now from the Hérou family.
She thought of how Perna had recently told her about being appointed as the dean of the new Royal Military Medical University. Camille admired Perna deeply; to become a respected university dean as a woman was truly remarkable.
"Your Highness," Camille said thoughtfully, "I'd like to donate this money to the Royal Military Medical University as thanks to Miss Perna for taking care of me."
Joseph was touched by her gratitude. She didn't hesitate to donate 300,000 francs, a substantial amount, to express her thanks.
Wait—hadn't she also mentioned repaying him earlier?
At that moment, Crozat knocked on the door and said, "Your Highness, Fouché is here. He says it's urgent."
Joseph urged Camille to rest and quickly made his way to the reception room.
Fouché bowed deeply before handing over an urgent report. "Your Highness, the Pope was nearly assassinated two days ago."
"Oh?" Joseph opened the report and frowned slightly. "How is the Pope? Who was the attacker?"
Fouché replied, "The Pope was unharmed, thanks to a cardinal. The assassin was identified as Schmitz, a young officer—reportedly Austrian."
With Claude Chappe's semaphore telegraph system now operational, Joseph had funded the construction of numerous signal towers. In just two months, the network stretching from Paris to Lyon was complete, enabling swift transmission of information.
This was how news from Rome had reached Paris in just two days.
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