Chapter 1066: Chapter 83 The Great Conspirator_2

And to keep a stable seat in such a marketplace, what books to use as a wedge to stabilize the chair legs becomes extraordinarily important.

This is like the balancing act of stacking chairs in a circus; you must find the exact center of gravity. No faction can be too strong to cause a shift in the balance, only then can it wobble and stack for a long time.

After two and a half years of practice, the circus master and King of France, Louis Philippe, finally learned a trick or two of stacking chairs last year and thoroughly enjoyed himself during the months following the death of the former Prime Minister Perier.

The power of the state is a constant; the more power ministers hold, the less power the king has.

To prevent ministers from securely holding their power, one must first make it appear as though one is above party frays, exhibiting impartiality.

Secondly, a minister’s grip over a department generally correlates positively with his tenure; the longer he is in office, the more he is able to maintain control over the department.

So, to prevent them from doing so, frequent cabinet reshuffles and ministerial position swaps become particularly crucial.

The July Monarchy has been established for merely three years, yet Louis Philippe has already changed three Prime Ministers.

Of course, though he possesses the authority as King, dismissing a Prime Minister without reason is not feasible. Perhaps because God favors him, within these three years, France experienced major events like the cholera epidemic, the Lyon workers’ uprising, and the republican uprising. Thus, every time he dismissed and rearranged cabinet members, it seemed perfectly reasonable.

And now, another opportunity presents itself.

In the bustling central district of Paris, at the Kaidao Sai Mansion, home to the Foreign Office, someone dared to attempt an assassination of the King.

Enacting decrees and replacing some officials due to such a reason cannot be deemed tyrannical.

When someone is removed from their position, a vacancy appears that needs to be filled. In this way, positions can be used to buy the loyalty of some people who are willing to serve him, further controlling these powerful officials to serve the king peacefully.

At this thought, Louis Philippe’s mood lifted considerably. He took a deep breath, and the scent of roses lingering at his nostrils intoxicated this ‘First Citizen of France’.

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed along the shaded pathway.

“Your Majesty, Mr. Thiers is here.”

Without turning around, Louis Philippe crouched to stroke the roses in the flowerbed: “Thiers, does the Immortal’s uniform from the Academic Institute fit you well?”

Dressed in a dark formal suit, ‘The Giant of Paris’, Thiers replied with focused intent and courtesy: “Your Majesty, although I consider myself to have made some achievements in historical research, listing me in this year’s supplemental list of academics to the Academic Institute is still an overstatement.”

Louis Philippe stood up and took a towel from an attendant to wipe his hands: “There is no such thing as overstatement, both you and Gizo are the best historians in France today. Your academic achievements are evident to all in Paris. Although compared to other academics, you are a bit younger, being young is not an excuse to delay greatness, it’s your advantage. That’s precisely why I placed you in the position of Home Secretary in the new cabinet. Thiers, I’ve always had great faith in you, and I know you won’t disappoint me.”

Thiers bowed slightly and said: “I’m sincerely grateful for your trust and truly feel the heavy responsibility on my shoulders.”

Louis Philippe suddenly shifted the conversation: “I hear there’s a comic magazine in Paris called ‘Racket’ that’s selling quite well? The magazine was only launched in December last year, and it’s already become the best-selling comic daily in Paris.”

Although Louis Philippe didn’t elaborate, Thiers clearly understood the king’s unspoken implication.

As the hottest comic magazine currently, ‘Racket’ is not hard to find in Paris, and it’s the leading force in the current Paris comic circle trend of drawing ‘pears’.

Thiers originally thought Parisians would only maintain a three-minute passion for it, but the development of events greatly exceeded his expectations.

As Heine said to Arthur: “With such satirical cartoons increasing daily, every time I open my window, the walls outside are covered with bizarre pears.”

Satirical cartoon “Damned pear, why aren’t you a truth”

Satirical cartoon “Grand Condé”

Satirical cartoon “Warsaw’s orderliness”

Satirical cartoon “Paris is equally orderly”

Thiers had to admit that although these cartoons were quite humorous, they were certainly not amusing to Louis Philippe.

Louis Philippe has always been strict about control over cultural domains; each new play in Paris theaters must receive government approval before being staged. Among those who have stumbled because of this, are not only renowned playwrights like Hugo and the Great Dumas but also numerous obscure ones.

After last year’s Paris republican uprising, newspaper and magazine censorship also tightened, with several leading news agencies being raided by the Paris Police, and editors deemed severely culpable were sentenced to prison.

However, it is much easier to catch playwrights and newspaper editors in the act, because the forms of plays and articles are too straightforward; even if they try to cover and deny, after many times, there will always be one or two instances where they slip.