"No, there's no need to finish!" Lagrange grasped Joseph's shoulder excitedly, saying, "This new derivation is more than enough to prove your ability. I will go to the university today to apply for your degree certificate."
"Thank you so much!" Joseph was overjoyed. He broke free from the old mathematician's hands, gave him a bow, and then dashed out of the room.
Lagrange initially wanted to give a speech, but he realized that Joseph had already left. Stunned for a moment, he quickly chased after him, calling out,
"Your Highness, how did you come up with the idea for differentiable functions? Please share your thought process with me!"
The boys in the classroom looked at each other in confusion. After a moment, someone hesitantly asked, "Can anyone tell me, did the Prince just graduate?"
"It seems like it."
"But he just got here today…"
The boy with slanted eyes stared at Joseph's back, full of resentment, and said, "No, he must have cheated!"
André shot him a subtle look of disdain and placed Lagrange's test questions in front of him:
"The questions were made up on the spot by the professor, and His Highness's proof is a completely new mathematical discovery. Duke of Chartres, if you think cheating can accomplish this, perhaps you should try it yourself."
The Duke of Chartres stared at the incomprehensible formulas in shock. He had always considered himself the best among the young members of the royal family, but now he couldn't even understand the proof that someone else had already completed…
Could Joseph's previous incompetence have been an act just to make a fool of him?
He clenched his fists tightly. "Joseph, just wait. One day, I'll make you crawl at my feet!"
Joseph, of course, couldn't hear their conversation, but even if he did, he wouldn't care. It was just childish bickering. Right now, his mind was filled with thoughts of finally being able to participate in governance and how he would go about reforming France to prevent the outbreak of the Revolution and avoid getting his head chopped off.
Lagrange, panting heavily, caught up with him and pestered him with questions for a while. Suddenly, he seemed to grasp something from the Prince's proof and muttered to himself:
"What if f(a) is not equal to f(b)…"
He repeated this several times, his expression growing serious, before hastily bidding farewell to Joseph and heading straight back to his office at the university.
Joseph watched him go and softly said, "If f(a) ≠ f(b), then it becomes your Lagrange Mean Value Theorem. Good luck proving it a few years earlier."
After the old mathematician's figure disappeared, Joseph beckoned to the attendant who had been following him:
"Aymon, where is Her Majesty the Queen now?"
The tall, blond young man quickly bowed and replied, "Your Highness, the Queen is in her tea room."
Joseph nodded to him and then ran towards the end of the wide corridor. The intense movement caused him to cough, reminding him that his pneumonia hadn't healed yet—the original Prince had a very weak constitution, and this pneumonia had been lingering for over a month with no signs of recovery.
He waved off Aymon, who had come over to help, signaling that he was fine. After weaving through several more corridors, he finally saw the door to the Queen's tea room.
"Starting today, I can finally show my skills and begin saving myself!" He took a deep breath and pushed open the door, striding in between the guards.
Inside the elegantly decorated tea room, Queen Marie, with her two-foot-high intricate hairstyle, fair skin, and light blue eyes, was sitting comfortably in an Oriental-style armchair. She held a document in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, listening intently to a minister beside her. It appeared she was handling state affairs—King Louis XVI spent most of his time in his locksmith workshop, so the Queen often took charge of governance.
Joseph sighed inwardly. Louis XVI was actually one of the rare benevolent kings in French history, but he inherited a France that was falling apart. Coupled with his lack of governance skills and obsession with locksmithing, he ultimately drove the country into ruin, leading to the outbreak of the Revolution.
In peaceful times, Louis XVI would likely have been a well-loved king. Joseph actually had a pretty good impression of him and, if possible, would love to save his life.
A voice announced from the side, "The Prince has arrived—"
Following court etiquette, Joseph stepped back with his right foot, placed his hand on his chest, and bowed to Queen Marie. He then greeted the ministers in the room one by one before eagerly stepping forward to address the Queen:
"Mother, I have passed the university mathematics graduation exam!"
Queen Marie's eyes lit up with delight as she set down the document and took Joseph's hand with joy:
"Joseph, you are truly the pride of your father and me!"
She had already sent someone to verify the Prince's academic progress, confirming that he had passed all subjects except mathematics with excellent marks. In other words, he had completed the University of Paris curriculum!
Looking at her son with a complex expression, she asked, "Why did you hide your studies from your father and me? I mean, you could have studied with a great teacher."
To explain his sudden academic prowess, Joseph had to make up an excuse, claiming that he had been studying in secret for many years.
"Because…" Joseph hesitated, then said, "I wanted to surprise you."
"This surprise is wonderful!" The Queen picked up a piece of strawberry pudding and fed it to him, then affectionately ruffled his slightly curly hair. "How did you manage to cram so much knowledge into that little head of yours?"
Nearby, a tall, thin man with a cold gaze, dressed in a dark blue brocade coat with a sapphire-encrusted collar, frowned and whispered to the minister beside him:
"Bishop Brienne, did the Prince just say that he completed university-level mathematics?"
The other man nodded, "It seems so."
"How is that possible?"
"I'm just as shocked."
Behind them, one of the Queen's trusted secretaries whispered:
"It's not just mathematics. His Highness has completed over a dozen courses at the University of Paris, including physics, chemistry, geometry, and English."
Several ministers around them widened their eyes in disbelief: "How is that possible?!"
"I remember, the Prince is only 13, right?!"
"This is simply unbelievable!"
"Yes," the secretary sighed, "The teachers who taught His Highness all call him 'the Favored Son of God.'"
"The Favored Son of God? Haha, with such a genius heir, France is bound to be even more glorious!"
"God bless France!"
Joseph ignored the ministers' flattery and broke free from the Queen's grasp, urgently saying:
"Your Majesty, as per our agreement, I can now participate in government, right?"
Queen Marie nodded affectionately, "Yes, my talented son. Oh, by the way, I suggest you start at the Paris City Hall to gain some experience."
Joseph frowned. He wanted to reform France from the ground up to prevent the angry mobs from slaughtering the entire royal family! What could he do at the City Hall? Manage traffic? Deal with sewage?
He had watched many documentaries on the French Revolution and knew that France's most critical issue at the moment was the financial crisis—problems like administrative corruption, ineffective disaster relief, and the disloyalty of the nobility were all caused by the collapse of the financial system.
So, to reform France, he had to start by reforming its finances!
Joseph looked at the Queen and cautiously suggested, "I think the position of Finance Minister might be more suitable for me."
Queen Marie responded with a kind smile. The financial crisis in France was a chronic problem. Since Louis XVI ascended to the throne, nearly all efforts had been focused on solving it, yet no solution had been found.
How could a thirteen-year-old boy, even if he were the "Favored Son of God," bear such a heavy burden?
She put away her smile and, after a moment of thought, said, "Joseph, if you're interested in finance, you can start at the Paris Tax Office."
Joseph knew that this was a sign of her not believing in his abilities, but it was understandable. After all, his body was only thirteen years old. He had no choice but to compromise:
"Then let me be the Finance Minister's assistant?"
At that time, an assistant was effectively the deputy finance minister, the second-in-command in financial matters.
(End of Chapter)