Chapter 114JOHN'S POVI wake with the image of the color-coded list still burned behind my eyes, vivid and sharp like I'm still staring at the screen.My name. Highlighted yellow. Not crossed out in red like the eliminated participants, not green like whatever safe category that represents. Yellow.I lie still for a moment, staring at the ceiling of my small room, trying to shake the image loose from my mind. The feeling lingers stubbornly, a weight pressing down on my chest that won't lift no matter how many deep breaths I take.Eventually I force myself up. Shower. Dress. The motions are automatic, muscle memory carrying me through the routine while my mind stays stuck on that list.Breakfast in the dining hall is quieter than usual, the ambient noise level noticeably lower than previous mornings. Two seats are empty where Sarah and Daniel used to sit, removed just yesterday for hesitation and failure. No one mentions them. No one even glances at the empty chairs.My team eats toge

Due to the visit of Her Highness the Princess of the Two Sicilies to Paris, the French Guards, as part of the Paris Garrison, naturally assumed the responsibility of escorting her along the way.And General Besanval, the commander of the French Guards, became the busiest person.He had to ensure that all officers and soldiers remembered every step of the reception, along-the-way vigilance, and escort process before the princess's arrival.Such affairs could not afford any mistakes. Therefore, he had to personally oversee the troops, repeatedly practice the entire reception and escort process along the princess's predicted route, and only then could he feel reassured.Thinking of the upcoming visit from the Grand Duchess of Tuscany, he felt a headache coming on.The French Guards marched in three columns along the small roads of the outskirts of Paris, moving briskly. Just as they were about to reach the predetermined reception point, a sudden thunderous explosion came from the southwe

As the ships loaded with potatoes from Metz, Lorraine, and other areas began to sail south, in the office of the director of the Paris Industrial Planning Bureau, Joseph was flipping through a thick stack of reports.A fifty-something official with many smallpox scars on his face and wearing glasses stood solemnly to the side.He was the Commissioner of Agricultural and Financial Affairs, reporting to the office of the Finance Minister, and these were the documents he had just delivered.The content of the documents was the recently compiled number of manor owners and farmers in each province who were willing to grow potatoes, as well as the data on the planned planting area they had proposed.Since Finance Minister Brian was currently in Caen conducting trade negotiations with the British, these documents were sent to his deputy, Joseph. In fact, this kind of matter was usually the responsibility of the Minister of the Interior, but Brian and Joseph had previously agreed that the pro

For example, they couldn't freely leave their land, they had to undertake numerous tasks for the feudal lord, and even disputes could be adjudicated by the feudal lord—if the feudal lord lived nearby.Therefore, these tenant farmers usually wouldn't go against the wishes of the landlord. The Old Nobility's boycott of potatoes also led to a large number of tribute farmers being unable to plant potatoes.Joseph chatted with the farmer for a while and gained a general understanding of the household's living conditions.The farmer was named Geiszler, who farmed 27 acres of Viscount Colbert's land, with an annual grain income of around 200 livres.However, after paying the rent to Colbert, this family still had to pay the Poll Tax, Military Service Tax, the Tithe, the Vingtième, and the Road Labor Tax, among a long list of other taxes.In daily life, they also had to pay the mill tax, press tax, salt tax, goods tax, and tolls, among others.What was left was barely enough for the family to

The man hurriedly made a chest-touching salute from a distance to Joseph, "May God be with you, Your Royal Highness Crown Prince. I am Pierre Victiniang Venio, serving at the Bordeaux High Court. May I have the honor of speaking with you for a moment?"Joseph felt the name was somewhat familiar. Venio? He suddenly remembered—wasn't this the famed orator of the Girondin Party?Indeed, the name of the Girondin Party originated because several of its main leaders were from the Gironde province, and Venio was one of them. Of course, the Gironde province was only delineated after the Great Commandment; presently, it was still only Bordeaux or the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.Joseph remembered that Venio was one of the few in the Girondin Party who advocated for cooperation with the Royal Family, but he had no idea what he wanted with him.So, he signaled to Eman, "Please let Mr. Venio come over."Eman nodded and stepped aside.Quickly advancing a few steps, Venio once again gave a respectful