After sending Thomas away, Napoleon III immediately convened a meeting with his think tank, or rather, he convened a meeting with his ministers.
Anyway, it was pretty much the same thing; nepotism was Napoleon III's consistent style of employment, where his think tank also served as ministers, with no separate Cabinet.
Finance Minister: Count Monier (speculative financier), Army Minister Arno (younger brother and enforcer who also served as an advisor), Minister of Police Mopa (advisor), Home Minister Persigny (chief strategist), Naval Minister Deco (supporter and major shipowner), and his nephew served as the Colonial Minister...
Don't be fooled by this group of relations; in fact, they performed their tasks rather well, certainly much better than the July Monarchy and by a large margin better than the later Third Republic.
