Miss Eugenie Grandet

It was the first time Eugenie and Philippe Laner had met since the night at Floavond when the old Grandet fired his guns.

Unexpectedly, it would kick off in such a way in such a place.

Eugenie's eyes swept from the dark green military uniform decorated with golden epaulets and tassels on his upper body to the shiny riding boots on his feet, and finally fell back to his face, and met his gaze.

"Miss Grandet, I am very glad to meet you. You are getting more and more beautiful," he smiled slightly, "I am telling the truth, and every word comes from my heart."

There was hardly a smile on Eugenie's face.

"Mr. Rana, according to previous experience, every time you appear, there must be a request that is too heavy for me. I don't think you brought me here in this way at this moment, just for praise My appearance. Please tell me directly, what is your purpose this time, and what is it for?" When she said "and what is it for", her tone was a little more serious, with a hint of sarcasm.

The smile on Philip's face gradually faded.Under Eugenie's gaze, he walked up and down the room twice, and finally stopped in front of her.

"Miss Grandet, although I am also ashamed of this. But this time, you are indeed right."

"I still need your help."

He turned around, walked quickly to a milky white table with gold trim against the wall, opened the drawer, took out what looked like a contract, and spread it out on the table next to her.

"If you are willing to sign this, I, or His Majesty the Emperor, will be very grateful."

Eugenie scanned the contract, and finally landed on the signature on the last page.

In addition to the name starting with the huge "N" letter that is very personal and distinctive, on the other side of the signature file is another name she is familiar with.

She didn't look overly surprised.Just ponder for a moment.Then, she looked up at the man opposite.

"In this case, it seems more appropriate for Mr. Rochelle to discuss with me, right?" The tone was cold.

"Yes," Philip said immediately, "Mr. Rochelle thinks so too. But in my opinion, it's up to me, so it's more sincerity for me to come forward to discuss with you."

Eugenie glanced at the number on the contract again and smiled.

"What a sum of money. James will agree to lend you and your emperor's precarious regime. What a confidence he has in you."

"You are wrong, Mademoiselle Grandet. The reason why he agreed to borrow is definitely not out of confidence in the empire." Philip said, "No one in this world loves war more than bankers. Every war is Great opportunity for them to make a fortune. They give military money to the victors, they give reparations to the vanquished, and they always win unless the regime he lent the money to dies. As you just said, the regime I support is in jeopardy, It seems that as long as there is a blow from the anti-French alliance, the emperor will face the fate of defeat four years ago again. Since everyone thinks so, naturally including those shrewd bankers in Paris. So they refused to lend money to the emperor. Among them, Including the Rochester family BNP Paribas represented by Mr. James - which is making loans to the enemies of the Empire, as it has always done before. However, he still agrees to sign this loan contract. As you know As you can see, he issued this loan to His Majesty the Emperor with this newly established merchant bank that broke away from the family."

He smiled. "Although I have never done business, there is a truth that I also understand. A truly smart person will not put all his eggs in one basket. For Mr. James Rochelle, even if His Majesty's regime If he was disintegrated like four years ago, he would only lose the money in the contract, and he would not be injured. And if he is allowed to bet on the treasure, in addition to the principal and interest, he will also get money based on money. An intangible benefit of inestimable value. So, he signed it. However, for this agreement to take effect, you must add your name. So, this is why you were invited here."

Eugenie was silent.

Philip looked at her and continued: "Miss Grandet, before signing this document, Mr. James emphasized that the merchant bank that issued the loan was jointly held by him and you. Your status is equal. He asked me to tell you You, he has not forgotten the terms he promised you. He thinks this time is a special case. However, if you think it is really inappropriate, then this agreement will be invalid, and he will fully respect your wishes. It is his Literally. So—"

He stared at Eugenie, "I very, very sincerely hope that you can sign it. Under the current circumstances, obtaining this funding is of paramount importance to the Empire."

"Mr. Laner, I don't know how you persuaded Mr. Rochelle, but your words are absolutely not a reason to persuade me to sign." Eugenie finally spoke with a cold voice, "I admit that this is a special But as you know, I am not a philanthropist either. I must ensure that any money lent out is profitable, at least not unrecoverable. For every hundred francs of the money lent, I invest I am not the same as Mr. Rochester. The Merchant Bank is not a problem for him, so he is willing to take risks to maximize profits. But for me, it is almost all I have. So, 'Important to you and your Emperor's Empire', for that reason alone, sorry, I refuse to sign."

"If I tell you that I have great confidence to win the next life-and-death battle? Will it make you change your decision?" He stared at her closely.

"Speak." Her voice was still cold.

"Your Majesty's legal heir, the King of Rome, has been taken away from the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, where he was imprisoned, and arrived safely in Paris a few days ago. Moreover, the Austrian queen has also been separated from her lover and has been taken to Paris. I I can't explain more inside information to you, but three days later, the world will see His Majesty the Emperor, the Empress and the King of Rome together appearing on the square where the subjects and the army are inspected. You should not deny that this is a kind of coercion A powerful means of boosting the morale of the people and the army?"

Four years before, Napoleon had returned from Elba, and, having failed to make peace, was hastily preparing for battle.When he appeared in the square to inspect his subjects and army before departure, there was no queen and king of Rome that the French expected to see, only him alone.That kind of scene, I am afraid that everyone who has experienced it will never forget it.

"I admit it's a good way to boost morale, but how do you and your emperor plan to deal with a strong opposition army composed of British, Austrian, Russian and Prussian? Perhaps you can get a victory once or twice. Victory, but I don't think you have the strength to fight against the whole of Europe for a long time, and the French people will not allow you to do so."

"You are right, this is the key. Miss Grandet, do you know Poland? This country surrounded by Austria, Prussia and Russia has now been partitioned and completely disappeared from the European map. It is in the Empire In the golden age that swept across Europe, the arrival of the emperor was regarded by the Poles as a savior, and they supported the emperor. After the defeat of Waterloo, loyalists even went to prison for it. So now, Poland, which has disappeared from the map, is used to deal with The best weapon of the Allies."

Philip saw a trace of inquiry in Eugenie's eyes, and smiled.

"In this era, the inherent concept of the nation has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and it is impossible to eliminate it. Back then, even if the emperor successfully occupied Spain, he would never be able to turn the Spaniards into French. The same is true for Poland. Its territory was divided, but The West Slavs can never become Austrians, Prussians or Russians. They never forget the restoration of the country. Miss Grandet, you may not have heard of the surname Kacinkova, but in the minds of the 800 million Poles who have died In the novel, the surname of this exiled aristocrat represents their national hero and the hope of restoring the country. Coincidentally, during the years when the emperor was imprisoned on St. Helena, I happened to have contact with people from this family. So very soon, you will hear that the Kacinkova family will lead a massive uprising of the Poles for the restoration of their country."

Eugenie was shocked at last by the news she heard.After a little thought, I understand.

What a coincidence.I'm afraid that since then, the careerist in front of him has already started to plan everything for today.It's just the result of deliberate deliberation.

Essentially, the man in front of him belongs to the same category as James Rochelle.It's just that one is playing a capital game and the other is playing a political game.

"You mean that France will back the Polish uprising?"

"You are very clever!" Philip praised, "but to be more precise, France instigated this uprising of the Poles, and will continue to support it as long as it is needed. When the Russians found out that they had already stabilized The land and population that has been firmly in his pocket will soon be lost to him. Do you think he still has enough energy to fight against France? As for Austria, to be honest, I agree with the views of those conservatives in today's military meeting, since we are still The queen from Austria is needed, and now may as well make peace with her country for the time being. Miss Grandet, if you are the monarch of Austria, on the premise that your daughter is re-consecrated as Queen of France, you would like to continue with France As the enemy, while exhaustingly dealing with the Poles, or tacitly ally with France in exchange for the security of the part of the Polish territory that has already been pocketed?"

Eugenie frowned tightly, "Mr. Lannes, I don't understand what you mean."

"It's easy to understand. What I mean is that if Austria withdraws from the anti-French alliance, then France will guarantee the ownership of the part of the Polish territory that was carved up by it."

"Aren't you too confident? You regard Poland as a pawn in your hands. Why do you think that the Poles will obey your mercy?"

"It's very simple. Among the remaining two brothers of the Kachinkova family, the disobedient one died in an accident a few months ago."

When Eugenie heard him say such a sentence in such a cold and indifferent tone, she suddenly shuddered.

She has always felt that she has been ruthless enough in this life.But now, she realized that she was wrong.

She finally couldn't help it, and sneered.

"This is how you support the Poles for their national liberation? You are too great."

The man opposite shook his head slightly, his expression was calm.

"Miss Grandet, I have never flaunted my greatness, nor have I shouldered the sacred mission of liberating peoples all over the world. My first consideration is to maximize the interests of France. As you know, France has long since It is not what it used to be, and the foundation is almost completely hollowed out. This country can support one or two wars with all its strength, but it can no longer withstand repeated and repeated long-term wars. What the empire needs, It is not a victory in a certain battle on a general level, but a victory that can completely determine the situation. When the Russians are overwhelmed and the Austrians change their positions, the remaining Prussians and British will learn a lesson that they will never forget!"

Eugenie remained silent.

"You can put the most contemptuous comments on me. However, as long as the defense of the empire can be won at the least cost to France and the least sacrifice of soldiers, in my opinion, any means are justified and reasonable." He twitched the corners of his lips and added, "Besides, for the Poles, they don't actually lose anything, because they have nothing except a title."

"Got it. So you need money."

Eugenie, recovering at last from the shock she had just heard of the plan, said coldly—it is impossible to judge.In the face of his eloquent and specious self-defense, she actually felt that she could not make a judgment about right or wrong.

Perhaps in this world, there is no absolute right or wrong and black and white.Yes, but different conclusions based on different positions.

"Yes. You are the only one other than the emperor who knows about this deployment. So now, can you tell me, are you willing to sign this agreement?"

"can."

After a while of silence, Eugenie spoke suddenly.

The eagerness with which she readily agreed made even Philip on the other side feel a little unbelievable.

"You... really agreed?" He looked at her and asked tentatively.

"Why not," said Eugenie, "since James, who is going to be the big boss, has signed it. Besides, after listening to your explanation, if France is defeated because of my refusal, I am afraid that I will become tens of millions." Enemy of the French who support the Emperor."

The man on the opposite side pretended not to understand the irony in her words—"Then...Miss Grandet, can you sign now?" Desperately wanting to be rich. Anyway, once again, thank you very much for your understanding and support, I will always remember..."

"This time, this is the third time I've heard you say something like this to me," Eugenie interrupted him. "It's not good to owe money, and it must be even worse to be in debt. I don't want to Let you always carry the burden of owed me, let's take this opportunity to settle it."

Philip raised his eyebrows, showing interest, "You said, as long as I can do it, I will definitely agree. It's not a joke, let alone the title and land, even if you like Danfeng Bailu Palace, I can come to His Majesty to pay for it. You fight for it."

Eugenie snorted. "I don't need a knighthood, I don't need land, and I'm not interested in Danfonbleau. I just need the priority of French railway development within 20 years from now."

Philip was taken aback.It seemed that this request of hers took him by surprise.

"Why, are you unwilling to agree, or are you unable to be the master, my lord?" Eugenie showed the first smile after arriving in this place, "In my opinion, the lives of you and the emperor should be far higher to the value of my request."

Philip stared at her for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

"Miss Grandet, you have surprised me again! Let me put it this way, His Majesty has told me that he has ordered me to grant you any other request than to reward you with the Tuileries. So, we've made a deal! And—"

He leaned closer to her and lowered his voice, "To be honest, instead of letting the Rochelle family control the French economy, I would rather hope that this person is you."

When he leaned over to speak, Eugenie seemed to feel a burst of heat from him, and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

"Then, you won't owe me anything in the future." Eugenie took a step back calmly, "We'll write it off!"

The author has something to say: The last time I saw some readers in the comments saying that Poland’s Doubi was indeed a strange country…