His Excellency the Count of Grandet

Guillaume was insane.

Of course, this is just an exaggeration.He was very happy, yes, because this is the normal reaction of most people; but we must say, he has become relatively restrained-

If three years ago, the knighthood would have made Guillaume follow Louis XVIII wholeheartedly; but now, after experiencing so many things and seeing how Charles succeeded in another way, he has discovered that, It is not only the way to be knighted that one can enter the upper class of Paris, so it is a little more sensible.

As a matter of fact, Uncle Gonghou has so many titles!The title obtained through in-law relationship is definitely not as good as that obtained by relying on one's own strength; this also means that even a duke may not be as influential as an earl.How could a ostentatious title of nobility compare to real land and gold?

From the changes in people's attitudes towards him in recent years, Guillaume has clearly noticed this difference.Indeed, the Grandet family chose to stand on the opposite side of the traditional nobles (especially the royalists), but it does not mean that the nobles dare to look down on him or respect him——

In fact, the level of arrogance has already exceeded the maximum range he can imagine!Even if there are some sarcastic remarks, it is more like a huge gap covered by some outdated sense of superiority, sour that you can smell it 100 meters away!

He once wanted to use the title of nobility as a springboard to enter the upper class; but if he has already entered, then the springboard must be useless.It's just that, at the same time, Charles also received a medal that symbolized the highest honor of the empire (the honor is the fifth level among the six levels, and the next level is already at the commander level).This also confirmed the gold content of the earl's title from the side——

The earl of Shire is destined to be more important than many dukes!

"This is the best Christmas present I've ever received!" Guillaume said, with a joyful tone, "Your Excellency the Earl! My son!"

Although Charles didn't have much attachment to this title, seeing Guillaume in a happy mood, he felt that the earl was still valuable. "It's the best if you like it. The medal box is here," he handed it over, "I'll keep it for you in the future." Let his father look happy!

Guillaume happily accepted the trust from his son, and suddenly thought of another question: "Your Majesty said, this is a medal for your dedication to industry? Isn't it for Mr. Lafitte?" Lafitte has always been The celebrity in front of the king, it doesn't make sense that both father and son don't have one?

Charles knew that Guillaume was going to ask this. "Have you forgotten? I don't have an official position, but Victor doesn't. He has such a high position and authority, plus a noble title, that's really the biggest moving target."

"Oh..." Guillaume dragged his voice, and suddenly realized.Isn't the Lafitte family a big tree attracting the wind? "Does Mr. Lafitte mind?" For a partner, it's not a matter of scarcity but inequality!

"I have to assure you that if they really wanted it, the Lafitte family would have already had a dukedom. It is precisely because they know that this matter will only bring harm, they deliberately avoided it." Charles said.

Guillaume nodded thoughtfully. "That said, I'm relieved. Francois is indeed a smart man!"

Um?What's up with calling Victor's father by his first name?Charles was a little puzzled.Just as he was about to ask, Guillaume had already revealed the answer himself: "I met François on the pier—we were all waiting for our son to come home!"

Charles twitched his eyebrows.Really?Why did he feel another meaning?

As far as he knew, François knew that Victor planned to never marry a wife, and he had no choice but to accept the reality.Part of this is that I have an open-minded attitude, and the other part is that the idea of ​​​​carrying on the family line is not particularly strong.

In such a situation, Victor will definitely not hide it from his father, which means that Francois probably already knows that they are together.Then, with Francois's temperament of throwing his hands away as a shopkeeper, would he really wait at the pier for Victor to return from the United States?

Whether Guillaume believed it or not, Charles was deeply skeptical.The idea of ​​attacking from the side and assimilating Guillaume without a trace is more likely, right?

Guillaume didn't notice Charles's suspicion, and just continued: "Anyway, it's a good thing to add icing on the cake. You should prepare well, and you must pay attention to your identity in the salon on Christmas Eve and the following ceremony! After a few years, I will let people repair the mansion to match the glory of the nobility; and then build a new castle in Bordeaux...or do you plan to buy a new piece of land to build it?"

Such a large amount of construction work was partly due to the fact that the title of earl also needed territorial support, and partly because of the issue of face.But for Shire, except for the necessary living expenses, all spending that is not for the purpose of making money is hooliganism!For castles in particular, it is not surprising that millions of francs are needed at once. "At home, you can decide what to do. Let's talk about the castle later. I'll see the situation first."

Now that Guillaume has grasped the real meaning behind Charles' words, he can't help but feel helpless.The son is fine, but when did he develop the habit of frugality?He was never harsh on Charles when he was a child!However, he also thought that his son was already able to take care of himself now, and the plans were always full. Maybe the use of those millions of francs had already been figured out, so he stopped insisting.

Even though it was the busy time before Christmas, people still flocked to visit Grandet's house after the news spread that Charles had been promoted to Earl.To use a simple sentence to describe it, it can almost level the threshold.In addition to sweet words and flattery, they also brought many valuable gifts——

no way!Although the annual report of the chamber of commerce has not been released this year, as long as you have eyes, you will know that Shire has earned the most money, and no one else can catch up with it!Is that shabby gift worth giving?

But Charles didn't think so.He kept normal presents from people he had some acquaintance with, and returned all other expensive presents.I'm not familiar with or even know each other at all, so what's the purpose of giving a big gift?People are afraid of being famous and pigs are afraid of being strong, but he is also afraid that he will attract a lot of best after receiving gifts!It's been a long time since the matter of Logan and Su Xie, that's right, but you can't forget to eat or not to beat!

As for those who have some friendship, it naturally includes Alphonse.He had already brought some of the best champagne to Charles from Eperna as a Christmas gift, but he could not predict that Charles would be made earl years ago, so he couldn't help shouting and bemoaning his lack of preparation. "It's over, it's over," he said dejectedly, "Father will definitely talk about me again!"

"That's not the case." Charles comforted him as he handed him the wine glass, "Your concentration on managing the textile factory is the best gift to me."

Alphonse didn't listen at all. "Then how can it be the same?" He was quite angry. "The textile factory was originally built by you, so it can't be regarded as a gift at all!"

"That doesn't determine your attitude either, does it?" Charles replied tactfully. "I really don't mind that—unless you also want to try to get my gift back?"

This is true.Since Alphonse entered the door, he has seen Charles decline at least three gifts; one of them is large and heavy, and it must be a shining golden chime...

No, the point is not what other people gave!

Alphonse thought about this embarrassing situation happening to him, and immediately stopped looking forward to it. "Okay, then I'll show you something good next time." He only partially gave up on his previous thoughts, and at the same time changed the subject: "But having said that, Dad is actually in a good mood recently-he never thought about it. , Our Campang family also has an annual income of more than one million francs!"

If the Charles and his sons are the top leaders of the factory, then the Alphonse and his sons are undoubtedly close behind.Charles has never been relentless in paying wages, which can also be seen from here.

"Wouldn't that be nice?" Charles smiled. "Don't you still hope to earn less money?"

Alphonse scratched his head. "Of course I have no objection to the money! However, my father has already planned to give up his original arms business and concentrate on iron smelting." He joked, "In this way, I will be completely yours from now on, Charles !"

A good word must be said so, Charles almost spit out a sip of red wine.He finally suppressed this feeling, swallowed it, and said, "That's pretty good. I still have some spare money, and I can set up a few more factories along the railway line."

Alphonse's eyes lit up. "Really? That's great!" A big factory is already making so much money, so if you add more, isn't he the future drowned in gold?He won't mind at all, the more the merrier!

Charles nodded, planning to do this in detail after Christmas. "I remember, I have another question." He put down his glass, "How is my cousin Eugenie?"

"Her?" Alphonse said carelessly, "Go to work when it's time to work, don't be squeamish, and then you must go to the local chat for mass on weekends. Generally speaking, I think it's okay. But from a woman's point of view , she has already learned very quickly."

"It's fine if you don't bother you." Xia Er said, thinking that no problem is the best state, and his uncle's Christmas can probably be summed up to make a decision.

"By the way, why did your cousin come here?" Alphonse wondered. "If you say you are rich, you are dressed very plainly; if you say you are poor, you don't seem to care much about money, do you?"

"She's not poor, no matter how you look at it." Charles replied, with some implied meaning, but he didn't go into it. "It's almost time, I'll take you out."

Alphonse looked at the clock in the living room and suddenly realized. "Are you going to go to the Tuileries Palace? Then I'll go first." He stood up and said teasingly: "I believe that if you don't need to pay attention this time, there will be countless noble ladies wanting to marry you one after another!"

"Okay, don't even think about watching a good show, and you won't be able to see it!" Charles said angrily, and decisively drove Alphonse away.Forget about the others, he doesn't want to see some unappetizing faces at the Christmas salon!