His Excellency the Count of Grandet

But even Charles had to admit that Alphonse was telling the truth.

According to the usual practice, everyone will arrive at the Tuileries Palace early, and then wait for the king to appear, and so will Charles.But he was watched, or more accurately described, surrounded almost from the moment he stepped off the carriage.

"Look, that's the newly promoted Lord Earl!" This kind of discussion from a distance can barely be regarded as polite.

"Honorable Earl, would you mind taking a moment?" This kind of courteous approach is straightforward.

Charles walked all the way along the garden, and everyone he met on the road recognized him, and the return rate was as high as [-]%.Even the royal attendants bowed to him with a wider arc than others, this was definitely not his illusion.

To put it simply, Charles deeply experienced the thrill of being a popular fried chicken.

It was still early, and there were not many people in the hall.When Charles entered, almost everyone noticed the movement and turned their faces away.Charles spotted Duke Decaz in it at a glance, so he raised his legs and walked over.It was only when he was halfway there that he realized that there was a face that could not be ignored——

James Rothschild.

Anyone who has done some research on world financial history will have heard of the surname Rothschild.This is a well-known family business with a wide range of business scope, covering everything from arms and food to public bonds and stocks.

At the beginning, the founder of the family, Meyer, profited from the British army controlling the American colonies through the Duke of Hesse. The £300 million he relied on to make his fortune was originally a fund from the British government to the Hesse army.Later, during the Battle of Waterloo, the entire family provided supplies such as food, grass, and arms to the British army, and secretly funded the Spanish revolution on the opposing side.Because they knew the result in advance by relying on the family intelligence network, they made a lot of money.

This is the biggest direction.As for the hype and manipulation of gold, stocks, public bonds, etc. in major European cities to make money, it is even more common.

To put it more directly, the Rothschild family has been inseparable from war since its fortune, whether it is actual or market.As long as they can make money, they can do anything.

Knowing this, now you look at the main people in this coterie: the Duke de Caze, who just returned from the Rothschild headquarters in London, made his fortune on the supply of Napoleon's army (and the rise of the Rothschilds There are similarities in the way), Mr. Van Leburg, and the youngest James Rothschild himself who is in charge of the French business of the Rothschild Group—

Leaving aside the interests and goals, the direction of the conversation is obvious!

Charles adjusted the smile on his face.It seems that the idea is very hard!he likes!

When Charles came over, James had already noticed him.

From the perspective of family interests, there is no doubt that James does not like Shire.The reason is very simple-from the time he opened up Paris affairs, Lafitte was his opponent.Whether it is Francois or Victor, they are both soft and hard.A simple monetary tightening strategy made him fail to succeed in French bonds for ten years.Just this year, when Victor was not in Paris, Michel was unwilling to cooperate with him, and there was a faint tendency to sing against him. The intention to speculate in French bonds failed for the nth time.

Cutting off people's wealth, this enmity is simply irreconcilable!

On this basis, considering Shire, it seems very bad.In fact, Shire started out as a special wine supplier for the army, which is barely the same as him.It's a pity that the future is getting more and more crooked, and it has become a path that everyone in the world has failed to succeed. It basically runs counter to Adam Smith's theory——

They use money to secretly manipulate the situation to gain benefits, and Ciel uses his own mind and hands to create the situation to gain benefits!

According to the Rothschild family's point of view that money is paramount, the level of means is directly measured by the amount of money earned.That is to say, Shire has achieved great success in a way that they could not predict and imitate!This is simply more convincing than "The Wealth of Nations" - what could be more convincing than the truth?

In this way, if James can only smile on the surface of Victor, his feelings towards Charles are very complicated.On the one hand, it is the consistent principle of the Rothschild family to win over those in power and obtain benefits from the other party, and Shire has faintly met this standard; The Lafitte family is closely related, and their philosophy of making money is also incompatible with them.

It must be emphasized that the "closeness" understood by James refers to the binding relationship of interests.As for personal friendship, it's not a thing at all in their eyes - money can settle everything!

At this time, Charles had already approached.

"Long time no see, dear Charles!" Duke Decaz greeted him first, because he knew Charles best. "It's been a year, and you've become more and more handsome!" In fact, he wanted to say that he was proud of the spring breeze, but he held back because of the problem of the people present.

The two exchanged a hug, and then Charles said, "The same goes for you, Your Excellency the Duke."

"Look at me, I was so excited that I forgot your honorific title!" De Kaz deliberately exaggerated his tone of annoyance, "Now you are the real Earl—you have to forgive my negligence on this point! "

"You must be joking; with our relationship, can I still entangle you with this?" Charles smiled. "But then again, shouldn't you introduce me to the gentlemen around you at this time?"

"Of course!" Decaz was waiting for his words, and at this time he naturally followed suit. "Mr. Van Leburg, you two must have met each other. This is Mr. Rothschild, you must have heard of this surname!"

Of course I have, Charles replied in his heart, and he knows more about Rothschild's methods than you! "I've heard of you for a long time, Mr. Rothschild."

"I should say that, Your Excellency the Earl." James saluted with his hands on his chest. From his words to his actions, he was impeccable, and he was [-]% British gentleman. "I've heard about your achievements for a long time, and always wondered when I could meet you. But God heard my heart, and today I finally got what I wanted!"

Shire is a true atheist, and the call of God sounds like bullshit to him.So he resisted the desire to spit out, and politely replied: "That's really my honor."

Although the undercurrent is turbulent, everyone is normal on the surface.It wasn't until the greetings were over and the four of them split into two sides that Duke Decaz seized the opportunity to tell Charles: "I was also dragged there. But you came before I said a few words. Besides, Victor has already arrived. Upstairs talking to His Majesty."

Charles nodded.Of course he knew Victor was here, so he was more concerned about other things. "You should know what Rothschild wants to do in France?"

"Of course." Decaz nodded, his face became serious.Before he had to go abroad, he was always in charge of economic affairs in the cabinet, and of course he was very clear about Rothschild's intentions.It has to be said that he did not have any kindness towards the British trying to dominate French finances. "Let me tell you, if it wasn't for Lafitte, they would have forced His Majesty the King to bow his head a few years ago."

If the Rothschild family really manipulated the public debt, Louis XVIII would definitely make concessions; or, this is why the Rothschild family wanted to manipulate the public debt-so that they could benefit from the king, Control French finance and earn much more money than the previous investment.

Charles nodded again.Just by imagining it, if this happened, it would be an absolute disgrace to Louis XVIII.

"Of course, your contribution cannot be ignored." De Kaz said again, "I have to say one more thing—even if His Majesty bestows you the title of Duke, it will not be an exaggeration!"

"Forget it," Ciel declined, "I think people's eyes are enough to make thorns grow on my chair!"

Decaz was amused by the metaphor. "You've always been so modest. That's a rare quality!"

"So it was nothing just now, just a chat before the banquet?" Charles changed the subject again.

Decaz nodded affirmatively. "Mr. Van Leburg is just a companion," he said. "If he wanted to continue working in the ammunition business, he would not have spent tens of millions of francs to buy Château Lafite. He is getting old and wants to find a place. Spend your old age in peace."

"I'm just worried. Mr. Rothschild doesn't think so." Charles lowered his voice and spoke concisely.

"They don't think it's a big deal to watch the excitement. Or if it's bigger, they can benefit from it." De Kaz said this with a frown. "When I was in London, I got a good taste of their ways. Mr. Van Leburg certainly wouldn't want to venture with them, and he has his wife and son to look after. But the others," he said, looking back After a while, I found that the other two had integrated into another small group just now, "I don't know."

"This is really a match for chess." Charles said, turning his eyes, which was quite meaningful.

That's what I said, but what's the matter with the eagerness in your tone?Duke Decaz thought rarely.But as soon as he opened his mouth, he only said: "There is still some time, let's go up together and meet His Majesty first."

"Of course." Charles withdrew his gaze, and the two climbed up the stairs together.

This move was not abrupt, but it was obvious that everyone who cared had noticed it.James' eyes were heavy and expressionless; the Count of Artois on the other side was similar.The two of them were thinking about their respective concerns, whether intentionally or not, the focus of their eyes met from afar.