His Excellency the Count of Grandet

It was almost time for the official date of the opening ceremony.From the food to the security guards, he had to personally ask questions. Charles didn't have much time to spend on verifying the matter, so he planned to wait until the trip.

In addition to dignitaries, there are many people who will board the new locomotive "Emily Grandet".Of course, it includes the members of the French Academy of Sciences who have made great contributions to research and development, such as Faraday and Ampere; it also includes several painters who readily agreed to go to Bordeaux for a field visit, such as Gellicot and Delacroix.

If Hugo, the future literary master, is added, the stars on this train can be described as shining!So, in fact, Charles called it the Starlight in his mind——

Isn't it true that the superstars of this era are all gathered here?

After the Napoleonic Wars, Paris has not seen such a grand event for many years.Moreover, this grand event is not about who is leading the army, but a new train is about to depart——

This is a novelty for ordinary Parisians.Of course, they can see the trains that are ready to go at the station, and they admit that it does look very trendy, but it can be spread by word of mouth, and the momentum is bigger than a military parade. There is always an inexplicable sense of strangeness——

"The Grandet family is really rich!" Most people said, "How much did they invest in this event? It must be more than a few million francs?"

"Look at the energy of the Grandet family!" Someone else said, "Whether they are royalists or republicans, they seem to have forgotten their biggest difference!"

"To be honest, even I can't resist the temptation to make life better—" This is said by someone who understands, "No matter what people do, it's all for this ultimate one. purpose?"

No one can deny this statement.Whether it is a wheelwright or a weaver, whether it is a tenant farmer or a miniature painter, whether it is a tailor or a wigmaker... it is the same.Even if he is a simple politician, he relies on his lip service most of the time, and he needs some actual achievements to prove his ability. No one can escape this law——

The desire for a better life is the driving force for the advancement of human civilization!

This is the beginning of another new era!

Suddenly, the whole city of Paris seemed to be ignited with the same enthusiasm.Maybe it's curiosity about new things, maybe it's the desire for high society life, maybe it's other reasons, but the result is the same——

The young Earl Grandet is completely red!

While it is firmly believed that Shire has spent unimaginably large sums of money recently, they also admit that no one can earn more than Shire if he continues to develop as he has in previous years situation; and judging from the current situation, there is almost no doubt about it!

"He knows everything," so many people publicly praised, "he knows what industries have potential for development, and he knows who is the best person to put in where; he knows how to deal with smart people, and he knows how to get rid of useless people." Silverfish; most importantly, he not only knows how to make money, but also knows how to lead others to make money!"

"He may become another Napoleon!" someone whispered, "He and his army are invincible on another battlefield!"

Charles had heard such rumors a little bit, but he didn't take it seriously.In the Parisian way of speaking, the descriptions used were often exaggerated; by his own standards he was far from being at his best.

This attitude came across as more like humility, so it earned him some good reputation.In addition, he also sponsored the city government to build several orphanages and libraries in the name of the king, and the relevant committees have already started operation.Now even the beggars on the side of the road had to praise from the bottom of their hearts——

"Young Lord Earl has the most heart-warming sympathy in the world! He is such a good man!"

If these compliments are connected, maybe it can be matched into a glittering golden palace, and the weight of words alone can crush people to death.That should count as a bad aspect, but it's nothing compared to what it's really doing—to keep people from noticing the larger act beneath the surface.

Therefore, Louis XVIII, who boarded the train amidst the welcome of the crowd, was very satisfied.It is more accurate to say that he has not been so elated in many years.

That's right, Shire and the others came up with the idea, and Shire and the others did the thing, and he didn't actually play a big role in it; but anyway, Shire succeeded when he was king, and he was as old as today. Wasn't he the first beneficiary of the glory and praise of God?

Compared with the illusory divine right of kings, our dear king pays more attention to the face of reality; for example, the subjects unanimously claim that he is a good king.Charles helped him earn a lot of face, isn't it enough for him to love and value him?

Therefore, after the train started, Louis XVIII couldn't wait to call Charles to his king's exclusive box. "This car is fast and stable!" He didn't hesitate to show his good mood, "It's more comfortable than a carriage!"

"Thank you for your affirmation, Your Majesty." Charles bent down and replied, "Your satisfaction is my greatest honor."

The king laughed. "Sometimes, I do regret that you are not a poet! But it is not necessary—I have already brought some of them, do you want to know them, my dear Charles?"

Poet or something, Charles thought he would never be able to do it.But the king said so, of course he couldn't save face. "What you're talking about," he looked at the people around him in a blink of an eye, "I'll make a bold guess, the people around you must be able to write more poems that you admire?" But what he was thinking in his heart was: which one is the rain? fruit?

The king was in an extremely good mood, as can be seen from his initiative to introduce Charles.One of those people was Mr. de Vigny, who had started a weekly with young Hugo last year.Hugo often published some poems in it, most of which praised the Bourbon dynasty.

Noble friends add odes, which is the objective reason why Louis XVIII noticed Hugo.

Shire glanced at Hugo several times without a trace, and finally admitted that he did not read in the face of a 19-year-old the prescience that would become a literary giant.If it weren't for the fact that the name was so thunderous, he would never have thought of it!

If Ciel's curiosity about Hugo is because of the history he knows, then Hugo's curiosity about Shire is entirely because of the reality he knows——

The short period of fortune, precise investment vision, and pragmatic and professional attitude add up to become the destined richest man in Paris!

For a man who captured the favor of the Duke of Orleans when he was just an adult, a man who seemed to be a child but quickly made a big career, a man who was a commoner a generation ago, and now he has become the count of the king. Isn't that enough to hint at a future that will become a legend?

This silent scrutiny was presumably noticed by the king. "Young people always stay with old people, so it's unavoidable that they find it boring," he said jokingly, "Charles, why don't you take them outside for a walk?"

It is said to be walking, but unlike a ship, a train has a deck or something to enjoy the distant view, so you can only walk around in the corridor, at most, you can enjoy the wind at the side door and see the moving scenery in the distance.There are people in each car talking to each other, and it is very impolite to join in rashly; as for the key places such as the front of the car, they have long been occupied by scientists-they need to observe actual data to determine the direction of next-step performance improvement.

So, they finally chose a place to sit down and chat casually while enjoying the wine and snacks carefully prepared by Charles.

M. de Vigny stood right there, rather taciturn, even more so than the Duke of Orleans.In this way, the main players in the conversation can only be Shire and Hugo.

Undoubtedly, after ten minutes, Charles already had a preliminary understanding of Hugo.He also knew that Hugo wrote those odes mostly due to family factors.Judging from what he knows, this is undoubtedly because Hugo is still young and has not formed his own worldview.

Think about it, how can a person who has tens of 10 people pass by the window of his apartment to celebrate his birthday in his later years, walk against the tide of the times or the people?

Although Shire's research on literature is limited, he can't help but respect such a master.But it would be too weird to show it now, so he can only try to find some light-hearted topics.He doesn't want to leave a good impression on great writers, but he doesn't want to leave a bad impression!

So later when Michelle came to Charles to tell him something was wrong, Charles felt relieved.For the first time, he felt the disadvantages of knowing too much - it's okay not to know, but he was inexplicably nervous when he knew!Sure enough, science and engineering are suitable for him!

M. de Vigny spoke only after Charles had left. "Mr. Grandet seems to be quite cautious, as the rumors say, and he does not appear to be very arrogant."

"You also think that a person like him is bound to succeed?" Hugo leaned on his chin and said, his eyes still fell on the door that Charles left. "His attitude towards people is really beyond reproach." There is almost no common class discrimination, which is really a strange flower!

M. de Vigny did not answer immediately this time.As a traditional aristocrat, he really doesn't want to admit that the traditional aristocracy is going into decline; at the same time, more and more facts keep reminding him of this——

A simple question, why was a man like Charles born into the family of a cooper and not any nobleman?Not only Shire, but also more people who have made achievements are also born in poverty?

"I can see that His Majesty really likes him," said M. de Vigny at last. "Just like what you said, if Mr. Grandet can continue to carry forward everything he has now, I can't find any reason why he can't succeed." Even if it is not in France, it will be no problem in other countries!

"Oh, that's the highest compliment you can give, at least from what I've heard." Hugo smiled. "It's a great thing for us, isn't it? From my personal point of view, I have to say that I am quite willing to see that kind of future!"