His Excellency the Count of Grandet

There were other problems in repaying the money, and it was not a small problem, but Shire didn't expect it.After leaving Victor's mansion, he dug out his account books overnight to check, and marked some businesses that were involved with the old-fashioned nobles, intending to find opportunities to settle these potentially high-risk accounts.Although the current situation is not to the point of drawing a clear line immediately, but just as Victor said, be prepared.

Don't be afraid of [-], just in case, when something really happens, it's too late to cry!Forever friends are benefits. If you have a business that can make money, are you afraid you won't be able to find a partner?

When Charles had done this, he wrote Guillaume a letter, explaining the dark clouds that were hovering over Paris, which might bring storms.This news is obviously not suitable to be spread around as news, so he hopes that his father will find some other, more high-sounding reasons to end those transactions that are likely to lose money.

As for his own affairs, there is no such question——

The position of the Duke of Orléans is a mystery, but it is certainly not with the Count of Artois.If he came to power, Victor would definitely not need to plan ahead to the present level.Judging from the brief contact with his son Ferdinand, the young duke obviously has no aristocratic self-consciousness, but is closer to the middle class in thought-the king and title are not reliable at all, and he can only rely on himself.

That said, his five-year wine supplier contract is unlikely to be affected, which is a huge plus.

Then, the rest are the four vineyards.Of course, Myron Castle is in order, and the remaining three pieces should not be a big problem.Because those vineyards are inherently poor, the original owner is obviously not a nobleman who can stand on the stage, or is simply related to the nobleman.With the current status of their family and the black and white contract, it is safe to deal with such a person.

Charles breathed a sigh of relief.If he had bought a good vineyard then, he would have to worry about it now.But if he did buy it, he would certainly do everything in his power to keep it.

The point is whether their family's current social status can continue to be maintained - this is the key to keeping the family wealth.

If the Count of Artois succeeds in taking the throne, Charles has little confidence in it.The earl is well known for his conservatism: in his heart, the whole of France is still the private property of their Bourbon dynasty; up!

Because of this, a group of aristocrats gathered around the earl were more conservative than each other.Once the emperor and the courtiers are all replaced like this, is there any way for them to survive?It's impossible to have fun!

Charles murmured.If he remembers correctly, the Count of Artois, the future Charles X, failed to grow the profession of king; not only did he not sit on the throne for a few years, but he was finally kicked out by riots, which shows that he is unpopular.

A few years is not long to say, but it is not fun to experience it personally.In particular, it is very likely to be swept by the tail of the typhoon...

Charles suddenly had a bold idea——

If the precautions are taken well, or some other accident occurs, so that the Earl of Artois cannot take the stage, wouldn't everything be fine?They can still continue their normal career development, they only need to support another more moderate nobleman to become king and succeed... Let them directly advance the historical process to the republic, which is a bit early, and it is not easy to succeed; But there's always a better choice, right?

He is not a big man, and he still thinks it is a good idea to prevent the Earl of Artois from ascending the throne; what will the big capitalists who are more seriously affected think?Like Victor?

Thinking of this, Charles didn't close his eyes all night, and the light in the study never went out.By daylight he had downed several cups of strong coffee and smoked two thick cigars in fits and starts.In return, he almost figured out the stakes, and felt that although His Majesty the King may only have a small health problem, it is time to stand in line——

There is no need to show loyalty with great fanfare, and there is no need to beg for nothing; isn't it enough to do well what Victor has entrusted to him?

As for whether to get on line with the Duke of Orleans, and how to hinder the Earl of Artois's ascension to the throne, it is not his turn to talk about such matters.Then let Victor carry it!As long as the communication between the two of them is as smooth as the last time, wouldn't it be a matter of minutes to continue to make a lot of money?

In the following days, Charles went to the stock exchange regularly every day to observe the market conditions.He has a sum of money in his own hand, and Victor is likely to give him more money. Of course, he has to find a safe investment method.Since he promised Victor, he must get things done.

In terms of methods, there are indeed several.

First of all, you can buy treasury bonds and stocks, but you can only buy short-term ones, because you don't know what the situation will turn out to be, and you may not be able to recoup your capital in the long run.In addition, if there is a lot of money and the goal is too obvious, the direction of the funds is easy to be discovered.

But it has an advantage, the entry threshold is the lowest, it is not easy to lose money, and it does not particularly need interpersonal relationships.Even if necessary, Victor is enough - he is a manipulator in the first place!

Then there are various physical transactions.For example, the consumption method that Victor once mentioned, oak and vine.

This is a good way to slowly convert working capital into real estate.The slower the speed, the higher the concealment, which means that the funds that can be consumed are not much.Moreover, the era when one could become the richest man in an empire by relying on vineyards only existed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and it has long passed.

This is the Segur family.They held all the famous chateaus in France, successfully sold high-end wines abroad, won the hearts of a large number of emerging middle classes, and made a lot of money.Its wealth is so rich that even the French king at that time was ashamed of himself.

But obviously, this kind of outdated success cannot be replicated, and if you want to make money, you must be able to keep up with the times.

After weighing the funds in his hand, Charles felt that he should open up new businesses.For example, shipbuilding and trains, which are popular nowadays, are also very promising—it should be said that they must have a future.However, the source of the industrial revolution was not in France. If he wanted to industrialize, the best consideration was to go to the UK to introduce technology.

Britain and France are separated by a strait, so it is not easy to realize it, and Victor's consent must be obtained.So Charles remembered it, determined to find a chance to talk to Victor.

Finally, there is the land.In the current situation, if you want to burn a large amount of investment at one time, you can only buy land.Like his uncle, bought a marquis estate and immediately drained the coffers.But at the same time, buying land is also the most risky investment method because of uncertain political factors.

But considering that high-quality wine will only appreciate in value, Charles felt that if there was a famous chateau in front of him, he would definitely be tempted.It's just that there are only a few famous villages, and if he wants to buy it, he depends on whether anyone wants to sell it. Really, he can only rely on the red rain.

After such a total, Charles decided to first get up the small vineyard in his hands.When Victor's large sum of money arrives in the account, he will have time to bring up the British matter with Victor.Anyway, even if Victor disagreed, the plan would not be in vain—just as he thought before, does a profitable business still need a partner?

So Shire exchanged most of the money in his hand for March term treasury bonds, and kept an eye on the market, preparing to sell.If nothing major happens, he can continue to buy and sell; when the new wine is released in September and October, he can directly cash out to buy wine.

With the remaining money, he hired several foreign ship owners on routes ranging from South America to the Far East, asking them to bring some local curiosities, such as cigars, porcelain or rare tropical plants.The popular gift-giving method in Paris these days is to give this kind of thing, without worrying about the market; if Victor needs to fix some joints, he can be considered prepared.

As for the Bordeaux vineyards, Alphonse had also sent for them, along with a large quantity of gunpowder, and several fellow oak merchants and grape experts.Charles had written a detailed letter to M. Myron, ordering the latter to proceed as they had planned.

Moreover, Mr. Milon mentioned in his previous letter that the board merchant who went to the United States a year ago has also returned to Bordeaux, and brought back dozens of boxes of grape roots, each of which is thicker than the other.If this proves to be useful, whether it can improve the disease resistance or yield of the grapes, Shire intends to import them in several boats——

Anyway, he is rich now, and the input-output ratio of this business cannot be lowered!If all goes well, by the end of this year, he will be able to drink fine wine from his own vineyard!

After finishing all these tasks, time has entered February unknowingly.Guillaume has returned from Burgundy (a big victory, and another gold in the Grandet family's coffers), and the trip to the spa that Alphonse had previously agreed with Charles can no longer be delayed up.

"It's really hard to ask you to go out now," Alphonse grumbled after finally getting a reply from Charles, "I'm free." "Look, how busy you are!"

When he said this, the two were turning together from the street of the Exchange, and were going back to the Grandet's house, because old Monsieur Compang had something to convey to Guillaume.

"It's almost the same now." Charles was a little absent-minded, because he was more concerned about other things. "You've been to Ireland, haven't you? And to Britain?"

"No, but my father has been." Alphonse answered reflexively.Then he suddenly realized something was wrong: "Why are you asking this all of a sudden? Are you going on a long trip again?"

"Not sure yet." Charles answered lightly.But anyone who knows him will know that this answer is equivalent to "sooner or later".

"You've been working so hard recently!" Alphonse emphasized again. "You're like this, I'm under a lot of pressure! My father doesn't like everything about me now - saying that I don't have your background, but I haven't worked as hard as you! Do you still want to stay in Paris?"

He vividly imitated the old Mr. Compang's tone of hating iron and steel, and Charles couldn't help laughing.He felt that, compared to other dudes, Alphonse was considered good: at best, he was a bit playful, and he also had the arrogance of young Parisians; but if he really asked Alphonse to do things, his friend was still very serious.

"Uncle also cares about you," he said, with a teasing tone. "He just wants his son to become a success! It's better to learn to do things now, than to find out that you can't afford a wife and children when you get married later?"

The joke sounded a little mean, and Alphonse couldn't resist punching Charles. "Don't talk nonsense, how could I get to that point? And then again, this matter is still very early, it's better to play for two more years! Wait..."

Before he finished speaking, the sound of a carriage on the street approached.Originally, this situation was very ordinary, but when the carriage slowly stopped beside the two, it became unusual.

"Golden Lily!" Alphonse whispered.He recognized the logo on the lining of the carriage at a glance, and immediately stared at Shire - this is a nobleman's car, and he must be looking for Shire!

And Charles had already recognized it without his reminding—this is the carriage of Duke Chartres!Today is the weekend, looking at this direction again, did the little duke stop when he happened to see him on the way home?something?

He guessed right, Ferdinand was planning to return to the Duke's residence.Recently, the Duke of Orleans has been so busy that he doesn't touch the ground. As the eldest son, of course he has to help as appropriate.So he knew the current situation, and also vaguely heard about Ciel's way of coping—smart and safe, and never attracted attention.

All in all, Charles fully meets Ferdinand's usual standard of appreciation for people.Not to mention that Shire is still young, and there is no harm in recruiting him.So it's not a big deal for him to stop, but just to have a word with Shire.

"Be careful recently, don't be targeted!"

Alphonse was completely at a loss for words.Being targeted?Who can't do assassination?And Charles chewed on these words for a while, besides thinking that it was wise to carry a gun with him, he also felt that Victor was indeed worthy of being assassinated.

What about making big money together?A business war movie turns into a gun fight movie in a second, can it be better?