Eugenie with money [Grandet]

Eugenie looked at the newly decorated mansion and knew that these alone might not be enough to impress the two heavyweight cabinet members.But she already had the experience of investing in Riego once. Would it be difficult to invest again?

Eugenie thought to herself, no wonder Grandet loves gold the most, because no matter how many banknotes are piled up, it will not be as shocking as the same volume of gold—even Riego can’t resist the weight of gold. Shock, the two cabinet members who want to increase their annual income, it won't take too long to resist.

Thinking of this, Eugenie looked at Grandet with fiery eyes.

"Do you think I'm wrong?" Grandet, who was muttering that the new decorations are too wasteful, was uncomfortably watched by Eugenie: "I never hold banquets in Saumur, but they meet in the street. If you see me, you still have to take off your hat and salute to me." As long as I have money in my hand.

"But this is Paris, and you are far from the position where everyone who sees you takes off their hats and salutes you." Eugenie stated the facts to him: "So father, how much gold is stored in your secret room now?"

Why are you asking this all of a sudden?Grandet's whole body was covered with the word "warning": "Since the price of gold rose to nine francs, I have sold it all, and there is not a single gold coin left." The gold in the secret room is his confidence. , he will not let go.

"No, father, you have always believed that gold will rise to thirteen francs and fifty centimes, and you won't sell all of them." Eugenie was sure.

Grandet didn't take the bait: "No, the royal family's exchange is only nine francs. They won't let the price of gold exceed their own purchase price."

"Do you think Nucingen is really willing to be promoted to the title alone?" Eugenie questioned Grandet's soul.

This successfully changed Grandet's face.But Grandet, who has not yet figured out Eugenie's intentions, will not give up resistance: "He is the major shareholder of the Nucingen Bank, and he was the one who came forward to complete the order to let the outpost go. We know all the agreements. , He heard it all from his mouth. Even if he concealed something, there is no evidence to expose him now. "

"Think about it, if your status is improved and you come forward to reach an agreement with Mr. Attendant, won't it be up to Nucingen to say what, what can we only believe?" Eugenie tempted Grand tower.

Grandet had little resistance to such a temptation.He knew too well that Cornoille would not be able to bring the money and gold back to Paris if it wasn't for the order brought by Te Pompon, let alone his own hand in the next gold transaction.

After all, the gold in the secret room was earned through Eugenie's credit, and even if she proposed to share a part, it was also in line with the principle of commercial reciprocity.

Silence is Grandet's only weapon right now. It would be more satisfying to ask him to give up the gold in his secret room than to give it to him directly.

Eugenie didn't mind giving him this chance: "Father, you know that if we get in touch with the king's chamberlain, we can continue to engage in gold trading. By then, the gold you get will be double or even more than what you have now Please think about the gold you brought back from Saumur last time, it was all given to you, I never thought of using it, right?"

Unable to refute, Grandet continued to remain silent, but his body had already turned around, with heavy steps as if going to the guillotine.Eugenie followed him and followed him into the secret room that Grandet built after he came to Paris.

This is the first time that Eugenie has stepped into the secret room of her mansion. It is similar to Saumur's. It is built next to Grandet's bedroom, at the end of the corridor, and the only window is the only window to enter and exit through Grandet's room. All sealed off with a one-inch iron fence.

"It's all here." Grandet opened a box and showed Eugenie what he had gained in Paris for more than a month - a box full of gold nuggets, each weighing half a catty.

This is not something that can be purchased for 100 million francs.Eugenie glanced at Grandet, said nothing else, but told him: "I don't need so much, only half is enough."

Even if it was half, the value would be about 100 million francs. Grandet's heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys were all in pain, and he seemed to be on the verge of tears: "Don't you know Nucingen?"

"I won't let him know, and the Marquis de Lascambe won't tell him." Even if he wanted to clean himself afterwards, he wouldn't say it.

This made Grandet feel a little better, but he still felt sorry for the gold that would be given away: "Actually, now that I'm back in Saumur, they all salute me and call me Lord Baron, that's enough." Why bother to be promoted.

"Not enough, Dad." Eugenie explained to him: "Spanish national government bonds will not be the last time we invest. If the channel is not opened now, forced exchange for gold will not be the last time. This time we will There is gold to exchange for, next time? They will make us hand over all the profits, no, I will not do that."

"If you had said that earlier, I would have felt better." Grandet muttered, and turned around to leave his secret room. He could not just watch his gold being taken away, it was better to leave.

It's a pity that Grandet forgot that the secret room must pass through his room to enter and exit. Nanon took the gold a few times, and stuck the knife into his chest several times.

"Nanon, I think we should go back to Saumur." Grandet calculated that this was the last time Nanon moved gold, and said to her.

Nanon shook his head directly: "No, you don't want to go back to the master. The lady is only in Paris now, and you have to look after these people for her."

"You want to watch them, so that Taigou can't distract Eugenie." Grandet bluntly exposed Nanon's thoughts.

Nanon didn't deny it either, and left with the gold in a calm manner.

Left, left without a word!

Grandet, who was greatly hurt, had to grab his hat, ran to the law firm of Te Pomphon, and invited him to the banquet: "You have an estate yourself, and the annual income has reached [-] francs. Wait until the notary and the priest I leave the inheritance to you, and your annual income can reach [-] francs, so why can't you attend the banquet?" Grandet is not so much persuading Pontiff, as he wants to prove that if he is rich, he can have a place in Paris.

Even if this rich man doesn't even have a noble status now, Grandet feels that he is more qualified to enter and exit Eugenie's mansion than those who only earn thirty to forty thousand francs a year.

Eugenie did not show any disgust at his invitation of Te Phophon, on the contrary, she felt that this was an opportunity for Te Phophon, and it was up to Te Phophon himself whether she could seize it.

Now, all her energy is put on the upcoming guests. The two heavyweight guests have promised to attend the banquet, but they haven't shown up yet.

The first to arrive was the Marquis de Lascambe, who appeared in front of the steps of Eugenie's residence together with his wife.Eugenie had already walked down the steps slowly, showing a cordial smile to the Marchioness: "Marquise, it's very kind of you to honor me." After speaking, she had already bowed her knees in a standard way.

The Marquise looked very serious, and the deep nasolabial folds showed that she was a difficult person to deal with.Hearing Eugenie's kind words, she only raised the corners of her mouth slightly, then returned to her original position, and nodded slightly to Eugenie: "Thank you for your invitation, Miss Baroness."

It's really cold.Eugenie withdrew the smile on her face: "It should be." I invited your husband but did not invite you, lest you think of something bad.

Such an answer and facial expression were obviously beyond the expectations of the Marquise. She glanced at Eugenie attentively and said nothing more. She waited for the Marquis de Lascambes to finish their conversation with Grandet, and she held her husband's eye. Go up the steps without giving Eugenie one.

Grandet was angry, relying on the teacher's excellent teaching skills to keep from swearing, but when Count de Négerand arrived, he just had a bad face.

It's not like welcoming guests at all, but like facing creditors who are demanding debts.

Eugenie showed the same friendly smile as before, and saluted Countess de Négerand.The Countess smiled happily: "I have long wanted to see you, Baroness, but I am a loyal supporter of your mask."

No matter what the reason was, Eugenie accepted this kindness: "It's great to be liked by you. It just so happens that the factory has released some new products. Please try them out after the banquet is over."

The countess de Négerand smiled more sincerely: "Really, I won't be polite to you. By the way, can I call you Eugenie? I think it's always with you First time meeting."

Eugenie accepted the Countess' approach with a smile, and took the initiative to take her up the steps: "Of course, you can call me that, which makes me feel very kind."

The protagonist comes on stage, and the guests who originally gathered in the living room, under the reminder of the servants, slowly came to the dining room. Everyone found that the crystal lamp in Miss Eugenie's house was brighter, the wine was more mellow, and the dishes were even more flavorful. .

"Mademoiselle Eugenie," said the indifferent Marchioness of Lascambes, "I have always heard that your arrival has brought the fashion of Paris to a new height, and it seems to be true today."

Eugenie was amused in her heart, with a proper look of surprise on her face: "How can there be such rumors? I just follow the rules of Paris and live a little more comfortably within my ability."

Is it wrong to use the money you earn to make yourself better off?

The Marquise Lascambe was another unexpected one. She felt that Eugenie specially invited her husband, and the status of her husband at the banquet was the highest besides Count de Négerand. If Eugenie was really like herself, As I guessed, if you want to curry favor with the Marquis, you should swallow your accusations.

But she returned it intact, as if it was a matter of course, which made the Marchioness of Lascambe feel unable to step down: "But Parisians have always been restrained, not just for enjoyment..."

"When I was in Saumur, I had no imagination, and I couldn't think of what to eat for more than ten francs per meal. I have never seen a dress that can be worth a year's income of a manor just from lace. Eugenie held the wine glass in her left hand, and looked at the Marquis indifferently: "These are all things that the people of Paris taught me. For example, after meeting the Marquis, I realized that the light of emeralds can be so charming."

If you want to be extravagant, don't come here to pretend to be a moralist.

The Marquise's face could no longer be described as ugly. She glanced at her husband and said, "Singer, I don't think Miss Eugenie welcomes us." Otherwise, why would you confront the guests everywhere and refuse to give up a word?

The Marquis de Lascambe, who was called Singil by his wife, finished his glass of wine indifferently, and said to Eugenie with a smile: "Recently, the doctor said that my wife is moody and should stay at home. I thought she should More contact with people will be more conducive to recovery, but I didn't expect it to be even more detrimental to her condition."

Did he feel that he had aggravated his wife's condition?Eugenie smiled slightly: "I had a few questions and wanted to ask Mr. Marquis after the banquet. Since the Marchioness is not in good health, I won't waste Mr. Marquis's time."

The Marquise, who was publicly told by her husband and master that she was in poor health, was embarrassed by her thick powder. Even if she knew that her husband didn't respect her, she couldn't forgive him for exposing his dignity in front of an upstart.

What's more, it wasn't just Eugenie, an annoying bourgeois woman, that Annette was also watching her own jokes eagerly, which made the Marquise, who wouldn't even open the living room door to her, even more angry.

"I'm going back." She stood up angrily.

Eugenie acted responsibly as a good host, and slowed her to get up: "Marquise..."

Let's go, it's naive to think that you can threaten yourself by leaving the banquet.If you don't even know the relationship between the guests before the banquet, what kind of banquet will you hold?

"Marquise," the Countess de Négerand finally said, "Please sit down, I haven't finished discussing the mask with you just now." There is a table between her and the Marquise, and her petite body is blocked by the table She covered most of the part, but didn't block her expression.

There was disapproval all over his face.

The Marquise felt that this was a step up, and the Countess was her ally—she was unwilling to sit at a table with a bourgeois nouveau riche woman, and the Countess, who also came from a veteran nobleman, must have the same mood.

"I don't know..." The face of the marquis, who was not knowing how to advance or retreat, did not change for the better, and she wanted to complain to the countess.

It's just that the Countess de Niegeland didn't rescue her, she looked at her with cold eyes: "You haven't used a mask before, of course you don't know its effect, so I can introduce it to you again. My dear, Could you switch places with the Marchioness, I think she can't wait to discuss it with me."

The Count de Négerand looked like all talkative husbands, and stood up to change places with the Marchioness.The Marquise had been watching her husband's expression from the corner of her eye, and found that he had shown a disgusted expression. She felt a little scared, and involuntarily followed the Countess's words, and exchanged seats with the Count de Négerand.

"Women!" De Lascambe raised his glass to Count de Négerand who was sitting next to him: "The world they see will never be the same as ours."

"I don't think what you're talking about includes Mademoiselle Eugenie." The count raised his glass to the Marquis, glanced at Eugenie who sat down again, and said with a smile.

Everyone seemed to realize at this time that Eugenie's expression hadn't changed a bit from when the Marquise got up to when she changed her seat and was discussing something with Nucingen next to her.

What a different woman.

This different woman doesn't care if someone disturbs her banquet. Her goal is very clear, that is to bring together people with relevant interests so that they can exchange the information they want to hear.

The information may be useful to her, or may not arouse her interest. Like a spectator, she has her own selection criteria—standards that no one knows.

"I'm very curious, Miss Eugenie." The Marquis Lascambe who was invited to the study still held a glass of wine in his hand, and it seemed that the wine prepared by Eugenie was very suitable for him: "You don't care if your banquet is If you are not successful, are you not afraid that others will think that you are not a qualified master?"

Count Niegeland also looked at Eugenie, and Grandet who was in the same background, found that there was no surprise in the expressions of the two, and couldn't help but find it interesting, waiting for Eugenie's answer like Lascambe.

"A qualified host knows who her most important guest is. As long as the most important guest is satisfied, whether others are satisfied is trivial." Eugenie motioned the two gentlemen to look at what Grandet was playing with.

Grandet tacitly opened the two small boxes on the table, and the two gentlemen who came over took a deep breath at the same time - the boxes were neatly filled with gold, even though each one was not very big, No one in the house could not figure out the value inside.

"Mr. Baron?" Earl Niegeland's voice was a little tense, and he didn't step forward to weigh the weight of the box with strong self-control.

Grandet finally stopped doing the background: "This is a gift I prepared for the two of you. You know, Eugenie has exchanged all the gold for the treasury, otherwise..." I won't give you more.

Lascambe and Niejlang couldn't hear Grandet's heartfelt thoughts, thinking that his unfinished words were regrets, regrets that they could not provide themselves with more gold, and made their impression of him a thousand times better. Rural people from other provinces directly became money-spreading boys who donate money.

Lascambe was even more embarrassed by his wife's embarrassment to Eugenie just now, staring at the small gold box and saying: "Miss Eugenie and M. Nucingen have just made great contributions to the kingdom. , how can we still accept such an expensive gift. It should be the kingdom rewarding you."

Niegelang did not have the guilt of Lascambe, but he knew that there is no such thing as a white pie: "The Marquis is right, we cannot accept such an expensive gift, especially after Miss Eugenie has made a great contribution. "

Grandet looked at the two people who had been staring at the box, and didn't believe a word they said.But he didn't know what to say next, he just touched his nose and looked at Eugenie.

No matter what the two powerful gentlemen said, Eugenie kept smiling politely until Grandet looked at herself and said, "Hasn't the Kingdom decided to promote Mr. Nucingen? That is for Nucingen." The bank reciprocated the best."

Lascambe and Nie Rilang looked at each other, and they both heard another meaning in the words: the promotion of Nucingen is the best reward for Nucingen Bank, and what is it with Grandet and Eugenie? Relationship, is it worth them to take out so much gold to repay themselves?

This is obviously not for repayment!

Count Niegeland was finally able to move his eyes away from the box, and looked at Eugenie who continued to smile after speaking: "Miss Eugenie, you know, the award for Mr. Nucingen is because the Bank of Nucingen What the Kingdom has done. The Kingdom will not disappoint anyone who died for it."

"Because I believe in this, Dad wants to send you and Mr. Marquis some gifts. After all, Nucingen Bank is no longer a bank solely owned by Mr. Nucingen. I have also learned a little from the gold exchanged to the kingdom this time." Little effect."

After understanding, Nie Rilang looked at the box again with some regret.Lascambe shook his head slightly at him, and then said: "My dear Miss Eugenie, you know that the king's decision is beyond our control."

Eugenie also has her own countermeasures for those who open their eyes and tell lies: "Could it be that the rumors are false, are you not the king's mouthpiece, or is Count de Négerand not the king's think tank?"

It's embarrassing to be exposed face to face, especially when facing the gold that he wanted. Lascambe now understands his wife's feelings just now, and he can't even maintain a polite smile: "The king's mouthpiece and think tank, It's not just the two of us."

Eugenie nodded: "Yes, it is true that you and Count Niegeland are not the only two people. But you and Mr. Count can become the two most important people."

In the palace of any kingdom, courtiers always compete for favor. In addition to gaining the attention of others, it also brings huge benefits behind.As courtiers, both Lascambe and Nie Rilang do not want to be the ultimate courtiers.

"Miss, you think too easily." Thinking of his colleagues, Lascambe's fiery heart was forcibly cooled by himself, and he did not notice that Earl Niegeland was looking at Eugenie thoughtfully.

"Whether it is easy or not depends on whether the proposals you and the Earl put forward for the King achieve the effect the King wants to achieve, don't you, Mister Marquis?" Eugenie patted the two small boxes lightly: " But for a suggestion to be implemented, it is not enough to have an idea, but also financial support.”

"You mean?" Nie Rilang spoke again, wanting to hear Eugenie's promise.

Such a promise is not something that can be easily fulfilled, even Eugenie's face is a little heavy: "When your proposal can be promoted by the Marquis of Lascambe, it can get the support of the people, and it can also get the support of the New York City." With the financial help from Qingen Bank, do you think the chances of success will increase?"