His Excellency the Count of Grandet

For the next two days, Charles thanked the guests behind closed doors, and only sent someone out to inquire about some news.

A place like a dance party usually has some big and small news, and what happened in the Nucingen mansion this time is already big enough.However, the conversation between him and the Duke of Orleans was veiled and implicit, and it hadn't been formally finalized yet, so everyone passed it on in private.Of course other people with related interests are in a hurry, but they dare not show it too obviously, it smells like a storm is coming.

Then there are details about military special suppliers.Although everyone knows that this is a fat job, but Shire has never heard of it before, so he naturally needs to add some detailed knowledge.

This matter has been publicized in secret, and the news is not difficult to inquire about.But Charles found out that he was taken aback, given the current strength of the Grandet family, it was still a bit difficult to swallow this mouthful of fat in one gulp.If all the funds available in the family are bet, it may not be able to meet the supply of the army.

Finally, there is another question, because I got the news that Guillaume returned from the east a day earlier.The problem was that instead of ecstasy, he reacted to the event with apprehension. "How the hell did this happen?"

Charles was not surprised by this.Guillaume has always been cautious, otherwise he would not be able to maintain his usual position in the precarious Paris business world.Now, even he knew that the Grandet family was not strong enough, so how could Guillaume not know?He was thinking about this in his head, but his mouth was not idle, and he told everything that happened at the ball.

Guillaume turned half a circle on the solid wood floor of his study, his brows were furrowed tighter than before. "Your Excellency the Duke took the initiative to find you?" He was careful, but at the same time he was very shrewd.Although the Duke of Orleans spoke his name at that time, judging from the development of the matter, it was undoubtedly aimed at his precious son. "how so?"

"Although I don't want to guess wildly, I'm afraid there is only one reason." Charles replied calmly.

Guillaume paused suddenly, looked at his son's handsome face, and nodded for a while.Although he couldn't think of what Lafitte had said to the Duke, it could only be Lafitte.

The two understood each other's tacit understanding, so they didn't say anything.Guillaume thought about the whole thing again, couldn't help but sighed, and said, "I don't blame you for this. Under such circumstances, it is impossible not to agree."

Charles agrees.The Duke's tone was aggressive at that time. If he lowered his head, it would be difficult not to be pointed at in the future.The face is still secondary, the point is that if he dare not agree, he will leave a weak and deceitful impression, the kind that can't support the wall no matter what.

This is an opportunity, but at the same time, there is also the possibility of choking yourself to death.

Guillaume wanted to sigh again, but this time he held back.He leaned the cane he had been clutching against the table, sat down himself, and motioned for Charles to sit beside him. "I knew about this matter half a month ago. At that time, I weighed the pros and cons. One was that I had no way out, and the other was that I was not strong enough, so I didn't pay much attention to it. You just calmed down and studied, and I I didn't tell you either."

Charles nodded, he could see that Guillaume was going to explain everything clearly.

"You should have a general impression of how much wine our family handles every year." Guillaume continued, "Burgundy is the big one, with about [-] barrels collected. There are also some top-notch wines from the Bordeaux area. Let’s start. These, together with the amount of champagne, will be about [-] barrels a year.”

"Because of your good reputation, we can buy more this year, about six thousand." Shire added.

"That's right." Guillaume glanced at him approvingly, but the cloud of sorrow followed. "You can make His Excellency the Duke nod, that's very good. We don't have to worry about the sale of wine anymore, and we don't have to worry about others deliberately lowering the market price. However, based on the number of troops under the Duke of Orleans' name, if we can't get [-] a year Don’t try to satisfy their appetite. No vineyard can satisfy such a quantity, and it’s too troublesome for them to collect directly from the place of origin, so they need a special supplier to do this. But we…”

This is exactly what Charles has considered before.The gap is so big they can only fill it halfway.If it is for this matter to sell indefinite property such as a house, it is not a matter, and it will not be filled if it is sold.

So, where did the remaining four thousand barrels of wine, or enough money to buy four thousand barrels of wine, come from?You know, in a good year, so much wine is worth 80 francs!

That's really a lot of money.

Just imagine, if a bachelor earns 20 francs a year, he will definitely be the sweet potato that everyone is chasing after. It couldn't be easier to realize Guillaume's wish for Charles to marry a noble lady.If this comparison is not straightforward enough, you can give another example—if a servant can earn a hundred francs a year, he will be envied by ordinary people in a radius of a hundred miles, and he will have a good master who is generous.

Therefore, it is natural for Guillaume to be worried.Early in the morning, he felt that he had no hope, and he was a little unwilling, but because of his strength, he was not too entangled; but in a blink of an eye, he had to bite the bullet—although the formal contract had not been signed, but with his emphasis on credibility , it is absolutely impossible to say something like "Forget it, we won't do it".

Because he knew the predetermined ending, Charles felt that his father was a bit too self-effacing.In his opinion, as a businessman, in order to be successful, sometimes he has to be thick-skinned.But at this time, seeing Guillaume's tangled expression, he suddenly felt that there is no harm in saving face, at least he will not retreat now.If he promised to do this, he must do it. Of course, he hoped that no one would hold him back.

But thinking so, funding is still a big problem.What's more, even if the money is in place, they still have to consider where to buy the [-] barrels of wine - after all, there are only so many wine-producing areas in China, and the big manor owners all have familiar partners.It would be great if they had their own vineyards... No, I'll talk about this later, it won't quench my thirst...

"Father, if the Duke of Orleans is willing to cooperate with us, we should provide them with wine early next year, right?" Charles asked suddenly.

Guillaume was still wondering who to borrow the 80 francs from, completely unaware that his son had gone through a hundred and eighty ways in his head, and none of them agreed with him.Hearing Shire's question at this moment, he replied reflexively: "Yes, the usual practice is to sign a new contract one year before the termination of the contract. We still have half a year, but the gap is too big."

"Who else knows the total amount of funds available to our family except you and me?" asked Charles again.

Guillaume felt something was wrong at this moment.The son suddenly asked what is this for?Although he was puzzled, he always responded to his son's request. "Of course the exact number is only you and me. Logan and Su Xie should know the approximate account, but I always go to buy wine in person, and they can't determine the total."

That was the answer Charles wanted.Anyway, Guillaume hasn't reached the point where he can confide in anyone, otherwise his plan will fail. "That's enough," he said, and tapped his finger on the hollow of the silk-covered armrest. "Please don't sign promissory notes anymore, at least not in the last three months."

Guillaume was a little confused.If you don't borrow money from others, will gold fall from the sky by itself? "Charles, if we don't raise funds quickly, we will miss the wine season at the end of this year. We won't be able to produce so many wines by the beginning of next year, and things will be troublesome."

"It doesn't matter," Charles continued to demand, "no matter who asks you, please act confident and don't let anyone find out."

Guillaume was stunned first, then stunned.He understood what Shire meant—since no one knew how much money the Grandet family had, they should pretend that they were not short of money at all. "But if this is the case, don't you have to reveal your secrets sooner or later?"

As soon as Charles heard it, he knew that his father only half understood.He leaned over and whispered his plan in Guillaume's ear.

The words were short, but Guillaume gasped after hearing them. "...Can this work?" He couldn't believe it at all.

"Why not? You'll know when the time comes." Charles said, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, "We must not be the ones who can't wait first."

Looking at his smile, Guillaume suddenly felt that his son had been reborn in the past three months.Even he had to admit that Shire's idea was very reasonable, he looked like a seasoned businessman, and he seemed to have learned it very well. "Since you said that," he thought about his tone, "do you already have other ideas about how to deal with it later?"

"I plan to take a trip to the mainland after the contract is signed." Shire said, "Although the big manor owners may have regular customers, there will always be none. If we offer a higher price than others, we want to charge more Getting to [-] barrels is not out of the question."

This Guillaume has no objection.Because in his view, a thinner profit is not as good as a lowered reputation.But if he now knows that the place Charles wants to go includes Saumur, he will definitely be able to jump up. "That's right, the first thing is money, and then the wine." He affirmed.

Xia Er thought to himself, having a 24 filial father really saved him a lot of energy.But not enough, he has another suggestion, or a request: "If the proposal I just made goes well, I would like to ask you to withdraw the funds that you plan to invest in the Burgundy production area this year. It can be used to do something more meaningful things."

"What do you want to do with that money?" Guillaume found that he could not keep up with his son's thoughts at all.

When the father and son of the Grandet family closed the door to discuss how to divide a large piece of meat into several pieces to eat, other people were not idle.Although the Duke of Orleans sometimes hardly enters the oil and salt, they can't give up.

And the so-called culprit finally got away from a lot of bank affairs, and heard the news that the Duke took a fancy to Charles.

Victor knew the Duke of Orleans too well, and he was a complete skeptic; such a person deliberately gave Charles a chance now, didn't it just prove his vision was right?

When he was thinking this way, he was standing by the window of the governor's room on the top floor of the Central Bank of France, looking into the distance.A corner of the satin curtain was raised by a pure gold hook, and the lively voices of people on the Rue de Frilières could be faintly heard outside.This place was originally the official residence of the Count of Toulouse, richly decorated, but his smile was stained with a wordless danger.

"It turned out to be the first attack." The man whispered, but there was no anger on his face, but more interest. "Looks like I don't have to wait any longer..."