Eugenie with money [Grandet]

Seemingly satisfied with his majesty, the crown prince slowed down his voice: "Why did you suddenly ask for an audience?"

"His Royal Highness, the railway bond market is unstable. The king's attendants asked all the banks in Paris to set up a joint fund to rescue the market. However, due to the disclosure of the king's illness, a large number of holders sold their own bonds. Today, the price of bonds It fell sharply again. As the host of the joint fund, I used to report the progress of the rescue to the king's attendant. Now..." Nucingen explained to the crown prince why he asked to see him at this time .

While Nucingen was explaining, the Dauphin kept watching him, as if trying to see through his heart.This made Nucingen's voice lower and lower, and finally he could not speak at all.

Fortunately, the crown prince understood what he meant, but he didn't immediately answer the question of who he should report to, but just stared at him.

Nuqingen suppressed the discomfort, lowered his head and let the crown prince look at him.After a long time, the crown prince said: "You are a smart man. No wonder you became the biggest banker in France as a foreigner."

This made Nucingen feel a greater crisis, and quickly said: "Thank the empire for not prejudiced against me because of my status as a foreigner, so that I can contribute my little effort to the empire."

"Haha." The crown prince was very happy with such obvious flattery: "You are right, no matter who helps you become the biggest banker in France, the one you need to be loyal to should be the French Empire."

"Just," the crown prince's voice came again when Nucingen wanted to breathe a sigh of relief: "Since you are loyal to the empire, why do you still allow the bond market to be turbulent?"

"His Royal Highness," Nucingen found a reasonable reason for himself: "Ms. Eugenie went to the public bond exchange twice in person, and the market has basically stabilized. Who would have thought that the common people would petition at this time, and the public bond market would be in turmoil." There's been a huge sell-off."

The Dauphin knew better than Nucingen how the sale came about, but he had just received 500 million francs from the queen. Miss Nie, go on to the bond exchange."

Nucingen's voice was extremely bitter: "Ms. Eugenie was frightened when she left the public bond exchange yesterday. As a result, the crowd gathered at night robbed her mask factory. Miss Eugenie felt that all her investments in Paris were worthless." It failed, and today, this morning, I went back to Saumur sadly."

"What?" The crown prince was angry: "Didn't you persuade her not to leave Paris? By the way, I heard that she is your partner. As long as Nucingen Bank is here, her investment will not be considered a failure."

"His Royal Highness," Nucingen is really about to cry now: "Nucingen Bank rescued the market twice, and all the funds have been invested in the public bond market. Now the bank has almost no liquidity. Declined bond certificates."

"Isn't there still joint funds?"

"All the money invested by the banks in the joint fund was sold in exchange for a part of their respective stocks of gold, and almost all of it has been invested in order to save the market. Now the situation of each bank is not much better than that of Nucingen Bank." Nucingen Said dejectedly.

The crown prince sat on a large high-backed chair and asked suspiciously: "Could it be that all the banks have already been unable to provide money?"

Nucingen sensed the crown prince's gaze, and he couldn't think of a better way to reduce his presence other than lowering his head.In the Crown Prince's office, there was no one who argued for him like Earl Niejran. He had to answer the Crown Prince's question by himself: "If the banks are really what they say, then they really can't get money now. Here comes the money."

I just took charge of the government affairs of the empire, and the bankers have no money to come out?The crown prince thought it was a great joke: "So what if we don't save the market anymore?"

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, you must not stop the bailout." Nucingen raised his head boldly, and looked at the Crown Prince who was a few years younger than the French King but looked older than the French King: "Otherwise, the funds invested in the early stage will be lost. ..." White flowers.

The Dauphin did not listen to Nucingen's entreaties, and sent for the Undersecretary of Finance immediately.After hearing this, Nucingen knew who would be in charge of the Ministry of Finance in the future.The Dauphin did not let Nucingen back out, so he had to remain respectful at his desk.

After an unknown amount of time, when Nucingen felt that his legs no longer belonged to him, the Deputy Finance Minister finally arrived.

However, the crown prince simply asked about the handover situation between the deputy minister and the minister, and asked about who would be responsible for counting the Earl of La Saunière. The deputy chief negotiated and let the two retire.

The deputy minister who left the palace with Nucingen is very busy now and has no time to listen to Nucingen about the lack of liquidity in the bank: "Count Nucingen, since you are in charge of the bailout, I ask you to be responsible for the imperial bond market. Take responsibility."

Eugenie, who finally left the bond investment, didn't know that her departure gave Nucingen a chance to join the crown prince—even if she knew, she didn't care—at this time she was tasting the dinner made by Elemi.

The ingredients were bought back by Pablo according to Elemi's request, and the kitchen utensils are also complete, but the complexion that has only been heated up, and the steak that is too hard to chew. After lunch, let Eugenie Once again, I felt that I should leave Bertin Street with the cook.

After barely swallowing two bites of steak, Eugenie discussed with Elemi: "Tomorrow breakfast, can we have egg pancakes?" She remembered that Nanon seemed to have taught Elemi, and hoped that Elemi could get the true biography of Nanon.

Emily agreed to Eugenie's request with embarrassment, and put away the dinner plate, and Pablo took it with her: "Miss, do you have any orders?"

Eugenie asked him to close the door, and asked: "Those gathered people, can they gather again now, and if they commit suicide, can you control their targets?"

Pablo thought for a while before saying: "There is no problem in gathering again, but if an accident occurs, no one can guarantee 100% control of the attack target."

Indeed, unorganized violence will trigger the greatest evil in people's hearts. Many evils gather together, and no one knows where they will erupt.Eugenie asked again: "Are you still paying attention to the La Saunière incident? Has Poiaire left Paris?"

Pablo smiled when he mentioned this: "He left Paris that morning, and he should be at the Traufont Manor by now. However, because the Crown Prince has ordered the review of La Saunière, everyone is concerned about how he will be treated. punishment."

Just pay attention, Eugenie told Pablo to ask him to organize about 1000 people every day to go to the gate of the palace to ask the cabinet about the progress of the La Saunière case.Pablo naturally agreed, but he also had a question: "Miss, if each person is five francs a day, the daily expenditure is five thousand francs." Can the funds in your hand support it?

Eugenie didn't think it was a problem: "More than anyone else, the Dauphin hopes to use La Saunière's trial to prove how unqualified the king is as a monarch. If the people keep asking, La Saunière will not take much time." God will judge."

However, Pablo's question made Eugenie think of one thing: "Tomorrow, you arrange some people to spread the news that the bank does not have cash payments in a small area."

The advantage of Pablo is that no matter what order Eugenie gives him, as long as it does not involve Eugenie's funds, he will strictly implement it without even asking why.Moreover, although he had not been in Paris for a long time, with the financial support of Eugenie and the acquaintance of some people who wandered in the dark area, he was able to do such a thing with ease.

There are francs to open the way, not to mention five francs a day, only three francs, and thousands of people are willing to go to the gate of the palace.But Pablo's selection criteria are very strict, don't want those who look too tattered, or have a very bad face, so as not to be suspected. Apart from caring about their own breakfast the next day, such people shouldn't have time to care about superiority Whether the Earl embezzled military expenses.

In this way, the people who go to the gate of the palace to continue the petition are those who seem to be able to save a day's work and care about current affairs that they are willing to care about.The momentum of these people was not as great as in the first two days, but they were more patient. Even if the guards of the palace came out to drive them away, they would gather again in front of the palace gate after leaving for a while.

The crown prince, who had not yet secured his seat, did not dare to issue an order to forcibly disperse the petitioners at this time, watching those nasty civilians come and go with great annoyance.In order to make these people disappear from his eyes as soon as possible, the Dauphin paid attention to the progress of the La Saunière case three times a day.

That's right, for the crown prince, the La Saunière incident has been classified as a case.Even though the supporters of the French king in the parliament had different voices, the crown prince still insisted on his title.

The people want to know the truth of the matter, and they need money to protect their lives.I don't know where the news came out that several small banks could not pay depositors' deposits in time.

If only a very small number of people are concerned about whether La Saunière embezzles military expenditures, bank deposits are related to the pockets of most of the propertied classes.Combined with the ups and downs of the public bond market, more people are willing to believe the accuracy of this news.

In order to fear that their money would be swallowed by black-hearted banks, people who had deposits in the banks became nervous, and everyone flocked to various banks, hoping to withdraw their deposits.

The banks, which were already short of funds, took out their last working capital to support the run on the first day, but knew that they would not be able to support it the next day.

Nucingen Bank was the most affected bank. By the moment before get off work, Nucingen had to take out his private funds for payment.At this moment, Nucingen thought of his partner who had left Paris, conveyed his words through Annette, and felt that he should disappear on the streets of Paris like his partner.

The palace also got the news of the bank run. The crown prince felt that the French king lying on the hospital bed had left him a mess. He called the former deputy minister who had taken over as the finance minister to scold him, but he couldn't think of any solution. way.

Before dawn the next day, people were already queuing in front of the bank, hoping to get their money back as soon as possible.Unexpectedly, the working hours of banks have passed, and the doors of several banks are still closed, with no sign of opening.

The scorching heat of summer made people even more restless. Some people stepped forward and slapped on the door of the bank, and more people rushed forward to see what was going on inside the bank. Countless people wanted to smash the door of the bank open...

Sitting in his office, Nucingen didn't know why his bank couldn't pay the money. Obviously, the profit statement of the previous year showed that the annual profit was as high as [-]%.

He listened to the sound of slapping on the door downstairs, and asked the staff to find something to hold up the door to prevent the angry people from rushing in.

This was not the case with the Nucingen Bank. Several banks that could not afford the payment took the same approach as Nucingen.The practice of avoiding it completely annoyed the people who couldn't get the money.

Everyone cursed at the bank, and the abuse continued.Some people were not satisfied with cursing, picked up stones from the side of the road and threw them on the windows and door panels of the bank to vent their hatred, and immediately more people followed their example.

"Let's ask the crown prince to make the decision for us." Some of the crowd who participated in the petition were deeply impressed by the crown prince's understanding and righteousness, thinking that he could order the bank to return the money to everyone.

Hearing his cry, everyone was dubious, and the man described to everyone the glorious image of the Dauphin when he announced the censorship of La Saunière.The crowd suddenly became excited and shouted: "Go and ask the crown prince to make decisions for us."

Some people took the lead to walk towards the palace, and more and more people walked towards the palace. These people gathered together, and people joined them from time to time along the way.

The people who were quietly asking about the progress of La Saunière's case at the gate of the palace found that so many people came suddenly, and there was a tendency to gather more and more. They hurriedly asked what was going on, and wanted to ask the people who came later. How much wages do you get, is it more than your own?

Unexpectedly, what he heard was the news that the bank had stopped paying deposits, and the people who came first were all over the place.It is impossible for people like them to have savings, but they have brains. Someone shouted at the palace: "Did La Saunière take all our money?"

No one answered.

But some people think that the person who shouted first is right. Some shouted to let the crown prince decide for everyone, some asked the crown prince to execute the hateful Count La Saunière as soon as possible, and some asked the royal family to take out money to make up for everyone's losses.

The guards looked at the growing crowd in bewilderment. Someone had already reported to their superiors—if they didn't respond as soon as possible, who knew whether these people would attack the palace?

After receiving the report, the crown prince angrily scolded the chief guard of the palace: "There are so many people gathered in front of the palace, and you don't disperse them immediately. Do you want them to attack the palace?" Looking at the captain suspiciously, this is the former confidant of the Fawang, and he hasn't had time to change it yet.

It is indeed possible for this person to put pressure on himself through the gathered crowd, so that the Dharma King can be revived.

No, he has been waiting for so many years, finally waiting for the opportunity, and will never allow any accident at the last moment.

The captain of the guard smiled wryly: "His Royal Highness, the initial public guards have been exhausted, and now they have gathered 3 to 500 people, and there are only less than [-] guards..."

500 people facing 3 to [-] people is like throwing a small handful of sand into the sea. Do you still want to stop the tsunami?

The crown prince didn't care so much: "The guards must ensure the safety of the palace. I don't care what method you use, you must let those people leave."

The head of the guard was very embarrassed: "His Royal Highness, if you want to disperse 3 or [-] people, you can only use the army." As for the people gathered at the door clamoring for the crown prince to be the master for them, the head of the guard would not say anything—the king just now The prince obviously doesn't believe him, why should he think carefully for a person who doesn't believe in him?

It's not that the crown prince didn't know that five hundred guards were too few compared to the gathered crowd.He ordered the guards to notify the commander of the Ministry of War to see him as soon as possible. When the captain of the guards was driven away to continue to deal with the gathered people, the crown prince himself appeared in the queen's small reception room.

"Your Majesty's condition is too severe, and he is no longer fit to lead the empire." The Crown Prince said directly to the Queen.

The queen was very surprised: "Haven't you already started to deal with the affairs of the empire? Naturally, he has to rest at ease to recuperate."

Seeing that the queen didn't understand what he meant, the crown prince simply explained: "The captain of the royal palace's guard is now the king's confidant. If more and more people gather, who knows if he will guide the people to ask to meet the king? At that time, no matter whether the king sees them or not, my majesty will be greatly damaged."

"But..." The queen understood what the crown prince meant, and her face suddenly turned pale: "He is the king."

The crown prince felt a little contemptuous of the queen in his heart, thinking that a woman is a woman, and he usually disrespected the king a lot, but at the last moment, he softened his heart.In order to be able to ascend the throne, he had to put away his disdain and said to the queen: "Once the guards are under the control of the king again, do you think he will forgive you for everything you have done these days?"

Of course not.Even the Dharma King, who advocates freedom, would not allow anyone to trap him in a hospital bed freely and take away his power.The queen gritted her teeth and asked, "Is it the doctor you invited?"

At this time, the queen still hoped that her hands were clean, and the crown prince's disdain increased a bit, and he just said: "It's up to you. The commander of the army department is coming, and I'm going to discuss with him about driving away the people gathered outside the palace." I don't want the king to have the opportunity to see the army commander, and I don't want it to be myself who gave the order to the army department to expel."

Looking at the background of the crown prince going away, a rare anger appeared on the queen's always serious face. She complained to the chief female officer who had just entered the room: "Our highness, the crown prince, is really kind, even if his hands are covered with blood. , and wear white gloves."

The chief female officer didn't know why the queen complained, so she could only persuasion: "His Royal Highness has always respected you, and it is a pleasure to cooperate with you."

It's not pleasant anymore.The queen couldn't tell the chief lady the attitude of the crown prince just now, but could only tell the prince's request, which shocked the chief lady.

But they have done too many things, and now it is too late to draw a line with the crown prince, so they can only continue on.The chief female officer pondered for a while, and suggested to the queen: "I will ask to see the crown prince in a while, and when he is negotiating with the army commander, I will convey the king's decision to order the army to disperse the crowd. And where is the king..."

The best time for the king to die of illness is naturally when the army starts to disperse the petitioners.At that time, there will be no proof of death, who will know whether the king has issued such an order?

Even if the captain of the guard had heard that the crown prince wanted the army to disperse the people, the captain of the guard was once a confidant of the king. After the crown prince ascended the throne, he would definitely replace him. No matter what he said at that time, it was only after losing his position. complaints.

When the news came that the commander of the army had arrived at the palace, Pablo arranged for someone who was paying attention to the palace to report to him immediately.Pablo ordered the 1000 people who initially arrived at the palace to inquire about the progress of the case to quietly evacuate the palace.

There were still people who found that the banks could not pay their deposits and continued to gather at the palace, so the initial evacuation of 1000 people did not attract the attention of others.More and more people surrounded the gate of the palace, so that the army commander had to leave through the back door of the palace.

This made the army commander feel very ashamed, thinking that the orders issued by the king were correct and timely, and he should implement them to the letter.So in less than an hour, the troops stationed on the outskirts of Paris began to advance into the city. They rode war horses, held flintlock guns in their hands, and marched forward neatly with serious expressions. Wherever they passed, the residents talked curiously. Why did the army suddenly enter the city?

Seeing that these troops were heading towards the palace, some curious residents wanted to follow to see what was going on, but they were rudely driven away.In order to speed up, the leading officer also yelled loudly at the passers-by on the road: "Follow the king's order, guard the palace, get out of the way, get out of the way."

By order of the king?Pedestrians gave way and commented: "Didn't it mean that the king is seriously ill?"

"It is precisely because of the serious illness that the army should be used to defend it."

"No, I heard that someone went to the palace to petition again today."

"It's nothing new to go to the palace to petition, hasn't it been a few days? That La Saunière is still staying at his home."

"Does your majesty want to protect Earl La Saunière? After all, the order to review him was given by the crown prince."

…………

There were endless discussions, and the horseshoes of the army did not stop until they came to the palace.The square in front of the palace was already full of people, and these people were still calling for the crown prince to be the master for them.Because the request was not responded to for a long time, the crowd became more restless, and even a little spark could be ignited.

The dispersed cavalry was the spark that ignited the emotions of the people. The first to spot the army shouted: "It's the army, why are they here?"