Edmond Dantes' tone is cold and reserved, just like the nobleman he hopes to play, he regards the gems in his hands as the most ordinary things.
However, according to Tanglar, the situation is exactly the opposite.
He has been involved in the financial world for more than ten years and has experienced countless mortgages and bankruptcies. He has already developed a sharp eye at work and can see through the authenticity of jewelry at a glance.
These are real gems with excellent quality. They are definitely treasured by famous nobles for generations.
That's right! This is a lot of money. As long as you buy them all yourself, you can make a lot of money by reselling them.
In just a short moment, the magic of money made Tangglar's breathing quicken a little, and his eyes also showed greedy light.
We can't let him run away, we must make this deal happen! This is the only thought in his mind at the moment.
And his performance also fell into the eyes of Edmond Dantès at a glance.
It's like a prey falling into a trap step by step.
"Of course! Of course!" Tanglar allowed himself to regain his original calm, business-like expression, and then nodded, "Logically speaking, a bank like ours does not deal in precious metals and jewelry, but since you are
Friend of Duke Nordlien, then the situation is completely different. Even if it is just to satisfy His Excellency the Duke, I will be very happy to fulfill your wish - Lord Earl, do you want to mortgage these jewels or sell them?"
"I hope to sell them to get enough money for my expenses in Paris." The Count of Monte Cristo immediately answered, and then he looked at the banker with a slightly contemptuous look, "Then, Mr. Danglars, let me ask,
Can you come up with enough cash to buy the jewelry?"
This provocative question made Danglars go crazy with anger and further aroused his competitive spirit.
"For a banker, your question is close to a personal insult! You don't have to doubt Tanglar Bank's payment ability and cash reserves!" he replied loudly.
"No, I am not looking down upon you, sir." The Count of Monte Cristo smiled, not taking Danglars' anger to heart at all, "but, from what I have seen and heard in my life, bankers are
The most inconsistent people, they are both rich and poor, and do not really enjoy stability and security. Even if they seem to have abundant assets, they actually hold very little money. They all use other people's money to go there.
They lend money as capital and earn interest rate differentials. In order to make others believe that they are rich, they have to spend a lot of money to maintain their appearance. But as long as you check the books carefully, God knows how tight these people's funds are? Maybe they are only one step away from bankruptcy.
remote……"
The Count of Monte Cristo's words were sarcastic, but difficult to refute, so that Danglars was instantly furious; if this person was not a friend of the Duke, he would have been furious and denounced this ungrateful guy.
But now he could only suppress his anger and sneered, "Sir, maybe what you said is indeed true for many of my colleagues. After all, they are really not good at management. They only have a little capital and rely on the dismal turnover of a small amount of funds to maintain their operations.
But I am different - I am a banker who has my own place in the French financial world, and I am a general among bankers. You must not compare me with those soldiers in the mud."
Having said this, he spread his hands and showed off the luxurious furnishings of his office, "Everyone who has worked with me knows how reliable Tanglar's credit is. After many years of hard work, I have
We have built a solid foundation for our bank. Even though I cannot compare with the most famous and powerful banks for the time being, it is still quite easy to fulfill your wishes."
"Really... Please allow me to reserve my opinion on this. After all, this is my first time meeting you, so I can't make an accurate judgment. I like to judge a person by his actions, not his words." Monte Cristo
The Earl still looked doubtful, but he was obviously relieved, "However, I hope we can have a happy cooperation in the future."
After finishing speaking, he casually handed the bag in his hand to Danglars, "Then, please estimate the price of these jewelry."
Danglars took the bag carefully, feeling its weight.
Although he was already cheering for joy in his heart, in order to maintain his dignity, he still tried hard to maintain his composure on the surface.
He opened a drawer in his desk and took out a small box. Then he took out a magnifying glass and other small tools from the box and carefully inspected the color and texture of the gems.
In fact, Tangglar had already made a judgment in his mind when he saw them for the first time, but he still spent time to identify them carefully.
On the one hand, it is for insurance, and on the other hand, I hope to use these actions to delay time for myself and organize my thoughts.
There is no doubt that these are very high-quality jewelry, which means they are very valuable.
Then the remaining question is very simple - what price do you want to pay for these gems? And how much do you need to make to be satisfied?
The Count of Monte Cristo seems to be very strapped for money right now. If he uses his usual ability to crush debtors, he may be able to earn huge profits from resale, or even double the profits.
But it was also very inappropriate to do so. He had just boasted about his credibility and dignity in front of the earl, and then turned around and showed that he was as serious about spending every penny as a Jewish loan shark. This was tantamount to a slap in the face.
, and the Earl, who already has a bad impression of bankers, may become furious and may even walk away, leaving his deal to end in vain.
Moreover, it may not matter if a foreigner like the Count of Monte Cristo is tricked. He has no way to retaliate anyway, but the lady of the Nordlyen family is sitting here at the moment. If he proves that he tricked people, she will go back and add fuel to the fire with her father.
That would have a huge negative impact on Tanglar Bank.
If the Duke knew that he was treating his friends like this, then the persona he had worked so hard to maintain as a Duke and in the upper class society would be gone.
Although Tanglar was greedy, he knew better about trade-offs. He knew that it was definitely not worth losing the reputation he had created just to make a quick buck.
After a short period of weighing, Baron Tanglar made a decision.
"These are jewelry in very good condition and of high value. If you are willing to sell them to me, I can give you 320,000 francs."
He mentally appraised these gems, which were probably worth about 350,000 francs, so he paid this price to ensure that he would make a profit of 30,000 francs.
Although the profit is not high, considering that he can make a steady profit of 30,000 francs just by changing hands, the profit is huge enough, and even if other people hear about it, they will not have any objections to him.
30,000 francs is equivalent to one year's annual salary of a senior cashier under him. Although it is a bit regretful, this income can satisfy him.
"A very affordable price, very close to my psychological expectations." Count Monte Cristo raised his eyebrows, seeming to be surprised by Mr. Tanglars' bid, "Mr. Tanglars, it seems that I should apologize to you.
I shouldn't have just unfairly dumped my prejudice against bankers on you."
"It's not your fault. A small group of morons and liars have ruined the reputation of our industry, so the world will have some prejudice against us." Danglars smiled, saying that he didn't care about what just happened, "And
I will overcome this bias and serve my clients wholeheartedly, letting them know that not every banker does this."
"It seems that Duke Nordlyen's praise for you is not false." Count Monte Cristo finally showed a smile on his proud face, "So, how do you plan to pay me the 320,000 francs?"
"I can pay you in cash with a promissory note. This is the rule." Tanglar replied.
"Promissory note!" Count Monte Cristo raised his eyebrows, "To be honest, sir, what I am most afraid of is hearing this word. I have lost a lot of money because of promissory notes. In the past, there were always some people
They exaggerated their promissory notes and tricked me into accepting them, but when I needed to cash them, they were already empty! From then on, I decided that I would never have anything to do with these damn things."
"You don't accept the promissory note?" Danglars couldn't stand it anymore. After finally negotiating the deal, it was suddenly blocked at the end, which was really uncomfortable. "Mr. Count, didn't I just say it? You don't want to
The impression of those scammers has been forced upon me! We at Danglars Bank have never had any problems with the promissory notes, they are easy to redeem, and we are deeply trusted by the Paris business community. I don’t understand why you doubt me so much."
"If it's easy to exchange, why don't you just exchange it for cash now?" The Count of Monte Cristo was not swayed by his harsh words. Instead, he asked coldly, "Don't you have so much confidence in your financial strength?
Do you still need to use promissory notes to delay the exchange time and allow your funds to be circulated? "
Tangglars' heart beat violently. He was stabbed in a painful spot by the count.
After years of development, Danglars Bank has indeed accumulated a lot of capital, and has made a name for itself in the Paris financial community. It can be regarded as a medium-sized bank, but the secret of the bank is to absorb deposits and then lend, relying on the circulation of funds and
To make money through turnover, and Tangglar kept his reserves very low in order to make more money, the cash he held was not that sufficient.
Taking out 320,000 francs in cash in one go will indeed greatly affect his money. After all, it is not that easy to sell the jewelry back quickly.
"You are looking down on me. We don't have unlimited financial resources, but a mere 320,000 francs is not a problem for me. The reason why I insist on this is just because this is our business rule. I can't make an exception for you, otherwise I will go with you."
They will also blame me."
He himself knew that this reason was not very convincing, but he still said it bravely.
"Then it seems that we have very serious ideological differences." Count Monte Cristo frowned, "I stick to my principles, and you stick to your rules - Mr. Danglars, can't you be accommodating?"
"Why don't you be accommodating, count?" Danglars asked. "If you want to be my friend, you shouldn't treat me with this attitude. Maybe you have developed the habit of treating everyone in your fief.
I have become a slave, but I have to tell you with regret that this is France and we are a country of equals. Although I am not a noble yet, I have the right to defend my dignity."
"I'm happy to make you a friend, but you have to understand me. I just met you for the first time, and I have to accept a lot of your promissory notes. This friendship is too heavy." Count of Monte Cristo said.
He opened his hand and said, "I still hope that our first transaction can end with a happy outcome for both parties, and then we can become friends again - how about this, how about we each take a step back?"
"What do you mean?" Danglars asked quickly.
"I still want cash, but I can make a concession on the price - I only need 300,000 francs." The Count of Monte Cristo expressed his thoughts, "If you agree, then we will be friends from now on. I
If I have any business in Paris, I can contact you first to handle it, what do you think...?"
After speaking, the Count of Monte Cristo looked at Danglars with calm composure, waiting for his answer.
And he knew that Tanglar would only have one answer, and his greed would not allow him to make any other choice.
Tangglaer thought about it carefully. Although it was a bit difficult for him to come up with 300,000 cash at once, it was not impossible for him to support it.
And his returns are very attractive - he can earn at least 50,000 francs in profit within one or two months, a profit of more than 13%!
There is no reason not to agree.
It can even be said that if you don't agree, you will be punished by God.
"Well, since you insist so much, I have to make an exception for you." Tanglar pretended to hesitate for a moment, and finally agreed reluctantly, "However, this is because you are the Duke of Nordlien.
My friend, for his sake I am happy to help you once."
"Well, sir, let's make a deal." The Count of Monte Cristo stood up.
Then, with a smile on his face, he stretched out his hand to Danglars.
"make a deal!"
Danglars shook hands with him happily and sealed the deal.
You are in my hands.
The Count of Monte Cristo, also known as Edmond Dantès, laughed coldly in his heart.
He took the initiative to bargain in order to make the other party trust his strength more and continue to trade with him in the future.
His Majesty gave him jewelry worth 1 million francs, and his Majesty also knew that the jewelry sold could not always be traded at the original price, so he had already made a promise, as long as Edmond Dantès could bring him 800,000 francs.
Very satisfied.
Therefore, in the first transaction, he sold the jewelry for 350,000 francs for 300,000, which was completely in line with and even exceeded His Majesty's psychological expectations. His Majesty could get the funds he urgently needed - this is also a priority task that he must complete.
And with the help of this transaction, he also made his name as Count of Monte Cristo stand out in the French financial world for the first time.
Even better, he allowed his enemies to think of himself as the God of Wealth.
A sudden reduction of 300,000 francs in capital would be nerve-wracking for Danglars, but it would not be fatal, so Edmond Dantès did not plan to do anything for the time being.
He wants to continue to cooperate with the other party, be his friend, and then lure the banker into a trap step by step during the cooperation, and finally destroy his money and capital, make him ruined and lose everything.
And this is just the beginning.
Just wait for that day, bastard! He laughed in his heart, and then shook hands with the other party in a gentle manner.
============================
Soon after, Edmond Dantès and Agnes walked out of the Tanglar Bank.
"I didn't expect you to have a talent for bargaining with bankers." After stepping onto the carriage, Agnes covered her mouth and yawned tiredly, "That man is so ugly and boring, I'm so sleepy."
"I think of him the same way you do. It's just that he has to spend time in order to complete the task." Edmond Dantès replied.
"Okay, sir, do you have any other requests?" Agnes asked again.
"You...can you take me to see your father?" Edmond Dantès asked.
"Huh? Why did you suddenly make this request?" Agnes suddenly became alert, "My father has nothing to do with your Majesty..."
Agnes, like her elder sister, although they took the initiative or were forced to wade into this muddy water, they were very reluctant to let their family members get involved, especially since their father was a staunch royalist.
, once I hear about what my daughter does in private, I am afraid that I will immediately become angry.
"Did that guy tell you something?" Next, she looked at Edmond suspiciously, "Don't bring the conspiracy to bear on my family, or I'll beat his head off."
"Oh, don't misunderstand!" Edmond Dantès quickly shook his head and denied, "Your Majesty did not give me any tasks related to your family at all, and I don't want to drag your father into the incident. This is just an incident.
It's just an insurance measure - although I met Mr. Danglars for the first time today, I can conclude that he is a suspicious person. If I get three hundred thousand francs from him at once, he will definitely do it.
I'm very worried, so he will definitely find a way to check with your father in the near future to see if he knows me. If your father says he doesn't know me, then things will be a little troublesome, and you will also be in a little trouble.
, after all, you brought me here under his banner."
After some explanations from Edmond Dantès, Agnes finally understood.
"What you said makes sense..."
"I don't need a special interview, just a casual meeting," Edmond Dantès smiled. "In a certain social occasion, let the Duke say a few words to me, leave a little impression, and then look back.
When Tangglars asked, he could answer a few words casually, and Tangglars would not ask any more questions. After all, Tangglars had no chance to have a close relationship with your father."
Agnes thought about it and found that the other party's idea was indeed appropriate and satisfactory, and it was also necessary.
"Okay, I'll do this -"
Then, she suddenly laughed maliciously again, "However, I think it can be more appropriate."
"What do you mean...?" Edmond Dantès suddenly had an ominous premonition.
"Let me just say that you are a relative of my teacher. Anyway, she is also Italian. This way you have an additional identity, which adds to your mystery in Paris social circles, doesn't it?" Agnes smiled happily,
"Come, Earl, I will take you to try your skills. Maybe you need my advice——"