"Find out the background of your opponents, and my friends may be able to give you some help."
"Your friend?" Upon hearing this, Aigron finally became interested again. "Who is it?"
"A very shrewd and capable man, now a banker to be precise," Lucien Bonaparte replied.
"Banker?" Aigron was a little confused, so he looked at his uncle, waiting for his further explanation.
Lucien Bonaparte suddenly stopped. He looked at the wine glass in front of him, his eyes seemed to be filled with emotion.
"Let me tell you a story"
He picked up the wine glass, took a sip of wine, and then continued.
"You all know that in 1799, I followed my brother in launching the Coup of Brumaire and captured France. As a due reward, my brother appointed me Minister of the Interior. At that time, I was really high-spirited and only wanted to do something big.
.But if you want to do big things, you have to have money, and I happen to be short of money, so I want to find a reliable agent to save enough capital for me.
Fortunately, as long as we have power, all these troubles will not be troubles after all. Soon, many people in Paris came to me, hoping to establish a good relationship with me and my brother in exchange for financial benefits.
However, I look down on these well-dressed guys. They are all hypocritical and cunning. Moreover, these bankers have been in the market for so many years and their relationship network is very complicated. I don’t want my secrets to be in their hands.
I want to find someone who is reliable and easy to control and let him take care of this for me.
I am French, but I am also a Corsican, so I keep these calculations in my heart, and then silently observe the surroundings, patiently looking for the right candidate..."
"It looks like you found it." Aigron probably understood what he meant.
"Yes, I found it, but the process was a bit unexpected." Prince Lucien Bonaparte nodded slightly, and then continued, "You know, as the Minister of the Interior at the time, I had the power to appoint ministers from all French provinces.
Senior officials also have the power to manage the country's roads and ports, and they also have to deal with petitions from all over the country. One day I received a petition. The author was a bank manager in a small place. He told us painfully about the revolutionary era.
Chaotic financial and monetary policies have caused harm to the local area, and begged my brother and I to make reforms as soon as possible in order to solve the chaos of the French economy and relieve the suffering of the people; in this petition, he also listed many data, and
Some suggestions, although I don’t know much about finance, but I think what he said makes sense.”
"So you conveyed these suggestions to my father?" Aigron asked.
"Yes, I conveyed this petition to him, and he was very interested. At that time, there was also a general voice in the financial community, hoping that we, who had just seized power, would make appropriate decisions to stabilize the national economy." Lu
Sian-Bonaparte replied in a low voice, "So soon after, after careful consideration, Napoleon complied with these calls, created the Bank of France, and later issued a new franc currency, finally putting an end to the chaotic financial and monetary situation.
The market has stabilized."
"This is also one of his major contributions to France." Aiglon replied.
"Indeed, but we are going to talk about another aspect of the matter." Lucien Bonaparte smiled slightly, "I am not only interested in this letter, I am also interested in the person who wrote it.
I don’t understand finance but I am a good speaker, so I also have the ability to read a person’s nature from between the lines. I quickly saw that this person is cautious, smart, and quite professional, and more importantly, he
He is from the provinces and has not been contaminated and swallowed up by the complicated interpersonal relationships in Paris..."
"So you turned him into your agent!" Theresa, who had been listening carefully, understood when she heard this.
"Teresa, you are really a beautiful and smart princess." Lucien Bonaparte smiled and nodded, admitting this conjecture, "After my brother decided to adopt this suggestion, I wrote a letter specifically
I gave it to this shopkeeper from another province and invited him to come to Paris to have an interview with me. You can imagine that he must have been flattered, so he rushed to Paris all night long and met with me. In order not to waste your time, I will not
Describe in detail what we talked about. But after the meeting, I was very satisfied with him. Although he is not good at words and even looks a little dull, he is indeed very professional, and every time he speaks, he has something to say, which is enough to hit the point.
And he is very keen on numbers. I soon met him a little bit late. I even felt that so many bombastic idiots sat on the seats of the National Assembly, but he could only stay in the provinces in obscurity. It was really God
What a joke on the world! It’s a pity that this kind of joke has been happening every day since ancient times.”
Then, he changed the subject, "But this time, I wanted to change God's joke. I only saw this one side and decided to let him stay in Paris and make greater contributions to me and France. So I asked him
'My friend, you are really talented, so why do you stay in the provinces instead of coming here to show your talents?'
He looked embarrassed, and then told me with shame that he had indeed had a similar dream, but his father was infected with the customs of the old times and was a prodigal son who drank, drank, whored, and gambled, which caused the family to owe a lot of debt and the ancestral fields.
They had all been sold out, and he finally managed to keep his family's bank account, and then used it to earn money to pay off his debts. The heavy debt weighed him down and he could not come to Paris.
I laughed loudly after hearing this, and then told him that from now on you will be debt-free and you can pursue your ambitions in Paris.
I didn’t tell him what he needed to do to repay my kindness, because a wise man doesn’t need anyone else to say anything.”
"So you paid off his debts, and in return he became your agent, and then developed his career in Paris." Aigron summarized this past incident, and then asked, "Then what did you and him do next?
Woolen cloth?"
"Actually, it's not that surprising. You know how easy it is to make money in the position I was in. Whenever the government has major news to be announced, I will always notify my agent in advance and ask him to buy or sell.
By issuing public debt and sharing the profits with him, we made a lot of money just by relying on such a simple method." Lucien Bonaparte replied, "We used the money we earned to speculate, this guy
I have a very accurate vision, and every time I speculate, I can gain a lot. Even if I miss occasionally, it doesn't hurt. In short, I got the capital I wanted, and he also became a rich man.
By the way, we Corsicans are all about favors. When he first arrived in Paris, his sister was getting married and he couldn't afford the dowry. I paid for him, and I know he will be forever grateful to me.
, because he is indeed the kind of person who knows how to remember gratitude."
When he said this, Prince Lucien Bonaparte suddenly sighed again, and then took another sip of wine. "It's a pity that my most important goal was not achieved. My ministerial career came to an end soon. 1800
In November of that year, that despicable Fouche and others brought a complaint against me, which caused a great quarrel between me and my brother, and I was obliged to resign my ministerial post, which was soon followed by an angry Napoleon.
I was sent to Spain as an ambassador. I originally wanted to save capital for my career, but my career suddenly disappeared and was taken away by my brother!"
Although the past is like smoke, more than twenty years have passed, and Lucien finally forgave his brother, but when talking about this, he still couldn't help showing a bit of resentment.
After taking a few more sips of wine, Lucien Bonaparte finally regained his energy, "Now that my career is over, the so-called capital is no longer important. The money I saved was spent on Paris and France.
Ladies in Madrid, my former agent stayed in Paris and continued his dream. Although I could no longer provide him with any help at this time, even so, he still respected me very much.
When things are tight, he will give me a lot of gifts. In short, I am very lucky that I was able to make this friend during my short career as a minister."
"And now you want to introduce this friend to me for help, right?" Aigron asked.
"Yes." Lucien Bonaparte nodded, "He has a shrewd mind, and as a person who has been involved in the Paris financial world for more than twenty years, he must know a lot of things, even better than you and me.
France.”
"I admit that this may indeed be the case." Aiglon also agreed with his uncle's opinion, and then asked again, "Then what is his name? And what is his current situation?"
"His name is Jean-Antoine Poncenet." Lucien Bonaparte replied, "In order not to embarrass him, I have not had much contact with him over the years, but I still heard some news about him.
He is quite prosperous now, already running a large bank, rich and well-known, making prompt payments and almost never making mistakes. I could see that he had this ability back then."
"I understand." Aigron lowered his head and thought silently, "According to you, this person is indeed very powerful. If he is willing to help us, he will indeed be very useful to me. But do you think he will stand up?"
On my side?"
"As far as I know, although he may not entrust his life and property to you, in order to repay my kindness, he will be willing to do something. As long as he can help a little, it will be enough for you to benefit from it, right?" Lucien
- Bonaparte asked with a smile, "Besides, even if he doesn't get on your ship, what will you lose?"
"You are right." Aigron agreed with his uncle's opinion. "We can at least give it a try."
"Since you agree, I can write him a letter next, telling him your current situation and my expectations for him, and let him make his own decisions." Lucien Bonaparte replied.
"Thank you very much, uncle." Aiglon stood up and solemnly thanked Lucien.
What his uncle did tonight really made him feel quite comfortable.
There is no doubt that he has neither power nor influence now. The so-called "help" is just a try based on past favors, and there is not much guarantee of success.
But even if he didn't help with this favor, the attitude of "we are a family, so I stand with you" has at least satisfied Aigron's needs.
This is all he asked of his uncles.
"So the important thing now is to find out this guy's attitude, see how far he is willing to cooperate, and then judge how much we need to rely on him." Aigron whispered. "Of course, if we can draw him to us
The one who is the best in his camp, I think I can promise him a sufficient reward."
"My nephew, you really don't sound like a young man when you speak." Lucien Bonaparte shook his head slightly, "Do you have to frown and think in thought all the time? You should be more cheerful.
, after all, people want both power and happiness!"
Aigron was stunned, "But aren't we discussing business now? Of course I have to be more serious?"
"What's serious is that we, uncle and nephew, meet and I tell you stories about the past." Lucien Bonaparte said with a smile, "You have learned to be calm in times of trouble, but you have not yet learned to be calm. Remember
Stay here, don’t place too much expectations, and don’t be disappointed too early, it’s all just a breeze.”
Then, he calmly picked up the wine glass and said, "Here, let's drink to the story."
"Cheers." Aigron finally couldn't help but laugh, then picked up the wine glass and drank another drink with his uncle, "Actually, I also have calm moments, but now that time is running out, I can't help but feel a little nervous."
"The more time is pressed, the more leisurely we should be. How many people slept peacefully before being sent to the guillotine? If we don't despise life and death, success or failure, we can't be detached and do things that ordinary people can't imagine." Lucien -
Bonaparte disagreed.
Aiglon smiled bitterly in his heart. His uncle had always behaved like this. He looked frivolous and detached, but in fact he was a bit ungrounded. No wonder he was defeated by Fouché in the end and fell out of favor in front of Napoleon.
But even so, this uncle still deserves respect. After all, he is doing his best to help.
"Okay, I will keep your instructions in mind." Aigron nodded, and then calmly picked up the wine glass to toast with his uncle.
"Do you have any other stories?" At this moment, Teresa couldn't help but speak again. She had just been fascinated by the story of Prince Lucien.
"My lovely girl, although I accomplished nothing in the end, I carry several boxes of stories with me. If you are willing, I can even tell you all night." Prince Lucien Bonaparte couldn't help but laugh.
He laughed and said, "For example, I can tell you a story about me and Madame Récamier..."
"Stop joking, uncle." Aigron interrupted him helplessly.
Others didn't know it, but Aigron knew that after Lucien Bonaparte became Minister of the Interior, he had been trying to seduce a banker's wife, spending a lot of money but getting nothing. This kind of affair was not suitable for people in the country.
Talk about it during family dinners.
"Hey, yes, it happened so many years ago... I don't know how she is doing now." The prince's smile froze, then he sighed and picked up the wine glass, "Come, let's go to that beautiful woman again
Let’s have a drink, madam!”
"cheers."
In the heart of the prince, the lady who had lost her youth was not that important. At this time, what he was thinking about was not the romantic affair, but the time that he had lost and would never have again in the future.