After getting the order, the secretary quickly walked out of the door. Soon after, he brought someone up from downstairs.
Edmond Dantès knew that he must be a close confidant of M. Poncena, so he deliberately looked at this man when he came in.
To his surprise, this man was not the stereotypical well-dressed, profit-seeking, arrogant and indifferent banker. On the contrary, he was about thirty years old, short and fat, and his clothes always looked inappropriate.
Fits well, a little baggy.
He always had a smile on his face. This smile made people feel friendly and warm, and he looked very honest, a bit like a simple farmer who had just entered the city.
And like the boss, his clothes are also simple. Only the smart look in his eyes can make people feel that this person is indeed doing a very important job.
As soon as he came in, he bowed to his boss.
"Sir, do you have any instructions for me?"
Poncena did not answer him immediately, but first introduced this person to Edmond Dantès.
"This gentleman is my former apprentice, my secretary and close assistant, Jacques-Louis Beauvain. Although he doesn't look very smart, I have seen his keen vision and precise judgment over the years.
, and his indomitable will...I believe that in our industry, he will have a bright future and even surpass my height."
Poncena introduced Edmond Dantès, and then he introduced Edmund to the people who came in, "Jacques, this is Count Bellivet, who came from Parma. He will be our important customer."
.”
As soon as he heard Poncena's introduction, the original smile on the visitor's face became even deeper. He bowed again. He was originally a head shorter than Edmund, but now his head was only the same as Edmund's.
Chest level, "Mr. Count, nice to meet you!"
"Mr. Beauvin, I'm glad to see you too." Edmond Dantès also said hello to the other party, and then he extended his hand.
Bowang immediately reached out and held his hand, looking flattered.
Edmund is not a person who judges books by their appearance. Although this person does not seem to have much ability, since Poncena introduced him so solemnly, Edmund also believes that the other person must have extraordinary abilities.
"Bowang, I have a very important task for you." After the two people exchanged greetings, Poncena looked at his assistant with a serious face, "I told you before, Lucien Bonaparte
The prince is my past benefactor and has shown great kindness to me, and this count is the friend whom the prince personally introduced to me in a letter. He hopes that we can help this new arrival in Paris... Since this is
His Royal Highness the Prince's wish, then I think it is my duty to do so."
"Sir, your wish is my obligation." Bowang replied very humbly, "I am also very happy to have the opportunity to repay your kindness."
"That's good." Pangsina nodded lightly, "Bowang, I know that you have never let me down, so I still have high hopes for you this time. I usually have too many things to do.
You are busy, and you are old and have lost your energy, so from now on, I want you to be responsible for our bank's business dealings with the count."
Bowang was about to agree, but he felt a different meaning from the boss's tone.
Although the age difference between the two partners is thirty or forty years, they have worked together for almost twenty years. In these twenty years, Bowang has been by the boss's side and has been taught by his words and deeds. Not only has he learned his ability and vision, he has also learned a lot about the boss.
He also knows his temper very well.
He knew that the boss was a serious and rigid person, and no prince or duke could move him. However, today he clearly seemed worried about gains and losses.
Moreover, they are a big bank and serve many princes and nobles among their customers. Why do they need to care about a foreign count?
So he quickly guessed that this earl was probably not as simple as "a friend of His Highness the Prince".
He secretly winked at the boss, and at this moment Pangsena happened to blink slightly.
In this calm moment, Bowang suddenly understood that this count must have been sent by the Bonaparte family!
He came to this conclusion instantly.
This conclusion certainly made him feel a little flustered, but years of work had trained him to remain calm no matter what the situation, so he just briefly glanced at his boss and pretended to be completely oblivious.
The matter was dealt with appropriately.
The tacit understanding cultivated over the years allowed them to exchange a large amount of information in just two glances. Edmond Dantès was of course ignorant of this.
Bowang looked at Edmund again, and then continued with a smile, "Mr. Earl, since my boss has told me to cooperate with you, I will obey your orders from now on. No matter what you want to do, as long as I follow my
Just tell me and I will try my best to cooperate. We can also open an advance account for you in advance so that you can withdraw funds from us for your expenses when needed."
"You are exaggerating." Seeing the other party's respectful look, Edmond Dantès waved his hand quickly, "I am just a foreigner who came here to see the world. I don't need you to treat me so seriously.
"Although Paris is prosperous, it is like a maze to me. I will only ask you to take care of it from now on."
"To be honest, although I have lived here for decades, I don't understand Paris as much as you do." Bovan replied with a smile, "We only lend money and collect money, and don't understand those salons and romantic affairs. If you think about this,
If you are interested, I'm afraid we can't help you."
Bowen's answer made Edmund laugh.
"To tell you the truth, I've also had some daydreams about this. If I can really encounter some romantic encounter here, it will be a worthwhile trip!"
Of course, what he said was just to cope with the situation. For him, he had too much time to complete His Majesty's mission, so he had no time to engage in romantic affairs. Moreover, in his current situation, in order to avoid being recognized, he had to attend public events a lot.
The less the better.
"I can't guarantee that you will get what you want, but I can assure you that you already have the most reliable and sharpest love tool, money." Bowang replied, "Although everyone says that money cannot buy love.
, but in Paris, as long as you ask for enough, there will naturally be a lot of beauties who will give you simulated love. I think it is almost the same."
"I didn't expect you to be a poet lying on the ledger!" Edmond Dantès joked.
"Making any line perfect is almost like writing poetry." Bowang smiled, looking a little proud, "In this city, many people are obsessed with orgies, but for me, the account books
Those beating numbers are my entertainment, even my life."
"It's really respectable." Edmond Dantès couldn't help but be in awe of the other party, "But I can understand it, I also love my career."
After finishing speaking, the two of them shook hands again, and both of them had the impression that "this person is not an ordinary person."
Poncena had been watching the two of them talking, and after they shook hands again, he spoke again.
"Bo Wang, you know why I asked you to take care of these things. You are the person I trust most and the successor I am very optimistic about. I am old and there are many things that are difficult to handle personally, so I leave it to you.
In the past few years, I have never asked you about the tasks I have given you. I let you do it, and it is the same this time. I believe that you know what is good for our bank and yourself, and I also believe that you
I can make everything happen. I wish you two a happy relationship."
After finishing speaking, he made a gesture to indicate to the two of them to leave first, and he had to deal with his official business.
Bo Wang listened quietly, he knew exactly what the boss meant.
The boss is old, a little timid, and doesn't know how to deal with the relationship with the Bonaparte family, so he leaves these matters to himself.
To be honest, anyone in his position would feel a headache and a dilemma.
Why didn't the boss tell the truth? He was afraid that once the Bonaparte family was restored, he would be liquidated. But if he was really involved, wouldn't he be in danger?
Therefore, he called himself over, used his "closest assistant" as a firewall, and asked himself to be responsible for related matters. In other words, he left this difficult problem to himself.
In this way, whether he offended the Bonaparte family or the Bourbon royal family, it had no direct relationship with him. He was just serving a foreign "customer".
Bowang was not chilled by his boss's actions. He had been in this industry for so many years and had seen countless more chilling things. This little thing was nothing.
He regards this incident more as a "test". If he passes this difficult test, the boss will recognize him as his best successor.
Yes, as the boss said, he is old and his energy is declining, and none of his children can inherit the current business. He has stated several times before that after retirement, he will choose to
The bank is run by people he trusts, and his family only gets the corresponding annual dividends and dividends from it.
There are two or three qualified competitors in addition to Bowang, but if you complete the boss's most difficult test, then you will undoubtedly become the best successor.
Taking over the office or even changing the name of the bank to Bowen Bank is not a dream.
Bowang will always remember that he was the son of a small businessman from another province who had no one to rely on and no worries. He came to Paris alone to work hard in the chaotic current situation, and got the insight of his boss. He rose all the way to where he is now.
status.
But he is not satisfied because he has not yet reached the top of his career.
He witnessed with his own eyes that his boss handles hundreds of millions of funds every year, flowing in the direction he specified, making some people prosperous and wealthy, and making some people bankrupt. What could only be done by hundreds of thousands of troops in the past is now sitting alone in the office.
This is what we can do in this day and age.
He believes that the power of money is omnipotent, and he even more believes that he has the ability to control this power.
What he pursues tirelessly is that this power itself is not for the extravagance and glory that money brings, but for the money itself.
He did not believe in any creeds, precepts or religions in the world, but only believed in himself. He vowed to swallow them all, even surpass his boss's achievements, and truly become a living god of wealth, an uncrowned king.
Obviously, he still has a long way to go to achieve that goal, but his physical strength contains endless energy and courage, driving him to move in that direction unswervingly.
And today, he saw an opportunity in the crisis.
Bowang is a pure banker and has never cared about politics. He also scorns the notion of "divine right of kings", but he definitely does not reject politics. On the contrary, he knows that politics is the biggest reliance of money and the decisive factor.
The decisive factor in the flow of money.
So he instead hopes to have something to do with politics.
However, he was born as a commoner, and under the current rule of the Bourbon family, he was destined to not be able to interact with the court or those famous families on an equal footing, and he knew this very well.
But what if France changes dynasties again? What if it comes to a new regime that is not so exclusive of civilians? Everything will naturally be very different.
The old Poncena, whose spirit had declined and only wanted to retire safely, saw only the crisis; but the ambitious Bowang saw the real opportunity when a person was most energetic.
If the Bonaparte family really returns, and if he makes great contributions, then he might be able to be related to the supreme power of this country, and that means that he will truly achieve his goal.
From this point of view, this "Count Bellivet" is an excellent gift sent to him by the goddess of luck.
He knew that he was gambling and faced huge risks, but in order to realize his dream, he was willing to gamble just like the young man who dared to take the risk and step into France.
When the gains are large enough, no amount of losses can scare ambitious gamblers.
While turning these thoughts in his mind, Bowang led the count to his office with an expressionless face, and then carefully closed the door.
The boss did not directly reveal the identity of the other party in front of him, so he cannot reveal it now. He must remain "uninformed".
But he must show his value in front of the count and his willingness to cooperate in order to let the self-proclaimed supreme hear his name through the count.
The scale was difficult to grasp, but he had the confidence to give it a try.
Then, he looked at the count with a smile on his face, his eyes full of flattery.
"Sir, what do you need me to do now? Please just tell me."