"Whoever disobeys you will have to go into exile or live in seclusion. We will never be ambiguous."
Faced with Aigron's request, Prince Talleyrand agreed wholeheartedly.
He is indeed unambiguous. Although he comes from a noble family, he has never been afraid of sacrificing people of his own class in exchange for personal gain.
When the Great Revolution was raging, he actively devoted himself to the Third Estate as a "revolutionary priest" and took the initiative to swear allegiance to the Republic. Although he was cursed and scolded by the royalists, he did not take it seriously at all.
.
Decades later, he faced almost the same situation again, and happily made the same choice, easily selling off a large group of nobles who might be related to him, just to get Aigron's money.
Happy.
This will undoubtedly make those people hate him even more, but what about it?
You just need to criticize me, I will do my best to be a good official.
In this way, as the beginning of the "Imperial New Deal", the reform of the House of Lords in Parliament was officially launched.
As Agron and Talleyrand expected, this measure did not arouse shock and disgust in public opinion.
After all, as a country that has been baptized by the Great Revolution, the common people of France are already dissatisfied with those "reactionary aristocrats" who are above them, and they are even more unconvinced that they can have hereditary seats in the House of Lords. Therefore, when this measure was officially announced, it was absolutely unacceptable.
Most people are indifferent to this, and many even applaud it.
Not only is there no resistance in terms of public opinion, but there is also very little resistance in terms of politics.
The most extreme part of the old nobles who would refuse to swear allegiance to the empire and to Aigron, and the most trusted by the royal family, have either followed the royal family into exile, or they have taken the initiative to live in seclusion in the face of the chaotic situation. It is impossible for them to oppose Aiglon in the first place.
decision.
Since these "core elements" of the royalists cannot stand up to stop it, other victims can only suffer in silence even if they have complaints, unable to form a joint force to fight against the empire.
After all, the Great Revolution of 1789 had severely damaged the ancient feudal system, and the economic and political foundations of the royal family and aristocrats had been extremely severely damaged. Even though they were restored in 1815 with the help of foreign bayonets and carried out counterattacks,
Revenge, but this is nothing more than a return to the past.
The newly emerged bourgeoisie and bureaucratic elites during the Revolution and Empire quietly took over the power that originally belonged to the aristocrats. They manipulated the exchanges, government departments, and the Bank of France, and controlled the entire country.
power.
The turmoil of 1830 completely drove the Bourbon royal family out of France, which also meant that all counterattack efforts in the previous 15 years had failed. The times were ultimately irreversible, and Aigron had to be the one who adapts to the times.
He wants to establish the basis of his rule among the new elite group, which means ruthlessly excluding and abandoning some members of the original ruling group.
So this is also Aigron's political calculation. Having just come to power, he needs to find ways to establish his authority without causing a big mess, so he will inevitably attack the "dying" House of Lords - on the one hand, he will attack the royalists.
The last remaining forces, on the one hand, allow them to make room to win over new members of the ruling group.
It can be expected that after the oath order was issued, the members of the House of Lords who went into exile, retired, and refused to take the oath lost their seats. This immediately meant that he had at least dozens of important "official vacancies", and he could rely on them to
Noble anyone you like and then send him to the House of Lords - just as British kings often did to the House of Lords in history.
A title of nobility coupled with a seat as a member of the House of Lords, even if it is a nominal "House of Lords", will naturally attract many people. After all, after a person reaches the upper class of society, he will naturally hope to have some title to reflect his class status.
, this is part of human nature.
He used his official titles to win over social elites, and these elites used their talents and resources to serve Aigron. This must be an extremely cost-effective deal.
Banker Jacques Beauvin was one of the first "lucky people" to enjoy this kind of bribery.
After hearing the news that he had been summoned by His Majesty, Bowen ended his work early, and then came to the Tuileries Palace with a flattered mood.
After a long wait, the attendant finally summoned him to come for an audience. He quickly followed the attendant into Aigron's interview room.
This was not the first time that the two people had met, but at this moment, facing the young man with the supreme title, Bo Wang could not help but hold his breath and concentrate.
Although he has achieved unimaginable achievements in his life, he also knows that the young man in front of him now holds the power of life and death, which can easily make his life's hard work go to waste, and he must not offend him.
"Your Majesty!" He bowed deeply to Aiglon, "I am honored to be summoned by you."
"No need to be formal, Mr. Bowang." Aigron smiled and waved to the other party, gesturing for him to sit down on the sofa opposite him. "Is this your first time in the palace?"
"Yes and no, Your Majesty." Beauvin sat down first, and then replied softly, "When I first came to Paris, it was still the Republic period, and I visited the palace; but since the restoration of the royal family, in the past fifteen years I have
I’ve never been lucky enough to get such an opportunity——”
He used to be a senior employee of Poncena Bank, held a large amount of funds in his hands, and had huge influence in the financial world. But even so, as a commoner, he still never got the opportunity to enter the palace, even if he had
With such a brilliant resume, even if he married the daughter of a nobleman as his wife, he was not accepted into the court circle in the end and was just treated as a stinky businessman.
Perhaps Beauvain secretly took refuge in Aiglon and provided money and effort to support the Bonaparte family, without any idea of "revenge on society".
"So, those immutable old antiques should have gone away long ago." Aigron sneered, "They will only judge a person with the narrowest vision, allowing outstanding talents to be ignored and buried, and making the entire country decay and decadence.
…”
After scolding his political opponents, Aigron, who was in a happy mood, changed the topic again, "Mr. Bowang, I called you here today because I want to tell you good news."
"What's the good news?" Bowang asked jokingly.
"You should have heard that I am currently promoting reform in the House of Lords." Aigron did not answer immediately, but asked first.
"Yes, I did hear a little bit about it." Bowang nodded honestly.
As a successful banker, he certainly understands the importance of politics, so he has been observing political trends through various channels. Naturally, Aigron's attack on the House of Lords after he came to power could not escape his eyes.
Compared to those royalists who were heartbroken, he was happy to see the success, and even felt a sense of schadenfreude - the old antiques who looked down on him at the beginning were now suffering disasters one by one, which was enough to satisfy his stubborn desire for revenge.
"When this country is in dire straits, we need to unite as one more than ever. However, some short-sighted people refuse to be loyal to the country! This is absolutely intolerable." Although Aigron's tone was calm, he still said
With a hint of chilling murderous intent, "So, they should get the punishment they deserve, and I will not hesitate to abolish their seats in the House of Lords and any hereditary rights to these seats."
"I completely agree with your opinion, Your Majesty." Bowang nodded with deep understanding. "We should use thunderous means against those who are ignorant of current affairs, so that no one will misunderstand your authority.
"
"Those who refuse to take the oath will be removed, which will inevitably create a large number of vacancies in the seats in the House of Lords. Therefore - Mr. Bowen, I need to let a group of prestigious social sages fill the vacancies..." Aigron looked on as he watched
Bowang said slowly, "Mr. Bowang, I think you are a leader among the sages of society, and you should be one of the first members to be knighted. I wonder if you are so interested in accepting this gift?"
With Bowang's intelligence, he certainly understood that His Majesty was indicating that he wanted to ennoble himself as a noble and be included in the House of Lords.
His heart suddenly felt hot.
Am I, Jacques Beauvain, a once penniless poor boy, now going to become a noble lord?
In his life, after thirty years of hard work, through repeated investments and adventures, he was finally qualified to enter and leave the palace, and was on an equal footing with those who once looked down on him?
Although he was vaguely mentally prepared, he still felt a little light under his feet at this moment, as if he had taken too much snuff.
Even a calm person like him can't help but feel dizzy at this milestone in his life.
However, he was still Bowang, an extremely pragmatic banker, and he quickly calmed himself down.
This is just what you deserve, you can still get more...
"Your Majesty, I don't know who would refuse such a grace from you, but I certainly won't." He replied calmly, "However, I think I have limited knowledge and lack of reputation, so I am afraid that I will not be able to bear the heavy responsibility you have given me...
"
"Since there are only two of us here, there is no need for you to make such a meaningless gesture of humility, sir." Facing the other party's cliché, Aigron just smiled, "Since you can run a large bank in an orderly manner, then in
In my opinion, you are definitely qualified to serve as a member of the House of Lords, or even more than enough - after all, before, most of its members could not even calculate their own property accounts..."
Aigron treated Bowang so favorably not only because he hoped to use his social influence, but also to reward him for his merit.
Before, Beauvain took the initiative to get closer to his agent, the Count of Monte Cristo, and tried his best to provide him with a large amount of funds and social resources. After Aiglon returned to France, he also secretly lent millions of francs to Aigron, which was regarded as helping Aigron.
Long solved the urgent need.
In terms of merit, although he never fired a shot for Aiglon, he was more helpful than many people with outstanding military exploits.
Therefore, in order to show that he "repays kindness" and establishes an image of keeping his word, Aigron knighted Bowen as soon as he came to power.
He should have a more dazzling title to improve his social status.
"Your Majesty, since you believe in me so much, I will accept your grace with great honor. Thank you for your regard for me. I will do my best to serve you in the future, whether in my bank or in the House of Lords.
." Since Aigron said so, Bowang naturally no longer pretended to be humble and refused, and directly agreed.
"Very good." Aiglon smiled with satisfaction. "Then, starting from tomorrow, you will be Mr. Baron de Beauvin, or you can change your surname to another one if you like."
In this era, there are many cases where common people have become nobles. Some people hate their original earthy surname, so they will buy a piece of land somewhere and use the place where the land is located as their surname.
Becoming De·XXX, completely getting rid of the original class, so Aigron has this question.
"No, that's not necessary, Your Majesty. I think the title Baron de Beauvin is quite good." Beauvin made his decision without hesitation. "The more I use the surname Beauvin, the more I can remind myself that I am
How hard you have worked to get to where you are now and get all this."
"Well, it's Baron de Beauvain, and the edict to ennoble you will be sent to your home tomorrow." Aigron responded well, and then he spread his hands with some regret, "Unfortunately, sir, in order to avoid unnecessary publicity.
, so I can only make you a baron, but as long as you continue to serve the state in the future, then I will also make due rewards. I think you can become Count de Beauvin or Marquis de Beauvin.
Things between..."
"In this regard, I am very satisfied, Your Majesty." Bowang bowed, "The grace you bestowed upon me is enough for me to boast to my descendants, so let my title end here."
For him, a low-level baron title in itself is not very valuable. What is important is that he has since entered the ranks of "nobles" and is enough to enter the palace. This is enough.
Of course it is good to have a title of nobility, as it will facilitate his career, but he doesn't really care about the level of the title.
For him, what is the difference between a baron and an earl, or even a prince? If he holds the scepter of money, then even the emperor of a country will be polite to him. On the contrary, if he loses the ability to manage money
, then even if he has the title of prince, it is just a waste that no one cares about.
On the other hand, if he holds a title that is too high, he will inevitably attract more attention from the outside world, and many operations that cannot be seen in the light will be exposed, which is not cost-effective for him.
Bowang knew that his rise in social class had reached a place where he was satisfied.
The colorful social world is just an insignificant embellishment in life, and his journey is still on the ledger.