CHAPTER 340: CHAPTER 335: THE RAILWAY INTIMIDATION

Yes! Whether it is the historical Napoleon III (Louis Napoleon) or the current Napoleon III (Jerome Bonaparte), there has never been a shortage of women around him.

Especially after Jerome Bonaparte became the Emperor, there were even more people attempting to replicate the path of Marquis Alet (many believed Marquis Alet relied on his wife’s beauty) to become new favorites, with some nobles even openly pushing their wives towards Jerome Bonaparte, chastity in Paris’ upper-middle society is merely a façade, which undoubtedly causes Jerome Bonaparte some distress.

Simple physical pleasure is no longer something pursued by someone of Jerome Bonaparte’s status. Compared to mere physical enjoyment, he is more concerned with the dual unification of the physical and the spiritual.

To put it bluntly, Jerome Bonaparte himself does not like those who come to him on their own initiative; he prefers those who are not too forward.

Of course, since Jerome Bonaparte did not have many mistresses (Marchioness Aile, Eugénie), this also led the upper-class to gossip to a certain extent, with many orthodox faction nobles, who delight in sowing discord, secretly slandering, saying that Jerome Bonaparte lacks charm.

This is undoubtedly a denial of Jerome Bonaparte’s regime, as if there’s no frequent discussion about mistresses being insufficient in number or charm, it is a harbinger of downfall for the monarchs in Paris.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, to prove oneself a qualified Parisian ruler, the first requirement is to have enough mistresses, which would greatly improve one’s standing in the minds of Parisians.

Despite the Parisians’ constant rhetoric about morality and order, in reality, the vast majority are the very individuals engaging in prostitution and thievery.

Under the dual torment of traditional moral order and personal freedom, it is difficult for one’s psyche not to turn perverse. Even a conservative person from an outer province with steadfast views, after spending some time in Paris, can transform into a "genuine" Parisian.

This fact has not changed even in the 21st century.

In retrospect, a portion of those who slandered Jerome Bonaparte were sent to Algeria to eat sand, another portion was sent to debtor’s prison through Jerome Bonaparte’s means, and yet another portion became corpses in the Seine River.

[Debtor’s Prison: Comparable to a gulag, originally the residence for insolvent debtors, it gradually became forced into a "mental hospital", and many of the mentally ill appeared healthier than anyone else before heading to debtor’s prison.]

If Vilnius were not a "gift" sent by Cavour, Jerome Bonaparte and she would have been people from two different worlds.

Vilnius’s vain attempt to seduce an ambitious person with mere beauty is not an impossible task at all.

Even on the otl world line Napoleon III only ever treated Vilnius as a small indulgence, immediately ending things when he felt bored.

Moreso for a utilitarian like Jerome Bonaparte, in his eyes, Vilnius is an uncarved jade; he wants to carve Vilnius into the shape he desires and then enjoy it alone.

Vilnius remained silent, suddenly realizing the man before her was of a different breed than those she had met before.

The difference between the two was like a solitary proud wolf leader and a playful domesticated dog, with the former being far more charismatic.

[PS: Historically, Vilnius always longed for Napoleon III after being abandoned, and even after her burial, it was covered with the nightgown Napoleon III had gifted her.]

When Vilnius raised her head once more, she found Jerome Bonaparte watching her with a mocking gaze, which made her somewhat prideful nature a bit angry. She puffed up her chest in pride, seemingly flaunting what was wrapped in Lev’s Formal Suit.

"Hmm! Indeed, very large!" Jerome Bonaparte first nodded in affirmation of Vilnius’s arrogant asset, then shrugged his shoulders and said, "Isn’t there anything else you’ve learned? Do you plan to rely on your looks for your whole life?"

"I..." Vilnius was extremely frustrated, indeed having thought so.

However, she also understood beauty could only serve as her temporary capital, the best approach would be to find an "honest person" to marry after reaching a certain age (16), and then continue playing.

Only this way could she ensure her old age would not be cast aside by society, as the laws and religion in Europe absolutely do not sanction divorce.

To secure the right to divorce, French women (mainly Parisian women) have strived who knows how long.

"What can you do to help me if you can’t do anything?" Jerome Bonaparte looked at her with a hint of disdain, the corner of his mouth slightly lifting, "However, I indeed can support a freeloader here!

To provoke Vilnius, Jerome Bonaparte "considerately" added: "Don’t worry, I won’t ask Cavour to cover your food expenses!"

"You..." Vilnius trembled with anger under Jerome Bonaparte’s words, without finding any retort, merely lowering her uniquely charming nose, looking as if she were acting cute.

"You are beautiful, but a little brainless!" Jerome Bonaparte added fuel to the fire once more.

Only 13-year-old Vilnius couldn’t endure Jerome Bonaparte’s repeated "mockery", biting her silver teeth, she left Jerome Bonaparte’s study without looking back.

In the study, Jerome Bonaparte looked at the open study door and shook his head, saying to himself, "After all, still just a child!"

After speaking, a joyful smile appeared at the corner of Jerome Bonaparte’s mouth.

The 13-year-old Vilnius was completely different from her 18-year-old self; the former hadn’t truly stepped into society, while the latter had already experienced much of high society’s charm.

This was probably something else that Cavour hadn’t anticipated.

In the following days, Vilnius no longer "bothered" Jerome Bonaparte.

If Jerome Bonaparte hadn’t periodically asked about the situation of the ladies-in-waiting at the Tuileries Palace, he would have almost thought Vilnius had left Paris.

During these days, Cavour also didn’t seek out Jerome Bonaparte, but instead frequently communicated with the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The two sides barely reached a consensus on major policies.

On February 15, the agricultural delegation from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies set out to leave Paris.

Under Jerome Bonaparte’s intentional connivance, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies received a large influx of capital, led by the French Government. The funds would be continuously transferred to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in the form of purchasing railway bonds, meaning that the railway would blossom in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

The emerging domestic steel industry would also earn handsomely due to the railway orders from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

However, since the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was unlikely to obtain high returns and there was even a risk of losses, Jerome Bonaparte also dared not let the Paris Stock Exchange bear the risk of the railway bonds from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies alone.

Therefore, he once again met with the Bank of France’s president, Count Algou, and informed him of the issues with the railway bonds from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

"Your Majesty, pardon my bluntness! The railway bonds from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies are just a pile of trash!" Count Algou spoke frankly to Jerome Bonaparte. "I even doubt whether they have the ability to repay the massive railway bonds!"

Jerome Bonaparte nodded empathetically. If it weren’t for the political strategic needs, only a fool would buy the bonds issued by the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Even in the 21st century, the regions of the Two Sicilies and Naples remain targets of poverty alleviation.

"I understand, so I brought you here to discuss a solution. Do you think the Bank of France has the ability to package this batch of bonds and then release them to the Frankfurt Stock Exchange?" Jerome Bonaparte attempted the strategy used by William II to improve relations with the Russian Empire.

Using France’s own credit to endorse the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and then placing all the debts onto the Frankfurt Stock Exchange market.

In this way, the risk of the railway bonds from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies would be transferred to the Frankfurt Exchange. If handled properly, France could even earn a portion of the fees.

Jerome Bonaparte’s words made Count Algou’s eyes light up, and he excitedly said, "Your Majesty, I think we can do this!"

"Not just the railway bonds of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, but our own country’s railway bonds can also..." Jerome Bonaparte suddenly realized that their secondary railways could also be introduced to the German market, anyway, as they were destined for loss, let the investors in the German market experience what a capital market is.

The current German region somewhat resembles the Usury Empire, where excessive fragmentation prevented the formation of a genuine market, and the path toward industrialization wasn’t as rapid as the future German Empire. This also led to a certain degree of asset stagnation in Germany, and the bourgeoisie there also liked to purchase bonds from Europe.

London, Paris, Frankfurt, and Brussels were covering the entire debt market of Europe.

They acted decisively, and Jerome Bonaparte called in Barroso, then Minister of Railways.

Jerome Bonaparte informed Barroso about the manufacture of secondary railways. Barroso responded with some concern, "Your Majesty, our main lines are still under construction. Isn’t it a bit too early to start on secondary railways?"

"Don’t be afraid!" Jerome Bonaparte encouraged Barroso. "We need to learn to hatch eggs using someone else’s chicken!"

Then, Jerome Bonaparte shared his ideas with Barroso.

Barroso’s expression went through a variety of changes. He had never thought there could be such operations in the world.

[PS: The early-stage capitalism is terrifyingly "simple", and the subsequent schemes in capitalism only began advancing rapidly after the rise of monopoly capitalism. After the first and second World Wars, the advent of nuclear weapons put an end to the war of great powers, while also elevating the operations of capitalism to a peak!]

"I understand!"