Volvo Department Store is open for 10 hours a day, and with preparations, the employees actually work 12 hours a day, and no one has any objections, and no one asks Ferdinand for overtime.

One is: Ferdinand's salary, slightly higher than the market price, is satisfactory to everyone;

The second is: at that time, the factories in Vienna basically had to work 12 hours a day, and some factories had to work 16 hours;

The third is: supermarket work is easier than in the factory, on the one hand is a comfortable department store; On the one hand, it was a dreary factory building, and danger could occur at any time, but in the eyes of people at the time, working in a department store was still a very decent job.

Ferdinand secretly changed the concept, and on the surface, it looked similar to a department store, but a little more.

After all, supermarkets are a new business, and people don't know what they do, so for the convenience of Ferdinand, the word department store was added, which is easy for people to accept.

Many people choose to apply for the job because of the name of the department store, and Ferdinand has only recruited people in a short time, which can be regarded as a mistake.

Three days passed in a flash, and Karl's housekeeper was still very efficient, and he investigated the flour mill near Vienna clearly.

"Your Highness, there are thirteen large and small flour mills in Vienna, of which only two are large-scale, and they have achieved profitability, seven have basically maintained their capital, and the other four have entered a state of loss, and the competition is very fierce!" Butler Carl dutifully reported

Butler Karl, who did not agree with Ferdinand's plan to build a flour mill, believed that the market in the flour milling industry was saturated, and the pressure of competition was too great, and it was difficult to make money by joining in now.

After listening to Karl's report, Ferdinand also hesitated, after all, there are thirteen flour mills in a small Vienna, so how many are there in the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire?

After a moment of silence, Ferdinand still decided that the plan would not change, he still had an advantage, he could produce and sell it himself, and the cost was much lower than theirs.

"yes, I see. Good work, Carl! Ferdinand affirmed the old butler's work

"It is my honor to serve His Highness!" Carl said happily

"Carl, how much do you think I'm going to buy a flour mill?" Ferdinand asked cautiously

In 1881, it was not so simple to build a factory, it was necessary to build a factory, order and purchase machinery, train workers, etc., and after all the mess was done, it would be good to be able to put it into production within a year.

Buying a factory is much simpler, and it doesn't take much effort to put it into production.

As long as the price is not too high, Ferdinand is still inclined to buy.

Butler Karl was silent for a moment, as if to appraise the factory, and then said, "Your Highness, if it is a small factory that is bankrupt, it may only cost a few thousand pounds; The two flour mills that are making a profit are estimated to cost 70,000 or 80,000 pounds! ”

Ferdinand was shocked, this gap is too big! Then I thought that the factory was losing money, there must be such and such problems, the equipment is old or not well managed, or the scale is too small, not competitive, now in this case, someone is willing to take over it is good, why be picky.

"Well, then contact the factory owners first to see if they have any plans to sell, and I'll decide after evaluating them!" Ferdinand

"Yes, Your Highness is as you wish!" After Steward Karl finished speaking, seeing that Ferdinand had no intention of retaining, he turned and left.

After sending the old butler, Ferdinand read the newspaper at home, and today he had an important banquet which he had to attend in person, the birthday of his uncle, the tragic emperor, Franz Joseph I.

Franz Joseph I (18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916), best known for his work in founding the Austro-Hungarian Empire, formed an alliance with the Prussian Empire in 1879 and established the Allied Powers, and in 1914 issued an ultimatum to Serbia that drew Austria and Germany into World War I. He died of pneumonia in Vienna in 1916 at the age of 86.

Recalling the life of the old emperor, Ferdinand was full of emotion, and the living celebrities were in front of him!

"A great diplomat!" That's what the whole world says about him. It may be that God has crooked his talents, and compared to the sharpness of his diplomatic skills, other aspects can be described as mediocre.

He used diplomacy to establish the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However, this decaying empire has problems all the time, and there are endless national problems that have always plagued him, hindered the progress of the empire, and finally collapsed.

It is a pity that Franz Joseph I did not act very well in this regard, and his indecision was clearly revealed. Although he also took many measures to alleviate ethnic contradictions, he had little effect.

His later years were even more miserable, his younger brother was shot in Mexico, his wife was stabbed to death by an Italian anarchist in Geneva, his son committed suicide at a young age, and his chosen heir was stabbed to death by the Serbian mafia.

"Ferdinand, it's time to go, you won't get any more moths!" Princess Clementina said with some concern

Lately she had a noticeable sense that Ferdinand had changed, that he had become more eccentric, and that he liked to tinker with all sorts of nonsense, which worried her.

"How so, my dear mother, how can you think so! You have to trust me! Ferdinand hurriedly walked over and said, and could see that he had a headache for Princess Clementina.

The original owner, Ferdinand, behaved a little eccentricly, unlike most nobles, had few friends, and liked to mess with some messy things.

Princess Clementina had no doubt that he had been transferred. Seeing Ferdinand coming, he beckoned him directly to get into the carriage.

Vienna - Schönbrunn Palace, which dates back to the Middle Ages. The old Emperor Franz Joseph I was born in Schönbrunn Palace, which is also the favorite and longest-lived residence of Franz Joseph I.

Now this palatial palace is full of people, the establishment of the "Three Emperors Alliance", and the politics and diplomacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are all in the most relaxed era.

The aristocrats and ministers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the envoys of various countries, and the great nobles of the rest of Europe sent people over. The might of the Habsburgs was revealed at this moment.

The banquet was different from what Ferdinand had thought, there were not so many scenes, and the old emperor accepted everyone's congratulations and started directly.

Ferdinand is not the protagonist, except for a familiar face with a group of big people, the legendary bloody plot did not happen.

Oh, and Ferdinand also knew a few noblewomen, and there was a possibility of further development if he wanted to.