[Although this chapter is a little boring, it is extremely important, more important than any previous chapter, please try to be patient to read it, xiexie.] 】

Miss Beauwan led Charles to a less crowded corner of the gallery and walked away. The inviter, on the other hand, stands beneath a painting and seems to be admiring it carefully.

The banker was short and stocky, and he didn't look so good that it was hard to imagine that he was Lola's father; It's not extravagant, it's just an ordinary tuxedo, and it doesn't look like a person with a net worth of tens of millions. But his eyes are sharp, his demeanor is restrained and calm, and he has his own bearing.

Charles walked forward calmly, and when there was only a meter or so left, the banker finally turned around and looked at Charles with a smile on his face.

"Mr. Treville, I didn't expect to see you again so soon."

His smile was very gentle, and he had the bearing of a man worth tens of millions of francs.

"I didn't expect that either." Charles nodded slightly reservedly.

"How is your grandfather lately?" The baron still looked at Charles, "I was a little worried when I heard that he was sick at the party that night. ”

"Thanks to you, it's much better now." Charles smiled and replied, "I'll pass on my greetings to him on your behalf." ”

"You must be surprised that I came to you today, right?"

"A little."

"I'm sorry to disturb you." The banker smiled again, "It's just that I have good news that I can't help but want to reveal to you and your grandfather in advance." ”

"Good news? What do you mean? Charles showed just the right amount of doubt.

"Recently there has been a shortage of directors at the Banque de France, and I have recommended the Duke of Treville to the president and others...... In my personal opinion, it would be a matter of course for the prestigious Mr. Duke to take this seat in the near future. ”

His tone was flat, as if he were talking about something trivial, but Charles was secretly surprised.

Oh my God, it's a director of the Banque de France!

After centuries of development, by the middle of the 19th century, France's financial system was actually quite complete, not only the government and business circles were very prosperous, but also the financial institutions throughout the country made the country economically a whole. What's more, the Banque de France, which is inextricably linked to the government, has slowly developed into a behemoth, gradually taking the form of a central bank.

From this point of view, the famous "usury imperialism" in the future was not in vain.

[The Banque de France was established on January 18, 1800 by Napoleon Bonaparte, the first consul at the time, and its original purpose was to be responsible for the issuance of paper money and help the French economy get out of the depression brought about by the French Revolution, but this era has gradually evolved into the central bank of France, and then maintained this position until the 21st century. 】

The Banque de France has 200 seats on its board of directors, from which the president is elected by himself, and the directors meet to decide on important matters. One can imagine how sought-after the position is - what is the seat of the House of Lords in comparison?

I was able to get into this position after going into the wilderness, my cousin is really an amazing person! Charles sighed in his heart. No matter how much disgust there is, this cousin's ability and means, he has always had some respect and admiration in his heart.

"I'll tell him." Charles forced himself to squeeze out the smile of joy he deserved, "Xiexie, your help to the Trevile. ”

"I have been working with Monsieur Duke for a long time, and he has always been very supportive of our business, so it is my duty to give him something in return, and you don't have to be too formal......" The Baron waved his hand as a sign of humility.

"You've done so much for your country, what's the point of enjoying a little gratitude?" Charles complimented him half-mockingly.

"Where, where, I am already old, and with young talents like you, the future of France will become more and more prosperous."

The two were polite to each other, although it was tedious, but it was a necessity in the social world after all.

"Only by being taught by seniors like you can we young people have room for improvement."

"What can I teach you?" The banker smiled humbly. "It's nothing more than a few decades of crawling on the financial street."

"Your experience is a valuable asset." Charles continued, "Isn't your own bank worthy of admiration for expanding so many times over the years?" And...... Your position at the Banque de France is also very important. ”

When he heard this, the banker's face darkened imperceptibly.

He shook his head slightly, "Important? The people there are all old and rotten and refuse to listen to me, so what status do I have......"

Charles was a little confused. "What do you mean?"

The banker frowned, as if muttering something. It was a moment before he spoke again.

"The Banque de France is smug every year when it reports its earnings, which is a big mistake. The more the Banque de France surpluses, the more it does damage to the Parisian business community, which means that it has failed in its responsibilities. The Banque de France should have fostered commerce in Paris and in France as a whole, not about the extra francs it earned, and what did the franc mean to it? It has as much paper as it wants...... Its mission is to stimulate the economy and serve the domestic economic expansion as much as possible. The government should expand its spending and put more money into circulation throughout the economy, so that the income of our people will also be greatly increased. But, ......," he sighed, "no one listens to me." ”

After hearing the baron's words, Charles's eyes widened, and he was really shocked in his heart.

"The task of the central bank is not to maintain a surplus, but to stimulate business and the economy! The government should expand spending and increase people's income! ”

If it weren't 1847, but the 21st century, he would almost think that there was a Keynesian believer standing in front of him.

John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946), born in England, was one of the most influential economists in modern Western economics, and he founded macroeconomics and influenced the entire government decision-makers. 】

And the purpose of his coming to Charles today is obvious, he is courting the Duke of Treville's family. He wanted to win allies for himself, and by taking credit for sending the Duke of Treville to the board of directors, he would draw the Duke into his camp and lay the groundwork for the Banque de France to carry out his policy ideas in the future.

But selfishness is selfishness, and his thoughts are completely fine.

In this era of classical economics, people usually think of the national economy as personal finances, and it seems that the government spends a penny less, and the government's entire economic policy can only be to maintain monetary stability and fiscal surpluses.

In times of economic crisis, the business community in various countries generally believes that deflation is the only cure. There must be a strong currency, a balanced budget, cuts in government spending, and lower wages. As a result, they speculate, prices will probably be so low that people will start buying again. Then shrink your head and do nothing, quietly waiting for an economic crisis to end, leaving the unemployed workers to fend for themselves, as the whole Shijie has dealt with the Great Depression since 1929.

It is not until exactly four years have passed that people wonder whether consumption can be slowly boosted by more government spending to boost employment and maintain workers' minimum incomes during the economic crisis. For the first time, Keynesianism was followed, but first and foremost, not in Keynes's native Britain, but in the United States and Nazi Germany.

It is surprising that in the mid-19th century, nearly 100 years before Keynesianism was implemented, some people in the economic circles had such a deep understanding of this.

Seeing Charles' somewhat surprised look, the banker smiled apologetically, "Oh, Mr. Treville, I'm so sorry, I'm just saying something randomly, you don't have to take it personally......"

He sighed inwardly, it seemed that this young talent was nothing more than that.

"No!" Charles suddenly snapped up.

"Huh?" Baron de Beauvang was a little surprised.

"No, you have a point!" Charles was so overjoyed that he almost forgot to hide himself, "I think so, too. The Banque de France, as the main bank of our country, should and must play its own special role. This is especially true at a time when the economy is in a national — and perhaps all-European — downturn...... If you think about it, so many unemployed workers who have no food or clothing and are unable to support their families should be rescued, if not in terms of compassion, but in terms of stability. Otherwise, once they fall into despair, they will bring untold turmoil to France...... Wasn't that the catastrophe that swept France decades ago the result of this? ”

The baron looked at Charles as if he had reacquainted himself with him.

This young man is really interesting.

"You're right. Even if the well-being of the people is not taken into account, at least for the safety of our propertied people, the poor should be given the opportunity to work well enough to make ends meet. ”

"However, we still have important problems to overcome before we can realize your vision." Charles continued.

"Questions?" The baron looked at Charles with some amusement, "Tell me about it?" ”

"Gold! As long as the currencies of European countries are still pegged to gold and other precious metals, we or other European countries will not be able to implement the stimulus that you are talking about, because the annual increase in gold is very limited, and we will not be able to issue a large amount of currency, otherwise there is a risk of a currency collapse......"

The baron's eyes lit up.

"Let's go over there and talk about it, it's too tiring to stand like this." The banker pointed to the couch in the next corner.

Charles followed suit.

"What you said is indeed very reasonable, the franc is pegged to gold and silver, which makes it impossible to achieve large-scale monetary injection, so it is difficult for the government to roll out construction across the country." As if he had found his soulmate, the baron seemed to be happier, and he picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea.

"Let's go on!"

For mobile phone users, please read it on m.qidian.com.