These financiers, who are usually known for their composure and shrewdness, can't help but mess up their thoughts at the moment.

In their understanding, the more prominent the nobles, the more distant they will be from these commercial operations.

After all, the role of a merchant is not personally involved in the production process, so he has always been despised in the traditional concept, which is the same as the class concept of the Oriental Shinong businessman.

Even by the end of the eighteenth century, when these merchants had amassed untold wealth, their position in society remained in a rather awkward position.

And the conservative old aristocracy, even if they see the infinite opportunities in finance and commerce, they rarely participate in it for the sake of face, and even if they do, they will regard it as a dishonorable thing.

Traditionally, the nobility was not allowed to engage in commerce or industry, although this was not a legally binding rule, but it became a deeply rooted concept.

This is also the reason why the old aristocracy was still poor in the money economy formed by the gradual prosperity of industry and commerce, although they possessed large tracts of land.

Even for a nobleman like the Duke of Choiseul, his economic income came directly from the taxes of the fiefdoms and the royal family's annuities, rather than from investments in businesses and factories.

And the royal family, as the apex of the entire aristocratic class, is a staunch defender of this ancient tradition, and no one expected that Crown Prince Louis would become the forerunner in breaking this tradition.

In contrast to the stunned and incomprehensible financiers, the journalists are in a state of revelry, and they will not be short of blockbuster news for a long time to come.

Royal reports have always been the subject of popular news in Paris, let alone such explosive news.

"New ideas in Versailles – from a crown prince representing the bourgeoisie!"

Journalists have even begun to conceive front-page headlines for Tomorrow's News.

And on the podium, Crown Prince Louis's speech continued.

But that's just pretty routine and boring, and there's nothing worth noting.

Immediately after the crown prince's speech, Lawrence also came to the stage, nodded approvingly, and said softly:

"Excellent speech, Your Highness, you can rest for a while."

"Thank you, Lawrence."

Crown Prince Louis also seemed very satisfied with his performance, and while folding the speech and putting it away, he asked in a low voice:

"But aren't there still questions to be asked later, and I don't need to answer their questions?"

"Oh! Your Highness, I know that you are quite open-minded. ”

Lawrence curled the corners of his mouth, shook his head with a chuckle, and said:

"But sometimes we still have to follow the etiquette, and you, as the crown prince, have to be questioned by these civilians, and that's a mess. It is fitting for a humble servant like me to answer them. ”

"Well, you have a point, I just think it's a pity."

Crown Prince Louis thought for a while, nodded, shrugged his shoulders with some regret and said:

"You wrote this speech, and you were the one who answered the questions, so I didn't have a chance to communicate with them in my own words."

This tone did not mean to blame Lawrence, and Crown Prince Louis simply felt that it was a pity that he did not speak in person for the first time in an interview.

"It's a bit of a pity, Your Highness."

Lawrence put on a very approving expression, sighed slightly, and said:

"But what you may not know is that journalists in Paris are a very brutal group of people, and their questions can be very embarrassing. I don't think you should rush to take questions from reporters until you have enough experience. ”

Crown Prince Louis was a little discouraged when he heard this, but he also admitted that Lawrence was right, he was still completely blank in financial knowledge, and if he really accepted questions from reporters, he might have a big mess.

So Crown Prince Louis nodded with a wry smile and said:

"Okay, okay, again, thank you, Lawrence."

"My pleasure, Your Highness."

Lawrence said with a smile, holding out his hand to signal Prince Louis to sit in the seat behind the podium.

At the same time, Lawrence also muttered to himself like a mosquito:

"However, I think it is enough for you, Your Highness, to make a good manuscript reading machine, and let me, a humble servant, do the rest."

...

Lawrence stood in the center of the conference room, unhurriedly scanning the circle of financiers and reporters in the room, and did not rush to speak.

After all, there are many people who still haven't come to their senses.

Crown Prince Louis revealed a lot of information in this brief speech.

The first half of the book alone not only shows that the royal family does not have any intention of suppressing and controlling the financial market, but also directly denies the statement of Justice Mopp in the newspaper.

Many politically sensitive people have begun to speculate whether Justice Mopp is no longer valued and affectionate by the royal family.

As for the later, the news that Crown Prince Louis announced that he had become a director of the National Silver Company of Corsica was no less than an earthquake for financiers.

The economic environment in France has been in a downturn for a long time, so investors are constantly looking for a suitable project.

Some time ago, Mr. Montmartre's huge investment in the National Silver Company was undoubtedly a subject of great concern to them.

Now, although no further information about the company has been disclosed, they have been shaken by the political background of the National Silver Company.

Lawrence Bonaparte, Governor of Corsica, Duke of Choiseul, French Minister, Crown Prince Louis, President of the Commercial Bank of France, Monsieur Montmartre, Chairman of the Paris Stock Exchange, Lord Melly.

All of these important figures in politics and finance have a very close relationship with the company.

These figures alone were enough for investors all over Paris to list the name of the Corsican National Silver Company in the first line of their memorandum.

"So, let's get started."

After waiting for a moment, Lawrence said aloud:

"You can speak your mind."

There was silence in the conference room for a while, and then a reporter raised his hand first, got up after receiving a signal from Lawrence, and said:

"Hello, Your Excellency Bonaparte, I am from the French Review. I would like to ask whether His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's speech is a guarantee of the free operation of the financial markets, in which neither the government nor the royal family will intervene in any way. ”

Hearing this question, Lawrence couldn't help frowning slightly.

This is a rather difficult question.

If Lawrence nods in the affirmative, then if there is a change in policy in the future, he will undoubtedly be criticized; And if you shake your head in denial, it is tantamount to self-denial of the crown prince's speech just now.

Still, Lawrence managed to organize his language and said calmly:

"I can't give you a positive answer on behalf of the government and the royal family. As the First Attendant of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, I can only confirm to you on behalf of the Crown Prince that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will not have any restrictions on the financial markets in the near future. ”

In order to dispel the negativity in the financial markets for some time, Lawrence added:

"In addition, I know that you are all concerned about Justice Mopp's previous remarks, and I would like to disclose to you in my personal capacity that Justice Mopp's ideas are not in a position to be put into practice, so there is no need to panic."

The reporters quickly copied Lawrence's reply verbatim, and although they did not receive a single affirmative assurance, it was also quite significant news to learn that Justice Mopp would not attack the financial community.

The financiers looked at each other with a wry smile, unthinking that the sluggish market that had caused them to lose so much in the past few days was a complete misunderstanding.

Only someone like Monsieur Montmartre who knows the inside story can sit down without changing his face.

However, Monsieur Montmartre also vaguely guessed that the drastic changes in market sentiment during this period were the result of deliberate manipulation by His Excellency Bonaparte.

Then another reporter stood up and, after explaining his origins, asked:

"Your Excellency Bonaparte, you just said that Justice Mup would not attack the financial world, but we have heard that he did suspend the listing of the Corsican National Silver Company, is this not an intervention in the financial markets?"

This is not only a question of concern for journalists, but also for financiers, who are also eager to know whether the state silver company can be traded publicly.

"That's a really good question."

Lawrence smiled and nodded, glanced approvingly at the reporter, and explained aloud:

"I did have an argument with Justice Mopp when he asked me to stop the listing process. But now, I'm happy to tell you that the listing process for the National Silver Company has resumed, and..."

Lawrence paused for a moment, whetted everyone's appetites, and continued:

"From tomorrow morning at 9 a.m., the shares of the National Silver Company of Corsica will be officially publicly traded on the Paris Stock Exchange."

"Tomorrow?!"

This was very sudden news.

A financier in the front row didn't even care about the reporter's unfinished question, just stood up, widened his eyes and asked:

"Your Excellency Bonaparte, are you saying that the National Silver Company will be officially listed tomorrow morning?!"

"Yes, that's right." Lawrence nodded and said:

"According to the rules of the stock exchange, you will be able to see the disclosure information of the National Silver Company by this afternoon, so I will not go into too much detail here. Have more questions? ”

Lawrence looked around the room twice, but no one raised his hand again to ask questions.

No one expected the listing of the National Silver Company to come so suddenly, only a dozen hours later.

Financiers even feel like their butts can't sit in their chairs, and they want to fly back to their offices right now and start allocating money for stock acquisitions right away.

Even if we have not seen the specific financial information of the National Silver Company, its political background and Mr. Montmartre's optimism alone are enough to show that this is a once-in-a-decade investment project.

Moreover, in the stock market, the probability of new shares rising is very high, even if it is an ordinary company, let alone the existence of such a national silver company.

Within a few hours, the value of the shares would inevitably be much higher than the issue price.

Of course, Lawrence also believes that when these people actually see the false financial information, they will go even more crazy about it.

Lawrence, who was standing on the stage, naturally saw the restlessness of those financiers, so he shook his head with a smile, and after answering a few questions from ordinary reporters, he announced the official end of the press conference.

......

At noon the next day, in the back garden of the Palace of Versailles.

Adjacent to the sparkling Grand Canal, King Louis XV, who was in a good mood today, hosted an open-air luncheon with great interest.

Due to the whim of the king, this luncheon was not well attended.

Apart from the King and Madame du Barry, the most important character is the Duke of Ageillon.

He was the nephew of the Duke of Richelieu and the former foreign minister of France after the fall of the Duke of Choiseul.

There is no doubt that the Duke of Agilon was a core member of the faction of the Duke of Richelieu.

After three rounds of wine, the Duke of Agilon glanced at King Louis, who was slightly drunk, and exchanged eyes with Madame du Barry, and said slowly:

"Your Majesty, I heard that something great happened yesterday in Paris."

"Big deal? What's the big deal? ”

Louis XV put down his glass and asked with interest.

His Majesty had spent the morning with the charming Madame du Barry, and he had no idea what was happening in Paris.

"His Royal Highness the Dauphin, accompanied by Bonaparte, made a public appearance in front of the people of Paris. That's good, it's just..."

The Duke of Agilon clenched his fists, seemed extremely dissatisfied, and said indignantly:

"It's just that Bonaparte actually made His Royal Highness the Crown Prince appear in front of tens of millions of people in civilian dresses! This is simply detrimental to the royal prestige! ”

Louis XV couldn't help frowning when he heard this, and smacked his lips with some dissatisfaction:

"Oh? And this kind of thing? How could Lawrence make such a mistake...? ”

Although Louis XV was also considered an open monarch, he could not accept the future king swaggering in front of the crowd in the costume of a commoner.

So Louis XV waved his hand to the waiter, and motioned for him to bring the press officer in charge of the news at the Palace of Versailles at once.

After a while, the press officer, dressed in a black robe, was taken to the back garden.

"I heard that the crown prince showed himself in civilian clothes yesterday, is there such a thing?"

Louis XV looked sullenly at the press officer and asked in a deep voice.

The Duke of Ageillon, who was on the side, couldn't help but smile smugly when he saw the king show this unhappy expression.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The press officer bowed his head and said carefully:

"It's just..."

"Just?" Louis XV raised his eyebrows and asked.

"It's just that thousands of citizens are very fond of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and it is said that the cheers of the citizens can be heard from the Exchange Square all the way to the Champ de Mars. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was nicknamed 'Crown Prince of the Good People', and it was said that he could be a wise king who cared for the people. ”

The press officer said stiffly.

"What?!"

Louis XV's face changed as if his face had changed, and in the blink of an eye he turned from anger to surprise, and said with a smile to himself:

"Oh my God, Auguste's first appearance was supported by tens of millions? What a worthy heir to the Bourbon! And Lawrence, he did a really good job, and it was right to let him be August's right and left hand. ”

As she spoke, Louis XV glanced at the embarrassed Duke of Aeguion, laughed and said:

"Oh of course, Duke Aegion, it's really not right for Lawrence to have the crown prince wear civilian clothes, I'll remind him the next time I see him hahahaha."

Anyone can see that King Louis not only did not care about Lawrence's petty transgression, but fully affirmed his credit.

"Wait, Your Majesty."

Duke Agilon gritted his teeth and said:

"I have also heard that Bonaparte made His Highness the Crown Prince a director of his company. An honorable crown prince who became a director of a company? I swear it's definitely the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life! ”

"Huh? What's going on here? ”

Louis XV's smile dissipated again, and although he agreed with Crown Prince Louis to learn about finance, he would not agree with Crown Prince Louis to blatantly become a director of a company.

When this kind of thing spreads, the French Bourbon royal family will even be ridiculed by other courts.

"Yes, Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has indeed become a director of the Corsican National Silver Company."

The press officer on the side immediately replied:

"But... The company was listed on the Paris Stock Exchange this morning, and as far as I know, all of the one million shares issued in the first round of the company have been sold, and the price is now 24.2 livres per share..."

Louis XV, who knew nothing about finances, waved his hand impatiently and said:

"What are you talking about? Pick the point! ”

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty."

The press officer took a deep breath and said word by word:

"That is, the current market value of the Corsican National Silver Company... It's close to 30 million livres. ”