Chapter 394: Chapter 388: The Patriotism of Transparent Pricing
For Jerome Bonaparte’s second mention of regulators, Barroso found it quite overwhelming.
In the whole upper society of Paris, who doesn’t know about the pile of nonsense surrounding Prince Monfort’s affairs.
Back when Jerome Bonaparte had not yet become President, many politicians even made jokes about Jerome Bonaparte’s family.
As Jerome Bonaparte’s time as President grew longer, few people made jokes about these issues.
Especially after the Emperor launched a coup to establish the Third Republic, many kept silent about his family affairs, fearing unnecessary trouble.
Now that the Emperor himself brought up these topics with him, Barroso momentarily couldn’t understand the Emperor’s intentions, could it be that he wanted him to...
Jerome Bonaparte saw through Barroso’s concern with a glance, and he chuckled lightly, reassuring Barroso: "Rest assured! There’s no other intention! I’m just arranging a job for that little-known nephew of mine! Otherwise, the old man at home might not be pleased."
Jerome Bonaparte’s frank gaze and open remarks stopped Barroso from overthinking.
"Whether it’s Lucien Murat or Jerome Patterson, they are both laymen in finance! I hope you can impart some financial knowledge to them so they can gain more insight! Especially my nephew..."
Jerome Bonaparte repeatedly mentioned his nephew to Barroso, implying for Barroso to give his nephew more opportunities for training.
Having navigated the political seas for many years, Barroso immediately understood Jerome Bonaparte’s intention, promptly assuring Jerome Bonaparte that he would properly assist Jerome Patterson.
"Alright! I’ve told you what needs to be said! Just convey my words to those guys as they are!" Jerome Bonaparte smiled and told Barroso.
"Rest assured! I will definitely convey your will to them!" Barroso assured Jerome Bonaparte.
Afterward, Jerome Bonaparte also invited Barroso to dinner.
After dinner, Barroso left the Tuileries Palace.
On May 30th, Minister of Railways Barroso sent out invitations to a semi-official committee, inviting all bankers within the committee to a gathering.
Prominent bankers, including Alphonse Rothschild and Isaac Pereire, attended the gathering hosted by Barroso.
The venue for the gathering was set at the newly established Louvre Grand Hotel, supposedly one of its shareholders is Barroso himself.
Of course, this is a matter of interpretation, how could the "upright and honest" Barroso be the owner of this hotel!
Barroso chose this hotel purely because of its good service and attitude, not for any other reason.
As for why the Louvre Hotel was implementing preferential policies for the Ministry of Railways’ officials, it was naturally to promote candid communication between hotel management and government officials.
There are absolutely no predetermined intentions!
The bankers, who were already well aware of the hotel’s background, naturally wouldn’t speak out; they simply wondered why the Minister of Railways would call them over at this time—it couldn’t be just for a meal!
Bankers waiting in the lobby for Barroso’s summon gathered in groups of three or five, whispering among themselves, discussing why Minister Barroso had called them here, and Alphonse Rothschild was no exception. Instead of joining those guesswork discussions, Alphonse preferred to fix his gaze on those most likely to know the inside story.
Scanning his surroundings, Alphonse Rothschild quickly set his sights on banker Isaac Pereire.
Since Jerome Bonaparte took the presidency, the Pereire Brothers have been changing various methods to send money to the Emperor, making them very much favored by the Emperor. Over the years, they have made quite some money.
Alphonse even found out that Isaac Pereire’s brother Emile Pereire was helping the Emperor operate the Paris Industrial Bank. Theoretically, he should be the most informed among them.
Hence, Alphonse Rothschild moved closer to Isaac Pereire and whispered, "Mr. Isaac, why do you think Minister Barroso is calling on us?"
Isaac Pereire glanced at the son of his family’s old patron, shook his head, and said, "I don’t know any more than you do!"
Hearing no clues from Isaac Pereire’s words, Alphonse Rothschild gave up asking Isaac Pereire.
On reflection, if the Pereire Brothers really knew of the government’s actions, they would have rushed to send money to the Emperor’s hands long ago.
Now it seems, there is no such thing as a free meal!
Alphonse Rothschild, holding a wait-and-see attitude, remained silent, quietly awaiting Barroso’s summons.
Soon after, a servant appeared in front of the bankers and respectfully said to those present, "Esteemed leaders of Bank Street, please follow me! Lord Barroso has been waiting for you for a long time!"
After speaking, the servant bowed and made a welcoming gesture, then led the way at the front of the group.
The bankers followed closely behind the servant, climbing stairs laid with Persian red carpet, as the servant led them to the banquet hall on the third floor of the Louvre Grand Hotel.
Pushing open the copper-plated doors carved with the gods of Ancient Greek mythology, the figure of Minister of Railways Barroso appeared in front of everyone.
At this moment, Barroso was sitting in the main seat of a long dining table, with pearwood chairs on either side. The white tablecloth was set with two bronze-colored candlesticks, each holding six burning candles. Around the candlesticks were delicacies specially prepared by Barroso for the meeting today, including steak, French snails, foie gras, and caviar.
Although it could not be compared to a royal banquet, it still cost Barroso quite a bit.
"Please have a seat!" Barroso, sitting at the main seat, extended his hand to invite everyone present to sit down.
The bankers took their seats according to the names on the chairs. Naturally, sitting close to Barroso were the young and powerful Alphonse Rothschild, and the relatively older Baron Jean-Henri Hottinger (50 years old).
One controlled all the business of the French Rothschild Clan branch, and the other had, in 1848, through his wife, annexed an old fellow who was also a founding director of the Bank of France.
Both families were arguably the oldest among all the bankers present.
However, even the oldest Rothschild was only in the third generation.
Nevertheless, within just three generations, the Rothschild Clan’s wealth had surpassed the cumulative wealth of the past decades or even centuries.
Capital, with its extraordinary productivity, had amassed wealth accumulated over millennia of the feudal era.
Although the wealth owned by the bankers present was more than enough to eclipse Barroso, they dared not act rashly in front of him.
Even if Barroso deliberately ignored them earlier, they dared not show the slightest grievance on their faces.
Once everyone was seated, Barroso smiled and invited the bankers present to start their meal; the majority of the bankers had not come for the delights of the table. They simply cut a piece from the steak on their plates, quickly ate it, and then set down their aluminum forks and knives.
The entire dining room seemed to fall into a silent and awkward atmosphere.
"Eat! Why have you stopped! Could it be that today’s dishes don’t suit your taste?" Barroso, while enjoying his steak, invited the bankers to continue savoring the food.
"No, your excellency, the dishes today are very delicious! We are extremely satisfied with your hospitality!" Baron Jean-Henri Hottinger immediately complimented Barroso and then cautiously inquired, "However, we don’t know what you want us to do for you, for the Empire?"
"Indeed! Your excellency, just say the word, and we will do anything for the Empire!"
"Your excellency, please tell us what you need us to do!"
With someone taking the lead, the bankers no longer hesitated, chattering to Barroso, while also expressing their love for the Empire.
As if no one loved the Empire more than they did!
Seeing the bankers who were eager to spill their blood for the Empire, Barroso no longer kept them guessing. He put down his tableware, wiped his mouth, and calmly said,
"Since you’re all so eager to serve the Empire, I won’t hide it anymore! The reason I’ve gathered you here today is to announce something important to you!"
The bankers listened intently to the next words of Barroso’s speech, fearing they might miss a chance to make a fortune.
"The Empire will enhance the regulation of railroad bonds starting in June..." Barroso conveyed Jerome Bonaparte’s strategy to all the bankers present.
As expected, upon hearing the news that the Ministry of Railways was demanding a halt to the redemption of railroad bonds, the bankers immediately turned pale, and the atmosphere in the hall became extraordinarily oppressive.
"What’s wrong, everyone? Why do you all look like this! Didn’t you just say you wanted to serve the Empire?" Barroso sternly reprimanded the bankers, intending to pass on all the grievances he suffered under the Emperor to them: "Were you lying earlier? Ask yourselves, how much wealth has the Empire brought to you since its establishment, and now that the Empire wants you to fork out some money, is it really that difficult? Or is the Empire not in your hearts at all!"
"No! Your excellency, we are very grateful for everything the Empire has done! It created an environment suitable for investment, a stable regime! Allowing us to end chaos and steadily expand our business scale! We should be doing something within our power for the Empire!"
The speaker was not Isaac Pereire, but...