Chapter 1452: Financial Center
Queen Marie nodded immediately. "It is exactly as you say. So... what is the best way to handle this?"
Baron Breteuil stepped forward and bowed. "Your Majesty, if you are concerned about political stability, perhaps we could follow the precedent set during the reign of His Majesty Charles VI. That is, the King appoints the Crown Prince as Prince Regent to oversee the affairs of state on his behalf."
The Duke of Lévis did not hold a high enough rank to involve himself directly in something as momentous as the establishment of a Regency. Therefore, the suggestion had to come from the Imperial Chancellor himself.
When Lévis had heard from his wife the previous month that the Queen intended to have the Crown Prince appointed as Prince Regent, he hadn't been certain of the plan's accuracy. Nevertheless, he had already begun making the necessary preparations.
It wasn't until he heard this morning that the King was seriously ill and needed to go to Brittany for treatment that he realized this was likely the Queen's arrangement. However, he also saw a massive loophole in the plan.
Consequently, he had immediately sought out Baron Breteuil and, through him, summoned doctors from the medical bureau to provide the Queen with the necessary support and cover.
A spark lit up in Queen Marie's eyes. She hadn't expected the turning point to come so quickly. It felt as though God Himself was watching over her!
She quickly resumed a look of worry. "Your proposal is most appropriate. Oh, my mind is in such a state of confusion right now. Please, convene a meeting of the Senate and draft a Prince Regent's Charter as soon as possible."
Seeing how quickly she agreed, Baron Breteuil exchanged a look with the Duke of Lévis. Their silent communication was clear: 'Your judgment was indeed correct.'
Queen Marie froze.
He was right. The King was going to the Fontainebleau Sanatorium, which meant they would eventually face two possibilities.
If the illness was too severe to cure, the ministers would certainly insist on bringing the King back to Versailles so the succession ceremony could be performed at any moment.
If he could be cured, he couldn't stay hidden in the sanatorium forever. The day he recovered, the King would have to return to Versailles. And once the King was capable of ruling the nation, there would be no need for a Prince Regent.
In short, her plan to enjoy life alongside her husband simply couldn't be sustained indefinitely.
Seeing the Queen's expression, Baron Breteuil knew that, just as the Duke of Lévis had guessed, she hadn't thought through the long-term consequences.
He sighed inwardly and voiced the countermeasure he and the Duke had discussed that morning. "Your Majesty, I have heard that typhus often leaves behind severe, lasting complications."
The Duke of Lévis nodded immediately. "Indeed. For instance, a significant loss of hearing, or even intermittent deafness. There is also blurred vision, anxiety, forgetfulness, and extreme susceptibility to fatigue."
With the prompt delivered so explicitly, Queen Marie naturally caught on. "For now, we can only take things one step at a time. Let Joseph act as Regent first. Everything else will depend on the King's future health."
Deafness, forgetfulness, extreme fatigue—any one of these would serve as an excellent excuse for the King to be unfit for personal rule. Then, the two of them could retreat to the coast of Brittany to 'continue treatment'!
A moment later, the Duke of Lévis and Baron Breteuil withdrew, carrying the Queen's decree.
The Imperial Chancellor instinctively glanced back at the Queen's carriage, and a thought surfaced in his mind: if it weren't for the emergence of a genius statesman like the Crown Prince, who knew what would have become of France under the Queen's sole direction...
***
In Marseille, the newly ascended financial center of France.
Joseph casually flipped through the thick stack of BEDR Member Application Forms on his desk before looking at the Finance Minister sitting across from him. "I'm somewhat surprised. According to my original projections, it should have taken at least a year or two for the various nations to recognize the Settlement Bank."
BEDR was the acronym for the Bank for European Settlements.
"Perhaps the trade growth in Milan and Parma made them realize the importance of the Settlement Bank," Gaudin remarked. "Milan, in particular, has seen its foreign trade volume increase by more than thirty-two percent in less than half a year."
Indeed, due to the immense convenience of the Settlement Bank, the frequency of traditional transnational trade had shifted from a monthly cycle to a daily one.
Some had even set a record for completing a transaction between France and Milan in just two days.
For merchants using other trading systems, this was an absolute dimensional strike.
While one party was still waiting for payment to clear, their Milanese counterparts had already sold five or six batches of goods. How could anyone compete with that?
Consequently, shrewd merchants flocked to Milan to set up offices, or simply moved their entire companies there.
Almost overnight, Milan became the hub for the exchange of money and goods in the Italian region.
Because Parma's own financial and transportation infrastructure was slightly inferior, it didn't attract as many foreign businesses as Milan, but its trade volume still grew by nearly eighteen percent.
Due to Bodoni's immense contribution in pushing Milan to join the Settlement Bank system, he had been nominated by the Ruling Party at the end of the year as the next President of the Milanese Parliament.
While Milan and Parma were feasting on the lion's share of the profits, the surrounding nations began to realize something was wrong.
A large number of domestic merchants were moving abroad, and trade that originally passed through their territories was being diverted to Milan. The impact was quickly reflected in their tax revenues.
Furthermore, domestic factories were strongly demanding the use of the new settlement system, as it drastically reduced the time it took to receive payments, thereby increasing the speed at which they could reinvest in production. The finance departments of various Italian states began studying the possibility of joining the Bank for European Settlements.
Even the nations of South Germany had heard the news and developed a keen interest in the Settlement Bank.
They soon discovered that the Bank for European Settlements was essentially a system designed to complement the common market, with almost no barrier to entry.
The sole requirement for joining the Settlement Bank was to use the Franc as the settlement currency. Once a transaction was complete, it could be converted back into the local currency at the current exchange rate.
The members of the Iberian-Apennine Common Market were already using Francs in large quantities. It wasn't just for foreign trade; the currency even circulated domestically.
What was there to hesitate about?
As for the signatories of the Stuttgart Trade Agreement, while a few were still waiting on the sidelines, the enthusiasm was quite high, led by nations like Bavaria, Württemberg, and Hesse, which already accepted the Franc.
Most importantly, the Bank for European Settlements allowed member states to purchase shares!
This was equivalent to holding a piece of the settlement system's management in their own hands, while also being able to collect significant dividends.
As a result, representatives from various countries soon converged on Marseille, submitting their applications to join the Settlement Bank one after another.
Joseph glanced through the share purchase amounts offered by the various nations and instructed Gaudin, "Aside from Genoa, Florence, Bavaria, and Hesse, you must conduct a strict audit of the financial systems of the other applicant nations."
Comments