Make France Great Again-Chapter 934 - 925: A Well-Intentioned Reminder

Jerome Bonaparte’s blunt response took Alphonse Rothschild by surprise. He had initially thought that the Emperor would wait until midway through the banquet before discussing the Bank of France with him.

Who would have thought that His Majesty the Emperor would reveal his "cards" so early on at the banquet.

To be honest, Alphonse Rothschild did not wish for His Majesty to confront him so soon, as this limited his room for maneuver.

Since Emperor Jerome Bonaparte was direct with Alphonse Rothschild, Alphonse Rothschild could only choose to agree or refuse.

However, Alphonse Rothschild still wanted to struggle a bit. He feigned surprise and asked Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty, is there some misunderstanding between you and President Belilla?"

"My relationship with Belilla is very good!" Jerome Bonaparte shook his head, denying to Alphonse Rothschild, "You don’t need to change the subject. Now, I only ask you one thing: are the Rothschilds agreeing or refusing?"

Faced with Jerome Bonaparte’s tough stance, Alphonse Rothschild could only respond with a bitter smile, "Your Majesty, do we have any choice?"

"None!" Jerome Bonaparte said plainly to Alphonse Rothschild, then raised a glass to him, "I am not a fan of having my kindness refused!"

"Your Majesty, the Rothschild Clan is willing to follow your arrangements!" Alphonse Rothschild also raised his glass and responded to Jerome Bonaparte.

The two goblets clinked together, producing a melodious sound!

After drinking, Jerome Bonaparte turned to the servant attending him and said, "You may serve the dishes now!"

Upon hearing this, the servant quickly began to serve the food. Jerome Bonaparte turned to Alphonse Rothschild and humbly remarked that the food at the Tuileries Palace was not as good as that at the Rothschild Mansion, hoping they would be satisfied.

Alphonse Rothschild modestly replied that they also ate very simply at the mansion every day.

"Simple?" Jerome Bonaparte smiled slightly, not believing that Alphonse Rothschild was willing to live simply.

If it were his father, Baron James Rothschild, the claim of simplicity might be credible.

Thinking of James Rothschild, Jerome Bonaparte casually asked, "By the way, why has your father, Baron James, been in Germany for such a long time without any news? Did he encounter some difficult problems there?"

"Your Majesty, that’s not it! My grandmother has fallen into a coma, so my father went to Germany!" Alphonse Rothschild explained to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Is that so!" Jerome Bonaparte said, picking up his knife and fork, looking at the foie gras in front of him, and said to Alphonse Rothschild, "I remember your father, Baron James, is not young anymore. So, Old Mrs. Rothschild must be close to 80 years old?"

"Your Majesty, my grandmother has long passed 80! Whether she can overcome this hurdle depends on God’s blessing!" Alphonse Rothschild replied to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Alas!" Jerome Bonaparte sighed and said to himself, "May Old Mrs. Rothschild overcome this disaster!"

Then, Jerome Bonaparte raised his glass again and proposed to Alphonse Rothschild, toasting to the health of Old Mrs. Rothschild!

Alphonse Rothschild listened to Jerome Bonaparte’s words and couldn’t help but show gratitude.

This was the first time a monarch had shown kindness to them in this way!

"Your Majesty, thank you very much!" Alphonse Rothschild sincerely responded to Jerome Bonaparte.

The two goblets clinked once more, and the wine within was downed by both Alphonse Rothschild and Jerome Bonaparte.

In the next half hour, Jerome Bonaparte and Alphonse Rothschild chatted while eating.

The conversation moved from domestic to international topics. To express his gratitude to Jerome Bonaparte, Alphonse Rothschild cautioned him to pay attention to the Industrial Bank led by Isaac Pereire.

Jerome Bonaparte curiously asked Alphonse Rothschild what was happening with the Industrial Bank.

Alphonse Rothschild informed Jerome Bonaparte that the Paris Industrial Bank was close to having its debt interest match the profit from investments.

If this continues, the Paris Industrial Bank might face imbalance in its finances.

Jerome Bonaparte listened to Alphonse Rothschild’s words and smiled indifferently, "I understand! Alphonse, I will have the Industrial Bank control its operations appropriately!!

By the way, I have some news!

I wonder if you are interested in hearing it?"

"Your Majesty, please speak!" Alphonse Rothschild replied to Jerome Bonaparte.

"According to the investigation report from the Ministry of Finance and the Secretariat, the United States of America is about to face an economic crisis soon!" Jerome Bonaparte said seriously to Alphonse Rothschild.

Upon hearing Jerome Bonaparte’s response, the usually composed Alphonse Rothschild showed a look of shock.

Their Rothschild Bank had just invested tens of millions of francs in the United States of America (a total of 100 million francs), and now they are suddenly facing an economic crisis.

"Your Majesty, are you sure the investigation by the Ministry of Finance and the Secretariat is correct?" Alphonse Rothschild questioned Jerome Bonaparte, concerned about the substantial assets involved.

"Mr. Alphonse!" Jerome Bonaparte said very sternly to Alphonse Rothschild, "I cannot joke about such a matter!

The United States is indeed about to face an economic crisis similar to the one in 1846!"

"But the New York Stock Exchange has not shown any signs of decline! Their stocks and bonds are still on the rise!" Alphonse Rothschild tried to convince Jerome Bonaparte with the soaring stocks.

"Mr. Alphonse, how long has it been! Have you forgotten that the British railway bonds nine years ago also surged all the way before the cliff-like crash!

And what was the result? They faced bankruptcy overnight!" Jerome Bonaparte said with a slight air of authority, with a stern face towards Alphonse Rothschild.

Under Jerome Bonaparte’s intimidation, Alphonse Rothschild’s slightly flustered heart quietly calmed a little. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

However, he still wasn’t willing to believe that the United States was about to face an economic crisis.

Both he and his father had a very optimistic view of the United States market.

They even believed that the future of the United States would surpass Europe.

Historically, Alphonse Rothschild suffered a heavy blow during the economic crisis in the United States, which led him to change his mind and think that the United States was far inferior to Old Europe.

In the following decades, he never set foot in the United States again, until when the United States rose again, Alphonse Rothschild wanted to re-enter the market, only to find that the United States market had raised local forces represented by Morgan and Rockefeller, who used their local advantages to block Rothschild, preventing them from entering the United States on a large scale.

"Your Majesty, I think these are just conjectures!" Alphonse Rothschild then responded to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Conjectures? Mr. Alphonse, you can take a look at the import and export trade with the United States in recent years, once you’ve seen it! You’ll know everything!" Jerome Bonaparte responded to Alphonse Rothschild.

As the saying goes, words of advice cannot persuade a stubborn ghost.

If Alphonse Rothschild insists on maintaining a presence in the United States, Jerome Bonaparte can only silently say "take care" in his heart.

However, if Rothschild Bank wants to shift its investment losses in the United States to France, Jerome Bonaparte would consider turning hostile.

The events at the beginning of the Second Republic will not be permitted to happen again in the Second Empire by Jerome Bonaparte.

Even if it means forcing bankers to swallow the bitter pill with a saber, he wouldn’t hesitate!

With control of the army, he would not be as sympathetic as during the early Second Republic.

Alphonse Rothschild mostly believed Jerome Bonaparte’s message, after all, the Emperor would have no benefit in deceiving him with false information.

At this moment, Alphonse Rothschild couldn’t wait to return to the mansion to gather the information Jerome Bonaparte mentioned, but the dinner must continue, so Alphonse Rothschild could only suppress his impatience and accompany Jerome Bonaparte for dinner.

Dinner ended at 8:30, and upon returning to the drawing-room from the dining room, Alphonse Rothschild and Jerome Bonaparte saw Empress Augusta sitting on the sofa with Alphonse Rothschild’s wife.

"You finally finished!" Empress Augusta said with a smile to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Damn, sorry to have kept you waiting!" Jerome Bonaparte replied half-jokingly.

Afterward, Alphonse Rothschild took his wife’s hand and bid farewell to Jerome Bonaparte and his wife.

As Jerome Bonaparte watched the Rothschild couple leave, he turned and asked Empress Augusta how she felt about Alphonse Rothschild’s wife.

Empress Augusta told Jerome Bonaparte that Alphonse Rothschild’s wife always tried to display the aura of the old nobility in her presence.

Unfortunately, in her bones, she was not from the old nobility, thus making her appear somewhat incongruous.