Chapter 398 The New Symbol of Paris
The gambling game at the Mars Hall lasted until 1 o'clock in the morning. Queen Mary, who was so happy after winning, looked at the gold coins piled up like a hill on the table, quietly yawned, and then said with satisfaction Got up and prepared to return to the Petit Trianon.
According to palace rules, the king and his wife will hold a bedtime ceremony at 10:30 in the evening - that is, the nobles will watch them go to bed - but because Louis XVI often "works overtime" in the royal workshop, this rule has long existed in name only.
She stretched lazily, looked at the empty seat next to her, turned to ask Countess de Berninac:
"Where's my Petersburg honey?"
The latter quickly came closer and whispered:
"Your Majesty, she went to bed at 10 o'clock."
"Look, I forgot about it." Queen Mary smiled and patted her forehead, "She's still growing."
She left the Mars Hall and didn't go far when she heard the voices of several ladies chatting from the corner of the corridor ahead:
"Have you also noticed the Russian Grand Duchess?"
"It's impossible not to pay attention to her recently. She doesn't know who she is, and she often appears next to Her Majesty the Queen recently."
"I think His Majesty likes her quite a lot. I heard His Majesty call her 'Little Honey' several times at night."
"Oh, Her Majesty the Queen should just be fresh for a while. I bet that your Majesty will not pay attention to her in the next month at most."
"That's probably the case. Look at her wearing the most popular dress of the season, but she still can't block the rustic look on her body, just like a thick-eye basket can't block the candlelight."
"Haha, it's so vivid..."
The ladies said as they walked around the corner, and when they saw Her Majesty the Queen approaching, they were so frightened that they retreated to the edge of the corridor, lowered their heads and curtsied, not daring to breathe.
Queen Mary glared at them angrily and walked quickly with her head held high, but their mocking words echoed in her ears. She suddenly thought of something and began to blame herself secretly.
I had been so inconsiderate of Joseph before - it turned out that he was not shy at all, but worried that choosing a Russian fiancée would cause the royal family to be discussed by the nobles. Alas, he is such a good boy who takes the overall situation into consideration!
Queen Mary was very aware of the French's sense of superiority - as a Habsburg princess, she would have been looked down upon by them, let alone a Russian girl of Tatar descent [Note 1].
She recalled her anguish and bitterness when she was secretly called "Austria's cousin" by the group of French nobles, and immediately made a decision: she had to work harder to help her son get married with the cute little Russian princess! After all, the rain you have been exposed to cannot fall on the children's heads again!
Early the next morning, Queen Mary was discussing the script with her troupe foreman when she saw the Crown Prince coming quickly led by his maid.
After Joseph saluted, she immediately stepped forward and gave her son a hug, smiling and saying:
"My dear, you can't always be busy with work. Necessary social interaction is also an important part of life. This is especially true for members of the royal family."
The most annoying thing for Joseph was the dance party. He hurriedly agreed perfunctorily, and then quickly turned to the main topic: "Dear mother, there will be a gas street lamp first installation ceremony in Paris next month. If you are free, I hope you can come. "In fact, the gas distillation plant has just begun construction, and the gas lamps have not been put into mass production, but Murdoch has completed the testing of distillation, gas transmission, and gas lamps.
Therefore, Joseph plans to erect a small number of gas street lamps first to build momentum for the gas lamp industry. On the basis of absorbing private investment, he can also use this hot spot to develop real estate projects.
Yes, gaslighting itself is more focused on infrastructure construction and cannot bring much direct benefits, but real estate can.
He has purchased all the public land in the Tuileries Gardens, where the first gas street lamps will be piloted.
As you can imagine, after nightfall, the streets of Paris fell into a hazy night, with at most a few oil lamps emitting dim light. However, around the properties in the Tuileries Garden, there were bright gas street lamps, and people were walking a few meters away. You can see the luxurious villas there from a street away, and you can't help but drool with envy.
Coupled with the schools, hospitals, buses and other supporting systems built during Paris Fashion Week, wealthy people in Paris will definitely rush to buy houses here.
The previous villas in the "Palace Garden" community have been sold for 70,000 livres. A house with gas street lights must be sold for 100,000 livres.
Don’t be too expensive. There are thousands of foreign tycoons pouring into Paris now. This kind of luxury real estate can be snatched up for you in minutes.
You know, the urban area of Paris has been expanded twice in the past two years, but it still seems increasingly crowded. The excellent environment and public security here have attracted a large number of outsiders to settle here - the census given to Joseph by the Minister of Household Registration last month stated that the current population of Paris has exceeded 700,000.
However, Joseph estimated that there should be tens of thousands of people at the bottom who have not been counted. After all, these people leave early and return late to work, and it is difficult for household registration officials to "catch" them.
The demand for real estate generated by such a large migrant population is staggering.
After the gas street lamps triggered a craze for high-end real estate, he will next develop mid-range housing for ordinary nobles, and let major banks start real estate loan projects to stimulate capital flows throughout France.
"Gas street lamp?" Queen Mary was a little surprised. "I often hear Count Mirabeau mention this word. But my dear, it's just a lamp. Why do our Crown Prince and Minister of Industry pay so much attention to it?"
Joseph smiled and explained to her: "Mother, this is completely different from the current oil lamp.
"First of all, it is very bright, and unlike the dim light of an oil lamp, it emits white light that is closer to the sun. I will ask Mr. Murdoch to send you one in two days. You will know after you try it. Use it. Afterwards, you will definitely want to throw all the candles and oil lamps in the palace into the trash.
"Secondly, it uses gas pipes to supply fuel, which is much more convenient than candles or oil lamps - as long as you pay the gas bill, you can keep using it, without needing to replace new candles or refill oil."
Queen Mary showed a very interested expression: "Well, this does sound very good."
"Yes, it will bring a new fashion trend." Joseph said confidently, "thus becoming another symbol of Paris."
[Note 1] Because the Mongols once ruled Russia, in the minds of Europeans, the Russians are all descendants of the Tatars. This is one of the important reasons why they look down on the Russians. In fact, Russia is still mainly composed of Russians, with genes from European immigrants, Baltic residents, Tungus people, Central Asian nomads, and Turks also mixed in. In comparison, the Tatars do not have many genes.
(End of chapter)