Chapter 397: The New Symbol of Paris
Chapter 398 The new symbol of Paris
The gambling game in the Mars Hall lasted until 1 a.m. Queen Mary, who was so happy with her win, looked at the pile of gold coins on the table and quietly yawned. Then she stood up with satisfaction and prepared to return to the Little 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 sleep - 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 around and asked Countess de Berninac: "Where is my little 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:
"Did you also notice 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 she 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 to give her son a hug and said with a smile: "Dear, you can't always be busy with work. Necessary social interaction is also an important part of life. Especially for members of the royal family."
The most annoying thing for Joseph was the dance party, so 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 and attend.”
In fact, the construction of the gas distillation plant has just begun, and the gas lamps have not been put into mass production. However, 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 huge 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 Marie was a little surprised. "I often hear Count Mirabeau mention this word. But dear, it's just a lamp. Why do our Crown Prince and Minister of Industry attach so much importance to it?"
Joseph smiled and explained to her: "Mother, this is completely different from the oil lamp now.
"First of all, it is very bright, and unlike the dim light of the oil lamp, it emits a white light closer to the sun. I will ask Mr. Murdoch to send you one in two days. You will know after you try it. After using it, you will definitely want to throw all the candles and oil lamps in the palace into the trash can.
"Secondly, it uses gas pipelines to supply fuel, which is much more convenient than candles or oil lamps - as long as you pay the gas bill, you can use it all the time, without having to replace new candles or add oil."
Queen Mary showed a very interested expression: "Well, this sounds really good."
"Yes, it will bring a new fashion trend." Joseph said confidently, "and thus become another symbol of Paris."
[Note 1] Because the Mongols once ruled Russia, in the minds of Europeans, Russians are all descendants of Tatars, which is one of the important reasons why they look down on Russians. In fact, Russia is still mainly of Russian descent, and also mixed with genes from European immigrants, Baltic residents, Tungus, Central Asian nomads, and Turks. In comparison, Tatar genes are not many.
