Eagle’s Glory

Under the gaze of everyone, the Duke walked to the center of the living room with his little daughter.

The Duke looked around at the guests who had accepted the invitation, feeling the envy or jealousy in their eyes, and a feeling of satisfaction arose in his heart.

Although in terms of age, he has entered the second half of his life, and his energy and physical strength are declining; but in terms of fame and fortune, he is on the uphill road. Not only has he saved the family business in the terrible trend, but also got rid of the terrible trend. The family was in a state of decline at the time, but now it is able to soar upward, taking the family to new heights.

Although the official appointment has not yet been given, the Duke has learned anecdotal information from various channels that His Majesty plans to establish a national railway company in the near future, and he will be appointed as the company's first general manager.

Because this "gossip" has spread, people have been trying to curry favor with him through various channels during this period, and even gave him various expensive gifts, hoping to take the opportunity to get involved with the hot Duke. relations, and then get a share of the huge national budget.

However, although the Duke was a little elated in this kind of "success", he still had some sense after all, and Agnes had repeatedly warned her father not to get carried away, so he did not refuse anyone who came or make money wantonly, but cautiously First, I selected a group of capable and skilled people to serve as my future collaborators and think tanks.

Of course he knew who all of this came from.

He looked at Agnes next to him. Although his daughter looked tired and impatient at the reception just now, she still couldn't hide her youthful beauty and enthusiasm and vitality. She was wearing a long skirt. Even if she didn't put on makeup, she still looked stunning.

This is the root of his success.

Whether he himself or others knew that his greatest "success" in his life was to give birth to a daughter who could climb onto the king's bed, a daughter who could help him obtain the ticket to the highest power.

From now on, as long as you hold your daughter tightly, the wealth and prosperity of the family for two or three generations will be guaranteed.

"Thank you for your visit." The Duke calmly nodded to the people around him, "You are the pillars of the country. It is a great honor for me to take the time to leave the things around you and come to this humble residence today.

I believe that you all have lingering fears about the turmoil and unpleasant things that happened before. Those turmoils not only affected our mood, but also affected our lives and property. Thank you God and thank His Majesty the King of Rome for calming down the turmoil and allowing us to enjoy it again. To peace, let us be together today. In the future, we will continue to rely on His Majesty’s authority.

Let us continue to obtain safety and property protection; similarly, we will do our best to serve His Majesty, regardless of personal gain, just to help His Majesty complete his great cause.

Let us drink to Your Majesty and the future prosperity and well-being of our country! "

During the speech at the banquet, the Duke almost did not leave His Majesty in three sentences. On the one hand, he was expressing his loyalty to His Majesty from a distance, and on the other hand, he was reminding the people present who the backer behind him was.

Of course, others knew this well, and they all picked up their wine glasses to celebrate His Majesty and the current peace and tranquility together.

Although His Majesty the King of Rome was not present, his fame and power seemed to be everywhere, silently reminding people of his power.

Now, these celebrities and distinguished guests are still a little unaccustomed to this kind of scene. After all, just a few short months ago, they were still paying tribute to the king loudly. However, in the next few decades, everyone will gradually become familiar with and accustomed to this scene. authority and take it for granted.

After the banquet officially started, Agnes followed her father around the living room as before, receiving the guests like a hostess and enjoying the compliments and respects of the guests.

Although she was very impatient about this, she had become accustomed to similar scenes when she followed Aiglon on a nationwide tour, so she dealt with it appropriately and did not make any jokes.

Quietly, she followed her father to a businessman.

And this businessman has some friendship with Agnes - he is Mr. Maxime Durene, a giant businessman in Lyon and the president of the Textile Industry Association. When Agnes came to Lyon with Agron, he borrowed his name. The machine secretly delivered a string of extremely valuable necklaces to Agnes.

Agnes originally didn't want to accept this gift, but in order to build a good relationship with the local elites, Aigron asked Agnes to accept it; and this gift also opened up the door for him. From then on, No. The door of Duke Delien's family was opened to him.

After that, the businessman did not waste the opportunity. As a thorough action man, he came to Paris with Agnes's handwritten letter before she returned to Paris, and then approached the Duke.

Due to his daughter's reputation, the Duke could only receive this provincial businessman as a distinguished guest.

However, after a short period of contact, the Duke discovered that this gentleman was shrewd, capable, and had a sharp vision. His talents were not limited to the management of textile factories, but also had unique insights into other industries.

In the past, this would not have mattered, but after the Duke knew that he would be appointed as the general manager of the state-owned railway company, he naturally knew that he needed this kind of person to help him.

So the two hit it off after a little contact. The Duke regarded him as his confidant and future assistant, and he was ready to use the Duke's reputation to get what they needed.

Now that he has become a "confidant", Mr. Maxime Durene's treatment here is naturally better. He can come and go freely and visit the Duke at any time, and the Duke has taken him with him to public events several times.

In this way, a businessman from a remote province came to the palace in a short time, and with the help of the Duke, he squeezed his way into the circle of celebrities in Paris.

Like the Duke, of course he also knew where his "success" came from, so he was also grateful to Agnes. In order to further please Agnes, he privately gave her various gifts several times, and personally He guarantees that as long as Miss Agnes needs it, he can sign checks of any amount at any time - fortunately Agnes is not the kind of greedy person, otherwise the wallet of this wealthy businessman will be greatly tested. .

Whether in history, now, or in the distant future, people with resources will always get what they need, stick together with each other, and eventually form interest groups. As the Duke's family rises politically and economically, there will naturally be More and more people like Mr. Maxim Dureny are gathering around them, clinging to them and becoming their wings and minions. This is an objective law and will not be changed by anyone's will.

Seeing Mr. Durene greeting her, Agnes, who had been welcoming and sending off strangers all night, finally felt a little energetic. She smiled and nodded to him, and then greeted him cordially. .

"Mr. Durene, long time no see! How are you doing lately?"

"Thanks to you, it's very good, it couldn't be better." Mr. Dulaini also replied with a smile, "I have been busy recently and haven't been so fulfilled for a long time. This makes me feel like I was young again." a feeling of."

"I'm really sorry that my father has caused you trouble." Agnes apologized to him. "If you need help with anything, just tell my father directly and he will try his best to facilitate you. If there is anything If you need anything from me, just tell me."

Agnes also knew that this gentleman had been busy with his father recently, so she said this.

However, she didn't know what the other party was doing recently.

In fact, after gaining the Duke's trust and entrustment, Maxim Dulainy has recently been recruiting talents. Whether they are engineers who are proficient in machinery, accountants who are good at counting accounts and making statements, or even translators who are proficient in English, he has Recruited his subordinates with high salary.

He did this in order to immediately set up a "command" for the Duke after the Duke was officially appointed, so that he could handle his work as quickly as possible.

Of course, Mr. Durene is so active not just to help the Duke, he has more ambitious plans.

He has already seen that the Duke has no talents, and he is not even a power-hungry person. He just likes vanity and fame. This means that as long as he can help the Duke handle the affairs in his hands, then even if he does not hold the position of What is the actual position? He can also become a shadow manager of the entire company, managing the huge budget and the operation of the state-owned railway industry in the future.

He knew that he did not have a prominent reputation and could not fulfill such an important position in his real body, but if he could "take office" through the Duke, it would be a success.

Now, as a businessman who has built up a huge business from scratch, the stimulation of money is no longer new to him. He is even more eager to experience the feeling of having power in his hands and handling the national economy and people's livelihood, and the Duke and Iger Miss Nice, for him, is the most important way to realize this wish.

Because of this, in order to maintain the relationship between this family, he would not hesitate to pay no matter how high the price.

Agnes knew nothing about the businessman's calculations, and even if she knew, she wouldn't think there was any problem - after all, there is no such thing as loyalty without reason. It is common sense in the world for everyone to get what they need. If her father can have such a helper, he will try his best to help her in the future. Reducing the chance of making a fool of herself will make her feel happy.

Because the two were old acquaintances, they chatted briefly but happily. When they were happy, Mr. Durene proposed to Agnes to give her a gift.

"Miss, I've been to several auctions recently, and there are a few really good things. I spent some money to buy them. If you have time, how about I give them to you for appreciation?"

When Agnes heard this, the smile on her face immediately disappeared, then she shook her head and seriously rejected the other party.

"No need, Mr. Durene, you have given me enough gifts, I don't need you to give me anything else."

In order to let the other party understand what she meant, she explained emphatically, "Although I understand that you mean well, I also have my concerns. Accepting so many gifts from you before has made me uneasy. If you still want to If I continue to give gifts like this, what will people outside think of me if word spreads? They will think that I am a greedy and sycophantic person, and this will also damage His Majesty's reputation..."

Although Agnes said these words earnestly, Maxime Dulaini did not listen. This middle-aged businessman has seen the behavior of those nobles in his decades of fortune. Which one is not the same? Greedy? Which one is not a big spender?

Besides, the Duke also accepted his generous gifts several times without any scruples.

So he just thought that Agnes was in a bad mood now, and it would not be too late to keep the gift for later.

Disturbed by this little disturbance, Agnes's already bad mood became even worse at this moment. She had no intention of continuing the conversation with Mr. Durene, but walked to the table to rest.

The noisy sounds, dazzling lights, and luxurious furnishings all around her mixed together, making her now tired and confused.

Of course she could see that her father wanted to hold her up high as a living sign of his family's authority and prestige, which also meant that she had to be trapped in the whirlpool of fame and fortune. Although she didn't like it all, But it was impossible to avoid it because her family enjoyed it.

Alas, it would be great if we could get rid of these feasting and banquets and hide in the countryside! She sighed in her heart.

"Why do you refuse? No one will say anything about you, isn't that the case with everyone?"

At this moment, a soft and elegant voice suddenly appeared next to her.

Agnes turned around and was shocked to find a young woman standing next to her, looking at her with a smile.

Although her clothes were not luxurious and looked a bit shabby in this place full of gorgeous clothes, her expression and posture at this time, as well as the wine glass in her hand, looked extremely calm, as if everything was just a mirror.

This was the strange Miss Maria she had seen just now.

Agnes was surprised at first, and then reacted immediately.

Did she just eavesdrop on me? ! She immediately felt a little unhappy.

"You...can you forget what you just heard?" she asked.

"Forget? I'm afraid it's not that easy. My shortcomings are that I have a very good memory and a strong desire for revenge." Maria smiled and then answered.

Then, she asked Agnes, "Miss Agnes, back to the question, why do you refuse? Although you are very popular now, you must know that kings are always fickle, and you will get older." The day will come when you will no longer be young, and you may not always be favored. Why don’t you take advantage of the fact that you are still popular and find a way out for yourself first?”

Although her tone was gentle, and although she seemed to be giving her advice, Agnes suddenly felt a fire in her heart, as if she had been beaten in front of her.

There was no mercy or kindness in her eyes, only meanness and sarcasm.

This woman is obviously so beautiful, but why is she so unpleasant? Agnes thought.

Although she has a good temper, she is by no means weak. The other party's ridicule immediately aroused her competitive spirit.

"Thank you for your reminder, I will pay attention to it. But I think you should be more worried about your loss of youth than me, right? You seem to be much older than me, cousin."