I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 44: A Powerful Group of Shareholders

Seeing that everyone's attention was focused on him, Joseph continued, "The bank's total capital will be 10 million shares, with each share priced at 1 livre. For now, the shares will not be publicly available."

Monnot nodded with a smile, "Since Your Highness has invited us, we'll surely take part. But I'm curious, how much will the total investment in this bank be?"

"Around 10 million livres."

Hearing this, the three men immediately lost some of their enthusiasm. They thought there would be an opportunity for profit, but it turned out Joseph was asking them to invest in what seemed to be just an empty shell of a bank. Claiming an investment of 10 million livres—who knows how much would actually materialize in the end? They thought it might be wiser to invest in an established institution like the Discount Bank instead.

Among them, Count Robert had the weakest relationship with Joseph and was also the least wealthy. With a forced smile, he said, "Your Highness, you know my situation. I'm afraid I can't come up with much money to invest..."

Joseph smiled slightly and said, "Please, allow me to finish. In one week, Paris Angel Company will be publicly offering shares for sale. The total number of shares will also be 10 million, with 2 million shares offered initially at a price of 2 livres per share.

"If you invest in my bank, you'll have the chance to purchase an equal number of Paris Angel shares at 1 livre per share before they go on sale."

Hearing this, the three men's eyes lit up.

However, Briand, being well-versed in finance, hesitated and asked, "Your Highness, while Paris Angel's performance is indeed impressive, do you really think the shares can be valued at 2 livres each?"

A 2-livre share price would imply that Paris Angel had a market value of a staggering 20 million livres!

Joseph signaled to the lawyer at the door, who brought over the franchise contracts. Smiling, Joseph said, "Over the past few weeks, Paris Angel has already signed contracts for seven franchise stores. These are the contracts, and even more investors are preparing to sign similar agreements. Additionally, I plan to open several more company-operated stores in various locations.

"I'm confident that it won't be long before you see Paris Angel stores in all the major cities of France. Within six months, Paris Angel will have stores across Europe. Honestly, the 2-livre share price is quite conservative."

He then explained the concept of franchising again. This time, the three men could no longer maintain their composure.

If you asked anyone in Paris which company was the hottest right now, the answer would undoubtedly be Paris Angel. The entire city was abuzz with talk of "Angel Water," with women in every household—be they older women or young girls—spending thousands of livres on this cosmetic product.

Moreover, the influence of Angel Water was spreading throughout France. Just a few days ago, a group of wealthy women from Marseille had traveled to Paris specifically to buy it.

If Paris Angel had only one store, its value certainly wouldn't reach 20 million. But with nine stores, that number seemed more plausible. The innovative "franchise" model was also extremely appealing—so much so that the three of them were tempted to invest in a franchise themselves. How on earth had the Prince thought up such a brilliant business model? No wonder everyone called him the "Child of God"—his mind must have been touched by the divine!

It was clear that it wouldn't be long before Paris Angel franchises were popping up all over France. When that happened, the company's value would surely skyrocket like the Seine River during a torrential downpour.

Briand squinted, realizing that if he could purchase shares at 1 livre each and later sell them, he could easily make at least 1 livre per share—a profit that would effectively make his investment in the bank free.

Moreover, he estimated that Paris Angel's share price wouldn't stay at 2 livres for long; it would likely rise quickly.

He no longer hesitated and said to Joseph, "Your Highness, since you've said as much, I'll invest 250,000 livres."

Monnot, seeing Briand take the plunge, quickly followed suit. "Your Highness, I'll invest 500,000 livres as well..."

Joseph looked a bit troubled. "Count Monnot, due to the limited number of shares, I can only offer you a maximum of 3%. Please understand that I need to reserve shares for His Majesty the King, Her Majesty the Queen, the Prince of Condé, and the Count of Artois..."

Hearing the names of these prominent figures, Monnot immediately waved his hand and smiled. "Alright, alright, then I'll invest 300,000 livres."

Robert also gritted his teeth and decided to invest 200,000 livres.

Joseph clarified that these shares would only entitle the holders to dividends, not decision-making power. The three men, who were only in it for the profits, had no objections.

As the dinner continued, everyone raised their glasses and laughed, celebrating their agreement.

The next day, Joseph had lunch with King Louis XVI and Queen Marie, using the opportunity to sell them each a 5% stake in the bank.

When it came to his parents, there was no need to use the lure of Paris Angel shares. Joseph simply and brazenly asked them each for a 500,000-livre investment, thanking them with a casual "Thank you."

However, King Louis XVI had already spent 600,000 livres on supporting his son's strategy in Holland. While it had turned out to be a successful bet politically, it hadn't yielded any cash. Now, he only had about 100,000 livres left, which he gave to his son. The rest had to be put on hold.

As for Queen Marie, though her reputation as the "Deficit Queen" was somewhat exaggerated, she was indeed a bit of a spender. She only had 220,000 livres on hand and promised to pay the remaining 280,000 later.

But Joseph wasn't really after their money; his main goal was to get these two influential figures involved so that he could leverage their status in the future.

In the afternoon, Joseph hurried to Paris, where he met with the Prince of Condé, who had significant influence in the military, and the Duke of Artois, a staunch supporter of royal authority and Louis XVI's younger brother. Upon hearing that they could purchase Paris Angel shares at a low price, both eagerly invested 400,000 livres each in the bank, mentally noting the favor they now owed the Prince.

By midday, the news that Paris Angel was going to offer shares for sale was being discussed all over France. It was impossible to miss—every newspaper was talking about Paris Angel, and at every salon, people were steering the conversation toward the company.

Naturally, there were also rumors within Versailles, claiming that Paris Angel had daily sales of 120,000 livres, had opened eight or nine stores, and was planning to expand into England, Spain, the Netherlands, and other countries. The company's scale was said to be astonishing.

Everyone was itching to get involved, scrambling to gather funds in preparation for buying shares in Paris Angel.

Meanwhile, in the office of the manager of the La Ville Bank in Paris, Manager Étienne frowned and asked his assistant, "Has there been any contact from the Treasury Minister's office?"

The assistant nodded, "Yes, about ten days ago, a low-level official inquired about the loan. But since then, there's been no follow-up."

Étienne muttered in confusion, "Strange. The government bonds are about to mature, yet the Prince doesn't seem to be in a hurry."

The assistant suggested, "Could they have secured a loan from another bank?"

Étienne shook his head. "The Duke of Orléans has already spoken to the other banks. There's no way anyone would lend to them."

He couldn't help but wonder, Even if the Prince has no experience, surely the other treasury officials would have reminded him about the bonds. Why is he so calm?

(End of Chapter)

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