Chapter 127: Investment Preparation
Christmas.
As the most important holiday in the European world, it couldn’t be taken lightly. It was evident that the officials and soldiers of the Papal States were all eager to return for the holiday.
As usual, Franz hosted a Christmas banquet at the imperial palace and invited a group of people to attend.
This was the first Christmas after Franz’s coronation, and everyone attached great importance to it. Those who were invited and could make it in time all came.
Relatives, friends, officials from both the military and the government, along with their families, made the number of guests exceed four figures. At the banquet, glasses clinked, and conversations flowed freely, creating a joyful and harmonious atmosphere.
Franz could tell that everyone was putting on a happy facade to give him face, but in reality, they were all bored to death, engaging in dry and lifeless conversations.
Court banquets were all about etiquette and didn’t allow for much fun. This was especially true for the children, who couldn’t wait for the banquet to end so they could enjoy a happier Christmas.
There was no way around it; even the Emperor himself found it quite tiresome. The tableware gleamed with a golden sheen, and at one point, Franz even suspected it might be gold-plated. However, a practical test confirmed he was mistaken, as it was indeed made of real gold. The servants wouldn’t dare to deceive their Emperor.
Well, Franz usually didn’t use these utensils anyway. Typically, he used silverware, which was said to have antibacterial properties.
In that era, Western medicine had progressed beyond primitive practices like bloodletting, but it was still far from advanced. Any illness had the potential to be life-threatening, and being someone who valued his life, Franz made a decisive choice.
After enjoying a sumptuous feast, everyone returned to their own homes. Franz had no intention of keeping everyone together to celebrate Christmas; that would only invite trouble.
He was confident that if the court banquet wasn’t a display of social status for these people, most of them would prefer not to attend.
Despite the extravagance of the banquet, it only cost several thousand florins (1 florin ≈ 11.69 grams of silver) per event. Those who could attend such an event were certainly not destitute.
With the guests gone, Franz and his family celebrated Christmas Eve together. His younger brothers quickly revealed their true selves; today was a special day, and they could let loose.
Franz couldn’t help but envy the carefree nature of his younger brothers. Although he was just 18 years old, he felt like he couldn’t let loose anymore. What was even more tragic was that his mother’s Christmas wish was for him to get married soon.
Being an emperor and still being pressured to marry? Franz felt like he was in a bizarre situation. However, when he thought about the ages of European royal princesses, he felt a bit relieved. He didn’t need to worry about it in the short term.
His primary consort, Princess Sisi (Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie), had just turned 11 years old. Even her older sister was only a year or two older. As for other equally eligible princesses, most of them were quite young, and the older ones were already married.
Nevertheless, Franz didn’t dare to let his guard down. He was afraid that with one misstep, he might end up with another loli fiancée.
Pre-arranged marriages were quite popular among the nobility. As the Emperor of Austria, Franz was one of the most eligible bachelors among European nobles, and there were certainly many who were interested in him.
Fortunately, Franz was now the Emperor, and he had a say in personal matters. If he firmly disagreed, no one could force him to agree.
Normally, this issue would be discussed with Empress Sophie, but his father, who suffered from laryngitis, had little say in family matters.
At midnight, the tolling of the clock saved Franz from the topic of marriage. The whole family rose to their feet, lit candles, recited the Bible together, exchanged blessings, and then began singing Christmas carols.
……
This year, Christmas in Vienna is exceptionally lively. As the earliest designated public holiday, factories closed for the day.
Capitalists weren’t willing to pay triple wages for workers to work overtime today. If you happen to come across a more generous boss, you might even receive a Christmas gift.
Vienna’s streets and alleys are now filled with the presence of children singing Christmas carols, going from house to house to share the joy.
This is the time for everyone to showcase their grace. Those who are well-off usually prepare some Christmas gifts in advance, such as candies, melon seeds, and the like, which they distribute to the children who come to sing carols.
This Christmas, Franz’s wallet has lightened considerably.
Christmas gifts are a significant expense, and he has given a Christmas gift to every hard-working servant, guard, and attendant in the palace.
Family, friends, government officials, even the soldiers on duty, and the orphans housed by the government, all received a Christmas gift from His Majesty the Emperor.
These gifts, such as candies and melon seeds, may not be valuable individually, but when there are many recipients, it adds up. Franz went to great lengths to win hearts through these gestures.
However, there’s always a return for what you give. In this era, people have simple hearts, and when faced with unexpected Christmas gifts, many individuals’ loyalty to the emperor soared.
Especially for the orphans under government care, for many of them, this was their first Christmas gift ever, and its impact on them was particularly significant.
The cost, on the other hand, was nearly two hundred thousand florins for a single Christmas. If it weren’t for the vast resources of the House of Habsburg, the royal pension alone might not be enough to sustain Franz’s extravagance.
The royal pension in Austria had been established relatively recently, calculated as one and a half percent of the Austrian treasury’s annual revenue, totaling around five to six million florins each year.
These funds weren’t spent by Franz alone; the entire royal family had a share, with his uncle, Ferdinand I, and his wife, receiving one and a half million florins.
Other branches of the royal family also had their allocations, leaving approximately three million florins at Franz’s disposal, which he had to use to support a large contingent within the palace.
While economizing was possible, it wouldn’t be sufficient for his extravagant lifestyle.
After Christmas, Franz was planning to acquire more assets, but he was struggling to decide what to invest in specifically.
There were many ways to make quick money, but most of them were legally questionable. As a great emperor, Franz couldn’t afford to break the rules.
At one point, Franz even considered selling study materials for civil service exams, but he quickly dismissed the idea as it was too unscrupulous and wouldn’t yield significant returns.
Agriculture was not a consideration either, despite the House of Habsburg having plenty of land. The returns in this field were too low, even if economic crops were cultivated.
Franz ruled out anything related to “drugs” as it would tarnish his illustrious image.
Selling weapons could have been an option, but unfortunately, arms trade was heavily influenced by political factors, and Austria’s influence in European conflicts was limited at the time.
The remaining option was the financial industry, but Franz lacked knowledge in this field. During this era, the financial industry was filled with hidden traps, and being swindled could be devastating.
Even an emperor was not immune to being taken advantage of when dealing with profit-driven capitalists.
After careful consideration, Franz decided to invest in the food processing industry, believing that businesses aligned with government policies often had promising prospects.
Once the Holy Roman Economic Alliance is established, it can immediately experience explosive growth. With the House of Habsburg’s connections, there would be no worries about establishing a sales network.
The diverse range of snacks from the future cannot be produced. But popcorn, french fries, biscuits, canned goods, and beverages which are products with no technical complexity, are very easy to produce.
Additionally, mining could be a promising industry, not demanding much technical know-how. With a strong backing and the discovery of a rich mining site, one could essentially make money effortlessly.
This seems tailor-made for Franz. At least when it comes to mining in Austria, he would only need to locate the mines and start earning money. He wouldn’t need to worry about interference, as nobody would dare to disrupt the Emperor’s financial ventures.
……
In no time, Franz had written down a bunch of business projects in his notebook, including how to conduct market research on how to implement them.
One common trait among time travelers is their tendency to stay at the forefront of their era. This can be very dangerous and often leads to martyrdom.
Franz was highly vigilant about this and rarely acted unilaterally. In his view, if even the elites of this era couldn’t accept something, how could he expect ordinary people to embrace it?
“Jenny, give the information I’ve compiled to Baron Kass, and ask him to conduct market research on these industries. Collect as much data as possible. I need to select the projects suitable for investment from there,” Franz instructed.
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Jenny replied.
One of the benefits of being an emperor is that you can order others to do things for you, and there are always people willing to go to great lengths to serve you.
For example, Baron Kass is a loyal servant of the House of Habsburg, with a family history of serving the Habsburgs spanning five generations.
After Franz’s regency, in order to strengthen control over government departments, he appointed several individuals, including Baron Kass, and placed them in various positions, such as the Ministry of Commerce.
At this moment, when Franz asked him to handle private matters, Baron Kass was even more dedicated than when dealing with official affairs.
If Franz didn’t assign these tasks to him and left them to his colleagues, he might worry about being abandoned by the emperor.
The issue of using public resources for personal purposes was indeed a problem, but in this era, many people couldn’t distinguish between the state and the emperor. In the eyes of many, their loyalty was to the emperor rather than the state.
This situation was prevalent in the Austrian Empire, where the bond that connected the various ethnic groups of Austria was not the government but the emperor.
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