The Prussian Queen wrapped her arms tightly around Charlesâs neck and lowered her head to kiss him passionately.
The young manâs mind went blank, eagerly seeking Louiseâs lips in response, but the experienced woman subtly pulled away, gazing at him with dreamy eyes and said in a sweet voice:
"My dearest knight, the moment I touched you, the world stood still. Nothing exists but you, but loving you, you are now my sole reason for living..."
Charlesâs expression turned serious, about to swear a vow of love, but Louise gently took his hand, guiding it downward...
The youthâs breath quickened, muttering incoherently, "I, I need you, really... Iâm about to ignite, please, donât watch me suffer any longer..."
Louise twisted her waist in cooperation, constantly guiding him.
However, at the most critical moment, her maidâs voice came from outside the door: "Madam, Iâm sorry to disturb you, but itâs already past eight-thirty, we must set off now."
Louise knew well how to deal with someone like Charles â never let him get everything he wants, but donât let him have nothing at all.
Todayâs "steps" were all meticulously arranged by her.
The maidâs words startled her like a bird frightened by a snake, instantly breaking away from Charlesâs embrace, hurriedly tidying her clothes: "My dear, though Iâm reluctant to leave this wonderful time, if I donât return now, heâll find out. You know, the ball starts in half an hour, and I must appear there."
Charles knew that by "he," she meant William III.
He reluctantly helped his beloved tidy her hair, escorted her to the door, and took out a pair of diamond earrings, slipping them into her hand: "Could we meet here again tomorrow? My visit lasts three days this time."
Louise hesitated at his words, according to the original plan, it wasnât time to advance to the second step, but the atmosphere and feeling were so right, perhaps moving ahead wasnât a bad choice.
She immediately feigned struggle and hesitation, finally shaking her head with difficulty: "Though I really want to come, my dear, I swear. But tomorrow I have to stand as a guarantor for Mrs. Gerhard, you know, sheâs my best friend and the only one in Berlin whom I can confide in. And tomorrow is the final deadline for her factoryâs debt repayment."
Charles hurriedly asked, "Is she in trouble? Perhaps I can help."
"No, no, itâs her familyâs business, I can handle it."
Louise said so, but her tone was full of hesitation and timidity.
Indeed, Charles stood up proudly: "Iâm just curious, please tell me about it, whatâs wrong with her factory?"
"Okay, consider it a story." Louise hastily moved towards the carriage, her steps not quick, "Mrs. Gerhardâs husband left her an ironworks, and for years sheâs been painstakingly managing it with her three children.
"But you know, coal is getting more expensive now, and sheâs been losing money...
"In fact, tomorrow is the creditorsâ last extension for repayment. Even with my guarantee, it wonât work."
Charles keenly noticed the keyword: "Guarantee? So, if her factory goes bankrupt, youâd also be in debt?"
Louise sighed lightly, her fragile demeanor could evoke a protective instinct in any man: "I donât know, I probably would."
Charles hastened to say: "How much does her factory need? I can invest some."
"Itâs useless," Louise shook her head, "Without affordable coal, more money would only delay the factoryâs closure."
Charles showed a smug smile: "Thatâs not difficult, I hold shares in Alphonse Butinâs ironworks, and they own two sizable coal mines in Nassau. Iâll write to their manager tomorrow to let him allocate some coal to your friend."
Louise was ecstatic inside, surprised that the Prince of France said it without needing her hint.
In Prince Henry and Baron Steinâs plan, for Prussia to restore its status as a first-rate power, developing an advanced military industry is the first step.
Hence, they intended to use government procurement to push a batch of steel companies into rapid expansion.
And steelmaking primarily requires a large quantity of coal, followed by technology.
Although Prussia has some coal and iron mines in Silesia, the facilities were severely damaged due to several wars with Austria over Silesia, keeping production consistently low.
To restore the mines, at least tens of millions of taels need to be invested first. Berlin couldnât come up with such money right now.
Meanwhile, in recent years, many coal mines with very rich reserves were developed in the Westphalia region, causing coal prices to drop. Thus, even if Prussia gritted its teeth to mine coal in Silesia, they would end up losing money with every batch of steel produced.
Yes, under Josephâs advance arrangements, now 90% of the coal mines in Westphalia, Germanyâs largest coal-producing region, are operated by French companies.
Most of the coal produced here flows to the Walloon Region and Rhineland, Prussia canât buy it even if they pay.
According to Josephâs plan, Prussia will be an agrarian country in the future, what do they need so much coal for?
Louise displayed a look of surprise, but soon frowned and said:
"Iâm worried this might attract scrutiny from the Ministry of Industry. I heard that exporting coal mines in Nassau, Cologne, and other places to countries outside the production area requires a high âtechnology authorization fee.â
Charles was also taken aback; it seemed that the Steel Technology Association had such a rule.
Louise, not waiting for her "beloved knight" to come up with a solution, had to propose: "You see, I canât let Mrs. Gerhard get your help for free.
"How about this, Iâll let her raise some money to buy shares in your factory, without expecting any dividends.
"This way, weâll transfer some coal from Cologne to her factory monthly as âinternal company transport.â Rest assured, the price wonât harm your factory."
Charles was filled with the sense of achievement from being able to help his beloved woman, not thinking about anything else, and nodded at once: "If you think itâs feasible, then letâs do it."
The shares in the ironworks were originally sold to him by an industrialist named Butin at a very low price in search of a reliable backer, so he felt nothing about it.
Louise hugged him tightly: "Youâve done so much for me, dear..."
She spoke sweet words for a while, then continued: "However, youâll need to write a letter to the factory. Oh, right, itâs better to list Baron Marechal as the shareholder. Heâs Mrs. Gerhardâs steward, and you know, itâs more convenient for a man to handle external matters."
Marechal was from Mainz, and after France acquired the Rhineland, he gained French citizenship.
With this operation, even if the French Ministry of Industry checked coal mine equity, they wouldnât notice any foreigner holding shares.
Marechal would register a French coking company and set up a plant in Cologne, which was actually just a shell company. Then, this coking company could buy coal from Alphonse Butinâs company, which wouldnât raise suspicion.