Volvo Department Store opened for ten hours a day. Including preparation time, the employees actually worked twelve-hour shifts every day. No one objected, and no one asked Ferdinand for overtime pay.
First, Ferdinand paid slightly above the market rate, which satisfied everyone.
Second, factories in Vienna at the time generally required twelve-hour shifts every day, and a few even had sixteen-hour shifts.
Third, working at the supermarket was easier than working in a factory. On one side was the comfortable environment of a department store; on the other, a stuffy factory floor where accidents could happen at any moment. Of course everyone knew which one to choose!
Besides, in the eyes of people at the time, working at a department store was a respectable job, with steady income and a comfortable working environment.
Ferdinand had played a little trick with the wording. On the surface, the supermarket really did seem much like a department store, only with a bit more to do.
After all, supermarkets were a new concept, and people had no idea what they were. To make it easier for them to accept, Ferdinand had added the words "department store." Of course, plenty of people had also worked at department stores before.
Many had applied specifically because of the department-store name. Ferdinand had managed to fill all the positions in no time, thanks in part to this happy accident.
Three days flew by. Karl the butler was highly efficient, and had thoroughly investigated the flour mills in and around Vienna.
"Your Highness, there are thirteen flour mills in Vienna, large and small. Only two are relatively large and turning a profit. Another seven are just about breaking even, while the remaining four are already operating at a loss. The market is fiercely competitive!" Karl reported dutifully.
Karl clearly did not approve of Ferdinand's plan to establish a flour mill. In his view, the flour-milling market was already saturated, and competition was too fierce. It would be very difficult to make money by entering it now!
After hearing Karl's report, Ferdinand hesitated a little, too. If a small place like Vienna had thirteen flour mills, just how many were there in the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire?
After a moment's silence, Ferdinand still decided not to change his plan. He had his advantages: he could produce and sell his own goods, which would make his costs much lower than theirs. At worst, he could develop some related by-products later. What did he have to fear from the competition?
"Hmm, I understand. Thanks for your hard work, Karl!" Ferdinand commended the old butler.
"It's my honor to serve Your Highness!" Karl said happily.
"Karl, if I wanted to buy a flour mill, how much would it cost?" Ferdinand asked seriously.
In 1881, setting up a factory wasn't so simple. You had to build the premises, order machinery, train workers, and take care of all sorts of other things. You'd be lucky to have it up and running within a year.
Buying an existing factory was much simpler. It wouldn't take long to get it into production.
As long as the price wasn't too high, Ferdinand preferred to buy one.
Karl fell silent for a moment, apparently estimating the value of the mills, then said, "Your Highness, if it's a small factory that's gone bankrupt, it might only cost a few thousand pounds. The two profitable flour mills would probably cost seventy or eighty thousand pounds!"
Ferdinand was taken aback. The difference was enormous! Then it occurred to him that loss-making factories must have one problem or another: outdated equipment, poor management, or a scale too small to compete. In circumstances like these, they were lucky if anyone was willing to take them off their hands. What right did he have to be choosy?
"Hmm, then get in touch with those factory owners first and see whether any of them are considering selling. Have them assessed, and I'll decide afterward," Ferdinand said.
"Certainly, Your Highness. As you wish," Karl replied. Seeing that Ferdinand had no intention of keeping him, the butler turned and left.
After sending the old butler away, Ferdinand stayed home and read the newspaper. He had an important banquet to attend that day and had to be there in person: the birthday celebration of his uncle, the Tragic Emperor, Franz Joseph I.
Franz Joseph I (August 18, 1830–November 21, 1916) was renowned for establishing the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1879, he allied with the German Empire under Prussian leadership, forming the Alliance. In 1914, he issued an ultimatum to Serbia, drawing Austria and Germany into the First World War. In 1916, he died of pneumonia in Vienna at the age of eighty-six.
As he recalled the old emperor's life, Ferdinand was filled with emotion. A living legend was right before his eyes!
"A great diplomat!" That was how the world judged him. Perhaps God had put his talents in the wrong place: compared with his sharp diplomatic skills, he was mediocre in every other respect.
Through diplomacy, he had established the Austro-Hungarian Empire. But this decaying empire was beset by problems at every turn. The endless national conflicts had constantly troubled him and held the empire back, until at last it collapsed.
Unfortunately, Franz Joseph I had accomplished little in this regard; his indecisiveness was plain for all to see. He had taken a number of measures to ease ethnic tensions, but they had achieved very little.
His later years were even more tragic. His brother was executed by firing squad in Mexico. His wife was stabbed to death in Geneva by an Italian anarchist. His son took his own life at a young age, and the heir he later chose was assassinated by Serbians!
Seeking revenge, he launched a world war that left tens of millions dead on blood-soaked battlefields. The Austro-Hungarian Empire, which he had spent his life fighting for, collapsed amid the storm!
"Ferdinand, it's time to leave. You're not going to come up with another harebrained scheme, are you?" Princess Clémentine asked anxiously.
Lately, she had clearly sensed that Ferdinand had changed. He had grown even more eccentric, fond of tinkering with all sorts of odd contraptions, and it worried her.
"How could I, dear Mother? How can you think that of me? You have to trust me!" Ferdinand hastily explained. It was clear that Princess Clémentine gave him a headache.
The original Ferdinand had already been a little eccentric, and unlike most nobles. He had few friends and liked tinkering with all sorts of odd things.
Princess Clémentine hadn't suspected that he had been replaced by someone else. When Ferdinand came over, she simply ushered him into the carriage.
Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna dated back to the Middle Ages. The old emperor, Franz Joseph I, had been born there, and it was also his favorite residence and the one where he had lived the longest.
The magnificent palace was now bustling with people. The League of the Three Emperors had been formed, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire's political and diplomatic affairs were in their most relaxed era.
The nobles and ministers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, envoys from various countries, and great nobles from other parts of Europe had all sent representatives. The might of the House of Habsburg was on full display.
The banquet wasn't what Ferdinand had imagined. There was no elaborate ceremony. The old emperor accepted everyone's congratulations, and they got right to it.
Ferdinand wasn't the center of attention. Apart from becoming acquainted with a group of important figures, none of the legendary, melodramatic scenes occurred.
Oh, he also met a few attractive ladies. If he wanted, there might even be a chance to take things further.
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