A new symbol of Paris
The gambling in the Mars Hall continued until 1 a. m. Queen Mary, riding high on her winnings, looked at the mountain of Gold Coin piled on the table, quietly yawned, and then got up satisfied, preparing to return to the Petit Trianon.
According to court rules, the King and Queen were to have a bedtime ceremony at 10:30 p. m. – in which Nobility would watch them go to sleep – but because Louis XVI often "worked overtime" in the Royal Workshop, this rule had long since become obsolete.
She stretched lazily, glanced at the empty chair beside her, and turned to Countess de Berninac, asking, "Where is my Saint Petersburg sweetheart?"
The latter quickly leaned closer and whispered, "Your Majesty, she went to bed at 10 o'clock."
"Look, I'd forgotten," Queen Mary laughed, patting her forehead. "She's still growing."
She left Mars Hall and hadn't gone far when she heard the voices of several Noblewoman chatting around the corner of the corridor ahead:
Have you noticed that Russia Grand Duchess as well?
"It's impossible not to notice lately. I don't know whose connections she's been using, but she's been appearing frequently around Her Majesty the Queen."
"I think His Majesty likes her quite a bit. I've heard him call her 'Little Honey' several times last night."
"Ha, Her Majesty the Queen is probably just temporary. I bet by next month at the latest, His Majesty will be ignoring her."
"That's probably true. Look at her, wearing the most fashionable dress of the season, yet she still can't hide her dowdy air, like trying to cover a candle flame with a thick-eyed basket."
"Haha, that's such a perfect description..."
As the Noblewoman walked around the corner, they saw Her Majesty the Queen approaching. They were so frightened that they retreated to the side of the corridor, bowed their heads, and curtsied, not daring to breathe loudly.
Queen Mary glared at them irritably, then strode past with her head held high, their mocking words echoing in her ears. Suddenly, she remembered something and began to feel a pang of self-reproach.
I had been so inconsiderate of Joseph before—it turns out he wasn't shy or timid at all, but worried that choosing a Russia fiancée would cause Royal House among the Nobility. Ah, what a considerate son he is!
Queen Mary was acutely aware of the France people's sense of superiority—even she, as a princess of the Habsburg Family, was looked down upon by them, let alone a Russia girl of Tatar descent [Note 1].
Recalling the bitterness and resentment she felt when those France Nobility secretly called her an "Austrian Bitch," she immediately made a decision: she had to work even harder to help her son and the lovely Russia princess find love! After all, the rain she had drenched herself should not fall on the children's heads!
The next morning, Queen Mary was discussing the script with her theater troupe leader when the Crown Prince, led by his maid, hurried in.
After Joseph bowed, she immediately stepped forward and gave her son a hug, smiling, "Darling, you can't always be so busy with work; necessary social interactions are an important part of life, especially for members of the Royal House."
Joseph hated balls and social obligations, so he quickly gave a perfunctory reply before getting to the point, "Dear Mother, next month there will be a ceremony in Paris to mark the first installation of Gas Streetlight. If you are available, I would like you to attend."
In fact, the Coal Gas distillation plant has only just begun construction, and Gas Lamp have not yet been put into mass production. However, Murdoch has already completed the testing of distillation, gas transmission, and Gas Lamp.
Therefore, Joseph plans to first install a small number of Gas Streetlight to promote the Gas Lamp industry. In addition to attracting private investment, he can also take advantage of this trend to develop Real Estate projects.
Yes, Gas Lamp is more of an infrastructure project and doesn't bring much direct revenue, but Real Estate can.
He has bought all the public land around the Tuileries Palace Gardens, which will become the first pilot area for Gas Streetlight.
One can imagine that as night fell, the streets of Paris were shrouded in a hazy darkness, with only a few oil lamps casting a dim light. However, around the properties in the Tuileries Palace Gardens, the Gas Streetlight shone brightly, and people could see the luxurious Villa from several blocks away, unable to suppress their envious drool.
In addition, with the schools, hospitals, public transportation, and other supporting facilities built around the time of Paris Fashion Week, wealthy Paris will definitely flock to buy houses here.
The Villa in the previous "Royal Garden" community have already sold for 70,000 Livre each, and a house with Gas Streetlight should easily sell for 100,000 Livre.
And don't complain about the price. These days, Paris is flooded with thousands of wealthy foreigners, and these luxury properties will be snapped up in no time.
It's worth noting that Paris has expanded twice in the past two years, yet it still appears increasingly crowded. Its excellent environment and safety have attracted a large influx of people from other parts of the country to settle here. The Minister of Census reported to Joseph last month that Paris's population has now exceeded 700,000.
But Joseph estimates that there are probably tens of thousands of people from the lower classes who have not been included in the statistics, since these people work long hours and it is difficult for household registration officials to "catch" them.
The demand for Real Estate generated by such a large influx of people is staggering.
After the Gas Streetlight sparked a boom in high-end real estate, his next step was to develop mid-range housing for ordinary Nobility and get major banks to start Real Estate loan programs, thereby stimulating capital flows throughout France.
"Gas Streetlight?" Queen Mary was somewhat surprised. "I've often heard Earl Mirabeau mention that term. But my dear, it's just a lamp; why would our Crown Prince and Minister of Industry attach such importance to it?"
Joseph smiled and explained to her, "Mother, this is completely different from the oil lamps we have now."
"First of all, it's very bright, and unlike the dim light of an oil lamp, it emits a white light that's closer to the sun. I'll have Mr. Murdoch send you one in a couple of days. You'll see once you try it. After using it, you'll definitely want to throw all the candles and oil lamps in the palace into the trash."
"Secondly, it is fueled by Coal Gas pipes, which is much more convenient than candles or oil lamps—once the Coal Gas bill is paid, it can be used indefinitely without needing to replace the candles or add oil."
Queen Mary looked very interested. "Hmm, that sounds quite good."
"Yes, it will bring a new fashion trend," Joseph said confidently, "Thus becoming another symbol of Paris."
[Note 1] Because the Mongols once ruled Russia, European generally considered Russia to be descendants of Tatar, which is one of the main reasons why they looked down on Russia. In reality, Russia are mainly of Rus' descent, with a mix of Europe immigrants, Baltic Sea inhabitants, Tungusic people, Central Asia nomads, and Turkic people genes. In comparison, Tatar genes are not as prevalent.