The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1275: Chapter 161: Investing in Unicorns (Part 2)

Although the constitution of the Saxon Kingdom seems conservative beyond belief to the British, since the King still retains considerable independent sovereignty, he must only collaborate with his ministers and the decisions of both houses in government affairs.

However, in the eyes of the Saxons, this is already enough to satisfy them.

At this moment, in the best-viewing box on the second floor of the theater, several old friends are reuniting for a small drink.

Arthur sits by the window, holding a glass of amber-colored Bordeaux wine. The goblet sways slightly between his fingers, the wine reflecting a soft sheen and exuding a rich aroma.

Arthur’s demeanor is leisurely, with a hint of alertness, his gaze lingering between the two friends, an occasional glance from the corner of his eye sweeping over the hazy street scene outside the window.

“Lionel, how was the family meeting in Frankfurt?”

Dusty and weary, having just arrived in Leipzig from Frankfurt, the Jewish young master Lionel Rothschild shows no trace of travel fatigue on his face.

He is radiant with a smile, not just because he has met his old friends Arthur and Disraeli, but also because, at the recently held Rothschild Family meeting in Frankfurt, Lionel replaced his ailing father Nathan, for the first time in the capacity of a representative of the London branch, jointly deciding the family’s development topics for the coming year with several uncles.

Sharp-eyed observers of the European financial circles can see that this 25-year-old Jewish lad, in the not-so-distant future, will surely inherit the business his father started in London, becoming the second-generation helmsman of the Rothschild London financial empire.

Whether in London, Paris, Vienna, Naples, or Frankfurt, every bank director and stockbroker who encounters Lionel no longer views him as a young upstart. They politely pause to tip their hats to Lionel, uttering various insincere compliments, only hoping to gain recognition in the heart of this future financial giant to facilitate future cooperation.

Of course, even when considering personal cultivation, Lionel is far easier to deal with than his father Nathan.

Although Nathan wasn’t starting from scratch, his entrepreneurial environment was the worst among the five brothers.

The other four brothers remained on the European Continent, thus the elder Rothschild could also give these sons certain help through his personal influence.

For Nathan, located in London, although the elder Rothschild also gave him substantial support, at that time, the Rothschild Bank headquartered there, whether in financial resources, professional competence, or networking, could not compare with the local banks that had been navigating the world financial center in London for years.

Nathan hadn’t received much formal education, nor did he attend university.

He made his mark in London relying on his sharp insight, efficient execution, and a do-or-die tenacity.

Such life experiences also destined Nathan to be a strong-willed character, and the lack of extensive education often made him appear crude, even gaudy at times.

For British society, which emphasizes elaborate etiquette and self-restraint, such a person naturally wouldn’t be well-received.

This younger generation of Lionels, however, is entirely different from their fathers; his cousins all received a full aristocratic education.

As for Lionel, the education he received from an early age was authentically English.

Every pore from head to toe exudes the traditional aura of the classic British nobility, never losing his temper, and certainly never, like his father, bursting into a tirade to suppress others with authority. Passionate about art and science, he not only donated funds to support museums and libraries but also actively funded scientific research projects. As a collector, he amassed a large collection of artworks and books.

But those who know Lionel are aware that his art collection is not entirely due to personal interest, but rather to curry favor. After all, emulating elegance is an epidemic in high society; who can guarantee that a certain piece of art he collects won’t suddenly become a favorite of some significant figure someday?

Lionel smiled and clinked glasses with Arthur: “Thanks to you, Arthur, my trip to Frankfurt went very smoothly.”

Arthur was taken aback and laughed silently, saying: “Lionel, you are too modest. How can the smooth conduct of the Rothschild family meeting be attributed to me?”

“Of course, it is because of you.”

Lionel earnestly explained to him: “Do you know how much Rothschild lost during the French July Revolution? A whole ten million Dutch guilders! If converted to British Pounds, that’s nearly eighty-five thousand pounds! If not for my father’s swift response, spending seventy-eight thousand pounds to exchange a large amount of gold and silver coins from the Bank of England upon learning of the outbreak of chaos in Paris and immediately dispatching them to Uncle James in Paris, the Rothschild Paris branch would certainly have gone bankrupt.

Moreover, your urgent response to last year’s panic in London Financial City and the London riots was simply exemplary. Without your help, London might have also faced the commotion seen during the French July Revolution. If such an event had occurred, even if our London branch didn’t go bankrupt, it would have been incredibly strained. And now, you are the Academic Director at the University of Gottingen. I heard you’re doing very well there, and His Majesty the King and the Kingdom Government of Hanover hold you in high regard.