I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 1362 Bribery
The people in the room instantly became excited.

Given the current chaos in Bern, Arens Bank will almost certainly go bankrupt, dragging down a large number of investors and workshops.

Now, not only Bern, but many parts of Switzerland have been affected and riots have broken out. Those who spearheaded the railway project will surely be held accountable.

But Count Elah brought them a glimmer of hope.

If the French government intervenes, the railway project can be revived. They will not only be blameless, but will also become heroes in promoting Bern's development!

Congressman Frey grabbed Elach's arm tightly and asked urgently, "How confident are you?"

The latter, his mouth agape as he was being squeezed, said, "Please let me go."

"Viscount Norbert said that there are many French speakers here and the place is not big, so it shouldn't be difficult to handle."

"However, the French Ministry of Finance may have objections, because our revenue and expenditure situation will definitely drag down their fiscal figures. You know, that's related to the Ministry of Finance's performance."

Speaker Haupt said dejectedly, "So there's still no hope?"

“Of course not,” said Count Elach. “There are two ways to solve this.”

"First, we'll take out a sum of money ourselves, which will be used as state revenue for the next two years and given to the French Ministry of Finance to make their books look better. It will probably cost around 600 million francs."

"Secondly, bribe the Deputy Minister of Finance. Viscount Norbert is a good friend of his, and it will only cost 40 francs. Oh, and that includes benefits for other people in the Ministry of Finance, as well as gifts for the Crown Prince."

This multiple-choice question is easy; no one would choose 600 million.

Frey added cautiously, "Isn't it a bit unsafe to have such a large sum of money...?"

Count Elach waved his hand to interrupt him: "There is no risk. Viscount Norbert only acted as a go-between; the money was directly wired to the Minister of Finance and others via bank drafts, while the money for gifts was wired to Mr. Baie."

"Moreover, Viscount Norbert promised that the money would be refunded if the matter could not be resolved. To be frank, this amount of money is nothing to the gentlemen of Versailles."

“God!” Frey gave Elach a warm hug. “You saved us all!”

He then looked at the other members of parliament, "What are your opinions?"

Speaker Haupt led the others in nodding.

Most of the railway funds they had previously raised were being eyed by banks and investors, but there were still more than 300,000 francs available. If each of them contributed another 20,000 to 30,000 francs, the money for "entering the country" would be complete.

After a brief discussion, Haupt instructed, "Baron Frey, Count Ruciva, you and Count Elach go to Paris. Remember to take plenty of men with you."

Fearing that investors would discover their misappropriation of funds, they dared not use bank drafts and instead carried hundreds of thousands of francs in cash to Paris.

"Baron Marechal is in charge of building momentum and promoting the benefits of annexation to France. He believes those who have lost money will soon stop causing trouble..."

"And I will be pushing for legislation in Parliament, which will require the cooperation of everyone to mobilize their own people..."

Those who can hold meetings here are all bigwigs in the Bern State Parliament, each representing a different faction within the parliament, and together they can influence at least 70% of the members.

Ten days later.

In front of the Palace of Versailles, Viscount Norbert, dressed in elegant attire, gracefully gestured to Count Elach and Baron Frey: "Mr. Baie is already waiting for you."

The Swiss man followed him somewhat awkwardly into the Palace of Versailles.

At the end of the corridor, in front of a room, a servant bowed to Viscount Norbert and his party before opening the door.

Count Elach looked up and saw a gilded plaque on the door that read "Office of the Minister of Trade," and his heart raced even faster.

Baie sat by the window, the sunlight streaming in so brightly it made him appear even more mysterious and imposing. Erlach and Frey quickly stepped forward to greet him, while Viscount Norbert introduced the two men to Baie, then briefly explained Bern's desire to be annexed by France.

While reviewing documents, Bai said without looking up, "I have already briefly mentioned this matter to His Highness the Crown Prince, and His Highness has not objected."

"However, you'll have to handle the Ministry of Finance issue yourselves."

Count Elach nodded hastily: "We have already prepared the necessary funds..."

Bai coughed irritably: "Ahem, I don't care how you negotiate with the Ministry of Finance. Once things are settled there, I will formally submit a report to His Highness the Crown Prince."

The Swiss were overjoyed and bowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you for your help. Every Bernese will remember your great kindness."

Once outside the Palace of Versailles, Viscount Norbert repeatedly reminded the two to keep a low profile, otherwise, if the Notary Public's Investigation Bureau found out, they would all go to jail.

Nine o'clock the next morning.

Erlach and Frey, each carrying a box of money, followed Viscount Norbert to the Josette Brothers Bank in the northern suburbs of Paris.

In a VIP room, Norbert gestured for them to hand the money to the bank clerk for counting, and then filled out a money order himself.

The Swiss clearly saw that the recipient was "Henri Patrice de Chovin," who was the French Deputy Minister of Finance.

The address below is indeed Shuvan's—they had already inquired about the relevant information before they came.

A bank clerk approached and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Excellency, the total is 4 francs."

“That’s right.” Viscount Norbert nodded, signed the draft, and handed it to the bank manager. “Please remit it as soon as possible.”

The two Swiss men watched the series of actions and nodded in approval. The money, of course, had to be wired by Viscount Norbert; the French Finance Minister certainly wouldn't accept money from just anyone.

After leaving the Josette Brothers Bank, Norbert immediately took them to the Paris City Industrial Savings Bank, where he wired 3 francs to Minister Chopin.

Norbert told them that this was to prevent the Notary Public's investigation from finding out anything, so the money had to be sent out in smaller amounts.

And so, the three of them worked all day, going to more than ten banks, and transferred the bribe of 40 francs in total.

Viscount Norbert glanced at his pocket watch and said to Elach and his companion, "Please try not to contact anyone else during this time. We should have news in about a week."

The Swiss immediately expressed their deepest gratitude and watched Viscount Norbert's carriage disappear into the distance.

However, to their surprise, Norbert's car drove around two streets before stopping in a narrow alley.

Norbert switched to another car that was already parked there and headed straight for the Josette Brothers Bank.

In the VIP room, he said anxiously to the bank manager, "I'm very sorry, but something unexpected happened, and that draft needs to be cancelled immediately."

"Oh, of course, you can deduct the necessary handling fees."

In the fast-paced financial industry of that era, a bill of exchange transaction would take at least two days from receipt to disbursement. Smaller banks like Joseph Brothers Bank were even slower, as the bills of exchange might not even have been registered yet.

A moment later, a bank clerk handed a box of francs to Norbert—he was the one who had signed the draft, and his two “Swiss servants” had paid the money; the bank naturally had no reason to suspect anything at this point.

Without even counting, Viscount Norbert grabbed the trunk containing nearly 4 francs, jumped into the carriage, and headed to the next bank.

Constrained by the bank's slow processing speed, he only managed to return the 18 franc draft before nightfall.

The next day, he continued in the same manner. Except for two banks that said they needed to verify the bill information and he was unable to get the money, by the afternoon his carriage was piled with a huge sum of 34 francs.

(End of this chapter)