"Mr. Emil, could you tell me, what is your ultimate purpose? If that’s the case, wouldn’t you and your brother gain everything?"

Augusta looked puzzled at the Pereire brothers in front of her, unable to fathom Emil Pereire’s intentions.

If the Luxembourg Bank belonged to her and Jerome, then wouldn’t Emil Pereire have worked for nothing.

If bankers are not in it for the money, are they in it for philanthropy?

"Your Majesty the Empress, my brother Isaac Pereire and I, like His Majesty, are steadfast Saint-Simonists (although Emil Pereire didn’t know that Jerome Bonaparte believed in Keynesianism)," Emil Pereire replied devoutly, as if he were a Christian: "I believe the role of a bank is not just to earn sufficient profits. More importantly, it is to alleviate and even eradicate poverty. A country full of poverty will only breed countless extremists!"

"Mr. Emil! If you are truly intent on alleviating poverty, you should be engaging in philanthropy!" Augusta said to Emil Pereire.

Emil Pereire shook his head and responded to Augusta: "Your Majesty, please forgive my bluntness! In many past centuries, we have always relied on alms and charity to alleviate poverty repeatedly. However, such methods only treat the symptoms and not the root cause, instead adding to the social burden, thereby causing greater turmoil. Only by encouraging industrial development to create more jobs and using science and education to not only advance scientifically but also allow workers to participate in investments and share in the profits, planning for post-retirement income..."

Emil Pereire spoke eloquently, positioning himself as a provider of substantial means.

Nonetheless, Empress Augusta did not resent a banker like Emil Pereire, because compared to those who only knew how to earn profits and thus caused more people to go bankrupt, Emil Pereire’s remarks were clearly much better.

"Your Majesty, the wealth my brother and I have earned over the years is enough for several generations to live on, as long as our descendants don’t spend extravagantly. Therefore, we hope to do something meaningful for the whole of society during our lifetime!" Emil Pereire responded solemnly to Empress Augusta.

Empress Augusta pondered for a moment, then continued to smile as she replied to Emil Pereire and Isaac Pereire: "Mr. Emil, I’m afraid I cannot immediately give you an answer! As the issue of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is no small matter!

However, please rest assured that I will inform you of the outcome immediately after consulting with the leaders of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg! Please be patient for a few days!"

"Your Majesty the Empress, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet with us!" Emil Pereire expressed his gratitude to Empress Augusta.

"Mr. Emil, meeting with you has also been very enlightening for me!" Augusta also responded politely, "I sincerely hope society will have more bankers like you. Currently, most bankers only care about their immediate interests, forgetting the country they rely on. Some people are even risking everything to hollow out this country, do they not realize that once the country is hollowed out and collapses, they won’t fare any better!"

Empress Augusta’s complaint made Emil Pereire feel that coming here with his brother was well worth it.

Emil Pereire didn’t need the Empress to support him unconditionally; he just needed the Empress to lean toward them against the Bank of France.

Of course, whether the Luxembourg Bank goes to them depends on His Majesty Napoleon in the distant Crimea Peninsula.

Nonetheless, Emil Pereire was still confident that he could overcome the Bank of France.

After all, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is still an independent country.

Emil Pereire then took out an exquisitely crafted gift box from his pocket.

Holding the gift box with both hands, he presented it to Empress Augusta, "Your Majesty the Empress, this is a gift from my brother and me! Please, you must accept it!"

"This..." Empress Augusta looked at the sealed gift box. She hesitated for a moment, then refused, "Although I do not know what is inside, I can be sure that it must be something of great value, so please allow me to decline it!"

"Your Majesty, please, you must accept it!" Emil Pereire still held the gift box with both hands as he complimented Empress Augusta: "Only someone as noble as you deserves it!"

"Noble? Perhaps!" Empress Augusta smiled and murmured quietly.

Since Emil Pereire had already spoken to this extent, if Augusta did not accept the gift, it would indeed seem somewhat pretentious.

"Mr. Emil, I agree to accept your gift!" Empress Augusta said to Emil Pereire: "However, I also hope you can do something for me!"

"Your Majesty, please speak!" Emil Pereire responded to Empress Augusta.

"I hope you and your brother can accept a noble title!" Empress Augusta said to Emil Pereire: "Your contributions to the Empire are evident, please do not decline this honor!"

Emil Pereire hesitated for a moment. To be honest, he personally did not particularly care about a noble title.

After all, being conferred the title of Baron would not bring him any benefits, but rather expose him to some malice in certain noble social circles.

Some nobles, who lack money but have especially high titles, love to mock bankers who are conferred as Barons at banquets.

By the way, the titles in 19th-century France were akin to loans granted by certain national banks, always being frugal in granting them to those who truly desired titles but did not meet the criteria.

For those who met the criteria, the value of the title paled in comparison to their relationship with the Monarch.

Especially after Jerome Bonaparte took control of France, the method of purchasing national bonds by French bankers shifted from being dominated by one or two powerful bankers to a nationwide effort.

The Imperial Government’s reliance on bankers was far less than during the two Bourbon eras, making it even more important to maintain relations with the Monarch.

However, to maintain the goodwill of Empress Augusta and the Emperor, Emile Pereire still chose to accept.

Subsequently, Empress Augusta informed Emile Pereire that he would be conferred the title of Baron by the Grand Duke of Luxembourg!

Upon hearing the name Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Emile Pereire was first perplexed, then suddenly recalled that the Grand Duke of Luxembourg mentioned by the Empress was indeed Your Majesty.

Your Majesty was not conferring them the title of Baron in the name of the French Empire but rather through the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, perhaps suggesting something?

"Mr. Emile, Mr. Isaac, I hope that after being conferred with noble titles, you will contribute to the Duchy of Luxembourg!" Empress Augusta almost blatantly implied to Emile Pereire and Isaac Pereire.

Emile Pereire quickly nodded, indicating that, as Barons conferred by the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, they would naturally contribute to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, only wondering from which aspect they should exert their efforts.

"Recently, the Duchy of Luxembourg will issue a batch of national bonds, mainly to improve the infrastructure of the Duchy of Luxembourg! However, the situation in the Duchy of Luxembourg is somewhat complex, and interest rates may be slightly low, around 3%!" Empress Augusta sighed and said to Emile Pereire.

For Emile Pereire, the interest rate on the national bonds issued by the Duchy of Luxembourg was indeed somewhat low (with the French interest rate at 4%-5%, the Kingdom of Britain at 3%-7%, and if the Russian Empire dared, a current rate of 10%), but this also aligned with the conditions of the Duchy of Luxembourg itself.

Because the Duchy of Luxembourg itself, apart from forests, had no other resources, there was no alternative to borrowing for building railways and roads.

Of course, the citizens of the Duchy of Luxembourg should feel fortunate to have welcomed a "little father" leading them towards prosperity.

The French Empire could easily spare a little to feed the Duchy of Luxembourg.

"Rest assured! I know what to do!" Emile Pereire answered solemnly.

Afterwards, Empress Augusta chatted briefly with Emile Pereire and Isaac Pereire, during which Empress Augusta learned from Emile Pereire about his "achievements" in the Austrian Empire (seizing the railway line from Prague to Buda-Pest from the Austrian Rothschild Bank, a line second only to Vienna to Budapest).

She reminded Emile Pereire that investments in the Austrian Empire should not only consider economic factors but also appropriately factor in political considerations.

After all, the relationship between the Austrian Empire and the French Empire would remain an alliance for the foreseeable future.

Losing such an alliance over a small sum of money would be somewhat detrimental.

Furthermore, the Austrian Empire itself is a country relatively rich in resources, suitable for long-term profit-making.

"I will convey your words to the person in charge in Austria!" Emile Pereire responded to Augusta.

As a knock sounded from the door, the conversation between Empress Augusta and the Pereire brothers (where Emile Pereire did all the talking, and Isaac Pereire served merely as the background) came to an abrupt halt.

"Please come in!" Empress Augusta responded to the door with an upright posture.

The door opened, and Mokar entered the room. He glanced at the Pereire brothers in the room, his face showing a hesitant expression, as if wanting to avoid speaking in front of them.

Noticing this, the Pereire brothers quickly indicated to Empress Augusta that they had disturbed her for a long time and that it was time for them to leave.

After speaking, the Pereire brothers stood up to leave, and Augusta instructed Mokar to escort the Pereire brothers out of the Tuileries Palace.