Chapter 477: The Scent of Industry
Not long after, at the coronation ceremony of Leopold II as King of Bohemia, the French envoy presented a public gift—a delicate model of a villa and a gold-plated key. This represented a luxury property in Paris's "Starlight Garden," valued at 50,000 florins.
Since Leopold II was to inherit a dozen royal titles, this gift was among the most expensive at any single coronation ceremony.
Immediately, Austrian nobles and foreign officials attending the ceremony began inquiring about "Starlight Garden." The French envoy's attendants enthusiastically took on the role of salespeople.
Soon, with a villa in "Starlight Garden" displaying the Habsburg family crest and numerous German tycoons showing interest in the property, the wealthy in France could no longer sit idly by.
They were then introduced to the unheard-of concept of a property lottery, which only fueled their desire to purchase. The price for a purchase number quickly skyrocketed to 5,000 francs.
Just over two weeks later, all the properties in "Starlight Garden" were sold out, and people had already begun asking about the second phase of the project.
Meanwhile, Joseph had already launched the development plan for the wasteland between Paris and Versailles. This included the construction of a large number of affordable housing units to offset the impact of "Starlight Garden" on Paris's real estate prices and ensure that ordinary Parisians could still afford to live in the city.
...
In a modest home in the Louvre district of Paris, Anthony, a salesman for the French Royal Insurance Company, was enthusiastically explaining to a couple before him, "Whether it's an attack by criminals or a fall from a carriage, as long as there's injury or disability, you can receive substantial compensation from our 'Personal Accident Insurance.' Let me see..."
He flipped through the documents in his hand. "For a typical injury, you can get 800 francs in compensation. In the unfortunate event of death, the payout is 1,500 francs. And all of this coverage is yours for just 10 francs a year. Oh, and the premium for ladies and children is as low as 7 francs."
The Evans couple exchanged glances, clearly interested.
They had already decided to purchase an education insurance policy. They had just had a son this year and were planning for his future education. This education insurance required an annual payment of 80 francs for eight years, after which the insurance company would cover all tuition fees for both regular school and university, plus a monthly food allowance of 6 francs[Note 1].
What pleased them most was that if their son decided not to attend university, the full amount would be refunded when he turned 20!
The insurance salesman also introduced them to other policies, such as "Property Insurance," "Health Insurance," and "Pension Insurance," all of which were new offerings from the French Royal Insurance Company.
These were all part of Joseph's plan.
While these types of insurance might seem ordinary to people in later centuries, they were absolutely novel and attractive in an era where only "Marine Insurance" and "Fire Insurance" existed.
However, the risk of accidents in the 18th century was much higher than in the 21st, so the Royal Insurance Company initially targeted only nobles and wealthy merchants—those who could afford to pay for coverage and were less likely to encounter accidents than the general populace.
In the end, the Evans couple purchased an education policy and Mr. Evans also signed up for personal accident insurance.
The salesman Anthony promptly collected the deposit, issued a receipt, and scheduled a contract signing date before hurrying off to his next client.
Insurance sales had been booming lately, and he could sell more than a dozen policies a day, earning so much commission that his hands ached from counting it.
There were currently thousands of salesmen like Anthony across France, all aggressively marketing the company's latest insurance products.
The Royal Insurance Company's daily revenue stream approached 400,000 francs, with its ability to attract funds rivaling that of a bank!
At the same time, the French Royal Insurance Company had opened branches in the Netherlands, Austria, and Sardinia, where, in addition to the standard insurance products, sales staff were also heavily promoting something called "Investment Insurance."
Buyers "only" needed to pay a certain amount of premium each year to the insurance company—starting at a minimum of 300 francs, with no upper limit. After 15 years of payments, they would receive 3% interest monthly from the insurance company until their death. Moreover, at the age of 50 or upon their death, the full amount of the premiums would be refunded!
People in the 21st century might recognize this as a scam, but it's undeniable that, on the surface, investment insurance seemed incredibly attractive.
Especially for people still living in a feudal society, who loved the idea of stable and guaranteed returns. As a result, investment insurance became a hot seller in various countries, generating an additional two to three million francs per month for the Royal Insurance Company.
As for Britain, the Royal Insurance Company did not directly establish a branch there but instead launched a new "Atlantic Insurance Company," which officially had no connection to the Royal Insurance Company.
If the British ever dared to meddle with France's continental balance, this insurance company could easily collapse as a form of retaliation.
According to Joseph's plan, when the tax farming system was abolished and the government reclaimed the right to collect taxes, the real estate and insurance industries should have raised over 50 million francs.
...
Southern suburbs of Paris.
In a luxurious yet understated villa, Goldsmith, led by a servant, stepped into a spacious meeting room.
Inside, a dozen people were seated around an oval conference table, chatting in small groups.
When they heard someone enter, they glanced casually at Goldsmith but didn't pay much attention, continuing their conversations.
Goldsmith didn't mind. He was just a small banker, and his business was primarily in Britain. The fact that he had been invited to this meeting was already a significant achievement, so he wasn't concerned with how others treated him.
Following the servant's gesture, he sat in a chair near the end of the table and immediately noticed the "Ergonomique" logo stamped on the conference table.
He was surprised. "Ergonomique" was a popular brand of "synthetic board" furniture in Paris, and it was very expensive. The conference table in front of him must have cost nearly 1,000 francs.
Yes, currently, due to the low production of casein glue, synthetic board furniture was much more expensive than solid wood furniture. However, with features like "insect resistance" and "non-deformable," coupled with Joseph's personal promotion, synthetic board furniture had become the trend for high-end furniture.
Goldsmith lowered his head, inhaling the table's distinctive scent, and couldn't help but marvel: What a captivating smell. This must be what they call the "scent of industry"!
If Joseph had heard his thoughts, he would have been embarrassed to tell him that it was actually the smell of formaldehyde, which was harmful to health if inhaled too much.
Note 1: In 18th-century Europe, "regular school" roughly equates to what we would call secondary school today.
(End of Chapter)
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