The prospects for department stores and cosmetics-related businesses were already foreseeable, and since the two of them were already considered “lifelong” friends, Duchess Maria readily agreed to Otto’s cooperation proposal, even inviting Otto to “inspect the market” across France with her.
Otto did not refuse such a convenient arrangement that served both public and private interests. Thus, a little over a month after arriving in Paris, Otto and Duchess Maria once again inspected various locations in France together.
During this time, Otto confirmed the situation of department stores in various places and made some adjustments based on employee performance.
Because the company expanded too quickly, coupled with the long distance to France, many problems were discovered. Otto also showed decisive means, swiftly dealing with a group of people, which served as a warning to others and put some pressure on those below him.
In addition, Otto also discovered many diligent and outstanding talents among the new employees of the department stores.
He was not stingy with verbal encouragement and substantial rewards for these individuals; promotions and bonuses were plentiful, showcasing his demeanor as a prince who valued talent.
With Otto, the boss, personally inspecting and supervising, coupled with the assistance of the Segur Family, the sales of department stores and cosmetics quickly took shape in France. At the same time, the improvement of various internal regulations and performance appraisal and reward systems also led these employees into an era of internal competition.
After concluding his trip to France, Otto led a group of people across the English Channel to London, where he visited the British royal family.
At this time, the British royal family and the royal families of Germany were very close. William IV, the King of Britain, also concurrently served as the Duke of Hanover, and Otto received a grand reception.
During the banquet hosted by William IV for Otto, he also met the future famous Queen Victoria in the palace.
At this time, Queen Victoria was only twelve years old. Due to her father's early death, she was originally fostered with her uncle, Leopold I, who was about to become the King of Belgium.
Although William IV had illegitimate children, he never had a legitimate heir, and his health had recently been deteriorating. Under pressure from various parties, he could only bring Victoria, who was currently the first in line to the throne, to Britain.
After briefly observing the future queen, who was still a young loli, Otto had a strange feeling of witnessing historical change.
At this time, Palmerston, the British Foreign Secretary, was negotiating with France over the issue of Belgium's independence.
During the London Conference in 1815, the then British Foreign Secretary, Viscount Castlereagh, and Austria's Prime Minister Metternich, jointly planned to merge Belgium and Netherlands to form the Kingdom of Netherlands, hoping this country would serve as a barrier against French invasion into Germany.
At that time, the Kingdom of Sardinia, established by the Savoy Family in northern Italy, held a similar role to the Kingdom of Netherlands.
However, the fates of the two countries differed greatly. The Savoy Family from Germany, after many years of effort, utilized the conflicts between Austria and France to eventually unify the Italian region.
In 1830, an independence uprising occurred in Brussels. The newly established Kingdom of Netherlands, after just over ten years, split again. Both Britain and France had no intention of maintaining the Kingdom of Netherlands and instead planned to support their “own people.”
The British chose Leopold I, Queen Victoria's uncle, while the French hoped for Duke of Nemours, the youngest son of King Louis Philippe of France, to be elected. Both sides wished to control this nascent Kingdom of Belgium.
However, Otto knew that at present, France, whether in terms of national strength or the government's own will, was unwilling to engage in a direct conflict with Britain. Ultimately, Foreign Secretary Palmerston issued a threat:
“If Nemours accepts the crown, it will lead to a European war.” Under this threat, France still conceded, allowing Leopold I to become the King of Belgium.
During his time in Britain, by using various cosmetics as gifts and demonstrating exquisite hunting skills, Otto gained a lot of favor from British aristocratic officials, met many British political figures, including the King of Britain, and found several collaborators.
One of the more important ones was the current British Foreign Secretary, Palmerston, a rising star in British politics.
As far as Otto knew, Palmerston had inherited nothing from his father except debts and a peerage. However, it was through his excellent “bedside politics” skills that he successfully pleased several influential ladies in Britain, and by utilizing their connections, he climbed step by step to his current position.
In Otto's impression, Palmerston was a typical politician, sufficiently shameless and thick-skinned. He was also a key promoter of Britain's future war against the Far East Empire.
However, this did not prevent Otto from befriending him, as Otto knew that, according to historical development, this Foreign Secretary would even become the British Prime Minister in the future, until his arrogance led to him being discovered misbehaving in the palace, incurring the disgust of Queen Victoria and her husband, and losing the trust of the royal family, which gradually led to his downfall.
Otto's purpose for this trip was actually twofold: in addition to expanding his business network, he also wanted to get to know more powerful figures in Britain and France.
After all, whether he could become the King of Greece primarily depended on the attitudes of Britain, France, and Russia, and to secure his throne, it was even more crucial to be on good terms with Britain.
Currently, the British Royal Navy is the world's strongest, and Greece's long coastline also puts it under immense pressure for coastal defense.
At the same time, on land, Greece only borders the Ottoman Empire, and the current Ottoman Empire is highly dependent on Britain. Only Britain is willing to provide sufficient assistance to the Ottoman Empire in resisting Russia.
Therefore, whether before becoming the King of Greece or after, the relationship with Britain is truly impossible to ignore.
Even if the Mediterranean is very low on Britain's national strategic priorities, a stable external environment in the future requires a good relationship with Britain.
Otto socialized widely in London, while the butler who accompanied him was busy with investments in Britain. In addition to department stores, he also acquired several newspapers, visited British textile mills and steel factories, and collected intelligence on the country's industry, all the same things as in France.
This trip was even smoother than Otto had expected, successfully expanding the businesses of department stores and Venus's Secret to France and Britain.
Now, department stores have had a good start in Britain and France, and they have also attracted many powerful partners. Coupled with the huge profits of the cosmetics company, if nothing unexpected happens, it can generate millions of pounds in revenue for him annually.
It had been more than half a year since he left Bavaria. In addition to business gains, he had also strengthened his connections with the business and political circles of Britain and France. At the same time, Otto couldn't help but complain about the transportation of this era.
Railways had only recently appeared, and even in Britain, they were not fully laid out, and they were even rarer on the European continent. Therefore, throughout the entire journey, Otto either rode a horse or traveled by carriage, which also led to the extended duration of the trip.
'It seems that Bavaria's first railway appeared four or five years later in history. Once I get to Greece, I will definitely build more railways and roads…'
Looking at the city of Munich in the distance, Otto thought to himself. His experiences in his previous life in his home country left him with a deep impression on national development, and one of them was that to get rich, you must first build roads.
Greece's territory is not large, and even if all towns are connected by rail, he can afford it.
Developed transportation also has great benefits for central control over local areas, facilitating centralized power.
In the history of the Far East Empire, apart from Emperor Chongzhen, who was fooled, there were few emperors who, merely to save a little silver, actually voluntarily abolished post stations in various places.
“You brat, you finally decided to come back!” Queen Therese said in an exasperated tone when she saw Otto.
“I can’t help it, the transportation on this journey was terrible.” Otto complained briefly, then quickly changed the subject: “Oh, by the way, Mother, I bought you a lot of gifts in Paris!”
After a trip out, one couldn't forget to bring some local specialties home, especially with a large number of relatives at home. The gifts Otto brought back filled several carriages.
Seeing that her youngest son still remembered to bring gifts and hadn't gone wild outside and forgotten her, Queen Therese nodded. Then, as if remembering something, she said, “Speaking of which, you are already sixteen, almost seventeen. It’s time to consider marriage.”
“Marriage?! I’m not even of marriageable age yet. Is there a need to rush so much?” Hearing this, Otto couldn't help but frown slightly.
How could he have time to consider marriage now?
If history doesn't change, in a few months, as the internal conflicts in Greece further expand, the current Governor of Greece, Ioannis Kapodistrias, will be assassinated. At that time, Otto will have to find a way to contend for the King of Greece.
After being reborn for so long, as he understood more about European politics, Otto gained a deeper understanding of the true nature of this world.
Although history records it as just a single sentence, that Otto I was eventually chosen to be the King of Greece at the London Conference, there was intense political maneuvering behind it.
Over the years, various European bloodlines could be traced through convoluted paths, and there were quite a few people qualified to inherit crowns, but there were only so many crowns.
Although Greece was just a small Mediterranean country this time, it was still a throne. For the original body to become the King of Greece, it must have involved the use of the family's political resources.
No one knew what the original body did in it, but there wasn't much a common little prince could do. From a historical perspective, the original body was not a genius; at most, he was a mediocre king.
Otto now felt that he should be able to do much better than the original body. At least he was rich now and had attracted many powerful figures in Britain and France through business. Coupled with the royal family's connections, he would certainly achieve better results.
It should be known that on this trip, Otto also got to know many high-ranking figures in Britain and France, some of whom he could speak to. He had long prepared a list for this purpose, and when changes occurred, he would ask these people for help to see if he could bribe them to speak for him.
“No, marriage is a lifelong matter. What could be more important than choosing a suitable wife? Besides, I’m not asking you to get married immediately; now we are just choosing suitable candidates to get engaged first.”
Queen Therese didn't care what Otto was thinking. As a mother, her children's marriages were a big deal to her:
“Before, I had people collect a list of eligible princesses in Europe, and they have already undergone preliminary screening. During this time, you must choose a satisfactory one with me and propose quickly, otherwise, if someone else gets ahead, you will regret it too late!”
Queen Therese didn't wait for Otto to decline again and directly issued the order.
Helplessly, Otto could only accept and began to participate in choosing his future wife based on the information provided by Queen Therese.
The concept of matching social status is not only present in the East, but even more emphasized in the West. When Otto saw Victoria among the candidates, he couldn't help but twitch his lips even more.
The other party was only twelve years old now, and even if they were to marry, it would probably have to wait until she came of age.
But then again, if he married Victoria, would he not have to be the miserable King of Greece, and instead become the man behind the Queen of the British Empire, and it seemed the chances of success were not small now?