"… Gentlemen, I can understand this lady's desire to recommend China's war bonds because she supports China. The reason why I recommend US war bonds is not because I support the US, but because I believe that US bonds will sell better and have a greater chance of success … "The bond representative spoke with fervor and assurance. It was a debate that lasted more than an hour, during which he and Marchioness Grace fully expressed their views. After the two had fully expressed their views, and after Marchioness Grace had made her concluding statement, the bond representative who supported the US war bonds was giving her opinion.
"… Times are changing. In this era, we can of course stick to our own position. I am very much in favor of this, because this kind of adherence comes from our morals. It is something that we may doubt for a moment, but we have no choice but to adhere to it. Of course, we can pit China's war bonds against US's war bonds, but I personally don't recommend it. Supporting US or UK is a political issue, and we are sitting here today to talk about money. Therefore, I believe that all of you will be able to make a clear choice very easily. Will the US bonds bring us more profits, or will the Chinese bonds bring us more profits … "
Marchioness Grace's expression was very serious. The words of this guy clearly moved the hearts of the group of bankers. Although Marchioness Grace believed in China's victory, from the overall situation, it was obvious that this guy who sold US bonds was more prepared.
Perhaps I was distracted by the matter of the child? Marchioness Grace couldn't help but make this judgment. Before she became pregnant, she would stay up all night. She could go to distant cities, and she would do her best to visit all the people she needed to visit. But now, all the core had changed. Before personally going to the Bank of Tuscany to lobby, Marchioness Grace believed that victory was in her grasp. At that time, she didn't expect the opponent in front of her to be so tough. Compared to this guy's confident speech, Marchioness Grace had to admit that her speech was indeed too ordinary.
After both sides finished their statements, the two lobbyists were invited to the conference room next door. The representatives of the Bank of Tuscany held a closed-door meeting. Both of them calmly sat on the sofa. At least from their expressions, both of them were full of confidence. Less than twenty minutes later a secretary came in to invite the U.S. Bond Representative in for a final talk. Marquess Grace watched as her opponent calmly stood up. After tidying up her appearance, she followed her secretary into the conference room.
Seeing that there was no one in the small conference room, Marquess Grace could not help but reveal a dissatisfied expression. She acknowledged the determination of her opponent, but she did not think that the United States could win at all. The difference in military strength between the two sides was too big. In fact, there was no need to talk about the specific equipment of the two armies in the war. Just the fact that China had always been fighting on American soil and the United States had no chance to attack China was enough to determine who was superior.
Time ticked by. After an hour, there was still no movement at the door of the small conference room. This reality meant that the people in the Tuscan banks were becoming more and more interested in US bonds. Those bankers probably really believed that US war bonds could bring them greater profits.
After a full hour and a half, a secretary invited Marquess Grace to attend the conference. The representatives looked a little tired. After all, the meeting had been going on for more than four hours. Marquess Grace was very clear about the physical and mental exhaustion of this kind of non-stop meeting.
"Your Excellency, we hope to discuss the issue of China bonds with you in three months," the convener of the meeting said straightforwardly.
Without waiting for Marquess Grace to answer, the convener continued, "We hope that you can discuss the interest rate of the bonds with China in the next three months. I must say that the interest rate of China war bonds is still too low. "
"A 4% interest rate will still attract many people to save money." Marquess Grace's tone was very cold. At this time, she could no longer bring out the slightest enthusiasm to face these bankers. "China's war bonds are risk-free. A 5% interest rate is not low for a national debt. As the war situation becomes clearer, I think the interest rate of the bonds will be even lower. "
Hearing the Marquess's unyielding stance, the bank representatives were not moved at all. The convener said with a voice like a phonograph, "Your Excellency, this is, after all, a war bond. I hope that you can further communicate with China."
When leaving the Tuscan Bank, Marquess Grace's mood was gloomy. However, she still had to suppress her dissatisfaction and clearly remember what had happened. One of the obligations of the representatives was to report everything as accurately and completely as possible to the board of directors. By the time the report ended, it was already 9 pm. When Marquess Grace returned home, it was already 10 pm. After taking a good bath under a full set of China galvanized stainless steel shower, Marquess Grace wished that she could lean on Wang Mingshan's shoulder. It would be fine if she didn't say anything. She just needed to use this method to calm her mood.
Over the next few days, the bank conducted an investigation based on the information provided by Marquess Grace. Then, the bank organized the shareholders to change into ordinary clothes and travel in an ordinary manner, which was to walk to several ordinary churches. Instead of going to such places one by one, they spread out to increase efficiency.
The church that Marquess Grace went to was located in the ordinary district. Smelling the increasingly strong smell of industrial and domestic waste water, Marquess Grace could not help but vomit a few times. However, she persevered. These smells were not unfamiliar to an ordinary girl like Grace. Her family lived not far from the workers' district.
Her father was a factory technician and her mother was a church school teacher. These two positions had a higher income than ordinary workers and were also more stable. However, it was only enough for Grace and her younger siblings to escape from hunger. Thus, Grace's dream since childhood was to escape from this place. It wasn't just the crowded streets, it wasn't just the surrounding people. What Grace wanted to escape from here was the air and water, the smell of this place. Everything here was connected to the unhappy memories of Glace's childhood and youth. Getting rid of this place meant getting rid of all the pain.
Grace never imagined that one day she would return to this place, a place that brought her so many unhappy memories. Moreover, Grace found that the unhappy memories were not as strong as before. In the past, even if she had to take a long detour, she would do everything possible to avoid this place. Now, however, everything here was getting further and further away from her pain. In a sense, it could only trigger some of her memories. After thinking about it for a moment, Grace determined the reason. She didn't belong here anymore. Nothing here could hurt her anymore.
As she was thinking about her own matters, Grace casually sat down on a seat by the side. Then, she saw the priest appear on the pulpit. The priest's hair and beard were all white, but he didn't look old. In the past, Grace loved to come to the church to listen to the priest's sermon. At that time, the white-haired priest would talk about heaven and hell. However, these weren't the main contents of his sermon. What Grace liked was when the priest told stories from the Bible and compared them with the painful experiences of the audience. Then, he would talk about the role of self-improvement.
To be able to bravely walk out, grit one's teeth, study hard, and rely on the examination system to improve oneself. The positive encouragement provided by the priest was irreplaceable. A large part of the reason why she was able to sit here calmly was because this was a relatively bright place in Grace's memories.
Adhering to the tradition, the priest first read a few passages from the Bible. After the mood of the people in the church had stabilized, his voice suddenly rose. "Recently, everyone should have heard that a war broke out between distant China and distant America. During the war, the Chinese set fire to Chicago. Fire fell from the sky and burned down Chicago."
After a sonorous and forceful voice, the priest lowered his voice and said, "Some people will definitely ask, what does distant China and distant America have to do with us? After all, we have no intention of migrating to distant America, and we have no interest in migrating to the heathen China. "
The tone of the last sentence was rather sarcastic. Many people who came to listen could not help but burst into laughter. Due to her previous habit, Marquess Grace, who was wearing ordinary clothes like 20 years ago, also habitually smiled. However, her mood was far from as relaxed as before.
She relied on China, and the father of the child in her belly was a Chinese. Marquess Grace could no longer look at China with an indifferent attitude. Moreover, it had to be said that Marquess Grace's understanding of the priests had greatly deepened after she met Wang Mingshan. The whole world knew that China's Min dynasty was an atheist country. For such a large and powerful country to refuse to acknowledge the existence of God was a political problem in itself. Moreover, Wang Mingshan's view on religion was very straightforward. "Religion is a big smoke in the soul, making us forget the existence of the real world, or make us look at the real world from a distorted perspective."
Since she had acknowledged the strength of China and Wang Mingshan's strength, Marquess Grace would naturally accept the respect of China. Even in the face of the priest that she once liked, Marquess Grace found that she could not unconditionally accept the priest's attitude like before.
The priest did not notice Marquess Grace's existence. He had always been like this, so his donation plate was never much. However, the priest himself did not care.
As usual, the priest did not immediately repeat the previous topic. Instead, he changed the topic to talk about the current situation. The current situation of the ordinary people, whether ordinary workers lost their jobs, and whether the farmers' business was worse. The priest changed the topic and talked about how many people had to leave Italy to make a living elsewhere. The United States was the first choice of the Europeans.
"… In the land of Christ, all believers are equal. However, in the land of pagans, in the land of atheists who are even more evil than pagans, do you think there will be such treatment? I can tell you, absolutely not! Absolutely! Absolutely! "The priest changed the topic again and directly touched on the most recent big problem.
The priest's description emphasized three things: "the same white people", "the same oppression by the powerful", "the same precarious future". Then, the priest's prescription was to support the Americans in fighting the Chinese. This was not only God's expectation, but also a choice that was beneficial to the white people.
In the end, the priest proposed that the Church would support the purchase of American war bonds. These bonds were different from the war bonds issued by the United States. They had been blessed by the Pope and were closer to God. Moreover, with the same amount of compensation, the actual purchase price would be lower.
"This is not only your attitude towards God, but also your expectations for the future. The United States will continue to exist, and all immigrants will have a place to go. If China occupies the United States, God's people will be massacred, and we will also have no future! Everyone, you are not buying bonds. You are redeeming your conscience and proving your faith! "The priest spoke passionately, and the audience was deeply moved.
Marquess Grace was also deeply moved, but not because of the stimulation of religious faith. She could already link some things together, such as the guy who supported the American bonds had the background of the Church. Now, the things that the priest was encouraging were complete proof. Marquess Grace could even recall a detail. The American bond representative had a rosary with a cross on his wrist, which was obviously the handiwork of the Vatican's craftsmen.
After confirming the enemy's location, Marquess Grace looked at the priest with an expression that was not as warm as before. This attitude that was completely based on the will of the Church was not the priest that Marquess Grace was familiar with. Back then, the priest once said something that deeply touched her, so much so that more than ten years later, it was firmly engraved in her heart. "Before God, all people are equal. And those who are lazy, let them be more equal than those who are not lazy. "
This speech that simultaneously pointed out reality and truth made Grace unable to believe that the priest would actually completely reveal the side of the Vatican's lackey.
When the sermon ended, Marquess Grace wanted to get up and leave, but a certain emotion made her stop and turn back. Although she was wearing ordinary clothes, the wallet she took out was of the highest quality. She took out a stack of cash and placed it on the dedication plate. Ignoring the surprised gazes of the others, Marquess Grace turned around and left.
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