Chapter 61

New book uploaded, seeking favorites and recommendations.

In the northwest corner of London, in the town of Harrow, inside the Maria villa.

"Jason, is that you? Come in, the door isn't locked."

A coquettish voice came from behind a slightly ajar door, belonging to Maria Clementina. Just by hearing her voice, Zhu Jishi could imagine what a bewitchingly beautiful woman she was.

Zhu Jishi, who had just taken a hot bath, pulled at the silk robe on his body, pushed open the door, and stepped into the room with his head held high.

The room before him was extremely spacious, twice as large as the living room in his villa in Manchester. The floor was fully covered with a plush carpet, and walking on it felt like walking on a soft lawn. The room was brightly lit, as bright as daylight, and the furnishings were all in Turkish style. A large couch was placed in the center of the room, and there, lying on it, was a beauty—Maria Clementina. She lay on her side, propping her chin with one hand, and was giggling at Zhu Jishi. Her golden hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her body... was clad only in a red silk corset, her body lying bare on the couch, her breasts high and firm, and only a red silk scarf covering her buttocks, hiding her lower body. Her skin, illuminated by the whale oil lamp, was snow-white and exquisitely beautiful.

A burst of laughter echoed, the sound wet and seductive, which further inflamed Zhu Jishi's already aroused desire—he was a very robust man, passionate about the opposite sex in his previous life, and in this era, he was even less hesitant to indulge in a fleeting romance with beautiful European women.

This was a blatant seduction. If it weren't for the important matters to discuss, Zhu Jishi would have already pounced.

"Maria, let's talk business first," Zhu Jishi said, not eager to indulge in the allure. He sat down next to Maria and picked up a piece of cake from a fruit plate on the coffee table beside the couch, eating it—by this time, it was almost dawn, and after dancing for a few hours at the Olmec Club, his stomach was already empty. He decided to eat while discussing business with Maria Clementina.

"Talk business?"

"Yes, Maria, shouldn't we finalize the cocaine wine business?" Zhu Jishi asked with a smile.

"Alright, let's talk business... ah... ah..." Maria Clementina frowned slightly and moaned softly. It turned out that one of Zhu Jishi's large hands was still roaming over her soft flesh.

Zhu Jishi ignored the coquettish sighs of the seductive woman and continued, "There are two ways to cooperate. One is to jointly establish a company specifically for the production and sale of cocaine wine, with both parties holding 50% of the shares. The second is for your Segur family to exclusively distribute cocaine wine across the European continent, purchasing at least 100,000 pounds worth of cocaine annually starting from 1844, with the quota increasing each year."

The seductive woman thought for a moment and asked, "If we establish a joint company, will there be a requirement to exclusively distribute cocaine?"

"No."

"Will the joint company be the only one operating cocaine wine and cocaine beverages?"

"It will be the only professional company operating cocaine wine and cocaine beverages worldwide until the patent for cocaine expires."

"In that case... 50% of the shares is too much. I can give you a maximum of 15%, and if Jishi Company sells these shares, the Segur family has the right of first refusal." Maria Clementina paused, looking at Zhu Jishi with a hint of resentment, and muttered, "Do you know how many vineyards the Segur family has? 15% of the shares is worth at least 1.5 million francs!"

1.5 million francs? Zhu Jishi took a deep breath, thinking he had struck a good deal. It turned out that this seductive woman wanted to use all the vineyards of the Segur family as shares to cooperate with him!

"But I have one additional requirement," the seductive woman said with a smile.

"Go ahead," Zhu Jishi, who had just gained an advantage in the negotiation, was in a great mood and said, "As long as I can do it, it's no big deal, even if you have ten requirements."

The seductive woman giggled, "Jason, this small request might not be a bad thing for you." She paused and said, "After your activities in Paris, immediately go to Italy with me to treat an important patient. If you can save him from death, you will earn the gratitude of a truly important person."

"Italy? Which Italy?"

Uh, this wasn't the era of "one Italy," but rather there were eight Italies: the Kingdom of Sardinia, Lombardy, Venice, Parma, Modena, Tuscany, the Papal States, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Among them, Venice, Parma, Tuscany, Lombardy, and Modena were ruled by the Habsburg dynasty and could be considered vassals of Austria. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was ruled by the Bourbon dynasty, the Kingdom of Sardinia by the Savoy dynasty, and the Papal States by the Roman Pope, all of which were considered fully independent sovereign states.

"The Castle of Viterbo, located in central Italy, is the territory of Prince Musignano."

"Prince Musignano?" Zhu Jishi had never heard of this prince and knew nothing about Italy.

"His name is Louis Lucien Bonaparte," Maria said, her expression becoming serious.

"Bonaparte!" Zhu Jishi was taken aback; this surname was famous. "Is he related to Napoleon?"

"Prince Musignano is the nephew of His Majesty the Emperor," the seductive woman, though not from Napoleon's era, had a look of reverence when mentioning the French emperor. She paused and continued, "However, Prince Musignano's title was not granted by the Emperor but by Pope Leo XII. Now, the Bonaparte family has a very good relationship with the Roman Curia. Jason, I heard you want to establish a university in Hong Kong. If you can get the support of the Roman Catholic Church, it will be much easier."

The Roman Catholic Church has a tradition of running church schools, and many Roman Catholic priests and Jesuit missionaries are well-educated, some even speaking fluent Chinese, making them ideal candidates for teaching Western knowledge. However, their strong religious influence made Zhu Jishi hesitant to seek help from the Roman Catholic Church.

"Maria, can you tell me who the patient is and what illness they have?"

Zhu Jishi thought, the Roman Catholic Church could be ignored, but the Bonaparte family could not be offended. In a few years, Charles Bonaparte would become the Emperor of France!

"It is His Majesty Louis Bonaparte, the former King of the Netherlands," Maria said solemnly. "He was diagnosed with stomach cancer this year."

"Stomach cancer!" Zhu Jishi took a deep breath and then asked, somewhat puzzled, "Confirmed?"

There were no endoscopes in this era, so confirming stomach cancer would be difficult.

"No," Maria said, "but stomach cancer is a hereditary disease in the Bonaparte family. The Emperor himself, his father, and one of his brothers all died of stomach cancer, so the doctors came to this conclusion." She looked at Zhu Jishi seriously, "Jason, is there a way to treat it?"

"Only surgery to remove the stomach...," Zhu Jishi said uncertainly, "It must be done quickly. If the cancer cells spread, even the gods can't save him!"

As a master's degree holder in basic medicine from the future, Zhu Jishi was very familiar with cancer. This disease could be either minor or major, as different types of cancer cells have varying levels of destructiveness. If Louis Bonaparte's cancer was highly aggressive, he would likely die even in the future.

Conversely, if the surgery is successful, this future French royal (actually the former emperor) could still have many years of life.