"Otto, come inside."
He opened the door and entered into the room. He saw prime minister Ladislaw who was working at his desk. As for his father, he was also working with a mountain of documents around him. Then his father told him,
"Can you wait for 5 minutes, Otto? I am going to finish this one fast."
"Don't worry. Take your time, Father."
He sat on the sofa beside his father's desk and saw today's newspaper in front of him. He grabbed it and started reading it.
'Today is 27th January 1828. Is there any important news today's newspaper has? It does not have. Now I think now there is a negotiation going on between different German states for making a customs union, especially between Bavaria and Württemberg. If history repeats itself, in 1828, a customs union will be set up in southern Germany by Bavaria and Württemberg, joined in 1829 by the Palatinate; also, in 1828 the central German states will establish a similar union, which included Saxony, the Thuringian states, electoral Hesse, and Nassau. In 1834 these will be among the 18 states that joined in the Zollverein. Hanover and Oldenburg joined in 1854; the Mecklenburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Lauenburg, and Lübeck will join in 1867; all of Germany outside Austria will be included except Hamburg and Bremen. These trade unions will be used by Prussia to pave the way for united Germany due to their excellent military achievements. Customs union is a really impressive way of making sure one ally will rely on another ally economically so if war comes to them, they can be sure of support from monetary to military. I should watch it for now. Maybe there will be some opportunities where I can get something from this.'
He woke up from his thoughts when he heard his father's voice.
"What are you thinking deeply?"
"Nothing special Father. I am here because I have been thinking about investing in industries by using my own money."
"Oh, investment huh? Where are you going to invest then? Did you research about everything before investing?"
"Yeah. I am going to invest in the brewery, textile, printing & publishing industries. I have already investigated them properly."
Apparently, his father thought he wanted some business experience. 'Michael is a reliable butler, so he can manage his business effectively. But I need to make sure Otto will not be lazy in his business.' With these thoughts in his mind, his father told him,
"I understand. It is good that you want to do something for yourself. But what If you fail what will you do then??"
"Give me one and a half year. If I fail, I will not enter into business fields before my age becomes 18. Also, you can control all the money I have as you wish. And if I become successful, you will give me 30000 Gulden as a gift. Is it a deal?"
His father was perplexed by his son's confidence. At only 13 years old, where did he get this assurance? He had no idea, but it was evident in the way his son conducted himself. He was sure and self-assured, never wavering in his decisions. His father wondered where this courage had come from, but he was proud that his son possessed such a trait. So, he surrendered without too much opposition.
"Okay. It is a deal but work hard boy. I have never liked those who speak only big. Well, do you need anything more?"
"No, thank you, Father."
Then he looked at prime minister Ladislaw and asked him
"How is your day, Mr Prime Minister."
Ladislaw looked at him and Otto saw that Ladislaw was really worn out. He had dark circles under his eyes. Then his father interrupted his thought and told him sternly,
"Since you have nothing to say you can go now. Don't disturb him. He has a lot of work to do."
"Okay, I am leaving, Father. Have a nice day, Mr. Prime Minister."
Then he left the room.
After he left, Ladislaw looked at Ludwig and smiled.
"It's funny how cheeky he is. It's fine with me. What do you think, your majesty?"
"Should I increase your workload, old man?"
"It is possible for you to kill this old man if you have the will to do so. Your majesty. I won't resist."
As he spoke, he raised his hand without resistance.
"Alright, stop joking and go back to work."
"Okay, Your Majesty. But you should ask him which companies he wants to invest in. Why you did not ask him? Can you tell me?"
"It's not something he wants to share with me. So, I will not ask him about it. I can learn from him later anyway."
"Oh, I Understand. Do you want me to watch him over?"
"No need. He has a capable butler. He can take care of him."
"Okay."
"Oh, what about your work on making the custom union between Württemberg and our country?"
"William I agree with our request. He wants us to arrange a time when he can visit Bavaria to sign the deal."
"Arrange it as fast as possible. Talk with other Southern German states, how is it going?"
"They all have political problems. From my estimation, we can get clear answers from them in 2-3 months. You need to wait, Your Majesty."
"Be fast. We need a big alliance for the survival of Bavaria."
"Alright, Your Majesty. Oh, I forgot. I already send a letter to Austria."
"Let us wait for the answers of Habsburgs then."
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Otto was on his way after his talk with his father.
"I am quite exhausted and need some rest. Once I've recharged, I can contemplate which ground-breaking invention to introduce to my new employees."
He went into his room to rest once he reached his room.
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Note: I am going to mention Otto's father as Ludwig instead of his father.
Zollverein- Customs union in the German language