I became a son-in-law in the United States

Chapter 10 So, extra money is needed.

Morris was slightly taken aback.

He initially thought Luther was just a young man selling antiques who could be easily dealt with by giving him a small amount of money, but after a brief exchange, he discovered that the situation seemed to be more complicated than he had imagined.

This guy knows Ludwig I just as well as I do, and he knows even more about old European antiquities than I do.

But the next moment, Luther's voice rang out again.

He refuted Morris's point by point with irrefutable facts.

"Mr. Maurice, as far as I know, Napoleon wrote more than three thousand letters during his exile on St. Helena alone. This doesn't even include the love letters he wrote during his reign, his campaigns, and to Josephine. Conservatively speaking, at least tens of thousands of Napoleon's handwritten letters have survived. What your Rockefeller client bought is only one ten-thousandth of that."

Morris's lips twitched, but he didn't reply, nor did he have anything to say.

Because what Luther said was true.

"But," Luther's tone shifted, his gaze sharpening, "how many of Ludwig I's private letters survive?"

He paused, and before Maurice could answer, he gave his own answer.

"No more than three digits, and among them, one contains poetry—to my knowledge, this is the only one."

Luther finished speaking and smiled simply; that was the source of his confidence.

These letters have been kept in the family castle. He's seen them since he was a child, how could he not understand them?

And so, the pressure was put on Morris, and his fingers unconsciously clenched.

Luther, seemingly oblivious, continued:

"More importantly, this is not an ordinary poem. Do you know how famous this poem is in academic circles in Paris and Bavaria?"

"Ludwig wrote thousands of poems in his lifetime, most of which praised Greece and Rome or lauded art and architecture. Only this one is different. To this day, this poem is still popular in certain circles, and some people have even turned it into a song, you know?"

Morris sighed, seemingly convinced by the other party's words.

That's the principle: antiques are always valued for their rarity, especially those with lace trim.

Don't underestimate the extent of Americans' enthusiasm for this kind of European gossip. Napoleon's military letters might only sell for $800, but his love letters to his mistresses start at several thousand dollars.

Since Luther could clearly recount these past events, the auction prices were probably impossible to hide.

Morris sighed. "So, Mr. Luther, what do you mean?"

"I need to pay more," Luther slowly uttered three words.

"How about I offer 2000, Mr. Luther? You know, that's a crazy number," Morris hinted.

"3000." This time, Luther didn't hesitate and immediately gave his price.

He didn't just ask for a price arbitrarily; he also gave his reasons.

"If I remember correctly, a love letter that Napoleon wrote to his mistress Josephine in 1821 sold for $4250 at an auction in New York just three years ago."

In Luther's view, "The Song of the Breasts" was obviously more valuable than Napoleon's love letters. Since Napoleon's love letters could fetch 4250, it was reasonable for him to ask for 3000.

When Morris realized his secret had been exposed and he had no way to refute it, he had no choice but to admit defeat.

He sighed and smiled somewhat helplessly: "Mr. Luther, you're truly an expert."

Then Morris took out a thick checkbook from the safe, flipped to the middle, and neatly wrote down "$3,000.00".

He wrote "Ludwig von" in the "Payee" field—using English font instead of German cursive.

"A promissory note from the First National Bank of Boston," he tore off the check and pushed it in front of Luther, "this is from the best bank in all of Boston. Take this to any bank, and they'll treat it as cash."

Luther took the check, glanced at the amount and signature, folded it, and put it in his suit pocket. The transaction was now complete.

With this funding, things will be much easier for Luther from now on. He can continue his efforts to grow bigger and stronger.

Of course, besides receiving a sum of cash, the most important thing for Luther was getting in touch with Morris.

As long as you can get your hands on European antiques, those hot banknotes will flow into your pockets.

In 1927, this was indeed a good path to wealth.

Of course, these things need to be done in private right now, and we can't even tell Jia, let alone Joseph.

At Kennedy's house, Luther remained the son-in-law, only needing to make occasional appearances.

After leaving the antique shop, Luther started the car and headed towards Brookline's old house.

.................

When they got home, it was almost five o'clock. Luther hadn't gone inside yet, but John F. Kennedy Jr. was already waiting at the door.

He changed into a pair of shorts, revealing his slender calves and thin frame. Seeing Luther approach, Kennedy Jr. walked over with a smile.

"You seem to be in a good mood today, Mr. Luther."

Luther nodded: "Of course, after all, we're newlyweds."

"But I'm in a terrible situation. I can't go anywhere, I have to take a lot of medicine, and I have to deal with boring doctors." He pointed to himself, his face full of helplessness.

Unlike his older siblings, although Johnny Kennedy couldn't go to school, he also couldn't go out freely, so boredom was inevitable.

Luther paused, sighed slightly, and decided to take care of his brother-in-law a little.

Regardless, this is the future president, the true ruler of the country.

Although it's still a few years before he becomes president, shouldn't relationships be cultivated from a young age?

"How about we go for a walk, little one?"

"Really! Brother-in-law!" The brother-in-law naturally changed his address and now directly called him brother-in-law.

"Of course, Brookline has beautiful scenery, but I haven't had a chance to appreciate it properly yet."

"Then I'll take you there."

The next two days were similar, uneventful and peaceful. Luther first hid his private savings, and then began to plan what to do next.

Of course, he was just a salaried employee at Kennedy's house; if he really wanted to get things done, he had to start with old Europe.

Judging from the current market, as long as antiques from Europe can be sent over, they can basically be sold for several times the price.

I could easily act as the middleman, bringing European antiques to the United States to sell and profiting from the price difference.

This matter is already in the planning stage, but there are still some problems in its implementation.

Firstly, Luther was not very familiar with the United States and could not find anyone he could completely trust. He had only reached a cooperation agreement with Morris, which was not enough to make him feel at ease.

Secondly, careful planning is needed for how to get the antiques over, where to put them after they're there, and how to hide any traces of them.

But in any case, Luther's eventful life in America began.