shadow of britain

Chapter 701 The Princess’ Electromagnetism Teacher?

Arthur looked at Palmerston's serious face and knew that the two of them would probably not be able to make any substantial progress today.

Palmerston wanted Arthur to change his position, not simply to punish him.

However, this was not because Palmerston was a magnanimous person, but because behind Arthur were a group of radical Whig representatives headed by Lord Brougham and Earl Daramore.

In the eyes of this group of radical liberals, supporting the Circassian mountain people in their fight against the tyranny of Tsarist Russia is not only not a mistake, but it even has some of the heroism and courage of Don Quixote charging at the windmills.

The Whig Party was now in a state of disunity due to the issue of the Irish Church, and everyone unanimously agreed that Viscount Melbourne would take over as Prime Minister because he was a kind and slow-tempered person, and everyone placed their hopes on him to bridge the conflicts within the party.

If Palmerston had openly called on the government to severely punish Arthur over the Circassian issue at this moment, this would only have further provoked conflict.

But if he turned a blind eye to Arthur's actions, he would inevitably worry that the restless guys in other embassies abroad would be encouraged and become keen to emulate Arthur and Urquhart.

As for why Palmerston did not go to Urquhart but found Arthur, it was naturally because Urquhart had long been labeled as "difficult to control" by Palmerston.

Urquhart's record in Greece and the Near East shows him to be, at best, an idealist and, at worst, a complete fool.

What made Palmerston even more troubled was that Urquhart was impulsive and stubborn, and rarely bowed to others. And because of his family background and social circle, he also had enough confidence to maintain his edges.

Therefore, if he was summoned to the Foreign Office hastily, it was another matter whether Sir David Urquhart would be willing to come. Even if he did come, it was very likely that Palmerston would be embarrassed.

As the saying goes, if you compare yourself with others, you will die, but if you compare goods, you will throw them away.

Compared with David Urquhart, Arthur certainly seemed very easy to deal with.

Although Arthur was not necessarily less courageous than Urquhart, and even his mind was much deeper than Urquhart, at least in public, Arthur was still decent in his actions and words.

Moreover, Palmerston originally thought that Arthur's resignation was just a pretense. He was pretending to be a freedom fighter in order to gain reputation and stop losses in time when he knew that he could not conceal the problem.

Therefore, he felt that as long as he expressed forgiveness and offered Arthur a position of the same level in the Chinese Embassy in France in exchange, he would be able to make Arthur admit his mistake and thus set an example for other embassies abroad of "admitting one's mistakes and improving them is a great virtue."

However, what he didn't expect was that Arthur's behavior today was completely like a person who is not afraid of wearing shoes even if he is barefoot.

It seemed that this guy was really planning to give up the high-ranking position and generous salary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the beautiful cars and beauties in the high-class balls. He gave up so much for the sake of a group of Circassians whom he had never met in the remote corner of the Caucasus.

Is he really a brainless idealist?
Palmerston thought about it carefully and thought that this was not impossible.

After all, this is a police officer who rose to prominence with a court speech against the Bloody Act, and who to this day carries the title of Great Britain’s finest police officer, a title officially certified by His Majesty the King and the Privy Council.

Before Palmerston could figure out what Arthur was doing, he saw the first police knight in British history stand up and bow calmly, and then speak in a polite and deliberate tone: "Your insights are very beneficial, especially in the definition of moral influence. If diplomacy is regarded as an ongoing drama, then I believe you are Sheridan on the stage."

This is not a good thing to say about Sheridan on stage, after all, this famous playwright is famous for writing satirical comedies.

Sheridan was also the grandfather of Mrs. Norton, the heroine in Viscount Melbourne's extramarital affair case.

This made Palmerston wonder whether Arthur, who had calmed the storm for Viscount Melbourne, had received any guarantees from the new prime minister.

The corners of Palmerston's mouth trembled, but he nodded as a polite farewell.

Arthur left his office and walked along the corridor of the Foreign Office towards the door.

Just as he stepped down the steps, a familiar voice rang out: "How is it? Has he shown mercy? Life is not easy for the Liaison Office in Dutch Celebes."

Arthur turned his head and saw Schneider, Assistant Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, leaning against a marble column at the edge of the corridor.

Arthur laughed, then shrugged and said, "To be honest, if Palmerston hadn't told me that he was trying to maintain world peace, I would have thought he was trying to stuff the whole world into the old bottle of the Vienna Conference."

"Oh, no, Arthur, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is indeed full of pacifists. All of us here advocate peace and order." Schneider responded seriously, "It's just that the peace and order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs refers to the kind of peace and order that is established after others have finished fighting, and we are the ones who clean up the mess in the end."

Arthur put his hands in his pockets, as if he was still recalling the conversation with Palmerston: "He also gave me a moral lesson. The content includes but is not limited to: don't interfere, don't provoke war, don't take sides, don't take responsibility. If we summarize this meeting in diplomatic terms, it is nothing more than 'sufficient exchanges of opinions and frank exchanges of concerns between the two sides'."

"How about something more popular?"

Arthur paused, a malicious smile on his face. "I probably told him tactfully that if there is another Peterloo, I would rather order the police to shoot the politicians who ordered the army to advance instead of the rioters."

When Schneider heard Arthur's words "I'd rather shoot a politician", he made a "tsk" sound, as if he had drunk a glass of gin and water. "Are you planning to give up your job as a civil servant? Please, brother, if you plan to run for a seat in parliament in the future, don't say such angry words in parliament."

Arthur said, while slowly adjusting the collar of his windbreaker, "Don't worry, I didn't say this in Parliament. I only told you on the steps of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And I said 'if there is another time', a pure subjunctive mood, the usage is impeccable."

Schneider squinted at him and said, "Tell me the truth, are you really planning to run for election? We have known each other for quite a while, but with all due respect, what happened in the Caucasus is really not something you would do. If you are not trying to create public opinion for your candidacy, I really can't imagine why you are doing this." Arthur raised his eyebrows and did not give a direct answer. Instead, he smiled and said, "These days, saying that someone is 'preparing to run for election' is like saying that he is planning to get married. It is a kind of insult. August, you know that parliament is not a place for civilized people."

"Nothing, I just think... your neither humble nor arrogant but slightly provocative attitude today is indeed very suitable for you to sit in the House of Commons and slam the table with others."

Arthur stood in front of the door of 15 Downing Street and looked up at the smoke-shrouded sky above the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "August, you think too highly of me. I'm just an old policeman with a little obsession. Compared to you professional diplomats, I haven't learned how to win respect without discussing my position."

Schneider patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Don't be discouraged, brother. I don't understand what you have been through in Russia. But if you want to appear more professional, it's not that difficult. You just need to lower your bottom line. As for Sir David Urquhart, well...if you believe me, it's best to stay away from him. You know, those sincere idealists are often more difficult to predict than speculators, because they would rather lose their positions than lose their principles."

Arthur took off his hat and said goodbye to Schneider with a smile: "That's better than losing both your position and your principles. I'll treat you to a meal next week. You choose the place and I'll pay the bill. I won't bother you any more today, August."

Arthur stepped into the car, but before he sat down, he heard a slightly sarcastic complaint from his left: "You came out so leisurely. I'm almost like a wax figure sitting in this car."

Arthur subconsciously tilted his head to look. In the semi-dark space of the carriage, Mr. Benjamin Disraeli was sitting with his legs crossed, holding an ivory-handled cane in his hand, with a resentful expression on his face, like a neglected Persian cat.

Arthur closed the car door and sat down opposite him slowly: "Why are you here?"

"Of course I came to see you, a rebellious diplomat, making fun of yourself." Disraeli winked, "and by the way, I came to remind you, my dear gentleman, whether you have forgotten something."

"I forgot to bring flowers for Palmerston?"

"You forgot to ask Peel and the Duke of Wellington about my change of constituency!"

Disraeli was so angry that he almost knocked over the cane at his feet.

"I knew it!" he said indignantly. "You vowed the night before last that you would take advantage of the conversation to hint at something, but now you have completely forgotten my script. Instead, you have treated the Foreign Office as a performance site and have been rehearsing your lines with Palmerston!"

Arthur slapped his head, then rubbed his temple and replied rather awkwardly: "Benjamin, this... is indeed my fault. Too many things have happened in the past few days. The Caucasus and Kensington Palace were all in my head, and I squeezed you out."

Disraeli was about to get angry, but then he frowned again: "I know about the Caucasus, but what about Kensington Palace?"

"Basically, this is a private job, but the clients are all official. Or to put it more bluntly, they plan to send me to Kensington Palace."

Disraeli was no fool, so he only had to think for a moment before he understood what sort of thing his old friend had gotten into, especially since he had previously taken the initiative to talk to Arthur about the complicated family relationships within the royal family.

Disraeli's eyes widened, his mouth almost unable to close: "You... Arthur, you mean, they want you to infiltrate..."

Arthur put his finger between his lips, signaling Disraeli to be quiet: "Benjamin, keep your voice down. I am now a free man without any official duties, and I have no intention of participating in politics in the short term."

"No intention of participating in politics?" Disraeli lowered his voice, but his rich expression still showed that he wanted to shout: "Do you know what is the most dangerous thing on this island? It's not the Russian spies! It's not the Parisian dancers! It's the guy sitting next to the throne who says he has no intention of participating in politics!"

"Kensington... Kensington..." Disraeli repeated the word over and over again. "I think I understand why they want to do this. Oh, it is true that when the Tories were in power, they did not care about the Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria, the two Whig protégés, but now, they can no longer tolerate the heir presumptive to the throne becoming the living property of the Whigs."

Arthur said, "Does the Tory Party want the Duke of Cumberland to inherit the throne more than Princess Victoria?"

"Duke of Cumberland? Don't do that!" Disraeli pinched his nose and waved his hands. "I don't know what the Duke of Wellington thinks, but at least the Peel faction and I personally can't stand this! The Tories are indeed a conservative party, so compared to the Whigs' smell of money, our aristocracy is stronger. But then again, the Duke of Cumberland's aristocracy is a bit too strong, and you can even smell the flavor of the Middle Ages."

"It seems that we both agree on this point." Arthur curled his lips and said, "I seem to have forgotten to tell you that I once met the Duke of Cumberland."

Disraeli gloated when he heard this: "He must have left a deep impression on you, right?"

"More than profound," Arthur began. "At the time, I was at Scotland Yard, and I happened to be invited by the Duke of Sussex to go to the Royal Society to investigate missing persons. The Duke of Cumberland was arguing with his brother there, and when he learned that I was the policeman who got promoted by chance because of Catholic Emancipation and the Bloody Act reforms, he almost rolled his eyes on the spot."

Disraeli laughed and said, "He may not have gone after you, but your Catholic faith was a huge minus in his mind at the time."

Arthur shook his head and said, "Let the past be the past. Although it is indeed a bit unpleasant, it is not important now. Especially after the parliamentary reform was passed. Although the vicious face of the Duke of Cumberland is still there, it is no longer important."

"But," said Disraeli, "how are they going to let you get into Kensington? They can't leave you to figure it out on your own, can they?"

"Unfortunately, you came true."

Arthur was not very satisfied with the arrangement made by the Duke of Wellington and Sir Peel. Even though this was indeed an opportunity, it was too difficult for him to break the Kensington system by himself. "In short, they think this is a test I must go through in order to cleanse myself of the sins I committed on the Caucasus issue. Although I have been trying my best to figure out how to become a tutor that can catch the eye of the Duchess of Kent, there has been no progress so far."

"They want you to be the tutor of the Crown Prince?" Disraeli muttered, counting on his fingers. "Princess Victoria's dancing teacher is Mary Taglioni, her singing teacher is Luigi Labraquet, her religious teacher is George Davis, Bishop of Chester, and her etiquette teacher is the Duchess of Northumberland, granddaughter of Clive, the conqueror of India... The German, French, and Latin positions are all filled. What do they want you to teach the princess? It can't be electromagnetism, can it? Arthur, I don't mean to belittle you, but I think if the Duchess of Kent really wants to do this, she might prefer Michael Faraday."

Arthur was indeed powerless to fight back against Disraeli's evaluation: "Well, Benjamin, I have to admit that Mr. Faraday is indeed a better choice than me in this regard. His academic reputation is simply impeccable."

"Academic reputation?" Disraeli frowned. "Arthur, what are you talking about? Although I don't understand natural philosophy, I don't think your talent is much lower than Faraday's. I think Faraday is more likely to receive an invitation purely because the Duchess of Kent is one of Faraday's ardent supporters."

(End of this chapter)