shadow of britain

Chapter 893 If Hastings were not in Fleet Street, I wonder how many would claim to be emperor and how many would claim to be king.
When Disraeli heard that Arthur was actually suspecting the Conservatives, he finally became restless.

He simply laid his cards on the table with Arthur, revealing his true intentions in inviting Arthur out today.

Disraeli began, “Alright, Arthur, I won’t beat around the bush. I asked you out today on behalf of some important figures in the party. Although I’ve made it clear to them that you’re unlikely to give Her Majesty the Queen such a tasteless nickname, you know that criminal investigations mainly involve two approaches. First, whether the suspect has a motive. Second, whether the suspect has the capacity to commit the crime.”

Disraeli didn't finish his sentence, but Arthur understood what he meant.

Because he perfectly meets both of the conditions for constituting a crime.

Regardless of Arthur's own stance or how unassuming he appeared, to outsiders, the rapid rise of Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne to the Queen's side did indeed threaten his position at Buckingham Palace.

Regardless, Sir Arthur Hastings was a pillar of the state who played a crucial role in the Ramsgate affair and the Queen's accession to the throne.

However, after the Queen ascended the throne, he was not only quickly alienated, but his position did not change much either.

Although all of this was Arthur's intentional act, others would inevitably speculate that he harbored resentment.

Secondly, when it comes to influence over Fleet Street, even if you search the entire island of Great Britain, you probably wouldn't find many people more powerful than this chairman of the board of directors of Imperial Publishing.

His Imperial Publishing Board firmly controlled *The Englishman*, *Spark*, *The Economist*, and *Nature*, and even held a 30% stake in *The Times*. Which up-and-coming writer in the British literary world could confidently say they had never received any favors from Sir Arthur Hastings?

Regardless of the writers of "The Englishman," the three leading figures of English youth literature—Charles Dickens, Benjamin Disraeli, and Elder Carter—as well as Sir Arthur Hastings himself.

Let's focus on the few figures who have recently emerged in the British literary scene:

William Ainsworth, for example, had to stop writing due to financial problems. By chance, he was introduced to Charles Dickens by the Countess of Brexington, who in turn introduced him to Sir Arthur Hastings. Just one month after meeting Sir Arthur, he began serializing "Rockwood" in The Englishman, which made him an instant star.

After Rockwood ended, Ainsworth began serializing Jack Shepard in The Englishman.

Portrait of Mr. William Ainsworth, painted in 1834 by Irish painter Daniel MacLeish (the Irish painter who had an affair with Mrs. Sykes).

This novel belongs to the crime novel genre pioneered by Sir Arthur Hastings, and its main content depicts the life of Jack Shepard, a notorious 18th-century British criminal. According to Ainsworth himself, Sir Arthur provided him with immense assistance during the writing process. Arthur not only shared his experience in writing crime novels but also used his authority to grant him access to historical criminal files related to Jack Shepard. He even facilitated a connection between Ainsworth and the renowned French detective François Vidocq, allowing him to learn about many criminal methods of the last century.

Because Ainsworth was so deeply influenced by Arthur, he is now known in the British literary world as "the second Arthur Sigmar." Judging from Ainsworth's attitude, he not only does not object to this title, but is even quite proud of it.

In addition, Elizabeth Barrett, the most sought-after female poet in British literature today, also received much patronage from Sir Arthur.

Long before Elizabeth was still unknown, Arthur had already met the paralyzed poet through Lady Shelley's introduction.

During Sir Arthur's convalescence at home from a gunshot wound in 1832, one of his most important tasks was to edit and publish Elizabeth's translation of Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound and her first collection of poems, Seraphim.

Portrait of Miss Elizabeth Barrett (Elizabeth Browning), painted by Hungarian artist Karl Brocchi in the early 1840s.
As Arthur's status in Britain rose, many people he couldn't access before began to use his connections to watch "The Englishman".

For example, Mr. George James, the Royal Historian, an author who rivals Elder Carter in the field of historical fiction, has published several novels in the past three years through Imperial Publishing, including The Gypsies, One in a Thousand: or the Age of Henry IV, and Attila.

Portrait of Mr. George Payne Rainsford James, painted by British artist Stephen Pierce in 1838.

Perhaps it is precisely because Imperial Publishing is so renowned and Arthur's reputation in the British literary world is so dazzling that whenever news comes from Fleet Street, it is really hard not to include Arthur on the list of suspects.

It wasn't just Arthur; another director of Imperial Publishing, Disraeli, also received significant attention within the Conservative Party.

However, in the case of Mrs. Melbourne, Disraeli's criminal suspicion was indeed much smaller than that of Arthur.

Because although he had the capacity to commit a crime, he had no motive for doing so.

But Arthur was different. He had both ability and motivation, and to those who truly knew Arthur's past, this young man, Arthur Hastings, was never the kind of good man the ladies described.

Whether it was his handling of the 1832 parliamentary reform riots, his rash actions in the Caucasus region while serving as the cultural attaché to Russia, the combination of the Golden Cross Station operation and the Robert Culley memorial ceremony, or his leading the raid during the Ramsgate incident, or even just considering his close personal relationship with Napoleon's nephew, the restless Louis Bonaparte, it is enough to show that this guy's character was far from gentle and kind.

If he acts all polite and courteous in your presence, it only means that he doesn't really respect you.

When it comes to things he truly values, Arthur Hastings has always been ruthless.

Therefore, it is well-founded for Conservative leaders, such as Sir David Peel and the Duke of Wellington, to suspect that Arthur might be causing trouble on Fleet Street out of discontent.

After listening to Disraeli's long explanation, Arthur leaned back in his chair and slowly exhaled a smoke ring: "So, what does the Conservative Party take me for?"

“Who?” Disraeli scoffed. “They’re obviously treating you like one of their own. If they thought you were an outsider, Pierre wouldn’t have sent me to sound you out; he would have just sent someone to investigate you privately.”

Disraeli paused for a moment, then continued, "Arthur, if you really did it, just admit it. At least I can help you think of a way. If those people really want to investigate, I'll handle things with Peel for you. But the Duke of Wellington... never mind, even if you really did it, I'll go back and say it has nothing to do with you. But you have to promise me that you'll stay quiet for a while, until this storm passes."

Arthur raised an eyebrow and asked, "The way you're talking makes it sound like Peel and the Duke of Wellington are planning to hold me responsible. Shouldn't the Conservatives be happy about this?"

“Happy? Of course they’re happy.” Disraeli looked disdainful of some of the party members: “They’re so happy they could jump for joy, since they don’t have to take any responsibility and can attack Viscount Melbourne. Arthur, you mustn’t let them use you as a pawn. Don’t do anything like being a henchman; it won’t do you any good.”

Arthur knew that Disraeli was genuinely worried about him, so he stopped trying to hide his trip to Europe.

He picked up the beer glass that had just been delivered and took a swig: "I do think that the relationship between Viscount Melbourne and Her Majesty the Queen is a bit too close. Whether it's to protect Her Majesty's reputation or to maintain a balance between parties, they should keep a proper distance. But, Benjamin, you know my personality. There are many ways to solve problems, and I don't need to choose the worst one."

“Oh?” Disraeli became interested. “You mean, you didn’t do the thing about Mrs. Melbourne, but you did something else?” Arthur nodded and said, “In addition to my business trip to Paris, I also went to Brussels and inspected the progress of our English Electromagnetic Telegraph Company’s project in Belgium. I also visited His Majesty His Majesty Leopold at Laken Palace.”

“The telegraph project? Leopold?” Upon hearing this, Disraeli felt a significant lightening of his heavy burden, and even his tone became lighter: “Could it be…”

"That's right. Last week, the Belgian government officially confirmed the issuance of a new tranche of railway construction bonds, totaling 1200 million francs, of which 1000 million francs will be used for railway construction and 200 million francs for railway-related supporting facilities. If all goes well, the Belgian government will announce this news after Leopold completes his state visit to the UK early next month."

“Two million francs?!” Disraeli slammed his fist on the table and stood up, feeling his whole body tremble and his calves cramp. “That means nearly one hundred thousand pounds?”

Arthur raised his hand, gesturing for him to sit down: "Don't get too excited, Benjamin. First of all, not all of this 2 million francs will end up in our hands. I've done a quick calculation, and only about 60% will ultimately be used for the telegraph project..."

"Sixty percent?!" Disraeli's mouth almost twisted into a grin. "My God! This is even better than I expected! Even after deducting all the construction costs and labor costs, we can still make a profit of at least 20,000 pounds, right?"

“Hmm…” Arthur reminded him, “If nothing unexpected happens, yes.”

Upon hearing this, Disraeli began to fantasize about counting money while soaking in the bathtub: "My God! Let me think, maybe I should buy another house..."

"Don't you want to pay off your debts first?"

“Pay back the debt? Let them come to Westminster Palace and ask me for it!” Disraeli glared and thumped his chest. “If I pay back the debt now, wouldn’t my victory in Taurhamletz have been for nothing?”

Upon hearing this, Arthur didn't delve into Disraeli's thought process, but he still reminded him again: "Don't get too excited, Benjamin. Even if you want to move, at least make sure nothing goes wrong during Leopold's visit to England."

"An accident? What accident could possibly happen to him?" Disraeli slumped back in his chair. "The King of Belgium is the responsibility of the Belgian government. Even if he came to England, his security would be the duty of the Royal Guard and Scotland Yard, which is..."

Disraeli realized something was amiss as he spoke. He paused for a moment, then asked suspiciously, "Arthur, you didn't receive any intelligence about assassinating Leopold, did you?"

“No, not at all. This Belgian king isn’t as hated as Louis Philippe of France.” Arthur counted on his fingers. “If it were Louis Philippe who came this time, Scotland Yard would really be in trouble. He’s only been on the throne for seven years, but there have been five or six assassination attempts against him. I heard from Paris that the assassination attempt planned by the Republicans on Rue Saint-Antoine two years ago almost succeeded. More than 400 bullets were fired from 25 gun barrels. Although Louis Philippe escaped, Marshal Mortier and 18 others who accompanied him died on the spot. In addition, 22 people were injured.”

The "Hellfire" used to assassinate King Louis-Philippe of France on July 28, 1835, is currently housed in the National Archives Museum in Paris.

Disraeli gasped upon hearing this: "These Frenchmen are still too brutal."

Unexpectedly, Arthur waved his hand and said, "This cannot be blamed on the French, after all, the assassin is Giuseppe Fieschi, an Italian Corsican republican."

"An Italian-Cordian republican?" Disraeli was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. "Arthur, are you implying something?"

However, it's not surprising that Disraeli would overthink things, since when these three identities are combined, it's inevitable that people will think of a certain short man whom the British deeply despise.

Arthur waved his hand and said, "I'm not implying anything, I'm just stating the facts. However, although we don't need to worry too much about assassination during Leopold's visit to England, if some things are not arranged properly, our order could fall through at any time."

"Do you mean?"

"During my time in Brussels, His Majesty introduced me to his nephew, Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, a very outstanding young man. He was handsome, calm, studious, and ambitious. In addition, he was a loyal reader of 'The Englishman' and strongly agreed with my academic philosophy when I was working at the University of Göttingen."

Disraeli frowned as he listened to Arthur's flattery of Albert: "So what? What do you need me to do? Introduce him to some noble lady who has a taste for this kind of thing?"

“No, no, no, Benjamin, don’t be so superficial. He’s not good at dealing with ladies, so don’t make things difficult for him.” Arthur said with a smile, “On the contrary, I hope you can introduce him to the big shots in your Conservative Party and teach him how to deal with them.”

Upon hearing this, Disraeli felt goosebumps rise all over his body: "He...has...some French vices?"

"No, but I think that as a potential husband of the Queen of England, it is necessary for him to familiarize himself with his future work environment in advance."

"The Queen's future husband?!" Disraeli's eyes widened upon hearing this: "You... Arthur, if I'm not mistaken, is that what you meant?"

"Otherwise what?" Arthur tapped the table with his knuckles. "Do you think it's easy for a Belgian to earn 1.2 million francs?"

Disraeli was shocked and quickly refused: "I... my God! Damn it, Arthur, we used to just sell books and do underground publishing. Later, when we had some power, we made money through stocks and telegrams. I really didn't expect that you would start thinking about the human trafficking business! Gladstone, that woodcutter, his family just sold slaves, but you... God! If this goes wrong, you can forget about going to India!"

Seeing Disraeli's agitated state, Arthur had no choice but to suppress the fact that he had previously been involved in the trafficking of young Italians.

"Benjamin, why put it so harshly? Do you really think Albert of Coburg is a bad choice for the Queen?"

"Whether he's good or bad isn't something you or I can decide, Arthur. How could you promise Leopold something like that?"

Arthur had of course made no promises to Leopold, but fearing that Disraeli might not actually do his job, he decided to put some pressure on the Jewish boy first: "What can we do? Benjamin, that's 1.2 million francs! You and Mrs. Sykes's two thousand pounds and fifty thousand francs almost ruined you, 1.2 million is enough to ruin you 24 times over."

“One million two hundred thousand…” Disraeli was about to explode in anger, but upon hearing the number, he instantly calmed down: “That makes sense… this kind of business isn’t so common…”

Thinking this, Disraeli gritted his teeth and stamped his foot. He made up his mind and said, "Damn it, whatever! It's come to this point, there's no use in regretting it now. But speaking of which, are you planning to have Peel and the others support Albert becoming the Crown Prince?"

When Arthur saw that Disraeli had accepted the challenge, he immediately smiled broadly: "Sir Peel and the others have their own ideas. Whether Albert can gain their support in the end depends on his own efforts. However, before that, we can show them the many benefits of Albert becoming the Crown Prince."

For example?

“For example?” Arthur cleared his throat. “For example, we can start with the necessity of the Queen’s marriage. After all, they should also know that the Queen does not have any children yet. If, I mean if, something happens to her, then according to the order of succession, the Duke of Cumberland, now King Ernst I of Hanover, will have to wear the crown of Great Britain.”

(End of this chapter)