The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 652 - 319: The Handover of an Era_3

Talleyrand laughed heartily upon hearing this and winked playfully, "Young man, usually flattery doesn’t work on me. But this time is an exception; being considered on par with Voltaire in the art of oratory truly is the greatest compliment to me."

Having said that, the old lame man took his cane, pushed open the door of the small compartment, and walked out.

He was clearly in a good mood, as could be told from the tune he was humming.

"Plaisir d’amour", also known as "The Joy of Love".

This short, catchy, elegant, and lively secular romance was very popular in eighteenth-century France.

Arthur poured a cup of tea, looking out the window at the drizzling rain, savoring this exotic melody from Paris. He couldn’t help but lift his fingertips, tapping the tabletop to the rhythm.

He felt as though he could glimpse the last century through these brief notes.

He could smell the scent of wheat in the French paddy fields, see the sparkling waves by the banks of the Seine River in the evening sunset.

France, what kind of country is that?

Paris, what kind of city is it?

The homeland of Great Dumas, the place where he was from.

As well as Balzac, Hugo, and a host of other dazzling stars.

If given the chance, perhaps he should pay a visit, take a trip there?

Of course, assuming he didn’t run into thieves, robbers, hooligans, or riff-raff. However, Mr. Victor could temporarily be excluded from this list, after all, there was the need to exchange police experience with him.

While Arthur was lost in his thoughts, his mind traveling far and wide, across the English Channel.

The door of the small compartment was pushed open again.

You would hear the voice first before seeing the person.

"Arthur, my dear brother, you finally came back from Liverpool! You have no idea how insolent those monkeys in the lower house are, they actually dared to offend the proud and distinguished Sir Benjamin Disraeli!"

Still in his classic attire of a red dress coat, a green waistcoat, yellow riding breeches paired with long stockings, Disraeli threw his cane into a corner of the room, removed his overcoat, took off his hat, and got ready to pour out his grievances to Arthur.

But Arthur spoke first, "Benjamin, you don’t need to fill me in on the specifics, the newspapers are plastered with it everywhere. I must admit, you truly made a splash; your debut in the House of Commons was explosive indeed."

"You saw it?" Disraeli placed his hat on the table and cursed, "Those rascals have no manners at all, I..."

Arthur took a sip of his tea with an air of calm and replied nonchalantly, "Benjamin, what kind of madness has possessed you? If members of Parliament were civilized, how could they possibly ascend to their positions? Have you forgotten? The House of Commons exists precisely to give Britain’s scoundrels a platform to spew their hatred and engage in personal attacks. It’s an essential part of Britain’s mechanism for resolving societal conflicts."

Disraeli exclaimed in shock, "Can’t we just let these scoundrels out?"

"Let them out?"

Arthur put down his teacup and said, "Benjamin, are you implying that the law and order in London are too good? As a police inspector with Scotland Yard, I must inform you that our officers do not plan to open their arms and warmly welcome more than six hundred legally immune scoundrels into the fray. If you insist on releasing them, I suggest you make arrangements with Regent’s Park and contact the London Zoo. They are the true professionals in this field."

"Ah..." Disraeli sighed, raising his arms and looking up at the ceiling as he cried out, "My God! Have I spent so much effort only to sit in the House of Commons and bicker with this bunch of rascals?"

Arthur offered a simple comment on Mr. Disraeli’s complaint, "If you don’t fancy doing that, you could go to the courts and argue with another collection of rascals. The London District Prosecution Department is about to be established. If I’m fortunate enough to join, we will certainly need to recruit some direct prosecutors. Benjamin, if I’m not mistaken, your legal practicing certificate hasn’t been canceled yet, has it?"

"A lawyer? Better not. I gave that up long ago."

With that said, Disraeli dragged out a chair and sat down nonchalantly, but before he settled in, he noticed the bottle of liquor on the table.

Surveying the bottle with squinted eyes, the Member of Parliament let out a cry, "Hennessy’s V.S.O.P? When did you start drinking such high-end stuff?"

Arthur took a napkin and wiped his mouth, "If it were just me alone, I certainly wouldn’t drink such fine liquor. But since I am dining with a Member of Parliament, it’s natural that I match the high standards of the Member."

Upon hearing this, Disraeli gave Arthur a meaningful smile, "It seems that your trip to Liverpool has worn you out, hasn’t it?"

"In serving the nation and the government, what’s the difference between hardship and joy?"

Arthur said, "From the moment I joined Scotland Yard, I knew I was destined to dedicate my life to this ordinary yet grand cause."

Disraeli poured himself a drink and tasted it, "If I had your ability to tell such convincing lies with open eyes, I wouldn’t get into quarrels with them during the speeches in the House."

Feeling the atmosphere was ripe, Arthur gently prodded, "Speaking of which, how is your work in Parliament going lately? Has Sir Peel asked you to submit any bills?"

"Well... bills, of course, there are some to submit. But I’ve just recently joined Parliament, so I spend most of the time learning. Besides, you are mistaken about one thing: although Sir Peel is the party leader, it doesn’t mean I have to follow his orders. The relationships within the Tory Party are much more complex than you imagine."

Arthur leaned in and asked, "How so?" fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

Disraeli, leaning back in his chair, explained, "Put simply, the Tory Party has actually split into four factions. They are the liberals, who adhere to the political views of the late Prime Minister Canning, the moderates led by Sir Peel, the conservatives led by the Duke of Wellington, and the extremists headed by the Duke of Newcastle, the former High Chancellor the Earl of Eldon, and others."

"At present, the majority of the liberals have actually shifted their allegiance to the Whig Party. The remaining few don’t follow Sir Peel’s orders and instead vote freely according to their own political views. As for the extremists, although they ostensibly heed Sir Peel’s call, if the Duke of Newcastle and others so much as give them a nod, they’re ready to make a complete one-eighty on the spot."

"So, in reality, the only factions Sir Peel can truly command are the moderates and the conservatives led by the Duke of Wellington. My election owed everything to the help of the Earl of Linderhesit and, in most cases, I naturally have to respect his opinion. If the Earl of Linderhesit disagrees with Sir Peel, then I can only apologize to Sir Peel."

Upon hearing this, Arthur inquired further, "Then... the bill you planned to submit to the House of Commons, impeaching Viscount Palmeston for his stance on the Poland issue, did you go through with it?"