Chapter 357: The Handover of Time

Chapter 354 – The Handover of the Times

As the conversation progressed, another misty drizzle fell on the streets of London.

Through the dense vapor and the glass windows crawling with water droplets, one could only vaguely see the movement of pushing glasses and the corners of mouths leaping briskly in the restaurant cubicles.

Arthur and Talleyrand were playing cards while asking, “So, the reason why you were able to make a fortune from an unappreciated young son of a noble family was all due to the promotion of Madame Du Barry? How exactly did you capture this madame who charmed Louis XV to the core?”

Although already sixty years old, but Talleyrand talk about his own affair, still is not change the old ambition, the old man seems to be very proud of his ability to maneuver between the many ladies.

“What else could it be by? As you can see, handsome looks, elegant manners, a three-inch tongue capable of coaxing ladies into swooning, and I was younger then than I am now. Arthur, my dear little brother, it’s really not that hard to get ladies to give themselves up for you, you just have to be able to analyze them specifically before you act.”

Arthur flung out a card, “As attentively as you analyze the Russians?”

“No.”

Talleyrand spoke in a serious voice, “I analyze the ladies with much more care than I do the Russians. The Russians are able to strike out across Eurasia by virtue of their high latitude, and Madame du Barry has the same geographical advantage in the upper social circles of France. She knew everyone around the king, and many of those who could influence the fate of France were her friends, relatives, and even suitors. Capturing her heart would give me a greater sense of accomplishment than conquering Russia.”

Hearing this, Agareth couldn’t help but cover his stomach and laugh, his fangs rubbing against each other with a rattle that sounded like a lumberjack’s chainsaw.

Arthur’s brow furrowed slightly as he glanced at the red devil who did not observe social etiquette, and asked carelessly, “You’re exaggerating, aren’t you?”

“That’s not an exaggeration on my part.”

Talleyrand lit his cigar and took a sip, slowly savoring the aftertaste of the smoke in his mouth, “The sense of accomplishment is something that stems mainly from the contrast between the strengths of the two parties when reaching a goal. Mrs. Du Barry was the star of the Parisian social circle, while I, at that time, had nothing but the noble surname of ‘Périgord’.

Neither the family nor my parents cared for me, and you may not know that the closest I came to my father in the first decade or so of my life was at the coronation of Louis XVI. I was a spectator while he held the vase of holy oil for the new king. Louis XVIII, who was still a prince at the time, even made fun of me at the coronation when he said to the others, ‘This guy is at best a Périgord, not a Périgord family member.'”

Arthur couldn’t help but sympathize when he heard this, “Didn’t you strike back at him? Most likely I would have refuted him if I had been there.”

“Then I thank you for your righteousness.”

Talleyrand laughed and said, “However, just because he is uneducated doesn’t mean I am uneducated. Moreover, although his words are hard to hear, they are not all wrong.”

Saying this, Talleyrand also patted his limp leg as if he was mocking himself.

“See this? This limp has been with me since I was two years old, when I fell down the stairs and my parents didn’t know about it until months later.

The cripple meant that I couldn’t be a soldier or a decent heir to the Peregor family. So they then sent me to the seminary to disinherit me by making me a cleric. I am indeed proud of the Peregrine name, but I must also admit that for a long time I was not treated as a member of the Peregrine family.

Because of this, I have wanted to excel more and more. I’ve always said that even though I’m a noble, I’m not like those lowly nobles. Everything I have I earned with my own efforts, with my hands and my crippled legs.

I was struggling to find a way to make my fortune until I read Voltaire’s book and learned about Voltaire’s experiences. I was amazed to discover that this famous European figure had the same sarcastic personality as I did, except that he was always able to use his marvelous language to make everyone accept it.

When Voltaire was young, he was sent to the Bastille for writing a satirical poem about the Duke of Orléans, the Prince Regent, and when he was released, the first thing he said to the Prince Regent was: ‘I am grateful to His Majesty the King for his hospitality, and for providing me with food and lodging, but next time, just provide me with food and drink, and I implore Your Highness not to provide me with lodging again! ‘

His career began with his relationship with Madame de Chardonnay. Although Voltaire was a bit harsh, it did not prevent Madame de Chardonnay from liking this talented young man. Although the two of them often quarreled, even to the point of not letting the neighbors understand, and deliberately have to use the English language to quarrel, but this since the beginning did not affect the feelings between them.

Voltaire was able to make a name for himself in French society, and his works and sharp tongue soon became widely known in Europe. Frederick II of Prussia offered Voltaire a salary of 20,000 livres a year for his phrase ‘neither sacred, nor Roman, nor imperial’.

And when he later found out that Voltaire was illegally selling Prussian treasury bonds, he simply smiled and said, ‘Our philosopher friend is not really a philosopher when it comes to money’ and let the matter drop.”

Talleyrand was slightly drunk, with a slight halo on his cheeks, “When I found out about Voltaire’s experiences, I was in for a treat. The same is the leading figure of the Enlightenment, the same is out of the world, why prefer to go to be a life of hardship Rousseau, but not to go to be a fast life of Voltaire? So, from that time on, I decided to copy Voltaire’s path to success. Of course, I don’t have Voltaire’s skill in creating literature, so I’ll just have to work on this mouthpiece.”

Arthur added more wine to Talleyrand’s drink, “Judging by the results, your efforts on the mouth were clearly successful.”

Talleyrand smiled broadly and returned, “No, not just my efforts either, but also because Madame du Barry is indeed a very charming lady who is kind and seeks out the pleasures of life. In a way, her feelings for me were less like that of a lover and more out of the care and curiosity of an older woman for a reckless brat.

I remember she once asked me, ‘Why are you always moping, is it bad luck or are you being modest?’

And I, who had just graduated from the seminary at the time but was struggling to get ahead, told her, ‘It’s so much easier to find a woman in Paris than a convent.’

She was perhaps moved by my depressed mood, or perhaps she liked my Voltairean reply. So it wasn’t long before she got me a position as bishop of a convent. A good salary and a lot of free time gave me a chance to get away from boring and useless chores and to spend more time in social places.

It was in this capacity that I was able to go to large social gatherings and meet many people who would later be of help to me. I was even fortunate enough to meet M. Voltaire himself, who had returned to Paris to live out his days, and I learned a great deal about witticisms from him.

My only regret is that I was not able to protect Madame du Barry, my lucky starting point during the Revolution. She was naïve and kind, but lacked an understanding of politics and human nature, which led to her eventual journey to the guillotine of the Revolution.”

Arthur smiled at that and asked, “You seem to miss those old times.”

Talleyrand rested one hand on the back of his chair and gently shook his glass, “Young people like you will never be able to understand such thoughts. It seems to me that people who didn’t live near 1789 don’t know what the joys of life really mean. It was a time when society still had many of the traditions of old Europe, and the Revolution that came later buried it all.

There was still an orthodox aristocracy in those days, whereas the so-called politicians of later times are nothing but rogues, ruffians, thieves, robbers, and swindlers, and I can’t find any other adjectives to describe them. And indeed, a good many of them did once do those jobs.”

When Arthur heard this, he suddenly remembered something, and he read, word for word, “If I had been born twenty years earlier, then I would have been a true old monarchist, and lived out my life in peace. If I had been born twenty years later, I would have been a staunch adherent of the new way of thinking, vowing to create a new era. Regrettably, I was born in a present where the old and the new are intertwined, and then I can only stand and hold the iron wheels of the world so that the continent of Europe does not once again fall into the catastrophe of derailment.”

When Talleyrand heard this, he could not help but light up, and his motion of shaking his wine glass lagged.

He was silent for a while, then smiled as if relieved: “Boy, if you were born in France more than half a century ago, you would be the second Voltaire. But thinking back, born in England half a century later, there is nothing wrong with being your Arthur Hastings.

As you say, at least you could have been a staunch adherent of the New Thought without the burden of vowing to create a new era.

Phew …… Maybe I’m really getting old and always talk about what’s going on. The older I get, the more I like to reminisce about the past, and it seems that I am really going to be unable to keep up with the young. Of course, I have no interest in continuing to keep up with the thieves, robbers and scammers.

You can solve the problem with the nobles with a couple of witty remarks, but you have to use a knife to deal with these rogues and ruffians. Therefore, it’s better to leave this matter to an energetic young man like you.”

Talleyrand said here, slowly stood up and took down the coat on the coat rack, he buttoned his own hat while speaking, “What you want, I’ll send someone to send it to you every other day. But take care and figure out where your strategic boundaries are before you do anything. You’re still young, and you’re not at the end of your rope, so you don’t need to fight for your life as a last resort.

Kid, I have to say, you’re lucky. In your position, if you were born twenty years ago, you would never have had the chance to climb to your current position, let alone further. But now that times have changed, the barrier of entry to the upper class has been adjusted downward from the unappreciated youngest son of a noble family to an aspiring youth like you.” Arthur stood up and took off his hat in acknowledgement, “Even more fortunately, although I did not meet Voltaire, I did receive three or two words of guidance from you.”

Talleyrand just laughed out loud a few times when he heard this, and the old man winked playfully, “Young man, it usually doesn’t work when people give me high hats. But this time is an exception, to be considered alongside Voltaire in the art of the gab is really the greatest compliment to me.”

At that, the old cripple pushed open the door of the cubicle with his cane and walked out.

He was evidently in a good mood, as was shown by the tune he was humming.

Plaisir D’Amour, also known as The Joy of Love.

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

Arthur poured a cup of tea, looked at the pattering rain outside the window, recalled this exotic little song from Paris, and also could not help but raise his fingertips, tapping the table with the rhythm.

It was as if he could glimpse the last century from these brief notes.

He could smell the aroma of the wheat waves in the French rice paddies, and could see the shimmering of the Seine River in the evening sunset.

France, what kind of country was that?

Paris, what kind of a city is it?

Alexandre Dumas’ homeland, his native land.

And Balzac, Hugo and a host of other shining stars.

If you have the chance, maybe you should pay a visit there and make a trip?
Provided, of course, that one doesn’t run into thieves, robbers, hooligans, or ruffians. However, Mr. Vidocq could be excluded from this for the time being, after all, there was still the police experience to be exchanged with him.

Just as Arthur was traveling around the world, his thoughts drifted across the English Channel.

The door to the cubicle was pushed open again.

Before he saw the person, he heard the voice.

“Arthur, my old brother, you have at last returned from Liverpool! You simply don’t know how rude those monkeys in the House of Commons really were when they dared to offend the proud and distinguished Mr. Benjamin Disraeli!”

Still in his classic little red gown, green vest, and yellow breeches with stockings, Disraeli threw his cane at the corner of the room, took off his coat and hat, and was ready to pour it out with Arthur.

But Arthur spoke before him, “Benjamin, you don’t need to go over the details with me, they’re all over the papers and everywhere. I have to admit, you did do it, your debut in the House of Commons really exploded.”

“You saw it all?” Disraeli snapped his hat on the table and cursed, “Those guys are so uneducated, I ……”

Arthur calmly sipped his tea and lightly returned, “Benjamin, what kind of insanity have you gotten? If the MPs were educated, how did they ever get elected as MPs? Have you forgotten? The House of Commons is a place dedicated to exporting hateful views and personal attacks to the scoundrels of Britannia, and it’s an important part of what Britannia uses to mediate social conflicts.”

Disraeli exclaimed, “Couldn’t the scoundrels just be put out?”

“Put out?”

Arthur put down his teacup and said, “Benjamin, do you think London is well policed? As a Superintendent of Scotland Yard, I must inform you that the police officers have no intention of welcoming with open arms the entry of more than six hundred scoundrels with judicial immunity. If you must release them, I suggest you contact the London Zoo at Regent’s Park, they are the professionals in this regard.”

“Alas ……” Disraeli sighed, and he looked up at the ceiling with his arms raised and exclaimed, “My God! Did I spend all that effort just to sit and argue with these scoundrels in the House of Commons?”

In response to Mr. Disraeli’s complaint, Arthur simply commented, “If you don’t want to do that, you can still go to court and argue with another bunch of scoundrels. The London District Attorney’s Office is about to be set up, and I’m sure I’ll need to recruit some more direct prosecutors if I’m lucky enough to join it. Benjamin, if I remember correctly, I don’t think your license to practice law has been canceled yet, has it?”

“Lawyer? Forget it then, I quit a long time ago.”

With those words, Disraeli dragged out his chair and sat down with a big grin, but before he could sit down, he noticed the bottle of wine on the table.

Mr. Councilor lowered his head and squinted, and immediately exclaimed, “Hennessy’s V.S.O.P. Since when have you been drinking such high-class stuff?”

Arthur picked up a dishcloth and wiped his mouth, “If I were on my own, I definitely wouldn’t be drinking such a high-class drink. But since I’m dining with Mr. Councilor, it’s only natural that I have to match the Councilor’s high standards.”

Disraeli smiled at Arthur with a meaningful smile, “It seems that this trip to Liverpool has tired you out quite a bit, huh?”

“Where is the bittersweetness in working for the country and the government?”

Arthur spoke, “From the moment I joined Scotland Yard, I knew I was bound to dedicate my life to this ordinary yet great cause.”

Disraeli poured a glass of wine and sipped it, “If I had your ability to open my eyes, I wouldn’t have disliked them during my speech in the House of Commons.”

Seeing that the atmosphere was about right, Arthur gave Disraeli a not-so-gentle nod, “That said, has your work in Parliament been going well lately? Did Sir Peel ask you to submit any motions?”

“Well …… motions, there are definitely submitted. But I just joined the council not long ago, so most of my time is spent studying. Also, you’re wrong about one thing, although Sir Peel is the party leader, it doesn’t mean I have to listen to him, the relationship within the Tory party is much more complicated than you think.”

Arthur probed and asked, “What does that mean?”

Disraeli leaned back in his chair and spoke eloquently, “In short, the Tory party has effectively split into four factions. They are the liberal faction that upholds the political views of the deceased former Prime Minister Sir Canning, the moderate faction led by Sir Peel, the conservative faction led by the Duke of Wellington, and the extremist faction led by the Duke of Newcastle, the former Chancellor Earl of Eldon, and others.

And now the majority of the Liberals have actually fallen to the Whigs. Most of that small remainder, too, were not at Sir Peel’s disposal, but voted freely according to their own political views. As for the extremists, although they still listen to Sir Peel’s call, as long as the Duke of Newcastle and others give a little wink, they can immediately give you a 180 degree turn.

So, in reality, the only people Sir Peel can call upon are the moderates and the Duke of Wellington’s conservatives. The reason I was elected was because of Count Lindhasset’s help, so I naturally have to respect his opinion in most cases. If Earl Lyndhurst has different views from Sir Peele, then I can only apologize to Sir Peele.”

Arthur smiled and turned to ask: “Then …… that motion you intended to submit to the House of Commons before to impeach Viscount Palmerston’s position on Poland, did you hand it in?”

(End of chapter)