Chapter 269: Prime Minister’s Peak Showdown (K)

Chapter 268 – Prime Minister’s Peak Showdown (6K)

Disraeli held the document and was about to open it, but before he could do so, Arthur stood up and pressed his arm.

“Benjamin, just take this back and read it. It’s better to do something in the editorial department that an editor should do.”

Disraeli grinned when he heard this, “Aren’t I just doing what editors are supposed to do? Arthur, can’t I be allowed to review the manuscript?”

Arthur shook his head gently, “I’d advise you not to.”

“All right then.”

Disraeli lifted his butt and sank it towards the desk, he glanced at the document in his hand and finally couldn’t help but ask, “So, can you at least reveal to me what’s contained here?”

The French fat man with a keen sense of smell was also suspicious: “Yes! Although you usually do some unseemly things every day, there is no need to hide it from your own brothers, right?”

And Tennyson on the side was also anxious: “Why don’t I go out first?”

Arthur raised his hand and pressed him back into his chair, “No need, Alfred, people aren’t treating you as an outsider. Since the group is interested, it’s no big deal for me to tell you.”

Dumas cupped his chin and narrowed his eyes, “So what’s in it?”

Arthur lifted the teapot and poured water into his teacup, “Nothing much, just some comparative studies on English and Russian literature. Didn’t we recently set aside a column slot for the Polish Friends Literary Society? In the spirit of promoting exchanges between the two sides, I want to let Benjamin, the major shareholder, deepen his impression of Eastern European literature a little.”

When Tennyson heard this, he suddenly became enthusiastic: “Really? So this is about the study of Russian literature? Then again, I do have some knowledge of Russian poetry, do you guys know Mr. Pushkin? If life deceives you, don’t be sad, don’t be anxious! The days of melancholy must be calm. Believe, happy days will come! The song “If Life Deceives You” is a short but really catchy masterpiece. It is this little poem that has inspired me during these bitter days of my father’s passing.”

Hearing this, Arthur couldn’t help mentioning, “If you like Mr. Pushkin’s works very much, when you have nothing else to do, you can go and talk more with our new columnist, the Polish poet Mr. Mickiewicz, who is a close friend of Mr. Pushkin. At the same time, he is a close comrade of the Russian poet, Mr. Ryleyev.”

“Releyev?” Tennyson couldn’t help asking, “Is it that Mr. Ryleyev, the leader of the Decembrists?”

Dumas nodded, “Yes, the great republican who died so generously after writing Narivaiko.”

As Dumas spoke, he couldn’t help but chant, “If there is anyone who first rises up against the oppressors of the people, I know that destruction will await him. Fate has decreed that you should die. But tell me, where and when was freedom ever redeemed without sacrifice? Ryleyev, what a masterpiece! Both his poetry and his short life.”

Tennyson, too, could not help reminiscing, “Is it true, as I have heard, that Mr. Rereyev, when interrogated, did not confess any of the insurrectionists throughout, and that he applied to the Commission of Inquiry to execute him alone?”

Arthur leaned against his desk with both arms wrapped around him, “This matter is not considered a secret, so I can confirm to you that it is indeed true. He did have a sense of heroism, and from what I’ve been told, what Leleyev said during his interrogation was that if the death of one person was good for Russia, then that person should only be me. I have always hoped that death would abort with me, and that they would in God’s mercy rejoin their families, their homelands, and their tsars.”

When Dumas heard this, he could not help tapping the table even in his excitement, “Great soul, great Releyev, he has really said all that is in my heart!”

Arthur spoke up again, “Incidentally, I heard that when Mr. Releyev ran to the execution ground, he still held a copy of Lord Byron’s book of poems in his hand, and he never let go of it until he died.”

When Tennyson heard this, he could not help covering his forehead, “God! Why do you punish such a pious ascetic? Arthur, you are right, perhaps I really should go and talk to Mr. Mickiewicz, Poland is in the same affliction at the moment, and I am a little afraid that he will not be the next.”

Seeing that the atmosphere was almost paved, Arthur picked up his cup of tea and walked over to Disraeli, “By the way, I heard from Mr. Thomas Campbell that he went to the Foreign Ministry a few days ago on behalf of the Association of Friends of Polish Literature to request Viscount Palmerston to grant a certain amount of humanitarian aid to the Polish exiles, do you know how their talks went? ”

Disraeli had been a little sad at heart, but as soon as he heard this, he realized what he was holding in his hand.

He was first sad and shocked, and then, in a whirlwind, he saw the corners of his mouth tugging upward little by little, “Ah …… ah …… that matter! I heard that Viscount Palmerston was very sympathetic to the Polish people’s sufferings, and invited the representatives of the Polish exiles to dine with him, and even shed a few tears in front of them.”

Hearing this, Dumas couldn’t help but frown, and he hummed softly, “Since the tears have been shed, that means he doesn’t intend to allocate a single penny, does he?”

Disraeli sighed, “Or what? Alexander, you reckon you don’t know that hypocritical old fool, not only is he both deaf and blind, but he also wears false teeth. Not a word that comes out of his mouth is believable.

From what I’ve seen and known of him all this time, if he claims you’re his friend, then he must want something from you, or maybe he’s ready to launch an attack on you. And right now, Poland is clearly in the position of a friend.”

Dumas paced back and forth in his office, “No, we should do something for Poland. Perhaps I should also go and talk to Mr. Mickiewicz, and make a small voice for the Polish people who are in dire straits? Arthur, save me a page in the next issue of The Economist, will you?”

“Sure.” Arthur asked as he warmed his hands with his cup, “But …… Alexander, do you know anything about economics? Although I don’t think it’s much to add some personal views into The Economist, but at the very least you should talk about economics a bit, wrapping a layer of professionalism around its exterior, right? Like the theory of value, the theory of money, or something.”

Dumas was unimpressed, “I don’t know anything about it, but my stockbroker does! I’ll ask him to write something on economics for me, and I’ll just add the political theory later.”

“Stockbroker?” Arthur asked, “You took all your manuscript fees to speculate on stocks? Alexander, even though you’re rich now, you can’t throw money into the water! Even if you want to speculate on stocks, at least go talk to our major shareholder, the Rothschild family, first!”

Dumas nodded and said, “Yes! That stockbroker of mine was introduced to me by Lionel, and he said that guy’s maneuvering ability is not inferior to his at all.”

Hearing this, Disraeli instantly realized who Dumas was talking about, “You’re not talking about Jacob, are you?”

Dumas froze, “How did you know?”

“It’s really Jacob?!” Disraeli bristled, “Jacob, like me, grew up on King Street, plus their family is also Jewish, so of course we know each other.”

Arthur asked, “What is this Jacob’s origin?”

Disraeli’s tone sounded a little unconvinced, but with a hint of jealousy, “Jacob is nothing, but he has a surname that is quite loud in the economics world throughout Britain and even throughout Europe.”

Tennyson was also puzzled, “What’s his last name?”

Disraeli sighed, “His last name is Ricardo, and his father is the spiritual successor of that Mr. Adam Smith – David Ricardo.”

When Dumas heard this, his mouth opened into a circle, he froze for a long time before he straightened his collar, puffed out his chest and spoke to Arthur, “Now can I publish an article in The Economist? Our reviewing editor of The Economist, Mr. Arthur Hastings.”

Arthur shrugged, “Of course no problem. If this is the case and I continue to refuse, I am very worried that those supporters of Mr. Ricardo will slap Principles of Political Economy and Taxation right in my face. But, Alexander, I hope you will ask Mr. Ricardo on my behalf if I may be permitted to sign Jacob Ricardo’s name along with that article when it appears in The Economist. Pardon my impertinence, but the surname Ricardo is to economics as the surname Dumas is to popular literature.”

Hearing this, Dumas readily agreed: “Of course, no problem, I understand what you mean. It’s for the sake of the sales of The Economist, and even more for the sake of the Polish people.”

No sooner had Alexander finished speaking than he saw Arthur leaning over the table and muttering as he pinched his fingers, “Mill plus Ricardo, now I’ll see who dares to question the professionalism of The Economist.”

Dumas laughed out loud, “Not just the two of them, don’t we have a Louis Bonaparte and a Prince of Poland?”

Arthur corrected with a sniff, “Alexander, you have to get it right, it’s because of the two of them that The Economist is being questioned.”

Saying this, Arthur reached out again and put his arm around Disraeli who was on the sidelines, he gently patted the papers in Disraeli’s hand and asked in a low voice, “Benjamin, you should know. The Parliament is going to be dissolved, and it doesn’t make much sense for you to rush after the Whigs’ Lord Russell for over a month now. Lord Russell is certainly important in the Whig Party, but he is not yet on the same level as Viscount Palmerston. Whether or not you can sit as a Tory parliamentary candidate depends on this wave. The harder he looks, the more secure your position in the Tory caucus will be.”

“Arthur, of course, it’s for the Polish people! As a politician interested in preserving freedom, an aspiring young man of Britain, I am duty-bound to do so!” Disraeli first shouted twice at the top of his voice in an agitated manner, coaxing Dumas and Tennyson out to discuss the articles in the next issue of the Britannica, and then gently closed the door of his office, and came up with a smile on his face and patted Arthur on the chest with the back of his hand.

“I have to say, Arthur, you’ve really snowed me this time after all. In case you didn’t know, a shiny new star has popped up in the Tory party recently. For fuck’s sake, if it wasn’t for the fact that I’ve been laying the groundwork within the party for quite some time in advance, I can’t say that he’d have really topped it.”

Arthur leaned against the window and smoked a cigarette, “Another rising star? So Bernie Harrison is completely hopeless?”

“Can’t say that.”

Disraeli whispered, “Earl Eldon was obviously a ruthless character when he was the Chancellor, but over the years, perhaps because he’s gotten older or he’s become sensitive to being attacked by public opinion, that man of his is actually quite nostalgic. After all, Bernie Harrison has been with him for so many years, it might be a bit difficult for him to suddenly cut off Harrison. I’ve heard that even if the caucus doesn’t allocate a seat to Harrison, Earl Eldon may give Harrison one of the pocket constituencies under his control. After all, he also knows that Harrison still has a case on his back, and if he doesn’t give him an MP status, Scotland Yard will definitely not let him off easily behind him. Unless ……”

“Unless what?”

Disraeli said with one hand over his mouth, “Unless we can get him some more bad press in the near future. You do realize, don’t you, that the Earl of Eldon, Mr. Drummond, and the former Secretary of the Navy, Mr. John Crocker, these men are in cahoots. And all of these people have one trait in common, they’re all extremely devout followers of Christ, so you get the idea, Harrison’s already upsetting them now, and if Scotland Yard can straighten him out a bit more with his moral shortcomings, he’ll be completely done for.”

Arthur couldn’t help but chuckle when he heard this, and he stared at Disraeli for a while.

Disraeli was furious at his look and couldn’t help but utter, “Arthur, what are you doing?”

Arthur simply reached down and removed the hat that was sitting on the coat rack and put it on his head, the Scotland Yard badge shining on top of his head.

Arthur gently patted him on the shoulder, “Benjamin, pride really excels!”

Disraeli winked and grinned wickedly, “That’s for sure, I told you, I’m going to climb to the top of the greasy pole that is Britannia one day or another. Just watch and see, Arthur, I’ve got the position of Managing Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance all ready for you.”

Arthur pulled on his tuxedo and dusted off his St. Edward’s Crown badge, “By the way, what’s that Tory rising star you were talking about?”

Disraeli pursed his lips and shook his head, “Not so much that one. An outstanding graduate of Eton, finishing with a first class degree from Oxford, and a perennial president of the Oxford Debating Society during his time at the university, I heard from the various Oxford-graduated Excellencies at the banquet that the professors at Oxford were full of praise for him, calling him ‘the next Robert Peel’.

Plus he gave a sensational speech against parliamentary reform in Oxford last year, so he’s been getting a lot of attention from the Tories just after he graduated. When the Duke of Newcastle attended the Oxford graduation ceremony not long ago, he even personally threw him an olive branch and invited him to join the Tory Party. Arthur, do you now understand just how much pressure I’m under?”

Arthur rubbed his chin and said, “Benjamin, why are you talking like a fictional character?”

“Fictional character?” Disraeli rolled his eyes, “Unfortunately, there is another fictional character like that in the Tory party.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Who else could it be, our party leader Sir Robert Peel, of course.”

Disraeli couldn’t help but complain, “When Sir Peel was a student at Oxford back in the day, he received even more exaggerated reviews than this new kid. The principal of Oxford at the time said outright that Sir Peel would definitely be elected Prime Minister in the future, and Sir Peel lived up to his reputation, his first speech in the House of Commons won a full house, and the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Charles Abbott, even praised Sir Peel’s debut in the House of Commons as being the best since the former Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger, while he gave a standing ovation. Knowing that William Pitt the Younger was a strong contender for Britain’s greatest prime minister of the 18th century, what an honor it really is to receive such an appraisal!”

Arthur, looking at this apprehensive look on Disraeli’s face, just joked, “Benjamin, you don’t need to worry so much. You don’t need to be stronger than Sir Peel for your first House of Commons speech, you just need to be able to overpower that new kid.”

“Easy for you to say, but there really isn’t a better way. Fuck, excellence, I was born to be better than everyone else!”

Disraeli took a deep breath while pumping himself up, “I, Benjamin, will definitely crush Gladstone, the woodcutter who only cuts wood, head and shoulders above him!”

“Gladstone? Woodcutter?” Arthur froze for a long time when he heard those two words, “Benjamin, what are you talking about?”

“Arthur, you don’t know how much that new guy really sees ghosts!”

Disraeli complained, “That guy doesn’t look like a nineteenth century English gentleman from head to toe, instead he looks like a medieval dryad that’s just been plowed out of a churchyard. I tried to deal with him, after all, the guys are all new, and although they are in competition with each other, it’s always right to get on good terms.

But the guy didn’t know how to make friends with anyone, and his biggest hobby besides work was chopping wood! I asked him to go to the theater and he turned me down for reasons you wouldn’t believe. He fucking said he was going to go out on the street to persuade prostitutes to leave the country!

And he’s been doing that for months. He used to talk to prostitutes around Oxford when he was a student there, and now he’s brought the habit to London. In my opinion, he shouldn’t come to run for any MP, but should find a church to become a priest.”

When Arthur heard this, he understood why Disraeli was in such a crisis.

This new Mr. Gladstone’s every move fitted almost perfectly with what the Tory hardliners wanted in a Member of Parliament, not only was he opposed to parliamentary reform, but his morals were clearly in line with the most plain and conservative of state church ethics.

Such a man is clearly superior to such a fellow as Disraeli, who merely cries out for ‘remembrance of the good life in the country’ and ‘revitalization of the aristocratic spirit of Britain’.

“Gladstone ……” Arthur recited this name, always feeling as if he had heard it somewhere, suddenly, his heart thumped: “Benjamin, what is that Mr. Gladstone’s full name, do you know? ”

“Full name?” Disraeli pondered for a while and responded, “William Yurt Gladstone, his father was originally a big slave trader who traded in the West Indies. Then when Britain declared abolition, he turned to industry and finance.”

Arthur muttered, “It’s really him …… but I didn’t realize that his family was actually still connected to Alexander ……”

“Wow! Right!” Disraeli’s eyes twinkled, “Maybe we should dress Alexander up and get him to the Parliament to complain about their family’s business?”

Arthur’s mouth was half-open when he heard this, and after a long time he had to pat Disraeli on the shoulder, “You’d better talk to Alexander yourself about this. As you know, he has recently bought a revolving flintlock rifle, and it would be good for you to accompany him to try it out.”

Disraeli saw that Arthur was not going to go, and he had a weak heart alone, “Do you have some other arrangement?”

Arthur nodded slightly and gently lifted his hat to bid him farewell, “Didn’t you just say that? On Mr. Bernie Harrison’s side, I’m going to prepare to close the net.”

Hearing this, Disraeli hastened to put a stop to it, “Arthur, you mustn’t act rashly. Have you forgotten what I said, that to close the net, you’ll have to push him a little more.”

“Of course I remember.”

Arthur pulled out a business card that Fiona had given him from the inner pocket of his tuxedo and gently raised it, “In case you didn’t know, I’ve heard that Mr. Bernie Harrison is usually still quite fond of going to and from some of the flamboyant places. Recently, his mood is obviously not very good, so the frequency of wandering outside has significantly increased. Originally, I didn’t think that this kind of small matter was worth putting on the table, but since these Excellencies, Earl Eldon, care so much about private morals, I had to reluctantly drag him out of the tender spot. Benjamin, you should have told me this information earlier, then I wouldn’t have waited so long.”

As he spoke, the corner of Arthur’s mouth gently lifted, his narrowed eyes covering his black eyes that emitted a crimson shimmer, and only a hint of a charmingly gentle smile adorning his mouth could be seen.

Arthur puffed out his chest and grabbed the officer’s knife hanging on the coat rack, pulling open the door to his office, only the dull crunch of thumps could be heard as his dark, shiny riding boots stepped on the wooden floor.

Disraeli leaned against the window as a breeze blew through, distorting the beads of sweat on his forehead.

He stared at Arthur’s back disappearing outside the editorial office’s main door, and just shook his head and smiled bitterly, ”I hope you don’t bump into that stale old man Gladstone while you’re on the move, who likes to head to the windy places just as much as Harrison does when he’s not doing anything. Of course, the difference between him and most men is that his purpose for being there is just a little too peculiar.”

(End of chapter)