The Shadow of Great Britain

144: Chapter 102 Dickens’s Request 144: Chapter 102 Dickens’s Request At number 4 Whitehall, inside the third-floor office of the Greater London Police Department.

Arthur stood in the office, which formerly belonged to Police Commissioner Taylor Clements.

His gaze passed through the transparent glass windows, encompassing the bustling Trafalgar Square, the Parliament Building, St Martin’s Church, and the tree-lined avenues in front of Buckingham Palace in the distance.

This was the very heart of Great Britain, and Arthur, at this moment, was standing firmly as one of its inconsequential parts.

Agares had his feet up on the desk, comfortably reclining in the chair, with Red Devil’s slender fingertips picking up a book from the desk.

It was John Locke’s “Two Treatises of Government”.

He opened the book at will, turned to the page marked by Arthur, and carelessly read out the words on it.

“By entering into society, each individual has entrusted a portion of their power to society, and as long as the society exists, these powers must not revert back to the individual but should remain within society.

For if it were not so, there would be no society, no state, and that would contravene the original compact.

Therefore, if the society has transferred legislative power to Parliament, which is composed of several individuals who, along with their successors, will continue to exercise these powers and have determined the scope and authority to generate successors, then as long as the government exists, the legislative power cannot be returned to the people.

Because they have endowed the legislative body with power, and have allowed it to exist perpetually, the political power relinquished by the people cannot be reclaimed…”

The Red Devil read up to this point and couldn’t help but click his tongue twice.

“You’re reading this stuff again.

What use has it for your bright future?

The purpose of John Locke writing this book was to hint to the readers that the then King James II had violated the logic of a legitimate government.

Though I won’t deny that part of the book’s logic is approaching the truth, so what?

The existence of Wellington’s Cabinet is beneficial to you, do you really plan to play their adversary?

Besides, if Wellington’s Cabinet has violated its logic as a legitimate government, then the Whig Cabinet, born under the same electoral system, should also be considered illegitimate…”

Agares muttered to himself, but suddenly, the Red Devil frowned, “Wait a second…

Arthur, what exactly are you thinking, you scoundrel?”

Arthur turned his head and glanced at him, “I don’t mean anything, I’m just reading a book.

Recently, London has been relatively peaceful, but it’s merely the calm before the storm.

Can’t you smell the gunpowder in the air?

Although the Duke of Wellington is thinking about dragging this Cabinet until the general election, Charles, who has been covering Parliament lately, told me that the leader of the Whig Party, Earl Grey, seems to not even plan to give him that one or two months.

It appears Earl Grey has already ordered Lord Russell to quickly unite party MPs with independent members to initiate a vote of no confidence against Wellington’s Cabinet.

Once the resolution is passed, the Cabinet will collapse immediately, and the general election will be brought forward.

But the tricky part is, even if the Whig Party wins the election and forms a government, they would only control a majority of seats in the House of Commons and only half of the legislative power.

The House of Lords, made up of nobility, is still firmly in the hands of the Tory Party, and according to the current inclination within the Tory Party, they will never make any concessions on the issue of parliamentary reform.

Once the Whig Party proposes a motion for parliamentary reform in the House of Commons, it will almost certainly be rejected in the House of Lords.

Back and forth like this, what do you think will happen when news gets out?”

Agares pushed his glasses up and reopened “Two Treatises of Government”: “Are you saying that you fear an internal revolution will erupt or, to put it more simply and directly, you’re concerned about the possibility of the start of a civil war?”

Arthur shook his head, “It’s not that severe.

Thank God, this is Britain, not Russia.

If it were Tsarist Russia or Ottoman Turkey, I can’t think how this issue could be resolved, apart from civil war.

You should know that my four years of studying history at University of London weren’t in vain.

Just to speak of the historical experiences of Great Britain, since the Glorious Revolution, each time the edge of civil war was approached, there always emerged politicians full of the spirit of sacrifice to solve the problem.

Take for example the Duke of Wellington during the Catholic Emancipation Act; if he hadn’t compromised, he wouldn’t have fallen to where he is today.

I heard that recently protestors often smash the windows of his house in the middle of the night, bothering the poor Duke.

But still, he restrains his fiery temper as best he can.”

“I don’t know whether the Duke’s reluctance to make further concessions on the issue of reform is because he’s genuinely that stubborn, or if it’s because the ‘Catholic Emancipation Act’ wounded him too deeply, so much so that he dares not step over the boundary anymore.”

“But whatever the case, whether it’s out of admiration for the Duke of Wellington’s spirit of sacrifice or out of gratitude for the ‘Catholic Emancipation Act’ allowing me to hold a senior position at Scotland Yard, I really ought to do something for the Tory Party.

I owe the Duke of Wellington and Sir Peel a debt of gratitude.”

The Red Devil picked up the sugar pot from Arthur’s desk and poured all the sugar cubes into his mouth, chewing as he analyzed, “So that’s the reason you went to see Peel, to request the establishment of that what-do-you-call-it, the investigative bureau?”

Arthur shook his head, “Not entirely.

I’ve said it before, my knowledge of history wasn’t wasted.

Judging from my understanding of the history of the Tory and the Whig parties, the Tory Party, originally the Royalists, might also resort to violence, but in non-essential circumstances they generally favor peace and order.

What’s more important is that, in dealing with the Catholic question, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Peel showed their tremendous courage as outstanding statesmen.

Even though I do not agree with them on all issues, I am pleased with the increasingly relaxed and open attitude of the Tory Party under their leadership.

Since the Cato Street Conspiracy in 1820, the general direction of the Tory Party has been shifting.

First came the ‘Slave Trade Act,’ then the abolition of the ‘Combination Acts,’ followed by the reform of the ‘Corn Laws’ to lower domestic retail prices, the reduction of tariffs on various imported goods, and the gradual repeal of the ‘Navigation Acts’ and their related clauses, establishing the Greater London Police Department to try to lower the crime rate, the abolition of the ‘Bloody Code’ to cut down on the number of capital punishments, the lifting of censorship of publications, freedom of speech, and the restoration of habeas corpus, and of course, the ‘Catholic Emancipation Act,’ which took nearly thirty years of effort to finally enact.”

“I can’t say that the effects of these measures were immediate, and the reform of the ‘Corn Laws’ did not have the expected effect, but at least I can see that the Tory Party truly wants to do something for this country.

Perhaps the party itself is not trustworthy, but I trust Sir Peel and the Duke of Wellington, who are leading it forward.”

Upon hearing this, the Red Devil couldn’t help but grin and say, “What about the Whig Party, then?

Aren’t they trustworthy?”

“The Whig Party?”

At this, Arthur pursed his lips, “The Whig Party, revering Lord Protector Cromwell as their spiritual leader, has naturally inherited Cromwell’s inclination to execute people at will.

If the Whig Party comes to power and there are upheavals within the country, I have considerable doubts that the issues could be resolved peacefully.

Not to mention, the segment of Tory Party members who advocated for the use of the military to suppress and introduced the six repressive acts after the Peterloo Massacre, have now almost entirely defected to the Whig Party.

If they really come to power, I have my concerns.”

Agares had nothing to say to this.

The Red Devil just arched an eyebrow, snapped his fingers, and then an apple with ‘Fred’ s face appeared in his palm.

He bit into it, and amid the apple’s agonized wails and the devil’s malicious mastication, blood trickled down the corners of his mouth.

Agares patted his belly and let out a satisfied burp, then consciously vacated the office chair, speaking lazily, “Looks like someone is looking for you.”

No sooner had the devil spoken than a knock at the door was heard.

Arthur called out, “Come in.”

The office door opened, and standing outside were Tom and Tony, whom Arthur had transferred to work at the police station, and Dickens, escorted by them and holding a green canvas bag.

Upon seeing Arthur sitting across the desk, Dickens gasped a breath of relief, a smile of ease spreading across his face.

“Arthur, it’s really you!

At first, I thought they were deceiving me.

I knew it—good people are bound to be rewarded, your promotion has been so rapid.

Thank heavens, God is watching over us, punishing the wicked and promoting the good is his mission.”

Arthur heard this and, instead of directly responding, simply smiled and said, “Charles, you give me too much credit.

I’m not such a good man, though I’m trying hard to be one, but I must admit, the current me is just not as thoroughly bad.”

But Dickens clearly didn’t take Arthur’s remark seriously.

He pulled out a manuscript from his bag, laid it in front of Arthur, and stared at him nervously, “Let’s not talk about that now.

Take a look at this for me.

What do you think of what I’ve written?”