The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 779: Chapter 368: The Final Ultimatum_2

Arthur responded, “I will convey this matter to Benjamin for him. After all, you know that I am just a policeman at Scotland Yard, and Benjamin has become one of the members of the Public Works Committee. When it comes to financial matters, his words carry much more weight than mine.”

Lionel took the coffee cup from the waiter’s hand, stirred it with a spoon, and asked, “That said, why don’t you and Benjamin come over to my place sometime? Oh, and bring Alexander and Officer Bonaparte along. I just bought an estate in the countryside, very close to Hagetson Forest. After we finish lunch, we can ride horses and go fox hunting in the forest.”

“I would love to accept your invitation, but…” Arthur shook his head slightly and said, “Lionel, you should be more informed than me. With the current situation in London, I cannot possibly leave to go hunting in the countryside. Moreover, I asked you here today to verify something with you.”

Lionel looked at Arthur’s face, was startled at first, then smiled and said, “Well, since you’ve put it that way, I think I have an idea what it’s about.”

Arthur took out a document from the leather bag he carried with him, “You should be aware of the various protest groups that have sprung up in London recently like mushrooms after rain: the middle class, the manual workers, the dockworkers, and those protesting urban sanitation and cholera control.”

“Some of these people have no work to do, so I can understand their actions. But there is another group who do have jobs, with legitimate occupations and an income that is not high but not low either.”

“Therefore, even if they wanted to protest against social injustice, it is not usually their place to lead the charge. Yet they are the ones coming out, and I have been curious what they plan to live on if they spend all day wandering the streets.”

“Later, however, my informants told me that someone has been funding them from behind. Their job is to protest in the streets, and no matter how you trace it, this money always ends up being tied back to the heads of the Financial City. Bankers and stockbrokers either give them money directly or provide food for these protesters.”

“Of course, I have no objections to these gentlemen being sopolitically active and genuinely supporting the cause of Parliament reform. In Britain, everyone enjoys the right to freely express their views. But, Lionel, I have recently discovered something that deeply worries me.”

Lionel took a sip of his coffee, smiled, and asked, “What have you found?”

Arthur paused, then tapped the document next to him with his finger, “The Police Intelligence Department has substantial evidence to suggest that there is at least one assassination plot targeting the Duke of Wellington. I do not oppose Parliament reform, but if the reform leads to the untimely assassination of His Grace the Duke, that is something I do not wish to see. You surely know what that would lead to—Britain would erupt into civil war, Royalists against Parliament, Cromwell’s story might well be replayed in this country.”

Lionel, upon hearing this, did not show much alarm; he simply continued to calmly savor the bitterness of his coffee.

“Arthur, you might not believe me, but I have to say this. I actually share your views on this matter. I support Parliament reform, but I would never endorse any plot to assassinate the Duke of Wellington. You know, I am a banker, and the Rothschild Family is also one of the main holders of the British Public Debt. Do you think we would like to see a civil war in Britain?”

“Don’t joke—such a conflict would cause a plunge in the value of our public debt securities. And it’s not just us; Barings shares the same opinion. The bigger the bank we are, the more we dislike risk. If possible, we would prefer His Majesty the King agree to Earl Grey’s proposal and allow the reform bill to pass through the House of Lords vote smoothly and without a ripple.”

Lionel added specifically, “Speaking of revolutions, Arthur, you might not know, but when the July Revolution broke out in France the year before last, I was in Paris at the time. My father sent me there to assist my Uncle James with some French public debt business.”

“The atmosphere in Paris on the eve of the revolution was very wrong. To ensure that a revolution would not break out, Uncle James visited Prime Minister Polignac several times to make sure he would not initiate a military coup nor take any illegal actions. After receiving Polignac’s repeated assurances, we agreed to take on public debt securities worth 3.3 million Francs at 82.40 points to help stabilize their price.”

“However, when Charles X announced the dissolution of Parliament, we finally realized things were amiss. Despite Charles X’s consistent declarations of support for his government, Uncle James was utterly disheartened by his actions.”

“The whole world was selling off French public debt, and Uncle James did not dare close his eyes for three days straight. He wrote to my father, saying he had lost all courage completely. That’s why my father sent me to Paris urgently to assist with our business there.”

“However, no sooner had I arrived in Paris than the unrest broke out. I saw the streets’ newspapers surrounded by soldiers and armed personnel; they took away all newspapers and arrested the editors at the police stations. You also know, if this were in Britain, this alone would be enough to cause unrest.”