The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1016: Chapter 64 Investment Scam_2

Arthur merely sighed and said: ”Madam, I too was deceived. When that hat-selling weaver came looking for me, he said it was an American company recruiting procurement officers in Paris. I fell for his evil scheme and placed orders all over the hat shops in the city. As a result, when the scam was exposed, he had already vanished with his family. With the main culprit gone, I, as an accomplice, became the scapegoat. They pinned all the debts on me, and that’s how I owe ten thousand francs.”

Clara consoled: ”I said before, living in this grand society of Paris, you must discard the false stories you learned from textbooks. It is filled with deception everywhere, and heartless betrayal plays out between people every day. Even your most trusted friend can, after an intimate conversation one night, stab you in the back without hesitation the next morning at dawn.”

Arthur nodded in agreement: ”Madam, the words you spoke to me yesterday, I pondered them all night. Napoleon was a revolutionist in 1793, yet in 1804 he wore an iron-cast crown. Those revolutionaries shouting ’Death over inequality’ in 1792, by 1806, one after another accepted noble titles and rewards.

This shows that in France, whether in politics or morals, everyone, when reaching the end, overthrows his starting point, either overturning their propositions with actions or actions with their propositions. Be it the government or individuals, logic is fundamentally lacking. Therefore, those who follow historical moralism can’t even become renowned scholars.

In this country, success is the ultimate justification, capable of defending all actions, no matter which kind. The fact itself is insignificant; what matters is the attitude people have towards it. That despicable swindler just donned a splendid outfit, and I truly thought he was a grand American merchant.

This proves that as long as you adorn yourself beautifully, hide the darker side of life, and only reveal a fraction of brilliance, most people will consider you noble enough. The misdeeds committed by great figures are no less than those of the poor devils, but their difference lies in committing misdeeds secretly while showing off virtue, thus always being Your Excellency.

As for someone like me? I practice virtue secretly but expose my misfortunes in broad daylight, which is why I’m despised. As long as I can promote noble qualities from now on and hide my scars from sight, I too can become a respected moral gentleman. I can openly fall in love with an actress and live with her; that’s our freedom, and no one should blame us. However, should I stand in opposition to public opinion, defy societal rules, I won’t gain society’s respect.”

Although Arthur was ostensibly recounting his journey, he was subtly pointing at Clara.

This feisty French girl might recite Thiers’ words by heart, but regrettably, she had little understanding of them.

Given the previous insights it brought to him, Arthur still gently informed her why Thiers swiftly withdrew from her side after his rise to prominence.

In truth, there’s not much difference between people, but why do some history students become Senate Presidents while others end up in prison?

Ultimately, reputation, appearance, and form matter significantly.

These seemingly illusory things can convince people that a poor laborer unable to fill a pot is a convincing grand American shipowner, or turn a 1.5-meter-tall guy like Thiers into a pivotal figure in French politics.

If you rob a bank with a small knife, such actions would end on the gallows in London and the guillotine in Paris.

However, if a heavily indebted businessman declares bankruptcy, it’s just relocating his assets, far from warranting a separation of life and death.

The way you seize money, the choice of method is crucial.

A so-called civilized society is just dressing up originally barbaric means in hypocrisy so that everyone can more readily accept them.

Not all of Arthur’s words were made up on the spot; some were precisely his thoughts while polishing a new book, ”The Million Pound Note,” yesterday.

Clara looked at Arthur as though she wanted to penetrate his very skull with her gaze. Her emotions were very complex; maybe it was psychological, but she always felt this young man resembled her former lover when she first saw him, even though their height difference was a full thirty centimeters, yet that unique aura only perceptible to a girl was identical.

”You’ve come to your senses.”

Arthur waved the manuscript in his hand and sat next to Clara: ”Not only have I come to my senses, but I’ve also thought of a perfect way to get rich. Do you remember how I ended up owing ten thousand francs before? Why did that damned hat weaver insist on hiring me to negotiate with major hat merchants instead of someone else?

Because, although humans often act foolishly, they can occasionally be shrewd. A person dressed finely going on a scam may not fool everyone, but if paired with speech that matches the attire, the con’s impact doubles. If the swindler also possesses some impressive titles or a notable reputation, that would suffice to swindle all of Paris’s money.”

Clara, leaning against the wall with her chin on her hand, teased him: ”What did I see? The birth of a new rogue. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you those things; I still remember how ordinary a young man you were yesterday, but today you swear to make a living by swindling.”

Arthur spread his arms: ”I’m not the only one deceiving, am I? Playboys deceive wealthy girls, company managers deceive shareholders, kings and politicians deceive the public. I simply haven’t reached their positions, so I can’t yet disguise my actions, nor do I have the authority to tell someone like you, who knows I’m deceiving, to shut up.

However, as long as I succeed in one deal, I can immediately use the money to buy a position at the City Hall or start a newspaper to promote myself as a learned scholar. After that, I’ll have many followers, even those without knowledge will become knowledgeable, and those without capability will become capable.

Then many people will come to associate with me willingly, and I can continue swindling them one batch after another. Eventually, I’ll be elected to the National Assembly, appointed as an academician at the French Academy of Sciences, enter the Cabinet, and become the Prime Minister. After all, the Great Charter determines elections by wealth and property, not by morality.

By then, I can claim to be noble and spotless, and no one will dare contradict me, even though I may have done many unrighteous and impure things while building my fortune.”

”Alas...”

Clara looked at Arthur with an expression of finding a broad road, feeling a mix of unspeakable emotions.

She remembered Thiers realized the same rules one day, and then quickly embarked on the path to success.

And the friends around Thiers quickly upgraded from shabby literary figures and lowly ones to some famous personalities in France.

This Marquis, that Duke. Naturally, this included the former deputy elector of the French Empire, Talleyrand, and the ’hero of two worlds’, Lafayette.

”So, what do you plan to do?”

”I just need a fabricated Louis Philippe Medal, a Legion of Honour Medal, and a July Medal, plus a few well-dressed white-collar beauties pretending to be tellers, renting a small office as the office, then sending some salesmen everywhere to proclaim so-called banking services. We can operate honestly for a while; once business ties with various banks are established, we will start altering bills of exchange, giving them to our clients to seek acceptance by other banks.”

Arthur, biting his lip, suddenly hesitated: ”This idea of mine is brilliant; in Paris, it’s not hard to find beauties. The only difficulty is that I still lack a trustworthy organizer and forgery expert.”