The Shadow of Great Britain

But if viewed from the perspective of fulfilling King William IV’s wishes, based on his understanding of this Sailor King, whether or not he ultimately regains consciousness, he certainly would want this letter delivered to the Privy Council and subjected to review by both Houses, thereby forming a national resolution.

Arthur remained silent throughout, until Taylor stopped walking, only then did he slowly speak: ”Sir Herbert, Your Lordship, perhaps His Majesty originally did wish for it to be read at the Privy Council. But at this moment, he is unconscious. If you rashly send this letter out, it will inevitably be suspected of being a surrogate creation by some people, and at that time, it will give Conroy and the Duchess of Kent an excuse.”

Chamberlain and Taylor had obviously considered this issue too, or rather, the main reason they were hesitant to make a decision was because of this.

Moreover, even if others did not doubt the authenticity of the letter, delivering it now would certainly offend Kensington Palace.

If King William IV unfortunately passed before Victoria came of age, the Duchess of Kent and Conroy might still stir up some turmoil in the brief regency period of less than a month. If they eventually manage to extend the regency period until Victoria is 21, Chamberlain and Taylor, who offended Kensington Palace, would likely come to no good end.

However, Arthur was different from Taylor and Chamberlain. Since the Ramsgate incident, he had staked his life on Victoria’s ability to govern herself.

Therefore, he was not afraid to offend Kensington Palace; after all, he had no way back.

Chamberlain and Taylor turned their gaze to Arthur, intending to see if he wished to step forward at this moment.

Arthur’s expression remained unchanged, he simply slowly put down his cane: ”In that case, do not let you two bear this burden. His Majesty’s last wishes must be witnessed by individuals of significant weight. Otherwise, whether suppressed or made public, it would become a matter of court gossip.”

Taylor frowned, as if he had already guessed what Arthur was going to say.

Arthur continued: ”I propose to summon several of the most influential leaders in current politics, the Duke of Wellington, Sir Robert Peel, Viscount Melbourne, Lord John Russell, and so on. Let them jointly review this letter and decide whether to submit the matter to the Privy Council, and convey it to the two Houses. In this way, if a resolution is ultimately advanced, it would be a collective decision. If the decision is not to make it public, the number of those in the know about this matter would be kept within a small circle. Given the wisdom of Your Excellencies, it is unlikely they would broadcast this matter everywhere.”

Chamberlain slowly nodded, still harboring anxiety: ”This is indeed a good method, but... if we invite them to Windsor? Once the news leaks, the whole of Britain might suspect that the King’s time is near.”

Arthur did not refute but instead argued from a different perspective: ”Your Excellency, precisely because of this, we need to let people see. His Majesty is not alone, collapsed in his chamber, but has entrusted the entire country to the most powerful group of people. In this way, even if he can no longer speak, the letter will be validated.”

Taylor and Chamberlain exchanged glances, conveying their opinions through eye contact.

After a lengthy silence, Taylor finally sighed: ”What you said is not without reason. If it’s up to just the three of us, we can neither take it on nor suppress it. But before that, I need to inform Queen Adelaide first.”

Chamberlain slowly nodded and said: ”If Her Majesty the Queen approves, then let us invite them into the palace. Wellington, Peel, Melbourne, Russell... regardless of position, at least they won’t jest about the issue of succession.”