The Shadow of Great Britain

326: Chapter 205: The Power of the British (6K2)_3 326: Chapter 205: The Power of the British (6K2)_3 He pulled out a handkerchief from his coat pocket and wiped the wine stain beside his mouth, “Arthur, I’m speaking seriously to you!”

“I’m not lying to you either.”

Arthur, with a cigar in his mouth, took a couple of puffs and exhaled smoke that covered his entire face, “You people are always like this; whenever I have a pang of conscience and try to tell you the truth, no one is willing to believe me.

If I just spout some lies, you take them for the gospel truth.”

Disraeli obviously didn’t take Arthur’s words to heart as he changed the subject, “Let’s not talk about this.

How did you come up with the idea of going to see Mrs.

Norton about submitting articles today?

Is it because you’re interested in her close relationship with the Home Secretary, Viscount Melbourne?”

Arthur neither confirmed nor denied Disraeli’s speculation.

He always encouraged those who were in the dark to use their imagination, as audiences often spun more spectacular stories than the truth, which conveniently also helped mask the shoddiness and clumsiness the London Police Intelligence Bureau exhibited in their intelligence gathering work at the moment.

Arthur began, “Acquaintances or good friendships with ladies of high society are always beneficial for future endeavors.

After all, ‘The Times’ always needs copy to fill its pages, so why not seek her out?

Not to mention Mrs.

Norton happens to have a talent in this area.”

Disraeli massaged his temples, “You’re right.

After half a year of rapid growth, sales of ‘The Times’ have begun to level off.

To others, selling fifteen thousand copies per issue may already seem like an incredible achievement.

However, we’re different; we should not be satisfied with this trivial success.

In the future, we are going to be big shots!

If we can get ‘The Times’ onto the government’s routine subscription list, the benefits it will bring us will be not just monetary, but political as well!”

Hearing this, Arthur almost choked on his smoke, nearly asphyxiated by the astonishingly grand scheme that Disraeli had proposed.

Although he knew his drama-king friend was known for his leaps in thought, he still didn’t understand where his confidence came from to get an entertainment literature magazine on the government’s subscription list.

To prevent an overly zealous Disraeli from making rash breakthroughs in certain areas and causing some irreparable unforeseen consequences, Arthur had to hastily throw cold water on his ideas.

Arthur said, “Currently, the government’s subscription publications are mainly focused on current events, social news, and political commentary.

If one day ‘The Times’ can demonstrate characteristics in these three areas, I believe the government will certainly consider subscribing.

But as it stands, I think a circulation of fifteen thousand hardly holds any representation.”

Disraeli was troubled as he rubbed his head, “You make sense, but fifteen thousand copies is already a very solid base, and to increase it further, we may need to resort to some extraordinary measures.”

Arthur replied coolly, “Extraordinary measures?

I have those!

The public is only concerned about certain things.

Once you grasp their interests, you can easily control their wallets.

Especially for those middle-class folks who are ‘The Times” main audience, getting a hold of them is even easier because their desires are practically on display.”

“Oh?” Disraeli straightened his back slightly and leaned forward a bit, “What are you talking about?”

Arthur casually pulled out several newspapers from a pile on his desk.

They were “The Times,” “The Manchester Guardian,” and “The Weekly Dispatch,” all targeting middle-class readers.

This time, before Arthur could speak, Disraeli shook his head with a grimace, “Forget it, Arthur, I’ve already advertised in these papers, and it didn’t work as well as I thought.”

Arthur only shook his head, “Benjamin, you’re mistaken.

I’m not asking you to advertise, and besides, advertising in these widely circulated papers is too expensive.

More importantly, most readers don’t like to read advertisements, so you have to make them unaware it’s an ad to begin with.”

Disraeli was befuddled by Arthur’s rhetoric, “What do you mean by that?”

Arthur pulled out a piece of paper from a drawer and pushed the ink bottle towards Disraeli, “Later you’re going to place a matrimonial ad in these newspapers for a continuous month.

As for the content of the ad, I’ll dictate it to you.”

Disraeli was completely puzzled, “Arthur, you’re getting married?

There’s absolutely no need for you to do this!

A twenty-one-year-old Scotland Yard inspector can easily find a nice girl.”

Arthur frowned, “Do you want to increase the circulation or not?”

Although Disraeli didn’t understand what Arthur was planning, he obediently picked up the pen and paper; after all, not many people would say no to money, “Go ahead.”

Arthur cleared his throat and started in all seriousness, “Male, twenty-one years old, six feet tall, with a sunny and handsome appearance, thick hair, with no signs of balding, a gentlemanly demeanor, kind to animals, fond of music, appreciates literature, owns a residence near Hyde Park, employs a high-class chef from France.

Currently holds a stable job with an annual income of over five hundred pounds.

Now seeking a lovely lady similar to the Mrs.

XXX or Miss XXX described in the ‘Hastings Case Files’ series written by Arthur Sigma, serialized in ‘The Times,’ to accompany him for life.”