The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1558: Chapter 7: Talleyrand? Little Pitt?

Arthur’s query lingered in the study for a moment. The Duke of Wellington glanced at him meaningfully, then chuckled softly.

”What, does this surprise you?” The Old Duke paced slowly, his eyes resting on Arthur for a moment, then turning to the embers in the fireplace. ”Did you think that after causing such a commotion, Palmerston would let it slide? When he was younger, he was notorious for his vengeful nature. Whether it was in debates or speeches, he always adopted an aggressive stance, and he holds grudges deeply.”

Sir Peel gently added, ”Especially since you knocked over his chessboard.”

Arthur glanced at Sir Peel, but all he saw on the man’s face was a sincere smile.

But a mere innocent smile wasn’t enough to convince Arthur of their words. Sir Peel was a seasoned political operator from the age of 20, and while the Duke of Wellington was more renowned as a military leader, before he made a name for himself on the Indian battlefield, the Old Duke had long served as Secretary to the Governor of Ireland and as a member of the Irish Parliament.

In other words, these two were old foxes. Without some special reason, Arthur couldn’t believe they would step in on matters that had nothing to do with them and defend him.

But the Duke of Wellington’s words weren’t entirely false. Arthur had long heard of Palmerston’s bad temper.

Moreover, he had long understood that his actions in the Caucasus were bound to stir diplomatic waves.

But his original calculation was that even if Palmerston was displeased, it would be nothing more than a few reprimands, at most a transfer to a minor position, or even being ousted from the diplomatic system.

Although the Foreign Secretary is one of the three main chairs in the Cabinet, Palmerston’s power was limited to that.

As long as he resolved not to linger in the diplomatic system, what could Palmerston possibly do, even if he was vengeful?

However, from the tone of the Duke of Wellington’s words, it seemed Palmerston wasn’t just simply displeased this time, but truly furious, and had even brought the Caucasus mess to the Privy Council’s meeting with the King—now that was a bit...

”Your Grace...” Arthur began slowly, probing, ”Since you’re defending me, does that mean... the Privy Council has come to a conclusion about my matter?”

”Conclusion?” The Duke of Wellington shook his head, gently stroking the silver lion-headed cane: ”There is no conclusion yet, but the situation is not favorable for you.”

Sir Peel spoke unhurriedly, ”You must know that the political situation in London has been unstable recently. Grey’s Cabinet could fall at any moment, and the conflicts within the Whig Party are deepening. That’s why, at this time, most people have neither the time nor energy to focus on the Caucasus.”

Hearing this, Arthur couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

But before he could fully relax, Sir Peel turned the conversation back around.

”Arthur, I know what you’re thinking. You think, although Palmerston is still in the position of Foreign Secretary at the moment, he may not keep that seat until the end. Once Grey resigns and the Cabinet is reshuffled, who knows what department he might end up managing, or he might not even get the post of Duke of Lancaster. However, we must tell you a piece of bad news. Grey has last presented his resignation to His Majesty the King in person, and his successor will be Viscount Melbourne. You’ve probably already heard during your time at Almack’s Club about the romantic affairs of Palmerston and Viscount Melbourne’s sister, Lady Cooper, and they originally have a close personal relationship, so I don’t think I need to continue gossiping about these matters. I just want to tell you, based on what we’ve found out, after Viscount Melbourne takes over as Prime Minister, Palmerston will remain in the Foreign Office, so you’d better not hold too many illusions in this regard.”

At these words, Arthur suddenly felt as if he were being driven to the edge of a cliff.

He hadn’t even prepared to back down yet when Sir Peel already jumped out to tell him that this road was blocked.

This whole affair, no matter how one looked at it, seemed laden with intricate manipulations.

Seeing Arthur remain silent, Sir Peel smiled and invited him not to rush, to have a drink first, and he spoke unhurriedly, ”Arthur, please understand, we cannot stop him from pressuring you, but if you are willing, we can offer you a safer retreat.”

”Retreat?” Seeing the fox’s tail finally revealed, Arthur raised his eyebrow, lowering his posture, ”You mean...”

The Duke of Wellington raised his glass, gently swirling the amber liquid within, ”You find yourself in a very nuanced situation. The Whig Party is wary of you bearing ill intentions, while the Tory Party... to be precise, Peel and I, and His Majesty the King, we haven’t completely lost faith in you.”

Arthur originally thought they wanted to persuade him to join the Tory Party, but he never expected that the King was involved in this as well.

”I... His Majesty the King?” Arthur repeated slowly, his tone bearing traces of inquiry.

The Duke of Wellington nodded gently, took a small sip from his glass, while Sir Peel leaned slightly forward, his gaze intensely upon Arthur.

”Arthur, you should know, since His Majesty the King ascended the throne, he has harbored a grudge against the Duchess of Kent.” Sir Peel said softly, ”Their relationship is not just ordinary court dispute, but a real political problem. And this problem, as time goes by, is becoming increasingly thorny.”