The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1790: Chapter 98: Royal Family Franchise_2

Arthur’s wine glass paused in mid-air, and his smile contained a subtle touch of awkwardness.

Noticing his momentary embarrassed expression, even the Duchess couldn’t help but lower her head and stifle a laugh, causing the silver fork to clink lightly against the plate.

As for Victoria, she never believed that the considerate Sir Arthur Hastings would take money to do something that tarnishes another’s reputation.

Arthur coughed once and quickly engaged his mind to steer the topic back: ”Let me guess, wasn’t that article written by Alfred Tennyson? Alfred is indeed very averse to the inventions and creations of industrial society. He is a typical poet who opposes anything that might disrupt the tranquil pastoral life.”

Leopold didn’t make things difficult for the young man. He nodded in acknowledgment, ”You certainly know the authors of ’The British’ well; it was indeed written by Mr. Tennyson. However, even if ’The British’ really took money from the Canal Company, I wouldn’t be too opposed. After all, ’The British’ is not like the ’Edinburgh Review’ and the ’Quarterly Review’; they can’t rely on party connections to survive. They’re not like ’The Observer’ and ’The Times,’ assured of the Parliament coverage market. If they don’t find more financial resources, how will they pay salaries and maintain operations?”

Arthur couldn’t quite decipher what game Leopold was playing today, so he opted for a cautious response: ”Of course, the Empire Publishing Company cooperates with all industries, whether it’s the Canal Company or the Railway Company, we treat them equally. Frankly, I was a shareholder of the Great Western Railway Company until a few days ago when I donated those shares to the University of London for educational purposes. This does not mean I am skeptical about the future of railways; railways are faster than canals and their transport is not limited by seasons. They can cross mountains without depending on hydrological conditions, nor are they affected by frozen rivers. For a long time, this will be a profitable venture.”

As Arthur finished off with ”a profitable venture,” Leopold raised an eyebrow slightly, as if pondering something carefully.

It wasn’t until Arthur finished his last remark about ”a profitable venture” that Leopold slowly spoke, ”I see, I did underestimate your enthusiasm for railways.”

”Just have a superficial understanding. Your Majesty thinks too highly of me.”

”No,” Leopold gently shook his head, ”not thinking too highly. I merely assumed your interest in railways was limited to media topics and stock trading. I hadn’t realized you were involved in the layout of the Kingdom of Hanover’s railway lines. The other day, when I was walking in the garden, I ran into the Duke of Sussex, who mentioned to me that the railway currently being built from Hanover to Hamburg was your idea, and you even persuaded him to invest in its construction.”

When Arthur heard the first part, he thought his money laundering via railway investments had been exposed, but after hearing the rest, he finally relaxed.

”Oh, you’re referring to that railway? Haha, it was merely a coincidence. Rather than saying it was my idea to build the railway, it’s more that Mr. Friedrich List inspired me. He mentioned that Hamburg is the gateway to Northern Germany, but it’s separated by vast forests and hills from Hanover. During the rainy season, the muddy roads cause trading caravans to be delayed and goods to be poorly transshipped. Later, we looked at the map and discovered that if we built a freight railway along the south bank of the Elbe River, we could bypass the most landslide-prone mountain roads and directly link Hamburg’s port capacity with the Kingdom of Hanover’s market. This is a truly profitable business.”

Leopold chuckled at this, ”But I heard... this project’s progression hasn’t been very smooth? It encountered several setbacks?”

”More or less,” Arthur nodded slightly, ”if it weren’t for the Duke of Sussex exerting pressure on the Kingdom of Hanover, the railway construction approvals would have been delayed by a year or two.”

Leopold smiled lightly, as if he’d finally found a suitable turning point: ”So, Sir, if one day the Belgian Government also wanted to build a railway through forests and hills, connecting ports with inland areas... do you think it could also be considered a profitable business?”

As soon as he said this, Victoria, who had been concentrating on enjoying her dessert, immediately perked up her ears, and the Duchess of Kent raised an eyebrow slightly, finally realizing that her brother’s dinner tonight wasn’t just to meet the ”agricultural expert” Hastings.

Arthur couldn’t help but feel uneasy at Leopold’s words, which increasingly sounded like a pitch to attract investment.

The problem is, although he is no longer the poor farmer he once was, that doesn’t mean he’s wealthy!

The Empire Publishing Company has just gone public, and admittedly has a little extra money on the books.

However, they still have to support the England Electromagnetic Telegraph Company, which is currently just a loss-making venture.

Arthur nonchalantly put down the silver spoon and did not answer immediately. After pausing for a moment, he responded with a question, ”Your Majesty, may I ask how far along Belgium is in its railway construction? I recall hearing someone say that Belgian railway development seems to be ahead of the Kingdom of Hanover’s line.”