The Shadow of Great Britain

Of course, good news inevitably comes with some bad news.

For instance, last month, Conservative Party spokesperson William Crook published a long article in the party’s official paper, the Quarterly Review, criticizing the female relatives of Whig Party leaders surrounding Queen Victoria. Conservative Party leader Peel also repeatedly criticized, stating that the Queen was under the control of Whig Party leader Viscount Melbourne and lamented that if the Queen continued to be swayed by the Whigs, her position would soon become precarious.

Moreover, because of the strong momentum shown by the Conservative Party in this election, the Whig Party could no longer treat attacks from political opponents as lightly as they did five years ago.

Home Secretary Lord John Russell even had to write a letter to appease the Governor of Ireland, Earl of Margrave, assuring him that the Queen still supported the Whig Party’s Irish policies.

And the Conservative Party clearly realized that the only obstacle now preventing them from pressuring the Whig Party to concede on the Ireland Church issue was the Queen’s support for the Whig Party.

Therefore, "rescuing" the Queen from the "tyranny" of the Whig Party naturally became the most urgent political demand for the Conservatives at the moment.

And somehow, no one knows which genius within the Conservative Party, actually composed a satirical song mocking the Whigs:

"The Whigs shamelessly say, ’The Queen is with us,

The Queen supports us because she likes us.’

That may be true, but if one day her favor disappears,

Whose boots will you still be able to lick?"

As everyone knows, seven or eight pieces of candy, two or three pennies, just such a small treat could have the street kids of London singing this song for hours as they walked along the main roads of London.

So, unsurprisingly, within a few days, most of London could sing this song.

Faced with the Conservative Party’s attacks, the Whig Party would naturally not sit back and do nothing; they also brought out their own tricks.

During the election period from the end of last month to the beginning of this month, agents of the Whig Party widely distributed a cartoon titled "Contrast."

The cartoon juxtaposed portraits of Queen Victoria and King Ernest Augustus of Hanover. In this cartoon, Queen Victoria appeared pure and charming, while her uncle, King Ernst I of Hanover, looked like a thug with thick, gray hair and a fierce appearance.

The Conservative and Whig Parties, the two largest parties in Britain, one cultivating public opinion from childhood, the other using lowbrow satirical cartoons for insinuation and smearing.

This only shows that the covert battles in Westminster Palace are not much more honest than the tactics of Sir Arthur Hastings.

However, compared to the trivial matters concerning the Ireland Church that the Conservatives and Whigs were entangled in, Arthur was more concerned with some things he could get involved in.

For example, the concert at Buckingham Palace.

Or, say, "Lord Brougham’s Fierce Critique of the Royal Annual Salary Bill."

It must be said that recently, Arthur has felt a headache whenever he sees his mentors appearing in the newspapers.

It’s not that he doesn’t understand the political views of the Radical Liberals represented by Lord Brougham, after all, during his time studying at the University of London, he was almost daily exposed to those ideas.

Things like abolishing slavery, parliamentary reform, limiting the King’s power, widespread education, religious emancipation, and the legalization of same-sex relationships are among the core demands of the Radical Liberals who founded the University of London.

Therefore, Arthur also knew he had little chance of changing Lord Brougham’s mind, considering that this former High Chancellor was marginalized by the Whigs for sticking to his beliefs.

He couldn’t even change the minds of the Radical Lower House representatives Joseph Hume and Benjamin Hos, whose best suggestions were merely to propose cutting the Queen’s annual salary by either 50,000 pounds or ten thousand pounds.

But Lord Brougham?

Arthur’s closest of mentors, who opposed the bill in its entirety and called for detailed amendments to the economic provisions for the Queen in the Royal Annual Salary Draft.

Although Arthur knew that the demands of the Radical party would surely not be accepted by the mainstream of either party, thus they would inevitably face overwhelming defeat in both Houses.

Even so, the Radicals scrambling in such a way on the annuity issue, troubling the Queen, it would inevitably leave a bad impression on Victoria.

Arthur couldn’t bear to see Lord Brougham self-destruct politically.

After all, if Lord Brougham further lost his political influence, then who would the University of London rely on to wave the flag in the political arena?

Surely it couldn’t rely on him, Sir Arthur Hastings?

As a civil servant, Sir Arthur must strictly maintain political neutrality.

Of course, I’m speaking about what’s publicly known.

Early in the morning, plunged into melancholy thoughts for the nation and its people, Sir Arthur quietly sighed and closed the newspaper.

The pigeons circled around his feet, trying to find some scraps of breakfast fallen by his riding boots, but in the end, they could only flap their wings in disappointment and fly away.

His eyes looked towards the lake, but his gaze held no focus.

He did not understand why the University of London’s campus was all abuzz about Napoleon being trapped at Waterloo, as if this meant Westminster Palace was doomed for the Liberals.

Ten years ago, Arthur embarked on his journey from York, starting his first southward quest for education. At that time, everywhere Jeremy Bentham and Lord Brougham went, the public welcomed them with open arms, truly occupying all the opportune moments, the scene of vigorous life and burgeoning vitality still lingering vividly in his mind.