Chapter 93
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Joint Operation
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They say that for a politician to become truly great, talent is important, but so is luck.
To build momentum, one must ride the current, but if that current never comes, one is bound to be forgotten.
There are those who create the current themselves, but that’s only possible when they already have a certain level of name recognition.
In the 19th century, if some unknown figure tried to propose an agenda that cut through all of society, it would simply be buried in silence.
In that sense, one could argue that most successful politicians are, to some extent, lucky people.
Gladstone, who in the original history would undoubtedly be counted on one hand among all the prime ministers of the British Empire, was surely no exception.
He must have been, and yet…
“Well, doesn't this throw a wrench in the whole plan?”
“Not entirely, but it seems we’ll need to make some adjustments.”
Gladstone’s ambitious plan to make waves by dramatically defecting from the Tory Party and joining the Whigs had hit a massive reef before it even set sail.
- Queen Victoria Declares She Will Remain Single! ‘I will not consider marriage until the problems of society are resolved and the citizens can live with peace of mind.’
- ‘I will live with the mindset of one married to the nation.’ The Queen’s sincere heart for her citizens.
- The true image of a monarch who thinks of her people. Seeing the familiar shadow of Queen Elizabeth in Queen Victoria.
The front page of every newspaper rolling around the city streets carried Victoria’s bombshell declaration, and whether in high society or in pubs, the main topic of conversation was her vow of singlehood.
Even on my carriage ride to meet Gladstone, the clamor of people discussing this issue seeped through the doors. That said it all.
In this climate, even if Gladstone were to deal a blow to the back of the Tory elders’ heads and move to the Whig party, truly no one would pay any attention.
In a way, it was fortunate this news broke before he actually acted.
If it were already a done deal, I would have had to redraw the plans from scratch.
“And yet, you don't seem as surprised as I thought. Everyone around me is in an uproar over this news.”
“Ah, that’s because I’ve spoken with Her Majesty about this before. She often said, almost like a habit, that she didn't want to be bothered with matters of marriage.”
It was true that something had to be done, as the pressure to marry would only intensify if she simply waited indefinitely for my position to rise.
She had mentioned having a good idea, but I never imagined she would pull something like this.
It was quite shocking, but in terms of effectiveness, nothing could have been more effective.
People were already drawing parallels to Elizabeth, so rather than finding it odd, they were drunk on the nostalgia of the past, praising the Queen’s decision.
A marriage to the nation.
The phrasing, ‘I shall take the British Empire as my husband.’
Didn't it have a certain romantic resonance that only a queen, unlike a king, could provide?
- In the past, Queen Elizabeth defeated Spain and laid the groundwork for England to grow into the British Empire. Her Majesty Queen Victoria has defeated the great eastern empire of the Qing Dynasty and proven that the British Empire is the strongest nation in the world. Could this truly be a coincidence?
If she hadn't had a basic level of popularity, criticism would have arisen, questioning her right to invoke Elizabeth’s name. Fortunately, the popularity of Victoria and the royal family was currently very high.
She showed far more interest in the daily lives of the citizens than previous kings and was actively voicing her opinions.
Yet, she was not autocratic, respected Parliament, and carefully managed the composition of her ladies-in-waiting to avoid favoring one party.
With the young queen performing her duties so well, it was impossible for the intellectuals and citizens not to love the royal family.
Even most of those who wished for the queen to marry did so out of a desire for such an excellent monarch to produce an heir quickly.
But now that she had stated her intentions so clearly, anyone who continued to make a fuss about marriage would be the one to face criticism.
If her political acumen continued to improve like this, she might genuinely come to be regarded as the greatest monarch in the history of the British Empire.
However, that was that, and this was this.
Gladstone, his ambitious defection plan stalled, let out a sigh, tapping the innocent newspaper.
“Nothing in this world ever goes right. They say some people are doomed to fail no matter what they do. Surely I’m not one of them?”
“Of course not. If that were true, you wouldn't have won the election on your first try upon entering politics.”
How could a man who became Prime Minister in the original history be a failure?
However, it was true that most of the opportunities for Gladstone to shine had been snatched away by me.
He should have made his presence known by boldly confronting the party elders, declaring that an immoral war was unacceptable ahead of the Opium War, but that major event had been completely erased.
On top of that, Charles Wellesley, who should have been insignificant compared to Gladstone, was now being hailed as the hope of the Tory Party, and his rival, Disraeli, had entered politics much earlier.
Compared to the Gladstone of the original history, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was being cursed by the heavens.
It was probably not unreasonable for him to feel that nothing was going his way.
“But what should I do now? I was planning to create as much buzz as possible while switching parties, just as you advised, but now that’s impossible… Should I scrap the whole plan? But if I just quietly switch parties, I might not be able to establish a proper position in the Whig party either…”
“Scrapping it is out of the question. The whole point was for you to join the Whig party with the title of a promising young politician who defected after dealing a blow to the Tories, positioning yourself as their savior. If you take out the ‘dealing a blow to the Tories’ part, the whole plan falls apart. For the sake of your future, sir, we cannot scrap the plan. Of course, it will need some refinement.”
“Difficult, so difficult. But are you sure you’ll be alright helping me like this? I’m truly grateful, but if anyone finds out, you could be attacked as a traitor within your party.”
“It’s not a problem. There’s no way it will be known, and even if it is, I have countermeasures in place. And this isn't simply about helping you, sir. It's about helping this country's politics become healthier.”
The only person who could reveal the fact that I helped Gladstone harm the Tory Party was Gladstone himself.
But he had no reason to expose that fact unless he intended to self-destruct by taking me down with him.
Besides, even if he did leak it, I had already made the necessary backroom arrangements to frame it as him baselessly trying to drag me into his mess.
Did he really think I would undertake such a risky operation without any safety nets?
“The country becoming healthier…?”
“If things continue as they are, the Tory Party will effectively have a one-party rule. A general election will be held next year or the year after, but honestly, in the current situation, do you think the Whigs can even secure 200 seats? I think even 150 would be a struggle.”
“That’s true.”
“Then the Tory Party will be able to do whatever it wants without having to worry about anyone. Even the House of Lords, which could check the House of Commons, is dominated by the Tories. This is effectively a one-party dictatorship.”
“So you’re helping me move to the Whig party to prevent that situation? You certainly have a broad perspective. Most members would want their own party to have a one-party rule… No, perhaps you can think that way because you’re not strictly a member of the House yet.”
Gladstone, having come to his own understanding, nodded his head in admiration.
It was true that, as he said, my position as a member of the House of Lords and a cabinet minister was slightly different from that of the members of the House of Commons.
I was guaranteed a lifetime seat, and my position as a minister was firmly established, so even if the party was shaken a little, I myself would not be.
“You can understand it that way. In any case, the most important thing is that for the British Empire to stand tall as the world’s hegemonic power for not just the next 10 years, but for over 100 years, its politics must be sound. And power that goes unchecked is bound to corrupt. We are already seeing signs of it. Wasn't the reason you fell out with the Tory elders because you spoke some hard truths to them?”
“…That’s true. But the more we talk, the more I see that there’s something extraordinary about you. Anyone can say such things, but when they find themselves in that situation, they often fail to act. If you don’t lose this conviction, it seems it won’t be easy for the Whigs to surpass the Tories, no matter how hard I try.”
“If we engage in friendly competition, better policies will ultimately be adopted, and that will lead to the nation’s development and the happiness of its citizens. Who wins or loses is a secondary matter.”
“Friendly competition… Yes. I will never forget the words you’ve just spoken and will strive to hold onto my initial convictions. I am truly fortunate to have someone like you as my junior.”
“I don’t know how fortunate I am to have you as my senior, sir.”
If not for him, I might have had to resort to more dangerous methods to weaken the Tory Party, but thanks to him, things could work out so well.
Victoria’s bombshell declaration had made it difficult to attract attention, but unlike Gladstone, I could contact Victoria at any time.
In other words, I could leverage her, the center of all of Britain’s attention, to make this situation even more prominent.
“Sir, a good idea has come to mind, so let’s proceed with the plan. However, we still need to create a buzz, so I think it would be better to escalate things a bit.”
“Escalate things? How?”
“Initially, the plan was to frame it as our party’s old guard driving you out because they disliked your moral and principled nature, wasn’t it? To that, let’s add a little taste of the opium issue that’s currently so hot.”
This would naturally link to Victoria’s announcement and magnify the blow to the Tory Party.
They would probably lose about 50 seats in the general election for sure.
Prime Minister Robert Peel has been acting high and mighty lately, as if the world is his, now that I've built him up a bit. This should inject some humility back into him.
We shook hands with bright smiles, planning for the future.
The balance of power must be maintained. For now.
***
A week had passed since Victoria dropped her massive bombshell on British high society.
During that time, Gladstone and I had been busy identifying the cancerous elements in the Tory Party who would be better off disappearing from British politics.
Throughout that week, London remained tumultuous and chaotic.
“Your Majesty, are you aware? I hear that the number one topic in high society right now is deciphering the hidden meaning behind your recent words.”
“Is that so? What’s the most plausible interpretation they’ve come up with?”
“First, there’s talk that Your Majesty’s standards might be too high. The speculation is that you have no intention of marrying because you can't find a man who meets your high standards.”
“Well, that’s not wrong. Most of the candidates mentioned fell short of my standards.”
“Then there’s the more realistic theory that you don’t want to marry because you would have to share some of your authority with your husband.”
In fact, many speculated that such practical considerations had influenced Elizabeth’s decision not to marry in the past.
It was an era where, no matter how much of a queen she was, she would inevitably have to listen to her husband to some extent.
“Hmm… I haven't really thought about that at this point; that’s jumping the gun. Is no one worried that I might actually intend to remain single for my entire life?”
“Of course they are. In fact, most are probably wringing their hands in anxiety, wondering what to do if that actually happens.”
Victoria had made it clear that she wouldn’t even think about marriage until all domestic and foreign problems were resolved.
Does that mean she would reconsider marriage once the domestic situation stabilized?
But it’s common sense that a vast nation like this cannot continue in a state of perfect peace without any minor problems.
Incidents and accidents are bound to happen, so she could easily use this as a reason to remain single indefinitely.
Now, because she’s young, people might think she’ll get over it in a few years, but what if this situation continues for two or three years?
“As soon as I said that, the royal family and the Privy Council advisors came flocking to me as if on cue. ‘Were you serious?’, ‘Do you really have no intention of marrying?’, ‘Or is there someone else you have in mind?’ They were practically trying to hold a hearing.”
“And what did you say?”
“What else could I say? I told them to take it at face value and not to over-interpret it, because it meant exactly what it said.”
The Queen says she will do so out of her immense love for the nation and its citizens, so who were they to question her? She must have shot them down in that manner, so naturally, they would have to fall silent.
“There won’t be anyone bothering you about marriage for a while, but given what you’ve said, the citizens will expect Your Majesty to pour your heart and soul into their welfare. You understand that if you fail to meet those expectations, it could backfire, don’t you?”
“Of course, I do. But I said it with all that calculated. I’m confident.”
“I see. Just one last thing. Now that Your Majesty has declared your intention to remain single, the bothersome people will disappear, but when you later change your mind, you will need a reason befitting that change. A monarch’s declaration cannot be shaken so lightly.”
Once words are spoken, they cannot be taken back.
Therefore, those of high status and position need to think twice or three times before speaking, and this is even more true for a monarch.
If the Queen makes a grand declaration of singlehood and then flips it over like the back of her hand, who would ever take her words seriously again?
On the contrary, she would be unable to avoid criticism that she had resorted to a cheap trick to marry that man.
“The Minister is right. Since I have officially declared that I will live with the mindset of being married to the nation, that resolve must never change for my entire life. So even if I decide to marry, it must not feel like I am revoking my previous declaration.”
“Is there such a way?”
“Why are you acting like you don't know? It’s simple: you just have to achieve something so monumental that it wouldn’t be unreasonable for me to reverse my declaration for you. Well, if you were to become Ireland itself, my words about marrying the nation wouldn't be entirely wrong, so I could say I didn't lie.”
Could it be? Was this really the direction things were heading?
Of course, if everything went according to my plans, marriage could be used as part of a policy of inclusion to truly unite the British Empire… but I never imagined Victoria would have anticipated this and acted accordingly.
In any case, the fact that I needed to step up remained unchanged, but given what I had already said, I had no choice.
Ah, so this is why they say one must be careful with one’s words.
“Your Majesty. In that case, so that I may live up to your expectations, would you be willing to help me a little?”
“Of course, I’ll help. This will be the first time the Minister and I work on something together.”
Huh. Come to think of it, we’ve known each other for quite a long time, but this is truly the first time we’ve coordinated to get something done.
Like Victoria, whose eyes sparkled with anticipation, I too felt a strange, unfamiliar sensation.
“Since Your Majesty has declared you will look after the welfare of the citizens with the mindset of being married to the nation, you must show them proof. Please convey, as strongly as possible, the message that you will eradicate the corruption and opium influx that are eating away at the citizens' lives. I will take care of the rest.”
The royal family does not typically get deeply involved in politics, but it’s not a major issue for them to urge the political sphere to action.
This is especially true when it concerns matters closely related to the lives of the people.
Since things have come to this, shall I try to go beyond simply cutting out the rotten flesh of the Tory Party to balance Parliament and instead aim to further elevate the power of the Crown?
This is my first joint operation with Victoria.
Let’s make it as spectacular as possible.