Chapter 41: Prime Minister Russell
May 11, 1848.
A black carriage with gilt trim and dark blue crepe curtains was dragged out of London by two tall brown and yellow horses and bound for Windsor Castle in Berkshire, a county in southeastern England.
As soon as the carriage left London, it galloped along the country roads paved with a mixture of gravel and cement, and the slightly bumpy roads were flanked by emerald green lawns, on which herds of cattle and sheep roamed leisurely, and the small shepherds lay leisurely on the lawns looking up at the blue sky that had not yet been eroded by industrialization.
In the distance, rows of houses, some of which smoke rises from the top of the houses, and the sound of the wind can be heard from the church bells in the distance.
The duality of urban and rural society is on full display in the United Kingdom in the 19th century, where you can't feel the smell of industrialisation, the sour thinking that pervades the air, and the white "dust" of PM2.5.
The environmentalistic countryside has also become the preserve of many aristocrats.
The owner of the carriage was Lord Russell, who was gazing out the window through the dark blue curtains, and the idyllic scenery of the countryside did not make Lord Russell's heart feel comfortable, but his dark blue eyes revealed endless worries.
Lord Russell was so exhausted by the vigorous "petition" movement of the Chartist movement that he had to accept inquiries from the propertied people of the House and try to eliminate the influence of the "petition" movement.
Russell knew that there were ministers and members in the Cabinet and House who secretly accused him of being soft on the mob, and claimed that Lord Russell should not have agreed to the bill in the first place.
Lord Russell could only choose to hide this phenomenon, because he knew that even if he lost his temper in the House of Lords, he would not solve the current problem.
Moreover, a patchwork cabinet and parliament cannot afford to be tormented, and if they fail to do so, they may face a temporary collapse of the cabinet like last time, and the mob will seize the opportunity to force the government to sign terms that the government is unwilling to sign.
The lessons of the fall of the previous Cabinet gave Lord Russell a "forever to remember" memory.
This time he was to be questioned from Windsor Castle, to be precise, from the prince Albert.
Since the beginning of the "Petition" movement, Victoria, who had been living at Buckingham Palace, followed the lesson of the hapless Louis XVI next door during the Revolution, and the family urgently moved out of Buckingham Palace for Windsor Castle.
After about four hours of driving, the carriage carrying the political head of the world's most powerful country slowly slowed down.
"Your Excellency, we have arrived!"
The reminder from the coachman opened the eyes of Lord Russell, who was about to fall asleep, and through the curtain Lord Russell saw a castle, surrounded by a wall more than 6 or 7 meters high, which was high enough to hold back the river of London. Located to the east and north of the castle is an open terrace with a wide view, which was a strategic location in the Middle Ages.
Now that Britain dominates the world, this strategic location has become a kind of decoration.
The carriage, led by the royal guards, slowly passed through the Norman Gate into the core and stopped in front of a castle.
In John. With Brown on standby, Lord Russell entered a study in the castle.
"The Prince and His Majesty will be here soon, Your Excellency the Prime Minister can wait a moment!" John. Brown saluted Lord Russell and left.
Lord Russell was left alone in the study, and Lord Russell knew it must have been a ploy from Albert, the guy from Germany who had never been a fuel-efficient lamp.
As the minutes ticked by, there was a ripple in Lord Russell's calm heart.
The study slowly opened, and Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, dressed in bright red uniforms, appeared.
"Your Majesty, Your Excellency!" Lord Russell stood up and bowed to Albert, with a hint of flattery in his expression.
"Your Excellency the Prime Minister!" Prince Albert bowed slightly to the Lord.
Victoria sat with Albert on one side of the sofa, and Lord Russell sat opposite Prince Albert.
"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, we have called you here today just to inquire about the recent situation in London!" Albert asked Lord Russell "nonchalantly".
"The mob in the London area has disappeared under the combined crackdown of the police and vigilantes! London didn't suffer too much, and the town hall and cabinet are all running well? Lord Russell was busy reporting to Albert.
"So to speak! Can we go back to London? Prince Albert asked again.
"I'm afraid not yet!" Lord Russell shook his head in response.
"Your Excellency, didn't you say that the mob had disappeared?" Prince Albert asked, feigning ignorance.
"Now the newspapers led by the "Polaris" are still attacking the government, and the royal family's rash appearance in London may cause some unnecessary disputes! Lord Russell said euphemistically.
Unbeknownst to the residents of London at this time, the royal family had run away from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle overnight.
If they had known, I am afraid that the spearhead of those mobs would have been directed at the royal family.
"Then just ban them all!" Queen Victoria said bluntly.
"Your Majesty, this is not in accordance with the regulations of the United Kingdom!" Lord Russell patiently explained: "If it is rashly banned, I am afraid it will cause an escalation of the situation!" ”
"And ......," said Lord Russell, glancing at Albert, "many newspapers attack the government in the name of 'Bonaparte'...... And the royal family ...... with Bonaparte"
"Mr. Russell, do you mean that the royal family connived at Bonaparte's attack on the government?" Albert said with some displeasure: "I can guarantee that no matter what happens, there is no reason for the royal family to go against the government's guidelines!" ”
"Could it be that Bonaparte is making a claim...... Lord Russell asked again.
"I don't know!" Albert responded: "The royal family is not Monsieur Bonaparte's nanny, and we are not obliged to look after him from time to time. ”
"That'...... What to do with Mr. Bonaparte, who is being held in a detention center? Lord Russell asked again.
"Huh? Monsieur Bonaparte was actually imprisoned? Albert wondered, "Didn't he tell who he was?" ”
In the London Detention Facility, only the poor could be held, not the gentlemen.
Not to mention an upper-class aristocrat like Bonaparte.
"Nope!" Lord Russell said helplessly.
"This slippery head!" Prince Albert scolded in German, and in his opinion Jérôme. In this way, Bonaparte was placing himself outside of public opinion.
"So are we going to let him go?" Lord Russell asked again.
"Then everything will be done according to the laws of the United Kingdom!" Albert said without a leak: "I remember that the detention period was one week! Let him stay there honestly! ”
Jérôme. The conclusion of Bonaparte's acquittal set the tone in the words of Prime Minister Russell and Albert.