85 Downing Street, Westminster, London, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

The exquisite carvings on the façade, the magnificent columns and the majestic gates, in terms of architecture, the appearance alone is enough to explain its golden splendor. But in reality, whatever is the tip of the iceberg, the truly breathtakingly sophisticated design and grandeur of style lies beneath its already otherworldly exterior, as the British gentleman's favourite words – understated and luxurious.

Intricate frescoes, gilded ceilings and floors paved with pure marble from Greece and the Sicilian coast.

Sunlight shines through the openwork dome on the black-edged handrail of the State Ladder, and the slightly dry palm on the armrest seems to be accompanied by the aquamarine on the ring.

Viscount Palmerston was accompanied by a noble gentleman a few years his senior, dressed in a crimson buckskin cloak and riding boots.

Judging by the brownish-yellow clay stained with the old gentleman's riding boots, he must have just gone on a pleasant country hunt this morning.

Although Viscount Palmerston has always been arrogant, and his attitude towards his subordinates can even be said to be harsh, but the attitude of His Excellency Viscount today towards the old gentlemen around him can be described as polite.

The reasons for this are mainly due to the following.

First of all, the old gentleman came from an aristocratic family, and his father and uncle were both famous generals in the British Army. Not only that, but his uncle even served as governor of Virginia and British North America before the United States became independent.

Such unique conditions naturally also won some innate advantages for the old gentleman in British politics. But what is even more commendable is that he has made full use of these advantages.

Although he did not have the same love of military affairs as the elders of his family, he showed superhuman talent in communication.

At the beginning of his political career, the old gentleman served as a chamberlain for nine years, and won the trust of the royal family for his orderly handling of the affairs of the inner court.

As a close friend of the royal family, the British court was fond of sending him out on many pending matters.

For example, when the Napoleonic Wars were in full swing, he was sent as a minister to Naples to deal with Napoleon's brother-in-law, King Murat of Naples.

Or elect him to the Privy Council, the highest authority in the United Kingdom, as an advisor.

Of course, the most talked about is the story of his visit to the Qing Dynasty in 1816 as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary.

Although the results of that trip were not good, it won the old gentleman a reputation as an expert on Oriental issues in British politics. Therefore, after the Viceroy of India, the Marquis of Hastings, was recalled to China for trial due to a corruption scandal, the old gentleman who was trusted by the royal family was naturally sent to India to uphold the dynasty.

During his tenure as Viceroy of India, although the colonial government did not perform well in the Anglo-Burmese War, it cost 13 million pounds in military spending and more than 10,000 casualties to take the small Southeast Asian state.

Overall, however, India did not produce much during his tenure, and helped to further consolidate British rule in northern India. Therefore, after the end of his tenure as governor, he was officially named the first Earl of Amsterd.

However, although the Earl of Amsterstead is now semi-retired and in poor health, he has long maintained a strong friendship with the Tories of the Richmonds, such as the Duke of Wellington and Sir Peel.

In addition, he is a veteran diplomat himself, and he still holds the title of chamberlain, so he has a very close connection with the royal family. Therefore, Viscount Palmerston still has to give this senior enough face, at least in terms of etiquette.

Not to mention, the reason why Count Amsterdam came to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today was because of Palmerston's initiative to invite.

Palmerston was beside Amster, his neck curled slightly, and he asked softly.

"Since your departure as Viceroy of India in 1828, the office was succeeded by Lord William Bentinck. Judging from the various documents and statistics that have been fed back from India so far, Lord Bentinck has done his job very well, and our business profits in India have increased with the level of good governance in the country.

However, I have just recently learned from the Colonial Office that Lord Bentinck seems to have recently embarked on his radical reform experiments in India. Although the abolition of widows, self-immolation, burial, and so on, these barbarian customs is indeed a step of civilizational progress.

However, I am a little worried when I think of Lord Bentinck's early years as Governor of Madras, which almost led to a mutiny in order to ban Indian soldiers from wearing beards and turbans. At that time, if it weren't for the fact that his father, the Duke of Portland, Sr., was serving as Prime Minister, and recalled him back to the country in time to be coldly treated, Lord Bentinck's political career would have almost been ruined.

Although so many years have passed, it is clear that the energy in Lord Bentink's bones has not changed. Now it seems that his thinking was poisoned by the utilitarians like Bentham, and it is clear that it is deeper than we think. ”

When the Earl of Amsterdam heard this, his cane slammed the floor with a little force, and he said lightly without turning his head: "Perhaps you should go and speak to our honorable Lord Lord Broughham, for there is probably no one more powerful than he has in his hands when it comes to Bentham's supporters." ”

Viscount Palmerston also heard the smell of gunpowder in the other party's words, and he smiled and reassured.

Of course, Bentham's mind wasn't all bad. For example, the individual should enjoy his birthright to finance, free trade, freedom of speech and the press, and many of these ideas have been accepted by the government.

However, in my opinion, many of Bentham's initiatives are still too extreme, such as the outright abolition of slavery, the ban on corporal punishment in the military, the separation of state religion, and the legalization of homosexuality. Overall, though, I still have a lot of respect for him.

Although he was a champion of the French Revolution, he was also awarded honorary citizenship of France. But there is no doubt that he really wanted to think about the world and the society of Britain, but there was a slight deviation in the way he thought. ”

Count Amestus chuckled: "It seems that there are still some rare commonalities between us, and I also admire Mr. Benthham, but the difference between us is that I do not appreciate Bentham's views, I only appreciate his personality." Bentham was very naïve in his words and deeds, but he lived a frank life, and whether it was his views or behaviors, he was consistent and traceable.

Accordingly, I hate characters like George Canning, who make betrayal and apostasy a habit. While I don't want to criticize this kind of behavior, such examples were extremely rare in the past, but in recent decades it seems to have become an unwritten rule, and even a student who is still studying will change his face randomly. ”

Others may not understand this, but Palmerston understands the meaning of the old earl's words.

As a follower of former Prime Minister George Canning, Viscount Palmerston first stepped into parliament and got a job as a low-ranking officer under the Admiralty, taking the risk of drawing up a plan for the bombardment of Copenhagen and the destruction of the Danish Navy according to Canning's wishes.

And if you carefully analyze Palmerston's political career, you can also find that his body is full of the shadow of Canning, the guide.

They also split between the Tories and the Whigs, with Canning befriending several Whig leaders at the recommendation of his uncle when he was a student, but after graduation he chose to join the powerful Tories.

As for Palmerston, he has always been a staunch royalist, and has insisted on dealing with absolutely iron-blooded and tough tactics both internally and externally. However, when he was marginalized in the Tories, he became a Whig champion of parliamentary reform.

Moreover, both men were very romantic in their private lives, and three of the seven most respected ladies in the Olmark Club were fond of Palmerston's humor.

Cunning, on the other hand, played even more, having had an ambiguous personal relationship with George IV's queen, Princess Caroline of Braunschweig.

He is also good at debating and speaking, and likes to force his opponent to submit defeat with an aggressive and oppressive attitude, and often offends people because of this.

They are even similar in blood.

Viscount Palmerston was a true Irish aristocrat, and Canning's parents were also Irish.

It is precisely because they are so similar that the descriptions of Canning and Palmerston by friends can be used in many cases.

- He treats politics as child's play, and he has no regard for principles if they stand in the way of his goal of gaining power.

Viscount Palmerston was well aware of the bad effect his betrayal of the Tories had on the hearts of the pure old Tories.

However, he always had a reason to defend himself.

"Your Excellency, if you have to take Sir Canning as an example. True, I am a liberal idealist, passionately believing that the historical mission of Great Britain is to spread democratic values throughout the world, and I do not rule out the use of force if necessary. It's like Sir Canning's famous quote – I will create a new world to change the balance of power in the old world. ”

Unfortunately, the Earl of Ameston did not eat Palmerston.

"Really? If that's the case, you're supposed to be going to Liverpool, not Officer Hastings, who got shot. You should be standing on the deck of a battleship at Liverpool's old docks, aiming your guns at the merchants who made their fortune from the slave trade, and forcing them to spit out the blood-stained money. And, if he was a liberal idealist, he should not criticize Lord Bentinck's work in India, and didn't Bentham approve of his reforms in India. I watched the first few issues of The Westminster Review, and they sang Bentinck's praises there. ”

"Of course, Your Excellency, I have made it clear from the outset that I approve of Lord Bentinker's work. However, on the small details, I would like to seek the advice of you, an expert with extensive management experience in India. ”

The old Earl took out the handkerchief in his breast pocket and blew his nose: "I guess what you said is that he intends to revoke the right of the two governors of Madras and Bombay to issue laws independently, right?" ”

Palmerston smiled and nodded, "Actually, it's not just that, but also the fact that he allowed the Indians to be promoted to the top officials of the colonies. ”

Count Amsterdam raised a white eyebrow: "Then it is not important for him to raise the salaries and status of Indian judges, and to promote the reform of English in the courts and colleges and universities?" ”

"Of course it's important, but it's ......"

Palmerston replied with a smile: "At this point, I think he's done a good job. As I said before, I think that Britain's mission is to spread advanced civilization to the wilderness, and if he intends to replicate Britain's advanced system in India, I have no problem at all. ”

Count Amsterdam nodded slightly, "It seems that not all of our foreign ministers are flexible in their views. At this point, however, I must remind you that India is not Britain, which has several times the size of Britain in terms of land and population, so not all systems can be copied in its entirety.

Of all Bentinck's reforms, only the right of the two provinces of Madras and Mumbai to enact laws independently was the most necessary. India needs a strong central government to be better governed, and enacting four or five separate sets of laws in India is detrimental to our business interests. ”

When Palmerston heard this, he only smiled and complimented, "It seems that I have more than one thing in common with you, and I actually agree with that. However, there were clearly some colleagues in the Whig Party who had different views from me. But in my capacity, I'm not in a position to point this out to them in person. If you would like to take the time to have a good conversation with the three distinguished Excellencies of the Indian Governing Council, I am sure that things will certainly make progress. ”

It took a long time for Palmerston to reveal his true intentions, which somewhat upset Count Amsterd.

He spoke, "Actually, even if you don't take the initiative to raise this matter, I will go to the committee and the Privy Council to talk about it, because I have always been a consistent person, and I am not very willing to change my opinion." ”

Speaking of this, Count Amsterdam also patted Viscount Palmerston's arm lightly: "Henry, I sometimes think that if it was you who sent the envoy to China back then, then the matter would definitely be negotiated. You know why? Because you will definitely agree to kneel to the Emperor of China. ”

When Viscount Palmerston heard this, his face changed instantly.

Today, for the sake of India's affairs, he invited Amsterd to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to entertain him with good cigarettes and tea, and by the way, he also said a basket of good things.

However, this semi-retired veteran Tory Party cadre stands out as a person who has no desires and desires, does whatever he wants, and speaks whatever he wants.

Amsterd saw Palmerston's face change, and suddenly laughed and said, "Don't be angry, Henry, I'm not insulting you, I'm complimenting you." In fact, when I came back from China, I also stopped by the island of St. Helena, Napoleon's penal colony. When Napoleon heard me talk about the experience of being an envoy, he told me that if he were me, he would definitely kneel and kowtow respectfully to the Chinese emperor, because this is a matter of local custom. He's flexible, just like you and Canning. ”

With that, the Earl of Amestad did not give Palmerston a chance to speak, and led his attendants out of the hall of the Foreign Office humming a cheerful ditty.

Looking at the old man's brisk legs and feet, it was as if the severe rheumatism he had contracted in India had suddenly improved a lot.

Viscount Palmerston stared at the old man's distant back for a long time, and after a few deep breaths, his clenched fists slowly stretched a little.

When the officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saw the minister's appearance, they all fell silent, and the chickens walked by him quickly with their heads down like chickens pecking rice, for fear that any random noise would provoke him to anger.

In the silent hall, only Palmerston could be heard whispering angrily: "If it weren't for your age, I would definitely find you to duel!" ”

The old officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs glanced at each other, and everyone read the familiar taste in each other's eyes.

The duel of ministers is also a traditional repertoire of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the cabinet ministers of the last duel ......

Oh, it may not be accurate to use the last one, but it is precisely the ministers who fought the last duel are none other than Viscount Castlereagh, who formulated the principles of European harmonization, and Sir Canning, who succeeded Viscount Castlereagh as Foreign Secretary.

When everyone saw the minister's appearance, they couldn't help but worry about whether they could get off work on time today.

Just as they were figuring out how to get Palmerston to put out the fire in time, an old face suddenly walked into the hall - it was Mr. Schneider, Assistant Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, who had met Arthur in Liverpool.

Schneider, apparently unaware of the subtle changes in the air, walked towards Viscount Palmerston with a smile on his face.

Just when everyone thought that this kid was going to be unlucky today, a trace of surprise and a smile suddenly appeared on Viscount Palmerston's face.

"Oh? My sweetheart is coming? ”

When Schneider heard this, he just coughed awkwardly and politely: "Your Excellency, at least today you'd better not call Mrs. Levine like that, after all, the Russian ambassador, Count Livin, has also visited the official residence with her." ”

(End of chapter)