SGB Chapter 355

## Chapter 355: Disraeli’s Ambition

“That impeachment case? You nearly died in Liverpool, how can I even bring up the Polish issue now?”

Disraeli glanced at Arthur’s eye, as if a strange thought crossed his mind, and he started reciting verses from the Book of Revelation in a loud voice.

“And I saw a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. And his eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns: and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth went a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”

Disraeli abruptly stopped, turning to ask, “Arthur, when the Polish gunman’s bullet nearly shattered your skull, did you see these visions?”

Arthur could only answer his friend’s rambling with an equally absurd reply.

“No, I only saw a boiling river of blood. Along the edge of the boiling river, people were being boiled alive, screaming in agony. The devil told me these were all tyrants who loved to kill and plunder.

Then, I saw a group of dead souls being swept away by a raging wind, constantly crashing against rocks. These people were addicted to lust and immersed in physical pleasure during their lifetime.

Next to it was a gray forest, formed by the souls of suicides. Lying in the forest were a group of immobile gluttons, weak and helpless, as debris and sewage rained down upon them.

Then, I passed through the territory of the demon Pluto, who wielded a whip, urging a group of people to constantly push giant boulders, like mountains, against each other, as punishment for their greed in life.

On the other side, the furious gathered, they fought each other, tore at flesh, covered in blood and flesh, but never stopped.

And finally, the monster Geryon, with a kind human face but secretly stinging with a scorpion tail, carried me through a fire-sand area inhabited by heretics, telling me I had reached the end of my journey.

I saw that all the people here were oddly shaped, some of them had their heads twisted 180 degrees, some were buried upside down in the soil, some were torn apart and merged with poisonous snakes…”

Disraeli shivered, interrupting Arthur, “Wait, why did you end up at this place?”

Arthur calmly took a sip of tea, “Because this place is specifically for locking up gamblers, pimps, counterfeiters…”

“You weren’t one of them?”

“Benjamin, I haven’t finished. This place also houses corrupt officials.”

The Jewish boy couldn’t help but sneer, raising his eyebrows and saying, “Then you must have met quite a few big shots there.”

“You’re wrong about that,” Arthur lit his cigar, filling the room with smoke, “Big shots usually get off at the first few stops. So the only ones who could accompany me here were Alexander and a few others.”

“What? No!” Disraeli exclaimed, “Alexander did it too?”

“Who else would it be?”

Arthur pulled out a guinea from his pocket and tossed it into Disraeli’s goblet, “I couldn’t swallow all that gold by myself, so I decided to hide the extra money in his big belly.”

Disraeli gasped, covering his mouth and muttering, “If I knew being a policeman was so lucrative, why would I even run for parliament?”

“Benjamin, be content,” Arthur replied, “Cases like this don’t happen often for Scotland Yard. But if you can infiltrate the House of Commons’ Public Works Committee, you’ll have opportunities to get rich all year round. Even if you just sit there and do nothing, those construction projects will leave a thick layer of grease on your vest.”

“That’s impossible!”

Disraeli got up, slammed his hand on the table, and emphasized to Arthur with a righteous expression, “You may have forgotten that your friend is a genuine Jew! I won’t get grease on myself! The only thing that can stick to me is the construction funds.”

“Oh, sorry, Benjamin, I forgot about that,” Arthur apologized, “Maybe I’ve been too impressed by the few people I’ve met lately, so I forgot your Jewish identity.”

“Huh?” Disraeli curiously asked, “Who have you met recently?”

“A diplomat from the German principality of Hesse, who always emphasizes his British identity. And another genuine Jew, our great poet Heinrich Heine, who constantly emphasizes that he is a true German.”

Disraeli’s expression became strange upon hearing this, “Is Heine very averse to being Jewish?”

“Well… it’s hard to say, but he probably doesn’t take pride in his Jewish identity.”

“How do you know that?”

“After I arrived in Liverpool, the local officials and merchants held a banquet for us. There was a lady who loved his poetry collection, so she took the opportunity to approach our hot-tempered Heinrich and flattered him, saying, ‘Mr. Heine, you and Jesus are descendants of the same people. If I were you, I would be proud of it.’ ”

“How did Heine respond?”

“Are you sure you want to hear?”

“Of course.”

Arthur flicked the ashes off his cigar, “Heinrich replied, ‘If I were the only descendant of that people besides Jesus, I would indeed be proud.'”

Disraeli’s face turned from black to green to red upon hearing this, “He’s aiming his attack too broadly!”

Arthur comforted him, “Benjamin, what are you in a hurry about? I think he’s probably talking about those usurers. Isn’t your father a literary critic? He’s not sitting in the City of London. Even if you have to be in a hurry, it should be Lionel of the Rothschild family before you. Heinrich’s cannon range doesn’t cover you yet.”

Disraeli sat down and took a large gulp of wine, but he wasn’t careful and nearly choked on the gold coin.

He spat out the guinea with a “phew” and said, “Now I understand why Lionel kept urging the editors to keep a close watch on Heine’s work. This guy really scolds wherever he goes. In a nutshell, old habits die hard, nature doesn’t change. Didn’t we pay him his royalties? Send him back to Paris quickly. This great poet is best left to the French, let them worry about him.”

He seemed still unsatisfied, adding, “I knew it, these Ashkenazi Jews living in Central and Eastern Europe are unruly. Half of the bad reputation of Jews is caused by them.”

“Huh?” Arthur asked, “Aren’t you from the same branch as them?”

“Of course not,” Disraeli proudly replied, “I am a noble Sephardic Jew. My mother was a Spanish Jew, the most noble branch of the Jewish people. And my father’s side is Italian Jew. My grandfather came from the city of wealth, Venice.”

But just as he said this, Disraeli felt something was wrong, and he quickly added, “Of course, my grandfather has nothing to do with Shylock, the miser in *The Merchant of Venice*. My bloodline is enough to prove that I am a noble Jew.”

Arthur swirled his wine glass and replied, “Of course, I knew that long ago. Benjamin, because of your speech in the House of Commons, the whole of Britain now knows that your ancestor was a Jewish rabbi in Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem.”

Disraeli blushed, a rare occurrence for him, “Arthur, you know, I’m not that cruel. I didn’t mean to humiliate everyone, I was just angered by a few uncouth members of parliament.”

Disraeli thought Arthur would be angry about his speech in the House of Commons, but his friend didn’t care at all.

Arthur shrugged, “I’m not too concerned about those words. In my opinion, it’s better for politicians to have personality than none. And, instead of apologizing to me, you should take better care of Mrs. Sykes’ feelings.”

Disraeli laughed and replied, “You don’t have to worry about Mrs. Sykes. My relationship with her… how should I put it? Our bond is very strong. Besides my sister Sarah, I can’t find another woman who’s better to me than her.

She appreciates my work, recognizes my talent, and after knowing about my old grudge with *Blackwood’s*, she even intends to find trouble for them on my behalf. Of course, as a gentleman with manners and decorum, I can’t let her take such a risk.

You know, those thugs from *Blackwood’s* are even more vicious than mad dogs. They don’t understand the concept of怜香惜玉 (liánhāngxīyù – showing mercy to women). Moreover, I was able to step onto the stage of the House of Commons thanks to Mrs. Sykes connecting me with Lord Lyndhurst. Oh, Arthur, you wouldn’t believe how much she cares for me, it’s almost as if she wants to hold me in her arms!”

Arthur just looked at Disraeli with a strange expression, “Benjamin, I’m increasingly convinced of Alexander’s assessment of you.”

“Huh? What did he say about me behind my back?”

“Nothing.”

Arthur recalled the French fat man’s face with its disdainful expression and imitated his tone, “Rather than saying that Benjamin is looking for a lover, it’s more like he’s looking for a new mother.”

“Ah!” Disraeli widened his eyes, but his micro-expressions betrayed his guilt at being caught, “Damn, how can that fat man be so rude!”

Arthur pressed his hands down, “Calm down, Benjamin. It’s not really a denigration of you, and you’re not the first successful male I’ve met today who’s looking for a mother.”

Disraeli’s swear words were about to spill out, but Arthur’s words cut him off, “Damn… uh? How successful is this first successful male?”

Arthur fanned the smoke in front of him, “Remember the scenes of hell I described to you earlier?”

“Of course I do.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow, “If it were up to me to judge, I would sentence him to punishment under Pluto’s supervision for ten thousand years.”

“Francis Bacon? You resurrected him?”

“Huh? What does this have to do with Bacon?”

Disraeli rolled his eyes, “Don’t you know? Bacon was a notorious bribe-taker in Britain. Back then, when he was Lord Chancellor, he often openly accepted bribes from litigants. Because of this, he was thrown into the Tower of London, where he served time and was fined £40,000.

However, Bacon was quite honest. Unlike other corrupt officials who argued endlessly, he pleaded guilty in court. Even his confession was unique. He said, ‘I have been the most just judge in England for the past fifty years, but my conviction is the most just decision made by Parliament in the past two hundred years.'”

Arthur just smiled, “The first guest I met today wasn’t as honest as Bacon, but his power far surpassed Bacon’s.”

“So, who is he?”

“The former French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the French Empire, Captain of the Guard, Prince of Benevento, Grand Elector of the Empire, President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bourbon Dynasty of France, current French Ambassador to Britain, Talleyrand-Périgord.”

“Talleyrand?” Disraeli felt something was wrong when he heard this name, “Why did you meet with him?”

Arthur replied solemnly, “It’s a matter of national security, so I’m not authorized to answer you individually.”

Although Arthur didn’t say it, Disraeli had already keenly sensed that this must be related to the assassination in Liverpool.

结合之前亚瑟有意无意提起的对帕麦斯顿的弹劾案，初步掌握了政治资本的犹太小子也终于意识到了问题的严重性。

“Even the French are involved…”

Disraeli pondered for a moment, then suddenly hinted, “Arthur, actually, even if you hadn’t come to see me today, I was planning to go see you. I’ve just entered the House of Commons, so I haven’t decided which committee to join yet. But Christmas is coming soon, and Parliament is about to go into recess. Before that, I have to make a decision. Do you think it’s better to go to the Foreign Affairs Committee for experience, or to join the newly formed Liverpool Investigation Committee?”

Arthur just smiled and replied, “Benjamin, although I would like you to uphold justice for this friend of mine. But in my opinion, if you are striving to become Prime Minister, then you must rack your brains to get into the financial committees. Alexander and the others will help me handle this assassination case, but there’s one thing that absolutely needs you.”

“What is it?”

Arthur took out the Liverpool municipal engineering renovation plan from his briefcase, “Although we can’t be entirely sure yet, through Liverpool’s initial prevention measures, we can almost confirm that the spread of cholera is related to the filthy environment and unclean water sources. Therefore, if we want to completely eradicate this problem, we must carry out large-scale renovations of Liverpool’s slums, and the sewer system needs a thorough overhaul.”

Disraeli took the renovation plan and glanced at it, “I don’t know much about medicine. But even if Liverpool needs to be renovated, what does it have to do with me joining the financial committee?”

Arthur just smiled softly, “Do you know about the debt ceiling that the Treasury has set for local governments? The specific body responsible for approving this debt ceiling is the House of Commons Public Works Committee.”

(End of Chapter)