## Chapter 214: Rothschild’s Visit (4K8)
After bidding farewell to Vidocq, Arthur Hastings and Alexandre Dumas sat in the quiet living room, diligently working on their manuscripts.
Suddenly, the sound of a key turning in the lock shattered the tranquility.
Eldred swaggered in, clutching a magazine. He glanced at Dumas and Hastings, then surveyed the room, asking, “Just the two of you? Where’s Charles?”
Arthur leaned back in his chair, stretching, “Charles went to the Linnaean Society at Burlington House for a natural history event. I heard they recently acquired a new collection of paleontological specimens, and Charles seems quite interested in them.”
“Oh, thank heavens, he’s finally doing something productive,” Eldred remarked. “I support his endeavors. Studying monkeys too much will make him lose interest in natural history.”
“Studying monkeys?” Dumas, taking a sip of coffee, replied, “But I heard Charles say his main subject of study is you.”
“Bloody hell!” Eldred retorted, “I’m far more sophisticated than a monkey.”
Arthur, taking a leisurely sip of tea, commented, “Eldred, there’s no need to rush into a comparison on this matter.”
Eldred, left speechless by their jabs, could only seize the opportunity to tease Darwin in his absence, “But is Charles really at the Linnaean Society doing research? I remember Alexander saying he’s been on a date with some mysterious lady lately. You guys think he might be… well, to be honest, I passed by a restaurant on my way home, and through the window, I saw a beautiful lady and a little bald man at a table.”
Dumas said, “In Britain, every man is bald. You can’t judge a person’s identity based on that. Besides, Charles isn’t really bald. To be reasonable, he’s simply experiencing a lack of hair growth in the forehead area at the young age of twenty-something.”
“Huh?” Eldred argued, “Every man is bald? What about Arthur then?”
Dumas glanced at Arthur’s thick black hair, put his arm around him and replied, “I told you, Arthur is an old Frenchman.”
Eldred asked, “What about me then?”
Dumas replied, “You? I’m inclined to think you’re more sophisticated.”
Upon hearing this, Eldred couldn’t help but clutch his aching heart, his legs giving way as he bumped into the bookcase behind him.
He sadly realized that since Dumas joined their ranks, there was another person who could outwit him, a graduate of London University’s Classical Literature Department, in a battle of words.
Even more sadly, this guy was actually from France.
“Alexander, you bastard, I now know why King Louis-Philippe of France was so desperate to hang you.”
But Dumas, instead of being angry, was proud, and even thanked him, “Eldred, I didn’t expect to hear praise from your mouth.”
Eldred pulled out the magazine tucked under his armpit and slammed it on the table, “You little rascal, you’re impervious to reason, aren’t you?!”
Before Dumas could reply, the Red Devil, sitting at the table with glasses, examining Dumas and Hastings’ manuscripts, suddenly froze upon seeing Eldred’s magazine. He stroked his chin and muttered to himself.
“The Lady’s Wardrobe? Arthur, your idiot friend has this kind of interest? Thank goodness it’s not the Middle Ages, or he’d be beheaded sooner or later. The Bible clearly states that women cannot wear men’s clothes, and vice versa.”
Eldred seemed to notice something was wrong with the book he slammed on the table.
He looked down at the cover of the magazine, slapped his forehead and shouted, “Damn it! How did I grab my sister’s book?”
Arthur simply sipped his tea, “Forget it, Eldred, there’s no need to explain. We’re all on the same side here, no one will snitch on you. If you’re not busy, you can give our LPS intelligence personnel some training next time. I just exchanged work experience with a cross-dressing master. Sometimes, if you can utilize the advantage of dressing as a woman, you can often gain unexpected intelligence advantages.”
Eldred, seeing that Arthur didn’t believe him, was about to get angry, but when he heard the latter part of the sentence, he furrowed his brow and asked, “Cross-dressing? When did Scotland Yard start playing that game? Does the Home Office allow you to do this?”
Arthur put down his teacup and sighed, “If it were the Tory government, they wouldn’t allow us to do that. After all, there’s a significant number of clergymen among the Tory supporters, and their views are more traditional and conservative. But now it’s the Whigs’ turn, and they even dared to propose parliamentary reform. I think it shouldn’t be considered a major crime to wear a skirt for intelligence purposes, right?”
Dumas, hearing this, suddenly burst into laughter for no reason.
Eldred was startled, asking, “Alexander, what are you laughing at?”
Dumas, wiping away the tears of laughter, said, “Arthur’s words just reminded me of something Mr. Vidocq mentioned to me earlier. When he was young, to avoid arrest and execution, he borrowed a skirt from the prostitute who lived next door.
As a result, he may have done his makeup too beautifully. He had barely run out when he was almost ‘executed by justice’ by a group of drunken thugs. Fortunately, he was strong and carried a small knife for self-defense. Otherwise, this incident might have become a lifelong shadow for him.”
Eldred shivered, sarcastically giving a thumbs-up, “This guy sounds like an old Parisian.”
As Eldred finished speaking, there was a polite knock on the door outside.
The door opened, and Arthur looked at the warm smile at the door, surprised, “Mr. Rothschild?”
Lionel Rothschild removed his black top hat and smiled, “I apologize for the sudden visit without notice.”
Arthur, seeing his slightly rosy face from the wind, smiled and stepped aside, asking, “Would you like to come in and sit down for a while? It’s already November, and the weather outside is quite cold.”
Lionel, of course, had no reason to refuse Arthur’s invitation.
As the heir to the London branch of the Rothschild family, he, a busy man, had to come here for a reason.
After entering, Lionel first greeted Eldred and Dumas. After some pleasantries and a few cups of tea, Lionel, warmed up, finally got to the point.
He took off his white gloves and placed them on the table, smiling, “You may not know this, but your friend Mr. Disraeli is an old friend of mine, just like you. I heard him say you’re planning to create a new literary magazine called The Englishman?”
Arthur, hearing the other party mentioning this matter, had a general idea in his mind.
Disraeli’s father, in order to help his son integrate into British society, had made him abandon Judaism and convert to the Church of England from a young age.
But ultimately, Disraeli was still a Jew by blood, and he was also a well-known social figure.
Although Disraeli didn’t have a good reputation, for the Rothschild family, which was dedicated to constantly expanding the political influence of Jewish people, having a reputation was better than having none.
Plus, Disraeli was a genuine Jewish lad, a true insider. It was no wonder that the two could get along.
As long as Disraeli’s requests were not excessive, the Rothschilds were naturally very willing to provide him with some help within their means.
Arthur remembered that Disraeli had previously mentioned that he might seek sponsorship for the magazine from the Rothschild family, so was Lionel’s sudden visit today for this reason?
Arthur remembered that Disraeli had previously mentioned that he might seek sponsorship for the magazine from the Rothschild family, so was Lionel’s sudden visit today for this reason?
Arthur guessed Lionel’s intentions and said with a smile, “Benjamin also told me about this. He told me that in addition to being passionate about philanthropy, education, and other public services, the Rothschild family is also considering venturing into the news media and literary arts.
And among all the members of the Rothschild family, you are the one who understands art the best. So let me guess, are you here to submit a manuscript to the magazine, or are you planning to place an advertisement in the magazine?”
Lionel smiled and replied, “Although I do have the intention to write, the works I write are really not up to par. Especially after seeing the content to be published in the first issue of The Englishman, I feel like my meager ink is insignificant in comparison, so I’d rather not humiliate myself in this regard.
Arthur, you should know that although my London property investment consulting company has a stable clientele, it still lacks a certain reputation compared to several large London real estate companies. And based on my observations, The Englishman will soon replace Blackwood’s Magazine as the new benchmark in the British literary world.
If we can place advertisements in The Englishman, it will undoubtedly bring a huge boost to the company’s reputation. I have no doubt about this. But it’s obvious that the creation of a literary magazine will face some initial financial difficulties. I heard Benjamin say that you guys are a bit short on cash right now?”
Arthur looked at Lionel’s smiling face and finally understood the purpose of his visit today.
It seemed that he didn’t just want to place an advertisement. If possible, he also wanted to acquire a share of the magazine.
Lionel also noticed the change in Arthur’s expression. He knew that this negotiation wouldn’t be easy.
Actually, when Disraeli first approached him, he thought his Jewish friend, who was prone to theatrics, had come up with another unreliable idea.
But when he learned that Arthur was also involved, this new magazine, named The Englishman, quickly caught Lionel’s attention.
As everyone knows, the Rothschilds never believed that doing business was merely doing business. An investment of around a thousand pounds was insignificant compared to the Rothschild family’s overall massive assets.
But if they could continuously reap the benefits of friendship with Arthur Hastings, the most promising officer in Scotland Yard, the protégé of the new Lord Chancellor, Brougham, and the rising star of the British scientific community, and even link the Rothschild family to him.
Even if this business lost money, the intangible benefits of this investment could fully compensate for the financial losses.
Actually, after the Tories fell from power and the discovery of the Duke of Wellington’s indifference towards Jewish emancipation, the Rothschild family was also considering whether to shift the family’s main focus from the Tories to the Whigs.
But such a major political shift was obviously not something that could be decided upon by the family overnight.
Lionel’s father, Nathan Rothschild, was currently in a state of being afraid of both wolves and tigers. Continuing to invest in the Tories was simply not cost-effective. Not to mention Wellington’s previous indifference towards Jewish emancipation, the Tories’ out-of-power status alone made him apprehensive.
And if they directly abandoned the Tories and embraced the Whigs, then all the Rothschild family’s efforts in flattering the Tories for over a decade would be in vain.
Besides, no one could guarantee when the Tories would come back to power. If that happened, the Rothschilds would undoubtedly face a devastating blow the next time the Tories came to power.
From an investment perspective, putting all your eggs in one basket was not in the family’s best interests.
As the year was drawing to a close, the Rothschild family still had some political donations left over for the year. As they were wondering where to spend the remaining money, Arthur’s appearance presented a new possibility.
After conducting a thorough background check on Arthur, Lionel was surprised to discover that his police officer friend seemed to be at the balancing point between the Whigs and the Tories.
On the Tory side, Arthur was admired by the Duke of Wellington and was a close associate of Sir Robert Peel.
On the Whig side, this guy was a graduate of the first batch of students at London University, the left-wing education base of the Whigs. And according to information leaked from Scotland Yard, the new Lord Chancellor Brougham, in order to protect his protégé, had already clashed with the Home Office before taking office.
In short, investing money in Arthur seemed to please the bigwigs of both parties.
And being able to gain such favor from both parties, this twenty-year-old young man, even if he didn’t succeed in the future, would at least become the head of the Metropolitan Police or even the entire British local law enforcement system.
Building a good relationship with him, even if he couldn’t fight for political rights for Jewish people, could at least guarantee that the Rothschild family’s industries in London wouldn’t be affected by mobs.
This kind of long-term intangible benefit lasting for decades only required an investment of one or two thousand pounds.
For this kind of deal, Lionel could only sum it up with one word: cheap.
Lionel smiled and said, “Of course, we just hope to have a small stake in The Englishman. After all, as Benjamin said, the life of this magazine is ultimately in the hands of you literary founders.
The Rothschild family currently has two options. One is to provide two thousand pounds in funding. In addition, my real estate company has a vacant site near Fleet Street that can be used to store the magazine’s printing presses.
With this money and the site, even if The Englishman continues to operate at a loss, it’s enough to sustain it for three to five years. In exchange for this investment, the Rothschild family requires a twenty-five percent stake and a free advertising agreement for eight years.
As for the other option, out of respect for my friendship with Benjamin and you, the Rothschilds will directly purchase five years of advertising sponsorship for five hundred pounds. Arthur, you should know that even the best-selling literary magazines today, or news media like The Times, charge at most this price.
However, in this case, you might have to consider selling your current holdings in the Thames Tunnel Company and the Brunel Road Bridge Construction Company.”
Having said this, Lionel took out a stock certificate from his pocket and placed it on the table, pushing it towards Arthur.
He smiled and said, “Just like I promised you before, these two stocks have performed very well. In the past two months, they have risen by twenty percent. If you plan to sell, I can buy them from you now at a price of twelve hundred pounds. With this money, I believe the magazine can also operate smoothly for a few years, helping you get through the difficult period.”
Lionel had factored in all the possibilities, and the stake he was asking for wasn’t unreasonable.
Two thousand pounds for a twenty-five percent stake in a startup magazine, and they would also provide printing facilities. It was almost like saying, “I’m giving you money.”
Although Arthur felt that The Englishman’s valuation would definitely be high in the future, it would take at least five to eight years to reach the price Lionel offered today.
After all, the other party didn’t have clairvoyance. The Rothschilds dared to invest so much money in The Englishman, almost entirely because of Arthur’s sake.
With the other party being so sincere, Arthur naturally had no reason to refuse.
Although the Duke of Wellington didn’t agree to Jewish emancipation, he couldn’t refuse the Rothschilds’ friendship when faced with pounds sterling, let alone Arthur, a Scotland Yard inspector.
He stood up, couldn’t help but sigh and smile. He shook Lionel’s hand and said, “Lionel, I have to admit that the Rothschilds are always very bold in their investments.”
Lionel also smiled and winked, “No, Arthur, on the contrary. Remember what I told you? What the Rothschilds lack most is boldness. What we pursue is a slow and steady flow, stable returns.”
To be continued…
(End of Chapter)