## Chapter 80: Investigator Elder (Subscribe!)
Elder leaned against the window, scratching his head as he held a newspaper in his hand.
“What in the bloody hell are those Frenchmen up to? One minute it’s a kingdom, the next it’s an empire, then a republic… Have they even decided what kind of country they want to build?” he grumbled.
“They’ve been having revolutions since before I was born. They were still having them when I was born. Now I’ve joined the Royal Navy, and the revolution’s still going on? Arthur, what year is it? 1789? The storming of the Bastille?”
Arthur stirred a lump of sugar into his tea. “Elder, I thought you were just bad at physics, but now it seems your memory’s gone too. Let me refresh your memory.”
“First, the event you’re talking about in 1789 was the French Revolution, marked by the storming of the Bastille.”
“France had been involved in the Seven Years’ War and the American Revolutionary War for years, leading to immense debt, reaching 2 billion francs. On top of that, they faced natural disasters, causing crop failures and skyrocketing food prices.”
“King Louis XVI decided to convene the Estates-General in Versailles, bringing together clergy, nobles, and commoners. In a stroke of genius, he proposed taxing the commoners.”
“The proposal was naturally rejected during the vote. However, Louis XVI broke his promise, insisted on the tax, and even gathered troops to forcefully dissolve the assembly.”
“You should remember what happened next. Parisians took to the streets, chanting ‘To the Bastille!’ After Paris, revolutions erupted across France. Eventually, Louis XVI had to bow to the National Assembly and establish a constitutional monarchy.”
Elder frowned. “Didn’t they chop off Louis XVI’s head? He’s still alive after that?”
“He was beheaded later, but it was his own fault. You know, kings, they’re not easy to keep in line. As long as they’re not in power, they’ll always be scheming to get back in.”
“Being British, you should know the effort we put into establishing a constitutional monarchy. From 1642 to 1646, we fought the First Civil War. Charles I lost, but he wasn’t satisfied. Parliament bought him back from Scotland and put him under house arrest, but he secretly contacted the Royalists and started the Second Civil War.”
“In 1649, the Second Civil War ended, and Cromwell chopped off his head, establishing a parliamentary aristocratic republic. But a dozen years later, his son, Charles II, successfully restored the monarchy with the support of the Royalists. His successor, James II, even launched a series of retaliatory measures.”
“After weighing the options, the Whigs and the progressive members of the Tories, who were previously Royalists, finally reached an agreement. They joined forces to drive James II out of Britain and put his daughter, Mary II, on the throne. The Bill of Rights, establishing a constitutional monarchy, was officially enacted.”
“Louis XVI was beheaded because he was also dissatisfied. If he had simply been a constitutional king, things wouldn’t have gone so badly. But he was restless. He was scheming to buy mercenaries and overthrow the French National Assembly, and when his plans were exposed, he tried to escape France in disguise.”
“The worst part was that his wife, Marie Antoinette, leaked France’s military secrets to her brother, Emperor Franz I of Austria, directly leading to France’s defeat by the Austrian and Prussian forces. When this news spread, it enraged the French people.”
“This series of events directly led to the dissolution of the National Assembly, which supported constitutional monarchy, and gave rise to radical groups like the Jacobins and the Sans-culottes.”
“So, Louis XVI being beheaded was entirely his own fault. The moderates tried their best to save him, but he didn’t appreciate it.”
Elder stroked his chin and murmured, “So, in 1789, France first became a constitutional monarchy, then they executed Louis XVI and turned into a republic, then there was the Thermidorian Reaction, overthrowing the Jacobins and executing Robespierre, and finally the Brumaire coup and Napoleon’s coronation?”
Arthur took a sip of tea and nodded slightly. “Elder, you seem to understand it perfectly. You’ve been eager to fight the French and bring back some French warships to get rich. Isn’t this what you’ve been hoping for?”
Elder pondered. “Do you think we’ll go to war with the French?”
Arthur shook his head. “It’s uncertain. It depends on what the French decide to do this time. If they cause another French Revolution, the old gentlemen in the cabinet might start preparing for the Eighth Coalition against France.”
“But if they just cause a little trouble, Britain might not intervene. After all, the Duke of Wellington is busy dealing with his own problems. He wouldn’t want to get involved in French affairs unless absolutely necessary.”
“After all, after the Battle of Waterloo, the Duke of Wellington made his stance on France clear at the Congress of Vienna. He always believed that France needed to exist in Europe. The Tory foreign policy has always been about maintaining the continental balance. Britain needs a stable and powerful France to counter the Austrian Empire and the Russian Empire, which has been steadily expanding eastward.”
Elder nodded vaguely. “It sounds complicated. But the French Revolution is good, at least they can change that stupid flag. After Napoleon fell, Louis XVIII, the one who came after, must have lost his mind. He actually used the white flag.”
“When I first boarded a ship, I saw a ship flying a white flag coming towards us. I was wondering why they surrendered before we even fired a shot. Then I found out it was a French ship. Luckily, it wasn’t wartime, otherwise I would have fallen for their trick. Those Frenchmen are too cunning, they actually faked surrender!”
Hearing this, Darwin, who was teaching them about knowledge, leaned closer, looking worried.
“Do you think this French revolution will affect our voyage? Will the global scientific expedition be delayed because of this?”
“Delayed?” Elder grabbed an apple from the table and took a big bite. “If it really can be delayed, then those Frenchmen actually did something good for once.”
Arthur changed the subject. “Let’s not talk about that for now. Elder, I asked you to find out about the merchant ships leaving London. Have you figured it out?”
Elder pouted. “Arthur, you know how broad the scope of your request is, right? There are about four million tons of merchant ships registered in Britain. Our shipping capacity accounts for 40% of the world’s total. With so many ships, how am I supposed to find them for you?”
Arthur waved his hand. “I didn’t ask you to check all the ships leaving port. Just the ones leaving London bound for America. Elder, you’ve always claimed to be a Royal Navy expert. You should be able to handle this.”
Elder slammed his fist on the table and yelled, “Arthur, I’m a Royal Navy expert, not a shipping expert. Even if you asked me to steal the Royal Navy’s sailing information, it would be more reliable than searching for merchant ships leaving London for America.”
“Those barbarians in North America keep saying they want to keep their distance from their British fathers, but they’re very honest when it comes to doing business. After all, the Embargo Act they imposed on Britain didn’t hurt us much, but it actually wrecked their own economy. So, since then, trade between the two sides has been steadily increasing. The Americans sell 70-80% of their cotton to Britain, and we export textiles, tea, ceramics, spices, and other consumer goods to them.”
Arthur’s eyebrows shot up. He seemed to have realized something.
“Wait a minute, tea and spices are usually traded as transit goods, right? We don’t grow them domestically, they must all come from overseas colonies.”
Elder nodded as he chewed on an apple. “That’s right. Tea and spices are mainly transit goods. The main exports produced domestically are textiles and ceramics. These are loaded in the country. They’re mainly high-end clothing, fabrics, teapots, teacups, and that kind of stuff.”
Arthur nodded slightly. “Okay, Elder. Then focus on the textile and ceramic ships for me.”
Elder was still dissatisfied. “Arthur, that’s still a lot.”
Arthur didn’t say anything, just pulled a banknote from his pocket and waved it in front of Elder’s eyes. “Don’t worry, brother, you won’t be shortchanged. This might involve a big case. As long as you can find out the truth, there’s still a few hundred pounds left in the Greenwich Police District’s investigation budget this year.”
Elder took a deep breath and pulled the banknote from Arthur’s fingers, stuffing it into his jacket pocket.
Elder chuckled. “It seems I can’t refuse this investigation request now. Arthur, you can rest assured. As long as I’m not at sea for the next few months, I’ll be at the shipping companies on the docks every day, investigating for you.”
Arthur smiled and leaned back. “Thanks, that’s a lot of help.”
Elder patted Arthur on the shoulder, looking serious. “Don’t mention it, brother.”
Then, Arthur suddenly changed the subject. “But you just said Britain actually sells tea sets to North America. That surprised me. I thought they didn’t use those things over there.”
“What’s so surprising about that?” Elder grabbed a piece of bread and took a bite. “If they don’t use tea sets, how are they going to drink tea?”
Arthur smiled and pointed to the Thames River next to the cafe. “I heard Americans don’t like to use tea sets when they drink tea. If they want to drink tea, they usually just dump the tea leaves into Boston Harbor.”
(End of Chapter)