Perhaps it was the unique "telepathy" between politicians, as soon as Prime Minister Palmerston and Cavour met, they already determined that they were the same type of politician.

To avoid letting Prime Minister Palmerston perceive his true intentions, Cavour decided to adopt the "toothpaste squeezing" strategy.

That is, unless Palmerston initiates a question, Cavour will absolutely not reveal an extra word.

Standing in opposition to Cavour, Palmerston also displayed an indifferent attitude, merely nodding slightly and saying to Cavour in a bland tone, "Mr. Cavour, I’m pleased to meet you!"

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, I equally feel honored for this meeting!" Cavour deliberately pretended to be very excited, extending his hand to Palmerston.

After pausing for two seconds, Palmerston also extended his hand and shook tightly with Cavour.

When Palmerston and Cavour’s hands separated, it represented the formal start of the topic.

"Honorable Palmerston, I suppose you’ve heard about the significant event we are about to undertake from His Majesty Prince Albert!"

Cavour did not directly communicate to Palmerston the content of the conversation with Prince Albert from the other day but instead, used a mysterious tone to probe Palmerston, hoping to use this method to test whether the Royal Family and the Cabinet have reached a consensus on the Sardinian Kingdom issue.

If both sides have reached an agreement, then Prince Albert must have conveyed the entire content of the conversation to the Cabinet.

Conversely, if the Royal Family and the Cabinet have not reached an agreement, then Prince Albert surely has edited the conversation content to some extent (for example, protecting Sardinia from harm) to achieve maintaining the Royal Family’s interests.

After all, the British Royal Family must wield power behind the Cabinet and Parliament; rashly stepping to the forefront would only provoke backlash from various forces within Britain.

Nonetheless, since Prince Albert invited him to meet with Palmerston, it sufficiently proves a high possibility of consensus reached between the Royal Family and the Cabinet.

"I indeed heard some things about the Sardinian Kingdom from His Majesty Prince Albert!" Palmerston also responded to Cavour with vague rhetoric.

"So, has the British Cabinet already discussed how to handle the Sardinian Kingdom!!" Cavour smiled at Prime Minister Palmerston.

"Certainly!" Prime Minister Palmerston nodded, then revealed a scheme that particularly shocked Cavour, he sighed and said to Cavour, "Mr. Cavour, regretfully I must inform you!

After days of intense discussions with Minister Russell, we ultimately reached a consensus that the Italian Peninsula should maintain the current balance before anything else!

Rashly disrupting the balance on the Italian Peninsula could escalate the situation beyond control!"

Upon hearing Palmerston’s reply, Cavour’s once fervent heart instantly chilled, his entire being seemed as though plunged into sub-zero weather.

If it weren’t at Windsor Castle, Cavour certainly would have cried out loudly.

All his efforts over these past days were seemingly nullified by Palmerston’s remark.

At this moment, Cavour felt an inexplicable sadness welling within, not understanding why Palmerston would make such a choice.

Evidently, Palmerston was not a politician who loves peace; advocating for the Sardinian Kingdom to break away from the French Empire’s control should be more in line with the Kingdom of Britain’s interests.

Despite Cavour’s mood being utterly miserable, he still had to suppress his inner disappointment and question Palmerston for the reason.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, I truly find it hard to envision you, as one of the great helmsmen of the Kingdom of Britain, should have a perceptive understanding of the current Mediterranean situation!

Unexpectedly, your vision turns out to be so narrow!" Cavour deliberately used aggressive reasoning to speak emotively to Prime Minister Palmerston.

Upon hearing Cavour’s comments about him as "the greatest helmsman," Palmerston was indeed delighted, but as he heard the latter part of Cavour’s statement, a strange discomfort welled up within.

Although Palmerston was well aware of the flawed aggressive reasoning Cavour used, he nonetheless felt offended.

Thus, Palmerston responded to Cavour with a tone of superiority, "Mr. Cavour, are you implying that I am unfit to serve as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Britain?"

"Your Excellency Palmerston, I believe a politician who overlooks the damages to the Kingdom of Britain’s interests truly lacks the qualification to be its leader!" Cavour countered boldly.

Cavour understood that when facing someone like Palmerston, the more one retreats, the less respect Palmerston has for them.

In the end, Palmerston is not a leader governed by self-restraint, he is essentially a politician driven by self-interest.

Seeing Palmerston did not respond, Cavour continued to vehemently "rebuke" Palmerston, "I simply cannot fathom how a great politician who orchestrated the Kingdom of Belgium’s independence, while repelling the Russian Empire’s attempts to annex the Balkans, could, in a mere few years, transform into a pacifist strictly concerned with maintaining stability!"

For Palmerston, leading the Kingdom of Belgium to independence from Holland and fragmenting the Russian Empire were indeed the two most glorious political achievements of Palmerston’s career.

Given that these two "achievements" seem somewhat like failures now, as the former (Belgium) is nearing a merge with France, and the latter (Russian Empire) due to post-separation civil war, has failed to effectively check the French Empire.

However, at that time, these two victories had elevated Palmerston to the stature of Britain’s greatest statesman since Wellington.

Even the Duke of Wellington, without his military achievements, had far fewer political accomplishments compared to Palmerston.

Of course, at that time, Palmerston was wholeheartedly intent on crushing Russia, yet he forgot that his ally, the French Empire, was also an ambitious nation.

When the Russian Empire fell into civil war, and surrounding countries wanted to take advantage of Russian territory, Palmerston realized he might have weakened the Russian Empire too much.

When Palmerston sought to make amends, the countries that had benefited from the Russian Empire naturally vowed to guard their interests.

Meanwhile, in Britain, Palmerston’s incessant promotion of the Russian threat made him unable to directly deny his actions against the Russian Empire.

However, in terms of outcome, Palmerston undoubtedly achieved his strategic objectives.

Thus, when Cavour praised Palmerston’s political achievements, Palmerston felt a surge of joy once again.

"Mr. Cavour, the Cabinet believes that the Kingdom of Britain’s assistance to the Sardinian Kingdom and the contributions of the Sardinian Kingdom to the Kingdom of Britain are clearly not equal!

Although I also hope in my heart that Italy can break away from the Austrian Empire, I cannot persuade my colleagues to agree to support Sardinia!" Palmerston replied to Cavour.

"The Sardinian Kingdom only requires a security guarantee from the Kingdom of Britain, similar to the protection the Kingdom of Britain once provided to the Kingdom of Belgium!

Moreover, I assure you that the Sardinian Kingdom will absolutely not provoke the Austrian Empire!" Cavour reiterated the request he had made to Prince Albert.

"Then may I ask Mr. Cavour, how do you plan to change the situation on the Italian Peninsula without using Sardinian force?" Palmerston asked Cavour in return.

Cavour pondered for a moment and decided to reveal some plans to Palmerston.

If he didn’t disclose his plans to the Kingdom of Britain, Palmerston would likely refuse to support them.

"I have already contacted Mazzini and Garibaldi; one will head to Sicily Island to overthrow the rule of the Kingdom of Naples, while the other will lead an uprising in Lombardy and Venice to delay the Austrian Empire’s mobilization time!

Meanwhile, Kossuth from Hungary also promised to lend us support at a crucial moment!" Cavour shared recent achievements with Palmerston.

After listening, Palmerston’s eyes showed a hint of apprehension.

He hadn’t expected that Cavour would be so well-prepared.

"Mr. Cavour, you truly are a natural conspirator!" Palmerston remarked, with a tone of admiration.

"Everything is for the unification of Italy!" Cavour exclaimed, "I only hope that Britain can offer Sardinia even the slightest assistance during its most trying times!

If we can succeed this time, we will never forget your country’s help!"

"If the Austrian Empire insists on attacking your country, the Kingdom of Britain might be powerless to help!" Palmerston tactfully conveyed to Cavour.

He didn’t want to see the Kingdom of Britain involved in a conflict with the Austrian Empire.

Support for the Sardinian Kingdom was limited to verbal support; military support was out of the question.

Unless a major power was willing to share the risk with the Kingdom of Britain.

"If the Austrian Empire really disregards the opposition from other countries and persists in invading, the Sardinian Kingdom is willing to fight to the last man!" Cavour resolutely stated to Palmerston, "I only hope that during our war with the Austrian invaders, the Kingdom of Britain does not forget that there was a group of Italians fighting hard for their nation in their hearts!!"

"I will!" Palmerston responded with a solemn expression.

Afterward, Cavour and Palmerston shook hands once again before departing.

A while later, Prince Albert appeared in the room where Palmerston and Cavour had been.

"What do you think of Mr. Cavour’s plan?"

"If Cavour hadn’t sought assistance from other powers, I believe he would definitely face a major setback this time!" Palmerston stated with conviction, "However, offering them appropriate support doesn’t harm us at all?"

"Do you think the French Empire will assist them?" Prince Albert asked again.

"I don’t think they will!" Palmerston mused for a moment, then said, "The goals of the French Empire are the same as those of the Austrian Empire; they have no reason to support the unification of the Sardinian Kingdom!"