The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 555 - 286: How Much is the Life of a Police Inspector Worth? (7K2)_3

Gladstone hesitated and asked, "This... are you sure Catherine is also going?"

"Originally, we weren’t sure."

"But if you go..."

"Then Catherine is most likely to go too."

"Even if she doesn’t want to go."

"Her parents will push her to go."

Several young men grinned and winked at Gladstone: "William, you are just too humble and cautious, completely unaware of your own charm. Every native of Liverpool knows that the surname Gladstone represents wealth, not to mention that your being noticed by the Duke of Newcastle at the graduation ceremony has long been talked about in our upper circles."

"My father says that at the very least, you could be a frequent visitor to the cabinet like Sir Peel. If you aim high, you could even become Prime Minister like Sir Canning."

"Exactly, George Canning was nothing but the son of an actress, and his uncle was just a small banker. But you, William, your father is one of Liverpool’s top businessmen. Whether in terms of ability or financial power, you far surpass Canning. If Canning could become Prime Minister, you could do it for two terms at least."

"William, if you decide to run for Representative, just say the word if you’re ever short on funds. All of us have grown up together. Besides hunting foxes from the woods, we can also manage to scrape a bit of money together. A thousand or two thousand pounds, just send someone to pass the message. If it’s more than that, we’ll have to discuss it with our families first."

"Discuss? My father said that if William could get into the trade committee, he would give him five thousand pounds on the spot as a congratulatory gift. If William became Prime Minister and agreed to get me into the trade committee, he would sell the two estates we’ve just bought— even if it meant we had to live in poverty, he would give William twenty to thirty thousand pounds by hook or by crook."

At this, the wealthy young men burst into hearty laughter.

However, upon hearing this, Gladstone couldn’t help but frown deeply, but out of consideration for his friends, he ultimately refrained from revealing his electoral platform of vigorously tackling government corruption.

He diverted the topic, "Speaking of which, about the party tonight..."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot to tell you. There should be a guest from London at the party tonight. You should be wary of him. We won’t compete with you for Catherine’s first dance, but that guest might not know you two are smitten with each other."

"Hiss... I hadn’t thought of that. Given the guest’s status, it really wouldn’t be too good for us to explain these things to him. If he takes a fancy to Catherine and asks her to dance, she really couldn’t easily refuse him."

"A guest?" Gladstone asked, puzzled: "Is this guest’s identity very special? Does he hold some notable title?"

One of the wealthy young men, struggling to suppress a laugh, replied, "Special indeed, and the titles are rather lengthy."

Another young man beside him recalled the self-introduction he had heard at the station and mockingly imitated in his quirky duck-like voice, "Let me introduce myself, Arthur Hastings, Senior Inspector at the Greater London Police Department and the head of the Criminal Investigation Department, Chief of some bureau in London... appointed as the Special Commissioner for Anti-Smuggling in Liverpool."

No sooner had he finished his imitation than the friends around him burst out laughing in applause.

"Hahaha! Well imitated! Who’s this Londoner trying to scare in Liverpool? Special Commissioner for Anti-Smuggling. Does he know this isn’t the first time London has sent a smuggling commissioner to Liverpool?"

"By the way, what happened to the last smuggling commissioner who came to Liverpool? Can any of you remind me?"

"Edmond, you have such a poor memory. Let me tell you, the last smuggling commissioner! He died! The Hawkhurst gang buried him alive right there, and since then, London hasn’t sent another commissioner to Liverpool for half a century."

"Hahaha!!!"

Upon hearing this, Gladstone’s face involuntarily changed, "Inspector Hastings? The Anti-Smuggling Commissioner is him?"

"Hm?" The wealthy youth asked, "William, do you know him? Perfect. You find some time to have afternoon tea and have an open talk with him—it will be good for all of us. You probably don’t know, but the port authority, the customs, the Tariff Department, and the city council are quite upset over this Officer Hasting!

"That’s right, they’ve been so irritated these past few days. My father even gathered Edmond, Jonathan, Monck, and their fathers for an industry meeting today to discuss how to deal with Officer Hasting. Oh yes, your father and your brother should have been involved too, I recall the meeting place was in the trade office by the port that your family sets up."

"William, since you have connections, why don’t you go and sound things out for the old guys? Ask Hasting how much he wants to let this matter slide. We don’t want to fall out too badly with London over a cholera prevention issue, turning port trade into chaos—is it worth creating such a fuss?"

Hearing this, Gladstone quickly asked, "When was this industry meeting you’re talking about convened?"\

"Just this morning, started at ten," the young man looked up at the sun, "Based on the old guys’ slow pace, they’re probably still meeting now."

Upon hearing this, Gladstone immediately got onto a horse, and pulling on the reins said, "Steve, I’ll borrow your horse for a bit. I’ll bring it back when I come to the party."