The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 604 - 303: Business Competition?_3

"What did you say? That’s just nonsense! How could William do such a foolish thing! Doesn’t he know Mr. Hastings is extremely busy? He wouldn’t have time to care about such trivial matters!"

Having said this, old Gladstone quickly stood up to say goodbye to his companions, "Breakfast is almost over, I need to go to the company and thoroughly check the accounts to see if there are any overlooked tariffs that haven’t been reported. By the way, I sincerely advise all of you to also take the time today to go through the accounts of the past few months. Mr. Herbert from the City Council communicated with me yesterday, they are fully supporting Mr. Hastings, and it seems the Tariff Department, Customs, and the Port Authority are about to get serious. At such a critical moment, none of us can afford to disgrace the Liverpool Association."

However, he hadn’t gone far when Lowey quickly stepped forward to stop him, "John, what about the municipal construction project?"

"That? That..." Old Gladstone, smiling, shifted his hand from his shoulder slightly, "Let’s postpone that discussion."

With that, old Gladstone moved like an eagle leaping off a cliff, flapping his wings as if to fly out of the hall.

Just then, a carriage sped up, enveloping the entrance of the Liverpool Club with clouds of dust, swerving to a halt.

Before the carriage even steadied, two people jumped off.

Sweating profusely, they ran and shouted, "Gentlemen, it’s bad news! Police Commissioner Hastings, he... he was assassinated at the door of the Golden Lion Hotel!"

"What?!" Old Gladstone’s smile froze, and even the foot he had stepped forward remained in place, "Who did it?"

Upon hearing this, the elderly gentlemen who had been engrossed in their newspapers suddenly looked up as if on cue, staring past old Gladstone at Lowey.

Roseville also tightened up, slapping his forehead, and couldn’t help but curse, "Lowey? Are you fucking stupid? If he dies, just wait and see if you’ll be paving the way for the Guard Cavalry!"

Lowey also turned pale with fright, his eyes wide as he retorted angrily, "Roseville! You think I’m like you, I fucking have a brain! If I was actually planning to kill him, why would I bother getting involved when you guys are pooling your money?!"

Roseville’s eyes shifted, and he stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Maybe you were trying to clear your own suspicion, who knows?"

At that moment, Lowey wished he could go back in time and slap his former self for speaking recklessly!

He swore to God, "I swear to God, if I really did it, may I go to Hell with Mr. Hastings."

Hearing this, the messenger who came to report hurriedly clarified, "Mr. Lowey, don’t rush down yet. Mr. Hastings is still up there."

"Indeed, he suffered some minor injuries, but overall he’s still jumping around and even has the mind to lose his temper,"

Upon hearing this, old Gladstone let out a long sigh of relief, "Has the doctor been dispatched?"

"We’ve already contacted a doctor to stitch him up. Mr. Kessler from the health committee personally took the scalpel, you won’t find a better surgeon in Liverpool."

Hearing this, old Gladstone finally put his mind at ease.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, turned to Lowey, and after a long look, he finally asked, "Lowey, tell me the truth, it wasn’t you, was it?"

Lowey was suddenly furious, "Why do you all suspect me?"

Roseville frowned, "The previous assassin who tried to kill Prime Minister Percival was also a businessman, and that assassin, Belinhan, was involved in import-export agency business as well. Plus, you were previously disrespectful. Lowey, it’s really difficult for us not to suspect you."

Seeing he was the center of attention, Lowey’s mind grew sharper in desperation.

He argued, "How could I be like that Belinhan? Belinhan went bankrupt because he was detained in Russia, and wanted compensation but was given the run-around by the Foreign Office and the Treasury, which led him to desperation. He took a gun and ran to the Lower House to hide. Plus, he always claimed he was trying to kill the ambassador to Russia, but mistook someone else for him, killing the Prime Minister instead. Mr. Hastings neither caused me to go bankrupt, nor am I unaware of what he looks like. Why would I abandon a business that brings in four to five thousand pounds a year to wrestle with the gallows?"

Roseville’s face was full of doubt, "Do you believe Belinhan’s plea? Killing the wrong person, and it just happened to be the Prime Minister, isn’t that coincidence astonishing? Lowey, are you colluding with the East India Company to set us up?"

"The East India Company?"

When the merchants present heard this name, they immediately scrunched their noses.

One of them even directly addressed old Gladstone, "Although Lowey might not have been involved in this matter, the East India Company truly has the motive to do so. Ever since we, along with the folks from London, persuaded the Parliament to revoke their monopolistic rights in India, they have harbored deep resentment towards us."

"If that’s the case, John, you are also in danger. Everyone knows that Liverpool’s first vessel bound for India, the ’Kinsmere,’ is your property. If this issue escalates, and if Parliament then supports Bristol to replace Liverpool, we’re all going to be in trouble."

Upon hearing this, old Gladstone’s expression grew even grimmer: "The East India Company, huh? It’s not impossible... Speaking of which, I remember Mr. Hastings has people from the East India Company around him. If it really is their doing, then they are quite prepared! But... aren’t they afraid of being found out? Last time, during the charter renewal, they lost the exclusive rights to India. If this matter is also proven true, then by the next renewal, they might even lose the monopoly on China’s tea..."

Upon hearing this, Roseville pulled old Gladstone aside and they walked outside, "What’s impossible about that, it’s merely a desperate dog jumping the wall. Let’s go, we should first head to the Golden Lion Hotel to clear our names, and then consider how to teach those sons of bitches at the East India Company a lesson. If they dare slander, we’ll just respond in kind and leave them with nothing! The East India Company? Ha! The Liverpool Association is not to be trifled with either!" ƒrēenovelkiss.com