He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 161

161. Three Talents

Theo, following Lucy’s gaze with a strange feeling, let out a soft chuckle.

‘Huh? What’s with Lucy… and Captain Rogers?’

Lucy’s eyes were fixed on Captain Jude Rogers, who was patrolling the palace grounds alone on horseback.

‘Could it be… did she come all the way here to see Captain Rogers? Why? What’s going on? But… were those two even acquainted?’

Come to think of it, Captain Rogers was the one who delivered the documents yesterday.

‘So, Lucy delivered the documents to Captain Rogers yesterday… but they must have met for the first time then, right?’

Pondering their relationship, Theo suddenly raised his head.

‘Ah! No! When I was near death because of the rebellion, Rogers took me to our house for a few days. So, Lucy at that time…?’

Before he knew it, a servant approached Theo.

“Lord Sanderson? I have the documents you requested.”

Theo, receiving the documents, asked,

“Thank you for your trouble. But why is one of our company employees here with you?”

“Ah, yes. Well, I was originally going to come alone, but that young lady insisted that the documents were so important that she had to deliver them to you directly. So I thought, ‘Okay, then,’ and came with her, but then when we got here, she told me I could just take them up….”

“…….”

Theo nodded as if he understood.

“Ah, yes. Thank you. You’ve done well.”

“It was nothing.”

The servant left, and Theo looked out the window again.

Lucy’s gaze was still fixed on Captain Rogers.

He had never seen such an affectionate expression on Lucy’s face in all the years he had known her.

‘Hmm… The fact that she followed the servant to Windsor Castle makes me think my guess is right. So that’s how it is.’

* * *

Windsor Castle, King’s Presence Chamber.

“…Therefore, I believe that forming a negotiation team specifically for this trade agreement with France should be the top priority.”

Andrew Hall, the Minister of Finance, frowned at Theo’s opinion.

He had been dreaming of taking charge of the negotiations and reaping various benefits, so Theo’s intervention was not only unpleasant but also offensive.

‘Ha—Sanderson… that guy is completely ruining my plans….’

However, Theo’s influence was now significantly greater than it had been a few years ago.

Now a legal noble, and with King George’s trust in him stronger than ever due to the rebellion, he was a formidable opponent.

Then, an official from Minister Hall’s side spoke up in a disgruntled tone.

“Isn’t that obvious? It’s a trade agreement between nations, so of course, we need to bring in excellent talent. That’s why the Minister recently….”

At that moment, King George raised his hand to stop the government official from speaking.

“Lord Sanderson? Do you perhaps… have any talent that you deem suitable for the negotiation table?”

Theo nodded, understanding King George’s intention.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I have very outstanding individuals suitable for the negotiations with France.”

King George asked with great interest,

“Good, very good. Tell me who they are.”

“Before that, please listen to this first.”

Theo took out a piece of paper from the materials he had brought, an excerpt from a newspaper.

“What is that?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It is an article translated from a French newspaper from five years ago, in 1777. You must hear this.”

The courtiers and members of parliament buzzed at the sudden mention of reading a French newspaper article from five years ago.

Unfazed by their reaction, Theo read the article aloud.

“France, boasting a splendid history and culture, is now threatened by financial problems. The mistakes caused by a tired political system due to absolute monarchy are no longer a secret to the people. Behind the glamorous facade of the Palace of Versailles [the principal royal residence of France from 1682, under Louis XIV, until the start of the French Revolution in 1789] lies the dark shadow of a France burdened by debt.

…… The Seven Years’ War with England has emptied France’s coffers, and now, secret support for the North American colonies will plunge this country into an even greater quagmire.

The reckless embezzlement and misuse of public funds are only part of the darkness that France possesses.

…… The harsh tax system imposed only on the common people is so precarious that their suppressed discontent will one day erupt uncontrollably and become impossible to stop.

Irregular weather is causing famine, which will soon be a major factor in food shortages and soaring prices in France.

The people are starving, and some grain speculators are taking advantage of this, accumulating wealth by extorting money from the hungry commoners.

In addition, the guild restrictions on merchants are hindering innovation and business growth, and the stagnation caused by being tied to outdated practices is eroding the driving force of economic growth.

…… In all these gloomy circumstances, the only way for France to overcome this crisis is through administrative and economic reforms, and free trade agreements.

A fair taxation system must be established first, redundant administrative procedures must be streamlined as efficiently as possible, and an open attitude must be adopted to seek practical benefits through free trade with foreign countries.

Through free trade agreements, tariffs should be boldly reduced on products that can be made cheaply abroad but cost a lot in France, allowing free trade transactions, but the tariff rates should be carefully calculated, considering that the products of the other country excessively encroach on the French market.

For example, in the case of concluding a free trade agreement with England, a manufacturing powerhouse, the tariff rate for wine should be adjusted as follows…….”

The French newspaper article from five years ago described the situation and future problems facing the country very accurately and in detail.

In modern times, this level of information can be easily found through the internet, but in the 18th century, when it took a lot of effort to obtain even a single piece of information, it was surprisingly meticulous.

Moreover, everyone was speechless at the part where it predicted a free trade agreement with England a full five years in advance and even neatly organized the tariff rates.

The Earl of Albemarle, who had been a professor at the university for a long time and was very close to Adam Smith, who wrote ‘The Wealth of Nations,’ spoke up.

“Did France have someone with such insight? He properly pointed out the problems within his own country and excellently presented the problems and solutions.

But it wouldn’t have been easy to openly express such disrespectful content. Especially in a newspaper….”

At the time, the French press was subject to stricter censorship than any other country.

Content criticizing the king or government was considered a major crime, and imprisonment or punishment was commonplace for even slightly offensive content.

It was hard to believe that such a critical article had appeared in France.

Then, Johnson, a member of the House of Commons who was familiar with overseas trade, said worriedly.

“I have also heard that there was a big uproar when such an article circulated in a French newspaper some time ago.

However, almost all of the contents of that article published five years ago have actually been realized or are in progress. And he even predicted a trade agreement with us….

If there is someone on the French side who said such things, we should be very careful and wary.

If someone with such knowledge and predictive power enters the French negotiating team, we are likely to be drawn into a disadvantage in the trade negotiations.”

Theo agreed with Johnson’s concerns.

“That’s right. As Congressman Johnson said, everything he predicted has actually happened and is still happening. Moreover, he accurately understands the tariff part in the free trade agreement with our England and even has countermeasures….

If such a person is included in the negotiating team, our England will face many difficulties. But fortunately, this article was not written by a Frenchman.”

“……?”

“It is an article written in French by an Englishman who understood the economic situation of France, distributed internally in France by a secret French media company, bypassing government censorship, and became a hot topic.”

“……!”