I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 101

Traffic Control

It’s not just the colonies that are dissatisfied with the British Empire.

Though bound together under the name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the focus is always on England.

Not only Ireland but also Scotland had a lot of grievances with the current decision-making process of the British Empire.

Like Ireland, Scottish nobles were not allowed to enter the British peerage [the ranks of nobility], and only representative nobles could be sent to the House of Lords.

The basic difference in population was so significant that they were often pushed back in economic matters, and recently, religious issues have been added to the mix, so it’s no wonder there’s dissatisfaction.

Moreover, as the winds of industrialization have recently blown, various social problems have erupted, but the British government has been standing idly by, neglecting them.

In fact, strictly speaking, this wasn’t discrimination.

They were neglecting the problems erupting in England, so there was no way they would pay attention to Scotland.

It was closer to not treating everyone fairly, but the Scottish people probably felt that the government wasn’t making an effort.

It’s not for nothing that independence movements have taken place in modern times to break away.

Although slightly overshadowed by Ireland, Scotland was also in a situation where anger continued to accumulate.

So, in a way, it was a predetermined course for Victoria to head to Scotland after completing her visit to Ireland.

Initially, there were voices of concern, but the response was very positive locally.

This was fully expected because Victoria’s political position itself was completely different from that of previous monarchs.

Since it was expected that the residents of Scotland would face difficulties, who wouldn’t appreciate her coming to help?

No king of England had ever taken such steps before, so the relative contrast effect must have been significant.

There was no one like me who had a tremendous impact on Ireland, so it was a bit less impactful, but in any case, the Scottish residents and local nobles genuinely accepted Victoria.

The only unexpected thing was…

“Your Majesty, you can now go to Inverness. A banquet will be held at Inverness Castle, which was rebuilt a few years ago, so please rest there and return to London via Edinburgh to complete all your schedules.”

“…Yes.”

“Um, Your Majesty. If you’re not feeling well…”

“Ah, no. I mean… I’m sorry. I just have a lot on my mind.”

Victoria had been intentionally avoiding eye contact with me since that incident at the banquet.

I wondered if kissing her forehead was too much, but it didn’t seem like she was angry.

Perhaps, given her conservative nature, even that was too stimulating, so she didn’t know how to look at me, but the problem was that it was too obvious.

Even Baroness Lehzen, who accompanied the Queen, came to me with a worried expression.

“Minister, has something bad happened with Her Majesty?”

“…Pardon?”

“No… Her Majesty has never been like this before, but recently she seems to be avoiding conversations with you. Come to think of it, it seems to have started when we left Ireland. I was wondering if you had any idea why.”

“I do have an idea, but has Her Majesty said anything?”

Baroness Lehzen is one of Victoria’s closest confidantes.

If she hasn’t confided in such a person, it means she has no intention of telling anyone, so I shouldn’t say anything carelessly.

“No. I asked her if she had fought with you, but she only said that wasn’t the case. But there still seems to be an uncomfortable atmosphere flowing…”

“There wasn’t a conflict. But it’s a bit much for me to say what Her Majesty hasn’t said… Please understand.”

“Ah, I suppose so. I’m sorry. I asked an uncomfortable question. But even if Her Majesty has done something wrong, please try to accommodate her as much as possible. You’ve known her for a long time, so you know that she’s not the type to accommodate others, right?”

She tries so hard to accommodate me, but is that how she appears to others?

In fact, as the Queen of the British Empire, it’s only natural for her to expect others to accommodate her rather than accommodating them.

The problem is that Victoria is acting like this for a completely different reason than Baroness Lehzen suspects.

“I understand. If Her Majesty is feeling a little uncomfortable, I’ll do my best to ease her mind. What else can I do.”

“Sigh… You’re going through a lot, Minister. Of course, you know this too, but our Queen is stubborn but has a kind nature.”

Has Baroness Lehzen already become convinced that Victoria is being hysterical and I’m suffering?

Well, how could she possibly guess that the Queen had received a kiss on the forehead and half lost her mind?

In any case, since these kinds of rumors are circulating, I should talk to Victoria.

I tried to do so several times afterward, but it was difficult to find the right timing because Victoria’s face turned red and she stammered.

In the end, it was difficult to find an opportunity to be alone with her until we returned to London due to the schedule, so I decided to leave her alone for the time being.

After some time, she would calm down and return to normal.

She was doing her job perfectly in front of the Scottish nobles and citizens, so there was no separate problem.

In fact, Queen Victoria’s visit to Scotland was successfully concluded with as much praise as in Ireland until the very end.

It was when she boarded the ship from Edinburgh to return to London after completing all the schedules that she barely managed to look at me properly.

Even then, with a slightly flushed face, she said that we should continue the conversation when we returned to London and spent the time only talking about official matters.

Thus, the visit of the great Queen Victoria to Ireland and Scotland, which would be remembered in history, was concluded.

The innocent love story of the Queen hidden behind it will probably never be revealed.

I plan to keep this a secret between the two of us.

Victoria’s ears turned bright red when she heard that, and she didn’t know what to do, but what could I do?

Her Majesty’s reaction is so amusing that I keep poking at her.

* * *

“Killian! You’re finally here! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting? You must have heard everything from Disraeli, right?”

“Yes, yes, I’ve heard everything.”
A town house near Westminster in London.

After finishing the tour schedule and without even taking a breather, I was ambushed by Wellesley, who came to find me like Jin-gu calling for Doraemon [a popular Japanese cartoon character known for needing help].

Even so, he couldn’t give me a day to rest. Coming to visit on the day of my return is too much, isn’t it?

I was so tired that I thought about ignoring him and taking a nap, but in the end, listening to his story is a familiar pattern.

“It seems like the Prime Minister is really determined this time. After Disraeli went to Ireland, he was really making a fuss. It’s so absurd…”

“How was he making a fuss? I heard there was a conflict over the Canadian immigration law.”

“I told him that, based on what you said, there’s a possibility that a million Irish people could come, so the current Canadian territory might not be enough. I said we need to expand the area further west, but he publicly opposed me, treating me like an idiot. He said it could provoke those United States guys.”

“According to Disraeli, not only the Prime Minister but also other elders opposed it, right?”

“Really! I was so dumbfounded. I thought I had switched to the Whig Party without knowing it. No, Canadian immigration has already been decided, and if a member of the same party proposes it, you should try to see it in the best light. Opposing like that means they’re openly trying to keep me in check, doesn’t it?”

Wellesley was still unable to calm down and spent some time cursing the senior members of the party.

“So, in the end, you couldn’t stand it either and lashed out, right?”

“I couldn’t help it. I have many young lawmakers who follow me, and if I showed myself bowing down to those old men in that position, it would damage our prestige. Was I being reckless?”

“No. You did well. They probably thought that the senior lawmakers’ position in the party had narrowed due to the last incident, and conversely, you were rising, so they decided to keep you in check. It’s not unreasonable for them to think that an opportunity had come since I, who moves as a set with you, was away.”
The superficial reason was also plausible. It wasn’t just a power struggle within the party, but Wellesley was recklessly moving forward without considering the conflict with the United States, so they took a position to stop him.

They wanted to show the image of a veteran elder teaching a young politician who lacked experience, which isn’t a bad strategy.

By the way, Robert Peel, that guy, after the deal fell through, he was so obsequious and asked me to go to Ireland, but as soon as I went, he stabbed me in the back again?

No. There are very few people who know that Wellesley and I are cooperating, but not to the extent that we are this close, so he wouldn’t have been trying to stab me in the back, targeting me.

What could the Prime Minister know that the bill Wellesley was trying to pass was actually a law I made?

But the fact that I was also backstabbed as a result doesn’t change.

My displeasure index had been slowly rising since they pushed the position of Minister on me, telling me to do an impossible task, but as expected, even I can’t stand it anymore?

“Killian, since I’ve already confronted the Prime Minister in Parliament, I think we’ve crossed the stage where we can resolve the conflict within the Conservative Party… What do you think?”

“I already told Disraeli in Ireland, but I think the same. I was wondering how much to adjust the level, but after coming here and thinking about the hardships Wellesley went through, I lost all desire to adjust.”

“Right? Do you know how sad I was while you were gone? Those old men treat me like a novice who can’t see the big picture at all. I kept wanting to overturn everything.”

“I honestly didn’t expect that either. Even though the Duke is still openly in the House of Lords, I can’t believe they could openly humiliate Wellesley like that, even if it’s in the House of Commons.”

Perhaps, as Wellesley said, it wasn’t to the level of making rude remarks, but they used sophisticated words to indirectly insult him, but from the perspective of the person being ridiculed, that might be even more unpleasant.

I thought that such a thing wouldn’t happen while the Duke of Wellington was alive, but it seems that they don’t care about anything, even the Duke’s son, if it’s to protect their own interests.

In fact, if you think about it calmly, the Duke of Wellington is, after all, a prominent figure in the House of Lords, and his successor is also someone who will inherit his career in the House of Lords.

It must have been an unexpected accident for the senior members of the House of Commons that the second son, Charles Wellesley, was suddenly stirring up the House of Commons.

Moreover, he is expanding his influence within the party by creating his own new faction, not the existing senior members of the Conservative Party.

Logically, he should have been kept in check long ago, and in a way, it can be seen that he has been safe so far because he was the Duke of Wellington’s second son.

The situation where that precarious imbalance of power has reached its limit and exploded is now.

“But now that you’re back, the Prime Minister won’t be able to say anything, right? Why, the Prime Minister can’t even make a peep to you these days. After failing to send you to Asia last time. And I heard that the entire visit to Ireland and Scotland was a huge success, so he’ll be even more conscious of you, right?”

“I’ll talk to him first. But the Prime Minister is probably being pushed by other lawmakers who support him, so I don’t think he’ll easily back down.”

“Hmm, that’s troublesome… It’s not like we can really have a brawl with them. Our party has a majority, but in a state where it’s split in two, we can’t forcibly pass a bill with just our side. It seems likely that we’ll just fight in a drawn-out manner and be dragged into a war of attrition where we eat each other away… Is this okay?”

“Of course, it’s okay. There’s no problem.”

It would be good if the Prime Minister understood and backed down on his own, so we could resolve it peacefully, but if not, we can force him to back down and resolve it, which is also good.

“But we don’t have a way to forcibly kick those old men out of Parliament, do we? There are still two years left until the election.”

“You know it well. The Prime Minister and other senior members who are pushing him probably have that in mind. In reality, neither side has a way to inflict a fatal blow on each other right now. No, they probably think we don’t.”

They don’t, but I do.

It could be suicide if I’m not sure that I have a clear advantage over them.

Now that O’Connell has been completely absorbed into our side and the visit to Scotland has been successfully completed, our current popularity is definitely higher.

Then…

“If they’re relieved that there are still two years left until the election, then we can just hold another election right now.”

“…Hold an election right now? To do that, Her Majesty would have to dissolve Parliament, but the only way to do that is through a vote of no confidence in the cabinet, right? But if we strictly compare the forces within the party right now, our faction is only slightly larger, so we can’t pass a majority of seats in a vote of no confidence with that. It depends on whose side the Whig Party takes, and if the Whig Party takes their side, we’ll suffer devastating damage.”

“It’s okay. The Whig Party will unconditionally take our side, and they’ll be the ones to propose a vote of no confidence in the cabinet first.”

If we take the lead in throwing the extreme measure of a vote of no confidence in the cabinet, it could give the public a negative perception that the ruling party is engaged in a power struggle.

So, the structure must be such that the opposition party opens the first salvo so that it is easier for us to eat.

“Are you saying you have a way to move the Whig Party?”

“First, I’ll talk to the Prime Minister and make a decision. Sadly, I can already predict what conclusion will be reached.”

Since the conflict has escalated to this point, a result in which one side unilaterally bows down will never come out.

But since we have no intention of mediating at a reasonable level, they will eventually have no choice but to come out with a strong stance until the end.

“Of course, they won’t even think about the means of a vote of no confidence in the cabinet, so they won’t even be prepared.”

“I didn’t even expect it, so of course they wouldn’t expect it either. But how are you going to move the Whig Party…? No. What’s the point of doubting what you’re doing? I’ll gather all the supporters and prepare to launch an all-out offensive.”

Planning to prepare for the aftermath without doubting my success.

I like it very much.

Isn’t this the law of friendship, effort, and victory?

“Very good. Then I also need to write a letter so that I can manipulate… I mean, cooperate with the Whig Party.”

“A letter? I thought you were going to meet them in person and persuade them, but that’s not the case.”

Of course not. They don’t even know that I have their weaknesses, so who would I be advertising to that I’m the one?

Since Lord Melbourne and Russell have their leashes in my hands, they have no choice but to follow my instructions this time.

Whether they are branded as traitors who cooperated with Irish rioters and betrayed the country, or they obediently follow my words, condemn the current Prime Minister, and help to form a new Parliament.

Isn’t it a choice between two options that doesn’t even require 고민 [Korean word for ‘worry’ or ‘deliberation’]?

I was wondering at what point I should use the weaknesses I had seized in the last general election, but now is the perfect time.

“Ah, but since you never know what might happen, I’ll make sure that the sender of this letter is presumed to be Wellesley. If they ask, never confirm that it’s correct, and just leave room for speculation.”

“Sure, why not. It’s not difficult.”

Good, I love you. My golden shield, my catenaccio [Italian for ‘door-bolt’, a tactical system in football focusing on strong defense] Wellesley.

Would you also be a spear to pierce the enemy?

I’ll swing it, so dance around splendidly.