The Shadow of Great Britain

Arthur was intrigued: "Which Hastings are you referring to?"

DelaSalle, seeing the fish take the bait, continued to lure: "He was an exceptional figure. Let me give you a hint, he served as Governor in India."

"Governor in India?"

Arthur rubbed his temples, recalling his history lessons at university: "Warren Hastings? Indeed, he was a legendary figure. The title Governor was established during his tenure. Abandoned by his father in childhood, he pursued advanced studies at Westminster School with his uncle's support. At 18, he joined the East India Company and continued to work there, starting as an ordinary clerk in Calcutta before gradually ascending to managerial positions. He secured a spot on the company's board, served as Deputy Chairman in Madras, and became Governor of Bengal after its conquest. The following year, he was authorized to oversee Indian colonial affairs. However, unfortunately, his background was too weak, making him a target for opponents. He spent nearly a decade in court in his later years to prove his innocence. In that sense, his early experiences were quite similar to mine."

DelaSalle was taken aback by this statement.

It was only then that he realized he might have overlooked another possibility.

As Arthur mentioned, there was more than one Hastings who served as Governor of India.

The first Marquis of Hastings was the first Governor of India after its reformation, whereas Warren Hastings was the first Governor of India in a historical context. More importantly, both Hastings performed well in India and had distinctly Tory views.

However, Warren Hastings' fate was evidently much more tragic than that of the Marquis of Hastings. After all, the first Marquis of Hastings was of noble birth and a close friend of royal blood like the Regent King and the Duke of York, so he was not significantly affected in the end.

But Warren Hastings came from a clerical family and grew up as a professional civil servant within the East India Company, thus becoming a target of harsh government crackdowns. Therefore, when the Indian committee was established, despite holding the title of Governor of India, Warren Hastings was constantly thwarted by the other four government-appointed members in the committee. He nearly took the fall for the entire company during a decade-long lawsuit in his later years.

DelaSalle, showing no apparent emotion, asked: "Really? You also had a similar early experience?"

Arthur smiled, reminiscing: "Pretty much, perhaps even a bit worse than his. If it weren't for my uncle's help, I might still be raising pigs in the countryside instead of affording a university education, let alone becoming a diplomat."

"Uncle..."

DelaSalle seized upon this key word, almost perfectly confirming his previous speculation.

An illegitimate child, just like Warren Hastings, abandoned by his parents, but grew up under his uncle's care. Later, he followed his uncle's path to Scotland Yard...

With this thought, DelaSalle suddenly felt enlightened.

No wonder the Hastings Family never acknowledged this young man; at the core of it, they never intended to recognize this illegitimate child. His achievements up to this point were entirely the result of effort and coincidence.

As DelaSalle mused over these thoughts, Arthur suddenly called him.

"Mr. DelaSalle, if it's not too troublesome, I hope some of the pending advance payment can be transferred to the bank account on this business card."

Without even glancing, DelaSalle tucked the business card into his coat pocket and smiled: "Transferring funds to another bank is certainly no problem. However, the Paris Bank's transfer services are not as straightforward as you might think. For large transactions like this, you have to fill out numerous forms, go through a lot of procedures, and you must be personally present."

"Is it that complicated?"

DelaSalle chuckled: "It is a bit troublesome. However, for procedures we can handle, I'll skip them all for you. If you don't have other urgent matters, perhaps you could take a day to visit my residence in Paris, where I can take care of the remaining formalities and invite you for dinner. My nephews are worth meeting. If you don't mind, I'd also like to introduce you to five renowned Paris beauties, to make up for the disrespect these cumbersome banking procedures might have caused..."

Seeing Arthur's expression change, DelaSalle didn't let him speak and joked: "Ha! Young man, your eyebrows have relaxed. It seems that, like me when I was young, you might be tired of these procedures but are not averse to banquets and beauties. So, shall we say it's settled?"

Seeing DelaSalle's enthusiastic invitation, Arthur suddenly had a new thought.

He might be able to use this banquet to demonstrate to the skeptical ruffians of Gervais just how smoothly his plan is progressing regarding the banking scheme.

If they saw that he could now attend bankers' parties, they would most likely believe in the success of this plan. After that, everything would progress more smoothly.

Thinking of this, Arthur politely doffed his hat and smiled: "In that case, I'll humbly accept. But may I bring a few friends to the banquet?"

"Of course, absolutely!" DelaSalle nodded generously: "I like young people, especially outstanding youth like you."