The Shadow of Great Britain

The establishment of the German Customs Union transformed the German national sentiment from mere hope and fantasy into positive material interests. Roads and railways are being rapidly built under the leadership of the Prussian government, and in the foreseeable future, we can anticipate a transportation system centered around Berlin developing rapidly in the Germanic region.

The German people generally believe that the customs union is the first step in the process of unifying the German states. This union will significantly break down the barriers created by estrangement and hostility, paving the way for the political unification of the German nation by realizing the common interests of trade and commerce, something worthy of our attention.

— Arthur Hastings "1833 Routine Diplomatic Report"

As mentioned earlier, for a small town like Gottingen, there aren't many taverns to choose from.

Nevertheless, the tavern Arthur and his companions chose was still carefully selected.

It was neither the student gathering place, Black Bear Tavern, nor Bismarck's favorite, the Pauline Order Tavern, but the only tavern in Gottingen that could barely be associated with the adjective 'classy' — the City Hall basement tavern.

However, the reason Arthur and his companions chose this tavern was not because the drinks here were tastier than those at other taverns, but because the City Hall basement tavern was the only tavern in Gottingen with private rooms.

Neither Krupp nor Arthur, nor Disraeli wanted their conversation tonight to become known to all passersby in Gottingen.

But, perhaps God deliberately wanted to tease these black-hearted fellows, for just as Arthur pushed open the tavern door, he was greeted by a familiar face.

More unfortunately, this familiar face was not a student like Bismarck who could be easily dismissed, but a musician with whom Arthur had a deep friendship, and who had once helped him capture the French detective Victor — Mr. Felix Mendelssohn.

As Arthur had just entered, Mendelssohn, about to place his order, recognized his old friend.

He warmly took off his gloves and greeted Arthur: "Arthur, ah… Mr. Disraeli is here too!"

Disraeli and Mendelssohn were also old acquaintances, not just because they were both Jewish, but also because Disraeli's lover, Mrs. Sykes, was a fervent fan of Mendelssohn.

A few years ago, when Mendelssohn was serving as a pianist for the London Philharmonic Association, whenever he had an evening performance, Mrs. Sykes would drag Disraeli to support this successor of Bach.

A young man with a square face sitting next to Mendelssohn heard this and jokingly asked him: "Are both of them your friends?"

Mendelssohn smiled and introduced: "John, let me introduce you. The one on the right with the chestnut wavy hair is Mr. Benjamin Disraeli, a Lower House Member from Britain. As for the tall and sturdy one on the left, I only need to say his name, and his identity won't need any further introduction; he is Sir Arthur Hastings."

"Arthur Hastings?"

The young man earnestly observed Arthur, then smiled and extended his hand in a humorous greeting: "Hello, Sir, the last time I saw you was when I read your paper 'Dynamical Effects of Electricity: The Movement of Current in a Magnetic Field and Reaction Forces.'"

Faced with a greeting that starts with a paper title, Arthur appeared a bit on guard, shook the other's hand but glanced toward Mendelssohn: "Felix, who might this be?"

Mendelssohn cheerfully introduced: "This is my brother-in-law, Professor John Dirichlet from Berlin University. He is also an academician at the Berlin Academy of Sciences. He was supposed to accompany my sister back to visit family in the Frankfurt area during the holiday, but it coincided with my return from Paris, and our conversation led us to speak about the University of Gottingen. I mentioned my friend Hastings was happily in Paris until a royal command posted him to the Göttingen University Supervisor position. Meanwhile, my brother-in-law told me that when he studied at the University of Gottingen, he was a student of Mr. Gauss. So we hit it off and decided to visit friends and teachers in Gottingen."

Mentored by Gauss, a mathematics professor, and an academy member.

Any one of these three identities would be quite difficult to handle alone, put together, it's nothing but 'take care on your way out'.

However, after his experiences in Paris and Gottingen over the past few months, Arthur's mental fortitude had certainly improved.

He casually changed the subject: "Brother-in-law? Is Mr. Dirichlet also Jewish?"

"No, he's not." Mendelssohn laughed and replied: "Not all Jewish families strictly adhere to the regulations of Halakha; our family has paid little attention to Jewish laws since my grandfather's generation. After all, he was a philosopher who frowned upon religion, so naturally, he wouldn't bind his descendants with religious laws."

Arthur turned to Disraeli upon hearing this: "And your family?"

"Our family? Why? Are you interested in my sister?"

Disraeli replied with a straight face: "If you really like her, you can pursue her. Our family situation is quite similar to Felix's. Although my father is a Jewish adherent, he very much disliked other Jewish neighbors in our community, so he had us change religions when we were very young. Since my sister and I are not Jewish, we naturally have no reason to follow Jewish laws either."