568: Chapter 291 Golden Pig-Raising Expert 568: Chapter 291 Golden Pig-Raising Expert As a port city founded in the 13th century, Liverpool has spanned from the Plantagenet Dynasty, the Lancaster Dynasty, the Yorkist Dynasty, the Tudor Dynasty, the Stuart Dynasty, to today’s Hanoverian Dynasty.
The relatively peaceful environment has also cultivated a diversity in the local architectural styles, whether it’s the clearly defined, spire-filled Gothic architecture, the half-timbered Tudor style known for its striped appearance, or the Georgian architecture that has been popular for a century, blending Baroque curved forms with Rococo decorative elements—in Liverpool, you can see them all.
As for Castle Street, where Liverpool City Hall is located, that’s where the Tudor style is concentrated.
However, Arthur evidently had no time to appreciate these centuries-old buildings today, even amidst the dazzling lights and wine, the handsome men and beautiful women, and numerous officials and aristocrats at the ball, this police inspector from London had still become quite a focal point.
The guests who came to offer toasts and engage in small talk were endless, and perhaps due to the better climate in Liverpool compared to London, Liverpudlians seemed more enthusiastic than Londoners.
Whether in the smoking room, the recreation room, or in the corners of the dance hall and dining room, wherever Arthur went, there were always some new faces coming up to strike a conversation.
Among these people were government clerks working in various departments of Liverpool and also young wealthy businessmen engaged in all sorts of trades locally, and of course, some were like Gladstone, ambitious young people aspiring to enter the political arena.
But according to Arthur’s observation, the political leanings in Liverpool still differed somewhat from London.
In London, the power bases of the Tory Party and the Whig Party were basically even.
In Liverpool, however, those holding Tory views clearly outnumbered those with Whig views.
But on closer inspection, this wasn’t too difficult to explain.
As a city that grew wealthy through the slave trade, most Liverpudlians had inextricable connections with the slave business.
How could they possibly like the Whig Party, which had introduced the “Abolition of the Slave Trade Act”?
Not to mention that the abolitionist advocate Mr.
William Wilberforce wasn’t satisfied with just the abolition of the slave trade.
To this day, he also aspired to take advantage of the Whigs’ return to power to completely abolish slavery in Britain and its overseas colonies and rescue the slaves who were trafficked before the abolition of the slave trade.
And judging by the first bill proposed by Wilberforce and his supporters, these abolitionists didn’t want to give a single penny to the slave masters.
They claimed that if the slave masters wanted compensation, they should seek it from the slave traders who sold them the slaves.
Such actions naturally caused extreme backlash from the locals in Liverpool, so it’s not hard to understand why Liverpool City Council, from old to young, was teeming with Tories.
Inside the ballroom, Arthur was led by a young lady in a waltz, under the intimate lighting, their ears were filled with the hushed, low voices of whispers between other dancers.
This lady appeared very curious.
Although she had previously danced with the Sheriff of Liverpool, it was her first encounter with a head of such a new law enforcement organization as Scotland Yard.
Whether it was Arthur’s epaulets, the court sword bestowed by the King, or encounters police officers from Scotland Yard commonly faced in their daily duties, she was very interested in it all.
As for Arthur, he had guessed early on that most ladies were likely to ask about this.
Thanks to his acquaintance with the ladies of the Bluestocking Society over the past year, he had come to understand the topics that women might be interested in.
Secrets of the royal court were certainly the most intriguing to them, but unfortunately, Arthur knew very little, so his scant knowledge could only serve as a trump card.
However, Arthur was quite adept in discussing civilian matters when royal household gossip was not an option.
The Frankenstein monster, the origin of species, matrimonial lawsuits, prostitution cases, or if all else failed, he could mention the Countess of Berkeley’s little whip and certain Earls who revitalized themselves by leaving their wives’ rooms under cover of night.
But when discussing these issues, one still needed to deliver the story gradually, taking care not to get the ladies too excited at once.
Since arriving in London, Arthur had learned that ladies indeed tended to faint on the spot when overly agitated.
He had always thought it was a fabrication by ‘unscrupulous novelists’ like Dickens, Great Dumas, and Disraeli.
But in fact, because the corsets commonly worn by women in this era compressed their lungs, altered the position of their ribs, and squeezed some organs against the spine or even pushed them into the lower abdomen, women often suffered from symptoms of difficulty in breathing and blood circulation, which also affected their appetite and further formed a vicious cycle.
Of course, in Arthur’s view, with a fair understanding of chemistry, those poisonous cosmetics must also bear some responsibility for the ladies’ fainting episodes.
However, not all of the ladies’ fainting episodes were physiologically motivated; it was also a tool for social interaction.
As women were considered synonymous with fragility and emotion, public fainting conformed to society’s perception of them, so rather than being seen as rude, it was instead regarded as an elegant act.
Women could freely use this tactic when tired or not wishing to continue a conversation with a guest, and from Arthur’s observations at banquets, the effect was usually quite satisfactory.