Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 544 This is a conspiracy!
Home Secretary Harcourt was the first to speak, his voice urgent: "Prosecute! Prosecute immediately! Prosecute for treason!"

In just one month, this high-ranking official of the empire, whose position was second only to the prime minister, suffered a heavy blow, and his personal reputation and political career plummeted.

Newspapers were criticizing him, the Queen was suspicious of him, and the Prime Minister kept asking him "what to do"... Every day, he was being chased by the name "Sorel".

If there were a way in the world to make that Frenchman disappear instantly, Harcourt would sell his soul to the devil!
But the other cabinet ministers looked at him as if he were a fool—a French writer being convicted of "treason" in Britain?
Doesn't that confirm the background allusion in "1984" that the British Empire ruled the world and could use its domestic law to judge anyone?

Even the most loyal people to the empire wouldn't have such a crazy idea!

Harcourt realized his mistake and quickly looked at Lord Selborne, the chief justice: "Your Excellency, under the law, what charges can we bring against you?"

Count Selborne spoke up: "There are several options, and 'treason' is actually one of them. Article 1 of the Treason Act of 1848 stipulates—"

Anyone who, by writing, printing, speaking or otherwise, expresses an intention to secede the territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland or any part thereof from the rule of Her Majesty the Queen… or to denigrate or discredit the Queen herself, her successors or the system of succession, commits a serious crime of treason.

Since this law does not specify who is included in "anyone," it naturally includes French citizens as well.

He paused, then looked at the crowd: "Although the 'British Empire' depicted in '1984' is fictional, the author clearly portrays Her Majesty the Queen—albeit as the 'Old Lady'—as the supreme symbol of the empire."

This is 'degrading and vilifying the Queen herself.'

Gladstone quickly pressed, "If the verdict is final, what will the punishment be?"

"If convicted, the sentence could be life imprisonment and exile to the Australian colony. In cases of particularly serious offenses, the death penalty could theoretically be imposed."

However, since the law was enacted, there has been no precedent for someone being sentenced to death for writing.

Harcourt said eagerly, "Then use this one!"

Count Selborne shook his head: "The problem is that Sorel is a French citizen and is currently in France. We can't go to Paris to arrest him; we can only try him in absentia."

"A trial in absentia is fine! At least it shows our stance!"

Foreign Minister Count Granville interjected: "Trial in absentia of a famous French writer? Harcourt, do you know what that means?"

This means the British judicial system has staged a farce without a defendant in front of the whole world. Paris will laugh itself to death, and all of Europe will laugh itself to death.

The French government cannot possibly recognize the validity of this ruling.

Harcourt was speechless.

Count Selborne continued, "There is also the Obscene Publications Act of 1857, which not only regulates works that are offensive or immoral."

The law authorizes the Ministry of the Interior to seize and confiscate publications under the pretext of "moral corruption" if it believes that a publication "undermines public respect for the monarch and the state".

According to this, we can now demand that all readers of *Good Words* who received the 1984 supplement hand over this 'illegal publication'.

Trade Commission Chairman Joseph Chamberlain frowned: "Get all the readers in Britain to hand over a magazine supplement? That's going to be a nightmare..."

The Earl of Selburn remained calm: "Any British citizen who continues to hold the 1984 can be considered a potential offender."

But this also faces practical problems. How large is the circulation of *Good Words*? Over 120,000 copies per issue! We can't possibly search every single house.

Count Selborne went on to list: "There is another charge, 'seditious defamation,' which also applies to the current situation—"

Any publication intended to incite hatred or contempt for the Queen, the government, or the constitutional system can be prosecuted on this basis.

"1984" clearly constitutes "contempt" for His Majesty; if it is further interpreted as suggesting that such rule should be overthrown, it further confirms "incitement."

Finally, he concluded: "Legally, we have ample grounds to sue. But all lawsuits face the same practical obstacle—"

Lionel Sorel is not in Britain, and certainly will not return. A trial in absentia would become an embarrassing one-man show, and the empire would still be ridiculed.

Gladstone was silent for a moment, then said, "Even so, we must prosecute. Not prosecuting means that any future writer—"

Whether British or foreign—they can insult the British Empire and its monarch with impunity. This precedent must not be set.

Harcourt, as if grasping at a lifeline, nodded hastily: "Yes! We must prosecute! And quickly! Start the proceedings tomorrow!"

Then, his eyes darted around: "But just filing a lawsuit isn't enough; we need to make him truly feel the pain—I have an idea!"

Everyone looked at him.

Harcourt stood up: “We can freeze his bank accounts in the UK. He certainly has savings in London—his royalties, other income, and other earnings.”

Once the charges are filed, we will apply to the court to freeze his assets. If he is found guilty, we could even confiscate all his property in the UK as a fine!

Before he could finish speaking, Chancellor of the Exchequer Hugh Childs slammed his fist on the table: "Absolutely not!"

Childes was usually a mild-mannered man, but at this moment his face turned ashen: "Harcourt, do you know what you're saying?"
Freezing a foreign author's bank account in London? Just because he wrote a novel?

"That's a novel that insults the Queen!"

Childes also stood up: "That won't do! What made London a world financial center? It's its reputation! It's the protection of the law!"
Anyone—whether British or foreign—would believe their property is safe here.

If you freeze a French author's account today because of a novel, tomorrow a Russian businessman will be thinking, 'Is my money still safe in London?'

The day after tomorrow, wealthy people from every country will start transferring their funds to New York and Paris!

He stared at Harcourt and said, word by word, "Do you want to destroy London's financial standing? Just for a book?"

Harcourt opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Gladstone rubbed his temples. Childers was right; London's position as a global financial center was too important to risk.

Harcourt, unwilling to give up, proposed another idea: "Then...what if we ban his goods from being sold in Britain?"

"Sorel-Peugeot's typewriters and bicycles sell very well in Britain, don't they? Banning the import of these products would still deal them a heavy blow!"

This time, Trade Commission Chairman Joseph Chamberlain spoke up: "Harcourt, have you looked into the sales figures for Sorel-Peugeot in the UK? Last year alone, four thousand Sorel-1 typewriters were sold in the UK. Not to mention bicycles, they're everywhere in London now."

Do you know who the exclusive UK distributor for these two products is?

Harcourt paused, then asked, "Who?"

"The Duke of Marlborough".

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

The Duke of Marlborough—one of the most illustrious nobles in Britain, owner of Blenheim Palace, and closely associated with the Royal Family.

More importantly, he is a key supporter of the Conservative Party and wields considerable influence in Parliament.

Chamberlain continued, "The Duke's trading company is the exclusive agent for the sale of 'Sorel Peugeot' products throughout the UK, making a profit of at least £2 a year."

Are you going to tell the Duke, 'To punish a French writer, we must ban the import of goods you represent'?

Harcourt's face went from pale to deathly white.

But he was still not giving up, struggling to say, "If it's not possible in Britain, what about the colonies? Surely we can ban the sale of these products in the colonies?"

India, Canada, Australia... these markets are also quite large!

Colonial Secretary, the Earl of Kimberley, and Indian Secretary, the Marquess of Hatington, spoke out simultaneously:

"No."

"Not feasible."

The two exchanged a glance, and Earl Kimberley spoke first: "Harcourt, do you know how many Sorel-Peugeot typewriters have been sold in India?"

Now all office documents are written using it. Bicycles have become an important means of transportation for daily official business in Kolkata, Mumbai, and Madras.

Banning imports? The colony's administrative efficiency would regress by years!

Lord Hatington added: "Moreover, the general agent in India is the Maharaja of Rajputana, a large princely state, who has close ties with the Governor-General's office."

To offend our most important local ally in India just to punish a writer? That's too high a price to pay.

Harcourt finally broke down.

He slumped into his chair, covering his face with his hands: "So there's nothing we can do? Just let that Frenchman insult Her Majesty the Queen and get away with it?"

A long silence fell over the meeting room.

Next door to the conference room, Queen Victoria sat in an armchair, her hands gripping the armrests tightly.

She could hear every word; anger burned in her chest, but a sense of powerlessness also grew in her heart.

How could that Frenchman have so many entanglements in Britain? Finance, trade, colonies…

Like a spider, he unknowingly wove his web into every corner of the British Empire.

Gladstone finally spoke, his voice weary: "So, legally we can sue, but it's difficult for him to actually be punished."

Economic measures can harm our own people and even shake the very foundations of the nation. That's the reality.

Harcourt looked up: "So, we're just going to leave it at that?"

Gladstone hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "I didn't say forget it."

Then he looked at the chief justice, Count Selborne: "Count, you are the most knowledgeable about law among us. Is there really no way to bring him to a substantial punishment?"

Count Selburn paused for a few seconds, then slowly said, "Punishment can be direct or indirect. So, what is the most unbearable punishment for a writer?"
It's not a fine, not imprisonment, not even death. It's about depriving him of the ability to create and publish, isolating his voice, and obliterating his name.

But given his current influence, a ban is no longer possible. France won't cooperate, the United States won't cooperate, and the whole of Europe won't cooperate.

"1984" has probably spread to half the world by now.

There was another moment of silence.

Suddenly, Harcourt raised his head.

His expression changed, from collapse to a sinister calm: "Wait. We've been thinking about how to punish Sorel himself... but maybe we're looking in the wrong direction."

Gladstone frowned: "What do you mean?"

Harcourt stood up again, his eyes almost sickly: "This Sorel... he has so many 'friends' and supporters in England."

The editor-in-chief of "Good Words," the medical student who collected information for him, those poor people who spoke up for him in the newspapers...

If Sorel is a criminal who insulted His Majesty and attempted to overthrow the order of the British Empire, then who are they?

From last year's *The Happy Prince* to this year's *Pirates of the Caribbean*, and *1984*—it's all a conspiracy!

He looked around the conference room and then asked a question that sent chills down everyone's spine:
"Do these people really support him simply because he writes well or is he kind? Or... do they have other motives?"

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While the British cabinet was in a state of turmoil, this issue of "Good Words" traveled to various European countries by train through the postal system.

Every reader who finishes reading *1984* has the same thought in their mind—

"Whose editor-in-chief is this, so incredibly brave?!"

(First update, please vote with monthly tickets)
(End of this chapter)