Pretending to be confused was fine; actually being confused was not. Junior was unwilling to dig too deeply, mainly because he feared the final result would point to the very enemy they least wanted to face.
As long as no one lifted the lid, everyone could keep playing dumb and continue this political game together. But once they uncovered something, there would be no going back to the way things were now.
Marquis of Tabuada nodded thoughtfully, his expression somewhat dim. The Empire on Which the Sun Never Set had actually fallen to the point where, even after being plotted against, it had to pretend that nothing had happened.
Pretending to be deaf and mute was one thing, but the problem still had to be solved.
One more hidden enemy meant the Spanish Government had to devote another share of its energy to guarding against unforeseen developments.
For the already headache-ridden Spanish Government, this was undoubtedly torture.
Seeing the room fall silent, Antonio decisively changed the subject. "All right, everyone just needs to stay alert regarding the colonies. Let's discuss the loan first!
"This isn't like last time. There are no bonds forged during the Anti-French War to rely on now. Getting another interest-free loan won't be easy."
As an old empire, Spain might have declined, but Antonio still knew the rules of the political game among the great powers like the back of his hand.
Frankly speaking, Antonio had already been very surprised when they obtained such a large interest-free loan from the Vienna Government before.
Under normal circumstances, the Vienna Government should have taken advantage of the Philippine War to squeeze them while the fire was burning. Yet because of a previous promise alone, the Vienna Government had given that up.
Having a boss who kept his word