Shadow of great britain

The Coburg Theater was buzzing with people and overcrowded. Countless gentlemen and ladies wearing various dresses took their seats one after another according to their pre-booked tickets.

Just as Arthur had expected, tonight's concert attracted many special guests due to the gathering of celebrities.

Even Arthur, who has a narrow social circle, can find a few familiar people among these people.

Although the Coburg Theater will not disclose the names of ticket booking customers due to customer privacy needs, but with the help of the Red Devil, Arthur will not care about this.

His glowing red eyes glanced back and forth at the box on the second floor, and he couldn't help but mutter.

"It is not unusual for Lady Cowper and Viscount Palmerston to come.

Mrs. Levine and the old man who visited the Russian Embassy that day also came together, and there were two guards standing in front of their box door. It seems that the old guy should be Austrian Prime Minister Metternich.

But...who is this next to Mrs. Norton? Didn't she get close to Viscount Melbourne? Switching to a new flavor so soon? "

The red devil lay on his side on the stage, chewing an apple, and cursed: "Arthur, is there something wrong with your brain? The person next to Mrs. Norton is naturally her husband, Mr. Norton. Such a simple question is still useful I'll teach you."

When Arthur heard this, he came to his senses. He patted his head and said with a helpless smile: "I have been really confused by the chaotic relationship between this group of people recently. I thought this group of people today She is either someone else's wife or someone else's husband.

But... Mr. and Mrs. Norton actually came to watch the show together. Has their relationship been reconciled? "

After hearing this, the Red Devil stretched his body and said with a bad smile: "If my wife is likely to bring you a position with an annual income of more than a thousand pounds at any time and a lot of power, what kind of situation would it be? , you have to coax a little bit."

When Arthur heard this, the red light in his eyes gradually dissipated, and he said: "Now, here comes the problem. Until now, I still can't figure out what the relationship between Viscount Melbourne and Mrs. Norton is. Apart from emotions, Apart from the connection, is there any physical connection?”

When the red devil heard this, the malice on his face deepened: "Oh! My dear Arthur, why do you care so much? Is it important whether there is a physical relationship? Don't get the point wrong. The point is Do others believe that there is no physical relationship between them.

If others don't believe it, it means they don't. If others believe it, then there is even if there is not. Do you need me to explain things more clearly about you humans? "

Arthur glanced at the Red Devil: "Agares, I have to say, your idea is quite dangerous."

The Red Devil was not in a hurry to express his position. He just put his hands together and smiled and said: "Arthur, don't rush to a conclusion yet. I'm not saying you must do this, but you have to think of a way for yourself first. ?

If Viscount Melbourne really puts George Norton in a position that makes you uncomfortable in the future, this obstacle still needs to be removed.

If you think about whose support he is, he is a supporter of the former Lord Chancellor, Earl Eldon. Think about what the Earl of Eldon did, who issued the six special orders to suppress it, and who has been blocking the Royal Charter of the University of London. Why was it so difficult to repeal the Bloody Act?

Arthur, are you sure you want to leave yourself such a big problem? Look where you are standing. The Coburg Theater is famous for its performances of Shakespeare's operas. Have you forgotten that famous line in "Hamlet"?

People often use sincere appearances and pious actions to hide a devilish heart.

Correspondingly, in order to achieve your sincere goals, sometimes you have to exert some devilish actions. "

The Red Devil tried his best to talk, but unfortunately, Arthur was almost immune to his rhetoric.

"The Nortons and Viscount Melbourne are already messy enough, so I have no interest in getting involved in their triangle relationship for the time being."

Agares was not angry when he heard that Arthur rejected his trade application. He just played with the soul colored beads he had just obtained, smiled evilly and said: "Arthur, I think I still need to remind you. Up There aren’t many souls left from the pirate ship this time, so it’s not a problem to delay it like this. You have to think about doing something big again as soon as possible.”

The Red Devil kept putting pressure on him, but Arthur had no intention of distracting his soul at the moment.

Because he had just scanned the first and second floors and saw no trace of Vidocq at all.

The always elusive French detective acted as if he had not come to the Coburg Theater today, but if someone told Arthur that Vidocq did not visit today, Arthur would definitely not believe it.

Even if Vidocq and Alexandre Dumas have a true relationship between brothers, the guest lineup at tonight's concert alone is enough for Vidocq to take a whiff and find out more.

After all, the French ambassador Talleyrand couldn't really have brought Vidocq here just to let him protect his own safety, right?

Arthur, the head of the intelligence department of the Metropolitan Police, has been assigned an espionage mission, so there is no reason why the French guys should keep to themselves.

Arthur was thinking about this matter when suddenly, the sound of scattered and chaotic steps sounded in his ears.

He turned around and saw that the musicians of the Third Symphony Orchestra of the London Philharmonic Society were already preparing to take the stage.

Mr. Cipriani Porter, who was in charge of leading the show today, also stood under the stage and repeatedly rubbed his fingers through his white gloves, trying to make his knuckles more flexible when going on stage.

Just when Arthur was about to continue staring at the front desk for a while, a kind, familiar and young voice sounded from behind him.

"Ah! Mr. Hastings, you are here."

Arthur looked back and saw that it was Mendelssohn who was one year older than him.

Mendelssohn greeted him with a smile, then walked up to him and kindly taught him his experience: "You will be a little nervous when you perform on stage for the first time, but as long as your fingertips touch the keys, everything around you will Everything will become quiet. By that time, you can play your music with peace of mind, and there is no need to think about anything else. When the performance is over, you will be surrounded by applause and flowers. You only need to bow slightly to thank the audience for their love. That’s it.”

When Arthur heard this, he just joked: "The love of the audience? It seems that being a pianist is indeed a good career. Since joining Scotland Yard, I haven't felt this kind of thing from the eyes of people around me for a long time." "

"Is that so?" Mendelssohn responded with the same joke to Arthur's joke: "If you consider starting piano training at Scotland Yard, I guarantee that it will not be long before the bad reputation of Scotland Yard police officers will be improved."

Having said this, Mendelssohn asked again: "By the way, why don't you go backstage to meet Mr. Clementi? If you can get a few words of advice from him, it will definitely be of great help to your future development in music." It’s beneficial. Everyone believes that the improvement of piano technology cannot be achieved behind closed doors. Only by constantly communicating with those great pianists can it truly grow. It is precisely because of this that I will travel around Europe. If Moscheles hadn’t called me Come back, I’m probably still in Lombardy now.”

"Really?" Arthur said, "Lombardy is a good place. I heard General Codrington of the Royal Navy say that the grapes there are quite sweet."

Mendelssohn laughed when he heard this and said: "Arthur, you are really interesting. I didn't go there just to eat two more bites of grapes. I went there to exchange skills with the piano masters in the Apennines."

When Arthur heard this, he suddenly had an idea, and he suddenly thought of something.

He deliberately changed the topic and guided Mendelssohn: "You have been to so many places to visit the masters, but have you been to Paris? In Europe, apart from Vienna, Paris has the strongest musical atmosphere."

"Paris? I just have this idea." Mendelsohn nodded with a smile: "If everything goes well, I may go there next year."

Arthur nodded slightly and said, "Felix, you may not know that Paris is not only a musical mecca, but it is also an amazing place for us police officers."

"Ah!" When Mendelssohn heard this, he immediately clapped his hands and said, "Are you talking about Mr. Francois Vidoc?"

Arthur was surprised: "Do you know him?"

"Of course!" Mendelssohn nodded: "The memoir he published has been a bestseller in London in the past two years. I also bought a copy and went back to read it. I have to say that his life experience is more exciting than the music score. too much."

Arthur smiled and thought for a while, and then started to weave a polished story: "Since you know Mr. Vidocq, Felix, I won't hide it from you. In fact, the reason why I'm here today is not just for you. Playing music for the audience was not just a farewell to Mr. Clementi.

The famous Francois Vidocq recently came to London with the French diplomatic mission. And he and I had just reached an agreement. He said that he had the ability to take away something from under my nose, but I didn't believe that he could be so magical. I almost staked the honor of Scotland Yard to prevent him from succeeding.

However, what I am most worried about now is that Mr. Vidocq will suddenly attack me while I am on stage. So, can I make a presumptuous request to you? "

When Mendelssohn heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up.

Even this future world-famous classical music master cannot escape the curious nature of human beings, let alone a young man in his twenties at this time.

Mendelson asked: "Of course I am willing to help, but I don't know anything except playing the piano. How can I help you?"

When Arthur heard this, he just smiled, waved to Mendelssohn, and whispered a few words in his ear.

Mendelssohn frowned when he heard this: "This..."

Arthur smiled and said: "Felix, if you can't do this, I really won't be able to find anyone else. Oh, no, maybe there is such a person in Paris, but now I have to invite him That's too late."

Mendelsohn looked at Arthur's sincere smile, gritted his teeth and thought for a long time, and finally nodded slowly.

"Then it's settled! Arthur, you risked the glory of Scotland Yard in order to duel with Mr. Vidocq. In that case, I will also risk my pride as a pianist with you. But, Arthur, you Promise me, you will definitely win."

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled and said, "I'll try my best."

With Mendelssohn's assurance, he suddenly felt confident, and he asked: "By the way, I forgot to ask you, what are you going to play today?"

Mendelssohn smiled mysteriously and replied: "You know that I am a loyal follower of Mr. Bach. On such an important occasion as Mr. Clementi's retirement, of course I have to present him with the most solemn "Matthew Passion." "."

Unexpectedly, when Arthur heard this, he just muttered: "'Matthew Passion'? This is not very auspicious..."