Shadow of great britain

As night falls, the gas street lamp casts a flickering light and shadow, illuminating the hurried pedestrians on the stone road.

Although it is already dusk, the area around Covent Garden is still crowded with people. Why, you ask?

As the British proverb goes - God gives people a mouth and hands. If the hands are to work, the mouth must eat.

For most workers with poor economic conditions, they do not have free time during the day to buy food for the coming week. They will only start their shopping when passing by the market after work in the evening when the factory is closed.

Although most of the remaining products on the market are no longer so fresh at this time, correspondingly, the vendors will not give them standard fresh food prices.

For working-class families who are on a budget, there is nothing more exciting in the day than being able to buy discounted goods.

Moreover, the second-hand goods and discounted food circulating in Covent Garden Market not only attract workers, but also make it a frequent hangout for middle-class people who are trying to maintain a decent life.

Although Britain may be a country with a relatively high proportion of wealthy people in the world, if a family of six wants to live a well-fed life in London, they need at least 54 pounds, 10 shillings and 4 pence per year.

And if this family of six wants to live a decent middle-class life, their minimum expenditure will be 230 pounds, assuming they hire a maid. If they want to go further and plan for the future of their four children, then they need to save 75 pounds a year to prepare for high higher education expenses in the future. In other words, their annual family income must reach a minimum of 305 pounds.

Such a high cost of living and the naturally good-looking character of the British people have caused many middle-class gentlemen and ladies to occasionally consider replacing those expensive brand-new dresses with some '99 new' second-hand goods.

But in such a bustling market area, there is such a strange place. Passing through a narrow alley, a gorgeously decorated white Regency-style building comes into view. There are distinctive red lanterns hanging in front of its door, and through the gaps in the curtains, the flickering candlelight in the room can be vaguely seen.

The uninformed gentleman and lady were impressed by the stylish decoration of this new apartment and hoped that they could move into such a house in the future.

And those in the know, even the most devout believers, are reluctant to set foot here, because they know that this is a place of indulgence hidden in the shadows of the city, a blasphemous sin.

But unfortunately, a considerable number of London's eccentric gentlemen still like to come here to be judged.

Nightingale Mansion is a prison that has broken countless heroes.

Want to taste a whip dipped in water?

I assure you, gentlemen and ladies, that in 19th century London, apart from the Army, the Royal Navy, and expensive public schools everywhere, you could never taste a more authentic whipping than here.

The door of Nightingale Mansion was gently pushed open, and the wind chimes rang. Several gentlemen in black coats stepped into this world full of temptations, embarking on an adventure they had never imagined.

Their arrival did not attract much attention, nor did it cause much noise. Unlike what everyone thought, this place was quite quiet. Except for the occasional bright whipping sound and a few dull low groans, you really couldn't hear it anymore. Nothing else could be heard.

Arthur took off his hat and looked up at the decoration at the front desk. The interior decoration was luxurious, with exquisite classical oil paintings hanging on the walls. The carpet was thick and soft, and every step felt like stepping on the clouds. The air was filled with the smell of perfume and tobacco. The gramophone at the front desk was spinning slowly, and low music echoed in the room.

It can be seen that the lady who decorated this place has good taste, because the music played by the gramophone is the most famous piece "Waltz in A minor - To Hastings" composed by the famous pianist Chopin in London.

The oil painting hanging on the wall is a "Passion of the Passion of Jesus". Jesus is hung high on the cross, with his head hanging weakly, and around him is a circle of women sobbing and wailing for him. Mary Magdalene and the female believers led by her.

As this picture shows, every customer who comes here will go through hardships like Christ, which fully illustrates that Nightingale Mansion perfectly implements the principle that the customer is God.

In a corner of the room, a dignified blonde girl was leaning on the sofa, her skirt lifted slightly, revealing a section of her snow-white thighs. In the ballroom on the other side, a young gentleman was dancing with a black-haired woman. Her fingers gently slid across his cheek, and their eyes were locked tightly, as if the world around them had disappeared. It seems that there is another wealthy person in the world who wants to pay a lot of money.

Louis and Alexandre Dumas looked at the surrounding environment. The two Frenchmen's natures were instantly aroused, and they showed an ambiguous smile.

Only at this moment, Arthur would agree without hesitation that Mr. Louis Bonaparte definitely contains 100% pure French blood, although not necessarily from the Bonaparte family.

Alexandre Dumas raised his elbow and poked Arthur, coughed and asked: "I said...Arthur, are you sure there are no other services here? Just whipping?"

Arthur copied the directory at the front desk casually, glanced at the services on it, shook his head slightly and said: "Alexander, you underestimate these lovely ladies. If you are willing, you can also choose a stick and add a little money, they can even They can also replace it with iron ones for you. Although they are now engaged in legal business, don’t forget what kind of business they used to do. You can’t forget your roots. The old skill of beating sap has not been lost.”

Alexandre Dumas was disappointed when he heard this and said: "Arthur, look at you, what are you being so serious about here? Do you think you are still a policeman?"

As soon as Alexandre Dumas finished speaking, he heard Plunkett behind him say: "Mr. Dumas, although Sir Arthur Hastings is no longer here, we are still working at Scotland Yard."

But then I heard Ledley say with a playful smile: "That doesn't matter, aren't we both off duty now? We are police officers when we are at work, and ordinary citizens when we are off duty. Work is work, and life is life. Thomas, let's After working as a police officer for so long, shouldn’t you be able to enjoy yourself?”

After hearing this, Plunkett sneered: "Ledley, if you like this kind of enjoyment, I suggest you join the army, and you must join the 57th Regiment."

"Why?"

Plunkett took a puff of his cigarette, blew out the smoke ring and said: "Because the 57th Regiment has a nickname, we all call them 'Steelbacks'. Guess where their nickname came from? With your small body, as long as you Stay there for three to five months, and I guarantee they'll break your spine."

Ridley was about to defend himself when he heard this, but in an instant he saw the blonde sitting on the sofa walking towards him.

The boy's face that had just been pulled down immediately bloomed like a summer sunflower. He took off his hat and said hello: "Miss Selina, I didn't expect to meet again so soon."

The girl named Selina looked at Ledley and the gentlemen beside him, and said with a playful smile: "Are these police officers from Scotland Yard too? Are you here to atone for your sins as a group today?"

"Of course, uh...no, not...Selena, you can't talk like that."

Ledley said: "Although there are indeed two active-duty police officers and two retired police officers here, the atonement is purely illusory. We came here today specifically to find a regular customer of your place."

After finishing speaking, Ledley could not help but lower his voice and said: "Madam, you'd better pay attention. If you offend the gentleman who is flipping through the directory, your boss will 100% deduct your salary. What you did is You work hard and earn hard money, so why are you so hard on yourself?"

"My boss?" Selina glanced at Arthur, who was looking at the knickknacks in the glass fruit bowl at the front desk, and asked in a low voice: "Is that the reason why the crazy woman suddenly converted to Catholicism?"

"Converted to Catholicism?" Ridley frowned: "When did this happen?"

Selena rolled her eyes and said, "God knows! The only thing I know is that she actually changed our lounge into a prayer room, and spent a lot of money to bring back a life-size statue of Jesus from a well-known sculptor. .Do you know how bloody it feels when you come back to the break room after you've just bled someone and all you see is Jesus opening his arms to you? I'm obviously at work, but it feels like I'm committing a crime Similar."

Ridley coughed lightly and said, "In a sense, Selina, you have indeed committed a crime. According to the law, drawing blood from a person's butt can be charged with personal injury."

"Isn't that what you guys begged me for?"

Selena looked a little angry: "Ledley, I have never wanted to cause trouble, but I am not afraid of you and your police officers. Why do you stand there sanctimoniously and accuse me? As if you know what morality is. ."

Ridley nodded with a smile and bowed: "Yes, that's right, ma'am, you will be punished if you make a mistake. So I ask you to swing the whip harder next time."

Selina said angrily: "Are all the people in your Police Intelligence Bureau so perverted?"

"That's not the case." Laidley raised his thumb and pointed at Arthur. "Our former boss is over there, Sir Arthur Hastings, a Scotland Yard legend. Police Intelligence Bureau All the traditions were established by him, if you have any dissatisfaction, just ask him."

Selina heard this and walked towards Arthur. She obviously didn't treat Ledley as casually as she did towards this stranger.

What she didn't expect was that before she could speak, the other party raised the question first.

Arthur took out a dice from the fruit plate, pointed to the text on it and asked: "Why is this dice different from what everyone usually plays? Ordinary dice are marked with 1 to 6 points, why are the dice in this fruit plate different from the ones we usually play?" But what are written on it are historical figures or historical events such as 'Cromwell's Long Parliament', 'The Trial of Bloody Mary', 'Joan of Arc's Battle of Orleans' and 'The French Revolution'?"

Selina heard this and showed a standard professional smile: "You are indeed very knowledgeable. You can see the difference of Nightingale Mansion at a glance. These historical events are actually special themes we provide for our guests.

For example, in the trial of Bloody Mary, the guests play the role of a protestant with firm beliefs, while we play the role of Mary I who used violent means to suppress the protestants. You have to be willing to die under the whip to strengthen your beliefs.

In Joan of Arc's Battle of Orleans, guests will play a noble English knight who is captured by Joan of Arc, and we will play the French witch. You must defend yourself under her torture. Honor as a knight and loyalty to England.

Of course, if you really can't stand it anymore and want to bow down to the power of Mary I and Joan of Arc, we don't understand you, but in order to make your experience better, I personally always think that you should at least hold on for a while. "

Alexandre Dumas on the side heard this, suddenly popped his head and asked: "In that case, does this script of the French Revolution need to play Louis XVI of France? And you and your lovely friends have to play Louis XVI of France?" Playing the Jacobins?”

Selina nodded slightly and said: "You are indeed very smart, but the script of the French Revolution is not static. Since some guests insist that Robespierre is a good person, we sometimes let guests play French Republicans, and we would play Napoleon's accomplices or royalists or whatever, depending on his preference."

Alexandre Dumas's eyes lit up when he heard this. The fat French man took out a guinea from his pocket and slapped it on the table: "I want to play the Republican Party today... No, no, I am originally a French Republican."

Seeing this, Louis on the side also took out a guinea and said: "I won't bother you ladies about cracking the whip. No one in the world knows how to act like Napoleon better than me. Madam, please tell me, I Where are the props we are going to use today?”

"Damn! Louis, you fucking want to whip me?"

"No, Alexander, I don't mean to offend, but I can't just watch you slander my uncle like this!"

Arthur saw the two French guys who were already making a fuss, took out another guinea and handed it to Selena's hand: "Madam, prepare a good room for them, this gold coin will be your reward." .By the way, which room is Mr. August Schneider in? I have something to ask him about."

Selena was surprised at first when she heard this, but she soon accepted it. Everyone comes to the Nightingale Mansion, and occasionally you can meet people like Alexandre Dumas and Louis, which is not a rare thing.

She accepted the gold coin, smiled and winked at Arthur and said: "Sir, thank you for your generosity. I will arrange the room, but... you said you were looking for someone... Sorry, I don't know the person you just mentioned. Who is it? There are rules in the store. Whether he has been here or not, we cannot reveal the customer's identity information. This is the most basic respect."

Arthur leaned against the counter and said, "So, recording in the room is also a way of protecting guests' privacy?"

When Selina heard this, her face turned pale with fright, but she still pretended to be calm and said: "Sir, how can a noble person like you slander someone else's innocence out of thin air?"

Arthur took a puff of cigarette, shook his head slightly and said: "You are innocent or not, no one knows better than me, because I asked someone to install the recording equipment. Miss Selina, if you feel that you can't make the decision, , just call Fiona to see me. I don’t want to embarrass you, and I haven’t seen her for a while. You call her over, and we can just catch up on old times.”

"Uh...are you looking for Miss Ivan?" Selina heard this and said with some hesitation: "Yes, yes, but can you wait a moment? It's her time to pray now. I'm afraid of offending her." If I make her angry, she will have to wear small shoes for me again."

"It's okay, ma'am, I'll take the responsibility for any trouble." Arthur said, "I just need your help to tell her: Mr. Arthur Hastings is here."