Shadow of great britain

The Rue Crochet-Persé in Paris is bustling with activity.

Bustling crowds shuttled through the narrow streets, wearing all kinds of clothing, from gorgeous silks to simple fabrics, from noble silks to civilian fabrics, all shining with distinctive brilliance.

In front of the shop, the shouts of vendors were heard one after another, attracting passers-by to stop.

Among the dazzling array of shops, the office building at No. 12, Rue Crochet Perce, is not so eye-catching.

There are two companies settled on the first floor of No. 21, one is the Paris office of an unknown goldsmith bank, and the other is mainly engaged in shipping agency business.

Walking up the ladder to the second floor, you can see a copper sign hanging on the door. On it are engraved the words "Brayok Detective Agency". On both sides of the sign, there are also two unusually eye-catching pictures. portrait.

The note at the bottom of the picture on the left is - former head of the security department of the Grand Paris Police Department, French detective, and criminal master - François Vidoc.

The subject on the right is - former Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Royal Metropolitan Police, Director of the London Police Intelligence Bureau, founder of the London Police School and Deputy Chief Inspector of the London District Attorney's Office, and Night Watchman in the Twist City - Arthur Black. Sir Stings.

When you open the oak door inlaid with frosted glass, the first thing you see is the huge bronze chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Its complicated carvings cast blurry shadows in the dim light, creating a solemn and mysterious atmosphere. atmosphere.

The walls of the office are covered with all kinds of maps, including Paris, Lyon, Marseille and the whole of France. You can even see a human anatomy diagram that is only found in medical schools. and hand-drawn sketches of some of France's most famous crimes.

In the center of the office, there is a huge mahogany desk. The tabletop is neatly stacked with case information, police reports, unfinished word puzzles, and various indispensable props for detectives - magnifying glasses. , snuff bottles, pipes, gold pocket watches and miniature chemical reagent bottles.

Magnifying glasses and chemical reagents are used to handle cases, while snuff bottles, pipes and gold pocket watches are used to highlight professionalism and make customers feel that the price of 5 francs for a single consultation is definitely worth it.

However, customers must not be intimidated by the professionalism of Bray Oak Detective Agency because of these arrangements.

Because as soon as you walk into the door of the office, you can see two young and beautiful French girls at the reception desk. One of them is responsible for using the most enthusiastic smile to warm the hearts of every customer who has just suffered a heavy loss of property, and the other The waiter is responsible for handing the guests a cup of warm coffee and a piece of sweet and creamy pastry served on a fine porcelain plate with a silver-plated fork.

But don’t blame me for not warning you, never think of touching them in the office, because the bulldog sleeping peacefully at their feet is no joke. On top of that, you have to watch out for the three French guys sitting on the sofa near the front desk who look very difficult to deal with.

There is no need to elaborate here on the appearance and physique of these three French brothers. Just like the 'Coconut Tree' who once slept with Mr. Elder Carter, these guys who used to be in the gang usually have their own nicknames, so you only need to know their body shape from their nicknames The truth about appearance.

These three gentlemen are: 'Gao Lao', 'One-eyed Dragon' and 'Pan Shen'.

What is ‘Pan’ you ask?

Pan is the god of agriculture and animal husbandry in ancient Greek mythology. It is said that he is half human and half goat, with a hairy body, long and pointed ears, and horns on his head. In Arthur's words, that is - this kid looks quite similar to Agares.

However, although these three gentlemen look different from ordinary people, they are all very capable.

Take 'Cyclops' for example. It is said that he has excellent eyesight. Before he was blind, both eyes could be called 1.5. After he became blind, the only remaining eye became 3.0. . As long as anyone is asked to take a look, as long as they appear in front of him, he can spot it from a street away.

As for the 'Gao Lao', his height is not for nothing. According to Vidoc, this guy can see everything in the house on the first floor from the window without setting up a ladder. His feet were wet and he had a cold. It took two weeks for the symptoms to spread from the soles of his feet to his body, and three weeks before he started sneezing.

As for 'Pan', like a sheep, he has a keen sense of smell for where the 'grass' is and can quickly find out the real address of those who are full of lies and liars.

None of these three gentlemen are easy to mess with, but they will not take the initiative to mess with others, because in order to better open the door for business, Vidocq has set rules for them, and everyone must behave as elegantly as possible.

These rules include, but are not limited to:

1. No matter who enters the office, you must take off your hat first.

2. Do not pass non-urgent letters when a woman is in front of you.

3. Chewing tobacco in the mouth is not allowed during working hours. It is best to spray some perfume if possible.

4. The last and most important point is: no spitting, let alone urination.

It can be seen that the detectives under Vidocq are indeed subject to strict constraints and the highest level of training.

However, Arthur was not very interested in these three gentlemen or the French girl at the front desk. He was more concerned about Vidocq's cynical artistic taste.

Because he discovered that the decorations in Vidocq's office were all heavy-flavored themes such as "The Beheading of the Prophet John", "The Passion of Ravaillac" and "Damian's Dismemberment by Five Horses".

Of course, there are also some with a lighter taste, such as portraits of senior French police officials, including the former French Imperial Police Minister Fouche, and the current director of the Grand Paris Police Department, Gissouquet.

Arthur also learned a little about Vidocq's character and temper from these artworks, although the 55-year-old man said that he didn't care and left the Paris Police Department. But it can be seen that although he likes fame and money very much, like the scientists in the French Academy of Sciences, he actually prefers to pursue power than these.

For Vidocq, other businesses are just gadgets that cannot satisfy his pursuit of power and excitement. A true hunter is not like a civil servant who can retire at the end of his life. He is more unwilling to be lonely than a priest or a painter.

"We are fighting to defend social order, in the name of justice, just like soldiers fighting for the motherland under the banner of the army! Our first plan is to leave no place for those social parasites to die. We We need to dig out those moths, swindlers and fraudsters who have embezzled money, peel off their paint, return them to their true colors as criminals, and give them a head-on blow!”

Arthur leaned on the sofa and took the coffee cup and cake from the front desk lady. After thanking him softly, he enjoyed this morning's pleasant breakfast while listening to this man with blue eyes and silver-grey hair. The legendary French detective delivers a daily 'combat mobilization' to employees.

No matter how high the level of Mr. Vidocq's words was, at least he had already implemented the "Management Regulations" he had set. Vidocq said such a long speech, and Arthur actually didn't even use a curse word. Didn't hear it from inside.

"Okay, that's it for today, let's all go back to our jobs! One-eyed dragon, Pan Shen, you two remember to keep an eye on those liars from other provinces and get familiar with them. I suspect they may be 'Dua' Mei's people, we have been eyeing these money laundering rats in the security department before. If we can get rid of them, it will be a huge profit. You'd better not only get words from them. We can get some of their forged bank documents so we can figure it out.

As for you, Mr. Gao, you are still keeping an eye on the extramarital affair case today. Mr. Eridier wants to know if his wife has really been involved with Count La Fontaine recently. Yes, that's right, I don't need you to disturb their good things, you just need to confirm whether they have really learned things in simple terms. What? Will they draw the curtains? I don't care so much, this is something you should take care of! Do you want me to refuse Mr. Eretir's offer of 500 francs just because of a curtain?

No, don't block Lady Eritiel on the road, why would you want to threaten a lady? Mr. Eritiel simply wanted to know if there was such a thing, rather than seek revenge on his lady and his lady's lover. Because if his wife really cheated on him, it would be the best thing for Mr. Eridier. He just needs Count La Fontaine to help him develop business. "

If it was the first time he heard something like this, Arthur might still be surprised, but now he is used to it.

He even learned an even more explosive piece of gossip at the dinner hosted by Thiers, the dean of the French Council of Ministers, after the Copley Medal award ceremony yesterday.

A drunken guest secretly told Arthur that after the success of the July Revolution in 1830, Thiers, who had always supported the Orléansists and made contributions to the establishment, was immediately appointed Secretary-General of the Ministry of Finance, but he wanted to Go one step further and become a member of Parliament.

However, according to French electoral law, Thiers, who has no real estate in his name, does not have the right to vote or be elected, and he cannot be elected as a member of Parliament. At this time, a real estate developer generously sold a house to Thiers with 0 down payment.

Thiers bought a house on October 8, was elected as a member of parliament on the 21st, and was appointed deputy minister of finance on November 2 by his old acquaintance, the Marquis de Lafayette, who was ordered to organize the cabinet. And Thiers naturally reciprocated by giving the helpful real estate developer a lucrative job in the Ministry of Finance.

If the story only ends here, it is actually an investment success story. But in fact, things are not as simple as they seem.

First, the real estate developer met Thiers at a salon. And that salon was held by the niece of Thiers' lover, Talleyrand. Moreover, Thiers did not meet the real estate developer first, but the developer's wife. It was with his wife's strong support that the real estate developer finally decided to invest in Thiers.

As for why this lady urged her husband to invest in Thiers, apart from the fact that she was indeed very discerning, there were also some issues related to the relationship between men and women. However, if the story stops here, it still does not exceed Arthur's basic expectations.

What surprised Arthur the most was that Thiers, who had just been promoted to Dean of the Council, had recently been blessed with a double blessing. He had just announced his engagement not long ago. However, the bride was neither Talleyrand's niece nor the wife of a real estate developer, but She is the daughter of the real estate developer and his wife. In addition, the bride will also bring a huge dowry of 300,000 francs and forgive her previous housing loan.

And when Arthur asked the drunken guest in surprise, if Thiers had been eyeing the real estate developer's daughter early on, why he hadn't gotten engaged until now, the guest with a drunken face just held his arm. He elbowed Arthur's chest and smiled mysteriously.

"It is true that he has long been eyeing the wealth of the Dossner family, and Mrs. Dossner has also tried her best to bring him and her daughter together, but for our Mr. Thiers, the dowry brought by the bride to an ordinary parliamentarian is not as good as the Compared with the dowry for the Counselor and Dean, which one is more cost-effective, thirty thousand francs or three hundred thousand francs? I heard that you are a researcher of natural philosophy, so you must be able to calculate this kind of arithmetic problem more clearly than me. "

Arthur was still reminiscing about Thiers' journey of wealth from a crow to a phoenix, when he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps in his ears.

Vidocq came to sit on the sofa opposite him with a plate of cream cakes and asked: "Brother, what do you think of today's breakfast? Is it better than the one in London?"

Arthur took out the handkerchief from his chest and wiped his mouth: "If we talk about breakfast alone, the breakfast in England is pretty decent, with potato pie, rice pudding, dripping soft pancakes, and some peas seasoned with salt and cardamom. But. When it comes to lunch and dinner, there is obviously no comparison with the French. Many wealthy families in London would rather be teased by a French chef than hire a skilled British chef.”

Vidocq cut his cake and asked without looking up: "Teasing? How do they tease those rich people?"

Arthur said: "Let's use an analogy. You also know that if the host wants to prepare a sumptuous French meal at the banquet, he will need at least 20 dishes. Although the chefs will be very busy because of this, they can always I have heard the Duke of Wellington complain before that these French cooks are treating him as a fool, because any normal person should know that you don’t need six pounds of butter to fry twelve eggs. . The housekeeper approached them several times, but the chefs would deny it every time and said: 'This is the authentic way of French food. If you want to taste the most authentic French food, you have to pay for the French tricks.'"

Vidocq laughed loudly when he heard this and said: "Even so, those rich people are not willing to use local cooks?"

"Yes!" Arthur said with some help: "Although I am an Englishman, I have to say that the dinners in England are simply terrible. In many cases, I would rather eat those from India. The dishes, whether it is curry chicken, braised pork rice or various spicy pickles, are better than the local dishes in England. Of course, I don’t mean to offend the local chefs, at least they are good at desserts. Yes, floating island cake, ice cream and jelly are my favorites.”

Vidocq couldn't help but whistle when he heard this. He winked at Arthur and joked: "Jelly? Brother, look what I heard! You actually like eating jelly, and I actually like it too, look. Come on, we have similar interests! How often do you eat jelly on average?”

Of course Arthur knew what Vidocq meant.

Because in Britain, jelly, a small dessert made from sugar, fruit, cream and gelatin, is usually only sold in jelly houses, where the jelly is placed in transparent custom-made glasses for public sale.

I don’t know why, but jelly houses are usually the favorite places for wanderers and foreign language lovers. Because of this, eating jelly naturally had another unexplainable meaning in Britain in the 19th century.

Arthur glanced at Vidocq. He really didn't expect that the old man had learned all these slang words in just one trip to London.

Perhaps to show off, or perhaps out of bad taste, Arthur replied calmly: "I eat it basically every day."

Vidoc smiled evilly and curled his lips: "Brother, you have to take it easy. Can I take the liberty to ask, how many cups do you...eat at one time?"

"I'll eat as many cups as I can. If I can't finish it, I'll pack it up and take it home."

"Brother, I didn't mean it, but you are bragging a bit."

Arthur and Vidocq were talking nonsense here. Suddenly, the bell in front of the door shook and made a jingling sound. The door of the detective agency was pushed open, and a gentleman in a tuxedo was standing at the door. He looked curiously at every aspect of the office.

Finally, he raised his hand and knocked lightly on the door: "I see there is a portrait of Sir Hastings hanging outside the door. Is he here now?"

PS: There are two more updates later.