Shadow of great britain

If London is a puzzle, Paris is the answer.

——Gilbert Keith Chesterton

The dazzling crystal chandeliers cast soft and brilliant light, making the ballroom look like a dream.

The air was filled with the scent of roses and violets, interweaving with the soft champagne bubbles to create a luxurious prelude.

Dressed in a gorgeous evening gown, Liszt attracted everyone's attention. His fingers trembled and slid like a flying peak. The melody gradually changed from gentle to passionate. Every note seemed to have life, jumping and spinning.

Although Heine often slandered Liszt's performance in front of Arthur, saying that he only had skills but no emotions, in the eyes of Arthur, a pianist who was only familiar with the basics, Liszt's performance was not only a display of skills, but also an outpouring of emotions. This kind of performance was sometimes as delicate and smooth as a mountain spring, and sometimes as passionate as a storm. The switching between fierceness and gentleness did not make people feel abrupt at all. This was not something that could be achieved with skills alone.

Symphonie Fantastique is the representative work of Mr. Berlioz, the conductor of the orchestra tonight. It is an outstanding work that won the Rome Gold Medal for Composition. This love song is perfect as a waltz.

The audience was deeply attracted by the magic sound of Liszt. The gentlemen who were chatting on the side couldn't help but close their eyes and listen, as if they felt the passionate love when Berlioz composed the music under the guidance of the notes.

Some people stared at Liszt's magician hands, marveling at how he could create such rich colors and emotions from the black and white keys.

The ladies' skirts swayed gently with the rhythm, and the men slowed down their pace involuntarily. The whole ball seemed to be conquered by this music and turned into a huge resonance box.

Arthur's focus was obviously on the music, so that he didn't notice the subtle emotions of his partner.

Miss Dresset asked softly, "Since you came to Paris, have you not gone to the opera house to listen to Mr. Berlioz's concert?"

Arthur came back to his senses and replied with a smile, "I originally had this plan, but because one of my enthusiastic friends caused me some trouble, so now when I meet these big names in the Parisian music world, I usually have to choose to avoid them."

"Caused trouble?" Miss Dresset asked curiously, "Is your friend a professional writer of music criticism?"

"Hmm..."

Arthur pondered Heine's livelihood and found that the main occupation of this German poet was really difficult to evaluate: "Not really, his main occupation is writing poetry, but he also likes to criticize, not only music, but also literature. However, his favorite criticism is Politics, that's his interest. From a certain perspective, I think he criticizes music and literature just to provide funds for criticizing politics. After all, criticizing politics is generally not profitable, and it is risky. "

"Really?" Miss Delyset asked doubtfully: "I don't usually care about politics, but if writing political commentary doesn't make money, why are there political commentary articles everywhere in the newspapers in Paris? Aren't those people afraid of starving to death?"

Arthur smiled and said, "Madam, I'm not saying that writing political commentary doesn't make money, but criticizing politics doesn't make money. If you are willing to praise politics, you can not only make money, but you can even become an official."

Miss Delyset asked: "If that's the case, why doesn't your friend praise politics?"

Arthur recalled Heine's personality , smiled helplessly, "Please be kind and let him go. For him, in order to be able to integrate into this society and become a decent person in material and spiritual terms, he has sacrificed most of the things that can be sacrificed. In terms of faith, he abandoned his own nation and converted to Protestantism. In terms of money, he left his hometown and came to Paris, and even survived by means close to blackmail. If he wanted to praise politics, he could have praised Prussia's "enlightened rule" after graduating from the University of Göttingen. Why did he wait until he was exiled to Paris to start praising the "liberal democracy" of the French government?"

Miss De Lesset was puzzled: "You mean, your Prussian friend is still criticizing the government after coming to Paris? Isn't he afraid of being arrested and thrown into jail? Last year, Saint-Simonism The newspaper of the author, Le Globe, was suddenly seized by the police, and the editor-in-chief, Mr. Michel Chevalier, was sentenced to one year in prison. If it were not for Mr. Thiers' intercession, he would probably not be released yet. "

Arthur laughed and said, "Your words have made me have a better impression of Mr. Thiers. As for my friend, you don't have to worry at all. Since he suffered a lot in Prussia in his early years, he has become much more tactful. Although he still criticizes the government, he has a clear idea of ​​the extent to which he will not be arrested. "

Miss De Lesset saw Arthur talking freely, and followed the thread and asked, "You seem to be familiar with political affairs. Have you been a member of parliament in Britain? Or are these all taught to you by your elders?"

Arthur did not shy away from his previous occupation. Anyway, even if he didn't say it, the lady could find out what he, a York thief, did in the past by asking at the British embassy.

"Actually, I am just like you. I don't care much about politics, because not caring about politics is a requirement of my job. As for why I know all this, it's very simple, because I used to be a policeman who raided newspapers. Of course, Britain now is not what it was more than ten years ago. We now advocate freedom of publication, so we can't just close down newspapers or something.

But if there is a demand from the higher-ups, we have to keep filing lawsuits against newspapers. Although in most cases, the judges and juries do not support our reasons for the lawsuit, it's always good to cause trouble to those newspapers if we file a lawsuit every few days. What's the problem? After a few months of being bullied by the police, the small newspapers have to run around and admit defeat. "

"What about the big newspapers?"

"Big newspapers? There are reasons why big newspapers can become big newspapers. Their positions are more flexible than the government. They go wherever the wind blows. For example, The Times follows the direction of society. If The Times suddenly starts to criticize the government fiercely, it means that the matter has reached an irreversible level at the social level, and we generally don't want to get into trouble with them. "

Speaking of this , Arthur suddenly joked: "In fact, since I came to Paris, I have discovered a lot of surprising things. For example, although Paris has stricter control over political speech, public opinion in Paris likes to criticize the government more than London. When I passed by the Place des Vosges the day before yesterday, I found that the wall was covered with duck pear patterns. At first, I thought it was the plantation owner advertising his own products. But the poor artist who was graffiti told me that he was actually painting King Louis Philippe. The duck pear is just a general outline, and passers-by can add the facial features in their minds and they are done. "

Miss Delysette heard this and gently tugged at Arthur's sleeve. She whispered, "You can't tell this kind of thing. This is a little joke that Parisians know. "

Arthur smiled and blinked his eyes, "Have you forgotten that I am not a Parisian, but a real Englishman who doesn't know the rules. This is the only advantage of foreigners in Paris. I can pretend to be confused when I know the truth, and the authorities can't accuse me at will. You don't know that as a London policeman, I was almost suffocated when I was in Britain. "

Miss Delysette heard this and the doubts in her heart were finally slowly solved.

He was originally a policeman, and later became a diplomat, and even the Paris Police Chief Henri Rissocquet respected him very much...

Miss De Lesset thought about it and made a plan: "Then...didn't you take your wife with you to Hanover this time? I remember that diplomats often bring their families with them when they travel."

"If I had a wife, I would definitely bring her with me." Arthur joked: "After all, I brought my secretary and cook with me this time. If I didn't bring my wife, it would seem like I had something to hide. To be honest, If my other banker friend had not been busy with business in London, he would have planned to come to Paris with me to relax. "

"Banker friend?" Miss Delyset's eyes lit up: "May I ask who your banker friend is? Maybe my father knows him. Most of the bankers in Europe have business dealings with our family."

"Lionel Rothschild, he came to Paris more than two years ago, during the July Revolution. Your father probably met him."

Rothschild!

Miss Delyset felt dizzy from being hit on the head. The Rothschild name is very famous in the banking circle of Paris.

Everyone knows that James Rothschild, the boss of the Paris branch of the Rothschild family, is the most trusted financial figure of King Louis Philippe.

Although the Bank of France, which was co-founded by the Draisait family, is the central bank of France and has a monopoly on issuing banknotes, the credit of the Bank of France does not depend entirely on itself, but to a certain extent on large private banks with large gold and silver reserves, and the Rothschild Bank is the most powerful private bank among them.

After the outbreak of the July Revolution, if the Rothschild Bank had not provided a large amount of gold and silver as collateral for the Bank of France, the price of French government bonds would never have stabilized in such a short time. Rothschild stood on the side of the July Monarchy at a critical moment, and naturally won the trust of the new King Louis Philippe for them.

In this French banking dynasty, the influence of the Rothschild family should not be underestimated.

And their influence is not limited to London and Paris. In Vienna, the Austrian Empire, Rothschild's limelight is even better. After all, no matter how powerful Rothschild is, he is still limited to the financial circle, whether in Britain or France. In Vienna, four of the five brothers of the Rothschild family were officially canonized as barons.

The Rothschild family is known in the European banking world for its unique vision and ability to curry favor with the powerful, in addition to being the damned Jews.

In other words, being treated as a guest of honor by the Rothschilds is in itself a sign of one's status.

Either they were royal nobles born in the Purple Chamber, or they were from a family of dukes and marquises who had made their mark through military service, or they were young earls, lords, and barons who had low status but bright prospects and might enter the cabinet in the future.

Miss Delyset was stunned by the sudden news. Although it would be a pity not to be a duchess, being the wife of the prime minister was also a difficult challenge. More importantly, as long as the young gentleman did not die as prime minister, even if his father's title was not high, he could be awarded the title of earl in the future based on his own achievements.

Perhaps it would be difficult for people in the future to understand Miss Delyset's obsession with aristocratic status.

In today's Paris, the living conditions of bankers' daughters are far more prosperous than those of most aristocratic daughters.

Since the 17th century, the best locations in Paris, the Royal Square, the Saint-Louis Island, the Place Vendôme, and all the highlights of the fashion district, have all belonged to these bankers.

These people have a place in French society and their own sphere of influence. Although these people lived aristocratic lives and enjoyed the influence and lifestyle that traditionally belonged to the nobility, most of them were not of noble descent.

And one after another, such people of humble descent rose up in the city of Paris. In this ever-evolving new Paris, people began to believe that everyone had the opportunity to make a fortune. A poor boy from the countryside in the provinces could come to Paris penniless, become a real estate or financial tycoon in just a few years, and leave behind a fortune that was beyond the reach of others before his death.

It was because of this urban legend that young people like Victor rushed to Paris.

However, although this group of bankers and real estate developers, who were regarded as "outsiders" by the French prime minister and Cardinal Richelieu, participated in most of the urban transformation and expansion of Paris. However, people have always had a bad evaluation of the penniless poor turning into financiers who can call the wind and rain.

Parisians can accept meeting many people of different classes at the Pont Neuf or the Tuileries Garden, but they do not welcome the new social scene of ordinary people getting rich overnight.

Although this group of people will still say stubbornly: "In our century, money is everything. Money represents absolute power, and having money means domination. Even if you are born in a very humble family, you can still become aristocrat with money."

But most people do not agree with their views, and even they themselves are not so confident.

Whether it is political pamphlets or personal memoirs, from legal documents to novels and dramas, bankers are often fiercely criticized in these documents.

Writers from all walks of life, whether they are powerful officials or unknown satirists, use "blood-sucking leeches" to describe these new rich, saying that these people drain the blood of the country and make honest citizens destitute.

Even the French dictionary has to add some special meanings to the new word Parvenu (nouveau riche): a humble person who makes a lot of money quickly. The corresponding verb Parvenir (earn) extends the meaning of "nouveau riche's extravagance".

As for the comments of novelists and playwrights, they are even more merciless. They use the characters to say that this group of people: "Yesterday they were lowly servants, but today they are landlords."

In the eyes of the public, they are a group of barbarians with two stinky money, bad taste and low-level interests.

Isn't the king of beggars still a beggar?

Every time Miss De Lesset thinks of this, even if she is wearing the most fashionable skirt in Paris that season, using the most high-end perfume in France, and receiving family education from the most learned scholars in France, she will unconsciously feel inferior to those real aristocratic daughters every time she meets them at social banquets.

If their clothes are not as luxurious as mine, they are pursuing the beauty of simplicity and simplicity, which is the embodiment of elegance and style.

If their clothes are more luxurious than mine, it is the deep heritage of aristocratic inheritance and the accumulation of hundreds of years of family tradition.

If their conversation and artistic attainments are not as high as mine, it is that the aristocratic lady adheres to tradition. Even if she doesn't learn anything, standing there is the embodiment of art.

If their conversation and artistic attainments are better than mine, it will be even more doomed. Everyone will say that nouveau riche are still nouveau riche. It is not something that ordinary people can achieve in one or two generations if they want to develop aristocratic conversation.

Miss Delysette became more and more angry as she thought about it. At the same time, she also had higher expectations for the future prime minister from London.

If Arthur knew what this lady was thinking, he would probably introduce her to the Jewish boy Disraeli. After all, when it comes to the future prime minister, Mr. Disraeli's expertise is more suitable.

But if Miss Delysette really came to Mr. Disraeli, she would probably be irritated by the boy who loved to wear red shorts and green vests.

Because Mr. Disraeli did not like young girls like her, but preferred older girls, especially older ladies with aristocratic status.

If it weren't for his hobby, this guy would never have become a member of parliament so quickly, let alone the future prime minister.

But at the moment, what worried Miss Dreiser the most was not the problem of her seniority, but her discovery that Arthur was missing.

The assistant police inspector who was expelled from Scotland Yard continued to maintain his elusive travel habits. He disappeared without a trace when Miss Dresset was distracted, leaving no trace of pigs for his dance partner.

"Sir?"

Miss Dresset looked around. There were indeed many knights at the ball, but she didn't see any who looked like they could be prime ministers.

Oh, maybe Mr. Thiers, who was dancing passionately with his partner, was one of them, but he was not as tall as Miss Dresset, so he was easily filtered out at a glance.

Miss Dresset was about to go to the lounge to look for Arthur, but before she could leave, she heard the piano suddenly stop.

Then, there was a uniform sound of footsteps.

She turned her head and saw that the stairs on both sides were filled with guards in line.

King Louis Philippe of France, dressed in evening gown, greeted his subjects cordially with his iconic pear-shaped face that can be seen everywhere on the walls of the streets and alleys of Paris.

Next to him, there was a young man with a seal beard and a handsome military uniform who barely managed a smile.

Louis Philippe smiled and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce this young man next to me, Mr. Charles-Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte."