I am aging gracefully in the world of famous books

Sherlock Holmes left excitedly, full of expectations for his trip to Brighton.

After Pei Xiang and Mycroft looked at each other, they continued the previous topic.

"Sir Leon Sydott was not from aristocratic background, his father was just an ordinary country priest. When he was young, he showed excellent talent in the field of painting. The keen ability to capture is almost innate. Therefore, the old Sidotte sent him to London to study fine arts. When Sidotte was in his 20s, he began to emerge, especially in the field of portraiture. gained fame."

"I've read his biography, and I remember..."

Pei Xiang tried hard to recall the words he had read by chance.

"It is said that when he was painting a portrait of a big businessman, he met a lady from the colonel's family and fell in love. However, he was just a fledgling at that time and his family was ordinary. The colonel didn't like him, so he blocked it. The marriage of Sidot and his daughter. After that, Sidot was deeply stimulated. After a few days of depression, he borrowed a sum of money from his friends and set off to study in the European continent. Later, he became successful and became famous. Not only is Leon Sidot endeared to some European royals, he's got himself a knighthood."

Mycroft's expression was a bit cold: "Yes, Sidot has always described this experience to the outside world like this. He also kindly stated that he would never disclose the relevant details to the outside world, and put the person who blocked him The name of the colonel in love is made public. At the same time, he also asks some friends who know the past, not to talk about those things casually."

Pei Xiang smiled and looked at Mycroft: "Just by hearing your tone, I can guess that there is a reversal of the storyline. Could it be... as long as Sir Sidott reveals the name of the colonel, everyone will Doubt about his past?"

"Yes, Doris, you've always been sharp."

"No, your expression is too obvious, my dear Mr. Holmes. Next time you compliment me, please find a more sincere reason."

The "insincere" gentleman chuckled, took a sip of his slightly cold coffee, and continued:

"The real situation is indeed quite different from Sidot's account, and we only recently found out. This involves another secret, which has a lot to do with our upcoming trip to Brighton."

"I guess you'll tell me all about it."

"Of course, Doris, it's no good keeping you secret."

Mycroft took away the napkin and got up from his seat. He stretched out his hand to Pei Xiang: "Mrs. Holmes, shall we go to the study to discuss in detail?"

Pei Xiang looked up at the man standing in front of him, hesitated for a moment, then put his hand into the man's palm.

With Mycroft's temperature and strength, Pei Xiang got up.

After that, neither of the two let go of their hands, just like this, one led the other up the stairs.

In Mycroft's study, Pei Xiang took the lead in breaking the silence between the two and continued the previous conversation.

"Then, Mycroft, you can reveal to me the hidden truth."

Mycroft's expression didn't change much, but his movement of letting go was a little slow.

"Sidot did fall in love with the colonel's daughter back then, and he also suffered some difficulties. However, according to the results of our investigation afterwards, those difficulties were harmless. The colonel did that only because a father His love for his daughter, he wants to test this young and talented guy."

A flash of understanding flashed in Pei Xiang's eyes: "In the eyes of the colonel, it is a harmless obstruction, but Sidot, who has a strong self-esteem, has a grudge because of this?"

"That's right, some things happened later. Anyway, the colonel finally agreed to their marriage, and his respect for Sidot increased day by day. However, the colonel is the head of a military engineering design institute, and there are many people with ulterior motives. Some people stared at him, and Sidot, the prospective son-in-law, also came into the sight of some people."

"Some people? Spies?"

Mycroft nodded lightly: "Sidott was dissatisfied at first, and then he was lured by spies, and his heart was probably full of malice and resentment. So, when he saw a confidential engineering plan in the colonel's study When he was writing the book, he had a twisted mind. He quickly wrote down the above content, and then sold the important information in the document for a sum of money."

Pei Xiang frowned: "How could the colonel bring the confidential documents home? Didn't he find that Sidot had entered the study?"

"The colonel didn't send the documents to the file room for sealing in time. It was his negligence, and he really didn't take too much precaution against Sidot. After agreeing to the marriage, the colonel regarded him as a family member. After all, Sidot Dort has always acted affectionately, as if he loved the colonel's daughter."

"So, what happened after the scandal broke out? When the colonel discovered that various data in the plan had been leaked, didn't he suspect Sidotte?"

"The colonel has a son who is very incompetent. He owes a lot of gambling debts, and the relationship between father and son is a little stiff."

Pei Xiang raised his eyebrows: "Sidott poured dirty water on the other party for reselling state military secrets?"

"Yes, the colonel had a heart attack at that time, and he died of rage." Mycroft's gaze was a little far away.

This result made Pei Xiang silent for a moment.

"Then the police have arrested the Colonel's son?"

"He escaped and is still on the wanted list."

Pei Xiang's thoughts were spinning, and he asked Mycroft quickly:

"Since the colonel's son has been convicted, it means that the investigators at that time did not discover Sidot's crimes. Moreover, from Sidot's public information, we have learned that the two wives he married were not colonels. daughter. So, he abandoned his fiancée after the accident at the colonel's house?"

"Yes, he claimed to love England deeply, and he really couldn't get married with such a family. However, he couldn't face the tears of his former lover. Sirdo was deeply stimulated, so he left the island of Great Britain and went to the European continent."

"Such a scandal, why didn't there have been any large-scale reports before?"

"The colonel was a brave soldier who made countless feats. Therefore, the authorities did not want to be cast aside by the public after his death. For the sake of his reputation, the investigators warned some people and suppressed some particularly detailed reports. The report dealt with the scandal at that time in a very low-key manner. Of course, they never relaxed their arrest of the colonel's son, after all, that leak caused a lot of damage."

"I see," Pei Xiang nodded, "I still have two questions. One is, what happened to the Colonel's daughter? The other is, how did you find out the truth?"

Mycroft gave Pei Xianglai a cup of black tea and sat down beside her.

"The abandoned girl lost the protection of her father and brother, and soon died of depression. As for why we investigated the truth back then?" There was a little mockery in the man's brow.

"That Sir Sidot probably got the benefit of selling information. When he painted portraits of dignitaries on the European continent, he consciously collected a lot of private scandals of the upper class. Then, after returning to Britain, he He planned to secretly sell the information he collected to the government. That’s why we noticed this great painter.”

Pei Xiang was a little puzzled: "With his wealth and status today, he shouldn't do such a dangerous thing for a fortune."

"He doesn't want real things like pounds and gold coins," Mycroft said with a playful look. "He wants a few honorary titles, such as the president of the Royal Society of Arts."

"No matter what his character is, his artistic achievements are worthy of recognition. Moreover, the authorities should have just learned of the scandals he has done. Then, when he proposed a deal, why didn't you try to agree to it? Instead, go deep into it. How about investigating him? And, after so many years, how did you investigate those hidden truths back then?"

Mycroft added a piece of sugar to the teacup, and said slowly:

"I didn't take over this matter from the beginning. When Sidot just showed his intention, a big man was very tempted. But a few honorary titles can be exchanged for a scandal record, which is actually quite a deal Yes. But... Doris, do you remember the wanted man I mentioned?"

"The colonel's son, you said he was wronged."

"Yes, all these years, he has always wanted to seek revenge from Sidot, but because Sidot went to Europe, he has been lurking. During the period, Sidot returned to England, married a wife and had children, he heard After hearing the news, I went to attack and assassinate Sidot, but failed."

When Pei Xiang heard this, he immediately realized that the girl Mycroft asked her to pretend to be should have been born when Sidot returned to England.Moreover, her disappearance might be related to that Avenger.

She glanced at Mycroft, asked silently, and got a positive look from the other side.

The two did not elaborate on the matter for the time being, but continued the previous narrative.

"After the assassination failed, the frightened Sidotte left his hometown again and ran abroad to avoid his enemies. When the colonel's son was able to go to Europe to find Sidotte, he found that Sidotte became very cautious. The great painter hired A few boxers always protect themselves and never stand alone. The enemy has never been able to find a chance to attack."

"That person really endured for many years." Pei Xiang couldn't help sighing.

"Indeed. The other party couldn't avenge him, so he kept watching Sidot's every move. He probably hoped to kill Sidot with his own hands, so he hasn't complained to himself in these years. But when Sidot wanted to When he profited by selling secrets, he couldn't stand it anymore. He risked being arrested and wrote letters to several old comrades-in-arms of the colonel, telling his innocence and providing some clues. So According to what he said, we re-investigated what happened back then, and we found out a lot of secrets."

Pei Xiang's eyes sank, and he raised his voice slightly: "Since there are clues to check...there is something wrong with the investigators back then? Or is there an insider in the military engineering research institute?"

"Doris, did you realize the crux of the problem so quickly?"

Mycroft chuckled and shook his head: "That's a mess. I just took this opportunity to reorganize the background of the employees in the relevant department. Doris, the things here are more complicated and have nothing to do with what we are going to talk about today. Big, I won't talk to you in detail. Besides, I also have to abide by some confidentiality regulations."

Pei Xiang nodded in understanding, and stopped asking further questions, but continued to pay attention to Sidot's experience.

"Since his former treasonous behavior has been discovered, why not arrest him immediately."

"That's the tricky part." Mycroft sighed, and added another lump of sugar to the teacup.

"While investigating Sidot's past, we were negotiating with him, hoping that he would reveal the content of the news a little bit, so that we would know if it was worth it. Unexpectedly, Sidot gave us a 'big surprise'. He I skipped the gossip about other celebrities and politicians in Europe, and directly revealed a secret of our royal family member. Heh, he only said one word, and he promised complacently that as long as we contact that royal family member, the other party will definitely be happy. Shocked."

"It seems that he is well aware of the psychological weakness of a certain class. So, his threat has worked?"

"Yes, that word is not just a private scandal. It represents the location of a secret military base. Once it is leaked, certain layouts of the British Empire in Eastern Europe will be completely messed up."

Pei Xiang's eyes widened: "Is Sidot crazy? Using such state secrets to blackmail the government? Isn't he afraid of being secretly arrested?"

"Sidot didn't know it was a state secret." Mycroft sneered.

"He thinks it's just a pornographic scandal! That's why he dared to raise conditions. Besides, Sidot has been despicable all his life and is best at protecting himself. He has already said that he put the booklet recording the scandal in Somewhere in a certain country where he once stayed. If something happened to him in England, the book would be handed over to the enemies of England, and then, of course, someone would avenge him.

"He thought in a simple way, thinking that what he knew was only the private scandals of celebrities and politicians. But he didn't know that once the news related to military secrets was grasped by the spy agencies of other countries, they would quickly react and decipher the answer. It's troublesome."

After finishing these words, Mycroft lowered his head and slowly stirred his black tea.

Pei Xiang went through the matter in his heart.

"Mycroft, has the colonel's son been caught?"

"No, that's a trouble too. He's been planning to kill Sidotte himself, but we can't let him be killed until Sidotte hands over his record book. Of course, wait until the book is in hand." Now that there is no possibility of the news being leaked, we no longer need to worry about Sidot's life."

While talking, the man took a sip from his teacup, then frowned.

Pei Xiang lowered her eyes to think, and when Mycroft wanted to put a third candy into the cup, she stopped him.

"My dear Mr. Holmes, one is just right, two are slightly more, and three are absolutely not acceptable."

Mycroft paused helplessly: "I thought you were concentrating on my words."

"But I won't ignore your man, honey."

These words were a bit sweet, and Mycroft suddenly felt that today's black tea would be good without sugar.

"I now know in general terms about Sir Sydoot. Tell me, Mycroft, then, what do you want me to do for you? Go to Brighton and play his long-lost daughter? Where to hide?"

Mycroft pondered slightly: "Doris, to be honest, based on my personal analysis of Sidot, I don't think there is a real record book abroad. Or, even if there is such a thing, Nor will it be left by Sidot on the Continent far away, out of his control, and he should take the record book back to England."

Pei Xiang didn't immediately agree with Mycroft's conjecture, because at present, all the information she got came from the other party. Although the other party tried to be objective in the process of telling the story, it was inevitable that some personal thoughts and ideas would be mixed in. mood.

She will not jump to conclusions until she has more evidence.

Mycroft also very much agreed with this cautious attitude, so after giving his opinion, he didn't say anything more, so as not to affect Pei Xiang's judgment.

"Is this person a little too eager for quick success? Even if he makes a deal with you, isn't he afraid of being retaliated by the person involved?"

"As long as he has one booklet, he can have a second one. No one knows how many things he has spied on during the more than ten years outside. Moreover, he is very shrewd, and the secrets he holds are all scandals of a personal nature. , It won’t affect the overall situation. If he didn’t make some mistakes this time, we wouldn’t treat him so seriously.”

Pei Xiang tilted his head, and suddenly leaned over to Mycroft, and asked quickly in a soft voice:

"You still missed some key things, right? Your exposed geographical location...is it going to be evacuated?"

Mycroft held his breath, not to let the girl's scent disturb his clarity.

"Don't mention it, at least within a month, Sidot's threat will be effective."

"You can arrest him for interrogation." Pei Xiang tried.

"Doris, your idea is very dangerous. Sidotte is a free citizen and has a knighthood. We cannot abuse our power."

"The truth?"

The blue eyes that were close at hand seemed to be filled with melting moonlight, making Mycroft feel refreshed.

"Fake, in fact, we really want his record book, and we are worried that he will die."

"and also?"

"He was a socialite, a famous painter, and suddenly disappeared, and it was a bad influence."

"Gone?"

"You can continue to ponder and observe carefully."

Pei Xiang got up, bypassed Mycroft's position, walked to the desk and sat down, and began to record and analyze on the white paper.

After a while, she said without raising her head: "Mycroft, I suddenly remembered that you said that you would go to Brighton with me, and I was a little confused. I went to Brighton to pretend to be What are you going to do with the investigation of the great painter's daughter? Besides, this matter is not so important that you need to leave London, right?"

Where Pei Xiang couldn't see, Mycroft's eyes flashed a look of helplessness.

When he decided to ask Pei Xiang to do this, he naturally included himself in the itinerary.By the time he realizes that he doesn't need to be involved personally, all the plans have already been formed in his mind.

Ask Pei Xiang to pretend to be the long-lost Lucy Sidot, and she must not be allowed to go out on a mission alone.Whether it is to provide her with a helper or to protect her safety, Lucy Sydot needs companions by her side.

The identity of this companion could be Lucy Sidot's husband, or a relative in the adoptive family in which she grew up.In conclusion, there are many different options.But Mycroft decided immediately that Lucy Sydot should have a married status, and he would be her husband.

Listening to Pei Xiang's question now, Mycroft originally thought it would be good to tell the truth, but the moment he opened his mouth to explain, a trace of embarrassment suddenly appeared in his heart.

So he replied in his usual gentle tone:

"I'm planning to take a break for myself recently, and occasionally go to Brighton to see the pebble beach and take a healthy sea bath, which can make my mind more active."

Pei Xiang didn't believe this, but her thoughts went in another direction:

"Are you trying to avoid some unreasonable and difficult person? Or are you secretly calculating something, and you need to leave London to carry out your plan?"

Mycroft glanced sideways at Pei Xiang, who was writing furiously, and deliberately teased:

"Is there anyone in London who is more difficult for me than Mrs. Holmes?"

Pei Xiang, who felt that he was the most reasonable person in the world, snorted softly, and took the time to squint at Mycroft:

"Okay, I see, you must be planning something again, you need to let some people know that you have left London. Forget it, I don't want to know your secret at all, tell me about the person I want to play, What identity and experience did you arrange for her?"

"Turn through the second drawer on the left, there is a green folder inside, and all the information of the new identity is in it."

Pei Xiang found a stack of materials according to Mycroft's words.

"Well, the girl's name is Lucy. Lucy Green? Mrs. Green?"

"Well, before she got married, she was called Lucy Sydot. Now that she is married, she becomes Mrs. Green."

Pei Xiang quickly scanned Lucy Green's growth experience.

Missing at the age of five, he was adopted by a poor painter. He showed his artistic talent and began to learn painting from his adoptive father. Before his adoptive father died, he married his neighbor Mike Green.

"Mike Green? This is really a perfunctory name. He is a lawyer and supports his wife's painting. The two grew up together as childhood sweethearts, and the relationship between husband and wife is harmonious. Hey, there is a small line of notes here," Pei Xiang said softly Nian said, "If there are one or two lovely children, it will be the most enviable middle-class model warm family. When acting, you need to pay attention to the details of the daily relationship between ordinary couples..."

While reading the materials, Pei Xiang looked at the steady Mr. Holmes with a half-smile.

Mycroft never lost the chain at critical moments. He nodded without looking sideways, with an extraordinarily calm attitude, and his whole body was filled with a sincere atmosphere of being dedicated to the public.

"Doris, I know that you are definitely qualified for this role. Of course, you have to restrain your real painting level properly, and you can't bring too much shock to Leon Sydot, just let him feel that there are successors. alright."

"But I think you may not be able to play Mr. Mike Green well, my dear."

"Appreciate further details."

"Have you forgotten that Sherlock will also appear there? Based on his knowledge of you, he will definitely be able to discover your disguise. I bet for three days. Then, you will implicate me and follow suit."

Mycroft was silent for a while: "Five days, I bet five days. Then, I hope he can take the opportunity to finish the course smoothly. After all, I don't want to hear that he abducted you to some messy place. You go to After studying for a year, I have twice as many headache days as before."