As a new type of police organization that has just been established, Scotland Yard not only lacks professional detectives, but also struggles to maintain daily patrols.

Their main task is simply to maintain order in the streets and to catch crimes such as theft and robbery.

Unless there is a major case such as a murder and corpse theft case that has attracted the attention of public opinion, cases with low social impact are generally released if they can be released.

If this case is placed in another police district, it may be casually fooled around.

But for Arthur, who is committed to investigating and handling big cases and expanding his influence, this kind of case that has been done meritoriously and cannot be done without fault, of course, he will not let it go easily.

And for such a disappearance case, the best way to start is, of course, to find the local head snake.

As for the characters who are active on the ground in Greenwich District, Arthur can at least know what he knows.

In those years, there were no highly organized criminal syndicates like the mafia, and in the early 19th century, there were more associations with trade associations in the city of London.

Although their business cannot be regarded as illegal, it may not be legal if it is strictly investigated.

Judd Martin, a businessman who specialises in counterfeit and shoddy products, must be one of the most well-informed people in the Greenwich area.

For no other reason, the small street vendors in Greenwich rely on Judd Martin's counterfeit shops for supplies.

Goods sold by this person, including, but not limited to, pickles dyed green with copper,

Cream made from bad milk mixed with rice flour and tapioca flour,

Colorful candies made with sugar, starch and Guanyin soil,

Lemonade blended with tartaric acid,

Gloucester cheese dyed with red lead and annatto fruit,

Vegetable sauce is made by mixing the residue left over from distilled liquor and vinegar with walnut skin, various spices, paprika, sweet pepper, salt, and rotten mushrooms that cannot be sold.

and all kinds of fake drugs that have a small probability of curing the disease after eating, and a high probability of making the condition worse.

By the standards of later generations, Judd Martin was a criminal in the heart.

But in 19th-century England, Mr. Martin's business was not illegal, and Parliament turned a blind eye to counterfeiting, because many of the factories that supplied counterfeit goods were large taxpayers from all over England.

Moreover, both the Whigs and the Tories have taken an economic liberal stance, and some lawmakers have even taken the initiative to defend these counterfeiting factories and counterfeit dealers.

They claim that these counterfeiting practices have effectively lowered the price of goods and allowed the poor to improve their quality of life.

Others say it is the government's greedy tax policies that have led to the proliferation of counterfeiting.

For most foreign imports, the UK has imposed high protective tariffs.

Consumer goods such as tea were once subject to protective tariffs as high as 100 percent.

Tea drinking was an indispensable pastime in the life of the British people, from noble merchants to ordinary workers, everyone had to drink sweet tea at least once a day.

But in the face of such high tariffs and the high cost of long-distance transportation, the price of tea is bound to remain high.

And those counterfeiters claimed that in order to meet the tea needs of the lower classes, they had to use the leaves of the black thorn bush as tea and then sell them.

Therefore, the production and sale of counterfeit goods can basically be regarded as a common social behavior.

Although there are occasional activists who come out to criticize food and drug safety issues, they rarely make much of a splash.

Frederick Acum, a chemical expert who exposed food safety problems in the UK, was framed one after another for touching the interests of these adulterated businessmen, and was finally driven out of the UK.

Arthur, of course, has no interest or ability to fight against the big factory owners who make counterfeits.

But if he just wants to get his hands on Judd Martin, he still has it at his fingertips, after all, the other party is just a distributor and primary manufacturer in the downstream of the counterfeiting industry chain, and most importantly, Mr. Martin still has a lot of tricks in his hands.

Arthur takes Tom and Tony into the alley of Christmas Road, and at the end of the alley filled with sewage is an open courtyard door, and from a long distance you can smell the smell of milk that is so strong that it makes people sour and sticky.

When he came to the gate of the courtyard, he saw a large cauldron boiling bubbling milk in the courtyard.

Two workers in pocket-covered coats are churning milk with wooden sticks of equal height, and occasionally they take handfuls of colorful powder from the pockets of their jackets and throw them into the pot.

With the stirring of the sticks and the addition of various ingredients, the sour taste faded a lot, and the flowing milk began to gradually become viscous, and its expression began to appear a dark red luster.

Mr. Martin, dressed in a blue overalls and wearing a dirty apron around his waist, was not idle.

He first poured the sack filled with Guanyin soil and pepper on the ground, and then reached out to carefully mix the two evenly.

He was kneeling on the ground and stirring up his strength, when suddenly he saw a pair of riding boots appear in front of him.

When Martin looked up, he immediately put on a smiling face.

He wiped his hand stained with pepper and Guanyin soil on his apron, then stood up and nodded, "Officer Arthur?" Why are you free to come to me today? Why don't you come in and have a cup of tea? Definitely authentic teas, different from the ones I sell. ”

Arthur didn't want to talk nonsense with him either, so he took out a notebook directly from his arms.

"Mr. Martin, we have received a report that the guests of an inn have vomited and diarrhea after eating the Gloucester cheese they bought from you, and have been taken en masse to the hospital for treatment. I'm going to arrest you for poisoning, so come with us if it's convenient. ”

When Martin heard this, his face changed, and he spoke: "Sir, I am true that I sold Gloucester cheese, but that thing was purchased from other factories, not made by me!" ”

"Really? Then I'll change it. ”

Arthur flipped to the next page of his notebook: "A lady complained to us that after she served the guests with the cream she bought from you, the guests all had a high fever and we suspect you ......"

As soon as Martin heard this, he hurriedly raised his hand to signal Arthur to stop, and he fumbled in his pocket for a long time, and then he took out a stack of banknotes with a painful face, and handed it to Arthur tremblingly.

He said with a smile on his face: "Mr. Officer, this is my fault. It's been so long since you've been in office, and I haven't congratulated you yet, so for their sake, don't continue to dwell on this matter.

After all, you know, these days, what is not mixed with gadgets? As long as you don't eat dead people, then it's okay. If someone is killed, it means that there is something wrong with them.

You are a police officer of integrity, and the newspapers praise you for your youth and ability. How can I, a miserable, humble little merchant, deserve such a stir from you? Instead of spending energy on me, I should take care of the thieves and murderers, don't you think that's the truth?

If you have anything to do with me, just ask, don't be polite to me. ”

Arthur stared at Martin for a while, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Mr. Martin, you are really familiar with current affairs. In that case, then you're welcome. ”

He took out a portrait from his pocket, pointed to the fat man with curly hair on the portrait and asked, "The police station has just received a report that this gentleman is lost." Can you help me ask the street vendors if they have seen him anywhere? ”

As soon as Arthur said this, Martin reluctantly smiled: "Ask, I can help you ask, but if it's such a thing, I think it might be more efficient for you to go directly to the docks and ask the Cambrigie gang, after all, they seem to be doing this kind of business." ”

"Cambrigie?" Arthur frowned and asked, "What do they do?" ”

(End of chapter)