Outside the Palace of Westminster in London, Scotland Yard today has mobilized almost every police force it can to be used for security here.

The roads were littered with well-dressed patrolling Scotland Yard policemen, and near the palace gates, armed with flintlock muskets and armed with live ammunition, the same from Britain's most elite unit, the Cold Creek Guards Infantry Regiment.

As a big idler in Scotland Yard who has won the trust of high-level figures of both parties, Arthur, who has been touching fish for more than a week, finally went to work seriously today.

With a police knife, white gloves, a dark blue and blackened tuxedo uniform, and tight white breeches and high-top riding boots, Arthur boredly took off his black top hat, revealing his shiny back, and smashed his gloves to dust off the brim of his hat.

This action quickly caught the attention of the surrounding military police, and just as they were about to step forward to reprimand the young policeman who was not working hard, they caught a glimpse of the rank insignia on Arthur's shoulder, which was a new, spotless golden and red crown.

Although the infantry of Cold Creek did not know much about the rank of Scotland Yard, since the entire rank system of Scotland Yard was basically based on the rank of the army, a crown insignia was enough for the soldiers to understand what kind of status this young man who looked like he was only in his early twenties.

In the Army, at least, a crown represents a major, and he has the authority to command an infantry company of 150 men, or a cavalry squadron of 50 men.

A couple of corporals went to reprimand the major?

Two big mouths are considered to be in a good mood today.

Although the soldiers felt that they were not too smart, they still had some brains.

Arthur had not been standing long outside the avenue of the Palace of Westminster when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder behind him, and he turned his head to see that it was Vidocq, who had returned to his normal attire.

"Good afternoon, Arthur. The few things I gave you are not bad, right? ”

Arthur took a box of cigarettes from his pocket and threw it over: "I think it's okay, but it depends on what the boss says." To put it bluntly, it depends on how today's meeting goes? ”

Vidocq smacked a match: "Oh, it has been said that the British Foreign Office has always taken on a cold, matter-of-fact attitude in foreign policy. I used to think it was just a joke, but now that you say that, it seems to be true. You have done so many things, whether it has played a role or not, there is no merit and hard work. ”

Although Arthur only felt that his throat was itching when he watched Vidocq smoke, but because he was on official duty at this time, he could only take out a piece of candy from his pocket and take it in his mouth: "In Britain, there is no such thing as hard labor, and it is impossible to expect the superiors to promote you because of how many meaningless things you have done." ”

Vidocq said, "So, your government is all elite? ”

Arthur shook his head and said: "That's not it, there are a lot of good-for-nothing people in our place, but the reason why we have to raise them is naturally useful." ”

"For example?"

Arthur said: "For example, I know that the Ministry of Finance has two useless but extremely senior officers, and their only role is to make a three-person shortlist with the guys the Chancellor of the Exchequer really wants to promote when they are promoted.

Those two guys are so bad that even if you take the donkey from the street and put them on the promotion list with the two of them, the donkey can be successfully promoted to the next rank. ”

When Vidocq heard this, he didn't take a puff of cigarette well, choked his mouth and nostrils together, and he laughed and scolded, "You Brits are pretty creative." ”

Arthur shrugged: "If you mean speculation, then I think it is. But then again, what did he think of what I gave you to Ambassador Talleyrand? ”

Vidocq whistled, "Mr. Talleyrand is satisfied, though I don't know what the thing is of use to him, but in short, he is satisfied." He got what he wanted, and the meeting went through smoothly, and my position as head of security should be secure. ”

Arthur spoke, "Is this a promise given to you by Mr. Talleyrand?" I remember him famously saying that the chameleon is the badge of politics, and kings often change their ministers, so I often change my kings. He went from Louis XVI to the Republic, then from the Republic to the Directory, and from the Directory to Napoleon, then from Napoleon to the restored Bourbon, and now from Bourbon to Louis Philippe, are you sure that the promise he gave you works? ”

Vidocq just smiled, "I know that Mr. Talleyrand's reputation is not too good, but it is too much to scold him for being a chameleon." In fact, if you really get along with him, you will find that he not only does not change color, but sometimes even a person who is so honest that everyone surprises. As to why Monsieur Talleyrand has changed his allegiance to the king six times, I joked with him the other day, and guess what he answered me? ”

"What did he say?"

Vidocq took a drag on his cigarette: "He said: I will not sacrifice the interests of the French mother to the government when I serve her. My policy has always been the policy of France, the policy of the nation, the policy of wisdom, the policy of the times. As long as the kings obey the public will, I will be loyal to them. And I have never turned my back on any party until it gave up on itself. If people in the outside world who don't like me measure all my actions by this scale, they will see that there is no contradiction in my actions regardless of appearances, which shows that I have always been consistent as a person. ”

"Loyal to the country but not to the government?"

Arthur smiled: "It seems to make some sense, but the government probably doesn't like to hear it." But the fact that Mr. Talleyrand's attitude has been reused in five different governments shows that he is indeed capable. Maybe I should talk to him if I have the chance. ”

Vidocq joked, "Is it in the capacity of Superintendent of the Metropolitan Police Department?" ”

"No, of course not. Neither Robespierre nor Napoleon could catch the cunning old loach of Monsieur Talleyrand, and I, the little policeman of Scotland Yard, had no interest in arresting him. ”

Arthur crushed the candy cube: "I just want to talk to him as a stranger and a young junior." ”

Vidocq spoke, "If you really think so, I can introduce you in two days." Anyway, the London meeting will have to be held for several days, and there should be time later. But today it certainly won't work. ”

"Why?"

"Because this morning Mr. Talleyrand just had a fight with the Austrian Prime Minister, Mr. Metternich."

Arthur raised an eyebrow, he had always been interested in such topics, and as the head of the LPS, he did not always gather political information.

Arthur asked, "What are they arguing about?" ”

Vidocq smirked, "Metternich said he would not allow the French to rule Belgium, nor would he allow the lame man to ride on top of Austria. If the Rank sitting here intends to sit back and watch Belgian independence, then Napoleon's affair will soon be repeated on the European continent. ”

"And how did Monsieur Talleyrand respond?"

"I have always admired Metternich, and I do not think that the diplomats of Prussia can predict even a week from now, but Metternich can predict exactly a week from now, not even for a day longer. I thought this was a high evaluation, but Monsieur Metternich was apparently not satisfied, and he must have thought of himself as a god, and had already begun to babble nonsense. In addition, I would like to remind Mr. Metternich that being a prophet in the state is, if not useless or dangerous, a thankless role. ”

No sooner had Vidocq finished his sentence than Arthur heard a dull sound of footsteps behind him.

It was a group of gentlemen who were all different in height, short, fat and thin, dressed in very different ways, but it was such a group of people who could cause an earthquake all over Europe.

However, although Arthur did not know the content of today's negotiations, he could still analyze part of the results from the weight of everyone's steps and the expressions on their faces.

The British and French delegations were very light-footed, and Prussia followed suit.

As for the entourage of Austria and Russia, they were worried and silent all the way.

Belgium and the Netherlands, on the other hand, were caught between the two groups, and there was absolutely no place for them to speak.

The Duke of Wellington was the first to walk out of the hall, followed by the new Whig Foreign Secretary, Viscount Palmerston, who was chatting and laughing beside him.

The two were talking, but when the Duke walked down the steps and found Arthur on duty, Wellington, who had never liked to show his preferences in public places, actually raised his cane in one hand and raised the other hand to greet him: "It's a nice day today, Arthur." ”

When Arthur heard this, he only looked up at the gloomy sky, and suddenly a gust of wind blew, and the rain hit his cheeks.

Arthur shook his water-dipped hair, smiled and nodded, "That's right, like you, I like the rain." ”

"Hahaha." The Duke of Wellington didn't care about this little episode, and the attendants on the side hurriedly held up an umbrella for the Duke, and while he was staying here, the Duke did not forget to introduce the young man standing in front of him for the Viscount Palmerston beside him: "This is ......"

Viscount Palmerston replied with a smile: "Officer Arthur Hastings, I heard him play the piano at the Coburg Theatre last night, and he did play as well as everyone had heard. ”

When the Duke of Wellington heard this, he just smiled and said to Arthur: "You were quite busy last night, and while you are working, can you still take time to play a song?" ”

When Arthur heard this, he just smiled and replied, "If I can mobilize more people, maybe I can do more." ”

The Duke of Wellington also understood what he meant, he had heard Sir Peel about the LPS situation a long time ago, but at that time he had more important things to do, so he had not paid much attention to this organization.

But he didn't expect that in today's meeting, Britain actually relied on Arthur's intelligence to gain an unprecedented advantage.

Although the Russians, who had been strongly advocating the use of force, were reluctant to change their position at the beginning of the conference, Austria, which knew nothing about the Polish uprising, was equally stubborn, and with the support of these two big brothers, Prussia's waist was naturally not strong.

All morning, three countries called for armed intervention in the question of Belgian independence.

In the face of pressure from the three countries, the Duke of Wellington and Viscount Palmerston, who had already learned in advance that the Russians were pretending to be calm, showed a very ambiguous attitude.

They neither agreed nor explicitly objected, but the French and the three countries attacked each other.

However, as the negotiations continued, when the meeting was adjourned at noon, the French ambassador Talleyrand actually took the initiative to find his old friend Duke Wellington and proposed a plan for the widower Prince Leopold of Princess Charlotte of England to serve as the king of Belgium.

This solution far exceeded British expectations, and Talleyrand was almost making it clear that France did not care that the new Belgian government could be a pro-British regime, as long as Britain supported Belgian independence and geographically unencircled France.

Such a tempting bargaining chip, the Duke of Wellington and Viscount Palmerston of course agreed to it, and they could not think of a reason to refuse at all.

And after Britain turned to support France, and after realizing that the meeting could be a protracted tug-of-war, Russia's attitude was noticeably loosened, which basically confirmed the reliability of Arthur's intelligence.

And Talleyrand's concession showed that there was no problem with the vague reports on France that Arthur had handed over to him early this morning.

The fact that a twenty-year-old young man could accomplish such a great feat in a provisional institution without any appropriation was not appreciated by the Duke of Wellington.

He patted Arthur on the shoulder and said to Viscount Palmerston: "I think the biggest gain of Britain in this London conference may not be Belgium, but Arthur Hastings." Scotland Yard has unearthed a rare diamond for us. ”

Viscount Palmerston also smiled and nodded in agreement, and suddenly he opened his mouth and asked Arthur, "Mr. Hastings, I wonder if you are interested in serving in the Foreign Office?" In case you don't know, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs actually has its own intelligence department, and of course, they can't do as well as you at all. ”

For the invitation of the big man in front of him, if he were someone else, he might have agreed.

But for Arthur, he didn't like Palmerston's overly clear boss, not to mention that he had the nickname 'Brutal Overseer'.

In almost every department Palmerston has worked in, there has been some not-so-good news, and this guy is not only an energetic workaholic himself, but also demands that his subordinates must do the same as him. Working under him has never been considered a good job.

What's more, even if he wants to change the court, in addition to Palmerston, Arthur feels that he has many options, whether it is Lord Bruham, the rightful Justice, or Sir Peel, who stepped down, these two people are closer to Arthur, one is a protégé and the other is an old official, no matter how he thinks, he is closer than Palmerston.

However, he didn't want to directly refute the other party's interest, after all, Palmerston was known to have a small heart and a heavy sense of revenge.

Arthur opened his mouth and smiled: "The matter of department transfer is not for me to decide personally, maybe you should talk to Viscount Melbourne about this matter." But even if I continue to work at Scotland Yard, I can still contribute to the Foreign Office, as if I were in London. ”

When Palmerston heard this, he understood Arthur's intentions, but he didn't pay attention to it: "Instead of talking to the Viscount of Melbourne, I should go and talk to Lord Broughham about you, he knows a lot more about you than William." It's just that Your Excellency Lord is a well-known strange gentleman, and if I rob his students, I'm afraid he will be angry. So, forget it. Mr. Hastings, last night's music was good, and the quality of the phonographs at Wheatstone Musical Instruments is also first-class, so we'll see you next time. ”

With that, Viscount Palmerston raised his hand and touched the brim of his hat, and then boarded the carriage and departed.

Arthur saw him go and exhaled slightly.

The duke on the side saw him like this, and couldn't help but pout, and then raised his eyebrows and smiled inexplicably.

"Inaction is a quality, positivity is a vice. Knowing how to wait is a political skill, and patience often leads to a powerful position. When an opportunity arises, seize it aggressively. While waiting, you can be so-so and lazy. ”

When Arthur heard this, he was stunned at first, and then he was stunned: "Your Excellency? ”

The Duke of Wellington looked at him like this, and just asked, "Is there an appointment tomorrow night?" If you have an appointment with a lady, I won't keep you. If it's an appointment with a man, then push it off. To-morrow I will have a banquet at the mansion with some of my friends, including your old boss, Sir Peel, and the author of this sentence, Mr. Talleyrand, would you be interested in coming and trying our cook's handiwork? ”

Perhaps fearing Arthur's refusal, the Duke of Wellington made a special emphasis at the end: "Believe me, it will be helpful to talk to them more about your future development, especially to listen to Mr. Talleyrand tell him about his experience." This may be more precious than the power and honor you will soon receive. ”

(End of chapter)