Metropolitan Police Headquarters, Greater London, 4 Whitehall Street, Westminster, London.

Today's Scotland Yard is still full of people, but the superintendents who usually sit at the headquarters rarely stay in the office to drink tea and read the newspaper today.

It's not that the superintendents are suddenly diligent, but the situation is compelling, and the enemy is at present, even if Scotland Yard can't get any results, they have to show some attitude.

As Minister Rowan and Arthur had predicted, Bernie Harrison MP has been putting constant pressure on Scotland Yard in Parliament since his release.

In order to find out whether there are a series of injustices such as corruption, malfeasance and judicial process violations within Scotland Yard, the parliament is considering whether to follow Harrison's initiative to set up a special police commission of inquiry, or even to ban Scotland Yard and restore the centuries-old model of local sheriff management.

Of course, from Arthur's observations, corruption, malfeasance, and breach of judicial process are of course all present within Scotland Yard. Not only that, but Arthur was even able to add a few more charges to Scotland Yard for the Commission of Inquiry, and the charges he listed could have been written in more detail.

Most of the senior police officers in Scotland Yard will engage in some activities such as subcontracting the prosecution business of the police district to some law firms to make a difference in the middle price, dispatching excess police force to ensure the safety of the store in exchange, accepting irregular banquets and receiving condolence gifts from industry associations in the jurisdiction, etc.

Among low-level police officers, it is mostly reflected in accepting bribes to release criminals, embezzling stolen money, selling stolen goods, and accepting funding from some criminal groups to provide them with information.

It can be said that the misconduct of Scotland Yard depends entirely on the power it has, and this principle can be applied to other British administrations without reservation.

However, although Scotland Yard is not a fair and honest organization, it is still much more restrained than the old sheriff model.

Because Scotland Yard itself has these problems, they are basically inherited from the sheriff's model, at least Scotland Yard now has some well-organized management regulations, which are wrong and which are right at a glance, and there are corresponding punishment provisions.

What's more, the magistrates have always hated Scotland Yard for not listening to them, after all, the methods used by Scotland Yard to make money belong to them and their sheriffs.

As the unborn grandson of Lord Russell, the famous Whig debater, said: A beggar is not jealous of millionaires, but he certainly is jealous of beggars with higher incomes.

Although the magistrate and Scotland Yard are not beggars, on the whole, the social status of senior police officers and magistrates in Scotland Yard can be basically placed on the same level.

Because of this, of course, they naturally adhere to the view that 'the failure of the magistrate is terrible, but the success of Scotland Yard is more worrying', and they almost want to find fault with Scotland Yard at every opportunity.

Therefore, in the continuous tugging of these two groups of interest-induced groups, there are even some signs of judicial fairness.

This trend intensified after the fall of the Tories, who had risen to the magistrate's office during the Tory era, and who had done almost everything they could to get the prosecution of the Scotland Yard representative to lose the case in ordinary cases.

Therefore, as soon as Congressman Harrison's case came out this time, the magistrates who had been suppressed for a long time exclaimed: Our glorious era is coming back.

Of course, in Arthur's opinion, the magistrates may have been happy too soon.

He savored the arrest warrant for Councillor Bernie Harrison that had been issued by the Westminster Magistrates' Court in his hand, and the corner of his eye drifted to the place where he was signed out.

The magistrate who approved Bernie Harrison's arrest was none other than Mr. George Norton, who had just taken office for a short time.

Although Mr. Norton had announced his withdrawal from the Tories Party six months earlier in order to secure the position, Arthur, as a member of the hard-line faction of the Tories Party, did not think that Mr. Norton did not know Bernie Harrison, who was also a supporter of Earl Elden.

He quickly picked up another document he had at hand, some of the information he had learned after talking to Mrs. Norton.

As for the description of George Norton's character, both from the mouth of his former classmate Disraeli and from his wife, who is the pillow person, Arthur has come to the same conclusion.

Mr. Norton is a complete megalomaniac and obnoxious.

The reason why Mrs. Norton went to beg the Viscount of Melbourne to give her husband a magistrate's seat was not only because of the magistrate's annual salary of up to 1,000 pounds, but also because a George Norton who had nothing to do was really a problem.

If Mr. Norton had stayed at home all day, he would have focused all his energy on his wife and two children under the age of three. And for Mrs. Norton, it was almost catastrophic. Therefore, in order to avoid being caught up in quarrels and fights with her husband all the time, Mrs. Norton will try to find something for him to do.

However, the general position would not have entered Mr. Norton's eyes, and if it weren't for the fact that she had a friend who was the Home Secretary, the Viscount of Melbourne, and Mr. Norton's father, who had the foresight to let his son study the Law Society, and in the early years pressed his head to make him a lawyer for seven years, which just met the minimum requirements for the appointment of judges, this problem would really not be easy to solve.

After getting the position of magistrate, Mr. Norton was naturally grateful to his wife and the Viscount of Melbourne, and he not only began to take the initiative to repair the relationship with his wife, but even encouraged the relationship.

The couple had lived in harmony for the past six months or so, but this harmony began to change subtly when Mr. Norton began to learn that the London District Prosecutor's Office was about to be established.

Although Mr. Norton had not been defeated for a long time, his self-confidence had not been hit much, and he believed that he deserved the position of Attorney General of the London District Prosecutor's Office, and began to ask his wife to go to the Viscount of Melbourne to find out.

But this time, the Viscount of Melbourne politely refused Mrs. Norton's request, and although the mild-mannered and occasionally sensitive Home Secretary valued his relationship with Mrs. Norton, this did not mean that he was brainless.

The Viscount of Melbourne was well aware that the appointment of the Attorney-General would have to be approved by the Chancellor's Office, but it was impossible for Lord Lord Broughham to hand over such an important position to a former die-hard Tories.

Even the last time Norton was appointed as a magistrate, it was just a coincidence that Arthur happened.

Otherwise, it would not be so easy to bargain in front of Lord Broughham, who was so tough that he was even a little mean, and who dared to help the queen in a lawsuit with the late King George IV.

After being rejected by the Viscount of Melbourne, Mr. Norton quickly reverted to the way he had been six months ago, his attitude first became cold, then like a volcanic eruption, and with the volcanic temper came a series of quarrels and scuffles.

Mr. Norton threw an inkwell at his wife and splashed a hot teapot of water.

Mrs. Norton, on the other hand, scolded her husband for insulting the ancestors of the Norton family while emphasizing the glorious traditions of the Sheridan family, from which she was born.

And a passage of Mrs. Norton's self-narrative in Arthur's notes is a very good reflection of their relationship—the husband gradually becomes a suffocator to me, a constrictor, an iron mask, an interrogator, and everything that is unnatural. In revolt, I called him a tyrant, and he called me a traitor. But he can't do anything about me, and I must say that even if he is a tyrant, he is still the most incompetent of the mad tyrants.

In the process of pouring beans from Mrs. Norton's bamboo tube, Arthur, who is good at induction, has basically completed a preliminary investigation of Mr. Norton's social background and living habits.

And this investigation led him to discover a very interesting incident, in the various cases of Mrs. Norton scolding her husband for being inappropriate, she inadvertently mentioned that the two had a very heated argument over the education of their children last Wednesday.

It was only because Mr. Norton was in a hurry to attend a dinner hosted by Earl Elden that the quarrel did not escalate to the level of a brawl.

According to the information presented by the agents of the London Police Intelligence Service after the investigation, Mr. Bernie Harrison was also on the invitation list for the dinner.

What's even more interesting is that Mrs. Norton describes her husband as returning home drunk: "His shirt was full of mud, and there was no trace of what an English gentleman should be, and when I saw him, I thought it was a swineherd who had just finished his job!" Thank you, Mr. Harrison, and curse Mr. Harrison, if he hadn't been kind enough to share the carriage with the tyrant, he would have frozen to death on the side of the road. ”

Disraeli sat across from Arthur's desk, reading the manuscript in his hand with his legs crossed, sipping the white wine in his glass that shimmered like gold.

He raised his eyebrows and praised: "Well, Arthur, I didn't expect you to have such a taste for red wine, the sweet white produced by the Lysalus winery in the Sauternes region, the President of the United States, the Russian Tsar, the King of France, and many of our big names in Britain are all fans here, I remember how the newspapers called this wine, liquid gold, this bottle is not cheap." ”

Arthur rubbed his aching neck, and when he looked up, he saw the Red Devil standing behind Disraeli, almost wanting to strangle him.

The Red Devil held his face and yelled, "Arthur! You little bastard, what are you doing? Such a good thing, you let this Jew spoil it casually? Stop him, or I'll curse you to hell in the future!" ”

Arthur ignored the devil's protests, and simply said, "I didn't buy this wine, but the Duke of Wellington gave it to me." According to the Duke, the white wines of Lysalus had to be ordered three years in advance, and the things they produced there were always sold without worry. ”

Disraeli took another sip, he raised his glass to look at the clear liquor and asked, "Really?" How much is it, if it is within my means, maybe I should be ready to order the batch in three years. ”

Arthur lit a cigar with a match, put one hand on the back of his chair and puffed on his cigarette: "It's not that expensive, it's worth a Belgian throne at most." Truth be told, you've just drunk half of Brussels into your stomach. ”

When Disraeli heard this, he almost squirted the wine he had just taken into his mouth and threw it in Arthur's face.

He took out the handkerchief in his jacket pocket and wiped the wine stains on the side of his mouth: "Arthur, I'm being serious with you!" ”

"I didn't lie to you."

Arthur took two puffs of his cigar and the smoke covered his face: "You people are always like this, whenever my conscience finds that I want to tell you the truth, no one wants to believe it. If I tell a few lies, you will take them as the truth. ”

Disraeli apparently didn't take Arthur's words to heart, and he asked, "Don't talk about that." How did you remember to ask Mrs. Norton for a manuscript today? Could it be that she took a fancy to her close relationship with the Viscount of Melbourne, the Home Secretary? ”

Arthur is noncommittal about Disraeli's speculation, and he always encourages the imagination of those who are kept in the dark, because the audience will always weave a story that is better than the truth, and this can also cover up the crudeity and clumsiness of the current intelligence gathering work of the London Police Intelligence Service.

Arthur spoke: "Knowing some big people or ladies who maintain good friendships with them is always beneficial for future development, anyway, "British" always has to find some manuscripts to enrich the layout, so who is not looking for it?" Not to mention that Mrs. Norton happens to have a talent for it. ”

Disraeli rubbed his temples, "You're right. After a period of rapid growth for half a year, the sales of "British" have now flattened. Perhaps for others, selling fifteen thousand copies per issue is already quite a remarkable achievement. But we're different, we can't limit ourselves to this little success at the moment, we have to become big shots in the future! If we can include the British in the daily subscription list of government departments, then the benefits will not only be financial, but also political! ”

When Arthur heard this, he didn't take a puff of cigarette and almost choked to death by Disraeli's overly ambitious plan.

Although he knew that his playful friend's mind had always jumped, he still didn't understand where this guy got the confidence to include an entertainment literary magazine in the government's list of subscription publications.

In order to prevent the highly mobile Disraeli from carrying out breakthrough practices in some aspects and causing some irreversible unknown consequences, Arthur had to hurriedly pour cold water on him.

Arthur said: "At present, the government's subscription is mainly current news, social news and political commentary, and if the British can show these three characteristics one day, I believe the government will definitely consider subscribing." But for now, I don't think 15,000 copies sold is yet representative. ”

Disraeli rubbed his head in annoyance: "What you said makes sense, but fifteen thousand copies is already a very large sales base, and if you want to continue to improve, I'm afraid you have to use some extraordinary means." ”

Arthur said calmly: "Extraordinary means? I've got it here! That's all the public cares about, and you can easily control their wallets as long as you figure out what they're interested in. Especially for those who are the middle class of the mainstream audience of "The British", it is easier to hold on to them, and the desires of these guys are almost on the surface. ”

"Oh?" Disraeli's back straightened slightly, and his body leaned forward slightly: "What are you talking about?" ”

Arthur casually pulled a few copies from the stack of newspapers on his desk, the Times, the Manchester Guardian and the Weekly Newsletter, which were also aimed at middle-class readers.

This time, without waiting for Arthur to speak, Disraeli pouted and shook his head, "Come on, Arthur, I've already advertised in these newspapers, and the effect is not as good as I thought." ”

Arthur just shook his head when he heard this: "Benjamin, you are wrong, I am not asking you to advertise, and it is too expensive to advertise in these newspapers with a large circulation." What's more, most readers don't like to watch ads, so you have to make them not aware it's an ad. ”

Disraeli was confused by Arthur's words: "What do you mean by that?" ”

Arthur took out a piece of paper from the drawer and pushed the inkwell in front of Disraeli: "Later, you will go to these newspapers to publish a month's marriage notice, as for the content of the notice, I say you remember." ”

Disraeli was completely confused: "Arthur, you want to get married?" You don't have to! A 21-year-old Superintendent of Scotland Yard, it's easy to find a good girl. ”

Arthur frowned and said, "Do you want to increase sales?" ”

Although Disraeli couldn't understand what Arthur wanted to do, he still obediently picked up the pen and paper, after all, there are not many people in this world who can't get along with money: "You say." ”

Arthur cleared his throat and said solemnly: "I am twenty-one years old, male, six feet tall, sunny and handsome in appearance, with dense hair growth, no signs of hair loss, gentlemanly demeanor, caring for animals, musical, like literature, I have a house near Hyde Park, and I have a senior French chef at home. I am currently in a stable job, with a combined annual income of more than 500 pounds, and I am looking for a lovely lady like Mrs. XXX described in Mr. Arthur Sigma's "Detective Hastings" by Mr. Arthur Sigma in "The British", or Miss XXX, for the rest of my life. ”

When Disraeli heard this, he was so shocked that he even dropped the pen in his hand to the ground.

He stood up abruptly and pressed his hands on Arthur's shoulders: "Arthur! ”

Arthur said calmly: "What's wrong?" ”

Disraeli was so excited that he couldn't help himself: "You're a genius!" ”

"Thank you." Arthur spoke, "You're the second guy to say this to me today." ”

"Who was the last one?"

Arthur said calmly: "It's the devil. ”

"Indeed!" Disraeli's mouth burst open with laughter: "What a devil you are!" ”

Arthur corrected, "Benjamin, I'm not the devil, the one who praises me is." ”

"Okay, okay, I'm the devil. Can you come up with this way, what can I do if I become a devil for once? ”

Arthur saw that his actor friend was already delirious, and he didn't bother to clarify, so he said, "So, Benjamin, you're satisfied, aren't you?" By the way, if things don't go well, maybe after a while, I'll be able to unleash something explosive on British. ”

Disraeli curious: "Explosive stuff? What are you referring to? ”

Arthur didn't answer this, he just took out his pocket watch and glanced at it: "While the editorial office hasn't left work yet, maybe you have to hurry up and make a trip to Fleet Street to book next month's wedding notice in advance." ”

Seeing that Arthur didn't say anything, Disraeli didn't continue to ask, after all, the idea of this marriage notice today was enough to satisfy him.

He pointed a finger in each hand, pointed at Arthur's eyebrows, and said, "Oh! Arthur, why should I book for next month? I'm also going to book it next month, and the marriage notice is a great idea, so we can change it. How about you listen to this? ”

Disraeli patted his chest proudly and said: "I am thirty-two years old, female, five feet four inches tall, widowed, with two children, beautiful blonde hair, well-proportioned and plump, I have a happy and harmonious family, because my husband died of illness two years ago, I left a large amount of personal property, as a woman I feel powerless to take care of ......"

Unexpectedly, before Disraeli could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Arthur raising his hand.

Arthur crossed his fingers and rested his elbows in front of the desk: "Benjamin, I strongly advise you not to substitute too many personal sexual fetishes when you appear in the advertisement. But I also have to admit that you learn things really quickly, and as far as I know, there may be quite a few good ones. But I don't want the readership of "British" to be mixed in too much of this kind of people, which is not conducive to putting "British" on the list of government procurement. ”

Unexpectedly, when Disraeli heard this, he just glared: "Arthur! Do you mean that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is of a very low level?! ”

Arthur was drinking tea, and when he heard this, he directly sprayed the tea on the ground, and he was shocked: "Benjamin, are you sure?" Is Earl Grey so good? I thought he only liked Earl Grey. ”

"Who told you I was talking about Earl Grey?"

"That's the Duke of Wellington? That's not bad, after all, he ...... with Mrs. Levine."

Unexpectedly, before Arthur's words were finished, he saw Disraeli stand up and tugged at his collar angrily: "Wrong, it's all wrong!" Arthur, I'm talking about the future Prime Minister – Benjamin Disraeli. ”

Arthur was stunned for a moment, then calmly wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and slowly opened the office drawer: "Get out of here." ”

"Just kidding, what do you think of my joke? Hahaha! Look at you, your face is black. ”

"Three ......"

"Arthur! Can't you afford to play? ”

"Two ......"

Arthur ...... Everybody is a good brother......"

This time Arthur didn't speak, and the only thing that rang out in the office was the click of a hammer.

Disraeli raised his hands high, with a false smile on his face, and said with sweat on his forehead: "Okay, okay, I'll get out, but can you put the gun down first?" ”

(End of chapter)