London, Tower Hamletz, in the interrogation room of the Whitechapel District Police Department.

Alexandre Dumas and Arthur sat at the interrogation table on the left and right, while across from them sat Louis Bonaparte, dressed in the uniform of a police officer at Scotland Yard.

Dumas had a pen in his mouth, and he first looked down at the test paper in front of him, which was full of questions and the ink had not yet dried, then turned his head to look at Arthur, and raised an eyebrow at his roommate.

For the fat man's little expression, Arthur just nodded slightly to signal that the exam could begin.

Seeing this, Alexandre Dumas first cleared his throat, then took out the print of Napoleon's portrait that he had just bought from a nearby store in his pocket and compared it with Louis Bonaparte, and then asked, "This gentleman, I don't know what to call you?" ”

Louis Bonaparte rubbed his calves and said with an annoyed expression: "How many times have I said it, I am Charles-Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte!" I don't want you Brits to be efficient, but at least improve your memory! ”

When Alexandre Dumas heard this, he couldn't help but slap the table angrily: "Sir, please retract the insult you have made to me, and now there is only an authentic French gentleman and an English bald man who has not yet been given up in front of you in this office. ”

When Arthur heard this, he just took a sip of tea: "Alexander, you've been spending a lot of time outside lately, I shouldn't have time to offend you, right?" ”

When Dumas heard this, he hurriedly changed his words: "Let me correct it, what I just said is a hypothetical situation!" There are also some British people who are not bald by nature. ”

Louis Bonaparte, who was sitting across from him, naturally answered: "I guess you mean the ladies of Britain, who make up half of them." ”

As soon as he finished saying this, a tacit smile appeared on the faces of the two Frenchmen, and the cold interrogation room was melted by their cheerful laughter.

Arthur just glanced at the two of them and said coldly: "Although you can't give a certificate of nationality, it should be a Frenchman, at least mentally." Alright, Alexander, let's move on to the next topic. ”

But although Arthur said this, Dumas was still unsatisfied: "Arthur, what's the hurry, he may have only lived in France for a while, I have to continue to test him." ”

Before Arthur could speak, Alexandre Dumas hurriedly asked, "Listen, sir, if you are a true Frenchman, then you are sure of the answer to this question." Listen, what begins with warmth and comfort as if wrapped in the sun, goes through a long, narrow, wet, soft, bumpy process, and ends with an exclamation of thousands of little silly hats? ”

When Louis Bonaparte heard this, he laughed evilly, pointed to Alexandre Dumas and said, "Aha! Man, if I wasn't a true Frenchman, I might have stumped you. ”

Alexandre Dumas said solemnly: "So, what is your answer?" ”

Louis Bonaparte raised his head and said, "Quite simply, I guess you must be talking about crossing the English Channel from France!" ”

"Exactly!" Alexandre Dumas rushed up and grabbed Louis Bonaparte's hand, shaking his arm while not forgetting to turn back to Arthur and say, "Arthur, I can now confirm that this guy should be my compatriot, and he can't be wrong." ”

When Arthur heard this, the pen in his hand turned even harder: "Alexander, are you sure you must come with me to do this?" Have you had enough of the two French frogs? ”

Dumas returned to his seat, coughed twice, and then picked up the test paper he had just prepared.

"Sir, while I am willing to prove that you are a true Frenchman, I have some doubts about the fact that you are a relative of Napoleon. Truth be told, my father actually had some working ties with Napoleon, so I happened to know some of Napoleon's secrets that no one else knew......"

When Louis Bonaparte heard this, he shuddered, and asked, "Are you the son of Fouché?" ”

"Fouché?" Alexandre Dumas coughed, "My father didn't know that to that extent, but please pay attention, sir, this is Superintendent Hastings of the Metropolitan Police of Greater London, and he is the Foucher of Britain." In other words, in front of him, you'd better tell the truth, don't try to be careful, or he will find out that you are lying, you know......"

Louis Bonaparte, struck by Alexandre Dumas's words, asked, "...... You're not going to shoot me, are you? I'm a victim! ”

Arthur put his arms on the table, put his hands together and said, "Sir, although I want to believe your words. But as you know, you don't have any nationality documents, no other identification, not even a passport to enter the country. If it were the Napoleonic Wars, we would be able to convict you of a foreign spy and be hanged on the basis of the above alone. Not to mention, you have just proved that you are a Frenchman, which is simply a crime. ”

"But I'm not a spy, and it's not during the Napoleonic Wars!"

"That's right." Arthur nodded and said, "So we won't shoot you, Britain is still very humane in this regard." But while we won't execute you, we can't rule out that you're one of Fred's fellow members of the crime syndicate. So until the truth is known, we tend to put you in prison for the time being, and if you don't want to be locked up in a small electric cage, it's best to hurry up and explain the matter clearly. ”

Alexandre Dumas chimed in, "Yes, that's right, man. Judging by your answer, you shouldn't be a bad person, but it's wrong to brag that you have a relationship with Napoleon. If you have time to admit your mistake in time, I warn you that the question I am about to ask is not something that ordinary Frenchmen can answer, and that my father and Napoleon really have a relationship. ”

Louis Bonaparte was frightened, but as soon as he heard that Alexandre Dumas dared to question his pedigree, the twenty-three-year-old man suddenly couldn't hold his breath: "Then you can ask!" The men of the Bonaparte family were not scared to death! Our nobility is innate! ”

"Good! Have a backbone! Alexandre Dumas couldn't help but look at him appreciatively: "With this sentence, even if you are not from the Bonaparte family, at least you are from a noble background." So listen to the question...... Who was the commander of the Alpine Army and the most honored general of the First French Empire who followed Napoleon on his expedition to Egypt? ”

When Louis Bonaparte heard this, he was stunned for a moment, and then fell into a deep groan: "This ...... Jean Lana? ”

Seeing this, Alexandre Dumas just shook the pen in his hand: "Come on, Arthur, I can't do the basic questions, this is a fake, drag it out and kill it." ”

When Arthur heard this, he just pinched his chin: "The French are indeed efficient!" ”

When Louis Bonaparte heard this, he hurriedly got up and said, "Can you give some hints?" There were a lot of generals during the First Empire, so you have to give some characteristics! ”

Alexandre Dumas was about to push the door out, but when he heard this, he couldn't help frowning, and gave a slight hint: "Black devil." ”

Louis Bonaparte slapped his thigh and got up and said, "General Thomas Alexandre Dumas!" ”

"Huh?" Alexandre Dumas's eyes widened when he heard this: "It seems that you really know something about that paragraph." But this does not prove that you are a member of the Bonaparte family, at most you are a learned person. ”

With that, Alexandre Dumas was about to return to the table and move on to the next question.

Unexpectedly, before he could stand still, Arthur spoke: "Then I will ask one too, I have heard this from the French ambassador, Mr. Talleyrand." If you can answer it, it will be a plus, and if you can't answer it, you won't deduct points, this requirement shouldn't be too much, right? ”

Louis Bonaparte breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then you ask, although I don't know everything, but what if......"

Arthur leaned back in his chair and said, "What did Mr. Talleyrand say to Napoleon's anger at a meeting during the First Empire?" ”

"This ......"

Louis Bonaparte pondered, and he wondered: "Was it the time when it was reported in Paris that Talleyrand and Fouché had conspired to depose my uncle?" At that time, my uncle had returned from Spain overnight, and called Talleyrand to the Tuileries Palace and scolded him, and I remember my father telling me about it, and the scolding was very ugly.

If I'm not mistaken, my uncle yelled at Talleyrand: 'You thief! Bastard! Those who have lost their integrity! Listen! I'm going to smash you like glass...... You're the - the stinking mud in the stockings! Stinky Mud! ’

Hearing that Mr. Talleyrand was very calm after being scolded, he just took out his handkerchief and wiped the foam on his face, and said coldly: 'What a pity, such a great man, but so uneducated. Then he limped out of the palace with his cane, and my uncle was so angry with his reaction that he immediately announced that he had been removed from all his posts.

At that time, my uncle wanted to execute Talleyrand in the name of treason, but he could not find any evidence of Talleyrand's guilt, so he had to give up. But looking back now, Talleyrand began to sell military intelligence of the First Reich to Austria after being scolded, and he was not caught, and the reason for his incriminating evidence must have been because Fouché, the Minister of Police, was helping him to cover up.

Alas...... These two guys, they're not things! ”

When Arthur heard this, he saw the resentment on the young man's face, coupled with this vivid story, and couldn't help but believe a little more in the identity of the young man in front of him.

Could it be that Fiona really caught an emperor for me?

But no matter whether this emperor is true or not, the procedure that should be followed still has to be followed.

If this guy in front of him is true, then the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will definitely check the procedure for his arrest afterwards, as long as Arthur can prevent them from finding fault, then this matter is not only not exaggerated, but also has to be credited.

At the thought of this, the smile on his face could not help but thicken a little, and he said briskly: "Monsieur Bonaparte, you must rejoice that you have fallen into the hands of the British, and if it falls into the hands of the Prussians, you will not be so lucky." ”

Louis Bonaparte had not yet realized the change in Arthur's name to him, and he was still curious about the meeting between Talleyrand and Napoleon, whom Arthur had just mentioned, and that the second emperor was interested in everything that his uncle had to offer.

"So, Mr. Hastings, what did Mr. Talleyrand say about that meeting?"

Arthur spoke: "I remember that Monsieur Talleyrand said at the meeting: 'For the past few years, the empire has been on the precipice of collapse due to the overextension of His Majesty the Emperor. But after the Battle of Leipzig, I can proudly announce that now His Majesty has taken a big step forward! ’”

As soon as Arthur finished saying this, Dickens, who was leaning against the door of the interrogation room and preparing to ask Arthur to fish with him after the interrogation, and Sheriff Jones, who was standing next to him and chatting with him, laughed together.

Judging by the magnitude of the vibrations of the door panel, it was clear that the two of them were smiling happily.

In the interrogation room, the two Frenchmen, who had just been in high spirits, seemed to have made an appointment, and the smiles on their faces were gone.

Of course, happiness can't just disappear in a vacuum, it's just transferred.

Alexandre Dumas's whole face was almost the color of pig's liver, and he asked, "Did Talleyrand really say that?" ”

Arthur took a sip of tea: "How is it possible, I made it up." ”

"What are you doing with this?"

"Didn't I want to liven up the atmosphere?" Arthur smiled and patted Dumas on the shoulder: "Alright, Alexander, I'm done with my words, it's your turn next." ”

Dumas glared at him fiercely, and if he had changed his normal life, he might have just pushed his chair and left.

However, from Louis Bonaparte's words just now, the French fat man also felt that something was wrong, and if he didn't figure out this matter, he might not be able to sleep for a few days, so he could only pinch his nose and let Arthur win a small game.

Alexander asked, "Forget about the routine just now, and the next thing I want to ask is some more intimate things, which can only be understood by people close to me." First of all, I would like you to list some of Napoleon's unknown quirks, from which I will randomly select questions. ”

"Quirks? That's too much. ”

Louis Bonaparte confidently said: "First of all, my uncle was a man of considerable cultivation, and he only applauded when he went to the theater at the end of the performance, but this Parisian basically knew it, and it was no secret. My uncle was also very fond of spraying perfume on himself, and he used dozens of bottles of cologne every day, which should be a small secret, and anyone close to him could know about it. But what I'm going to say next is for the closest people to know...... It's about the love letter he wrote to my first uncle, Queen Josephine......"

"Oh?" Alexandre Dumas couldn't help but lean forward: "What are you talking about?" ”

Arthur couldn't help but put down the teacup: "Go on." ”

Louis Bonaparte lowered his voice and said, "I will only tell you this to prove my identity." But don't spread the word after that! ”

Dumas patted his chest and reassured: "Of course, I am a playwright with integrity." Do you know Vidocq? Although he can't be compared with Napoleon, he is also a French legend, and I have always buried many of Monsieur Vidocq's affairs in my stomach and not told them. ”

Arthur nodded in agreement, "That's right. Although I don't know how the French police intelligence agency works. But I must stress that, as a sane person, you should trust the secrecy of Britain's official intelligence services. ”

Louis Bonaparte received their assurance, and then he blushed and plucked up his courage and said: "Most people do not know why my uncle was so infatuated with Josephine, even after he had to divorce her for the sake of a political marriage, he still corresponded with her for a long time and always provided her with the care of her life. As a woman, my uncle Josephine was of course beautiful, but my uncle had seen so many women, so why did he love this one alone? ”

Dumas nodded with wide eyes and asked, "Yes?" Why? ”

Arthur also asked, "Why?" ”

Louis Bonaparte triumphantly said, "Why? The secret lies in the fact that my uncle fell in love with Josephine's peculiar body fragrance, and this fascination was even so infatuated that my uncle wrote to her to praise him - I longed not only for your love, but also for your breath, your laughter, and even your imperfections.

Perhaps this evidence is not strong enough, but when Josephine died, my mother went to her house to help her sort out her belongings, and among her relics was a love letter, which, according to the date, was written by my uncle at the time of his great victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, and I thought there would be a lot of words about you and me, or boasting of her great victory, but in fact the letter was only written in a very short line, guess what? ”

"What?"

Louis Bonaparte couldn't help but smile the brightest smile of the day: "Josephine, don't take a bath, I'll be here in three days." ”

Hearing this, Dumas and Arthur couldn't help but gasp, and the two of them reached out and pinched their jaws in unison: "It's kind of interesting." ”

Louis Bonaparte, seeing them like this, could not help asking, "So, do I tell you these things that will prove my identity?" When will you release me? ”

Alexandre Dumas pursed his lips and said, "I really don't know about this kind of thing, but I can't say that you are wrong, this ......"

He turned his head to look at Arthur, "What do you think should be done?" ”

Arthur nodded slightly: "Judging from the content of the letter just now, this is indeed quite French." But whether it is true or not, I will first have to pass it on to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and ask them to check with Mr. Joseph Bonaparte, who lives in the Regency Crescent. ”

When Louis Bonaparte heard this, he was so shocked that he quickly stood up: "Don't! If you ask him, doesn't he know that I came up with this? Besides, verify your identity, you just take me to see him, why bother? ”

Hearing this, Arthur couldn't help but smile: "Of course, it's not impossible to take you there, but you must first sign a waiver of liability for Scotland Yard." For if there is fraud involved, then we will not be able to account to Mr. Joseph Bonaparte. ”

"Letter of responsibility?" Louis Bonaparte shook his hand and said, "That kind of thing, you should have taken it out earlier." ”

When Arthur heard this, he took out the documents that he had prepared in advance as if he was playing a trick, flipped the front of the densely written text, and turned it to the reverse side where only the signature column remained, Arthur pointed to the blank part on it and said, "If that's the case, you can sign here." ”

(End of chapter)