London, Westminster, Whitehall Street, Foreign Secretary's Residence.

As soon as Arthur stepped through the door of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he immediately felt the hustle and bustle here.

The officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs came and went, and many of them even trotted forward, and Arthur was about to go upstairs when he suddenly heard the whispers of two affairs officers passing by him, an old man and a young man.

"Is the minister crazy? Why should we continue to help the Russians take on that loan to Hope? At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, we stipulated in the Peace of Vienna that if the Russians violated the terms of the treaty, this economic aid to Russia would be immediately suspended. Now the Russians are using force against Poland, which is clearly already in violation of the Vienna Treaty. And now, the minister actually wants to sign a supplementary agreement with the Russians to continue the economic assistance to Russia? If this is known to the Council, how will we reply? ”

"That's where Viscount Palmerston wields his power. Have you forgotten? The parliament is about to be dissolved, and while the parliamentarians are busy with the election campaign, and the new parliament has not yet been convened, he will urge us to draft a plan as soon as possible. Otherwise, once the council gets the news, it will be ......"

The Red Devil propped his tail on the ground and leaned back slightly, pressing all the weight of his body on it.

He smiled and lowered his head and cut his nails, and said, "Oh, my dear Arthur, did you bring me to the labyrinth of Crete?" Why is there a mysterious, shady aura everywhere? So, next, are you going to meet that terrible Minotaur? ”

Arthur glanced at him, and then glanced at the hall of the mansion, which was busy with the extremely oppressive atmosphere, and he spoke: "Whether His Excellency the Viscount is the Minotaur or not, I don't know. But I have long heard some of the superintendents of Scotland Yard say that when Viscount Palmerston was Minister of War for the Army, he had a nickname, and they all called him the Cruel Overseer. Now it seems that he must have brought this habit with him to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ”

Arthur took out his pocket watch from his pocket and glanced at it, then couldn't help but shake his head and said, "It's tea time, but I don't see the slightest smile on the faces of this group of people." What is even more unbelievable is that these people standing in front of me are still old bureaucrats in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It seems that Viscount Palmerston has only been in charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more than half a year, and he has already tasted the 'dipping whip' that even the army can't stand it. ”

Agareth took out a file and sharpened his little finger, then raised his hand to the light of the oil lamp hanging in the hall, admiring his masterpiece with satisfaction: "Isn't it?" My dear Arthur, you would not be able to stand such an energetic, hard-working boss who could spare a lot of time to enjoy the eighteen martial arts and the pleasures of life with Mrs. Cowper. ”

"Eighteen kinds of martial arts, heh......" Arthur pinched his chin and looked at the Red Devil and said, "Agareth, I didn't think you knew a lot!" ”

Agareth put away his file with a hippie smile and put on a doctor's hat for himself, and he asked, "Arthur, I can teach you the first nine for free, but I will have to pay for the last nine." It's just a soul, but your whole life will be much more exciting. ”

Arthur brushed his white gloves: "Hmm...... Sounds pretty good deal. ”

"You're intrigued?" Agareth was delighted, "Oh, Arthur, for the sake of your studiousness, I may even allow you to publish this passage in the British." You don't need to be a famous author, or if you like, you can choose to put it on Held's head. ”

Arthur just smiled and shook his head, "I'm sorry, Agareth, I'm interested, but given that there are no practice subjects at the moment, I don't plan to buy a piece of useless stuff to collect at home. ”

As soon as Arthur finished speaking, he heard a rush of footsteps behind him.

Arthur turned his head to look, and a gentleman who was well-dressed and neatly dressed, with a little tiredness in his eyebrows and eyes, walked down the steps briskly and walked towards him with big strides: "Superintendent Hastings, I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Viscount Palmerston has just finished receiving several representatives of the civic group, and he is now free to see you. ”

Arthur took off his hat and responded politely: "Then please lead the way, this is my first time in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so I am not familiar with the distribution of the office." ”

"Of course, please keep up with me."

The clerk walked towards the second floor with Arthur, and on the way, he didn't forget to make a few jokes with Arthur: "How is it?" Do you feel that Scotland Yard is usually as busy as the Foreign Office? ”

Arthur just smiled: "In terms of work intensity, the two sides may be similar, but after all, our work content is still different." ”

The clerk shook his head with a smile and said, "No, it seems to me that the nature of Scotland Yard's work is exactly the same as that of the Foreign Office, and even our business scope is a little more extensive. ”

"How so?"

"It is well known that police officers are confronted with thieves, swindlers, robbers, prostitutes and drunkards, while the Foreign Office is confronted with the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Russia, Spain and even Bavaria," the commissioner said. ”

Arthur quipped, "Have you forgotten France?" And if you put the Kingdom of Bavaria on an equal footing with such great powers as Austria and Russia, will you exalt them a little? ”

"The French have been much more peaceful in recent years than they were in Napoleon, and as for Bavaria, I admit that I have a bit of a family tradition prejudice against them, and you may not know that my father was an immigrant from Hesse, Germany, so he ......."

Arthur smiled and asked, "So what do the Hesses think of Bavaria?" ”

The diplomat smiled and said: "My father used to say that the Bavarians are a transitional species between Austrians and humans. ”

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but make a joke: "In that case, maybe there happens to be an authentic Bavarian among my friends." ”

The diplomat paused and feigned mourning, "Oh, Superintendent Hastings, it's unfortunate to hear this. ”

Arthur smiled and shook his head, "It's nothing, I'm used to it anyway, and it's not a big deal to be friends with Bavarians." On the bright side, it's better than getting along with the Austrians. ”

The diplomat laughed, he pointed at Arthur and said, "Maybe you shouldn't be a police officer, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is very short of talents like you." If I send you to Bavaria as an ambassador, I'm sure you'll do a good job. ”

Arthur humorously responded, "It's a good job, at least better than the London Zoo that was sent to manage it." ”

The diplomat said with a serious face: "Mr. Hastings, I have to politely remind you that the election to the House of Commons is not the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ”

Arthur also responded seriously: "I understand, I have already walked around the hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before you came. I don't see the little hammer here that can shut up the baboons. ”

After that, the two looked at each other, and then they couldn't help laughing.

The clerk led Arthur to the door of the minister's office, and the smile on his face subsided a lot: "Alright, Mr. Hastings, I'll take you here." It was a pleasure to talk to you, and I take the liberty of reminding you for the sake of saving me from the tedious working environment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Although Viscount Palmerston is not directly in charge of the Home Office, you should be aware of his relationship with the Home Secretary, Viscount Melbourne. Sister of the Viscount of Melbourne, Lady Cowper, um...... If you talk too much, I'm afraid it would be rude. Therefore, it is advisable to be as sincere as possible when you speak to His Excellency the Viscount.

He despised those who were not as smart as him, and at the same time he was jealous of those who were wiser than him. Be careful with your compliments and pay close attention to your reprimands. All in all, it's not easy to get along with him, and I'm not willing to hear your jokes when I visit Scotland Yard in the future. ”

Arthur pushed the brim of his hat with his fingertips and nodded slightly, "Thank you for the reminder." ”

The clerk knocked on the office door and said aloud, "Your Excellency, Superintendent Hastings has arrived. ”

"Coming so soon? The afternoon tea I'm going to treat him to isn't ready yet. You go to the corner restaurant and ask them to bring it to you, and I'll have a few words with Mr. Hastings. ”

Arthur was invited into the room, and as soon as he entered, he saw a mountain of files piled up in front of Palmerston's case.

Palmerston took off his glasses, got up with a teacup on his face and said, "How are you doing?" Scotland Yard is hectic, but when the London District Prosecutor's Office is established, the burden will be even heavier. But I don't think the lad who can be favored by Lord Broughham will be far behind. Come, sit down first. ”

Arthur followed Palmerston to the couch and sat down, he took off his wet hat and placed it on the table, and before he could speak, he heard Palmerston ruffle again.

Palmerston put down the white porcelain cup and said, "This is the hell weather in London. It's a pity that I'm a minister now, otherwise I would have been on holiday in Cornwall during the closing of such a parliament, as I used to do as a backbencher. If you go a little further, you might go back to France or the Apennines, where the sunshine is not comparable to that of England. Then again, Arthur, what did you go on on your study tour after college? ”

The Red Devil leaned back on the couch and smirked, "Oh, Arthur, look! The Minotaur is starting to play with you, is he trying to eat you in one bite? Let me see, how exactly are you going to get out of this labyrinth? Are you going to give yourself the wings of Icarus? But with all due respect, the sun is just too close to you at this time. If you do, you'll melt your wings and fall into the ocean like Elder did. ”

Arthur only smiled softly when he heard this: "Your Excellency, the cost of a study trip to the mainland is still too high for me. Although this is a tradition in British education, a two-year trip would cost me more than £500 a year, which is not a small amount for me. ”

When Palmerston heard this, he just smiled and shook his head, "No, Arthur, it's just that you don't like it. You might think I'm a nobleman, so I must be rich. If you're saying that to me right now, that's true. But if you knew what I was like when I first graduated from Cambridge, you would have laughed at me for being a poor boy. ”

Arthur asked, "Did something happen to you at that time?" ”

"That's right." Palmerston took a sip of tea: "My father died when I graduated from Cambridge, and he did leave me a large inheritance, up to £75,000, but at the same time he left me with a debt of £90,000. I was using that money to invest and it didn't take long for me to make close to £20,000, but when I increased my investment, my partner absconded with the money.

It was at this time that I started my study tour in Europe. Haha, although I said it was a study tour, but you know, I actually hid from debt. It can be seen that even if you don't have much money, or even if you owe debts, you can still carry out a study tour. It's nothing more than bringing fewer servants, eating more modestly, taking care of your own hands by the way, and not getting involved in those art auctions. After all, even if they are nobles, not everyone is as generous as the Earl of Oxford.

You've probably heard of his appalling study tour expenses, right? He spent 4,500 pounds in four months, you know, it was the end of the 16th century! At that time, the national budget was only 350,000 pounds. In four months, he spent 1.3 percent of the country's income, and to this day Britain probably can't find a nobleman who can be more defeated than him. ”

Arthur asked, "So, when you started your study tour, you chose a very different route from the Earl of Oxford?" ”

Palmerston nodded, "That's right, but according to our British tradition, France is definitely going to go." But as you know, I graduated at a time when there was a revolution going on in France, and it wasn't peaceful in Western, Central, or Southern Europe. So I chose to go east, you know, to Poland, where the people welcomed me very warmly, and everyone lived happily under the protection of Russia, until the cannibal devil from Corsica broke the peace and quiet. Arthur, do you know Poland? ”

Seeing that Palmerston had finally gotten to the point, Arthur smiled and said, "I don't know much about Poland, I haven't even set foot in Britain in my life, how can I know so far away?" But I like to read newspapers, and lately there has been a lot of talk about Poland in the newspapers. The Russians occupied Warsaw, and they committed a lot of war atrocities there. ”

When Palmerston heard this, he just waved his hand and said: "Of course, what the newspaper says has its own truth, but those reporters who are confined to their small rooms and write their manuscripts do not understand anything, they only speculate behind their backs, and imagine what is happening in the far East." It's like war atrocities or something, but how can there be immortals in any war? They never thought about it with their shrunken cerebellum. ”

Arthur asked, "So you're saying that the things in the newspapers are made up by journalists?" ”

"Is it made up, just look at whether they have been to Poland or not?"

Palmerston was adamant, "Arthur, I bet you that none of these newspaper reporters have been there personally. And those who have actually been to Poland are sitting in front of you at this time. While I support the freedom of the press in Britain, I am also strongly opposed to these people disregarding facts and spreading false information. Although the policy of free press is correct, does the sudden liberalization of the press go too far? ”

Arthur nodded, "Of course, Scotland Yard is also committed to the freedom of the press, but we are occasionally responsible for censoring and banning illegal publications, such as those that do not strictly enforce stamp duty, or those that urge people to degenerate erotic literature. ”

Palmerston nodded: "Yes, Scotland Yard has been doing a good job in this regard. But I think that those articles that are factually wrong and not conducive to social harmony should also be included in the implementation of Scotland Yard. Then again, Arthur, do you know the magazine "British"? This magazine was quite popular in London during this time, and the popular stories on it were written in an interesting way, and it was indeed a great tool for citizens to pass the time of boredom. ”

When Arthur heard Palmerston take the initiative to mention "British", he immediately had a bottom in his heart. But before he responds in the affirmative, he plans to play two more games with Palmerston.

Arthur replied, "Of course I know 'British'. Your Excellency, you may not know, in fact, I also have a serialized article in "British", I don't know if you have read "Hastings Detective Collection"? ”

"Of course! I don't miss every issue! ”

Palmerston smiled and raised his finger at Arthur and said, "I knew that this one must have something to do with you, it's all Hastings, it's all legendary detectives in Scotland Yard, even if this one wasn't written by you, it should be based on you." In other words, you should at least know its author. ”

Hearing this, Agareth pushed his glasses and said, "That's right, he does know each other, and the two of us know each other quite well." ”

Arthur glanced at Agareth and continued to smile: "So, are you dissatisfied with 'British' in any way?" ”

"It's not satisfying." Palmerston smiled and advised, "But, since you're the author of 'The British,' I'd like you to talk to their editorial office, for example, to remind them to correct factual errors in their magazine." The Brit is a good magazine, but their most recent supplement, The Economist, is ......

Arthur, have you seen The Economist? There are some Polish statements on it, which are too imaginative. And, how can they put the Polish article with the propaganda of the Bonapartes? I hate to speculate, but I think, perhaps, that they are sponsored by the French? Hehe, Arthur, please forgive me for using such horrible words. But you may not know that if someone has suspicious contacts with the French, in the eyes of the Foreign Office, this will be preliminarily considered treasonous. ”

(End of chapter)