Liverpool, Merseyside, Lime Street.

Liverpool is the core city of transportation in the United Kingdom, and even an important hub for shipping in Europe, with more than 40% of Europe's transatlantic trade transiting through Liverpool.

As Liverpool's King's Cross Street, Lime Street has always occupied a very special place in Liverpool's municipal planning and transportation planning.

A kilometre west of here is Liverpool's busy docklands.

Stand on a tall building and look down to the west.

Lined from north to south are the Old Wharf, which is mainly used for African and Irish trade, Salthaus, which is mainly for grain and timber trade, St. George's Wharf, which is mainly for West Indies trade, King's Wharf, which is full of trading vessels from the Americas and the Baltic Sea, and Queen's Wharf, which is mainly used for fishing operations in Greenland.

At the corners of the five docks is the world of builders, and the Brunswick Dock, funded by the General Customs Administration, is expected to be completed next year, after which the younger generation of the Liverpool dock family will take on the timber trade between Britain and the Canadian colonies, and will be responsible for the Royal Navy's continuous import of century-old oak for the construction of large warships.

Just across the street from Lime Street is Liverpool's famous nautical workshop, where you can buy everything you can get on board, from nautical cables, sails and copper rivets that wrap around the bottom of a boat, to a simple iron component, to a wooden barrel for storing fresh water and a beer mug for the crew's favourite.

Such an important area has naturally attracted the attention of major import and export trading companies and real estate developers.

Since the 17th century when Liverpool's port attributes were recognized, land prices here have been rising steadily. Although Liverpool's trade was hit hard by the Napoleonic Wars at the beginning of this century, after Napoleon, Liverpool's biggest bearer of house prices, defeated Waterloo, the price of land on Lime Street started to grow as rapidly as Liverpool's import and export throughput.

Today, those who can acquire a piece of land on Lyme Street are either the local aristocracy, the nouveau riche elites, or the long-established traditional organizations.

And when it comes to Liverpool's historic traditions, as Liverpool citizens often joke, if God is the boss, then the Liverpool Association is the second.

In the hall of the club, where members of the Liverpool Association often gather, a dozen silver-haired people sit quietly on the sofa, reading the newspaper and drinking tea.

For these old guys, it has become almost a habit to come and sit in the club before going to the company.

In this kind of businessman gathering place, you will always hear a lot of reliable gossip. And these news can often inadvertently make you a windfall or save the clanging belongings in your pocket.

"John, I didn't go to last night's banquet, but I heard that the kid from London seems to have proposed a new municipal construction plan for you? A total value of 200,000 pounds? ”

Old Gladstone changed his left and right legs, continued to cross Erlang's legs, buried his face in the newspaper and replied without raising his head: "It's just a little wind, draw us a cake." In my opinion! In the end, it may not be possible, and Mr. Hastings probably doesn't want to get too stiff with us, so after reprimanding the work of the Customs Department, he wants to take out some sweetness to hang everyone. ”

Rosewell, the old pocket watch, chimed in: "That's right. The robbers in the Ministry of Finance are all dogs, and when they see the money, they bite it to death and don't let go. It's so easy to pluck a few pieces of minced meat out of their rotten teeth. A superintendent of Scotland Yard, who may not be able to arrest all the criminals in London, how can he be confident that he can wrestle with the Treasury? ”

The silver-haired old gentleman glanced at the two of them, raised his eyebrows and said suspiciously, "Yo! Is this God's eyes, the sun is out of London? When will you two old things be able to talk together? ”

Roswell took a teacup and savored the tea: "Lowe, what you said is too ugly. Isn't John and I talking to you? ”

The old gentleman Lowe narrowed his eyes and said, "Really? I didn't hear it at all, but the sound of the words on the pocket watch buzzing in my head. My dear Mr. Roswell, it turns out that your new factory is not in London, but in my head! You two don't plan to eat the 200,000 pounds without telling the rest of you, do you? What a big appetite! ”

Roswell doesn't care about yin and yang at all, he is also a member of the Liverpool Association, how to deal with friends, and the old pocket watch has been studied for twenty or thirty years.

He said, "Lowe, why don't you believe you to be honest?" Municipal construction projects are just an expectation for the time being, do you know what is expected? As long as the shovel doesn't fall to the ground, it can't be done. And weren't you going to send someone to give that London kid a little bit of a look? What to say: Lao Tzu ran a boat in Africa back then, and a boatload of slaves was only 8,000 pounds, and he could be infected with malaria or something. This time, everyone didn't let you participate because you were not in good health, you couldn't bear malaria, wouldn't it be worse if you contracted cholera? ”

When Mr. Lowe heard this, he angrily lifted his cane and knocked on the floor repeatedly: "Roswell, do you old clockmakers understand municipal construction?" Are you still going to pave a way out of King Street with your pocket watch? You can't even make a bell hanging in a church tower, and you're not afraid of God's punishment for taking you into the old immortal! ”

Roswell sneered, "Yes! You know municipal construction, and since you don't run boats, you study the streets every day. After studying for more than ten years, the road that was paved in the end, and the mud that can kick my trouser leg when I step on it on a rainy day, is the construction quality of your construction company. ”

Luo Wei's face turned red when he heard this, and he emphasized: "Isn't that because the city committee has allocated the wrong amount of money for the project?" If those bitches can pay at least seventy percent of the construction money like the Braunschweig Wharf built by the General Customs Administration, I guarantee that the streets of Liverpool will be better paved than the halls of the Palace of Westminster! ”

The others saw that the old man was anxious, and hurriedly spoke out to comfort him.

"Lowe, you're a professional at this. If this plan is really successful, it is likely that your company will win the bid. Those of us who have no experience, even if we end up with the project and let us find planners and construction workers temporarily, we won't be able to get enough people! ”

"Roswell, you're pretty much there. What are you doing in the pocket watch business, and you are involved in engineering construction? ”

Roswell tugged at his bow tie and said disdainfully, "I didn't want to speak. But Lowe's disrespectful attitude towards Mr. Hastings really made me a little unbearable. I don't know what kind of rude man it takes to make a big fuss at a decent gentleman's party, proposing to kill Britain's most talented young musician and researcher in the field of electromagnetism. ”

"Musicians? Researcher? ”

"When did that young man have such two layers of identity again?"

Seeing that everyone was confused, Roswell couldn't help but feel a little proud, and he pretended to be surprised and said, "Don't you actually know? Oh, sorry, I almost forgot, although all of you are elegant and stylish Liverpool gentlemen, not every gentleman is passionate about science and music. However, I suggest that you should pay proper attention to these aspects, so as not to become like Lowe and smell of nouveau riche all over his body. ”

Roswell hadn't been proud for long, when the old Gladstone, who had been watching the play silently, suddenly said, "Robert, then again, how did you know the other identities of Mr. Hastings?" Catherine told you, right? ”

Roswell didn't care that the truth was broken by old Gladstone, not only did he not care, but the old pocket watch even took the opportunity to raise his daughter's value.

"That's right, that's what my girl told me. She's always loved science and music, and whenever something new comes out of London, she wants to get it back and study it. For example, the gramophone, as soon as it came out, she begged me to buy it for her. Although this thing is quite expensive, and she still has to buy a matching record, but in order to cultivate her elegant taste, what is the old father spending some money? Although Catherine was not born into an aristocratic family, the temperament I provided to her was definitely aristocratic. ”

Old Gladstone originally simply wanted a few words about yin and yang, this old guy who didn't like the eye, but as soon as he heard that Rosewell actually dared to compare with him for the education of his children, the old Gladstone, who was strong all his life, suddenly became competitive.

He deliberately didn't look at Roswell, but quietly sipped his tea: "Oh? Is it? Did Catherine attend Harrow or Eton, and did she study in Cambridge or Oxford, England? Or Edinburgh or Glasgow in Scotland? Oh, no, you can go to the University of London like Mr. Hastings. With Lord Breham, the Lord Chancellor, he has a little bit of a background. ”

When Roswell heard this, he was so angry that the spring was about to pop out of his mouth.

Gladstone Sr. knew that neither Harrow or Eton, nor the universities he mentioned, such as Cambridge and Oxford, would accept women. Even the University of London, which is currently the most liberal in Britain, at best, allows women to sit in occasionally.

When he asks such a question, he clearly wants to find trouble.

But Roswell also understands why this old thing is squeezing him everywhere, nothing more than trying to stir up the budding love between his son and his own daughter.

Rosewell, who knew where the other party's pain points were, said accurately: "Yes." Catherine, as a girl, certainly cannot be compared with a young talent like William in terms of knowledge and knowledge. But it is precisely because of her shortcomings in this area that she needs a capable husband to take her forward. But fortunately, although Catherine did not have much knowledge, her taste in music was very similar to William's. John, please convey on my behalf my gratitude to William, who was very grateful for his willingness to accede to the little girl's impudent request to ask Mr. Hastings for a copy of the score to Hastings, signed by Mr. Chopin. ”

Old Gladstone heard half of the words, and thought that the old pocket watch was finally dead, but when he heard the back, the twists and turns made his heart tremble, and he almost sprayed the tea in his mouth on Roswell's face.

"What do you say? This is just nonsense! William, this kid, how could he do such a stupid thing! Didn't he know that Mr. Hastings had a lot of opportunities? Where did he have the heart to care about such trivial things! ”

Speaking of this, old Gladstone hurriedly stood up and said goodbye to the old fellows: "Breakfast is almost over, I have to go to the company to look through the accounts to see if there are any missing tariffs that have not been reported." By the way, I would like to sincerely suggest to you that it is best to take advantage of the fact that it is still early today to take a good look at the accounts of the past few months. Mr. Herbert of the Municipal Council had spoken to me yesterday, and they were doing their best to support Mr. Hastings, and the Customs Department, the Customs Department, and the Port Authority seemed to be getting serious. At this juncture, you can't smear the face of our Liverpool Association. ”

Unexpectedly, he hadn't gone far before Lowe stepped forward and stopped him: "John, about the municipal construction project?" ”

"That's? The ......" Old Gladstone smiled and removed his hand from his shoulder, "Let's hold it off." ”

Old Gladstone was like an eagle jumping off a cliff, his wings fluttering and ready to fly out of the hall.

Just then, a galloping carriage was carrying a cloud of smoke and dust, and a flick of its tail leaned in front of the Liverpool Association Club.

Before the car could stop, two people jumped out of the car.

Sweating profusely, they ran and shouted, "Gentlemen, something is wrong! Superintendent Hastings, he ...... He was assassinated in front of the Golden Lion Hotel! ”

"Huh?!" Old Gladstone's smile froze, and even the left leg that kicked out stayed in place: "Who did it?" ”

As soon as these words came out, the old gentlemen who were still reading the newspaper just now put down the newspaper together as if they had made an appointment, and looked at Lowe behind Old Gladstone.

Roswell also tightened the clockwork and slapped it on the head, and couldn't help but burst into a foul mouth: "Lowe? Are you fucking stupid? If he dies, you wait to pave the way for the Guards Cavalry Regiment! ”

Lowe was also frightened, and his eyes turned white with his eyes and he scolded angrily, "Roswell! You think I'm you, I have brains! If I'm going to kill him, I'll be a when you pay for it! ”

Roswell's eyes rolled, and the old pocket watch pinched his chin and analyzed: "Maybe you are trying to clear your suspicions?" ”

At this time, Lowe just wanted to go back to the past and slap himself in the face, he had nothing to say!

He swore to heaven, "I swear to God that if I did this, I would go to hell with Mr. Hastings." ”

When the messenger who came to report the news heard this, he hurriedly clarified: "Mr. Lowe, don't be in a hurry to go down yet, Mr. Hastings is still up there." ”

"That's right, he's got a little bit of a wound. But on the whole, he is still alive and kicking, and he even has a temper tantrum. ”

When Old Gladstone heard this, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "Did the doctor send it?" ”

"The doctor has been contacted to stitch him, Mr Kessler from the Health Board has done it himself, and Liverpool could not have found a better surgeon than him."

Hearing this, old Gladstone finally put his mind at ease.

He wiped the cold sweat from his head, turned his head and stared at Luo Wei for a long time, and then asked, "Luo Wei, you told me the truth, you really didn't do it?" ”

Lowe was furious and said, "What do you all suspect me for? ”

Roswell frowned and said: "The person who assassinated Prime Minister Percival before was also a businessman, and that assassin Bellingham was also in the import and export agency business, plus you were disrespectful before. Lowe, it's really hard for us not to doubt you. ”

Lowe saw that everyone was focused on him, and he was so anxious that his brain became better.

He argued: "Can I be the same as that Bellingham? Bellingham was bankrupt because he was seized in Russia, and he wanted compensation but was kicked back and forth by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance, so he was desperate and ran to the lower courtyard with a gun. And he has always defended that he wanted to assassinate the ambassador to Russia at that time, but he recognized the wrong person, so he killed the prime minister. Mr. Hastings didn't bankrupt me, and I knew what he looked like. What reason do I have to put aside my business of four or five thousand pounds a year and go to the gallows? ”

Roswell's face was full of doubts: "Do you believe Bellingham's defense?" Killing the wrong person just happened to kill the prime minister, this coincidence is really amazing. Lowe, are you in cahoots with the East India Company and are planning to trick us? ”

"The East India Company?"

When the merchants present heard this name, they immediately wrinkled their noses.

Someone even said directly to Old Gladstone: "Although Lowe may not have been involved in this, the East India Company has a real motive to do so." Ever since we teamed up with the London gang to pull out their Indian franchise in Parliament, they've hated us to the core. ”

"If that's the case, John, you're dangerous. As you all know, Liverpool's first merchant ship to India, the Kingsmere, is your property. If this time the matter gets bigger, and then the parliament turns to support Bristol to replace Liverpool, then we will all have to be blinded. ”

When Old Gladstone heard this, his face became more and more ugly: "East India Company? It's not out of the question...... Speaking of which, I remember that Mr. Hastings was surrounded by East India Company people. If they really did it, then they are really ready to do it! But...... Aren't they afraid of being found out? The last time the charter was renewed, they lost the Indian franchise. If this matter is also confirmed, then by the time the next renewal is made, they estimate that they will not even be able to keep the tea franchise in China......"

When Roswell heard this, he pulled old Gladstone out and said, "What's impossible, the dog jumps over the wall in a hurry." Let's go, let's go to the Golden Lion Hotel first, and we'll have to get rid of ourselves before we can think about how to give those East Indian bitches a little color." If they dare to frame them, we will sit back and leave them with nothing! East India Company? Hehe! Our Liverpool Association is not easy to mess with! ”

(End of chapter)