When Vidocq saw a guest coming, he hurriedly put down the silver-plated fork in his hand, straightened his collar, and stood up with a smile on his face.

"Sir, you really have the vision, and you have caught a glimpse of the latest addition to our Breok Detective Agency, Sir Arthur Hastings. Come, sit down here. Sophie! Girl, go and bring this guest a steaming cup of coffee. Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to ask you, would you rather have a full-bodied black coffee or a café with cocoa powder? Or do you prefer an Ottoman-style Turkish coffee with cinnamon and cloves? ”

When the guest saw Vidocq, he was stunned for a moment, then exited the door and looked at the portrait hanging outside the door, and then smiled and said, "So you are the legendary detective François Vidocq?" When I was a student at École Polytechnique, I heard of your name. Belch...... However, I am not here today to deal with detective business, but I have some personal questions that I would like to consult Sir Arthur Hastings. ”

"Oh! You mean consulting business? This is also within our scope of business. ”

Vidocq smiled and picked up the business list on the table and handed it to the guest: "Look at this, these services launched by the company to the public have been brewing in my heart for a long time, and they are also independently undertaken and implemented by the company. Truth be told, since I resigned from public service, I have been working on collecting information on business. Those fraudsters who have been prosecuted or sentenced in court in the past 30 years have been entered into the list of detective agencies at any time. If you need service, please feel free to contact us. A single consultation costs 5 francs, while an annual service costs only 20 francs. ”

The guest, embarrassed by Vidocq's hospitality, politely took off his hat and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, but, sir, what I want to consult is not of a commercial nature, but of a natural philosophical one." ”

Liu Wei took his seat under the leadership of Vidocq, and he then spoke: "He is a professor at the Road and Bridge School and a member of the Mechanics Department of the Academy of Sciences. He saw the paper you had written that day, and he had great respect for your achievements in mathematics. This gentleman, who is currently studying the forces on objects in rotating systems, has discovered that if the objects move relative to each other in a frame of reference rotating at a uniform speed, there is an inertial force acting on the object that is different from the usual centrifugal force, but he is unable to find a mathematical expression for this inertial force. So he sent me to ask you, are you interested in this aspect of research? If you do, he'll want to visit you another day. ”

"Of course not."

Perhaps because of the relaxation of his mentality, Arthur's sitting posture also became relaxed, and he talked eloquently with his pipe: "I have to say that a person's destiny, of course, depends on self-struggle, but it also has to take into account the historical itinerary......"

"Huh? Thiers? Vidocq lit his pipe: "What do you ask him for?" ”

According to what Arthur has seen and heard along the way, in most bakeries, a baguette costs 1 sous, a lamb rib can be sold for 7 sous, and a rental carriage costs 40 sous.

Although it is not very cheap to sell 4 su for a kilogram of peaches, the stall owner did not cheat him, and it is within a reasonable price range.

The peddler filled the peaches diligently and said with a smile: "Sir, a kilogram of peaches, I will collect 4 su from you." ”

Arthur took out a peach and handed it to Vidocq: "The slave owners have protested strongly and said that releasing a large number of slaves could cause great instability in the overseas colonies. Abolitionists and slave-provolists were at a stalemate in Parliament, but from the point of view of British society, especially in the context of the recent victory of the Whigs, abolition had become the norm. So, the abolitionists and the slave-provolists decided to take a step back and reach a rather British compromise. ”

When Liu Wei saw Arthur, he finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Sir, it's a great luck that you're here, otherwise I wouldn't know how to explain to Mr. Coriolli." I was going to look for you two days after the ceremony, but you were in such a hurry that day that I didn't even follow you. ”

But while these peaches aren't expensive for Arthur, it doesn't mean they're not expensive for everyone.

Arthur put the pen back in his pocket: "This is just my personal, small, arbitrary guess, but right, please ask Mr. Coriolis to verify it for himself." As for the rest of the day, I may need to go out on business with Mr. Vidocq, and he says he's going to take me on a good tour of Paris, and to sit at the house of the executioner, Mr. Samson, don't you say, Mr. Vidocq? ”

On the Champs-Élysées, the iron wheels of horse-drawn carriages roll over the cobblestones, making a crisp click, intertwined with the accordion melodies of street performers, the cries of vendors, and the whispers of pedestrians into a leisurely waltz.

Liu Wei's sudden hand immediately forced Arthur into a corner.

Perhaps worried that the two guests would not believe it, he even enthusiastically checked out a peach that made him the most confident, wiped it vigorously with his apron, and handed it to Arthur, signaling that he could taste it first and then buy it, no problem at all.

Working 14 hours a day in a carton factory in Paris, I could only get a salary of 4 su. And 17 hours of sewing workers earn a little more, they can get 12 su. For the workers, the dock stevedores on the Seine are the most popular jobs, and although the job is tiring, they can be paid 30 sous.

As a social institution who has been practicing in Scotland Yard for a long time, he naturally has a way to deal with this kind of thorny problem that cannot be solved but is not easy to refuse.

Vidocq and Arthur stopped at a small roadside fruit stand, the talkative vendor in a straw hat and a fruit-stained apron on his chest, trying to sell his best peaches, cherries, gooseberries, and citrus to the two gentlemen.

"The slave-bearers agreed to abolish slavery altogether in Britain and its overseas colonies, while the abolitionists agreed to redeem slaves from slave owners at a government expense of £20 million to compensate for their economic losses."

Although he knew that he might not understand it, Arthur still pretended to pick up the manuscript and flipped through a few pages.

"Ah...... Of course, you two walk slowly. ”

Liu Wei took out a stack of papers from the calfskin bag he was carrying with him and placed them in front of Arthur: "This is the first draft of Mr. Coriolli's papers, you can read them now, or if you are busy, you can read them in the evening." If you think it's appropriate, you can send someone to the Academy of Sciences or Polytechnic University to inform me at any time. ”

When Arthur heard this, he didn't put down his hand holding the coffee for a long time.

"I know." Vidocq spoke, "But although you prohibit the slave trade, isn't it still legal to keep slaves?" You can buy it abroad and bring it back to London so they don't have to say anything. ”

Vidocq saw Arthur contentedly lifting the bag of peaches he had just purchased, and quipped with his pipe, "Brother, you don't look like a knight like this." I've never seen a knight go out into the street with a big bag of fruit on his own, and you should hire a few retinues, or at the very least, two loyal slaves. ”

As for the task of improving weights and measures, it naturally fell to the French Academy of Sciences, or more accurately, to Lavoisier, whose head had been cut off by the Revolution.

Arthur said, "Of course not. The young man who just came to the office was a teaching assistant at the French Academy of Sciences. Not long ago, when I was on a business trip to the French Academy of Sciences, I ran into one of the most prominent members of your government, Monsieur Louis-Adolphe Thiers. Do you know much about him? ”

Liu Wei was originally holding the coffee, but before the coffee cup could reach his mouth, Arthur had already pushed the concise and clear line in front of him.

For people living in Paris, if they want to maintain a standard of living comfort, they have to spend 20 szels, or 1 franc, on food, clothing, housing and transportation every day.

"Ah......h

……

If you have to say that living in Paris is better than in London, except for the bright sunshine. Aside from the delicious French cuisine and the very different styles of French beauty, their metric system of weights and measures is much friendlier than that of British British weights and measures.

Liu Wei couldn't help but be stunned when he heard this: "Sir, what are you talking about?" ”

The girl at the front desk asked politely, "Sir, do you need any more help?" ”

When Liu Wei heard this, he hurriedly spoke: "Madam, please find a pen for me, if you can provide a clean scratch paper, it will be even better!" ”

"Coriolis?"

Although Arthur was expressing 'refusal' between the lines, Liu Wei obviously did not understand the official language used by diplomats, nor did he understand the brains of the Britons, or he clearly understood, but pretended not to understand.

As soon as Arthur heard this name, he suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart: "Which Coriolis are you talking about?" ”

Arthur was naturally one of the natural philosophers who advocated adapting to the public system of weights and measures, but he did not want to promote science for any reason, but simply wanted to buy peaches as easily as he did today.

Arthur shook his head when he heard this, "It looks like your news needs to be updated." The abolitionists of Britain had just introduced a bill in Parliament calling for an immediate and complete ban on slavery at home and in its overseas colonies, both in the slave trade and in slave ownership. ”

Vidocq, an old man of the French underworld, naturally understood what Arthur meant, and Vidocq stood up with a smile and said, "That's right, Mr. Liu Wei." As you may not know, Sir Hastings is also on the official duties of the British Foreign Office, and we cannot afford to delay him too much. ”

Arthur had just lit his pipe, he stood up slowly, raised his hand and said hello: "Good morning, Mr. Liu Wei, don't you have any teaching arrangements at Polytechnic University today?" ”

Arthur took the peach and put it in his mouth and bit it gently, the tender juice instantly filled his mouth, he nodded with satisfaction, raised a finger and said, "Please bring me a kilogram." ”

It wasn't until Arthur and Vidocq walked out of the door of the detective agency that Liu Wei woke up like a dream.

Before Liu Wei could react to what was going on, he was stunned for a long time before he spoke: "Sir, what is this?" ”

Arthur's heart was pounding, but his face was still unwavering.

In a word - first lower the expectations of the other party, and then slowly drag it out.

Anyway, he won't be in Paris for long, can Coriolis and them still be able to chase them to Hanover?

Arthur didn't say much, but took out a pen from his jacket pocket and wrote down a list of mathematical expressions.

On both sides of the street, rows of Baroque buildings stand majestically, window sills are full of flowers, and wrought-iron balconies are hung with clothes to dry.

Speaking of the metric system of weights and measures, Arthur had to thank the French ambassador, Mr. Talleyrand, who was still in London as a keen player of cards and golf, because he proposed to improve the set of weights and measures currently in use in France in 1790.

Although British society was not interested in the French set of weights and measures, at least in the British scientific community, natural philosophers were quite happy to move closer to this set of weights and measures. Because in the eyes of British scientists, the metric system of weights and measures is very much in line with the needs of scientific development.

Vidocq pouted, "It's really British. If it were in France, it would have to be a battle, one or more uprisings, to finally settle the matter. But...... Anyway, brother, you didn't rush me out to treat me to peaches or talk about the slave trade, did you? I'm not very interested in those. ”

"Problems with natural philosophy? Well, this gentleman, if it's chemistry or disguise, I'm barely proficient, and I'm pretty good at ballistics, but ......."

Arthur replied: "You should know that one of my friends who came to Paris this time was very sensitive to the identity of one of my friends. ”

"Of course, if you are willing to offer help, Mr. Coriolis will be very happy."

Liu Wei hadn't completely digested what had just happened in a moment, and he was a little stunned when he spoke now.

"Gustav Coriolis."

Sure enough, he knew that this was a scientist's New Year's greeting to Hastings - either electricity or force.

According to the current French ratio, 1 gold louis = 20 francs = 400 suss.

Workers in London are generally at least 50 per cent higher than in Paris, but unfortunately, due to the effects of laws such as the Corn Laws, prices in large cities like London, especially food, are much higher than in Paris.

When Arthur heard this, he just spoke: "Mr. Vidocq, it seems that you do not know that Britain has long banned the slave trade. In London, it was illegal to buy and sell slaves. ”

When Vidocq said this, he felt that he couldn't continue, so he could only turn his head to look at Arthur: "Brother, when you were privately promoting the business of the firm, you also boasted that we could handle this matter?" ”

Vidocq smiled when he heard this, and said, "This bill can actually be passed?" Will the slave owners who had previously bought slaves obediently obey the orders of the council and release their private property? ”

Because, according to Vidocq, while wages in London are not high, wages in Paris are clearly lower.

"Hmm...... Not only one, but both of them are quite sensitive, but the other is more sensitive. After all, one of them was at best a pen-wielding a few satirical articles on the government, and although he had some influence among the republicans, he did not reach a very high level. But the other one was different, and the one who raised his arms and shouted could really have made the Bonapartist faction noisy. ”

"How did they compromise?"

Agareth, who had been leaning on the windowsill to bask in the sun, saw this scene, and the Red Devil immediately walked to Arthur's side with a smile, put his arm on his shoulder, and said, "How is it?" Little bastard, do you want to continue to do business with me? The last time we were a draw at best, can you still accidentally get it right this time? ”

Arthur smiled and said, "Of course I am very happy to help Mr. Coriolis, but I generally do not easily set foot in areas that I am not familiar with, and I am afraid that I dare not boast that I can help him solve this problem until I find out what Mr. Coriolis is working on." ”

But it's good not to turn it over, Arthur turned it over like this, and his slightly frowning brows suddenly relaxed.

Arthur nodded slightly, "You're right. That's why I wish to get you to the bottom of Thiers, because the gentleman of low stature seems to be very interested in someone who can stir up the Bonapartist faction. At the banquet he asked me privately if I could introduce Mr. Louis Bonaparte to him. ”

"Referrals?" When Vidocq heard this, he couldn't help but lower his voice: "Brother, don't talk nonsense. He is now a high-ranking official in the government, a hardcore supporter of the Orleanists, and it is for this reason that he became the dean of the counsellors. If this kind of thing spreads rashly, if it causes trouble, it will cause trouble, and if you don't get it right, you will even cause death. ”

(End of chapter)