"Is it that serious?"

"It's not just serious, it's a fatal thing."

Vidocq dragged Arthur into the alley on the side of the road, opened a match and lit a cigarette: "Brother, the situation in Paris is far more complicated than you think, although there are only royalists and republicans on the surface, but the royalists can be divided into the Orleans faction who supports the current government, the orthodox dynasty faction that supports the old royal family, and the Bonaparte faction who supports the Napoleonic family. Within the republicans, the Fiyans, composed of aristocrats and large factory owners, the Girondists, who were dominated by intellectuals and petty bankers, and the Jacobins, who were mainly craftsmen, workers, and peasants, were found. Even within the Jacobins, there were small factions such as the no-pants and the beggars. ”

Arthur borrowed a fire from Vidocq, and he asked as if he were stupid, "So, Monsieur Thiers is the head of the Orleans?" Just because he was the boss, he couldn't even invite the Bonapartist to dinner. ”

"Oh, brother, you're still a diplomat, and you don't even have this bit of political sensitivity."

Vidocq took a drag on his cigarette: "Do you remember what Samson said before?" When he was young, he was suspected of supporting Robespierre, and as a result, he almost went to the guillotine. If you had been born in France during the Revolution, I guarantee that the authorities would kill you within three days. ”

"Alexander, you shameless, nasty bastard! I believe in you so much, I treat you as a friend, but you come to pry my corner. Your relationship with Doval has made me lose face in Paris and in the literary world at large! On top of that, you still have the guts to go back to France! ”

Vidocq took a puff of his cigarette: "More intense...... I want to think about it...... Oh, by the way, you don't know about Monsieur Thiers, do you? ”

Vidocq laughed and said, "I have heard from the prince's butler that when Madame Dino heard that her uncle wanted her to go to Vienna as a companion for the ladies of the nobles, she was so happy that she could not keep her mouth shut. Regardless of her seniority, she jumped up and hugged her uncle's neck tightly, and said coquettishly: "Dear uncle, I will follow you wherever you go." His Excellency took advantage of the situation and threw away his cane, as if his leg were not lame, and he took Mrs. Dino tightly in his arms. ”

Arthur couldn't help but look disappointed when he heard this: "Mr. Vidocq, I thought there would be something more exciting. I'll tell you the truth, stories of this magnitude don't have much of a stimulating effect on me now. ”

In the end, Monsieur Dumas only took up the post of deputy commander of an artillery company, and every day he restlessly made hate speeches against the new dynasty in the army, threatening to set off a second revolution and completely realize republicanism in France. After that, you should know what happened. It's nothing more than being wanted and escaping from the country overnight......"

When Arthur heard this, he blinked twice: "Didn't they ask Mrs. Dino herself for her opinion?" ”

"You just said ...... Monsieur Talleyrand occasionally had his niece, Madame Dinot, send a correspondence to Thiers? This...... Wasn't Madame Dino the wife of Mr. Talleyrand? When I went to the Legation to play cards with Monsieur Talleyrand or to a banquet, this lady came out as a hostess to receive guests. ”

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but draw a cake for Vidocq: "Although he is not as comfortable as Mr. Talleyrand, Mr. Thiers should be able to mix in Paris at present." Moreover, after all, he is directly in charge of affairs on the territory of Paris, and I will see him another day, so it is a big deal to help you with a few kind words. I am confident that with your talent, it will not be long before you can make a comeback. ”

"An honest man cannot survive the Revolution."

Seeing that the other party took the initiative to send the door to the door, Arthur immediately accosted him: "Are you talking about him and the real estate developer's mother and daughter?" ”

The two finished their cigarettes and chatted as they walked out of the alley, when Vidocq was about to stop a cab and take Arthur around Paris when they suddenly heard a noisy scream coming from the café on the corner.

"Mrs. Dino herself?"

When Vidocq heard this, he shook his head with a smile and said, "Most people like Thiers don't want to have anything to do with me. But borrow your kind words, brother. By the way, let's go back to Thiers. This guy is a very special existence in the current government. He was not only admired by the republican leader, the Marquis de Lafayette, but also regarded as a close confidant of Talleyrand.

Of course, this is mostly not based on the relationship between uncle and nephew, but on the charming face of Mrs. Tinno. Therefore, when His Excellency the Prince proposed to take his nephew to Vienna to preside over his salon banquet, his gambler nephew agreed without thinking. ”

If someone else had said this, Arthur might have thought about the truth. But if Vidocq had said that, the level of reliability would have been quite different.

Arthur asked, "Like Mr. Talleyrand?" ”

He sighed a little sourly: "Brother, a year or two ago, you and I were in the same position. But now, you and I are just heaven and earth. You have become a proper English lord, a knight appointed by the king. And I, I'm still eating on the streets of Paris. ”

Vidocq looked at Arthur with a knowing look and said, "Actually, His Excellency the Prince and his wife separated very early, and I heard that it should have been at the time of the Congress of Vienna in 1815. You should know that His Excellency attached great importance to 'lady's diplomacy', because many important things were actually negotiated at banquets and balls. And this means that he needs to have a noble-born, elegant, intelligent, capable, young and beautiful lady to preside over the salon banquet for him.

"Who's to say it isn't?" Vidocq laughed and said, "In France, no one cares what is in your heart. But if you want to say it freely, that's a big problem. But it is at least better than it was during the Revolution, and at least for the most part, His Majesty is quite mild. ”

Even though the detective was a layman in the field of diplomacy, he had accompanied Talleyrand as a security guard at the London Conference on the Belgian Question, and even if he listened casually in the embassy every day, he received information that was closer to the truth than the analysis of some professional diplomats.

Speaking of this, Vidocq emphatically mentioned: "Actually, Mr. Dumas also had such an opportunity to soar at one time. Because he was closer to the king, when he was still the Duke of Orleans, Monsieur Dumas worked for him as a scribe to the Secretariat. But at the time of the July Revolution, he was too tendoned.

After returning from the Vendée, his old boss in the Secretariat wanted to reintroduce him to the king, but the fat gentleman had become too arrogant because he had written a few famous plays, and he was unwilling to accept any low position. The king, apparently, knew what kind of character the former scribe was, and was reluctant to give up any important position to Mr. Dumas.

"Hell!" This time it was Vidocq's turn to be surprised: "How did you know about this?" Did it all spread to London? ”

Vidocq laughed, "Your Excellency Prince Benevento is the best of our group. He was like a sunflower forever turning to the sun, selling crowns and buying crowns, sometimes concocting constitutions, charters, and restorations, with piles of cockades, flags, and ribbons, and if he couldn't, he agreed to go abroad. No matter how the situation changes, he never seems to have suffered a loss. Brother, if you want to get mixed up in politics, you have to learn more from him. ”

Arthur asked, "Really?" Although I have always had a good relationship with Mr. Talleyrand, I like him very much. But if he really mixed well, why was he not the foreign secretary, but the French ambassador to the United Kingdom. ”

Actually, Arthur liked it a lot, too.

When Arthur heard this, he suddenly couldn't help laughing and said, "It sounds like this fat man is not particularly wronged if he is wanted!" ”

As a diplomatic agent, Arthur had already begun to familiarize himself with his work in advance.

It was clear that he enjoyed the topic.

Immediately afterwards, they saw a group of panicked gentlemen and ladies running out of it in a panic, as if something terrible was happening in the café.

When the July Revolution broke out, he was overjoyed, and for three days he walked around Paris with a flintlock pistol, and then tried to get the Marquis de Lafayette to send him first to Suissons to collect arms, and then to ask to be sent to the Vendée to organize the National Guard to prevent the Juan riots. But he jumped up and down, and finally lost his temper when he realized that France had not achieved the republican system he wanted.

Vidocq waved his hand and said, "You can't look at it like that. His Excellency the Prince did not become Foreign Secretary not because he was unqualified, but because after the July Revolution, he believed that maintaining good relations with Britain was the most important foreign policy of France at present, so he took the initiative to ask Ying to go to Britain. And, though he was only an ambassador, he never took our Foreign Secretary Molay seriously, but chose to contact His Majesty the King or His Majesty's sister, Princess Adracida, and, of course, occasionally have his niece, Madame Dinot, send orders to Thiers in correspondence. Although the official residence of the Foreign Secretary is located in Paris, in practice the entire foreign policy of France is set by the Ambassador's residence in London. ”

Arthur smiled and spread his hands, "Mr. Vidocq, you know that I am an honest person, I just have one thing to say. ”

"Not really." Arthur replied, "I heard from another guest at Monsieur Thiers' banquet yesterday. ”

Above all, he was a out-and-out opposition during the Bourbon period, and when His Majesty the current King ascended the throne, he was the first in the literary and artistic circles to explicitly support the July Dynasty. He was not like most people in the literary and artistic circles, who supported Bourbon when he was in power, and only gradually turned the gun in favor of the new dynasty when the July Revolution was over and the overall situation was decided. So, he also has a very special meaning for His Majesty the King. It is precisely for this reason that His Majesty the King is extraordinarily generous with his gifts. ”

Vidocq snorted and said, "Everyone who has lived from that era to the present is a treacherous and cunning fox. Although I may be a bit of a generalization when I say this, those who have survived the Revolution and survived until now have either betrayed their friends or betrayed their relatives, and at the last time, they have repeatedly and flexibly switched sides. ”

Although he wanted to ask Vidocq some sensitive French topics directly, in order not to arouse the disgust of this intelligent detective, Arthur could only find another way to find a clever entry point that was most acceptable to the French.

When Vidocq heard this, he couldn't help but look up at Arthur again.

"Thiers invited you to his banquet?"

Although the prince's wife, Madame Gülen, was also beautiful when she was young, she was never very sociable, and she did not grow much over the years. At that time, the Prince's niece-in-law, Mrs. Dinot, was divorcing her husband. I have heard that her husband is an out-and-out bad gambler, and even gambled to the point that he only had a pair of pants to wear, and he came to the prince to borrow money. As an uncle, you never reprimanded him verbally, but gave generously every time.

As soon as Vidocq heard this, he couldn't help but laugh.

They were about to stop one of the guests to ask about the situation, but before they could open their mouths, they heard a man's roar from the café.

"Pooh, calm down! My good brother, you listen to me, I really didn't mean to. Damn, you believe me, I have absolutely no intention of offending you. If there is any conflict between us, it is all my fault, definitely not your problem. Even if you pull the trigger and crash me now, I don't have any complaints. ”

"What are you doing? Get your gun out, I'm going to have a duel between men with you!" I don't need your apologies, today between you and me, there is only one person who can walk out of this café calmly! ”

"Pooh, you're one of my best friends, you know, there's no way I'm going to pull a gun on you. Dorval's thing, I'm really sorry for you from the bottom of my heart. I...... Damn it! I'm not a thing, I know he's your woman, but ...... But I just can't control myself...... You know, Pooh, I didn't mean to. Do you remember that time? The manager of the Théâtre d'Odeon wanted me to write a play on Napoleon, but I was not enthusiastic about Napoleon, because my father had suffered under him. In order to get me to obey, they tricked me into the theater, put me in a room that connected to the actress's bedroom, and then let Miss George, who had been Napoleon's mistress, seduce me and let her bathe in front of me...... In eight days, the book of "Napoleon Bonaparte" was written. Dimension...... Pooh, I'm not a thing! ”

(End of chapter)