The sun is setting, in an unremarkable restaurant in the Paris Saint-Germain district.

Louis and Arthur found an inconspicuous corner and sat down.

They exchanged their recent experiences as they ordered, from Vidocq's detective affairs to the past of the Bonaparte family, to Louis Philippe's true intentions for meeting Louis.

Arthur didn't directly pick a sensitive topic, but first raised his hand to ask for a glass of whiskey with lemon juice, and asked casually: "Is that Mr. Valewski?" I had gone to great lengths to find him in London, but I didn't expect to run into him so easily in Paris. ”

Louis lit the fire sullenly, took a sharp puff of cigarette, and it could be seen that his heart was in a panic: "Are you still thinking about Liverpool?" I thought you had forgotten. ”

Arthur smiled and shook his head: "Louie, you think too much of you. Just ask Tom and Tony if you ask me that when I was patrolling in the East End, I would pull any of the ruffians who dared to attack our police district out of the deep alleys, and they would either be exiled to Australia and Canada, or they would have to rot in Old Ship Prison or Newgate Prison. ”

Louie took off his pipe and laughed, "It seems that I used to think too kindly." From that point of view, you're about the same as Mr. Vidocq, who told me before that anyone who dares to offend and attack him and the security employees will be guillotined by whatever he does to go. And a few days before they were guillotined, he wouldn't give the prisoners even a drop of water to drink, so they wouldn't be able to spit at them on the guillotine. ”

Arthur stirred the spoon in the porcelain cup, "You think too kindly, and you think too badly of Mr. Vidocq." But because he offended so many people in his work, public opinion in Paris often attacked him. Consider that Mr. Vidocq arrested more than 20,000 people during his tenure at the Grand Paris Police Department, and no one would say anything good about him among these people. Fraudsters, thieves, hooligans, and even some of his colleagues at the Grand Paris Police Department were eager to put him to death. ”

"The police in Paris also hate Vidocq?" Louis asked, "Why?" ”

"It's simple." Arthur spoke, "He's in exactly the same situation as I was at Scotland Yard. But the difference between him and me is that I'm a graduate of the University of London, and he started his career on the streets. So, when we were in trouble, Whitehall Street would have given me the position of second secretary, and he would have to go back and forth from where. ”

The Act decided to abolish all the trade monopoly privileges previously enjoyed by the East India Company, including trade with China, and to abolish its trading institutions altogether. The military and administrative structures of the company will remain in place, and will be entrusted by His Majesty the King and Parliament to continue its colonial rule over India.

"Is it clean?" Louis looked a little confused: "What's the difference between what you two did last year?" I can't really make any difference except for the location, one in the Île de la Cité in Paris, and the other under the Tower of London in the East End. ”

The eye-catching newspaper headline described in a simple sentence an event that would affect the entire trade of the Far East.

Louis pinched the newspaper, he frowned for a while, and then suddenly realized: "They put the blame for the Liverpool assassination on the East India Company?" But according to the evidence we have at hand, isn't the company not involved in this case? ”

"It's ......"

Louis put down the newspaper and said, "I thought they were showing leniency by sending you to Hanover. But if you add to that the Liverpool case, I think a knight's bounty and a second secretary job are simply too cheap. According to the principle of who gets the benefit and who does it, it is the free trader guys who do it? ”

Arthur was noncommittal: "It's just a guess, but things in Britain are much purer than in France." There are not many philosophical issues here, mainly monetary positions. There is no Bonapartist or Orthodox dynastic, republican or anarchist, only mercantilism or free trade, industrial production or international trade, repeal of the Corn Laws or support of the Corn Laws. ”

Louis wasn't stupid, and he quickly understood what Arthur meant: "Are you saying that although Mr. Vidocq's ability is strong enough, he has been labeled as difficult to control by the authorities due to his status as a street originator and those previous cases?" And you, as long as you are a graduate of the University of London, at least Lord Breham's faction will always treat you as their own? Oh, by the way, and the Viscount of Melbourne, you helped him settle so many things before, and he still owes you a little bit. That's why you landed smoothly? ”

"It doesn't matter if you're implicated or not. Importantly, the parliament felt that they were implicated in the assassination. ”

Arthur waved his hand, and he suddenly led the topic in a new direction: "Louie, you know what? I just went to the French Academy of Sciences the other day. ”

"Very interesting view." Louis raised his eyebrows: "In that case, where is your foundation cleaner than his?" ”

Louis looked out the window at the busy streets: "You mean, someone is supporting you, and Vidocq isn't?" ”

Arthur looked at the scenery outside the window and said lightly: "The assassination case gave the council an excuse, although this excuse may have been made by themselves, after all, it is not the first time that the council has committed suicide in dealing with the East India Company." The last time they stripped the company of its franchise in the Indian region, the chairman of the board of directors of the company committed suicide. The fact that they were not allowed to eat guns this time already shows that the methods of the council are much softer. ”

Arthur laughed, "Not only that, but my foundation is cleaner than his." ”

Arthur didn't speak, but took out a newspaper from his bosom, which he had taken from the British Legation the previous morning, a mediocre copy of The Times, which had been published a week earlier.

"Well, I know, you went there to present Mr. Poisson, did you have a good time?"

Arthur leaned back in his chair and leisurely sipped his wine: "For those of us who didn't come to office through elections, what needs to be considered is how the person who appointed you sees you. And the standard by which they measure a person is nothing more than three. First, whether you are capable and prestigious enough to perform the job and thus add to his own resume with your achievements. Second, if you are capable enough, are you under his control? Third, if your ability and prestige are not good enough, can appointing you bring him other benefits. ”

Speaking of this, Louis suddenly smiled self-deprecatingly: "In that case, why do you still remember the assassination in Liverpool?" Although we don't have conclusive evidence, haven't we already been conclusive? Even if the case wasn't the work of someone from within the Whigs, it must have been closely related to them. ”

Louis was silent for a moment: "That...... What are you going to do about it? Do you remember the Liverpool case, you know who they are, and the next thing is to take the initiative? ”

The Government of India Act, 1833 was passed by Parliament and the 20-year East India Company charter was renewed.

Arthur took the glass from the waiter's hand: "Louie, that's your point of view, not the government's point of view. For the government, whether it's the Isle of the Cité or the Tower of London, Vidocq and I have done nothing but credit, what's wrong? ”

"Actually, I didn't just play, I also thought about some scientific theorems there, because I found that many French scientists are in politics, so some theorems can be understood not only from the perspective of natural philosophy, but also from the perspective of politics."

"Really?" Louis was stunned with his coffee cup, he thought Arthur was joking with him: "What theorem are you talking about?" ”

Arthur chuckled softly, "I'm British, so naturally the first thing that comes to my mind is Sir Isaac Newton's Newton's First Law." ”

Louis recalled the mechanics he had learned at the Swiss Military Academy, and repeated it word by word: "Any object must remain in a uniform linear motion or at rest until an external force forces it to change its state of motion." ”

Arthur picked up his glass and nodded slightly: "This is my attitude towards the Liverpool case, and it is also the solution I think is the best." ”

Louis was shocked, as if his vision was gradually clear: "I ......"

Seeing him like this, Arthur casually asked again: "I remember that you just said that the reason why Louis Philippe received you was because he wanted to send you to welcome Napoleon's coffin?" ”

Arthur's words fell on Louie's heart, and a restless heart was slowly soothed.

The noble Bonaparte stared at the bottle in front of him, the amber liquor rippling in it: "He is using me, he wants to use my surname and my uncle's corpse to win the favor of the Bonapartists and win them away from the republicans." It's definitely a difficult problem for me, Arthur, I know your accomplishments in natural philosophy, so, if it were you, what theorem would you recommend me use to solve this problem? ”

Seeing that he took the initiative to ask a question, Arthur raised his glass and touched it with Louis in a hurry.

All I heard was the crunch of a clang, followed by Arthur's voice.

"Since it's a question about Napoleon, I naturally recommend that you use Napoleon to solve the problem. You must remember the definition given by your uncle: if three equilateral triangles are constructed outwards with the three sides of any triangle as sides, then the center of the circumscribed circle of the three equilateral triangles is the vertex of another equilateral triangle, which is called a Napoleonic triangle. ”

Arthur looked at Louie's clenched fist, paused, and continued: "Maybe it's too difficult for you to construct three equilateral triangles outward at once. But it doesn't matter, you can start with the first equilateral triangle, Louis Philippe wanted to use you to appease the Bonapartes, and this is not your chance to introduce yourself to the French people. The death of the King of Rome is extremely sad, and at this moment, if not for the sake of Louis Philippe's care, you should let them know who is now shouldering the burden of the revival of the Bonaparte family, and who is qualified to bring Napoleon's bones back to life as representatives of the Bonaparte family. ”

Hearing this, Louie closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "I see, thank you, Arthur. It never occurred to me that the answer to the puzzle was hidden in the puzzle. ”

Arthur smiled indifferently and replied: "Louie, you are just a fan of the authorities, when you jump out and look at the whole situation, with your ingenuity, you will soon be able to reveal the true meaning." ”

Speaking of this, Louis asked again: "Tomorrow, I will go to see him tomorrow, Arthur, do you want to come with me?" ”

"Me?"

Arthur shook his head and said, "Louie, you have forgotten what I said earlier. You can't make Louis Philippe feel threatened, he uses you, not your father and uncle, because he feels that you are under his control. And I, though I am only a second secretary in the Kingdom of Hanover, my status as a British diplomat is enough to arouse the vigilance of Louis Philippe. Don't forget, he actually has an alternate to send to St. Helena, your cousin, Mr. Walewski, who is the son of Napoleon and has no inheritance yet. ”

Speaking of this, Arthur stood up, took out a ticket from his jacket pocket and pressed it under the dinner plate: "Louie, you enjoy it slowly, I have to go first." ”

"Huh? You went back so early? The dish hasn't been served yet. ”

Louis stood up and tried to keep Arthur, but was stopped by Arthur.

The retired Scotlands police officer simply raised his hand and pointed out the window, where under the plane trees on the side of the street, several guys with big-brimmed hats were leaning against the trunk and smoking cigarettes.

As a police secretary who had trained in the Police Intelligence Bureau, Louis quickly understood what Arthur meant.

Needless to say, it must have been plainclothes policemen sent by the Grand Paris Police Department to monitor his whereabouts.

Louis laughed dumbly: "I was really careless, I forgot that France is far better at this than Scotland Yard." ”

Arthur smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "But you are still a little far from Prussia, I visited Heine yesterday, and he personally pointed out to me a few plainclothes spies sent by Prussia to spy on him behind the curtain of his window. ”

Louis joked, "So, I'm actually lucky?" ”

"Perhaps." Arthur took the opportunity to invite: "When you get Louis Philippe, you can come to me and Mr. Vidocq, and we can make a little money together." Mr. Vidocq and I are currently working on a difficult case that may involve some murderous thugs, and if these plainclothes cops go with us, we can save a fortune on security costs. ”

Louis laughed and said, "Arthur, you really have it." ”

Arthur walked out of the dining room, glanced at the plainclothes policemen who were following Louie, and then stopped a cab.

He boarded the carriage and said to the coachman, "Go to the Rothschild Bank." ”

The driver casually asked, "Sir, are you going to bank?" ”

Arthur waved his hand and took out a letter from his bosom that had been written a long time ago: "No, I'm just going to Rothschild to send a letter." ”

Agareth, who was sitting next to the coachman, saw the letter, covered his mouth and snickered: "Arthur, you little bastard, you just sold the stupid boy of the Bonaparte family like this?" I guess the address of this letter must be the French Legation in London, right? You don't want Talleyrand's franc, but you want his favors. ”

Arthur only chuckled softly at Agareth's sarcasm: "Clever." ”

(End of chapter)