Chapter 224: European Showdown (5K8)

"Be honest, or I'll kill you with one shot!"

In the box on the second floor, the moment the barrel of the gun was stuffed into Elder's mouth, the Royal Navy draftsman finally discovered something was wrong.

"Um?"

The black cloth covering Elder's eyes was torn off, and it was then that he realized that the coconut tree lady who had seemed so charming to him just now had disappeared, and was replaced by a French gangster with semi-short hair.

The coconut tree widened its eyes and asked: "Say! Where is Alexandre Dumas? Let me warn you first, don't cheat in front of me, otherwise I will send you to see God immediately!"

Elder woke up from a dream, and he didn't know whether it was because he was ashamed or angry. Not only was he not afraid, but he even cursed loudly.

"You...you fucking dare to deceive my feelings!"

"Deceiving your feelings?" The coconut tree also became angry, and he yelled: "You are still fucking playing with my body!"

"Huh?" Elder said in surprise: "So, we are even?"

"What the hell is your logic?!"

Alexandre Dumas and Tom, who were lying under the bed, heard the quarrel between the two, and they couldn't stop muttering.

"What happened? Did the two of them quarrel?"

"I just said, why would anyone fall in love with Elder? They probably want to blackmail him."

"How about I go out and help him out? It would be bad if they two get into trouble here."

"No, don't pay attention to him. He caused things by himself. Let him handle it by himself."

Just as Tom was hesitating whether to go out, suddenly there was another knock on the door.

There was only a creak, the door opened, and a voice that was familiar to Alexandre Dumas suddenly sounded.

"Coconut tree, just clean up the person, so that no one will be killed. After all, this is Mr. Hastings's friend. We are only here for Mr. Dumas. Don't offend him too much in other ways." ”

Coconut Tree gritted his teeth and glared at Elder. If it weren't for the position of section chief, would he be sitting in this position?

The coconut tree let out a long sigh, and then responded with a face full of humiliation: "Boss, don't worry, I will act in a measured manner."

Vidocq just looked around the room, and soon his eyes fell on the two chairs placed in front of the window.

A playful smile suddenly appeared on his face. He glanced at the big bed in the room and then at the two chairs: "I remember this seems to be Mr. Hastings' personal lounge, right? "

The coconut tree nodded: "Yes, he is quite good at enjoying it. There is a bed and furniture, and he can live here directly after cleaning it up."

Vidocq asked Vacour next to him again: "I remember that we investigated before and it seems that Mr. Hastings has not established a special relationship with any lady, right?"

Vakul also nodded: "Boss, according to your instructions, I sent my brothers to take turns with him as soon as we arrived in London. That boy works almost every day at three o'clock and one line at Lancaster Gate and Whitehall Street. , Whetstone Musical Instruments Store, his schedule has not changed for several days. With such a regular life, and there are no women in Scotland Yard, he definitely has no time for romance. "

When Coconut Tree heard this, he couldn't help asking: "No, I remember you told me a few days ago that Hastings and a lady were in the coffee shop..."

When Wakul heard this, his heart suddenly rose to his throat. He quickly winked at the coconut tree, but it was already too late.

Vidoc's sharp and terrifying eyes immediately locked onto Vakul: "What's going on?"

Vakul felt that his throat was dry, and he swallowed heavily: "Boss, it's not really a big deal. She's just an inconspicuous woman, and Mr. Hastings just sat with her in the coffee shop. for a while."

Upon hearing this, Vidocq directly grabbed Vakul's collar: "Fuck, why didn't you tell me this earlier? Didn't I tell you that you have to tell me all the information, no matter how detailed it is?"

Vakul smiled reluctantly: "Boss, although I said that, I think it's best to investigate and tell you if I have any information. After all, you are usually very busy, aren't you?"

"Then have you investigated clearly?"

"This..." Vakul said tremblingly: "I sent someone to follow that girl for two days. On the first day she went to the Russian Embassy, ​​and on the second day... she disappeared on the second day... "

"You lost me?!"

"No, no, the girl is not lost..."

"Oh, that's okay..." Vidocq just felt relieved, but in an instant, Vakul's words raised his blood pressure again.

"The person we sent to follow the girl was lost..."

"Trash!" Vidocq suddenly felt something bad in his heart: "That girl is definitely not a good person, you are fucking discovered by her! Wait, you just said that she has been to the Russian Embassy, ​​is it possible that she Is he an old man?"

Vakul hurriedly went back and added: "Boss, you are indeed wise! After our follow-up investigation, we discovered that that girl does seem to work in the embassy."

When Vidocq heard this, he raised his hand angrily and slapped Vacour: "In other words, our people fell into the hands of the Russians? Do you know that if Mr. Talleyrand knew about this? How will he react? He will kill us!"

Vakul panicked when he heard this. He tried his best to clear up the relationship: "Mr. Vidoc, the lost man is just a local gangster hired by me. Even if the Russians catch him, nothing can be said from his mouth." Nothing can be found in it. I believe we will be fine."

Vidoc looked at Vakul's face. It took him a long time to finally suppress the anger in his stomach. He waved his hand impatiently and said: "Forget it, finish this order first. The rest will be dealt with later. consider."

When Agares, who had been lying on the window sill watching the show, heard this, he just covered his mouth and snickered: "Oh, our Miss Fiona is really a capable woman. If this little bastard Arthur knows about Fiona, Not only did Na secretly hide her secrets, but she also knew about it without reporting it, so I’m afraid it won’t be Elder who is tied to the bed today.”

Elder listened to what these French people said to each other. He didn't know if it was because his feet were off the ground. After the passion subsided, his clever IQ took over the high ground again.

"Wait, you want to attack Alexander? Are you the newly sent French killers?"

When Vidocq heard this, he just smiled kindly and said: "Sir, don't speak so harshly. We are just entrusted by others to ask Mr. Dumas to return to Paris."

Elder said carelessly: "Returning to Paris? Then you would be quite lucky with him. I thought you were going to take him back to the plantation. But you are unlucky today, Alexander is not in the theater."

"Really?" Vidocq glanced at the two chairs by the window, then slowly leaned over and looked under the bed: "That's not necessarily the case."

His eyes met Alexandre Dumas's face.

For a moment, the air fell into a dead silence. After the two looked at each other, Alexandre Dumas just turned around slowly and expressionlessly, supporting his head with one hand, leaving only his broad back to Vidocq.

But this kind of deception is obviously of no use.

Not long after, he, Tom, and Elder were tied up and thrown to the ground.

"Elder, look what the hell you did! Just pick up a girl and pick up a guy, and you even brought me in with you!"

"Why don't you tell me about you! Who attracted the flies today? Oh, God! Look what I have done! I actually rubbed a Frenchman's ass, and it was a man's! Tom, Why don't you give me a shot later? I've been embarrassed enough today. If I die in the hands of a Frenchman again, my life will be extremely humiliating. Please don't let me taint it. to the honor of the Royal Navy."

"Mr. Carter, didn't you notice that I am also tied here?"

"Yes! Why are you tied up here, where is your gun?"

"Mr. Vidocq just bet that there are no bullets in my gun."

"The results of it?"

"He made the right bet."

"Then why don't you bring bullets? Do you usually use Scotland Yard's guns as fire sticks?"

Tom only felt a little aggrieved: "Mr. Carter, you don't know. Scotland Yard is no better than the Royal Navy. Our gun management regulations are too strict. Arthur has now been transferred from a position of real power, and ammunition and other things are all owned by the police." It is kept independently by the district. If he wants to get some bullets, he must get a document from Director Luo Wan, but as you know, there has been some trouble between the two of them recently, and the document approval may not go so smoothly. "

Vidocq sat on a chair and leaned over to look at the three living treasures. He held a pipe in his mouth, lifted his skirt and crossed his legs. He took advantage of the gap when Vacours went to call for the carriage, and he had the time to chat with them.

"Oh, it turns out that Mr. Hastings's life has not been very satisfactory recently, so that's no wonder. Generally speaking, he has no need to pay attention to a Frenchman who has lost his protection order. It seems that he, like me, also wants to take advantage of This opportunity to make a comeback?”

When Elder heard this, he just said angrily: "You're a French guy who knows nothing. Arthur is trying to hurt his friend. We, graduates of the University of London, are now under the control of someone else!"

"Is there someone above? Is there someone above who still needs to play music part-time here?"

Vidocq pinched his chin, which had just shaved off his stubble this morning, and looked down at the theater stage from the window. Amidst the thunderous applause, Mendelssohn raised his white gloves and bowed to greet the audience with a smile. In the shadow of the curtain behind him, Arthur, who was wearing a jet-black evening gown and a body as tall as a sword, pushed back the broken hair on his forehead. The shiny black hair on the back was in sharp contrast with the white gloves. His eyes glowing with light red light flickered, and he was about to appear.

Vidocq watched Arthur step onto the center of the stage, flicking his tailcoat and sitting on the bench in front of the piano. At this moment, the legend of the French criminal and police circles ordered: "Hastings I'm sorry, sir. Everyone is ready to evacuate now."

At the same time, almost at the same moment, in another box not far from the box where Vidocq was sitting, Mrs. Leven was nestled in the arms of Austrian Prime Minister Metternich. The gray-haired Mr. Metternich teased her with a few words. Mrs. Deleven laughed so hard that she couldn't stand upright.

However, apart from keeping in touch with each other, the two still tested each other word by word.

Metternich seemed to mention it casually: "Dorothea, next time you go back to St. Petersburg to visit relatives, you must remember to say hello to His Majesty the Tsar for me. I heard that he is different from his brother. Now The Tsar pays special attention to these details, and if you don't keep in touch with him often, your relationship will soon become estranged."

Mrs. Leven just winked playfully: "Say hello? Of course. But I don't plan to go back for the time being, because I heard that His Majesty is very angry about the independence of Belgium, and he said that he must teach them a severe lesson. Dear, you know that the Tsar's anger is a serious matter in the Russian court. At this time, it is best not to offend him."

"Ah..." Metternich smiled and said: "Then, if you can bring him some good news, it will surely calm his anger, right?"

"Good news?" Mrs. Leven pretended to know nothing: "You mean Austria intends to stand with us? But if you do this, it will probably make the British unhappy, right?"

Hearing this, Metternich just took Mrs. Leven's arm: "Dear, for you, I am willing to do anything."

Although Mrs. Leven knew that nine out of ten words of the man in front of her were lies, at this moment, she didn't mind playing a trick.

"Clemens, you are always so naive. But that's why I love you so much."

The two foxes were performing Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio here, while Viscount Palmerston and Lady Cowper in the next box seemed much more plain.

They took a break with their red wine glasses and were about to enjoy an outstanding song from Arthur.

Lady Cowper slightly tidied up her messy clothes, raised her glass and clinked it with Palmerston, and asked with a smile: "Henry, I saw Mr. Metternich enter the next room before. As the new Foreign Minister, don't you go to say hello to the Austrian Prime Minister?"

After hearing this, Viscount Palmerston just stretched out his hand and hugged Lady Cowper into his arms. He proudly puffed up his chest and said: "My dear, in my opinion, if Metternich knows what's good for him, he should come to visit me. If he thinks he can get anything done with the help of Austria, then I will teach him a lesson on behalf of Great Britain at the London Conference."

Lady Cowper was suddenly worried when she heard this: "But... Henry, will you be too tough by doing this? You also know that if you don't Whether it is the Tory Party or the Whig Party, the mainstream view now is to hope for peace. "

Hearing this, Palmerston just smiled and comforted: "Dear, they hope for peace because they are not sure they can win. In addition, the Duke of Wellington has already informed me yesterday, asking me not to show any concessions to Austria. Metternich just hit a snag with him two days ago. This old guy still can't figure out his position. I want him to understand that without the support of Great Britain, he, the Prime Minister of the Austrian Empire, is nothing. "

In the Coburg Theater, everyone has his own evil intentions. Just when everyone is thinking about how to make the most of their interests, God seems to have heard their call, and the lights in the entire hall suddenly dimmed.

Darkness came like a tide, and all the conspiracies were covered up.

The audience's exclamations came one after another. Just when they were about to complain about why the theater was so careless about the lighting problem, the sound of the piano suddenly rang out.

"Oh my God! So this is some kind of brand new performance?"

The lights on the stage were dim, and the audience could hardly see anything. They were so alert that they could only see a pair of hands dancing on the keys.

"Perhaps this way, we can focus more on the music itself?"

"I've heard that this piece "The Bell" is difficult, so this is intended to show the technical achievements of the new pianist Mr. Hastings?"

The audience was guessing, but they stopped complaining. With the notes that came like a storm, the last bit of dissatisfaction in their hearts soon disappeared.

And in the music, they could occasionally hear a solid and heavy footsteps.

Ding, ding, ding!

It sounded like someone was walking up the stairs, or someone was ringing a bell, but some people thought that this might be a novel accompaniment.

The white gloves held the police knife, matched with a brand new black hat. In the darkness, only a pair of faint and almost imperceptible red lights could be seen on the stairs gradually rising with the footsteps.

Arthur's body blocked the path that Vidocq and his party had to pass through. The two groups of people were very tacitly silent, because everyone knew that it would be bad if this matter got out of hand.

On the stage, Mendelssohn played the score of "The Bells" with great passion. Although he had heard Mr. Moscheles boast about its difficulty many times, and it was indeed a bit strenuous for the first time, this young musician who was committed to becoming the greatest pianist after Bach was not stumped by it.

The notes of the butterfly-like flying flowers came out one after another, and the sonata of the orchestra was accompanied by the crisp sound of tinkling from the second floor.

The moonlight shone on Mendelssohn's ten fingers through the window. The passionate melody, sweat fell along Mendelssohn's cheeks, crossed his neck and dripped into his chest, and stained the pleated edges of his white shirt like a cluster of flowers.

In the darkness, the arc of the sword flashed.

The red light was dotted, jumping like the phosphorescent light in the church cemetery.

The clash between French classical swordsmanship and the Apennine Fiore style began at this moment.

Two bangs, like the sound of a back hitting the floor and rolling down the stairs.

A muffled thump, like a fist hitting the chest.

On the stage, the jumping fingertips fell into madness, as if the piano was shaking along with it, and the earth was shaking.

Suddenly, the sound of the piano suddenly stopped, accompanied by a cry of extreme pain, and a cry of extreme fear rang out in the silent hall: "Surrender!!!"

The staff who had been standing on the ladder holding candles and waiting to light the lights again immediately lit the chandeliers one by one, and the light reappeared in the hall.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the area where the sound had just been made. There were two moving "ladies" who seemed to be emotionally excited by Mr. Hastings's moving performance, kneeling on the ground and crying, and the one lying next to them was even more powerful. He actually fainted with foam at the mouth.

"Oh! My God!"

All the gentlemen and ladies present exclaimed. They were just amazed by the piano skills just now, but now they were shocked by this shocking scene.

Maybe some people would disdain Arthur Hastings' nickname "Paganini of the Piano World" before, but now no one would question this title.

Under the shocked gazes of the gentlemen and ladies, Arthur, who had already exchanged positions with Mendelssohn in the chaos, slowly raised his hand. His tailcoat on his chest rose and fell violently, and he gasped repeatedly. Obviously, he was also very tired in order to make these three "ladies" surrender.

After adjusting his breathing, Arthur finally had time to smooth out his messy tailcoat, put one hand on his chest, and bowed slightly to greet the audience: "A song adapted from Mr. Paganini's "The Bells", dedicated to all the guests present, and I also wish Mr. Paganini, who is about to go to France to hold a concert, all the best."

As soon as the voice fell, a thunderous applause broke out in the audience.

Arthur smiled and raised his hand to the audience, and Mendelssohn, who was standing in the audience, asked excitedly: "Arthur, you look like you won?"

Arthur didn't say much. He just walked off the stage after thanking the audience, quietly opened his tuxedo, and showed Mendelssohn the torn holes on his shirt: "Mr. Vidocq is better at fighting than I thought, but it's a pity that he is too old."

Just when Arthur was about to exchange a few words with Mendelssohn, he suddenly found a beautiful figure on the spiral staircase from the first floor to the second floor. It was Mrs. Leven who was in a hurry and two Russian military attachés waiting beside her. Judging from their expressions, it seemed that they had heard some bad news.

On the second floor, Viscount Palmerston and Mrs. Cowper seemed very satisfied with Arthur's song. They deliberately opened the window and smiled and applauded Arthur.

When Arthur saw this, he felt that something was wrong.

While he was still pondering, the Red Devil suddenly grinned and put his arm on his shoulder: "Hey! Arthur, it seems that the action team you sent to the Russian Embassy is working very smoothly. I think they are on their way to find you."