Chapter 432 French Style

At dawn, when the first rays of sunlight illuminated the waves on the Seine River, Paris, which had been quiet all night, opened its hazy eyes and stretched out leisurely.

The windows on the street were pushed open one after another, and from time to time, there were voices of wives calling their lazy husbands and children to get up in the rooms of the building. Amid the words of men and women getting up, the newly planted plane trees on both sides of the street were exuding tender green, stretching their waists along the sunlight, bringing a touch of spring vitality to this brick and stone city.

A low-key and simple carriage slowly drove out of the eastern suburbs of Paris. Except for a British gentleman in the car, the other two were native and enthusiastic French friends. They were talking endlessly about the scenery of Paris that was about to appear before his eyes.

Soon, the carriage came to the banks of the Seine River. The river surface was sparkling, reflecting the gradually increasing figures on the riverside streets. Although London also has the Thames, the vitality of the Seine River is completely different from the majestic Notre Dame de Paris on the other side of the river.

Perhaps it is because of the influence of the literary works of the two countries. Although they are both rivers and churches, the sunny Paris always brings more warmth to people than the rainy London.

As more and more people come to the streets, the city finally begins to show her true appearance to the guests from London.

The vendors began their busy day on the mottled shadows of trees on the cobblestone road. They pushed carts full of fresh vegetables and fruits and hawked along the streets. The voices were full of life.

Arthur looked through the car window at the colorful fruits and vegetables in their carts, mainly tomatoes, asparagus, cabbage, broad beans, peas, peppers, beans, potatoes, radishes, onions and garlic.

The variety of fruits is also quite rich. Just a glance can find seasonal fruits such as strawberries, apricots, blueberries, raspberries, and red currants shipped from nearby manors. Occasionally, Arthur could see some processed pickled apples and pears in the jars of the vendors' stalls.

Among all the fruits and vegetables, Dumas strongly recommended asparagus.

The best asparagus was the white asparagus that was favored by Louis XIV, the "Sun King".

Due to its unique sweet taste and unique cultivation method, white asparagus has always been precious, and its price is naturally much higher than that of ordinary asparagus, so that the French often call it "edible ivory".

The French love asparagus not only because of its taste, but also because they have an almost superstitious understanding of asparagus. Because from the perspective of mimicry, they think asparagus looks like that, so it must have the effect of strengthening yang.

As we all know, even after hundreds of years, as long as a product is linked to strengthening yang, its price is probably not low. And for the romantic French people, their demand for this aspect is even stronger.

In the spring when hormones are secreted vigorously, it is hard to find bamboo shoots in the market of Paris.

In another corner of the market, you can see craftsmen working hard.

Sparks are flying in the blacksmith shop. Blacksmiths swing heavy hammers to shape all kinds of ironware, including small horseshoes and nails, daily necessities such as clothes racks, and sword blanks customized by aggressive young people.

In the tailor shop, tailors are busy taking cloth rulers to tailor clothes for customers. And those hat-making craftsmen are holding all kinds of fancy feather ornaments, carefully decorating each hat, striving to make every detail perfect.

On both sides of the street, all kinds of small shops are lined up, from bakeries to perfume shops, from bookstores to antique shops, each of which is playing its own story.

The bakery exudes an alluring aroma of bread, attracting passers-by to stop. Occasionally, you can see a few sneaky little guys rushing into the store, picking up a piece of bread bigger than his head and running away when no one is paying attention.

In the perfume shop, various scents are intertwined. The elegant and noble ladies who are full of fragrance go out and see the owner chasing the thief. They either cover their mouths and call out God softly, or stop and watch this funny scene with narrowed eyes.

The carriage has been driving for an unknown period of time, and finally stopped in front of a cafe next to the Kaidaosai Mansion, where the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located.

Through the windows of the cafe, the sun shines on the white tablecloths and shiny tableware that have been set.

The waiters are busy shuttling between the tables and chairs, preparing everything for the first batch of guests who will arrive today.

In the morning cafe, the most common thing is those gentlemen holding newspapers and wearing top hats.

They ordered a pot of freshly brewed coffee, the rich aroma filled the air, paired with freshly baked croissants and hot chocolate, which is the traditional way for Parisians to start a new day.

The sound of turning pages of newspapers and low conversations intertwined to form a unique melody in the morning of the cafe.

As for the ladies, most of them wore exquisite hats and held lace fans to enjoy breakfast with friends. In order to keep in shape, most of them would only order a light salad or a hot soup with bread and cheese.

If you are a bit greedy, you may want to order an extra dessert after the meal. Maybe a piece of French mousse cake, or a plate of macarons made of almond cake and cream. During this leisurely period, the cafe echoes with laughter and chatter, where people enjoy food and life.

Vidocq, who was sitting in the cafe waiting for customers, saw a few familiar figures getting off the carriage outside the shop. The 55-year-old legendary police detective said hello to his friend who was sitting awkwardly next to him. So he pushed open the door of the coffee shop alone and went out to greet him.

Although he was getting older, Vidocq's physique remained as strong as before. Arthur held the hand of the head of the security department, who was as strong as an ox, and joked: "Mr. Vidocq, Long time no see. I'm sorry to say that I wanted to recruit you to serve at Scotland Yard. But what I didn't expect is that your position in the Paris Police Department is still secure, while I have been eliminated in London. "

Vidoc took off his hat and said: "Brother, you have much better luck than me. I have already heard about you from the coconut tree. This is not called being out, but it is called refrigeration to prepare for a comeback in the future. Your Excellencies in London should appreciate you, otherwise they would not send you to Hanover."

Arthur smiled and replied: "Are you trying to comfort me? If you have a choice, who would be willing to leave the center of power? It's a cold treatment, but everyone knows that big shots are very forgetful. If I were in Hanover Living a normal life, maybe in a few months they will forget that there is a person like me in the British administration. "

Vidocq shrugged his shoulders and said: "That's better than being ordered to quit the security department directly like me, right? The worst thing is that they originally promised to give me a monthly pension of 500 francs, but this money is only It stopped after 5 months.”

Arthur was about to push open the door of the coffee shop. When he heard this, he couldn't help turning his head and asked: "What happened to you?"

"Alas..." Vidocq sighed. He called to Alexandre Dumas and Louis and said, "Gentlemen, let's come in and have a cup of coffee. We can talk about the story slowly. Anyway, I don't have much to do now. Are you willing? If so, I can chat with you until the afternoon, but I have to leave in the evening because my friends and I have a party to attend."

Vidocq led a few people to sit down in the coffee shop. The friend who came with him saw these new faces and showed a rather excited smile: "Good morning, gentlemen, I have admired you for a long time. Your Excellency’s name.”

Arthur took a look at this gentleman. He was dressed in black, with a traditional French chest decoration on his top. The gold watch chain on his hand gave people a very heavy feeling.

All in all, at first glance, he didn't look like he was from a noble family, but like a local squire from some remote town, or a nouveau riche who suddenly made a fortune.

Vidocq could tell at a glance what Arthur was thinking. Whether it was London or Paris, people who were engaged in the police detective profession always had this habit of inferring the background of strangers.

But he was not in the mood to play a guessing game with Arthur today. Instead, he directly revealed the answer to the guests.

"Let me introduce to you, this is Mr. Samson, a well-known executioner, or, to put it more informally, he is currently the best executioner in Paris. He has been doing this for more than forty years. "

Speaking of this, Vidocq also made a joke. He put his arm on Samson's shoulder and laughed loudly: "When I was the captain of the security force, I always kept him busy. Samson, you can't Blame it on me!”

Samson was a little embarrassed by Vidocq. He explained in a low voice to the distinguished guests in front of him: "My lords, don't take Mr. Vidoc's words seriously. He always likes to play tricks on people."

Seeing this, Vidocq joked: "Samson is a nice guy, but it's always weird to have dinner with him. He is not very good at dealing with social situations, and his career as an executioner determines his The scope of activities is quite narrow and can only be divided between work and family. This is a French tradition, and this is the fifth generation of his family to be an executioner. "

Seeing Samson's anxious look, Arthur smiled and helped him out: "Okay, Mr. Vidocq, I believe Mr. Samson is a good man. He doesn't like killing people, but he is doing his job. Fulfill your duties as an instrument of law.”

When Samson heard this, he immediately seemed to have met a close friend. He nodded gratefully and agreed: "Yes, I and my colleagues, we are just tools. It was the judicial system that killed them."

Alexandre Dumas didn't care about Samson's career. On the contrary, the fat man liked to inquire about specific details: "Can I take the liberty of asking some questions? Mr. Samson, how many heads have you chopped off so far?"

Samson responded honestly: "Sir, about 360."

While stirring the coffee, Vidocq added: "One of them belongs to Marie Antoinette, Queen of Louis XVI."

As soon as Vidocq said these words, Arthur immediately caused a burst of exclamation.

Only then did they know why Vidocq brought Samson to the banquet.

There is indeed much to talk about in Mr. Samson.

Louis also became interested in Samson. He asked cautiously: "How did it feel when you fixed the head of the condemned prisoner in the hole of the wooden noose?"

When it came to professional issues, Samson obviously became much calmer. He explained in detail: "My assistant is responsible for that. He first shaved off the prisoner's hair, and then placed a basket underneath. The heads and bodies will fall inside one by one, and my task is to make the preparations fast and good. When everything is ready, I loosen the rope with the reamer and the condemned man falls to the ground. "

Alexandre Dumas further asked: "Then...will the death row prisoner still feel uncomfortable after being beheaded?"

Samson took a sip of coffee and nodded: "Yes, sir. His face was still twitching, his eyes were still moving, and his whole head seemed to be filled with rage. However, there was one exception. That was in 1793, when I was still My father's assistant. We were ordered to hang Louis XVI, whose Majesty our whole family was extremely supportive of, but they forced us to do it.

When the hanging was completed, the overseer ordered me to show the king's head to everyone present to prove its authenticity. My calves were trembling with fear, but I still had to do as I was told. I gritted my teeth and grabbed the king's hair and lifted his head.

Everyone present at the time saw that the handsome face was still so peaceful and noble, without any trace of distortion or anger. My father suddenly became paralyzed with fear. Fortunately, I was by my side and supported him.

I saw his fearful look and sad tears, so I quickly covered his face with my body. Because I know that if the authorities discovered what he was like at that time, our father and son would definitely be sent to the gallows. "

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but said: "It seems that the executioner's profession is indeed a kind of torture for people. Haven't you ever thought about changing your profession to do something else?"

Samson looked at this amiable British gentleman and said frankly: "I have thought about it. I once wanted to join the army, be a soldier, and then become a general. But my father told me that society does not treat people in our profession People have deep prejudices and it was difficult for me to succeed in the army, so I finally gave up. However, there is actually nothing wrong with being an executioner. My father told me at the time that at least our family has shouldered this responsibility for generations. So far, I haven’t heard anyone come forward to accuse us.”

Vidocq interjected: "Your father should have added: 'Except those who have their heads chopped off will complain.'"

When Samson heard this, he became a little annoyed: "Please don't joke, Mr. Vidocq, I'm talking about a historical issue!"

Vidocq curled his lips: "Not all."

Samson said: "My father is just an ordinary person. He just does things according to the habits of his life. He is neither a good person nor a bad person. He has never seen much of the world in his life. He is not like me. He has no idea what social interaction is about."

Vidocq saw that Samson seemed really angry, so he changed the topic at the right time: "Arthur, Alexander, haven't you two introduced me to the gentleman next to you? Samson shared his legendary experience. , I am also very interested in this gentleman’s story.”

Arthur and Alexandre Dumas looked at each other and said almost in unison: "Are you sure you want to listen?"

When Vidocq heard this, he became even more interested. He picked up the coffee cup and asked: "Is there some hidden secret of Britain buried in him?"

Arthur picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth: "That's not true, but as far as I know, he seems to have been born in Versailles."