Chapter 451 Commercial Director in China

In the small hotel, Vidocq and Arthur were smoking cigarettes almost face to face.

The two just sat there saying nothing, and the situation seemed unsuitable for their cheerful talk.

Although these two best detectives in the French and British police circles were perfect in most cases, this time, both of them clearly miscalculated.

What kind of guests would book a room in a modest hotel on a Thursday afternoon? What was their purpose in opening the room?

This is a topic worthy of study.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with not studying nature.

Benefiting from the poor sound insulation of this small hotel, Arthur and Vidocq already knew the behavior of the guests at this moment, even without confirming it with their own eyes.

Needless to say, there is no need to mention Balzac and Madame Bern next door. They are naturally here to revise the new work Balzac has just finished. Of course, in addition to modifications, some other activities are also needed as a spare time.

For those guests whose main job is not writing, their purpose is obviously even simpler.

Although the afternoon sun has been blocked by thick clouds floating in the sky, the air in the room is more manic than before.

Vidocq was smoking calmly, and he joked to Arthur, who was sitting opposite him: "Brother, don't tell me, you have never encountered this kind of situation when you were at Scotland Yard before."

Arthur shrugged and said: "Of course I have encountered it before. In our industry, don't we just like to pick such moments to strike? However, this is the first time that we are surrounded by men and women having affairs from all directions. Mr. Vidocq , Is today a good day in Paris? The business of a small hotel can be so good. "

Vidocq lowered his voice, arched his waist and smiled: "Brother, you don't know this. Every working day when the husband is away from home is a good day for Parisians."

Arthur joked: "Does this happen every day? In other words, Parisians are really energetic. When I first came to Paris, Alexander told me that eating asparagus can strengthen my body. I didn't believe it, but today in Paris My experience finally convinced me. Although I don’t know the scientific principle, facts speak louder than words.”

Vidocq was overjoyed and said: "You come to my house another day, and I will ask the cook at home to prepare you some asparagus to replenish your health. If you eat jelly in London, you have to eat asparagus in Paris. How do you say that, in Rome? , you have to act like a Roman, you have to do as the Romans do, right?”

Arthur did not refuse Vidocq's invitation. He had always been interested in this veteran in the detective world: "Of course you have to eat asparagus, but what I want to know more is, how did you look at it two days ago? Do you know that this hotel is a gathering place for these sneaky cats? "

When Vidocq heard this, he couldn't help boasting: "Maybe you will be unhappy if I say this. But brother, this is the difference between you and me. I only need to stand in front of a person and observe him for a few times, I can immediately tell what the guy's sexual orientation is, whether he likes men or women, whether he is a liar, a sexual pervert, or a gambler. This skill was learned when I was in prison when I was young, and when I joined the security department, I could tell. In order to strengthen this ability to see people, I also spent a few weeks among these people and observed their behavior. "

Arthur asked curiously: "Mixed among these people? Gamblers and liars may be easy to find. You can easily meet a bunch of these little losers as long as you mix into a criminal group, but you can't find people like sexual perverts and homosexuals." Where did we meet? Are Parisians open enough to tell others about their sexual orientation? The crime of sodomy has been outlawed here? "

"No, of course not. In Paris, as in London, sodomy is punishable by death."

Vidocq held his pipe in his mouth and said: "But the death penalty does not mean that no one is engaged in this kind of business. At least I know that there is a gathering place for male prostitutes at the pier on the right bank of the Seine. You can find them from time to time in the area from the Louvre to the Place Bridge. They were there. I was among them, observing how they looked for business partners and how they extorted and extorted customers after the transaction. They threatened that if they didn't pay twice as much, they would go. The police accused the two of committing sodomy together, and then they were hanged together."

At this point, Vidocq reminded again: "By the way, the young man who walked into the house opposite us before was a homosexual. I could tell at a glance. If you don't believe it, I will give him to him in a moment. Fish him out and negotiate a deal with him. You just need to rescue me at the right time. Of course, if you are willing, we can make a deal with him. However, I don't really recommend that you do this. There is not much money, and our first goal should be to punish those fraudsters.”

Arthur's eyes were opened by what he heard, and he asked lightly: "Does your wealth come from those fraudsters?"

Vidocq laughed: "Brother, what do you think I am? I am now a serious businessman."

Arthur looked at the cunning in Vidocq's eyes, but he didn't know how to figure it out.

Whether it's Scotland Yard or the Paris Metropolitan Police, everyone has some not-so-good sources of income.

For senior police officers, there are naturally various trade associations who come to ask for money, but for those front-line police officers, they usually come to ask for money themselves.

At least as far as Arthur's experience is concerned, when he was working at Scotland Yard, he handled many cases of extortion by frontline patrol officers.

Most of the people who are being ripped off are black industry practitioners who have been manipulated.

Of course, it is not always possible to bribe the police. Except for those two types of people with extremely high moral character and those who are extremely profit-minded, whether most police officers accept bribes mainly depends on whether they want to be promoted or make a fortune recently.

Arthur was about to chat with Victor for a few more words, but unexpectedly there was a low voice talking in English outside the door.

"The East India Company sent a message to the country a while ago, saying that China has learned about the loss of their exclusive rights to trade with China. Therefore, China's Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi asked us to send someone as soon as possible to replace the chairman of the East India Company's Guangzhou Committee to prime the British trade with China. matter?"

"It is indeed true. This is not the first time that the governors of Guangdong and Guangxi have asked us to send special personnel to take charge of trade matters. Viscount Palmerston and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs believe that this may indicate that the Chinese have loosened their attitude towards foreign trade, so he is now We are stepping up our efforts to identify suitable candidates for the newly established position of Commercial Director in China.”

"Who do you think will have a chance? Does the Foreign Office intend to transfer someone directly from the East India Company's administration, or does it choose an experienced officer from the Department of War and Colonial Affairs?"

"The news is not clear at the moment, but I heard that Lord William Napier has the best chance to take on this important task. He has a good personal relationship with Viscount Palmerston, and the Viscount has great trust in him. Moreover, Lord Napier was still in the royal family in his early years. He has served in the Navy, participated in the Battle of Trafalgar as a trainee officer, and later served as General Thomas Cochran's deputy, so there should be no doubt about his ability."

"Hmm... Napier? What is his relationship with General Charles Napier, who just helped the Portuguese liberals and Queen Maria defeat the usurper Miguel in the Battle of Cape St. Vincent?"

"William Napier is his cousin. By the way, the Napier family also has a brother serving in the army. Major General Charles James Napier is stationed in Manchester and is in charge of the army garrison in northern England."

"It's no wonder that Viscount Palmerston has indeed selected a very suitable and suitable candidate. Both brothers are very influential in the army and the Royal Navy. I think that in this way, the Colonial Affairs Department should not object to the appointment of William. ·Lord Napier is appointed as the Director of Commerce and Trade in China. However, although Lord Napier has proven his leadership, his experience in serving in the Royal Navy does not mean that he can handle commercial trade well. Perhaps the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should assign him a new one. It takes the right deputy to handle day-to-day matters.”

"Don't worry, Viscount Palmerston has already thought about this. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has assigned him a good trade commissioner secretary."

"who?"

"This is the person we are going to meet today, Mr. Charlie Elliot. He also served in the Royal Navy for many years, especially in combating the slave trade along the coasts of Africa and Jamaica. He performed extremely well after retiring from active service as a colonel. , and was assigned by the Ministry of Colonial Affairs to serve as a colonial official in Guyana for many years. Maybe you are not familiar with this name, but you probably know his brother.”

"Sir George Elliot?"

"Haha, I didn't expect you to guess right right away."

"This is not a difficult question. There is no second choice for Elliott, who is currently popular in politics. His Majesty's Royal Attaché, and the former captain of the Portsmouth base flagship 'Victory' , a rising star of the Royal Navy who had already stood out during the Napoleonic Wars, and his combat performance in Southeast Asia has been even more outstanding. If my guess is correct, he will be promoted soon, right?"

"If nothing else, that's probably it. I did hear some news from St. James's Palace that Sir George Elliot has become the favorite to be the next Secretary of the Admiralty. As long as he Once he proves his ability in that position, the door will be open to him at the Royal Navy Commission."

Arthur originally just stood inside the door and listened quietly, but the names of acquaintances popped up one after another in the conversation outside the door.

He had met General Charles Napier when he was in Liverpool. This retired rear admiral of the Royal Navy left the port for Portugal under his arrangement. With the strong support of Queen Maria and her father, Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, Served as Commander-in-Chief of the Navy of the Kingdom of Portugal.

From the conversation just now, it can be seen that General Napier seems to have done a good job in Portugal. He helped the Portuguese liberals wipe out the maritime power of the autocrats.

But for retired generals of the Royal Navy, this is nothing too novel.

After all, before Napier, 'Bomb Ship Maniac' General Thomas Cochran and 'Swedish Knight' General Sidney Smith had already helped South American countries defeat Spain, helped Sweden annihilate Tsarist Russia's Baltic Fleet, etc. .

As for Sir George Elliot, he can be regarded as an old acquaintance of Arthur.

The first time the two met was at a private banquet hosted by General Codrington. When Arthur was awarded the title of 'Sir,' it was Elliot who stood beside the king and held the knight's golden spurs for Arthur. and cloak.

When he thought of this, Arthur turned around and winked at Vidocq, indicating that he wanted to go out for a walk.

Arthur just opened the door and saw a familiar face, or more accurately, one of his teachers, John Lambton, Earl of Durham.

In Britain, whenever this gentleman is mentioned, the first thing people think of is not what he has done, but that he is the son-in-law of Prime Minister Earl Grey. His and Earl Grey's identities are so dazzling that most people forget that this gentleman himself is by no means an ordinary person.

In short, this is an old Whig. Most of the time, he stood in the same trench with Arthur's mentor Lord Brougham: supporting the Catholic emancipation movement, supporting parliamentary reform, supporting free trade, supporting universal education, helping to establish the University of London, and advocating the abolition of all legal barriers to non-conformists.

Because of this, Arthur actually knew Lord Durham quite early. As early as when he was studying at the University of London, he had already known this liberal representative nicknamed "Radical Jack".

However, what impressed Arthur the most about this part-time teacher who occasionally came to the campus to give speeches was what he heard when he chatted with Earl Daramore in private.

At that time, Earl Daramore told Arthur quite naturally: "I think 40,000 pounds a year can be called a middle income, an income that can live a stable life."

Such remarks naturally shocked Arthur, who had an annual expenditure of just 20 pounds at the time. Even until now, Arthur has not reached the middle income level mentioned by Lord Daramore.

However, Lord Daramore's income of 40,000 pounds is not bragging, because this guy has an identity that most people in the world can't envy-the founder and chairman of the British New Zealand Company.

Since the establishment of the New Zealand Company in 1825, it has quickly controlled most of the commercial institutions in New Zealand and monopolized the local luxury goods trade such as flax, wood and pearls.

Such wealth allowed Earl Daramore to retire early at the age of 41.

As the son-in-law of the prime minister and one of the main members who drafted the parliamentary reform bill, he could have continued to hold an important position in the cabinet, but he chose to leave politics early.

As for the reason, it is also very simple. He felt that someone had stolen his credit in the process of parliamentary reform. For such a person who is not short of money, leaving a name in history has become the only pursuit, but his goal has been ignored by everyone, which made Lord Daramore feel insulted, so he submitted his resignation to his father-in-law Earl Grey shortly after the completion of the parliamentary reform.

Earl Grey has always been worried about the style of this radical son-in-law, especially after the riots of parliamentary reform last year, the Whig Party also began to reflect on whether its own methods of doing things are too radical. So when a radical representative like Lord Daramore proposed to resign, Earl Grey immediately approved it.

Of course, Earl Daramore's departure was quite decent. Just like Arthur was knighted when he left London, Earl Daramore also became a knight when he left London. He was originally just a baron, but now he is an earl.

Just as Arthur discovered Earl Daramore, Earl Daramore also discovered Arthur, an outstanding graduate of the University of London.

He opened his eyes wide, and then a little smile appeared on his face. He walked up and patted Arthur's shoulder affectionately: "Oh, Arthur, why are you here?"

Arthur took off his hat and said hello: "Sir, I heard that you are not in good health. Are you here in Paris to recuperate?"

Earl Daramore laughed and said: "Indeed, my migraine is an old problem. As long as I stay away from London and Westminster Palace, my health will get better immediately. Do you think this is strange?"

Arthur laughed and said: "Actually, I am almost the same. My heart was pierced in London, and I grew a heart again as soon as I arrived in Paris. Do you think this is strange?"

Earl Daramore also understood what Arthur meant. This young man was most likely teasing the guys in the cabinet and parliament for having no conscience. Why did they just dump him to Hanover?

Earl Daramore, who was also ostracized, had some sympathy with Arthur.

On the other hand, Earl Daramore was quite grateful to this student from the University of London for successfully stabilizing the situation in London on June 5.

If the riot on that day expanded into an uprising, then Earl Daramore, who had been instigating parliamentary reform and personally drafted the parliamentary reform bill, would definitely not escape the purge within the party.

He comforted Arthur and said, "Just because some people have no memory doesn't mean that everyone has no memory. Arthur, you are a good guy. I have read the reports on Fleet Street. Those reporters either didn't understand the inside story or pretended to be confused. Given the situation in London that day, you have almost done everything you can in your position."

Arthur felt a little relieved when he heard this.

He didn't think about what kind of promise Earl Daramore would make to him, but he had to show himself to all the British politicians he met as much as possible. After all, Hanover is not located at the foot of Westminster Palace and Whitehall Street, and he does not have a brother like Sir George Elliot or a strong foundation like the Napier family.

So, if you don't make some ripples face to face, these guys may really forget about you one day.

He doesn't want to do a job like hiding in a hotel with Vidocq to spy on others having an affair for the rest of his life.

At this point, Earl Daramore introduced his companion to Arthur: "Come, Arthur, let me introduce you. This is Mr. John Bowning, who is the foreign secretary of the British Unitarian Association. He was also the editor-in-chief of the Westminster Review before. He and Mr. Bentham are old friends."

Arthur heard this and shook hands with Sir Bowning with a smile: "I have heard Mr. Bentham mention you before, but what I am most interested in about you is that Mr. Bentham said that even if you are not the most outstanding linguist in the world, you must be in the top three. You seem to speak 200 languages. Is this true?"

Boning had a good impression of the crystallization of the University of London in front of him. He smiled modestly: "Mr. Bentham is really overpraising me. I haven't mastered 200 languages ​​yet, only a little over 100. I can communicate fluently in about 60 languages, but being able to read and write 200 languages ​​is indeed my goal."

Arthur originally just wanted to make a joke with Bowning, but what he didn't expect was that the other party actually mastered such a large number of languages.

Even if Arthur counted on his fingers, he might not be able to count 60 languages, but the other party could actually communicate in 60 languages.

Seeing Arthur's surprised face, Bowning couldn't help but ask with a smile: "I remember that the University of London should have courses in Greek, Latin, French, Spanish and German. Which ones did you learn when you were studying there?"

Arthur blinked: "Greek and Latin are compulsory subjects in school, and I also took Spanish and French as minors. This time, in order to prepare for my new position in the Kingdom of Hanover, I also studied some German in a rush, but I'm not fluent yet."

At this point, Arthur suddenly mentioned: "By the way, I also know a little Chinese."

When Earl Darramo heard this, he smiled and said: "Really, Arthur, you know Chinese? You didn't hear the conversation between me and Bowning before, so you said this?"