shadow of britain

Chapter 241 The Power of the British (6K2)

The Metropolitan Police Headquarters, 4 Whitehall Street, Westminster, London.

Today's Scotland Yard is still full of people coming and going, but few of the superintendents who usually sit at the headquarters are leisurely staying in the office drinking tea and reading newspapers today.

This is not because the superintendents suddenly became more diligent, but because the situation forced them to face a formidable enemy. Even if Scotland Yard could not achieve any results, they had to show some attitude.

As Minister Rowan and Arthur expected, MP Bernie Harrison has continued to put pressure on Scotland Yard in Parliament since his release.

In order to find out whether there is corruption, malfeasance, violation of judicial procedures and a series of unfair phenomena within Scotland Yard, the Parliament is considering whether to follow the initiative of Member Harrison to establish a special police investigation committee, or even to ban Scotland Yard and restore continuity. Hundreds of years of local sheriff management.

Of course, judging from Arthur's observation, corruption, malfeasance, and violation of judicial procedures all exist within Scotland Yard.Not only that, Arthur can even add a few more crimes to Scotland Yard for the Investigating Committee, and the crimes he lists can be written in more detail.

Most of Scotland Yard's senior police officers will engage in activities such as subcontracting the prosecution business of the police district to some law firms to obtain the middle price difference, deploying excess police force to ensure the safety of stores in exchange, accepting irregular banquets from industry associations within their jurisdiction, and collecting condolence gifts, etc.

Among low-level police officers, this is mostly reflected in accepting bribes to release criminals, embezzling stolen money, selling stolen goods, and accepting funding from some criminal groups to inform them, etc.

It can be said that the misconduct of Scotland Yard depends entirely on the power it possesses, and this principle can be applied without reservation to other administrative departments in Britain.

However, although Scotland Yard is not a fair and honest organization, it is still much restrained compared to the old Sheriff model.

Because Scotland Yard itself has these problems, they are basically inherited from the Sheriff model. At least Scotland Yard now has some clear management regulations. It is clear at a glance what is wrong and what is right, and there are also corresponding penalties. .

More importantly, the justices of the peace have always hated Scotland Yard for not listening to their orders. After all, Scotland Yard's original means of making money belonged to them and the magistrates under them.

As the unborn grandson of the famous Whig debater Lord Russell said: A beggar will not be jealous of a millionaire, but he will certainly be jealous of a beggar with a higher income.

Although magistrates and Scotland Yard are not beggars, overall, the social status of senior Scotland Yard police officers and magistrates is basically on the same level.

Because of this, they naturally hold the view that "the failure of the justice of the peace is terrible, but the success of Scotland Yard is even more heart-wrenching", and they will find trouble for Scotland Yard almost every chance they get.

Therefore, in the constant tug-of-war between these two interest-driven groups, there was even a hint of judicial fairness.

After the fall of the Tory Party, this trend has intensified. These guys who took up the office of magistrates in the Tory era are almost trying every means to make the prosecution represented by Scotland Yard lose the case in ordinary cases. .

Therefore, when Congressman Harrison's case came out this time, the magistrates who had been suppressing it for a long time exclaimed: Our glorious era is coming back.

Of course, in Arthur's opinion, the justices of the peace may have been happy too soon.

He carefully read every word of the arrest warrant for Congressman Bernie Harrison previously issued by the Westminster Magistrates' Court in his hand, and the corner of his eye drifted to the place where he signed the signature quite clearly.

The magistrate who authorized Bernie Harrison's arrest was none other than Mr. George Norton, who had just taken office.

Although Mr. Norton had announced his resignation from the Tory Party half a year ago in order to obtain a position, as a member of the hardline faction of the Tory Party, Arthur would not think that Mr. Norton did not know the Earl of Eldon who was also a supporter of the Tory Party. Bernie Harrison.

He quickly picked up another piece of information he had at hand, which was part of the information he learned after talking to Mrs. Norton.

Regarding the description of George Norton's character, whether it was from the mouth of his former classmate Disraeli or the mouth of his wife who was his pillow, Arthur came to the same conclusion.

Mr. Norton is a total egomaniac and a nuisance.

The reason why Mrs. Norton begged the Viscount of Melbourne to give her husband a seat as a justice of the peace was not only because of the magistrate's annual salary of up to 1000 pounds, but also because an idle George Norton was indeed a problem.

If Mr. Norton stayed at home all day, he would devote all his energy to his wife and two children under the age of three.And for Mrs. Norton, it was almost catastrophic.So in order to avoid having to get into quarrels and fights with her husband all day long, Mrs. Norton would try her best to find something for him to do.

However, ordinary positions would not have caught Mr. Norton's eyes. If she had not had a friend, Viscount Melbourne, who was the Home Secretary, and Mr. Norton's father had the foresight to let his son study at the Bar, and he would have been admitted to the Bar in his early years. He worked as a lawyer for seven years, just to meet the minimum appointment conditions for judges. This problem is really difficult to solve.

After getting the position of justice of the peace, Mr. Norton was naturally very grateful to his wife and Viscount Melbourne. He not only began to take the initiative to repair the relationship with his wife, but even encouraged the relationship.

The couple had lived in harmony for more than half a year, but this harmony began to change subtly after Mr. Norton began to learn about the establishment of the London District Attorney's Office.

Although Mr. Norton had just lost the election, his self-confidence was not greatly affected. He believed that he deserved the position of Attorney General of the London District Attorney's Office, and began to ask his wife to go to the Viscount of Melbourne to get information.

But this time, Viscount Melbourne politely rejected Mrs. Norton's request. Although this mild-tempered and occasionally sensitive Home Secretary valued his relationship with Mrs. Norton, it did not mean that he was brainless.

Viscount Melbourne knew very well that the appointment of the Attorney General had to be approved by the Chancery. However, it was completely impossible for Lord Justice Brougham to hand over such an important position to a former die-hard Tory.

Even the last time Norton was appointed as a justice of the peace, it just happened to happen to Arthur.

Otherwise, it would not be so easy to change from a tough character to even a bit mean, and to be honest with the king and dare to help the queen in her lawsuit with the late King George IV.

After being rejected by Viscount Melbourne, Mr. Norton quickly returned to the way he was six months ago. His attitude first became cold, and then became as enthusiastic as a volcanic eruption. Following the volcanic temper came a series of Constant quarrels and scuffles.

Mr. Norton threw an inkwell and poured scalding teapot water at his wife.

Mrs. Norton scolded her husband bloody. She insulted the ancestors of the Norton family while emphasizing the glorious tradition of the Sheridan family from which she was born.

The self-narration of Mrs. Norton recorded by Arthur can be said to be a very good reflection of the relationship between them - my husband gradually became a suffocator, a pulmonary constrictor, an iron mask, an interrogator and a... Everything that is unnatural.In defiance, I called him a tyrant and he called me a traitor.But he can't do anything to me, and I must say that even though he is a tyrant, he is still the most incompetent of the crazy tyrants.

While Mrs. Norton was pouring beans out of a bamboo tube, Arthur, who was good at summarizing and organizing, had basically completed a preliminary investigation of Mr. Norton's social background, living habits and other aspects.

This investigation led him to discover a very interesting incident. Among the various cases in which Mrs. Norton scolded her husband for being inappropriate, she inadvertently mentioned that the two had an extremely heated dispute over the education of their children last Wednesday. quarrel.

But the quarrel did not rise to the level of a fight because Mr. Norton was in a hurry to get to a dinner party hosted by the Earl of Eldon.

The intelligence submitted by the London Police Intelligence Bureau detectives after investigation showed that Mr. Bernie Harrison was also on the invitation list for this dinner.

What’s more interesting is that Mrs. Norton described her husband who came home drunk: “The shirt on his body was all muddy, and there was no trace of the decency that an English gentleman should have on him. When I saw him , I thought this was a swineherd who had just finished his work! Thank you Mr. Harrison, and curse Mr. Harrison, if he had not been kind enough to share the carriage with that tyrant, he would have frozen to death on the roadside."

Disraeli sat across from Arthur's desk, crossing his legs while reviewing the manuscript in his hand, while tasting the white wine in the glass that was as dazzling as gold.

He raised his eyebrows and praised: "Well, Arthur, I didn't expect you to have such good taste in red wine. The sweet white produced by the Lysalus winery in the Sauternes region has been used by the president of the United States, the Russian tsar, the French king and our British wine." Many big shots are fans here. I remember what the newspaper called this wine, liquid gold. This bottle is not cheap."

Arthur rubbed his sore neck, raised his head and saw the red devil standing behind Disraeli, wanting to strangle him to death.

The red devil held his face in his hands and yelled: "Arthur! You little bastard, look what you did? You let this Jew ruin such a good thing? Let him stop." , otherwise I curse you to go to hell in the future!"

Arthur turned a blind eye to the devil's protest. He just said: "I didn't buy this wine, but the Duke of Wellington gave it to me. According to the Duke, the white wine of Lysalus must be ordered three years in advance. , the things produced there have always been easy to sell.”

Disraeli took another sip. He raised his glass and looked at the clear wine and asked, "Really? How much? If it's within my affordability, maybe I should prepare to book the one in three years' time." approved."

Arthur struck a match and lit the cigar, put one hand on the back of the chair and puffed out the cigarette: "It's not expensive, it's worth a Belgian throne at most. To be honest, you just drank half of Brussels."

When Disraeli heard this, he almost spit the wine he had just taken into his mouth into Arthur's face.

He took out the handkerchief from his coat pocket and wiped the wine stains around his mouth: "Arthur, I'm talking to you seriously!"

"I didn't lie to you either." Arthur took two puffs of his cigar, and the smoke he exhaled covered his entire face: "You people are always like this, whenever I feel my conscience and want to tell you When I tell the truth, no one wants to believe it. If I tell a few lies casually, you will take it as the truth."

Disraeli obviously didn't take Arthur's words to heart. He asked: "Let's not talk about it. Why did you remember to go to Mrs. Norton today to ask for a manuscript? Could it be that you have taken a fancy to her and the Minister of the Interior, Viscount Melbourne? An intimate relationship?”

Arthur was noncommittal about Disraeli's speculation. He always encouraged people who were kept in the dark to use their imaginations, because the audience would always weave stories that were more exciting than the facts, and this could also cover up the current intelligence of the London police. The bureau's rudimentary and clumsy performance in intelligence collection work.

Arthur said: "Getting to know some big shots or ladies who maintain good friendships with them is always beneficial to future development. Anyway, "The British" has to find some manuscripts to enrich the page, so who should we look for? Let alone Mrs. Norton happens to be talented in this area."

Disraeli rubbed his temples: "You are right. After half a year of rapid growth, the sales of "The British" have now leveled off. Maybe for others, each issue sold Fifteen thousand copies is already a very impressive achievement. But we are different. We cannot limit ourselves to this trivial success now. We will become big names in the future! If we can include "The British" The government departments’ daily ordering list of publications will bring us not only financial benefits, but also political benefits!”

When Arthur heard this, he didn't take a full puff of cigarette, and almost choked to death from Disraeli's overly astonishing grand plan.

Although he knew that his friend, a drama star, had always been quick-thinking, he still didn't understand where this guy came from with the confidence to include an entertainment literary magazine in the list of government-ordered publications.

In order to prevent the highly mobile Disraeli from launching too groundbreaking practices in some aspects and causing some irreversible and unknown consequences, Arthur had to quickly pour cold water on him.

Arthur said: "The current publications ordered by the government are mainly current affairs news, social news and political commentary. If one day "The British" can show the characteristics of these three aspects, I believe the government will definitely consider ordering it. But as for Right now, I think sales of [-] copies are clearly not representative."

Disraeli rubbed his head in distress: "What you said makes sense, but fifteen thousand copies is already a very large sales base. If you want to continue to improve, I'm afraid you will have to use some extraordinary means."

Arthur said calmly: "Extreme means? I have them here! The public is only concerned about those things. As long as you understand their interests, you can easily control their wallets. Especially for those who are "British" It’s easier to get hold of the middle class of the mainstream audience, the desires of these guys are almost obvious.”

"Oh?" Disraeli straightened his back slightly and leaned forward slightly: "What do you mean?"

Arthur casually pulled out a few newspapers from the pile on his desk. They were The Times, The Manchester Guardian and The Weekly Express, which were also aimed at middle-class readers.

This time, before Arthur could speak, Disraeli curled his lips and shook his head: "Come on, Arthur, I have already placed advertisements in these newspapers, but the effect is not as good as I thought. ."

Arthur just shook his head after hearing this: "Benjamin, you are wrong. I am not asking you to advertise, and it is too expensive to advertise in these large-circulation newspapers. More importantly, most readers People don’t like to see ads, so you have to make them not realize it’s an ad.”

Disraeli was confused by Arthur's words: "What do you mean?"

Arthur took out a piece of paper from the drawer and pushed the ink bottle in front of Disraeli: "Later, you can publish marriage notices in these newspapers for a month. As for the content of the notices, I will tell you remember."

Disraeli was completely confused: "Arthur, you want to propose marriage? You don't have to do this at all! It's quite easy for a 21-year-old Scotland Yard superintendent to find a good girl."

Arthur frowned and said, "Do you want to increase sales?"

Although Disraeli couldn't figure out what Arthur wanted to do, he still picked up the pen and paper obediently. After all, not many people in this world would have trouble with money: "You tell me."

Arthur cleared his throat and said seriously: "I am 21 years old, male, six feet tall, sunny and handsome, with thick hair and no signs of hair loss yet. I am a gentleman, treat animals with love, love music, and like Literary, my family owns a house near Hyde Park, and has a French senior chef employed at home. I currently have a stable job, with a combined annual income of more than [-] pounds, and I hope to find someone similar to Arthur Sigma who was serialized in "The Englishman" Mrs. XXX described in Mr.'s novel "The Hastings Detective Collection" may be a lovely lady like Miss XXX who will accompany her throughout her life."

When Disraeli heard this, he was so shocked that he dropped the pen in his hand.

He stood up suddenly and put his hands on Arthur's shoulders: "Arthur!"

Arthur said calmly: "What's wrong?"

Disraeli was so excited that he couldn't help himself: "You are a fucking genius!"

"Thank you." Arthur said, "You are the second guy who has said this to me today."

"Who was the last one?"

Arthur said calmly: "It's the devil."

"Indeed!" Disraeli's mouth nearly burst into laughter: "You are such a fucking devil!"

Arthur corrected: "Benjamin, I am not the devil, the one who praises me is."

"Okay, okay, I am the devil. If you can come up with this method, what will happen if I become a devil for once?"

Seeing that his drama star friend was already unconscious, Arthur didn't bother to clarify. He said, "So, Benjamin, are you satisfied now? By the way, if things don't go as planned, Good luck, maybe after a while, I can unleash some explosive stuff on ‘British’.”

Disraeli asked curiously: "Explosive thing? What do you mean?"

Arthur did not answer this. He just took out his pocket watch and took a look at it: "While the editorial office is not off work, maybe you have to take a quick trip to Fleet Street to book the marriage notices for next month in advance."

Seeing that Arthur didn't say anything, Disraeli didn't continue to ask. After all, the idea of ​​​​this marriage announcement was enough to satisfy him.

He raised a finger on each hand, pointed at Arthur and said with joy: "Oh! Arthur, I don't just want to book for next month? I also plan to book for next month. This method of engagement announcement is simply wonderful. Let's You can change it. What do you think about this?"

Disraeli proudly patted his chest and said: "I am 32 years old, female, five feet four inches tall, widowed, with two children. I have beautiful blond hair, a well-proportioned and plump figure. I originally had a happy and harmonious family. Because two years ago, Unfortunately, my husband passed away due to illness and left me a large amount of personal property. As a woman, I feel unable to take care of it..."

Unexpectedly, before Disraeli finished speaking, he was interrupted by Arthur raising his hand.

Arthur crossed his fingers and rested his elbows on the case: "Benjamin, I strongly suggest that you don't include too many personal quirks when advertising. But I also have to admit that you learn things very quickly. As far as I know , there may indeed be a lot of people who like this. But I don’t want too many of these people to be included in the readership of "The British", which will not be conducive to the inclusion of "The British" in the government procurement list."

Unexpectedly, when Disraeli heard this, he just stared: "Arthur! Do you mean that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is at a very low level?!"

Arthur was drinking tea. When he heard this, he sprayed the tea all over the floor. He was shocked: "Benjamin, are you sure? Does Earl Gray like this? I thought he only liked Earl Gray tea."

"Who told you I was talking about Earl Grey."

"That's the Duke of Wellington? That's good, after all, he and Mrs. Leven..."

Unexpectedly, before Arthur finished speaking, he saw Disraeli standing up and grabbing his collar with dignity: "Wrong, all wrong! Arthur, I'm talking about the future Prime Minister-Benjamin Disraeli. .”

Arthur was stunned for a moment, then calmly wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and slowly opened the office drawer: "Get out of here."

"It's just a joke. What do you think of my joke? Hahaha! Look at you, your face is dark."

"three……"

"Arthur! Can't you afford it?"

"two……"

"Arthur...we are all good brothers..."

This time Arthur didn't speak, and the only sound in the office was the click of the hammer.

Disraeli raised his hands in the air, with a false smile on his face, sweating on his forehead and said: "Okay, okay, I'll get out, but can you put down the gun first?"

(End of this chapter)