shadow of britain

Chapter 247 French Terrier Encyclopedia (5K2)

An interrogation room at Whitechapel Police Station, Tower Hamlets, London.

Dumas and Arthur sat at the interrogation table, and opposite them sat Louis Bonaparte, who was wearing a spare Scotland Yard police officer's uniform.

Alexandre Dumas had a pen in his mouth. He first looked down at the test paper in front of him, which was full of questions and the ink was not yet dry. Then he turned to look at Arthur and raised his eyebrows at his roommate.

In response to Fatty's little expression, Arthur just nodded slightly to indicate that the exam could begin.

Upon seeing this, Alexandre Dumas cleared his throat first, then took out the print of Napoleon's portrait he had just bought from a nearby store and compared it with Louis Bonaparte. Then he asked: "Sir, I don't know what to do." What shall I call you?"

Louis Bonaparte rubbed his calves and said angrily: "How many times have I told you, I am Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte! I don't ask you British guys to work efficiently. How high, but at least you have to improve your memory!"

When Alexandre Dumas heard this, he couldn't help but slap the table angrily: "Sir, please take back your insults to me. There are only an authentic French gentleman and an Englishman who has not yet bald sitting in front of you in this office." Bald.”

When Arthur heard this, he just took a sip of tea: "Alexander, you have been out having fun and drinking lately, I shouldn't have time to offend you, right?"

When Alexandre Dumas heard this, he quickly changed his words: "Let me correct you, what I just said is a hypothetical situation! There are also some British people who are not born bald."

Louis Bonaparte, who was sitting opposite, heard this and answered naturally: "I guess you are referring to the ladies of Britain. After all, they also account for half."

As soon as he finished speaking, a tacit smile appeared on the faces of the two Frenchmen, and the cold interrogation room melted with their cheerful laughter.

Arthur just glanced at the two of them and said coldly: "Although you can't provide proof of nationality, you must be a Frenchman, at least mentally. Okay, Alexander, let's move on to the next topic. Bar."

But even though Arthur said this, Alexandre Dumas still had more to say: "Arthur, why are you so anxious? He may have just lived in France for a while. I have to continue to test him."

Before Arthur could speak, Alexandre Dumas hurriedly asked again: "Listen up, sir, if you are a true Frenchman, then you are sure of the answer to this question. Please listen up, what is warm and comfortable?" It starts with being wrapped in the sun, goes through a long, wet, soft, bumpy process, and ends with the exclamation of seeing thousands of little fools?"

When Louis Bonaparte heard this, he immediately smiled evilly, pointed at Alexandre Dumas and said: "Aha! Man, if I were not a true Frenchman, I might really stump you. "

Alexandre Dumas said seriously: "So, what is your answer?"

Louis Bonaparte raised his head and puffed out his chest and said: "It's very simple. I guess you must be talking about crossing the English Channel from France!"

"Absolutely correct!" Alexandre Dumas rushed forward and held Louis Bonaparte's hand. While shaking the other person's arm, he did not forget to turn back and prove to Arthur: "Arthur, I can confirm it now. This guy should be my compatriot, there is no mistake.”

When Arthur heard this, the pen he held in his hand started to spin even more: "Alexander, are you sure you have to do this with me? Have you two French frogs had enough?"

Alexandre Dumas returned to his seat, coughed twice, and then picked up the test paper he had just prepared.

"Sir, although I am willing to prove that you are an authentic Frenchman, I still have some doubts about you being a relative of Napoleon. To be honest, my father actually has some working contacts with Napoleon, so I I happen to know some secrets about Napoleon that others don’t know..."

When Louis Bonaparte heard this, he couldn't help but tremble all over. He asked: "Are you Fouche's son?"

"Fouche?" Alexandre Dumas coughed: "My father didn't know that much, but sir, please pay attention. The person next to me is Superintendent Hastings of the Metropolitan Police Department. He is Fouche of Britain. In other words, in front of him, you'd better tell the truth and don't try to be petty, otherwise if he finds out that you are lying, you know..."

Louis Bonaparte was frightened by Alexandre Dumas's false words. He asked: "You...you are not planning to shoot me, are you? I am a fucking victim!"

Arthur put his arms on the table, clasped his hands together and said to his mouth: "Sir, although I also want to believe what you say. But as you know, you can neither produce nationality documents nor other identity documents. You don't even have a passport to enter the country. If this were the time of the Napoleonic Wars, based on the above points alone, we could declare you a foreign spy and sentence you to hang. Not to mention, you just proved that you are For a Frenchman, this is simply a crime plus a crime."

"But I'm not a spy, and this isn't the time of the Napoleonic Wars!"

"That's right." Arthur nodded and said, "So we won't shoot you. Britain is still very humane in this regard. But although we won't execute you, we can't rule out that you are Fred. One of the accomplices of the criminal group. So until the truth is found out, we are inclined to temporarily imprison you. If you don’t want to be put in a small cage with electricity, it is best to explain everything clearly as soon as possible. "

Alexandre Dumas heard the words and echoed: "Yes, that's right, man. Judging from your answer just now, you should not be a bad person, but it is your fault to brag about your relationship with Napoleon. If you admit your mistake in time now, you can still If you have time, I can warn you that the question I am about to ask is not something that ordinary French people can answer. My father is really related to Napoleon."

Louis Bonaparte was originally frightened, but when he heard that Alexandre Dumas dared to question his ancestry, the 23-year-old young man suddenly lost his temper: "Then just ask! Who is the Bonaparte family?" Men are not scared to death! Our nobility is innate!"

"Good! You have backbone!" Alexandre Dumas couldn't help but look at him admiringly: "With this sentence, even if you are not from the Bonaparte family, you are at least from a noble family. Then please listen to the question... He once served as a member of the Alps Who is the commander of the Mountain Corps and the meritorious general of the First French Empire who followed Napoleon in his expedition to Egypt?"

When Louis Bonaparte heard this, he was stunned for a moment, and then fell into deep thought: "This...Jean Lannes?"

Seeing this, Alexandre Dumas just flicked the pen in his hand: "Come on, Arthur, you don't even know the basic questions. This is a fake. Drag it out and kill it."

When Arthur heard this, he just pinched his chin: "The French are indeed efficient in doing things!"

When Louis Bonaparte heard this, he stood up in a hurry and said, "Can you give me a hint? There were many generals during the First Empire, so you must give me some characteristics!"

Alexandre Dumas was about to open the door and go out, but when he heard this, he couldn't help but frown, and gave a slight reminder: "The Black Devil."

Upon hearing this, Louis Bonaparte slapped his thigh and stood up: "General Thomas Alexandre Dumas!"

"Huh?" Alexandre Dumas's eyes widened when he heard this: "It seems that you really know something about that paragraph. But this cannot prove that you are a member of the Bonaparte family. At most, you are a learned person. .”

After finishing speaking, Alexandre Dumas was about to return to the table to continue the next question.

Unexpectedly, before he could stand still, Arthur said: "Then let me ask a question. I heard this from the French Ambassador Mr. Talleyrand. If you can answer it, you will get extra points. If you can't, you will get extra points." No points will be deducted for coming out, this shouldn’t be too much to ask, right?”

Louis Bonaparte breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Then you ask, although I don't know everything, but what if..."

Arthur leaned on the chair and said: "At a meeting during the First Empire, Mr. Talleyrand made Napoleon furious because of one sentence. What did he say?"

"This……"

Louis Bonaparte thought hard, and he guessed: "Is it the time when there was a rumor in Paris that Talleyrand and Fouche were conspiring to depose my uncle? At that time, my uncle put aside the war and rushed back from Spain overnight and called Talleyrand to Du. Illery Palace cursed me loudly. I remember my father told me about this, and the curse was very unpleasant.

If I remember correctly, what my uncle yelled at Talleyrand was: 'You thief!asshole!A shameless person!Listen!I'm going to smash you like glass... you're just a wisp of stinky mud in stockings!Stinky mud! '

I heard that Mr. Talleyrand acted very calmly after being scolded. He just took out his handkerchief and wiped the spit from his face, and said coldly: "It's a pity that such a great man is so uneducated." . 'Then he limped out of the palace gate with his cane. My uncle was so angry at his reaction that he immediately announced that all his positions were revoked.

At that time, my uncle originally wanted to execute Talleyrand in the name of treason, but he could never find evidence of Talleyrand's crime, so he had no choice but to let it go.But looking back now, Talleyrand began to sell the military intelligence of the First Empire to Austria after being scolded. The reason why no evidence of his crime was found must be because Fouche, the Minister of Police, was covering for him.Sigh...these two guys are nothing like the same thing! "

When Arthur heard this and saw the expression of resentment on the young man's face, coupled with this vivid story, he couldn't help but feel a little more convinced about the identity of the young man in front of him.

Could it be that Fiona really brought back an emperor for me?

But regardless of whether the emperor is real or fake, the procedures must still be followed.

If the guy in front of him is real, then the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will definitely check the arrest procedures for him afterwards. As long as Arthur can prevent them from finding fault, then this matter is not only not an exaggeration, but also must be remembered. Woolen cloth.

When he thought of this, the smile on his face couldn't help but grow a little thicker, and he said briskly: "Mr. Bonaparte, you have to be lucky that you fell into the hands of the British. If it had fallen into the hands of the Prussians, You're not so lucky."

Louis Bonaparte had not yet realized the change in Arthur's name for him. He was still curious about the meeting between Talleyrand and Napoleon that Arthur had just mentioned. This second generation emperor was interested in everything about his uncle. .

"So, Mr. Hastings, what did Mr. Talleyrand say in that meeting you mentioned?"

Arthur said: "I remember that Mr. Talleyrand said at the meeting: 'In the past few years, due to the over-expansion of His Majesty the Emperor, the Empire has been on the edge of collapse. But after the Battle of Leipzig, I can be proud I want to announce to everyone that His Majesty has now taken a big step forward!'"

As soon as Arthur finished speaking, Dickens, who was waiting outside the door of the interrogation room, leaning on the door panel and preparing to ask Arthur to go fishing with Arthur after the interrogation, and Sheriff Jones, who was standing next to him and chatting with him, laughed together.

Judging from the vibration of the door panel, they were both laughing happily.

In the interrogation room, the two Frenchmen who were in high spirits just now seemed to have made an appointment, and the smiles on their faces had completely disappeared.

Of course, happiness cannot disappear out of thin air, it is just transferred.

Alexandre Dumas's entire face almost turned the color of pig's liver. He asked: "Did Talleyrand really say this?"

Arthur took a sip of tea: "How is that possible? I made it up."

"Why are you making this up?"

"Didn't I just want to liven up the atmosphere?" Arthur smiled and patted Dumas on the shoulder: "Okay, Alexander, I'm done asking, it's your turn next."

Alexandre Dumas glared at him fiercely. If it was normal, he might just push the chair and leave.

However, from what Louis Bonaparte said just now, the fat Frenchman also felt something was wrong. If he didn't figure this out, he might not be able to sleep for several days, so he could only pinch his nose to let Arthur win a little. bureau.

Alexander asked: "Forget the routine ones just now, what I want to ask next are some relatively private things, which only people close to them can understand. First of all, I hope you can list some of Napoleon's unknown quirks. Questions will be randomly drawn from these quirks.”

"Quirks? That's too many."

Louis Bonaparte said confidently: "First of all, my uncle is a very cultured man. When he goes to the theater to watch a play, he will only applaud when the performance is over. But this Parisian basically knows it, and it is not a secret. I My uncle also likes to spray perfume on himself. He can use dozens of bottles of cologne every day. This should be regarded as a small secret, and anyone who is close to him can know it. But what I want to do next is But only those closest to him would know...it's about the love letter he wrote to my first aunt and Queen Josephine..."

"Oh?" Alexandre Dumas couldn't help but lean forward: "What are you talking about?"

Arthur couldn't help but put down his teacup: "Continue."

Louis Bonaparte lowered his voice and said: "I am only telling you this to prove my identity. But after that, please don't spread it outside!"

Alexandre Dumas clapped his chest and assured: "Of course, I am a playwright with integrity. Do you know Vidocq? Although he cannot be compared with Napoleon, he is also a French legend. Mr. Vidocq has many I have always kept my romantic affair in my stomach and never told it."

Arthur also nodded in agreement: "That's right. Although I don't know how the French police intelligence agency operates. But I must emphasize that as a rational person, you should trust the confidentiality of the British official intelligence agency sex."

After receiving their assurances, Louis Bonaparte blushed and summoned up the courage to say: "Most people don't know why my uncle is so obsessed with Josephine, even after he had to divorce her for a political marriage. , and still corresponded with her for a long time and provided her with daily care. As a woman, of course my aunt Josephine is beautiful, but my uncle has seen many women, why does he only love this one?"

Alexandre Dumas opened his eyes wide and nodded and asked: "Yes? Why?"

Arthur also asked: "Why?"

Louis Bonaparte said proudly: "Why? The secret is that my uncle fell in love with Josephine's unique body fragrance. This fascination even reached the point where my uncle wrote a letter to praise her - I longed for more than just her fragrance. Just your love, but also your breath, your laughter, even your imperfections.

Perhaps this evidence is not strong enough, but when Josephine died, my mother went to her residence to help her sort out her belongings. Among her belongings was a love letter. According to the date, it can be concluded that it was written by my uncle who had just returned from Austria. It was written during the great victory in the Battle of Streitz. I thought there would be a lot of words about you and me, or bragging about my achievements in the victory, but in fact there was only one very short line written in the letter. Text, guess what? "

"what?"

Louis Bonaparte couldn't help but smile the brightest smile today: "Josephine, don't take a bath, I will come in three days."

Hearing this, Alexandre Dumas and Arthur couldn't help but take a breath, and they both reached out and pinched their chins at the same time: "It's interesting."

Seeing them like this, Louis Bonaparte couldn't help but ask: "So, what I tell you can prove my identity? When will you release me?"

Alexandre Dumas pursed his lips and said: "I really don't know about this kind of thing, but I can't say you are wrong. This..."

He turned to look at Arthur: "What do you think should be done?"

Arthur nodded slightly and said: "Judging from the content of the letter just now, it is indeed very French. But whether it is true or not, I have to forward it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs first and ask them to find Joseph who lives in the Regency Crescent Building. M. Bonaparte will check.”

When Louis Bonaparte heard this, he stood up in shock: "No! If you ask him, wouldn't he know that it was me who spread the news? Besides, to verify the identity, you can bring him directly." I can just go see him, why bother?"

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but smile: "Of course it's not impossible to take you there, but you must first sign a disclaimer of liability for Scotland Yard. Because if there is fraud involved, then we will not Let me explain it to Mr. Joseph Bonaparte."

"A letter of responsibility?" Louis Bonaparte waved his hand and said, "You could have just taken out that kind of thing."

When Arthur heard this, he took out the document he had prepared in advance like a magic trick. He flipped the front side, which was densely filled with words, to the back side where only the signature column was left. Arthur pointed at the top The blank part said: "If that's the case, just sign here."

(End of this chapter)