shadow of britain

Chapter 253 The Secret of Styria (4K8)

Scotland Yard cell, Louis Bonaparte's cell.

Wheatstone, Arthur, and Louis Bonaparte were sitting together at a small table, on which was a wine bottle, a plate of steamed potatoes, and a small dish of salt for dipping.

Louis Bonaparte picked up the half-empty bottle of wine, glanced at the label, and asked in surprise: "Isn't it too luxurious to use wine from Lysaluna with potatoes?"

Arthur was sitting on the bench peeling potatoes and replied: "It's not a big deal, this wine was given by someone else anyway. Besides, the original owner of this wine may not like to pair it with such delicious food when he tastes the wine. food."

Louis Bonaparte asked: "Who is the original owner you are talking about?"

Arthur dipped a potato into some salt particles and threw it into his mouth: "Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, I have been a guest at his mansion several times, and every time I see him using a potato that has been left to cool for a long time. Barbecue is paired with various high-end wines. I specifically asked him before why he didn't eat hot food, but His Excellency the Duke told me that this was a habit he developed during the Iberian War. Due to the urgent marching mission and the heavy workload, He had to arrange various things, so he often only had one meal a day. Whenever he finished a meeting with his staff, the cooked meals would have been cold long ago, so he would use good wine to accompany the cold meat and eat As time went by, I started to fall in love with the taste.”

Wheatstone heard this and asked curiously: "Then when you were guests, did the Duke of Wellington also treat you to cold meat?"

Arthur shook his head: "That's not the case. It's impossible for His Excellency the Duke to not understand hospitality etiquette. Even if he doesn't care about these things, the butler will arrange it for him. I took Alexander to the London No. 1 banquet that time The food the Duke of Wellington served us was quite rich, let me think about it... Roast veal with sweet orange, fried sole in anchovy sauce, roasted squab and skylark, a bowl of rich Windsor Cream bisque, rump stew, turtle soup and plum pudding.

By the way, there is an Indian cook in the Duke of Wellington’s family. He brought it back from India when he was fighting the Second Maratha War in his early years. The cook’s skills left a deep impression on me. , the taste of hand curry is simply amazing, I even asked him for the recipe, you can also write it down and try it at home, 8 ounces of turmeric, 4 ounces of coriander seeds, 2 ounces of cumin powder , 2 ounces of fenugreek seeds and half an ounce of chili pepper. As for the onions and garlic that are essential for curry, just add them according to your personal taste.

oh!There is also lemon juice for acidity. Remember not to add too much. The Indian cook told me that using lemon juice to acidify is actually a misunderstanding of the British people. Authentic Indian curry uses a kind of tamarind, The spices of sour apple, bitter melon and mango are mixed for a sour taste.However, because the variety of spices in Britain is so scarce, even he, the most authentic Indian, cannot reproduce 100% of the original Indian curry. "

When Louis Bonaparte heard this, his stomach growled. He could only pick up a potato and dip it in some salt to satisfy his craving.

Seeing his appearance, Arthur simply took out half a loaf of bread wrapped in newspaper from the cloth bag he carried with him and placed it on the table. He picked up the small table knife on the table and inserted it into the pastry of the bread.

Arthur pushed the bread and the newspaper over and said, "My work meal today has some ham stuffed in it. It can barely be regarded as a special dish in Britain."

Louis Bonaparte stared at the loaf of ham bread for a long time, then looked up at Arthur and asked: "Then you won't eat at noon today?"

Arthur picked up the small potatoes on the table with two fingers: "I'm almost full after eating this. So please use it, Mr. Bonaparte. After all, you have suffered some unreasonable disaster by inviting you here." But please understand that we are only enforcing the law and are not targeting you or your family. The Army's work is not ours."

When Louis Bonaparte heard this, he cut the ham bread with a table knife and nodded: "I understand this, but you must at least tell me when can I be released?"

Arthur leaned back on the chair and chewed potatoes: "I guess it will be soon. I heard that a lady who claimed to be your mother came from overseas yesterday and brought a copy of your identity document. Your Her uncle, Mr. Joseph Bonaparte, accompanied her to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this morning. I believe that your passport will be issued soon. The day the passport is issued, you will be released from prison."

"My mother?" Louis Bonaparte turned pale with shock, and even dropped the knife he was holding on the table: "She...where did she come from?"

Arthur, who had already investigated him and his mother, said lightly: "According to the information I got, she came from Rome. Since your mother found out that you and your brother secretly went to Rome to participate in charcoal burning The Party revolted, so she set out from Switzerland in a panic and immediately planned to get you two back. However, she searched around the war zone despite the flames of war, but she still couldn't find any trace of you two. It was your uncle who sent her a message, and she found out. You were arrested in London, so I rushed from Rome to take you back. But..."

Arthur suddenly paused when he said this: "Your mother, the beautiful Madame Hortense de Beauharnais, has been asking our Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the past two days if she has seen your second brother, the former King of the Netherlands. Louis II. I came to see you today precisely because I wanted to get an answer from you."

When Louis Bonaparte heard this, he felt his heart was in his throat. His upper and lower lips trembled. He was silent for a long time before telling the truth: "I...my second brother, he is on the run." He contracted urticaria in the process and died of illness in Fowler..."

When Arthur heard this, his eyes widened slightly: "This... I'm sorry to hear this news. But I think it might be better for you to state this news to your mother yourself, because I guess there must be many stories in it. M. Bonaparte, would you like me to arrange a meeting between you and your mother this afternoon?”

"Don't!" Louis Bonaparte hurriedly stopped when he heard this: "You...Scotland Yard should just keep me locked up for a few more days. I...I have been thinking about how to explain this to my mother for the past two days. thing."

When Arthur heard this, he nodded slightly. He patted Wheatstone on the shoulder and motioned for him to get up with him, leaving Louis Bonaparte to have some quiet time alone.

Whetstone looked a little unbearable, and comforted him: "Louis, if you are in a bad mood, you can talk to me at any time. Of course, you can come alone. I...I live next door to you, and it will be the same after you go out. Yes, we are neighbors."

Arthur took Wheatstone out of the door. Before leaving, he did not forget to remind you: "If you need anything, just call the guards here. As long as it is not an excessive request, we will try our best to satisfy you."

After saying this, he closed the cell door.

As soon as he walked out, Arthur let out a long sigh of relief. He turned around and saw several manuscripts under Wheatstone's arm. He couldn't help but asked curiously: "What are those?"

Wheatstone was still thinking about what happened to his new friend, so he replied absently: "Isn't it that I've been locked up here for the past two days? I don't have much to do anyway, so I just made up for the papers on the few experiments I did before. .”

"Really? Can I see it?"

"Take it."

Arthur took the manuscript and glanced at it, only to see that it was written entirely in French.

If it were more than half a year ago, Arthur would definitely not be able to understand it, but due to the temptation of the first French version of "The Human Comedy" that Vidocq brought to Alexandre Dumas, and Alexandre Dumas's intensive tutoring for more than half a year , Arthur's understanding of French is no longer limited to the common curse words.

What is even more fortunate is that since Arthur's French teacher was a well-known political figure in the 19th century, his mastery of political vocabulary is not comparable to that of ordinary beginners, and this also helps him very well. Understand the manuscript at hand.

Arthur turned over the manuscript and said, "Charles."

Wheatstone suddenly asked: "What's wrong?" Arthur raised his head and asked: "Do you want to be exiled to Elba or St. Helena?"

"Exile?" Wheatstone was startled: "Arthur, are you going too far?"

"No, Charles, it's not me who's going too far."

Arthur pointed to the title of the manuscript and asked Wheatstone: "Look, "Political Dreams." Charles, are you going to tell me that the experiment you conducted was to establish the First French Empire? If that is the case. , according to the principles of British case law, we have sufficient theoretical basis to exile you to those two islands."

Only then did Wheatstone react: "This is not my manuscript. Damn it, I must have picked it up by mistake. This is Louis's."

Arthur handed the manuscript back and shrugged: "Then you can return it to him when he is in a good mood, and by the way, suggest that he change the title of this unwritten manuscript, such as "Make France Great Again" Or something, this is much more inflammatory than "Political Dreams". Well...at least, I think that fat man Alexander will definitely be fooled."

"Fooled?" Wheatstone raised his eyebrows and asked, "Are you saying Louis is a liar?"

Arthur just smiled: "It's not a liar. If he is a liar, it is relatively safe. What worries me most is that he may believe it himself."

When Wheatstone heard this, he just shook his head. He had no comment on Arthur's words.

Mr. Wheatstone, who has a strong sense of self-management, returned to his cell quite consciously, and just said: "It's too complicated. It seems that I am not suitable to be the president of the Royal Society. I will do something I like." Just research.”

Arthur had no objection to Wheatstone. He stood there and was about to leave, but Agares, who had been standing behind Arthur and playing with the pipe, heard this and couldn't help but laugh out loud. road.

"Ah! Arthur, don't say that. You have to know that in most cases, the leader of the crowd is usually just an instigator, but his role should not be underestimated. Leaders usually have strong and lasting willpower. This is an extremely rare and powerful quality that can conquer everything. In other words, only the most extreme people can become leaders. But even so, the so-called leader is often the leader at the beginning, and he himself is hypnotized by the theory first , and then want to teach this set of things to others. It is passed down from generation to generation, and it is like this for many generations."

When Arthur heard this, he just lit the fire and took a puff of smoke: "Is the leader you are talking about Jesus?"

When the red devil who had been standing behind Arthur heard this, his smile became even brighter: "Oh, my dear Arthur, you finally have a clue. I guess you can feel it too, right? Whether it's religious, Whether it is political, or religious and political, the essence of human leaders has remained the same for thousands of years."

Arthur glanced back at him: "No wonder you, a devil, don't talk much about religion anymore. I have to say that you, an old salesman from hell, can still adapt to the changes of the times."

The Red Devil took off his hat and thanked him: "Thank you for the compliment, but having said that, have you ever considered establishing your own Papal State?"

"The Papal State? Then you may have found the wrong person." Arthur pointed to Louis Bonaparte's cell and said: "The man who can build the Papal State is sitting here."

……

In the Office of the Minister of Scotland Yard, Minister Rowan, who had just finished lunch, was leaning on his chair, holding in his hand a copy of the letter that had just been sent from the White Club, the seat of the Tory caucus, and reading it.

dong dong dong.

"come in."

Rowan raised his head and saw Arthur entering the door, and couldn't help but smile: "Arthur, although I don't know how you did it, you did a good job. Sir Peel just received a letter, and Bernie Harrison is willing to withdraw his consent." Scotland Yard proceedings, but he also has a small claim there."

Arthur heard this: "He probably hopes that when he withdraws the prosecution, Scotland Yard will also stop continuing to investigate the murder case, right?"

"That's right." Luo Wan leaned on the chair: "So it seems that you have grabbed his little tail?"

"The evidence I have so far cannot kill him, but it is enough to make him a mess. Although the information obtained by the London Police Intelligence Bureau does not prove his guilt, it can make the Tories lose confidence in him. "

Rowan nodded and said: "I have also seen the clues you submitted. Whether it is Marsh's arsenic test or the paper on using hair for autopsy, they are very practical and creative. And I have recently got something interesting. If these newspapers are released together with the news of the murder, it will not only ruin Congressman Harrison’s political career, but also his perfume and cosmetics business.”

After saying this, Rowan slid several newspaper clippings along the desk to Arthur's eyes.

Arthur picked up the newspaper clippings and saw that they were all advertisements about arsenic-containing cosmetics, and it was Congressman Harrison's cosmetics company that published these advertisements.

——For a long time, people have used various appalling adjectives for arsenic. While ladies are obsessed with various whitening cosmetics, they are also wary of its toxicity.But when Mr. Harrison set out for a trip to Austria a few years ago, he discovered a group of villagers in the Styria region of Austria who fed on 'poison'. Villagers in other nearby areas often ridiculed them as people who eat rat poison.

——The curious Mr. Harrison lived in this village for several days. He was surprised to find that these villagers swallowed small doses of arsenic almost every day. They sprinkled arsenic on bread or lard as an arsenic. A seasoning to use.According to Mr. Harrison's calculations, the amount of medicine these villagers accumulated in a week has long exceeded the fatal amount.However, not only did these villagers have no physical problems, but they all had rosy cheeks, the men were strong, the women were plump, and even their sexual abilities were enhanced.And judging from the various young men who have crossed the threshold of Styrian villagers to propose marriage, this is by no means a lie.

——Mr. Harrison also interviewed a local milkmaid. According to this lovely and charming woman, she was originally frightened by the trend of people taking arsenic, but then by chance, she also began to follow Jumped on this trend.After a few months, she began to become plump and round, becoming the look her suitors wanted.But when Mr. Harrison returned here after completing his trip around the Mediterranean a few months later, he found that the woman had unfortunately passed away.

——Yes, taking arsenic in moderation can increase your charm, but taking too much arsenic can lead to your beauty disappearing.Mr. Harrison conducted a long-term follow-up investigation for this, and finally found out the balance point between human health and beauty and plumpness not long ago!Eight years of follow-up research and comprehensive verification by dozens of pharmacists are the latest work of cosmetics guru Bernie Harrison!
——Please allow me to introduce to you, the best products of Bernie Harrison Cosmetic and Drug Company in 1831, feel the fragrance of roses from the Mediterranean coast, grasp the secret of the Styrian villagers' baby-like delicate skin, this year's oral health care for women The greatest discovery of all time - the secret of Styria.It is currently sold in major pharmacies and cosmetics stores in London, and the current price is only 1 shilling a bottle. What are you waiting for?Come and discover the beauty from the last century!
When Arthur saw this, he couldn't help but muttered: "You deceive women of their money and also want their lives. Mr. Harrison is so cruel."

　The update will be in the middle of the night. Let’s get up and watch it tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)