## Chapter 185: Arthur, Do You Want to Be Dismissed?
**4 Whitehall Street, Metropolitan Police Headquarters, London.**
Arthur sat at his desk, a freshly printed newspaper clutched in his hand. The headlines, however, were too eye-catching, even alarming.
* **”Wellington, the Arrogant Duke, Rejects Reform in Parliament Again”**
* **”Wellington: Parliamentary Reform is No Different from the French Revolution, the Whigs Will Lead the Nation to Ruin”**
* **”Wellington: Reform is a Precursor to Civil War, Anyone Who Wants to Reform Elections Will Have to Step Over My Dead Body”**
* **”Parliament Plunged into Eight Minutes of Terrifying Silence”**
* **”Viscount Palmerston Attacks the Prime Minister: Another Cromwell, His Ultimate Goal is to Spark Civil War”**
* **”Lord Russell: Britain is Heading Towards Military Despotism Under Wellington’s Leadership”**
* **”Sir Robert Peel Shocked by the Duke of Wellington’s Remarks”**
* **”The Tories, After the Closure of Parliament, Held an Emergency Party Meeting Organized by Sir Robert Peel”**
* **”Sir Robert Peel, Along with Tory MPs, Issued a Joint Statement: We Regret the Prime Minister’s Views, the Tories Have Never Opposed Reform, But We Believe the Current Proposal is Too Radical”**
* **”After a Temporary Meeting with the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel Forced the Duke of Wellington to Announce His Resignation”**
* **”Sir Robert Peel Will Succeed the Duke of Wellington as Tory Party Leader”**
* **”A Great Victory for the Times! His Majesty the King Appoints Earl Charles Grey to Form a New Government, the New Cabinet Will Be Announced Next Week After the Election Count”**
Arthur set down the newspaper, rubbing his temples in a headache.
The Red Devil, perched by the window, gnawed on an apple, sneering, “Wellington, a bold move! He’s taking all the blame upon himself, paving the way for Peel to continue leading the Tories?”
Arthur tapped the headline of the newspaper on the desk, “Isn’t it obvious? Although you told me there would be explosive news, this is truly sensational. The Duke of Wellington is simply sacrificing his political future to keep the Tories afloat.”
Agareus tossed the apple core out the window, wiping his hands on the curtains, “But you should be thinking about how to protect yourself now. Wellington’s gone, Peel’s gone, the Whigs are forming the government. As I see it, those who have a grudge against you will probably jump at the chance to give you a taste of their displeasure, one after another.”
As his words fell, a knock echoed from outside Arthur’s office door.
The Red Devil glanced at the door, shrugging and spreading his hands, “See, what did I tell you?”
A young constable pushed open the door and saluted Arthur, “Inspector Hastings, Chief Inspector Rowan requests your presence.”
Arthur sighed, stood up, grabbed his bowler hat from the hat rack, and placed it on his head. “Understood, I’ll be right there.”
…
Minutes later, in the Chief Inspector’s office.
Chief Inspector Rowan had one hand resting on the back of his chair, the other holding a handwritten letter sealed with a private stamp.
Suddenly, a knock came from the door.
Rowan’s lips curled into a smile, but he quickly suppressed it, regaining his usual stern expression.
He tapped his desk with his hand and called out to the door, “Come in.”
Arthur pushed open the door, raising his gloved right arm in salute, “Sir.”
Rowan smiled and pointed to the chair in front of him, “Arthur, don’t be so formal, have a seat.”
Arthur went to Rowan, sat down properly, but before he could settle in, he saw Rowan pick up the teapot in front of him and personally poured him a cup of tea.
“Arthur, here, have some tea to warm yourself up, this weather is truly cold today.”
Arthur smiled, he picked up the teacup and was about to drink, but before the tea reached his mouth, he heard Chief Inspector Rowan, whose fingers were interlocked and resting on the back of his chair, say, “But you should be used to this kind of cold, after all, you were still on the front line this time last year. Sitting in the office is always warmer than being outside, wouldn’t you agree?”
Arthur’s eyebrows twitched slightly, he slowly lowered the teacup in his hand. He didn’t intend to let Rowan’s sarcasm pass by his ears like the wind.
As Mrs. Cowper had said before, he was only 20 years old, it was normal for young people to be ambitious.
And as Mr. Moseley and General Codrington had said, whether he became a musician or a scientific secretary at the Admiralty, he had a bright future ahead of him.
The reason he stayed at Scotland Yard was one, Sir Robert Peel’s appreciation, and the other, because he had many friends here. If he left so casually, Tom, Tony, and the rest of the new police superintendents labeled as Hastings’ faction would probably have a hard time.
Arthur thought for a moment, smiled, and said, “Sir, you’re right, I actually go to the front line quite often now. The office is comfortable, but staying here for too long can affect your mind.”
Chief Inspector Rowan thought Arthur would endure a few more sentences before fighting back, but he started to counter from the first sentence, which was indeed unexpected.
“Is that so? You’re often on the front line? Then you must be doing a great job in Whitechapel, right?”
Rowan leaned back and pulled out a thick file from the filing cabinet behind him, throwing it in front of Arthur, “Can you explain to me why Whitechapel, both in terms of crime rate and number of crimes, has consistently been ranked first among all districts since you took over?”
Arthur thought Rowan might bring up something else, but hearing him shamelessly use the crime rate in Whitechapel as a starting point, he couldn’t help but feel a little ridiculous.
Arthur said, “Sir, I don’t want to make excuses, but you should understand that the crime rate in Whitechapel has been consistently leading other areas since before I took over. This is due to a variety of factors, first…”
Rowan raised his hand to interrupt Arthur, “I’m not saying I don’t understand your difficulties. If you had the same resources as the previous superintendents in charge of Whitechapel, then even if the crime rate couldn’t be reduced, I would understand.
But Arthur, you’re different from those people, you’re smarter, younger, and more capable than someone like Clemens. That’s why we promoted you from a street patrolman to a Scotland Yard superintendent in just one year.
And you know the level of support from the Home Office and Scotland Yard, the newly established LPS was not given to anyone else, but to you for your sole management, specifically to help you solve the crime problem in Whitechapel.
Now, you have more resources, you enjoy the most dazzling spotlight in Scotland Yard, then you should produce corresponding results.”
Standing behind Arthur, the Red Devil, upon hearing this, just grinned maliciously, his long, slender fingers sharp enough to pierce the throat rested on Arthur’s shoulder.
“Oh! Listen! You hear that, Arthur. This old geezer is completely shameless! In his mouth, it’s as if your promotion wasn’t earned by you, but a favor he generously bestowed upon you. LPS, he dares to mention LPS? Doesn’t he know that LPS hasn’t received a single penny of extra funding from the Home Office? You’re doing two jobs with one salary, and now it’s your fault.”
Arthur was about to speak, but before he could open his mouth, Rowan raised his hand to interrupt him again.
Rowan said, “Arthur, I know you might want to say that you’ve been pulled in too many directions lately. Like the murder and body theft case, or the high seas chase case… But frankly, as a superintendent, your primary job is to manage your jurisdiction. If you can’t solve the security problem in Whitechapel, then no matter how many other things you do, it’s all for naught.
Things like solving cases, for Scotland Yard, are just icing on the cake. It’s good if you can solve cases, but if you can’t, the Home Office and I can understand. Because everyone knows, according to the old practice of the time of the治安官, these difficult cases are usually handed over to professional捕盜人, well… maybe they’ve changed their names now, they’re called detectives or something.
Arthur, remember, you’re a police officer, not a detective. If you’re interested in that field, then I advise you to start a detective agency or something, don’t hang around in Scotland Yard, it’s not good for your personal development, or for Scotland Yard’s image assessment in front of the higher authorities.”
Speaking of which, Rowan looked at Arthur’s poker-faced expression that couldn’t decipher his emotions, he just smiled and pulled out a few more files from the stack on his desk and threw them in front of Arthur.
“Arthur, I’m telling you all this, not because I have any personal opinions about you. On the contrary, I’ve enjoyed working with you these past few months, I have to admit, you’ve brought a lot of honor to Scotland Yard. But you understand, sometimes, doing things too well isn’t a good thing when you’re working in the public sector of the government.
You also know that the Home Office, because of the significant salary increase in Scotland Yard, is looking at us with a displeased eye. The Treasury also feels that continuing to raise the治安稅 could cause dissatisfaction among the various parishes, and the Secretary of State is also having a headache when drawing up the financial budget for Scotland Yard’s next fiscal year.
Although I don’t think it’s your fault, after all, you’re fighting for everyone’s benefits, every police officer in Scotland Yard should thank you. But you understand, sometimes, you can’t be too aggressive when doing things, otherwise you’ll be like our Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington, and without a moment’s notice, you’ll be overthrown by the Whigs.
Look, maybe your reputation is too loud, Viscount Palmerston and Viscount Melbourne, who may take over as Home Secretary, have already written to me about you.”
Speaking of which, Rowan clasped his hands together under his chin, leaned forward slightly, a smile plastered on his face, “Arthur, what do you think I should reply to them?”
Arthur glanced at the two letters that Chief Inspector Rowan had placed on the desk, he took off his bowler hat and held it in his hand, his eyes fixed on Rowan, a smile also appeared on his face.
“What else can you reply? Just write, he’s a little better than Charles Rowan.”
Rowan’s eyes gradually turned cold, “Arthur, what do you mean by that?”
“It’s a coincidence, that’s what I want to ask you too.” Arthur leaned back in his chair, his hands pressed on his raised knees, “Chief Inspector Rowan, if you’re truly discussing police work, there’s no problem. But if it’s something else, I suggest we settle it privately.”
Chief Inspector Rowan lowered his head slightly, then suddenly raised it again, stroking his hair and laughing out loud, “Arthur, where did you get your confidence from?”
Arthur stood up, put his bowler hat back on, “Sir, I don’t have any confidence, you probably don’t know me very well. I don’t just look at confidence when I do things, I also look at my mood. Otherwise, when I encountered the case of little Adam, I wouldn’t have stood on the治安法庭. You’re old, you don’t understand the thinking of young people.
I don’t want to be your enemy, if you think I have offended you in some way, you could have talked to me directly, I’m very willing to apologize to you and try to find a solution. But you chose this method, since you have already set your position, I think solving our contradictions through negotiation and other means is no longer possible.”
Chief Inspector Rowan slowly stood up, “Arthur, do you want to be dismissed?”
Arthur just smiled, gently grasped the doorknob of the office, a faint red glow flickered in the corner of his eyes, “Sir, you’ve forgotten one thing, whether I’m dismissed or not, it’s not up to you. The situation has developed to this point, it’s something I don’t want to see. So, Sir, please keep it under wraps, only one of us can remain in the end, let’s see who wins in the end.”
(End of Chapter)