## Chapter 227: Special Commendation (4K8)
**London, outside Westminster Palace, Scotland Yard had deployed nearly all its available manpower to ensure security today.**
The streets were teeming with Scotland Yard officers in their neat uniforms, patrolling in groups. Closer to the palace gates, armed guards with flintlock pistols stood on duty. These men belonged to Britain’s most elite unit, the Coldstream Guards.
**As a Scotland Yard “gentleman of leisure” who enjoyed the trust of high-ranking figures from both parties, Arthur had finally returned to work after a week of “fishing.”**
He donned the officer’s knife, white gloves, deep blue frock coat with black accents, white breeches, and high boots. After completing his routine patrol, Arthur, feeling bored, took off his black top hat, revealing his slicked-back hair, and slapped his gloves against the brim to remove the dust.
**This action quickly caught the attention of the surrounding guards. They were about to reprimand the young officer for his lackluster work ethic when their peripheral vision caught sight of the badge on Arthur’s shoulder.** It was a brand new, pristine gold and red crown.
**Although the Coldstream soldiers didn’t fully understand the ranking system of Scotland Yard, they knew the system was based on the army’s structure. A crown badge was enough to make them realize the young man, who looked barely twenty, held a considerable position.**
In the army, a crown signified a major, a position that commanded a 150-man infantry company or a 50-man cavalry squadron.
Would a few corporals dare to reprimand a major?
Even if they were in a good mood, they’d receive a couple of slaps on the face.
The soldiers might not be the brightest, but they weren’t complete idiots.
**Arthur hadn’t stood outside Westminster Palace for long when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Vidocq, back in his usual attire.**
“Good afternoon, Arthur. What do you think of the documents I gave you?”
Arthur pulled out a tobacco pouch and tossed it to Vidocq: “They seem alright, but it’s up to the higher-ups to decide. Ultimately, it depends on how today’s meeting goes.”
Vidocq lit a match and took a drag: “Heh, some say the British Foreign Office always adopts a cold, matter-of-fact attitude towards foreign policy. I used to think it was just a joke, but hearing you say it, it seems to be true. You’ve done so much, whether it had any effect or not, you deserve credit for your hard work.”
Arthur watched Vidocq smoke, feeling a tickle in his throat. However, he was on duty and could only pull out a candy from his pocket and suck on it to satisfy his craving: “In Britain, there’s no such thing as ‘hard work.’ Expecting to be promoted based on meaningless tasks is impossible.”
Vidocq asked: “So, you’re saying your government is full of elites?”
Arthur shook his head: “Not exactly. We have our fair share of good-for-nothings here, but there’s a reason we keep them around.”
“Like what?”
Arthur explained: “For example, I know the Treasury keeps two useless, but highly senior officials. Their only purpose is to fill out the three-person shortlist for promotions with the Chancellor’s actual picks.
These two are so incompetent that even if you dragged a donkey off the street and put it on the shortlist with them, the donkey would be promoted to the next level.”
Vidocq choked on his smoke, sputtering, “You Brits are damn creative.”
Arthur shrugged: “If you’re referring to profiteering, I agree. But, speaking of which, what did Talleyrand think of the things I asked you to deliver to him?”
Vidocq whistled: “Talleyrand was quite satisfied. I don’t know what use it was to him, but he was satisfied. He got what he wanted, the meeting went smoothly, and my position as head of the Security Department is secure.”
Arthur said: “Is that a promise from Talleyrand? I remember a famous quote of his – ‘The chameleon is the emblem of politics. Kings often change their ministers, and I often change my kings.’ First, he went from Louis XVI to the Republic, then from the Republic to the Directory, then from the Directory to Napoleon, then from Napoleon to the restored Bourbon dynasty, and now from the Bourbons to Louis-Philippe. Are you sure his promises will hold?”
Vidocq just smiled: “I know Talleyrand’s reputation isn’t the best, but calling him a chameleon is too much. If you actually spend time with him, you’ll discover that he’s not only not a chameleon, but also a surprisingly candid man at times. As for why he’s served six different kings, I joked about it with him a few days ago. Guess what he said?”
“What did he say?”
Vidocq took a drag: “He said, ‘When I serve the Mother France, I will not sacrifice her interests to the government. My policy has always been the policy of France, the policy of the nation, the wise policy, the policy dictated by the needs of the times. As long as the king adheres to the public will, I will be loyal to them. And to any party, I have never abandoned it before it has abandoned itself. If those who dislike me outside measure all my actions by this standard, they will see that, whatever appearances may be, there is no contradiction in all my actions, and that I am a man of consistency.'”
“Loyal to the country but not the government?”
Arthur chuckled, “That makes some sense, but the government probably won’t like it. But the fact that Talleyrand has this attitude and still managed to gain favor with five different governments shows his ability. Maybe I should have a chat with him if I get the chance.”
Vidocq joked: “As a London Metropolitan Police Inspector?”
“No, of course not. Robespierre and Napoleon couldn’t catch Talleyrand, the slippery old eel. I’m not interested in arresting him.”
Arthur crunched the candy in his mouth, “I just hope to chat with him as a stranger and a younger generation.”
Vidocq said: “If that’s what you want, I can introduce you in a couple of days. The London conference will last for days, and we’ll have more time later. But not today.”
“Why?”
“Because Talleyrand had a heated argument with Metternich, the Austrian Chancellor, this morning.”
Arthur’s eyebrows shot up. He was always interested in such topics and wasn’t just collecting political information as the head of the LPS.
Arthur asked: “What did they argue about?”
Vidocq held back a laugh: “Metternich said he wouldn’t allow the French to rule Belgium or Talleyrand, the cripple, to ride on Austria’s head. If those present are willing to watch Belgium become independent, then Napoleon’s story will soon repeat itself on the European continent.”
“What was Talleyrand’s response?”
“Talleyrand said: ‘I’ve always admired Metternich. I think Prussian diplomats can’t predict what will happen a week later, but Metternich can predict what will happen a week later, not even a day more. I thought this was a high compliment, but Metternich obviously wasn’t satisfied. He must think he’s God and is starting to talk nonsense. Also, I want to remind Metternich that being a prophet in a nation is, if not useless or dangerous, at least a thankless role.’ ”
Just as Vidocq finished speaking, Arthur heard a series of muffled footsteps behind him.
It was a group of gentlemen, each with a different height, weight, and appearance, but their attire varied greatly. Yet, this small group could shake the whole of Europe.
Arthur didn’t know the content of today’s negotiations, but he could analyze some of the results from the weight of their steps and expressions.
The British and French delegations walked lightly, with Prussia following closely behind.
The Austrian and Russian escorts, on the other hand, were all worried and silent.
The Belgians and Dutch, the parties involved, were sandwiched between the two groups. They had no voice here.
The Duke of Wellington emerged from the hall first, followed by the newly appointed Whig Foreign Secretary, Viscount Palmerston, who was chatting with him.
The two were talking, but when the Duke descended the steps and saw Arthur on duty, Wellington, who usually disliked showing favor in public, raised his hand and greeted him: “Nice weather today, Arthur.”
Arthur looked up at the gloomy sky, and suddenly, a gust of wind brought a drizzle, hitting his face.
Arthur shook his wet hair and smiled, nodding: “Yes, I like the rain as much as you do.”
“Hahaha,” the Duke of Wellington didn’t mind the little interruption. A servant quickly opened an umbrella for the Duke. While they paused, the Duke introduced the young man in front of him to Viscount Palmerston: “This is…”
Viscount Palmerston smiled and replied: “Officer Arthur Hastings. I heard him play the piano at the Coburg Theatre last night. It’s as good as everyone says.”
The Duke of Wellington just smiled and said to Arthur, “You were quite busy last night. You managed to play some music while working?”
Arthur smiled and replied, “If I could mobilize more people, I could probably get more things done.”
The Duke of Wellington understood what he meant. He’d heard about the LPS from Sir Peel, but he had more important things to deal with at the time, so he didn’t pay much attention to the organization.
But he never expected that Britain would gain a significant advantage in today’s meeting thanks to Arthur’s intelligence.
The Russians, who had been pretending to be firm, were initially unwilling to change their stance, and Austria, unaware of the Polish uprising, was also stubborn. With these two big brothers backing them, Prussia’s backbone naturally straightened.
For the entire morning, the three nations demanded military intervention in the Belgian independence issue.
Facing pressure from the three countries, the Duke of Wellington and Viscount Palmerston, who had already learned that the Russians were bluffing, adopted a vague attitude.
They neither agreed nor explicitly opposed, but let the French and the three countries attack each other.
However, as the negotiations continued, during the lunch break, French ambassador Talleyrand took the initiative to approach his old friend, the Duke of Wellington, and proposed that Leopold, the widower of Princess Charlotte of Britain, be made King of Belgium.
This solution far exceeded Britain’s expectations. Talleyrand was essentially hinting that as long as Britain supported Belgian independence, breaking the encirclement of France geographically, France wouldn’t mind if the new Belgian government was pro-British.
Such a tempting offer, the Duke of Wellington and Viscount Palmerston naturally accepted. They couldn’t think of any reason to refuse.
When Britain turned to support France, realizing that the meeting might be a protracted tug-of-war, Russia’s attitude softened, further confirming the reliability of Arthur’s intelligence.
Talleyrand’s concessions also confirmed that the ambiguous reports about France that Arthur had submitted that morning were accurate.
A temporary organization with no funding, a twenty-year-old young man could achieve such a feat, no wonder the Duke of Wellington admired him.
He patted Arthur on the shoulder and said to Viscount Palmerston: “I think the biggest gain for Britain in this London meeting is not Belgium, but Arthur Hastings. Scotland Yard has unearthed a diamond in the rough.”
Viscount Palmerston also nodded in agreement, smiling. Suddenly, he turned to Arthur and asked, “Mr. Hastings, are you interested in working for the Foreign Office? You might not know this, but the Foreign Office also has its own intelligence department, though they’re nowhere near as good as you.”
If it were anyone else, they would have jumped at the chance to be invited by such a bigwig.
But for Arthur, he didn’t like Palmerston, whose stance was too obvious, let alone the fact that he had a nickname of “Cruel Taskmaster.”
Every department Palmerston had worked in had some negative rumors circulating. He was not only an energetic workaholic who was always busy, but also demanded the same from his subordinates. Working under him was never considered a good thing.
More importantly, even if he wanted a change of scenery, Arthur felt he had many other options besides Palmerston. Whether it was the famous Lord Brougham, the Lord Chancellor, or the recently ousted Sir Peel, these two were either his mentors or his old acquaintances, and they were both closer to Arthur than Palmerston.
However, he didn’t want to directly reject the offer, as Palmerston was known to be petty and vindictive.
Arthur smiled and said: “Department transfers are not something I can decide on my own. Maybe you should talk to Lord Melbourne about it. But even if I continue to work at Scotland Yard, I can still contribute to the Foreign Office, just like this London conference.”
Viscount Palmerston understood Arthur’s intentions when he heard this, but he didn’t mind: “Rather than talking to Lord Melbourne, I’d rather talk to Lord Brougham about you. He knows more about you than William. But, Lord Brougham is a famous eccentric. If I were to steal his student, he’d probably be angry. So, forget it. Mr. Hastings, the music last night was beautiful, and the gramophone from Wheatstones is top-notch. Well, we’ll meet again when fate allows.”
With that, Viscount Palmerston tipped his hat and got into his carriage and left.
Arthur breathed a sigh of relief after watching him leave.
The Duke, standing beside him, noticed his expression and couldn’t help but smirk, then raised his eyebrows and said mysteriously:
“Inaction is a quality, while being active is a vice. Knowing how to wait is a political skill, and patience often leads to great power. When opportunity arises, seize it. When you wait, you can be casual and lazy.”
Arthur was taken aback when he heard this, then asked in a daze: “Your Grace?”
The Duke of Wellington, seeing his reaction, simply asked: “Any plans for tomorrow night? If you have a date with a lady, I won’t keep you. If it’s with a gentleman, cancel it. I’m having dinner at my house with a few friends tomorrow night, including your old boss, Sir Peel, and the author of those words, Talleyrand. Are you interested in coming over and trying our chef’s cooking?”
Perhaps worried that Arthur would refuse, the Duke of Wellington added: “Trust me, it will be beneficial to your future development to chat with them, especially to listen to Talleyrand talk about his experiences. It might be more valuable than the power and honor you’re about to receive.”
(End of Chapter)