Chapter 300: Core Technology (K8)

Chapter 298 Core Technology (4K8)

Inside the box of the Astori Amphitheater, there was a cloud of celebrities moving in and out.

Among the dignitaries, the former MPs or Westminster magistrates, who could show off their status in front of the public, had now also become unknown pawns.

Former MP Bernie Harrison and Magistrate George Norton were crammed into the six-square-foot box, watching from the window the splendor of the stage, where Edmond Dantes, the Count of Monte Cristo, was being arrested after being framed at his wedding.

When Norton saw this scene, he just wrinkled his nose and cursed in a low voice: “Dantes’ fiancée, Mae Sae Tess, is a slut, and I don’t believe that she didn’t know anything about the plan to frame Dantes. After Dontaeus was framed, this bitch actually didn’t even suspect anything but turned around and married her cousin, Fernan, one of the murderers who framed Dontaeus, and she actually married such a fisherman without any psychological pressure!
Dantes was so blind, how could he have ever looked at such a heartless Catalan bitch! As a shrewd and capable sailor, he made first mate at a young age, yet it was because of a wrong look at a pussy that he buried all his good years in an island prison. If he hadn’t gotten the help of a nobleman like Father Faria, he would have rotted there for the rest of his life.

Heh! If Mr. Dumas doesn’t arrange for Dantes to take revenge on this bitch in the rest of the story, I’m going to write a letter of protest to the editorial board of The Cockney!”

Harrison leaned over the table with his glass of wine, “Wow, George, it sure sounds like you haven’t read the latest issue of The Cockney.”

Norton sniffed and grimaced back, “I had gotten the latest issue, but the day before yesterday Caroline and I had a fight, and I threw my dinner fork and plate at her, and she went straight crazy and tore up all my magazines and threw them into the fireplace. By the time I’d calmed down enough to pick up another copy of Cockney, the bookstores all had sold-out signs up. Damn! How could they be selling so well, and if you ask me, these guys are running a really cautious operation, they could have printed more! There’s money to be made and not made, are the shareholders and owners of The Englishman out of their minds?”

Harrison heard this string of negative statements from Norton, and knowing how well he knew his friend, he knew that with a few more words of guidance, he would get what he wanted.

He smiled as he picked up the bottle and refilled Norton’s drink some more, “George, as I see it, why don’t you just stop reading the latest installment, or you might be greatly disappointed and angry.”

“What?”

Norton drained his glass in one gulp, “I thought the last installment teased that Dontaeus was going to get his revenge on that bitch fiancée of his, Plum-colored Tess? I’ve been waiting for that part for a long time. Did Dontaeus one-shot Mercer Tess and Fernan’s son in a duel?”

Harrison laughed and shook his head as he sighed, “Sadly, George, Mae Sed Tess approached Dontess before the duel to plead for mercy, and our Mr. Dontess, the Count of Monte Cristo, is a man of iron and he ultimately chose to spare the former fiancée as well as the son of his enemy.”

“What?!”

Norton sniffed in anger and flung his wine glass on the small table with a thud, “Bernie, I dare to swear at you that The Count of Monte Cristo is one of the worst novels I’ve ever read! Alexander Dumas is a shameless man who plays with his pen to cheat money! Hell, I thought of him as a literary giant, but now he’s no different than any other pussy-whipped fashion novelist!
I don’t know what kind of people would want to be in his shoes, but it’s definitely not well-educated scholars, philosophers, or accomplished gentlemen. Only a blacksmith with a sledgehammer and a nail, a tailor with a needle and thread, or a poor and ostentatious clerk in a small company would praise him to the skies. Lion of Paris, how did they come up with that nickname for Dumas?”

Harrison pretended to drink to hide his embarrassment, “George, don’t be angry. Not everyone has been to the London Zoo or seen the grasslands of Africa, so naturally not everyone knows what a lion looks like. But I agree with you, Dantes did meet a bad man. It’s like Socrates said: a good woman can turn a man into a happy man. A bad woman turns a man into a philosopher. George, you’re on the verge of becoming a philosopher now.”

Norton couldn’t help but laugh to himself at this, “Bernie, thanks for the compliment, but I’m no match for Socrates in philosophy. Probably the only thing he and I have in common is that we both married a shrew for a wife. She knows nothing and understands nothing, yet prefers to disagree with me on political views.

As mistress of the Norton family, she was supposed to be gentle and sweet to her family and decent and generous to her guests. But she likes to write her bullshit novels, and wants to go around posting her Whig views on social occasions, and she also likes to dictate the education of her children, so my face is really letting her lose all the face!
LOL …… I was so dim when I was at the ball, how did I ever fancy such a woman? Free love, I did not realize how stupid this idea is until now. If I had listened to my family and looked for a good relationship with one of the other old Tory families, I wouldn’t have been able to make a good living by now. Instead of being forced to move from the House of Commons to the courts after losing the election.”

Harrison soothed, “George, look at what you’re saying, judges are no less important than MPs. As you know, in Britain, no one is allowed to interfere with judicial trials, not even the Prime Minister. As long as you are in the courtroom, your word is the golden rule. Isn’t that better than being reprimanded by a bunch of big shots in a caucus?”

Norton chortled, “Bernie, you’re thinking too simply. If you’re not looking for advancement, and you’re only thinking of settling down in this position, coveting this thousand pounds a year and your retirement pension, then indeed, there’s absolutely no need for you to pay any attention to those bossy bigwigs. You just have to be careful not to provoke His Majesty the King.

But if you’re thinking of going further than that, then there’s really no difference between doing it in the courts and doing it in Parliament, and perhaps I could ostensibly ignore the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers and just answer to the Royal Chancellor. But …… the appointment and dismissal of the Royal Chancellor is again decided by the Prime Minister, so as long as I continue to want to move up, it is inevitable that I still have to flatter and compliment them.

Bernie, I’m not even thirty yet, do you think I should be resigned to my fate at this age? I’ve got a long road ahead of me.”

Hearing Norton’s words, Harrison couldn’t help but tighten the palm of his hand that was holding his wine glass, and it took him a while to gather his feelings of wanting to beat him up, and he turned to ask, “George, no matter how you put it, you’re much better off than me. Look at what I’ve become now, my political career is finished, when I was collecting political contributions from me, the Tory Party picked me up like a jewel, and now just because of a small mistake, they’re abandoning me. It’s just a matter of satisfying a little personal need, at my own expense, and as a result, look at it, huh, what have I become now?”

Norton sniffed and spoke, “Bernie, you’re being careless. Why did you go for the stand-ups? Aren’t there a few regular brothels in London? The prostitutes in there …… Oh no, you can’t call them prostitutes now.

Bernie, just because of that case of yours, and that storm of public opinion behind the Bishop of Exeter, we must now call them vagabonds, or dusty women, or else we are suspected of insulting the character of these ladies.

It’s only at times like these that the pseudo-doctrines in Parliament are quickest to act and enact a bill to make it clear that it’s just a matter of fucking name-calling. It’s as if there were no more whores in London if you changed the name.”

Harrison put up with him for half a day and finally couldn’t help but yin and yang, “That’s right, George you’re just not like them, you’re capable of doing real work. When Parliament introduced the Oxford Prostitution Bill back then, you, a brilliant Oxford graduate, were leading the charge.

Wherever common prostitutes and street prostitutes are loitering on the public sidewalks, streets, or roads within the jurisdiction of Oxford University, without good reason to prove that they have a lawful purpose, they will be regarded as unlawful loafers and will be guilty of an offense, and the offenders shall be arrested in accordance with the pertinent provisions of the Vagrancy Act of 1824, and the penalty shall be imprisonment with hard labor for a term not exceeding one month.

See how the statute is laid down, with a clear and definite word, and no scope for vague interpretation, making full use of your studies at Lincoln’s Inn, and clearing up the moral hazards and risks of disease for your juniors studying at Oxford. In the days before I quit the Tories, a number of new parliamentary candidates with Oxford-educated backgrounds couldn’t help but give you a thumbs-up when you were mentioned.

Lord Peel had the temerity to reprimand a man of your caliber for turning to law. The loss of you to the Tories has had no less effect than their loss of Viscount Palmerston.”

Norton was a bit flustered by the praise, and he humbly said, “I’m ashamed, it’s just a tiny thing I’ve done. But I also deeply regret not being able to remain in Parliament to shine for Britain. Back when I was studying at Oxford, I was deeply victimized by these prostitutes …… er, no, windswept women.

I remember when I first went to Oxford, I hadn’t even stepped foot on campus, there were groups of ladies coming up to take my arm, saying strings of warm compliments, asking me if I needed any help, while the little kids on their asses took the opportunity to get their hands on your belongings, and the ladies themselves usually didn’t have very clean hands either. At that time, I was still a student, and as the saying goes, ‘if you’re not in your position, you don’t do your job’, so I just minded my own business at that time. But now that I have become a Member of the Legislative Council, I naturally have to put in a lot of effort to rectify this kind of accumulated bad habits.”

Harrison applauded repeatedly, “Not bad for you, George, ideal and capable.”

I don’t know whether it’s the effect of alcohol or Norton was so praised that he couldn’t tell the difference, he said with a big mouth, “Tch …… but it seems that I just have a relationship with prostitutes in my life, firstly, I took the lead in introducing this bill in the parliament, and when I got married, I also had the unfortunate luck of marrying a faceless whore. That whore Caroline, she’s all screwed over by Viscount Melbourne, but she’s still naive enough to think she’s actually found love. Heh, does she think Melbourne is any good?”

Harrison heard Norton take the initiative to mention his wife, so he picked up the conversation, “Then again, didn’t you say earlier that you wanted Caroline to help you run the matter of going to the London District Attorney’s Office? How’s that coming along?”

Norton’s mood, which had just improved, instantly fell back to the bottom when he heard this, “If she succeeded, would I have to hold onto those behaviors of hers? Bernie, you also know that I am a person whose ideas are usually more open-minded. If Caroline really feels that staying with me is inappropriate, then she can go after what she wants, but everything is predicated on her behavior not affecting me.

But now, it’s clear that she must have whispered something bad in Viscount Melbourne’s ear. It stands to reason that a magistrate’s position can be much more palatable than the London District Attorney’s Office. If I hadn’t been trying to make a big career and looking at my long-term future, I wouldn’t have taken the initiative to seek to give up the high salary of a judge to take up a position in such a new department.

As a rule, it should work well from the top. But I was inexplicably rejected repeatedly, and I really couldn’t think of any other possibilities other than Caroline blowing in Viscount Melbourne’s ear. I really don’t know what good could have come of her treating her husband like that. Not to mention, she tore up my Cockney!”

Seeing that the atmosphere was almost brewing, Harrison finally spat out the words he had been brewing for so long.

“George, it turns out that I didn’t want to say this for the sake of your family harmony and marital stability. But hearing you say that, I feel that as your good friend, I can’t just stand by and watch you fall into this mess.”

Norton gave a slight lurch as he lifted his glass, “Bernie, you mean ……”

“Whew ……”

Harrison took off his hat and rubbed his hair, “Well, George, I won’t keep it from you. I actually just saw Caroline and Viscount Melbourne when I entered the theater. They’re on the third floor, and I’ve been to the Astley Theater for a play before, so …… you understand, the third floor box is with a lounge, and inside …… well …… there are beds, and lying down for two people I think should be enough.”

Harrison had thought that after saying this, Norton would surely burst into a rage.

But what he did not expect was that a smile actually surfaced on the other party’s face.

Harrison felt a bit oozy as he asked, “George, are you mad at me?”

Norton gently shook his head and said, “No, Bernie, regarding this matter, I have long been mentally prepared. Although I did question Caroline personally, she wouldn’t admit it, and I never caught any crucial evidence. Plus, Viscount Melbourne had also acted fairly friendly towards me earlier, making me feel that he might have some use for me.

But unfortunately, I must admit that I may have been overly concerned before. He probably thought I, George Norton, was some kind of soft touch, and he thought he could just turn down my request. Since he insists on doing so, I don’t mind giving him the benefit of the doubt.”

Harrison asked, “What are you going to do?”

Norton spoke up, “I’ve actually been watching Caroline’s every move for a while now, and I know that she keeps all of her correspondence with Melbourne locked up in a trunk in the attic. I had a key fitted a while back, and I’ve seen the contents of that chest. I have to say, those two immoral and dishonorable dogs were pretty careful, and the words inside the letters were pretty cryptic, so I can’t say they were guarding against me early on. They thought I couldn’t do anything about it if they did. But thank you, Bernie, you’ve done me a great favor today. Come, let’s go now and see if they are really so innocent.”

Harrison asked, “What if they are indeed innocent?”

Norton pulled out a handkerchief and put it over his mouth and spat, “Then don’t I still have those letterheads in my hand? I’m not afraid of them if the guys really want to tear them apart.”

Harrison nodded slightly, “All right, George, in all things you figure it out.”

“I figured it all out a long time ago.” Norton snorted, “It’s just Melbourne who hasn’t figured it out now. It’s just a matter of slipping a prosecutor towards the London District Attorney’s Office, is that so hard to do?”

After speaking, Norton led Harrison out of the box.

Only heard a click, the door of the room gently closed.

In the midst of the silence, only the tape recorder could be heard rustling.

Not long after, the door of the box opened again, Louis Bonaparte calmly walked to the closet and pressed the stop button, he held the small wooden box and surveyed it for a long time, then he cupped his chin and slightly nodded his head and commented.

“Coming to work in the Police Intelligence Bureau is really the right thing to do, every day I can meet new surprises. Regardless of whether it was the French Imperial Minister of Police, Fouchet, or the current Paris Police Department Security Brigade’s Vidocq, none of them should have ever seen such an amazing gadget, right? Arthur Hastings, mastering core technology. Gee, for that alone, he’s really not bragging.”

(End of chapter)