The Shadow of Great Britain

219: Chapter 149 Arthur, Do You Want to Be Dismissed?

219: Chapter 149 Arthur, Do You Want to Be Dismissed?

4 Whitehall, Greater London Police Department.

Arthur sat at his desk, clutching a freshly printed newspaper in his hand, but the headlines were somewhat too shocking for him.

“Foolish Duke of Wellington makes another anti-reform declaration in Parliament”

“Wellington: Parliamentary reform akin to the French Great Revolution, Whig Party will lead the country to its doom”

“Wellington: Reform is a harbinger of civil war, you can reform elections only over my dead body”

“Parliament falls into an eight-minute terror of silence”

“Viscount Palmerston criticizes Prime Minister: Another Cromwell whose ultimate goal is to instigate civil war”

“Lord Russell: Britain is heading towards military despotism under Wellington’s leadership”

“Sir Peel is extremely shocked by the Duke of Wellington’s remarks”

“After Parliament adjourns, Sir Peel organizes an emergency interim meeting within the Tory Party”

“Sir Peel and Tory MPs joint statement: We regret the Prime Minister’s views; the Tory Party has never opposed reform, but we believe the current proposal is too radical”

“Following a temporary meeting with the Prime Minister, Sir Peel forces Duke of Wellington to announce his resignation”

“Sir Peel will succeed the Duke of Wellington as the leader of the Tory Party”

“A great victory through the ages!

His Majesty the King appoints Earl Charles Grey to form a new Cabinet; the Cabinet picks will be announced after next week’s general election count concludes”

Arthur put down the newspaper, and with somewhat of a headache, rubbed his temples.

The Red Devil sat at the window, nibbling on an apple, and scoffed, “Wellington, what a bold decision!

Is he taking all the blame onto himself so Peel can continue to lead the Tory Party forward?”

Arthur tapped the headline on the newspaper, “Isn’t that obvious?

Although you alerted me early on about some explosive news, this is just too sensational.

The Duke of Wellington is purely sacrificing his political future to prolong the life of the Tory Party.”

Agares tossed the apple core out of the window and wiped his hands on the curtain, “But right now, you’d better think about how to protect yourself.

With Wellington gone, and Peel gone, the Whig Party takes power.

I reckon those who dislike you will be jumping out one after another to give you some trouble.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a knock on the door of Arthur’s office sounded.

The Red Devil glanced at the door, shrugged, and spread his hands, “See, what did I just say.”

A junior officer pushed the door open and saluted Arthur, “Inspector Hastings, Chief Rowan is requesting your presence.”

Arthur sighed, stood up, and picked up the bowler hat from the coat rack, placing it on his head, “Understood, I’ll be right there.”

…

Minutes later, in the office of the Chief of the Greater London Police Department.

Chief Rowan leaned one hand on the back of his chair, while the other held a letter sealed with a private stamp.

Suddenly, a knock on the door sounded.

Rowan’s mouth curled up in a smile, but he quickly reverted back to his usual authoritative expression.

He knocked on the desk and shouted towards the door, “Come in.”

Arthur pushed the door open and, lifting his right arm draped in a white glove, saluted, “Sir.”

Rowan smiled and gestured toward the chair in front of him, “Arthur, no need to be so formal, sit first.”

Arthur approached and sat down properly in front of Rowan, but before he could get comfortable, he saw Rowan pick up the teapot from the desk and personally pour him a cup of tea.

“Arthur, here, have something warm first, it’s devilishly cold today.”

Arthur smiled and was just about to sip the tea when he heard Rowan, who was leaning back in his chair with fingers interlocked, begin to speak, “But you must be used to this cold, after all, at this time last year you were probably still on the front lines.

It’s certainly warmer in the office than it is outside, don’t you agree with me?”

Arthur’s eyebrows rose slightly, and he slowly put down the cup he was holding.

He did not intend to let Rowan’s sarcastic comment pass by without acknowledgment.

“Just like Lady Copper said before, he’s only 20 years old, it’s normal for a young man to be spirited.”

“And as Mr.

Mozesales and General Cordington said, regardless of whether he becomes a musician or the scientific secretary for a Navy Department official, he has a bright future ahead of him.”

“His reasons for staying at Scotland Yard include Sir Peel’s high regard for him, and also because he has many friends here.

If he were to leave casually, Tom, Tony, and the rest of the new officers labeled as Hastings’ faction probably wouldn’t have an easy time.”

Arthur thought for a moment and smiled as he spoke, “You’re right, Chief.

Actually, I do go to the front lines quite often.

Although it’s comfortable to stay in the office, sitting for too long can cause problems with the brain.”

Chief Rowan thought that Arthur might endure a few more comments, but his immediate pushback was indeed unexpected.

“Is that so?

You’re often on the front lines?

Then you must be doing quite well in Tower Hamlets, right?”

Rowan leaned to the side and pulled out a thick file from the cabinet behind him and threw it in front of Arthur, “Can you please explain to me why Tower Hamlets has been steadily topping the charts in both crime rate and crime volume in your districts ever since you took over?”

Arthur had thought Rowan might bring up something else, but still found it somewhat ridiculous that Rowan would so shamelessly start with the crime rate in Tower Hamlets.

Arthur said, “Chief, although I don’t want to make excuses, you should understand that Tower Hamlets’ crime rate has been consistently leading the other districts ever since before I took over.

This is due to a variety of factors.

Firstly…”

Rowan raised his hand to interrupt Arthur, “I’m not without consideration for your difficulties.

If you were dealing with the same resources as the previous inspectors managing Tower Hamlets, then even if the crime rate didn’t decrease, I could understand that.

“But Arthur, you are different from those people.

You are smarter, younger, and more capable than someone like Clemens.

That is why, within a year, we promoted you from a street patrol officer to a Scotland Yard inspector.

“Moreover, you know the level of support you have from the Home Office and Scotland Yard.

The newly established LPS wasn’t given to someone else, it was given to you to manage independently, specifically to help you solve the crime issues in Tower Hamlets.

“Now, with more resources at your disposal, enjoying the brightest spotlight in all of Scotland Yard, you should produce corresponding results.”

The Red Devil standing behind Arthur just sneered, resting a finely pointed finger sharp enough to pierce a throat on Arthur’s shoulder.

“Oh!

Listen to that, Arthur.

This old man has completely shed his shame!

In his mouth, it seems like your promotion wasn’t something you fought for with your own hands, but something he benevolently bestowed upon you.

LPS, he dares to bring up LPS?

Doesn’t he know that LPS hasn’t received a single additional penny of funding from the Home Office?

You’re doing the work of two on one salary, and yet, that’s being twisted into your fault.”

Arthur was about to speak, but before he could say anything, Rowan raised his hand again to interrupt him.

Rowan said, “Arthur, I know you might want to say that your efforts have been distracted by too many things recently.

Like the grave robbing murder case or the high seas pursuit case…

But let me be frank, as an inspector, your main job is to manage your jurisdiction well.

If you can’t solve the security problems in Tower Hamlets, then no matter how much else you do, it’s all useless.”

Solving cases, for Scotland Yard, is simply icing on the cake.

It’s great if we can solve them, but if not, the Home Office can understand.

Everyone knows that, following the traditions left from the era of sheriffs, difficult cases like these are usually handed over to professional thief catchers, hmm…

Perhaps now they’ve all been renamed as detectives or something.

Arthur, remember that you are a police officer, not some detective.

If you’re interested in that area, then I would advise you to open your own detective agency instead of lingering in Scotland Yard, which wouldn’t do you any good in terms of personal development, nor would it help the image evaluation of Scotland Yard in front of higher departments.”

Having said that, Rowan looked at Arthur’s poker-faced expression, which showed no emotion, and just laughed as he pulled out several more documents from the pile beside him and threw them in front of Arthur.

“Arthur, when I say these things to you, it’s not that I have any personal grievances against you.

On the contrary, I’ve enjoyed my time with you these past months, and I must admit, you have brought much honor to Scotland Yard.

But you understand, working in the government’s public service department, sometimes being too conspicuous is not a good thing.

You also know that the Home Office is displeased with Scotland Yard’s substantial pay raise.

The Treasury also feels that continuing to raise the policing tax could lead to dissatisfaction among the parishes, and the Secretary of State is having a terrible headache compiling next year’s fiscal budget for Scotland Yard.

Although I don’t think this is your fault, after all, you are fighting for everyone’s benefits, and every officer at Scotland Yard should thank you.

But you understand, sometimes, you cannot be too aggressive in your actions, otherwise, you’ll end up like our Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington, who was inadvertently toppled by the Whig Party.

Look, perhaps because your fame is too resounding, Viscount Palmerston and Viscount Melbourne, who are likely to succeed as Home Secretary, have both already sent me letters inquiring about you.”

Saying this, Rowan crossed his fingers and propped his chin, leaning forward slightly, his face full of smiles: “Arthur, what do you think I should reply to them?”

Arthur glanced at the two letters that Chief Rowan had placed on the desk, took off his bowler hat and held it in his hand, staring straight at Rowan, a smile also appearing on his face.

“How else should you reply?

Just write that he’s doing a bit better than Charles Rowan.”

Rowan’s eyes gradually cooled: “Arthur, what do you mean by that?”

“It’s funny, I was about to ask you the same thing.” Arthur leaned back in his chair, his hands pressed on his upturned knees: “Chief Rowan, if you are sincerely discussing police work, that’s absolutely fine.

But if it’s something else, I suggest we settle it in private.”

Rowan slightly lowered his head, then suddenly raised it and laughed loudly as he ran his fingers through his hair: “Arthur, where on earth do you get this confidence?”

Arthur stood up, replacing his hat: “Chief, I don’t have any confidence, you might not understand me as a person.

In doing things, I don’t just look at confidence, but also at mood.

Otherwise, when I encountered the case with young Adam, I wouldn’t have ended up in the Magistrates’ Court.

You are older and don’t understand the thought process of the young.

I don’t wish to be your enemy, and if you feel that I’ve offended you somewhere, you could have simply come talk to me directly, and I would be very willing to apologize and try to find a solution to the problem.

But instead, you chose this approach.

Since you’ve already taken a position, I think through negotiation and discussion like this, we can’t resolve the conflict between us anymore.”

Chief Rowan slowly stood up: “Arthur, do you want to be dismissed?”

Arthur just smiled and gently held the office door handle, the corners of his eyes twinkling with a faint red glow: “Chief, you forgot one thing, whether I’m to be dismissed isn’t up to you.

It’s unfortunate that matters have escalated to this point, something I didn’t wish to see.

So, Chief, please be sure to keep it quiet, in the end, only one of us can remain, and what comes next, we’ll see who wins.”