shadow of britain

Chapter 877 Things change and people change
There are more foreigners and people from other provinces in Paris than Parisians.

— Balzac

As the carriage rumbled along the banks of the Seine, Arthur surveyed the city's silhouette through the bright sunlight, involuntarily comparing the scene before him with his memories of four years ago.

Four years is a considerable amount of time, even within the span of a person's lifetime.

But for a city, four years can sometimes seem very short, and sometimes very long.

When he first came to Paris in 1833, the aftermath of cholera had not yet completely subsided, and the political atmosphere was still tense due to the June Uprising of 1832. At that time, the streets were filled with a sour smell of lime water, and the sewers in many alleys were filled with rotting garbage, which would overflow with sewage when it rained.

He also remembers that sometimes when he wasn't careful, he would step on the stone pavement and his trouser legs would get splashed with mud.

But what about four years from now?
Of course, from the outside, the appearance of Paris does not seem to have changed much; not many houses have been built, nor have many new landmark buildings been added.

But at least on a few streets along the banks of the Seine, municipal officials seem to have done some work.

The stone slabs were laid more neatly, and there were no longer large puddles of water in the low-lying areas.

Although the streets still looked crowded, the pedestrians no longer hesitated as they used to.

Of course, this municipal philosophy of focusing on small details may also be closely related to the governing philosophy of Count Lampitto, the prefect of the Seine who was in charge of Paris’s urban development plan. Count Lampitto and his predecessor Count de Vauwick were different from their predecessors during the Napoleonic Empire. They did not like to give important positions to experts who supported major urban development projects, but preferred small-scale engineering renovation projects.

In the words of Count Lambiteau himself, he particularly despised macro-frameworks that would have disastrous consequences for the city's appearance and the lives of its inhabitants.

Therefore, after the end of the Napoleonic Empire, most of the large-scale construction projects originally planned for Paris were abandoned before they even began.

Of course, the cessation of large-scale construction projects does not mean that the appearance of Paris has not changed. It's just that the achievements of the new municipal officials are mostly in small areas. A lot of energy has been devoted to maintaining and renovating roads and paving streets, as well as dredging canals and solving water supply problems.

Many Napoleonic-era projects, such as the Urk Canal, numerous city markets, drinking water facilities, drainage systems, and street lighting, were completed and put into use during these two decades.

In addition, they devoted great efforts to rectifying housing construction issues and vigorously promoting urban greening. The city hall strictly limited the location of new buildings and required that all renovated buildings be in harmony with the existing buildings and streets. Trees were planted on both sides of all the main roads in Paris.

As Count de Vauwick said in his speech upon leaving office as governor of the Seine: "I believe that true politics is about making people's lives better, happier, and healthier. My mission was to bring fresh air, water, and greenery to Parisians, and I am very fortunate that I have done so."

However, although the city hall has been committed to improving the appearance of Paris, there are still many areas where they have not done a satisfactory job.

Île de la Cité in Paris, a place almost on par with London's East End, remains dark, damp, and overcrowded despite four years having passed.

This vital thoroughfare, which should have connected the left and right banks of the Seine, has not only failed to fulfill its intended purpose but has instead negatively impacted traffic flow, even after the city hall has built seven or eight bridges across Île de la Cité in the last decade.

However, as a new Londoner who has lived in London for many years, Arthur can understand this phenomenon quite well. Although Paris has built about a hundred new streets in the past twenty years and the city is constantly expanding, as the center of the industrial era, the speed of urban expansion can never keep up with the speed of population influx.

As a result, foreign tourists are often surprised to see palaces next to bungalows and cathedrals opposite chicken farms.

Furthermore, Paris differs significantly from London in that, in London, the poor typically live in one area while the rich live in another. In Paris, however, living conditions are vertically stratified; many poor and rich people live in the same building, although the poor usually live on the upper floors and the rich on the lower floors.

However, perhaps influenced by London, the rich and powerful in Paris gradually became unwilling to live in the city center with the poor. They began to move to the remote western part of Paris to live in the various luxury villas developed and built by major real estate developers, while the eastern and central areas of Paris were rapidly becoming places where the poor gathered.

Furthermore, the way Parisians enjoy entertainment has been quietly changing in the past two years.

Because the French government banned prostitution and gambling in 1828 and 1836 respectively, these two measures led to the emergence of other forms of consumption, and people's energy began to shift to the newly developed arcade shopping streets.

And because these shopping streets are often close to theaters and cafes, they quickly boosted the surrounding entertainment industry.

Popular theaters and ballrooms also opened along Rue du Palazzo in the 3rd arrondissement, stretching west from Rue Saint-Martin to Rue Montmartre in the 2nd arrondissement. Theaters there offered semi-private shows for discerning enthusiasts and wealthy individuals. From Rue Montmartre to Rue Italia, besides various private underground casinos and luxurious entertainment venues, one could find many trendy foreign restaurants and cafes. Among them, the Parisian Café was the most popular with the petit bourgeoisie, followed by Café Tortoni, Café des Beaux-Arts (known for its iced water), and Café des Beaux-Arts (known for its iced water).

The carriage slowly came to a stop on the Italian street, directly facing a Parisian café.

Although the facade here is not as grand and imposing as the Louvre, it carries a certain fashionable and flamboyant style exclusive to the petty bourgeoisie.

The large glass windows projected the store's light directly onto the street, the brass-framed doorknobs were polished to a shine, and the waiters at the door, dressed in dark coats and white aprons, were briskly opening car doors for guests arriving by car.

As soon as the carriage stopped, Arthur saw the self-satisfied petty bourgeoisie at the door.

They were just fur traders, real estate agents, or low-level bank employees, but they all acted like financial oligarchs.

The top hat had to be pressed down to a precise angle, just as many flamboyant "gentlemen's magazines" say, and the boots had to be polished so bright they could reflect a person's image.

Some people held their canes horizontally in the crook of their arms, as if the carved wood were their family crest.

Some people vigorously shook out their cloaks so that others could see how their gold-embroidered vests shimmered in the sunlight.

They spoke softly, but annoyingly, they deliberately dragged out the last syllables, as if every nasal sound at the end of a word deserved everyone's attention. Some sipped their coffee while loudly flipping through the National Gazette, while others nitpicked the temperature of their iced water in front of the waiter, acting like connoisseurs when it was just a regular summer drink, saying things like, "The ice in Tortoni is purer than here."

One man was recounting the grand opening of the Saint-Lazare train station a while back, claiming that he "almost" bought the first ticket to Lepec.

The other immediately chimed in, excitedly claiming that he knew major shareholders in the railway company, and even implying that a certain unnamed figure in the cabinet was also investing.

The others nearby nodded in agreement, as if these unfounded rumors could really turn into money tomorrow.

When Arthur got out of the car, he didn't even bother to straighten his hat; instead, he just casually pushed it back.

Elder, a former Royal Navy officer, appeared more casual. He tossed his coat over his shoulder with one hand and put the other hand directly into his pocket. His movements weren't particularly rude, but he seemed somewhat out of place among the well-dressed guests.

This "too lazy to perform" attitude immediately drew sidelong glances from several customers at the door.

Someone curled their lip and muttered under their breath, "From another province."

Just as the words "from out of town" were still lingering in the air at the door, a hearty laugh suddenly came from the end of Italian Road.

The leader was an elderly man who was not very tall, but his clothes were particularly eye-catching.

A black top hat with a silver ring fastened to its strap. A deep blue long coat gleamed slightly in the sunlight, its collar and cuffs trimmed with velvet. A scarlet silk vest peeked out from beneath the coat. On her right hand, she wore an emerald ring the size of her thumb, and a gold pocket watch chain hung at her waist, swaying gently with her steps.

The silver eagle-headed cane in his hand looked exactly like the cane in Arthur's hand; there was practically no difference between them.

The seven or eight burly men following behind him were all broad-shouldered, with scars or knife marks on their faces, sharp eyes, and short knives and pistols tucked into their waistbands, making them look like a pack of jackals emerging from the shadows.

François Vidocq.

In Paris, no one would openly welcome this former master thief, now head of a detective agency.

But the moment he appeared, the atmosphere immediately became unusual.

The guests who had just been commenting on Arthur and Elder immediately shrank back, afraid of getting into trouble and being dragged into the alley by this group and something bad would happen.

Sir Arthur.

Victor had just reached out his hand, and before he could finish speaking, Arthur grabbed it.

Arthur chuckled and joked, "Mr. Vidocq, just call me Arthur."

Vidocq's laughter had a touch of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) about it: "Hey, brother! Why didn't you give me a heads-up before you came to Paris? I had to hear it from Mr. Dumas to find out you were already on your way."

He deliberately shook his head as he spoke: "I, Vidoc, am someone who makes a living in Paris. If you don't come to me, outsiders will think I'm not being loyal!"

Elder coughed lightly, about to interject, but suddenly frowned and looked at an old acquaintance behind Vidoc: "You...you are not..."

The coconut tree, who had just been looking aloof, suddenly felt goosebumps all over when he was stared at: "You've probably mistaken me for someone else."

"Really?" Elder pondered, "That can't be..."

Seeing that the two of them were about to bring up that unpleasant past again, Victor quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Hey, Mr. Carter! You have such a sharp eye! All my brothers have some kind of 'souvenir' on their faces. If you follow the clues, they'll all be your old acquaintances."

Elder didn't delve into the details upon hearing this, but simply put his hands back in his pockets. After all, if you really think about it, that incident back then wasn't exactly one of his glorious achievements: "Mr. Vidocq, I heard that your business in Paris is doing quite well. The Paris Police Department is practically your branch office now?"

Upon hearing this, Vidocq waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Mr. Carter, if you put it that way, you'll get me into serious trouble. Paris is now under the control of Director Dreiser; how could I, Vidocq, dare to steal his job? But..."

He paused, raised an eyebrow, and revealed a sly look: "In the streets of Paris, if you really want to find some clues or find out some secret information, even if the director is very capable, sometimes he has to go out of his way to knock on my door. You see, it was because he didn't listen to advice that he suffered a big setback on Rue Bergier and was coaxed into submission."

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Arthur suddenly asked, "You mean, the chief of the Paris police has been replaced?"

“That’s right, Dreiser has risen to power.” Vidoc scoffed. “She’s the one I told you about before, the one who used to climb the social ladder by pulling down the mayor’s wife’s skirt.”

"This is how the same thing?"

“Actually, it’s nothing much,” Vidoc explained. “Two years ago, there was a case on Rue Bergier. The Paris Police Department received anonymous intelligence that a large-scale robbery was about to occur at a bank on Rue Bergier. The intelligence was very specific, saying that a large group of robbers had secretly gathered and were ready to commit the crime with weapons. Grissoc took the intelligence very seriously, so he ordered an emergency mobilization of police forces, including the army and gendarmes. These people were deployed around the bank, ready to crack the case on the spot. However, when they surrounded the building with guns, they found nothing inside.”

Vidocq quipped, “There were no thieves, no conspiracy, not even a suspicious sign. The blunder quickly spread throughout Paris. The newspapers seized the opportunity to ridicule him, saying that the dignified police chief had been fooled and made a fool of by the whole city. In addition, Grissoc had made too many enemies before, and this time he suddenly became the target of public criticism. Public opinion was rife with condemnation, and the higher-ups also felt that it was difficult to maintain his prestige. So, just like when they forced me to leave, they made him resign gracefully.”

(End of this chapter)