Eagle's Glory

Hearing this answer, the Marquis of Noirtier raised his eyebrows, "Marseille! That's a good place! I've been there several times. My ineffective son has worked there for several years, and my granddaughter is always there born."

Edmond Dantès didn't expect that he and the Marquis would have such a fate, so he suddenly became energetic.

"The scenery of my hometown is beyond words! Although it is not as magnificent as Paris, it also has a vibrant harbor and endless sea, which is my dream..."

"You make me want to visit again..." the Marquis laughed loudly, "But I think, when His Majesty's career is successful, you can return to your hometown and enjoy yourself there for a while."

Edmond felt a little sad for a moment.

His hometown is a place he is proud of, but it is also his sad place, where, at his wedding banquet, he was taken away by the police, and then inexplicably sent to the black prison of Chateau d'If, where he lived for more than ten years. Years of dark prison life.

If it wasn't for his adoptive father, Father Faria, to help him analyze his situation, he might not even know why he was facing such a disaster until his death.

Of course, it was thanks to His Majesty who rescued me, otherwise, even if I came back to my senses, it would be of no use, I could only mourn my doom in the dark prison.

All kinds of sad things made his eyes suddenly full of sadness, and the sophisticated Marquis of Noirtier and Marquis of Treville saw the count's abnormality.

The two of them didn't understand why, but they naturally knew that they should change the subject.

"Sir, you can't say that your son is useless, he is one of the most promising young people we recognize." General Treville joked with a smile on his face, "If my son With your son's ability, why should I worry so much!"

Although these two people are both powerful figures, when they get older, they inevitably take on the commonality of being parents—comparing their children. .The Marquis of Treville was extremely disappointed with his son Edgar, and seeing the son of the Marquis of Noirtier's success and great future, it would be impossible for him not to be sad.

However, the Marquis Noirtier also had his own sore spots, and he let out a long sigh.

"Hey! I wish that little bastard would be a wandering crane like your son! He was ambitious to climb up, but he stood on the opposite side of us. I really didn't expect that I would raise such a son..."

The long and short sigh of the Marquis of Noirtier aroused the interest of Edmond Dantès. According to the conversation between the two of them, the son of the Marquis of Noirtier should be a high-ranking government official who is loyal to the royal family, so The Marquis was so distressed.

He is not angry, he knows that these famous families are intertwined, and it is very common for family members to be loyal to different forces - isn't the brother of the Marquis de Treville also a favorite of the king, His Majesty the Emperor will not care about this.

"I don't know what position your son is in now?" He couldn't help asking curiously.

"The son of the Marquis is Mr. Gerard de Villefort. He is now the prosecutor of the Paris Prosecutor's Office. He can certainly become the Attorney General of the Kingdom." The Marquis of Treville answered this question in place of the Marquis of Noirtier.

As if he was afraid that Edmund would misunderstand, he continued to explain, "Well... this prosecutor has disagreed with his father's political views since he was a child, and he was influenced by his mother to lean more towards the royalist side, so he was in the Restoration Afterwards, he used his mother's surname and joined the kingdom government. For this reason, the father and son had quarreled many times, and now they hardly communicate with each other..."

"I have seen too many tragedies of fighting in the same room. Back then, father and son brothers killed each other because of political disagreements. Now that this kind of thing happened to me, it must be regarded as retribution." The Marquis of Noirtier was obviously a little bit dispirited, " That little bastard liked to play against me since he was a child, and later he married the daughter of a die-hard royalist Marquis de Saint-Méran, and then used his power to get a job as an acting prosecutor in Marseilles... So this is what I have with Marseilles There have been some overlapping reasons."

Edmond Dantès could hear the words of the two Marquis very clearly, but he seemed to be unable to hear anything clearly. His ears seemed to be buzzing, which made him dizzy.

"De Villefort... Prosecutor de Villefort..." he murmured.

The Marquis Noirtier noticed his abnormality, so he asked Edmund curiously. "What? Count, do you know my son?"

Edmund's face was very ugly, and he didn't know what to say for a while.

Since he came out of the black prison, he deliberately went back to his hometown once, and then secretly investigated what happened to him back then, and then he figured out the ins and outs of this uncomplicated case.

Tanglar urged Fernand to write a letter to himself, and prosecutor Villefort believed it was true and arrested him, and then sent him to a dark cell.

The facts are very clear and simple - although he has no idea why the prosecutor should treat him like this.

Why?He actually threw himself into a black jail without doing a basic review?Why did he treat himself so cruelly?

He couldn't think of an answer, and in the end he could only attribute the reason to "the royalist party instigated white terror at that time, killing and never letting go." After all, there were indeed many such things at that time.

No matter what the motive was, the prosecutor was one of his enemies. If the prosecutor hadn't played tricks on him, how could Fernand and Tanglar send themselves to prison even if they tried their best?

Naturally, he also included Prosecutor Villefort in his liquidation list.

But today, he was surprised to find that the prosecutor's father was sitting in front of him, and he was a very high-ranking and well-known leader in the same party.

Prosecutor Villefort's father was the Marquis of Noirtier, a revolutionary aristocrat and former member of the Girondins of the National Assembly.

In January 1793, the National Assembly passed the death sentence for King Louis XVI's crime of treason. At that time, 1 votes were in favor, 361 votes against, and 334 votes believed that the death sentence should be suspended. Those who voted in favor of Louis XVI's death sentence were regarded as "regicides" and were severely condemned and liquidated.

However, many of those regicides back then had already been executed by other revolutionary factions during the bloody purges of previous great revolutions... such as Robespierre, Saint-Just, Philip-Equality, etc., no Need to bother the royal family to take revenge, and they themselves died in the revolutionary storm.

As a member of the National Assembly, the Marquis voted against the death sentence, so although he was also guilty of "rebellion", he was not stigmatized as a regicide. In addition, he was also a member of the hereditary nobility, so he was not too much too severe punishment.

After the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty, King Louis XVIII advocated "reconciliation", so he did not severely punish him, but only imprisoned him for a few years and then released-of course, his political career came to an end. It is impossible to exert any influence in the political arena.

In any case, for Edmond Dantès, the Marquis of Noirtier is a senior who must be respected, and he will definitely be His Majesty's minister - when he is employing people, His Majesty will definitely rely on these loyalty Geng Geng and experienced veterans stabilized the overall situation for him.

Therefore, in His Majesty's heart, the support of Marquis Noirtier must be very important!

So in this case, can he take revenge on his son?Can it be done?

Thinking of this level, Edmond Dantès couldn't help sweating and feeling extremely painful.

Why did fate play tricks on me like this?

谷象

"What's the matter? Earl? You seem to be being tortured." Marquis Noirtier felt a little strange and couldn't help asking.

How to do?What should we do?

Is it a concealment?Say nothing, and then secretly take revenge on his son?

As a victim, you have this right.

But are you really going to take your revenge in a sneaky way?are you afraidWhat are you afraid of?

With a sudden change in his mind, Edmond Dantès suddenly became passionate. He decided to take a risk, and as an accomplice and junior, he showed everything to the old Marquis to see how he would deal with it.

He must take revenge, and no one can stand in front of him except His Majesty.

"Marquis Noirtier, I venture to ask, are you a gentleman?" He raised his head and looked at the Marquis calmly.

"We French don't like to talk about this..." The Marquis froze for a moment, then shook his head with a smile, "However, I can assure you that I have acted aboveboard in my life, although I have killed people several times under the pressure of the situation. , but I killed each other in a fair duel, and there are witnesses to testify."

"Hey, why are you talking about a duel all of a sudden!" The Marquis de Treville felt that the atmosphere was a bit off, so he hurriedly stopped it.

"Look at the look in this gentleman's eyes. It's for those who have made up their minds." Marquis Noirtier pointed to Edmund, "I couldn't help but think of those."

"You two gentlemen, both of you are my accomplices, and you all come from famous families. More importantly, I admire your demeanor and life experience...you are my role model." Edmond Dantès spoke suddenly, with an extremely sincere tone in his tone, "I want to tell you a story from the past, I implore you, keep it a secret from me after hearing it, is that okay?"

The two marquises glanced at each other, feeling the abnormality of the atmosphere even more.

But since the Count of Monte Cristo had already mentioned this point, they naturally had nothing else to say. "Please tell us, we must keep it secret."

Edmond Dantès cleared his throat and began his story.

"Once upon a time in Marseilles, there was a merchant ship called the Pharaoh, and there was a young sailor named Edmond Dantès on board..."

In an unusually calm tone, Edmund narrated his own experience—from a sailor to a prisoner, and by chance, he joined His Majesty's command, was favored by His Majesty, made many meritorious deeds, and finally Become the Count of Monte Cristo.

This is almost a legendary story, so much so that the two marquises who have a wealth of life experience are fascinated by it.

In the end, Edmund Dantès told the truth that he had investigated, and the mood of the two of them suddenly became extremely heavy.

Prosecutor Villefort!Marseille's acting prosecutor, taking away everything Edmond Dantès once had.

The expression and tone of Edmund Dantès made the two of them have no doubts about the authenticity of his words.What's more, there are still many things that can be confirmed by each other.

Especially the Marquis of Noirtier, he understood everything, even more than Edmond Dantès.

He knew why his son wanted to kill the little sailor—it was because he was afraid of being known that his father had participated in the conspiracy to support the restoration of Emperor Napoleon, which would jeopardize his own future.

That letter was sent from the island of Elba to the Bonaparte Club in Paris at the time, and he himself was the vice-president of that club and one of the leaders of the conspiracy!

After knowing all this, his mood suddenly fell to the bottom.

What should I do?

No matter from any point of view, his son is the Count of Monte Cristo and the enemy, and he has extremely fair reasons to impose any degree of revenge-and he also said it directly to himself.

Undoubtedly, he could break his promise just now and remind his son to be careful when he went back, but his inherent pride and dignity did not allow him to play such double-faced tricks in front of the count.

"I'm done, I ask you to give me a fair answer with your conscience and honor, Mr. Marquis." Edmond Dantès looked eagerly at the Marquis of Noirtier, waiting for his answer , "What do you think I should do?"

The Marquis de Treville also looked at Noirtier secretly. To be honest, if it was him, he would definitely choose to protect his son, and he would not hesitate to pay any price for it, but of course he would pretend to be a sanctimonious look.

"We all have our own family honor," he whispered, hinting at his own opinion.

"Yes, honor!" The Marquis of Noirtier, who had been silent for a long time, sighed.

Then, he stood up suddenly, and bowed down to Edmund Dantès respectfully, his gray hair fell down from it, covering the eyes of the presbyopia, "Sir, for the gift my son brought to you I am very sorry and very sorry for those serious disasters... I admit that you have the right to revenge, and I... I will keep the secret for you."

Having said that, his tone suddenly became more choked, and he seemed speechless for a moment.

Edmund couldn't help but feel pity for the look in the old father's eyes, and he secretly admired this kind of open and honest answer.

But no matter how much pity and admiration he had, his tenacious revenge was not compromised. He must take revenge.

"What do you wish to do with him?" asked the Marquis de Treville suddenly.

"I...I haven't made up my mind yet, but I must take revenge." Edmund replied.

"Then, when the time is right, let's fight a duel, and wash away your grievances and anger with your own hands." The Marquis de Treville proposed. "Although there will be some legal obstacles, we can easily suppress them."

Edmond Dantès did not object to this opinion, so the two looked at the Marquis of Noirtier together.

But now the Marquis is no longer in high spirits just now, but instead lost his soul.

He sat down gently, and then heaved a long sigh.

"Although we have different political views and quarreled frequently, he is my only son after all. Can you wait until he gives birth to a grandson before exercising your rights?" He looked at Edmund almost beggingly.　　

106. Life experience

"Can you wait until he has a grandson before exercising your rights?"

The eyes of the Marquis Noirtier were full of pleading.

At this moment, he is not that all-powerful political figurehead, nor is he the important minister of the empire who once had blood on his hands, but has turned back into an old man over sixty years old.

This look made Edmond Dantès feel pity.

If he had a choice, why would he want to see a similar scene?

"Prosecutor Villefort was married before I entered the cell. Has he no children?" asked Edmund.

"Now there is only one daughter, named Valentine," replied the Marquis de Noirtier sadly, "a very clever and lovely child. He was married to the daughter of the Marquis of Saint-Méran, but the lady has passed away." , he recently married a continuation lady."

Edmund pondered for a moment, as far as he was concerned, it was not a big deal to agree to this condition - anyway, he was not in a hurry to take revenge now.

However, he also knew that he couldn't agree to this request broadly. After all, if the prosecutor couldn't give birth to a son, would he give up revenge on him?

"I can wait, sir, but I cannot wait indefinitely, please understand," he replied.

The Marquis of Noirtier also fully understood the count's concerns, so he nodded, "Okay, let's just wait quietly! If God still has mercy on me, then maybe he will have a baby with his second lady." Son, if God thinks that the world needs fairness and wants him to perish, then what can I say? Let's make a three-year period, and we will see after three years. Please rest assured that I will keep my mouth shut during these three years , I will never reveal a word, I wait for the arrangement of fate."

What the Marquis said was emotional and reasonable, and Edmund felt that he had nothing to dispute.

"Okay, then let's make an agreement like this." So he nodded and agreed, "Marquis, what your son has done has not diminished my respect for you, your past glorious resume, and the fact that you are now in front of me. I deeply admire the demeanor you have shown, you are a person who stands upright, I hope you will always be healthy and dedicate your talents to His Majesty and the people in the future."

"You're flattering me. I'm just an old man in his dying years. What else can I praise?" The Marquis smiled wryly, looking dispirited, "But I will do my best. I have experienced countless major events in my life. There are very few things left, the family is broken, the husband and wife are against each other, and the country is bleeding into rivers... I hope that when I die, I can see a better era come."

Because of his son's affairs, the Marquis of Noirtier was obviously depressed, and Edmond Dantès and the Marquis of Treville also tacitly agreed, and they never stimulated him again.

Then, the three of them put aside the matter of Prosecutor Villefort, talked about some recent political topics, and speculated on the upcoming political trends-the most important thing was to figure out who could be used by the Bonaparte family.

When talking about this, the Marquis of Noirtier finally regained his spirits and talked endlessly, but Edmond Dantès basically couldn't intervene in these questions, he just listened quietly and memorized , just like a student listening to lectures in class.

In the end, the Marquis Noirtier made a summary of the current situation.

"In this day and age, it is out of date to enforce an autocratic regime, especially in the awakened France. A monarch cannot impose his personal will on the people by purely relying on swords and guns, or even ignore his government and parliament. He can only There is no other way than to govern hand in hand with the existing regime and be subject to the harsh scrutiny and judgment of the people."

As if to prove his own point, he went on to explain, "When the first emperor was restored in 1815, he abandoned his arbitrary authority in the imperial era and declared that he would practice the politics of tolerance, because he knew that only such Only then can they win the hearts of the people; and after the return of the Bourbon royal family, although they always want to return to the old days, they also know that it is impossible. King Louis XVIII promulgated the "Charter" as a clear example, He knew that if he didn't show tolerance, he would be overthrown by the French people just like his elder brother... It can be expected that today, when the people are generally dissatisfied with King Charles X's perverse behavior, if His Majesty wants to win the hearts of the people, he must We must also show a more tolerant gesture than before.”

"But... Your Majesty is not a tolerant person..." The Marquis de Treville sighed, "I have been with him for a while and I can see that he is a very modest person who is good at listening to other people's suggestions, but He is also very stubborn, once he has made a decision, he will not allow others to question it, and must complete it... It is not easy for His Majesty to tolerate others offending his authority."

Logically speaking, the Marquis de Treville must never say these words, and as a subject, he cannot talk about the monarch, but at this moment, the three people present here are all core members of the Bonaparte party, so it is not necessary to say it in private. There is no taboo, and there is even a feeling of "close enough to His Majesty".

Edmund Dantès also believed in this deeply. He stayed with His Majesty for a longer time, so he naturally understood the young man better. "Your Majesty is a very proud person in his bones. He looks down on those who boast but achieve nothing. He is a man of action, and he is convinced that he must be right... I don't think this is a shortcoming. Without these qualities, he would not It will be what it is today.”

"You are right, stubbornness is dangerous for fools, but it is by no means a disadvantage for smart people, because smart people often worry too much, and they don't know that big things are done by those single-minded people. Did Robespierre have any training in governing the country when he was pushed to power? He didn't, but he relied on that stubborn ruthlessness to stabilize the situation of foreign invasion and domestic rebellion. It’s his ability—although I have been hunted down by him, but I admit this ability.” The Marquis Noirtier replied with a smile, “However, different times have different methods, and it is almost too late to observe this country silently. It has been half a century, and although I am now at home, I am still paying attention to the pulse of the new era... So I think that His Majesty needs to be stubborn to realize his ideals, and at the same time have the skills to adapt to this era, the only way He was able to secure his seat."

"I would like to hear more about it." Edmund Danteston suddenly became interested.

The Marquis of Noirtier knew that the Count of Monte Cristo was His Majesty's confidant, and everything he said in front of the Count today would surely reach the ears of the young His Majesty, so he mustered up his energy and tried his best to think about it. I must make my "remonstrance" more thorough so that His Majesty can listen to it.

"First, he will co-operate with Parliament, and treat it as a legislature to be respected rather than purely executive, but at the same time he will find a way to tame it, make it match the monarch's every action, and make his intentions open After all, our citizens still believe that Parliament represents them!"

"Then how to do it?" Edmond Dantès asked again.

"Since the restoration of the Bourbon family, I have observed it for more than ten years. Our parliament is like a big inn. Various factions are constantly changing seats with the fluctuation of public opinion, and every time they will send unexpected guests to the monarch. .For a mediocre monarch, this will make them feel at a loss. They don't know how to deal with the chaotic situation, and the political wind that changes every two or three years; He can hide himself behind the turmoil of Parliament, use the Prime Minister and Ministers to face this chaotic quarrel, isolate himself from the endless quarrel, exercise power aloofly, and win over the imperial court Opposition." The Marquis Noirtier replied in a low voice, "I personally participated in the great Constituent Assembly in 1789. Although some people were boring and mediocre there, there were many great people gathered together. A gathering of heroes! In comparison, today’s parliament is just a bunch of eloquent but quick-witted little trash, as long as you use your skills, you can easily control them.”

From the tone of the Marquis of Noirtier, Edmond Dantès suddenly sensed the position the Marquis gave himself, or the price he offered to His Majesty.

He wants to be the spokesperson of His Majesty in the parliament in the future?

Edmund Dantès didn't hold any opinion on this, and neither supported nor opposed it. After all, this was a decision only His Majesty could make, and he just passed it on.

He didn't dislike the Marquis's political ambitions—after all, how could a man do great things if he didn't have ambitions?