[Count of Monte Cristo] Love and hatred

r019

Josephine Beauharne was Napoleon's first queen. Although they were later forced to divorce, Napoleon never cut off his love for Josephine.He had had several women successively in his life, and only Josephine really occupied his heart.

This is why Mei Tess calls her Queen, and she wants to use this as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the warden.

The jailer disappeared for several minutes before returning, humbly following a bearded man in what appeared to be an army uniform.Although Mei Tess could not recognize the uniform of this era, she guessed that it was the warden of Chateau d'If.

"Adoni, go down, I have something important to discuss with this young lady!"

As expected by Mei Tess, the man first shouted away the guards around him, then put on a smiling face and greeted her. "Miss, I heard that you are from Empress Josephine?"

"Maria Guinivea, from Malmaison Castle", Mei Tess introduced herself.She took a step forward and accepted the warden's hand kiss, but she didn't say much, because she had to wait for him to ask questions first, so that she could take the initiative in her hands.

The sea breeze raised the plum-colored Tess blue skirt, slightly revealing the pair of rococo style embroidered shoes from the court.The folds of her solemn dark cloak also shimmered rose-colored under the strong sunlight, which was also in line with her current status-Empress Josephine's favorite flower during her lifetime was roses.

"Miss Guinivea, I don't think you're here for sightseeing?" The warden looked suspiciously at Mei Tess.Her dress, her demeanor, all showed her status as a female official in the palace.But Empress Josephine passed away around this time last year, and he had absolutely no idea what the purpose of her lady-in-waiting was here.

"Of course not." Mei Tess nodded and explained the purpose of her visit. "I came to meet the young man who helped Empress Josephine deliver the message. His name is Edmund Dantès."

"Miss, I'm afraid that if you want to see him, you must obtain a permit signed by the prosecutor." The warden frowned.

"I'm sorry, I came in a hurry, and after I arrived in Marseilles, I learned that the old prosecutor had resigned, and the new prosecutor Villefort happened to be on a business trip at the Palace of Justice in Aix..." Mei Tess smiled slightly, and put With eyes as calm as the sea, I met the warden, "But Mr. Warden, I believe this will not prevent you from allowing me to have a brief visit?"

"Of course, oh, no..." The warden shook his head, as if trying to clear his mind, "According to the regulations, this is probably not allowed, Miss."

"I came to Marseilles after a long journey to fulfill Empress Josephine's last wish. Before Empress Josephine died of illness, she entrusted the relics to a general and told him to send them to His Majesty Napoleon. Later that The general found his former subordinate, Leclere, the captain of the Queen of Egypt, and asked him to stop for a while when the ship passed the island of Elba, and hand over the package to His Majesty the Emperor. But poor Mr. Leclere was on the way Unfortunately, he died of meningitis, and the messenger became his first mate, Mr. Dantès..."

After a pause, Mei Tess said regretfully, "Empress Josephine once promised to give honor and benefits to those who helped her deliver the message, but in the end, Mr. Dantès went to prison. I I also just learned about this matter, which is completely contrary to Her Majesty's original intention."

"Yes, this is really unfortunate," the warden said with an embarrassing smile, "but Edmond Dantès is no ordinary prisoner now, he is one of the most dangerous conspirators."

"No, now that His Majesty the Emperor has returned to Paris, Mr. Dantès has become the hero of the First French Empire," Mei Tess corrected, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh...yes, but you know that," the prison warden showed embarrassment, "His Majesty Napoleon just issued an order to pass the throne to his son who is far away in Vienna."

"So what?" Mei Tess's glamorous lips curved slightly, "His Majesty the Emperor can return to Paris for the first time, and he can return to Paris for the second time. Besides, let me meet that young man." No harm to you. If His Majesty Napoleon knew that a young man was freezing and starving all day in the Château d'If because he helped Empress Josephine deliver a message, he would not sit idly by. His Majesty Napoleon and Josephine The love between queens is a good story in France, and I believe that even though you have been in Chateau d'If for a long time, you will definitely hear about it."

"Indeed, I've heard of some," the warden rolled his eyes, "but you, as Queen Josephine's female officer, must know better than me."

Plum Tess nodded, realizing immediately that the warden was testing her.This person is much more difficult than she imagined, but this question does not bother her. She has read a lot of historical records about Napoleon and Josephine in later generations:

"I still remember that His Majesty the Emperor was once assassinated on the way to the Paris Opera House. The gunpowder exploded between the two carriages of the Emperor and Empress. The Emperor's carriage left without noticing, and Empress Josephine's horse stopped in fright. At that time, I happened to be in the same car with the Empress, and I was very scared when I encountered such a situation, so I asked her if she wanted to go back. But she firmly refused, and told me that Bonaparte had already left, how could she let him go alone? "

"How touching," the warden nodded, satisfied with Mei Tess's answer.He had also heard about Napoleon's assassination, but he didn't know there was such an inside story.

Mei Tess went on to say, "Mr. Warden, I think with your ambition, you must not want to stay in the Chateau d'If for a long time. If His Majesty the Emperor can return to Paris, I will serve you in the name of Empress Josephine." Ask him for recognition for his kind deed. Even if His Majesty the Emperor fails to come back, no one will know about it, and it will do you no harm at all."

After that, she took out a beautiful silk purse from the cloak and handed it to the warden.She had already exchanged the gold louis for silver crowns, so it looked more like that.

But she wasn't sure if the warden would eagerly open the money bag when he carried her on his back.She therefore put in it exactly three hundred crowns, no more, no less, exactly a jailer's salary for a year.

The warden took the purse and hesitated for a few seconds before putting it into his arms.

Just when Mei Tess thought her plan had succeeded, the warden suddenly shouted at the subordinates in the castle, "Adoni! Adoni! Come here!"

Did the warden notice something?Plum Tess was a little flustered, but she still managed to maintain her composure. She could clearly feel that the smile on her lips was a little stiff, but a smile was better than no smile.

She didn't even have time to recall whether she had exposed her flaws just now, she could only tell herself that I am the queen's maid, and they would never dare to do anything to me.

It wasn't until the warden turned around with a flattering smile on his face that Mei Tess realized that she had passed the last test.

"My dear lady, you can see him, but you must be under the supervision of our people, so as to ensure your safety," the warden spread his hands.

Even though she was reluctant, Plum Tess nodded, "That's natural."

"This is my subordinate Adoni, let him take you to see Dantès," the warden said while pointing to the jailer who had just been called, and the jailer named Adoni immediately made a humility A "please" gesture.

Mei Tess followed him into the Château d'If.As soon as she entered the gate, she felt extremely oppressed. All the light from the outside world was blocked by the thick stone wall. Only the limited light from the torch illuminated the short distance ahead of them.

After walking for a long distance, Mei Tess couldn't help asking, "Excuse me, are we almost there?" She was expecting an affirmative answer, but the jailer showed no intention of stopping.

"No...we didn't make it..."

Only his hoarse voice echoed in the dark fortress:

"Still down...below..."

☆, the first commitment

r020

The jailer named Adoni led Mei Tess through the heavy gates and down the stairs to the dark underground.

The inside of the castle was cold and damp, and the air was filled with a musty smell. From time to time, there was a cry piercing the darkness, causing ripples of echo in the silent and tense air.

However, the ensuing silence was even more frightening than the previous sound. This is simply the purgatory described by Dante.

After going down many steps, Mei Tess finally couldn't help asking, "Why is he locked underground?" She saw that there were still many prisoners on the ground wearing prison uniforms, chained and with marks on their shoulders. Acting as a drudgery, it is strange that Edmund is not one of them.She didn't need to ask her to guess that the underground dungeons were always reserved for the most vicious prisoners.

"Because Dantès is a dangerous person," he immediately changed his words, realizing that his words would not sound good to a Napoleon, "he threatened to kill me when he first came."

Mei Tess shook her head, not convinced, "I heard that he is an excellent sailor and a devout Christian, he would not do such a thing."

The jailer just smiled and stopped answering.

Finally reached the bottom level of the dungeon.The jailer led her all the way forward until she reached Cell No. 34 before stopping.

In that small prison cell, a mass of black shadow slowly squirmed towards the light source.When the people inside finally got their heads together, Mei Tess almost thought that the jailer had gone to the wrong cell.

Since entering the Château d'If, Edmund's hair and beard have not been trimmed, only his pair of deep blue eyes shining in the firelight made Mei Tess barely recognize him, "Don... Monsieur Dantès..."

But the moment he saw Plum Tess, Edmund was completely dumbfounded.He recognized the exquisite face that belonged to his lover, but that was the only one he was familiar with.Her gorgeous attire and the noble aura exuded by her gestures made him feel strange.

He blinked hard to make sure he wasn't blind.The woman in front of him seemed to be a noble lady. Perhaps the long-term torture of prison life had affected his mind. In an instant, a hundred thoughts flashed through his mind. His father was dead, and his plum Tess was married. Gave it to someone else... NO!This is impossible!This is impossible...

"Mr. Dantès, I am Maria, the lady-in-waiting of Empress Josephine, and I am here to see you at the last wish of Her Majesty the Empress." Mei Tess spoke first, interrupting Edmund's troubled thoughts, "Your Majesty the Empress At the beginning, she promised to give honor and benefits to Mr. Lechler who helped her hand over the token, but she never thought that this incident would bring you down to this point, which is really unfortunate."

Edmund frowned tightly, and now he didn't understand even more. When did Mei Tess become Her Majesty's lady-in-waiting, besides, didn't Lady Josephine pass away last year?

"Before Empress Josephine died of illness, she entrusted the relics to a general and told him to deliver the items to His Majesty Napoleon. Later, the general found his former subordinate, the captain of the Queen of Egypt, Leclerc, please He stopped for a while when the ship passed the island of Elba, and gave the package to His Majesty the Emperor," Mei Tess said while blinking, but it seemed that the light was too dim for Edmund to notice.

In order to remind Edmund, she had to emphasize her tone, "But poor Mr. Lechler unfortunately got meningitis and passed away on the way, and you will be the messenger..."

Edmund looked at Mei Tess again, his brows furrowed even tighter.He finally realized that Mei Tess had the audacity to pretend to be the queen's lady-in-waiting in order to meet him, so he suppressed his inner emotions and said cooperatively, "As you said, Miss Maria."

"Can we have a private conversation?" Mei Tess looked expectantly at the jailer beside her.

"Sorry, miss, the warden doesn't allow it," the jailer shook his head.

"Okay," Mei Tess gritted her teeth, thinking to herself that everything she said and everything she did must conform to her current identity, otherwise she might be exposed.She turned her head again, and said in a gentle but slightly alienated tone, "Mr. Dantès, I visited your father in the port of Marseilles..."

"Please tell me how he is?" asked Edmund at once.

"He's been worried about you," Mei Tess forced a smile, "but he's... very fine, please don't worry."

"Where is my fiancée?" Edmund couldn't restrain the excitement in his heart, and stretched out his hand out of the iron fence, trying to hold Mei Tess's hand.

But he let go at once, for he found that Mei Tess was not wearing the ring he had put on her at the wedding!

The jailer called Adoni hurriedly stood in front of Mei Tess and kicked Edmund fiercely, "Miss, I said earlier that he is a dangerous person, let's leave quickly."

"No, please don't do this, it's not his fault," Maisettes hurriedly pulled the jailer away, "It's good enough for anyone locked up in such a terrible place without a mental breakdown, please let me finish my sentence with him. "

She met Edmund's eyes, she blinked, and hinted in words that only the two of them could understand, "Your fiancée is also fine, she has found the fruit under the fig tree."

"That's good..." Edmund opened his mouth, and uncontrollable tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision.He prayed to God day and night, praying to meet Mei Tess, and he imagined a thousand reunion situations in his mind, but it was definitely not like this... Even if there are thousands of words to say Plum Tess said, it was hard to say it now.

Ever since that wedding, he found that Mei Tess seemed to be a different person.And when he risked his life to escape from prison just to see her, all he saw in her eyes was concern, not love.Maybe she doesn't love him anymore, but he can't recognize the reality.

What's more, now that he is in prison, I don't know if he can get out.Since his love for her has not diminished in the slightest, he should let go and give her freedom at this time.

Under the impatient urging of the jailer, Mei Tess asked softly, "Mr. Dantès, do you have anything else to say to them?"

"Please tell my father that I'm... fine... let him not worry about me..."

Edmund was a little choked up, and after a while, he continued, "Please also tell my fiancée Maisette, she is free, even if I die alone in this dirty cell, no one to take care of me I will not blame her for the slightest bit. Her youth should not be wasted on a dead person, just treat me as dead."

"What?" Mei Tess shook her head in disbelief.

"Take this ring out too, and throw it into the sea. I don't need it anymore, and neither does she. It's a symbol of love. It shouldn't be a shackle of freedom. Let our love sink into it." The sea, even if everyone forgets it, the eternal waves will still remember it," Edmund said in a calm tone.

He stretched out his hand and stuffed the ring with his body temperature into Mei Tess's hand.He had taken great pains to bring that ring into the prison.In the darkest days, it had been all that kept him alive, but now, nothing seemed to matter.

Mei Tess stood there a little at a loss, she had never expected Edmund to be so desperate, and there was already a faint desire to die in his words.No... it shouldn't be like this!

"If you can, please take good care of my father. From now on, he will be alone in this world," Edmund said at last.

Mei Tess pretended to agree to Edmund and left with the jailer.But within a few steps, she quickly ran back to Edmund while the jailer was not paying attention, and immediately took off another ring hidden in her pocket, and stuffed it into his hand, "Edmund, anyway , must not give up. Your father is waiting for you, and I will be waiting for you too!"

She knew that even if it was to give Edmund an illusory hope, it would become an obsession, supporting him to live.

The two were silent for a moment.But Mai Tess knew she had succeeded, for she saw Edmund's lifeless eyes and rekindled the fire of hope.

It's time to say goodbye.

Before the jailer noticed that Plum Tess was not following, she turned and chased after her.

"Wait a moment, please," Edmund called suddenly.

He gazed dreamily at Plum Tess, the cloak on her body was wrapped in gorgeous rose-colored fire, and the skirt swaying around her ankles was flowing with dark dark blue waves.

For a moment, he felt that she was no longer the Catalan fisherwoman he knew, but a goddess, a goddess rising from the bottom of the sea.

Had she come to this dreadful dungeon to save him?

"Can you sing me a song, Miss Maria," begged Edmund with a smile, "bring a little light to this poor fellow in this dark prison."

Plum Tess looked back, and met Edmund's eager eyes, "Of course." She hummed softly, and her sad and stubborn singing echoed in the dark fortress:

"My heart was struck by the arrow of Love,

Money is like dung to me,

Nothing comforts me,

Except my merry and brave sailor.

Come on, beautiful girl.

I do not care who you are,

In love with the merry and brave sailor who plunges into the stormy sea,

Whenever the wind blows and the storm blows,

They are all worried about him who is gone,

And prayed firmly in my heart,

One day he will come home safe and sound..."