[Count of Monte Cristo] Love and hatred

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When Edmund opened his eyes again, he found himself lying on the deck of the Genoese dhow.A young sailor was wiping his body with a towel. Seeing Edmund waking up, the sailor happily called the captain in Italian and asked for a glass of rum, which he brought to Edmund's mouth.

With his help, Edmund gradually regained his vitality. "Are you a native of France?" asked the sailor in French with a Corsican accent.

Although Edmund could understand, he still shook his head with a puzzled look on his face, expressing that he didn't know what the sailor was talking about.Edmund replied, "No, my name is Sinbad, and I'm a Maltese sailor. Our boat ran into a storm last night and sank on the rocks."

"Where are the others on board?" the captain asked again.

"I don't know..." Edmund showed a sad look on his face, "I was lucky and caught a piece of broken wood, so I didn't sink, but my companions..."

"Fortunately, we wisely moored the ship in Marseille port yesterday. It was the biggest storm I have ever seen." The captain said what Edmund didn't finish. "Today we only found you in this sea area. I guess the rest of your crew didn't make it through the storm, God bless them."

The sailors all looked at Edmund with sympathetic eyes, with the expression that people often have that although they escaped disaster yesterday, maybe disaster will happen again tomorrow.

After a few seconds of silence, Edmund said, "Thank you for saving my life. If one of you hadn't caught me in time, I would have been buried at the bottom of the sea like them."

"Hey, that's me," said the sailor who wiped Edmund's body. "It was really dangerous just now, and you were just about to sink."

Edmund looked gratefully at the sailor. His skin was dark and his face looked honest and open.He held out his hand, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart, brother."

"Call me Jacob," said the sailor.

"Okay, Jacob."

"To be honest, I was a little scared when I rescued you," Jacob said with a smile, "Your hair is about a foot long, and your beard is like a rough felt. You don't look like a good person, but a robber. "

Edmund frowned. He had no chance to cut his hair or trim his beard after he went to prison.But he had to find a plausible excuse, "It's like this. Once when I was in danger, I made a vow to God that I would not shave my hair or beard for seven years. I only asked God to let me escape. It really came true today.”

"But what are you going to do in the future?" Jacob asked with concern.

"My ship has sunk, but I am a good sailor. Please let me go at the next port of call. I can find a ship and find another job."

"Since you want to continue to be a sailor," the captain pondered for a moment, "Why don't you help out on my ship first, if you do a good enough job, I will give you more wages than a merchant ship, if you don't do a good job... .”

"We can try it now." Edmund looked at the only blanket on his body with some embarrassment, "But..."

Jacob understood immediately, returned to the cabin and lent him a set of his own clothes.

In the following voyage, Edmund quickly conquered the entire ship with his rich sailing experience.

Only the seasoned captain still had doubts about this unknown person, because they were engaged in smuggling. He was a little worried that Edmund was a spy sent by the tax bureau, but Edmund's skill in navigating the boat reassured him. .

Later, the captain saw a cloud of warning smoke rising over the Château d'If, but this time he was not worried at all. After all, how could crows despise starling black? In his opinion, if Edmund really came from There, then their boat has received a man who needs a cannon salute.

As Marseilles approached, Edmund offered to take the helm.While driving the boat, he pretended to be casually looking at the shore.He was so close to his father and his lover, but he couldn't go back, at least not now, because something happened at the Château d'If, and the gendarmes must still be looking for him.

Seemingly realizing that this new friend was in a bad mood, Jacob took the initiative to talk to him.

"Why are you wearing an iron ring?" Jacob asked curiously.

Only then did Edmund realize that his long years in prison had completely worn off the gold plating on the ring.

A sad smile flitted across his face.After so many years, he didn't know how Mei Tess was doing. His love for her was like iron, but he didn't know if Mei Tess still kept his ring.

"This ring was given to me by someone I love," said Edmund slowly.

"Oh, I see, you must be in love with a blacksmith's daughter," Jacob grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.

Edmund shook his head with a wry smile.His beloved Maize Tess was a Catalan fisher girl, and he still remembered that she broke into the Château d'If alone for his lady-in-waiting disguised as queen, and rescued him from despair, "she was a fisher girl."

"Does she live in Marseilles, then?" Jacob asked. "I see you keep looking in that direction. Maybe we can suggest that the captain stop the ship for a rest."

At that moment Edmund was almost moved by Jacob's words, but he had to restrain his inner impulse, which would harm him and his loved ones.

Edmund thought for a while. He knew that the smuggling ship would sail to Italy, but not farther east. "She lives in Greece."

"It's a pity we won't be passing there," Jacob said apologetically.

"Yes," replied Edmund, not without regret.He knew he had passed another level, that if it was Greek, they wouldn't have to stop to see her, and his lie wouldn't go unnoticed.

For every sail on board was full to the wind, and their ship left Marseilles with great speed.After arriving at the first destination, Livorno, Edmund walked into a barbershop with mixed feelings, taking the captain's first salary.As the hair continued to fall, Edmund finally saw his true appearance in the mirror opposite.

Eight years of prison life completely changed his appearance and temperament.Due to living in a dark prison cell for a long time, his eyes have long been like the eyes of a wolf, with the ability to see things in the dark, coupled with the depression and hatred reflected in his eyes, it makes his eyes look majestic .And his skin turned pale due to not being in contact with the sun for a long time. Coupled with his black jade-like hair, he showed a kind of Nordic aristocratic beauty.The long days mercilessly carved a thoughtful wrinkle on his forehead, and carved a resolute line on that originally smiling mouth, and the knowledge he learned from Father Faria made his demeanor with A kind of calm wisdom that doesn't match his age.

Edmund lowered his gaze a little.His figure was already slender, but he had been digging tunnels for a long time in the Château d'If, which made his muscles more muscular.

At this time, the barber was about to shave off the messy beard, but Edmund suddenly spoke up. He doubled the price and asked the barber to trim the most popular mustache.

After everything was done, Edmund showed a satisfied smile to himself in the mirror.Now, even those friends who had known him could not recognize him, because even he did not recognize himself.

When Edmund put on the newly bought white trousers and sea soul shirt and stood in front of the captain, the captain couldn't believe that the handsome sailor in front of him was the one who was fished out of the sea by Jacob.He took Edmund to the other sailors, who also did not recognize him.

At this time, Jack, the youngest sailor on the ship, said with a smile, "I have heard the legend of the bearskin before, but I didn't expect the protagonist of the story to be by our side."

"What bearskin?" Jacob asked curiously.

So Jack told all the bearskin stories he had heard.Edmund finished listening to the story in embarrassment, regretting that he had made a lame excuse.

At this point, Jacob defuses his embarrassment.He folded his hands and said, "No, little monkey, he's not bearskin."

The little monkey is the nickname given to Jack by the sailors. At this time, he also jumped up dissatisfied like a monkey with a burning tail, "Why not, Sinbad, like the bearskin in the story, swears seven years No haircut, no beard trim."

"But he's not wearing a bear's skin."

"Perhaps he was lost at sea."

"And no devil gave him a great fortune."

This time the little monkey had nothing to say.The sailors all laughed, and after that they grew closer to Edmund.

Even the captain changed his previous attitude. He desperately hoped to keep a capable person like Edmund, and even advanced some future dividends in advance to keep him.But Edmund, ready to return to Marseille as soon as the limelight passed, only accepted a three-month appointment.

The captain felt very sorry. He only regretted not getting married and having a beautiful daughter when he was young, so as to keep Edmund.But three months is enough for them to do a few deals.

During the few days when the Maiden Amelie was docked in Leghorn, the captain ordered the sailors to load the ship with all kinds of smuggled goods and ship them to Corsica.

By the evening of the second day, they had reached the Adriatic sea.A fire was lit on the shore as a signal, so the captain set up two small cannons as a defense, and then quickly leaned towards the shore.Everything went smoothly this time, and the same for the second time. However, in the third time, they were discovered by the tax police and had a conflict.

They fought with the tax police at the loading bay, before Jack had time to get down from the mast.Seeing that a tax policeman found him, the captain has always attached great importance to his brothers, and immediately rushed out with a gun. Edmund didn't hesitate, grabbed the weapon and followed closely.

A bullet drew a silver line in front of his eyes.

Blood!He saw blood!

☆、The third promise

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In the dark dungeon, the only light source came from a tallow candle, but even that last light gradually faded away in a puddle of molten wax.

Mei Tess didn't know what day it was, she only knew that the deadline set by Governor Ali was getting closer.She doesn't regret her decision though, and if there's anything she regrets now, it's everything she's done for the Duke of Buckingham.

Everything she experienced in Greece finally made her understand that all existence has a reasonable place, and everyone has their own position.For those persecuted by Governor Ali, he is indeed unforgivable, but without Ali, where will Greece go?

The Duke of Buckingham lied to her and all the Dark Stars. They were never the incarnation of revenge, but just tools used by him.If she had the chance, she would never follow his instructions again, even if the people he was dealing with were really guilty.She has no right to avenge others, what she should really do is to avenge herself and those she loves.

Her enemies are Danglars, Villefort, the Duke of Buckingham, and one day... no, Maisette thought bitterly, and now she has no chance.

Mei Tess suddenly felt dizzy. Before more torture came, she tremblingly took out the medicine bottle left by the Duke of Buckingham.She should be grateful that Ali's men didn't search for it, but a part of her heart felt a strong sense of guilt for her dependence on this medicine.

There are only the last few pills left, and the Duke of Buckingham must have calculated the time when the great battle will come.Fortunately, she has confessed to Governor Ali, and there is still room for maneuver.Because of the effect of the medicine, Plum Tess felt as if she was floating, and when that feeling passed, she heard a sound of uniform footsteps.

They are finally here.

Two guards dragged Mei Tess out of the cell.At first she thought they were going to take her to the execution ground, and when she got to the square, she thought Ali was going to execute her there in public.But none of this happened, and she was brought into the royal court of Yanina.

Ali sat on a high throne with a stern expression, "I should have listened to you..."

Mei Tess frowned tightly. It was only then that she noticed the sound of artillery fire around her. The army was already overwhelming outside the city of Yanina.

"I thought your purpose of saying that was to provoke the relationship between me and the Earl of Morcerf. After all, your behavior after seeing him had to make me suspicious," Ali said slowly, "but I didn't expect the last He betrayed me, and you were right. Just this morning, Count Morcerf returned with the news of victory, and when we opened the gates, he led in the Turkish army."

Mei Tess's eyes widened in surprise. She was not surprised, but felt sad that Fernand finally made such a choice.

"Although I didn't believe what you said, just in case, I still saved my hand and asked Vaseriki and Haide to withdraw from the palace in advance. Now they are in a palace in the middle of the lake outside Yanina Palace. In the monastery."

"What should we do?" Mei Tess asked tentatively.

"Now my guards can't get the news there, they will be ambushed before halfway. However, the Turks don't care about a woman who escapes." Ali slightly pondered, "Tell me, can I trust you?"

"I'd do anything to atone for my sins," Mei Tess's amber eyes twinkled.

Ali nodded in satisfaction, then took off his ring from his finger and handed it to Meiser Tess, "After arriving at the monastery, give this to my subordinate Selim, he will see this as if he saw me. Next, you have to escape with Vaseriki and Haidee. It would be best if I can find you alive, but if not... then Selim will blow up the monastery, and there will be no trace of you. Now, I want you to swear to me that you will protect my Haidee!"

Mei Tess held the heavy ring in her palm. She had no idea that Ali would still choose to believe her after she confessed her identity as a spy.Mae Tess, who had left a promise to a man in the dark cell of the Château d'If, and another vow to a woman in a hotel outside Paris, now pledged her life to a king. The third important oath in:

"I swear, I will protect Princess Haidee with my life!"

"Okay, my men have prepared their horses, let's go now," Ali urged.

Plum Tess nodded.Under the guidance of Ali's soldiers, she rode out of the palace through a secret passage.But when she passed an old and cracked stone wall, a sudden cold arrow made her horse stand up in shock.

After finally steadying the horse, Mei Tess heard a familiar voice stop the archer, but it was not in a language she was familiar with.I saw the Duke of Buckingham walking slowly from behind the stone wall, "My Venus, you really lived up to my expectations."

For a moment, Plum Tess wanted to ride her horse out of the encirclement.But then, a noose thrown from nowhere firmly tied the horse's neck.She turned her head, and as expected, she saw the black woman Mars.

The Duke of Buckingham asked Mars to escort Maisette into a carriage, while he himself got into the carriage ahead.Because Ali's mount was a rare thoroughbred horse, he ordered his men to take it with him.

The carriage moved forward slowly, and Mei Tess looked out of the carriage desperately, only seeing the increasingly fierce flames of war in the distance.She swore to protect the princess, but now Vaseriki and Haidee are still anxiously waiting for news from Ali in the monastery.

However, it was Mars who broke the silence first, "Last time you told me to find the truth. I did find the truth, but it was about you."

"What did you say?"

"Your fiancé is dead." Mars looked into Maisé Tess's eyes, "The meaning of the release order issued by the Duke of Artois is to let him leave the Chateau d'If, but kill him before he goes ashore. "

At that moment Plum Tess felt her heart was tightly clenched, "Why... tell me this..."

"I know the duke also used the drug that controlled Jupiter on you," Mars said in an almost sad tone, "since I entered the duke's castle, because my skin color is different from yours, no one Respect me from the bottom of my heart and Jupiter was the first person to show kindness to me. She was so beautiful, but the last time I saw her, she was like a... that kind of medicine doesn't really work Antidote, you have to get out of here."

"Mars, why are you helping me?" Mei Tess asked suspiciously.

"I don't know either," Mars said with a wry smile, "The Duke once said that Mars and Venus are lovers in the myth, and we always kill each other... This time, I don't want to do that .”

"But...how are you going to explain to the Duke?" Mei Tess said worriedly.

"I have a dagger on my waist, stab me with it, and then go to grab the horse, I can only help you here." Mars met Mei Tess's hesitant eyes, "Woman, you have to hurry up Dot, before I change my mind!"