"Remember, you face her just like you face me. You must carry out any orders she gives to the letter. Do you understand!?"
Javert, who was originally quick-thinking and could easily understand the orders of his superiors, was stunned at this moment.
I am going to follow a little girl, obey her orders, and let her do what she wants?
This all seems like a joke, but judging from the count's face, this is definitely not a joke.
Javert's face immediately turned red.
As a senior detective of the Imperial Police Department, he is responsible for many cases. These cases not only consume his energy, but are also a source of fun for him. However, now, the Minister has to put down what he is doing and give it to a little girl.
Doing odd jobs?
What a nonsense!
However, the minister cannot make mistakes, and the minister's orders must be implemented.
Therefore, no matter how much he resisted in his heart, Javert could only lower his stiff head.
"I understand, Your Excellency. I will obey your order."
Looking at Javert's reaction, the Count of Monte Cristo certainly knew his mood at the moment, and he could understand this mood.
However, now that things have developed to this point, he can only do this.
In his conversation with Xia Lu yesterday, he already knew clearly that His Majesty authorized Miss Xia Lu to come to Paris to help him deal with the upcoming turmoil in Paris (perhaps). Although he did not know why His Majesty trusted Xia Lu so much, since this is
His Majesty's will, then he can only obey it.
And from a personal selfish point of view, he also hopes to do his best to protect Xia Lu's safety.
Therefore, he had to recruit the most capable people from among his subordinates to cooperate with Xia Lu's work (and protect Xia Lu's safety by the way).
The candidate he selected was Javert. This man had outstanding personal abilities and extreme obedience to authority, so he would do his best to obey orders.
After giving the order, the Earl didn't say much. Instead, he nodded slightly and signaled to the two people present, "Okay, I'm going to go to the ministry to handle official business. You two can discuss it among yourselves."
After saying that, he left his home directly, leaving behind the two people who had just become "partners".
After the count left, the atmosphere in the room became even more tense now.
Javert had a sullen face and said nothing, like a stone statue.
On the one hand, he was angry, but on the other hand, he didn't know how to speak.
After all, during his long career of several decades, he had all kinds of experience in handling cases, but he had no training in dealing with noble ladies.
Xia Lu did not speak in a hurry, but carefully looked at the helper assigned to her by the earl.
Since the Earl personally ordered the general, there must be no problem with this guy's ability, but in appearance, he must be a cold, rigid and professional "professional" with a bit of professional arrogance. This kind of person is definitely not easy to get along with.
, and will be dissatisfied with myself.
Therefore, before calling him, you need to get closer to him and let him understand that she is by no means some willful young lady, but a future star who is qualified to perform important tasks for His Majesty.
"Mr. Javert, it's a pleasure to meet you." After making up her mind, Charlotte took the initiative to speak to the police detective in front of her with a humble attitude, "Let me introduce myself first. My name is Charlotte de Tre.
Vere is the granddaughter of Marshal Treville."
Javert's eyes suddenly opened wide.
Of course he knew very well about those at the top of the empire. Marshal Treville was His Majesty's favorite and one of the main leaders of the army today. In addition, he also heard that the Marshal's granddaughter was deeply loved by His Majesty.
, he has been raised by his side since he was a child, and he is very favored in the palace.
And now, this eldest lady is standing in front of him.
Javert quickly put on a respectful posture and bowed to salute Xia Lu, "Miss de Treville, nice to meet you!"
"You don't have to be so reserved, sir. We still need to work together next, and I hope we can face each other with the attitude of colleagues." Xia Lu smiled and continued to show goodwill to each other.
Then, she immediately got to the point, "I know you must be very curious about what I am going to take you to do next. I can assure you that this is by no means some boring thing in the boudoir or between dances, but
A major action related to the order of the empire..."
Hearing Xia Lu's words, Javert suddenly became energetic.
What he fears most is that he will be dragged into doing some trivial chores for the eldest lady, but judging from the eldest lady's attitude, he is still doing "business" after all.
He just lowered his head slightly and respectfully listened to the eldest lady's further instructions.
"You must be able to notice that the current situation in the country is turbulent, especially in the capital. There are many signs that prove that rebels with evil intentions are colluding in private and trying to launch a large-scale rebellion in Paris.
And then try to subvert the empire." Now that they have reached this point, Xia Lu will of course not hold back anymore, but directly tell everything, "And now, under the emperor's order, I will assist the Count of Monte Cristo to eradicate the rebellious party.
elements to quell possible unrest in Paris."
Javert was not surprised by the first half of Xia Lu's words. As a senior police detective, he was exposed to all kinds of people in Paris every day. Of course, he could feel the atmosphere of "a storm is about to come".
But he was inevitably a little suspicious about the second half of the sentence.
The delicate and beautiful girl in front of her can definitely become the most dazzling star at the ball, but assisting the earl in pacifying the gang... sounds like a joke.
But this is definitely not a joke, otherwise the earl would not go out of his way to go to war.
In his eyes, His Majesty the Emperor and the Earl are all unattainable figures and unquestionable authorities. They all represent "correctness" no matter what they do.
But even so, he couldn't help but wonder if this was a bit too random.
"I know that you still have doubts about me. This is normal. I will not blame you for this." Faced with Javert's secret doubts, Xia Lu was not angry and just responded calmly, "But I remind you,
This is your Majesty's authorization. Now you are at my disposal. I have the right to order you to do anything. If you dare to disobey or do nothing, then I can immediately remove you from your post or even impose more severe punishments. I hope
You keep this in mind."
Faced with Xia Lu's unreserved threat, Javert naturally had no choice but to comply.
"yes."
"Of course, if possible, I still hope that our relationship can be more harmonious. After all, we have the same interests now, and we need unity and cooperation." Xia Lu smiled again, "Mr. Javert, you eat
Have you had breakfast?"
"Not yet. I came right over after receiving the order from His Excellency the Minister." Javert replied quickly.
"Well, I'll ask the servants here to prepare breakfast for us, and let's talk while eating -" Xia Lu nodded kindly to the other party, "To be honest, the snacks here are quite delicious."
Soon, the two of them sat at the dining table, and the servant brought cheese and apple pie for breakfast, as well as hot cocoa drinks.
Javert is not a person who pays attention to the enjoyment of life, but this exquisite breakfast still relieved his nervousness.
Xia Lu started to ask questions to the other party while taking small bites of her meal.
"Mr. Javert, you look like you have been working in the police department for a long time, right?"
"Yes, I have been working for the public sector since the days of the Directory." Javert replied. "The Minister of Police at that time was Mr. Fouche... He founded an unparalleled institution that has benefited the country to this day."
Since then, Javert has worked in the police department for nearly half a century and gone through several dynasties.
Although the times are changing and power is controlled by different people, he does not care at all who is on the stage. In his view, "order" itself is sacred. As for who represents order, it does not matter at all. The revolutionary government is sacred.
The royal family is also sacred, and the Bonaparte family now on stage must also be sacred. Since Bonaparte is now ruling France, the laws of the empire are supreme and cannot be violated.
"Your experience is very valuable to me." Xia Lu nodded lightly, "Although I have enthusiasm, I am just a fledgling after all. I seem to be in a fog, and everything around me is blurry.
And you can give me a lot of pointers and let me know where to go——"
"You're flattered, miss." Javert quickly shook his head, "You are extremely smart, but I am average in intelligence. I just have a little more knowledge than you. If there is anything I can do to help you, I will tell you everything.
"
"So, what information do you have about the chaotic party organizations in Paris today?" Xia Lu first took a sip of steaming cocoa, and then asked the other party calmly, "Are there any particularly dangerous people that we need to pay attention to?"
After hearing Xia Lu's question, Javert's expression became stiff and cold again.
This time he became the unquestionable embodiment of law and order.
"There is a particularly dangerous person. I firmly believe that he must have become the backbone of the rebels... He has also been my enemy for twenty years, and I have been trying to arrest him."
"Who is so powerful?" Xia Lu suddenly became interested.
Javert put down the food in his hands and wiped his lips with a napkin to collect his thoughts.
"It's a long story..." His eyes burst out with mixed feelings, and then he began to talk.
"This man's name is Jean Valjean, but to be honest, it's just a nickname. He lost his parents when he was young, and he and his sister depended on each other, working as a tree pruning worker in Faverolle.
His sister was a widow with seven young children, so he worked hard when he was young to earn money to support these nieces and nephews.
What was extraordinary about him was that he was very strong, as strong as several people, but even so he could not feed these children; so in 1795 he took a desperate risk and went to a bakery to steal bread, and was therefore arrested.
Sentenced to five years of hard labor."
"He was sentenced to five years of hard labor just for stealing a few pieces of bread?" Xia Lu was surprised and couldn't help but ask again.
After all, in Fontainebleau's fairyland-like world of blue sky, green water, jewels and jewels, such a strange thing would never happen.
Ha, no matter how eloquent she is, she is just a young lady who is inexperienced in the world... Seeing Xia Lu making such a fuss, Javert couldn't help but sneer in his heart.
Of course, he sneered in his heart, but of course he did not dare to show any disrespect to Xia Lu, so he carefully explained the reason to her. "He was convicted in 1796. At that time, the whole of France was in violent turmoil, with famine and war.
, currency depreciation, all sorts of bad things happened, society was extremely turbulent, and there were even bandits everywhere. In order to rectify social order, the National Assembly and the revolutionary government were determined to use the toughest means, so the law was enforced extremely harshly at that time."
Having said this, Javert spread his hands lightly, "This Mr. Jean Valjean not only stole, he committed a more serious crime - he used tools to destroy the shop owner's house and then burglarized it. This is all legal
The aggravating circumstances. As for the value of the things he stole, it is secondary... Compared with those robbers who were directly shot at that time, he was lucky to be sentenced to only five years of hard labor."
Javert's explanation had certain logical rationality, which at least made Xia Lu slightly agree with his point of view.
In troubled times, heavy laws must be used. In that period of extreme chaos, the law must be more ruthless than usual.
However, even so, is it really worth being sentenced to five years of hard labor for a piece of bread? Is it really so unforgivable for a person to steal bread in order to feed his hungry and young nephews? Is it really necessary to use
Will he be repaid with hard labor?
Xia Lu looked at the exquisite desserts and pies on the table. These foods were full of color and flavor, and most of them would definitely be thrown away without being eaten. For a moment, she deeply felt the irony of society.
The sins of society seem to be deeper than the sins of this Jean Valjean.
"Then what happened? After five years in prison, how did he become your lifelong enemy?" Xia Lu barely suppressed the irritability in her heart and tried to ask the other party in a calm tone.
"First of all, I want to correct you. He was not in prison for five years, but nineteen years, because every time he served his sentence halfway, he would escape from prison. He failed to escape four times in a row, and each time he was given an additional sentence. Finally,
This unlucky guy has served a full four times the sentence." Javert sneered as he said, "What he did, on the one hand, shows his stubbornness, and on the other hand, it also shows his audacity.
, contempt for all laws and principles."
Xia Lu was also a little helpless to complain about this.
After all, she couldn't imagine why this person had to escape from prison and add fourteen years to his sentence in vain when he only had one or two years left in his sentence.
"After nineteen years in prison, he was finally released from prison, but his nature did not change. He ran to a small city called Digne, stole and robbed again, and then escaped before being captured. What follows?
For many years, he disappeared without a trace... until finally, I caught him in a city called Montreuil-sur-Mer - and guess what? He changed his name and surname over the years, giving himself the surname of Madeleine,
Then he improved the production technology of the local manufacturing industry, thus made a fortune and became a wealthy factory owner. Because of his industrial achievements, he even received a commendation from the Bourbon cabinet at the time around 1821.
He also used his money to give alms everywhere in exchange for fame, and eventually became the mayor of this city. During his tenure as mayor, he made outstanding achievements, and actually made the city pay more taxes with less tax collection costs.
Once again, he was commended by the government... Hey, what a great villain! But even so, I finally caught him, exposed his identity, and left him nowhere to hide——"
"If he is really so powerful, then why do you need to expose him?" Xia Lu asked coldly. "Wouldn't it be better to just let him continue to be the mayor to benefit one side?"
Javert was stunned by this question.
"Miss, no matter what, he is a criminal. Criminals cannot be mayors but should be brought to justice. Isn't this a matter of course?" Then he asked Xia Lu.
"But let alone the mayor, isn't the court also full of criminals?" Xia Lu was somewhat dissatisfied with this, "Just think about it, in order to fight for the throne, Henry IV sided with the Protestants to launch a rebellion, causing France to fight.
The civil war lasted for thirty years; and Prince Condai, for his personal power, also launched a rebellion against the Queen Mother and Louis XIV, and even colluded with the Spanish to invade France, causing the country to be devastated... This Jean Valjean committed
Are the sins of Henry IV and Grand Condé as great as one ten thousandth of those of Henri IV or Grand Condé? Then, if Henri IV and Grand Condé can be forgiven and even praised by the world, that Jean Valjean
Why not, sir?"
Xia Lu's question once again stunned Javert.
His persistence and respect for the law and superstition of authority made him unable to accept Xia Lu's statement, but he found it difficult to refute it.
"He comes from a humble background, how can he be compared with the king and princes..." In the end, he could only argue in a low voice.
"Then according to your opinion, the son of a small Corsican landowner is not qualified to be the emperor of France?" Xia Lu asked back with a smile.
"I... of course that's not what I meant!" Javert immediately panicked, and he quickly waved his hand to explain to Xia Lu.
"Oh, don't be nervous, I was just joking." Xia Lu snorted and laughed.
In just a few words, she left Javert speechless, and this was also a way for her to establish "authority" for herself.
She had already seen that although this senior police detective was a rare professional, he knew almost nothing else.
He is a vicious dog with no political acumen, like a clockwork machine.
However, he is also the vicious dog that Xia Lu needs now.
"So, what happened to Mr. Jean Valjean?" Xia Lu picked up a piece of dessert, chewed it gently and swallowed it, and then continued to question Javert.
"Although I caught him, he ran away again!" Javert gritted his teeth. "I have been chasing him for more than ten years, but I was always one step away. However, there is evidence that he ran to Paris.
And he is hiding in it, and... he has a very serious hatred for society, and he must have participated in some secret organization, trying to subvert the imperial government through riots."
"Isn't his anti-social tendency caused by people like you? He served as mayor well and achieved great achievements, but you drove such a talent to a dead end!"
Xia Lu made a conclusion. "If there is a chance, I would like to meet him."