"Don't spare your eyes; give them life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth."
As summer approaches, the scenery in the Saint-Germain district, where Paris's upper class lives, becomes particularly pleasant. Although the gardens in various mansions are separated from the outside world by railings, they can still be seen through the gaps between the fences.
The blooming flowers are so colorful that the surrounding streets are filled with a light fragrance.
In this pleasant street, a spacious taxi passed through it, and then stopped outside the door of one of the mansions.
Compared to other mansions that were carefully decorated by nobles, this mansion looked a lot shabby. The original luxurious decorations on the door and railings had long been mottled and faded, revealing that the owner's financial situation was not as optimistic as imagined.
From the carriages coming and going, one can clearly feel that this mansion is deserted and lacks visitors, just like an isolated island in the ocean of wealth.
In the midst of the silence, Edmond Dantès opened the curtains of the car window, then poked his head out, nodded slightly towards the astonished concierge, and spoke in a cold and reserved tone.
"Please inform your master, the Count of Monte Cristo, to see you."
He was wearing a black dress, a velvet bowler hat, a loose tie, and his hair was neatly combed and waxed. With his pale complexion and indifferent attitude, he was indeed full of nobles.
His demeanor is fully worthy of his self-proclaimed Earl status.
After the porter looked at him doubtfully, he seemed to understand something, and then he bowed to the adults in the carriage.
"Please wait a moment, I will inform the master."
The Count of Monte Cristo nodded slightly and then lowered the curtains.
Soon, the porter came back, and beside him was the personal servant of the Marquis of Treville.
"Your Majesty, the Marquis, invites you." The servant said respectfully to the carriage.
Then, he stepped forward, opened the door of the carriage, and the passengers inside walked out.
The visitor who called himself the Count of Monte Cristo opened his wallet slightly, threw a gold coin at the coachman, and followed the servant in without waiting for change.
After entering, he was silent, and the servant didn't ask another word. He quickly led him through the small courtyard and came to the mansion.
The room is designed to be quite spacious, and the luxurious style of the Imperial era can be seen everywhere. There are expensive red silk curtains on the windows, gold-painted railings on the stairs from the first floor to the upper room on the second floor, and a thick blanket on the floor of the living room.
, other furniture is also covered with golden paint and covered with floral silk noodles.
It can be seen from all the furnishings that when this mansion was built, its owner was in a glorious period of his life, so he spared no effort to build this residence.
However, under the sharp gaze of Edmond Dantès, the other side of the mansion's splendor is not hidden - all the furniture in the living room is no longer the popular style today, and there are not many precious displays.
It's an old building, and it's obviously been maintained quite averagely, and you can see signs of decay.
It is obvious that this family has now reached a stage of decline. Although it is not at the end of the road and has no way to survive, it can only rely on the head of the family's various ingenious methods to support it, and it can still maintain the style of a noble family.
When leaving the Island of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantès already knew who the Marquis de Treville was, so he was well aware of his current situation and was not surprised.
Victor de Treville, the second son of the former Duke of Treville, fled France with his brother during the terror wave of the Revolution and lived in seclusion in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Later, Emperor Napoleon came to power and repeatedly expressed preferential treatment to the exiled nobles. After many years of exile in foreign countries, Victor de Treville returned to France in 1805 and joined the army as he wished with the emperor's favor.
.Although he did not have time to catch up with the Battle of Austerlitz, in the battles of Jena and Auerstadt when France and Prussia fought in 1806, Victor, a cavalry officer, fought bravely and led his men in the Battle of North Germany.
Pingyuan fought his way to Berlin, received awards and promotions from His Majesty the Emperor, and became famous.
In the following years, he continued to fight bravely and received many rewards from the emperor. The emperor also specially made him a marquis, so that as the second son, he also became a titled noble.
Therefore, the Marquis of Treville built this mansion and let his descendants take root here.
However, the good times did not last long, and the empire was eventually destroyed. The Marquis of Treville's future also plummeted, and his source of income was greatly reduced. However, he did not change his original intention because of this, and still publicly expressed his unwillingness to serve the Bourbon family many times.
As a result, he was forced to retire from the army and was no longer reused by the court, and his family also declined.
For the Bonaparte family, this was a rare and time-tested loyalty, so the owner of Edmond Dantès also regarded the Marquis of Treville as an important helper and entrusted him to perform tasks for him.
And Edmond Dantès came to Paris for this task.
After Edmond Dantes came to the living room, the Marquis of Treville quickly came to the living room to receive this strange guest who came without warning.
The Marquis looks to be in his forties or fifties, with a square face and a broad forehead, and his gestures are full of battle-hardened heroism. Although it is obvious that he has a lot of gray hair on his temples, it can still be seen from his tall and thin body
Seeing the power contained in it, his spirit was also very strong, his eyes were as bright as a torch, and his awe-inspiring look contained the kind of evil spirit that was used to seeing life and death.
At this moment, he looked at Edmond Dantès in front of him with his evil eyes.
"Count of Monte Cristo? Interesting title - are you Italian?"
Although this seemed to be just a common question, Edmond Dantès knew that it was a secret code, and he had to reply as agreed, otherwise he would not be able to get any entertainment and would be driven away immediately.
"I am neither Italian nor French. I am a lord floating on the sea, serving God and His spokesman." Edmond Dantès replied calmly, while looking at the other person with calm eyes.
At this moment, Marquis Treville's eyes immediately softened a lot.
He showed a knowing smile, then nodded slightly, stretched out his hand to Edmond Dantès, "Mr. Count, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, General." Edmond Dantès held the other person's hand and said respectfully.
For this former war hero and loyal senior member of the party, Edmond Dantès must show due respect.
Then, he took out a letter from his arms and handed it to the Marquis of Treville.
"This is your Majesty's personal letter. Please read it."
The Marquis of Treville instantly became serious. He picked up the letter with a respectful attitude, opened it, and then read it quietly.
After reading it, he smiled slightly and said, "It seems that His Majesty is not satisfied with my progress. He urged me to speed up the progress."
"Your Majesty is very considerate of your difficulties. He knows that you have to face difficulties in completing your mission in France." Edmond Dantès quickly comforted the other party, "It's just that now His Majesty's plan has reached a critical moment, and he needs to
Get help as soon as possible, and then implement his next plan, and this must rely on your efforts..."
"Yes, I know." Treville nodded slightly, indicating that he was fully aware of the heavy responsibility on his shoulders. "I will do my best to complete my task, please don't worry."
At this moment, footsteps were heard on the second floor of the mansion, and then Edmond Dantès clearly spotted a young lady walking down the stairs with the support of the maid.
He quickly stopped what he was saying, and then looked at the other person carefully.
This is a very young and beautiful blond woman with blue eyes and very delicate facial features. Her abdomen is obviously bulging slightly, and she is obviously several months pregnant.
"This is my daughter-in-law, Alice." The Marquis of Treville seemed not to end the conversation between the two, but explained to Edmond Dantès in a low voice.
"Your daughter-in-law?" Count Monte Cristo raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he was curious.
In any case, his daughter-in-law must have been an outsider once. He did not expect that the Marquis of Treville would be so relieved.
And she’s still pregnant!
Considering His Majesty's high hopes for the Marquis, Edmond Dantès thought that his approach was a bit unserious.
Under his gaze, the young woman walked down the stairs with some difficulty, and then slightly saluted Edmond Dantès.
"Monsieur Earl, nice to see you."
Edmond Dantès was a little embarrassed. He didn't know how to deal with this young lady who suddenly appeared. After all, he was here on a mission.
"Nice to meet you, ma'am."
"No need to be formal, sir." Alice raised her head and looked at him without flinching, "Please don't treat me as an outsider. I know everything that happened between the Treville family and Your Majesty, and I am one of them.
Member. When I was in Switzerland, I followed my husband to meet His Majesty, and we had a very pleasant conversation—"
Then, she gently stroked her belly, and then smiled slightly, "Speaking of which, the child in my belly has been named by His Majesty, so you can trust me completely without any worries."
Although her words sounded like she was making up a story, Edmond Dantès couldn't help but believe her.
Judging from the attitude of the Marquis of Treville, he did not shy away from his daughter-in-law, which shows that this lady is also his colleague.
And if she has a good relationship with His Majesty, then in a sense, her status should still be above his, and she must not be treated lightly.
"What about your husband? Where is he?" Edmond Dantès asked casually.
His casual question seemed to touch Alice, and the lady's expression instantly became a little dark, but soon returned to normal. "Edgar was invited to attend an event at the club yesterday, and he hasn't gone home yet. He probably won't come home until tonight."
Come back. But please don’t worry, as long as my father-in-law and I are here, everything can be handled."
So, what I need to deal with now is a cavalry general from the former imperial era and his daughter-in-law?
Well, this is not unacceptable.
Edmond Dantès calmed down his mind. The mission was the most important to him now, so he ignored this small change and then looked at the Marquis of Treville.
"General, I'm not just here to bring you a difficult task, I'm also ordered to bring you help. Not only my personal help, but also financial help -" He added his hand
He reached into his arms and took out a small bag from his hidden pocket. "His Majesty asked me to bring these to Paris to sell. Part of them is the funds he sent to you. He thinks that if you have sufficient funds,
Then things should go more smoothly."
After speaking, he opened the small bag.
The dazzling light of gems and diamonds instantly dazzled Marquis Treville and Alice.
But after all, they grew up in the upper class, and their immunity to jewelry is stronger than ordinary people, so they quickly regained their composure.
"These are very valuable jewels. It seems that Your Majesty has found enough sponsors." Alice said happily. "That's great. This is great news for Your Majesty and us."
"I think so." Edmond Dantes nodded slightly.
Only he knows who this precious "patron" is.
Then, he returned to the topic, "I need to sell these gems in Paris as soon as possible at a reasonable price. Your Majesty needs the money, so, Marquis of Treville, can you introduce some bankers with similar abilities?
"
The Marquis of Treville was a little hesitant. After all, he had been in the army for many years and had been forced to work hard since the Restoration. He had little opportunity to deal with bankers.
Instead, Alice nodded slightly, "My mother-in-law knows a few of them. If necessary, I can find a way to contact them - but I will find someone with a strict mouth. Don't worry."
At this time, Edmond Dantès probably understood why the Marquis of Treville asked his daughter-in-law to participate.
"Then...can you introduce Mr. Tanglar's bank account to me?" he asked calmly.
"Danglar... I seem to have heard of this name." Alice frowned slightly, "Okay, I can try, but Mr. Count, why does it have to be him? Does Your Majesty know him?"
"No, it's me who wants to know him." Edmond Dantès lowered his gaze slightly, trying not to reveal his hatred.
Because he is my life-and-death enemy, I must explore his truth and gain his trust so that one day in the future I can pierce his chest with a sharp sword——
Edmond Dantès did not say these words, but just said them silently in his heart.
If he tells the Marquis of Treville now, maybe this comrade will help him, maybe he can even recruit people to secretly give Danglars a black gun, but... no!
How could the crimes they committed end with just one shot? It was too easy for them!
Before coming to Paris, he first returned to Marseille, where he heard all the bad news and understood the tragic experiences that his relatives faced after he was taken away.
The pain and anger turned this man into a bloodthirsty avenger overnight.
Through various channels, he found out the whereabouts of those enemies.
Then, he came to Paris,
After learning all the truth, in the name of his father, Edmond Dantès made a vow that was engraved deep in his heart. He would carry out the most thorough and cruel attack on the enemies who had taken away everything from him.
In revenge, he not only wanted to take away their lives, but also took away everything they had spent their lives building, whether it was property, titles, or noble dignity, he wanted to take it all away and trample it under his feet.
Only in this way could he let his injured soul roar with satisfaction! Only then could he be truly compensated for all the price he had paid.
This is Edmond Dantes' personal hatred, and he hopes to take revenge himself.
“Therefore, when the LORD has given you peace from all your enemies around you and you have peace in the land that the LORD is giving you as an inheritance, you are to destroy all the Amalekites so that no one will remember them anymore. Do not forget this.