It was only in the afternoon, with his doubts and shocks, that Charles bid farewell to the mansion that the Count of Monte Cristo had just bought, and returned from Otteuil, on the outskirts of the city, to his residence in Paris.

The Tréville family was once very wealthy, but during the Revolution, its wealth was confiscated by the government in accordance with the law that punished the fugitive aristocracy, and the brothers were penniless when they fled to Germany, and finally had to sell their labor and find a shoemaker as an apprentice to make ends meet.

It wasn't until Napoleon staged a coup d'état to establish his own dictatorship that the bloodshed of the Revolution came to an end, and he was born as a small landowner in Corsica, and he still had enough fascination with the former aristocracy, so after several years of preparation, after purging dissidents, he finally turned the republic into an empire and turned himself into an emperor.

He then issued several edicts allowing the exiled nobles to return, promising the return of confiscated property.

After weighing it up for a long time, Charles's grandfather eventually ran back and respectfully served the new monarch of France, while His Majesty the Emperor was magnanimous and gave him back some of the remaining possessions and gave him some additional bounty.

Grateful to the emperor, he joined the army of the empire, and was born and died, made meritorious contributions in several battles, and finally became the marshal of the empire.

Over the years, he amassed enough wealth to eventually buy a mansion in Saint-Germain, and the Treville family was transformed into one of the most prominent prospers of the Empire.

Charles returned to the mansion in his own carriage.

The décor of the housestead is, of course, ostentatious and extravagant, with the vast hall illuminated by gilded lamps on the walls and chandeliers on the ceiling, famous paintings on the walls, soft carpets embroidered with various motifs covering the hall, and gilded table clocks and enamelled porcelain in the corners.

In the bright light, the young man's blonde hair was even more shiny, and he was as personable as in the morning, except that this time, there was an extra shiny thing on his chest.

His grandfather, Field Marshal Trevier, was now standing in the small flower garden beside the hall, intently tending to the flowers he had carefully cultivated, which he had found himself to enjoy after being away from the battlefield.

With a solemn expression, Charles walked behind the old man.

Perhaps hearing his grandson's footsteps, the old man slowly stopped his movements, put down the scissors in his hand, and then turned his head to look at his grandson.

The old man had gray hair and wrinkles on his face, but his waist was still straight, and his eyes were blazing, revealing infinite ambition and enterprising.

Even though he is in his last years, he is still full of fighting spirit, and in his heart, he is still the brave cavalryman who faces the rain of bullets.

Looking at Sven's handsome grandson, the old man's sharp gaze slowly softened, and finally fixed on the sparkling diamond on his grandson's chest.

"Let me guess, young man...... Did you catch any prey? After a moment of surprise, the old man regained his composure, then walked up to Charles and reached out to touch the diamond, "Tut-tut, this thing is really good, about forty or fifty thousand, I have only gotten such a good thing a few times in so many years...... How did you get it? ”

"Someone else sent it, and it's someone who meets for the first time." Charles replied calmly, still thoughtful. "It's the guy I'm going to see today."

"It seems that this Count of Monte Cristo is really rich." The old man shrugged, "So what does he want you to do?" You don't just want to give away such a valuable thing. ”

"He's really a very eccentric guy." Charles sighed, and then told his grandfather everything he had talked to the Count.

The Marquis of Treville listened quietly, and it was not until finally that he spoke.

"So, the Count deliberately wanted to get close to Monsieur de Villefort? For such a trivial purpose, he is ready to spend so much money to entrap you? ”

"Yes, it seems unlikely, but it is—so I'm confused, Grandpa." Charles nodded, "Does Monsieur de Villefort have such value?" ”

"Everyone's value will have different values in the eyes of different people." The Marquis of Tréville replied blandly, "And love or hatred will magnify someone's value." ”

"Love or hate......," Charles muttered to himself, "but why me?" muttered Charles, as if he understood something. There must have been many people willing to introduce him to Villefort for a large sum of money, but he asked me to do it alone...... Grandpa, what do you think is the reason for this? ”

"I'm not him, how do I know what he thinks?" The old man sneered, "Besides, it's not too important, what matters is how you do it." ”

"And what do you think I should do?" Charles asked.

"Charles, you are no longer small, I have trained you, I have taught you for so many years, so that you can make your own decisions and move forward steadfastly. If I have to decide everything for you, then you are just an executor and can't make a big deal. The old man frowned slightly, as if he was reprimanding his grandson, "This time it's your own business, I won't ask too much, I will only give you enough support, no matter how you choose, you can get my help, that's it." ”

"I see, grandpa." Charles, who had been spurred on, furrowed his brows. "Then my current thought is that I should do what the count wants, after all, the count is generous enough, and since I have received his gift, I have to help him, and besides, His Majesty the Emperor has already given me an order to help him get acquainted with Paris, and I should do so...... As for Monsieur de Villefort's side, I suppose it will be fine at least for now, right? ”

"Even if something happens, you don't have to care." The old man shrugged his shoulders, "De Villefort is our relative, but we can't count these kinds of relatives, so he is not necessarily more valuable." So Charles, no matter what happened to the de Villeforts, you don't have to do anything for them, just sit on the sidelines. ”

"Yes...... I just need to do my part. Charles nodded, and then looked at Grandpa with some curiosity, "Grandpa, I've always wanted to ask, ...... Why do you have such a bad impression of Monsieur de Villefort? ”

Charles has always been strange about this question, after all, others don't know, he knows his grandfather too well, he knows that the old man is definitely not a person who is entangled in political fanaticism, even if the prosecutor general had some political stains back then, but after so many years, even His Majesty the Emperor has forgiven, how can he be entangled?

Therefore, there must be another reason why Grandpa is so cold and alienated from the Villefort family.

The old man did not reply, and then looked up at the sky that had become dark and was about to fall into the night.

"He's carrying too much darkness on his back, the Shire, or rather, our country is carrying too much darkness."

"Huh?" Charles didn't figure it out.

"The Republic destroyed Bourbon, Napoleon destroyed the Republic, and Napoleon himself was almost destroyed by Bourbon...... There was so much blood that I had seen so much death that I almost fell victim to it. After the old man was silent for a long time, he sighed heavily, "In these years, there are two kinds of people who have replaced the work of the Grim Reaper, one is a soldier and the other is a judge, they have all sprinkled death all over the earth, we soldiers are okay, everyone fights with real knives and guns on the battlefield, who wins and who loses, but judges are different, they are executioners with gloves, and they can kill people gently and skillfully with a pen...... With just one hint above, or even no hint, they could have sent innocent people to the guillotine or the gallows, and de Villefort was an overly positive man, who sent many people to their deaths, whether for Louis XVIII or Napoleon II. ”

"So...... Do you think he provoked a lot of enemies? Charles seemed to understand something.

"Yes, they are the representatives of the Grim Reaper, sending sacrifices to hell, but there are still people who will live on earth and will seek a terrible end." The old man suddenly lowered his voice, "Don't look at Villefort always putting on a selfless and upright appearance, in fact, these people do all kinds of dirty things in private, and the judge and outsiders collude to seize other people's property, but it is not only in other provinces, and Villefort may not have done it." Although I don't have real evidence, but I have lived for so many years, and I can tell whether a person is pure by nature or a hypocrite. ”

Then, he resumed his normal volume, "So, don't have too much to do with the Villeforts, lest you be angered by the devil of darkness, we must take advantage and avoid harm." ”

"I see what you mean...... "Charles let out a sigh.

Grandpa made it very clear that in the turbulent political environment of the past few decades, Villefort, who has enforced the law all year round, must have killed many political prisoners, and these political prisoners must still have relatives and friends or comrades alive.

Therefore, in order not to be affected by himself, the old marquis was willing to draw a line with Villefort, and hardly interacted with each other.

I have to say that the old man's consideration is very thoughtful and profound.

The Count of Monte Cristo, of unknown origin, is a testament to the old man's foresight - Charles would not have believed that the Count had gone to such great lengths not to do anything to Villefort.

"Okay, it's dinner time, you go to the restaurant first, I'll water it again." The old man waved his hand and motioned for Charles to leave.

Charles saluted the old man, then walked silently towards the dining room.

As he reached the side of the hallway, an old servant approached Charles.

"Young master, your customized shoes have been prepared and delivered, in the reception room."

"......" Charles's face suddenly turned a little pale, and then immediately turned iron-blue.

"I see."

He finally frowned, then changed his path and walked towards the reception room.

When he opened the door, he found that there was indeed a person sitting there quietly.

The other party was slender, wearing a simple gray linen skirt, and a headscarf on his head, and he couldn't see it when he lowered his head, just like a maid.

However, Charles's expression was very serious, as if he had encountered some dangerous person.

"Why did you just run here?" He asked in a low voice.

"Because I want to come and see you, young master, I'll give you shoes by the way......"

The maid's voice was crisp and gentle, and then she took off her turban, her long golden hair falling like a waterfall, and in an instant her beautiful face fell into Charles's eyes.

Her fair face has well-defined features, the bridge of her nose is high and straight, her lips are thin and ruddy, and although she has a pleasant smile on her face, there is a hint of sternness and arrogance hidden in her blue eyes.

"Don't joke." The corners of the young man's mouth twitched, as if he was a little dissatisfied with the other party's unserious attitude. "Don't you know it's dangerous?"

"It's because I know that I came here at this time, don't worry, I've looked at it carefully, and no one is spying on you." The other party still looked at Charles with a smile, and then took out a box from the basket next to him, "Come on, try these shoes, I made them myself, they should be very close to the foot......"

"Charlotte......" Charles sighed, looking helplessly at each other.

"What, don't you want to try it?" The blonde girl raised an eyebrow.

"Okay...... Thank you. Charles reluctantly took the shoebox and took out the shoes from inside.

I have to say that the workmanship is very good, but it is too feminine, the pale yellow upper has a flower-shaped gold button, and the shoe body has complex lines. Charlotte said she did it herself, and it seems that it is still true.

That's right, this surprise visitor is none other than his cousin Charlotte.

The two Tréville brothers fled the country and worked together as apprentices to shoemakers to earn a living, and later opened their own shop. Later, when the younger brother returned to China, the duke stayed in Germany to continue his own business, refusing to bow to Napoleon.

Although he did not want to return, the Duke could not let go of the education of his children and grandchildren, so when his grandchildren were young, they were secretly sent to China for education, and they were lodged in the home of Marshal Treville - the Imperial Government actually knew about it, but pretended not to see it, after all, His Majesty the Emperor wanted to treat these old aristocratic families leniently.

So when they were young, they also grew up together, so they can be regarded as childhood sweethearts.

It's just that later, they took different paths because of their positions.

When Charlotte grew up, not only did she not indulge in the life of an aristocratic lady, but declared that she would return to Germany to help her grandfather continue the business, but Charles knew that things were not so simple...... Charlotte inherited not only the shoemaker's craft, but also the royalist stance.

He didn't understand why Charlotte had made such a ridiculous choice, but he knew that the two were already on opposite sides.

He is the grandson of the Marshal of the Empire, destined to inherit the political position of the Marshal, to serve His Majesty the Emperor, and to receive the Emperor's favor, reward and power - in fact, he is already a star of hope for the future of the Empire, but Charlotte intends to ruin it all and let the old Bourbon royal family who remained abroad reign in France again.

"You didn't come back this time just to give me shoes, did you?" After a moment of silence, Charles sullenly asked, "What conspiracy are you engaged in again?" ”

"Even if I'm doing it, I won't tell you...... That's a lot of embarrassment for you. Charlotte smiled and replied, "Only, I want to ask you to do me a favor." ”

"What's the busy?" Charles frowned and asked warily.

"Help us get a friend out." Charlotte said unhurriedly, "Don't worry, he didn't commit anything, he was just arrested because he got into a debt dispute, and he's not a traitor, it's just that we can use him for the time being - hey, it's inconvenient to go anywhere by people like us, and there's no way to bail out on bail." ”

"This is a trouble you have brought on yourself, as long as you accept your majesty's pardon, everything will be easy." Charles looked at each other with some annoyance, "We, the Trevier family, are not obligated to be loyal to Bourbon to the end. ”

"They are traitors, they are usurpers, and it is impossible for my grandfather and I to wag our tails and beg for mercy on the usurper and his son, and they are not in a position to pardon us." Charlotte shook her head slowly, and her slender neck turned with it, "Also, I don't deserve this surname, I'm the granddaughter of Shoemaker Sewell, Charlotte Sewell, sir." ”

is also a fugitive, the young branch relies on serving the emperor, and the land is magnificent, all the way to prosperity, but the decent lineage is only willing to use a pseudonym to enter the house in order to take care of the family's reputation, which is really ironic, but it is also today's reality.

"Why don't you recognize reality?" Charles was even more annoyed, and could even be said to be a little helpless, "Bourbon is finished, it's over!" They can't come back! There is nothing good to follow them, it will only bring you danger, after all, what good are they about? A bunch of incompetent waste, who have lost their country, is this kind of person worthy of allegiance? Bah! It's just a bunch of bugs. ”

Charles's reprimand, Charlotte just listened quietly with a smile on her face, as if it were just a breeze.

It wasn't until Charles finished speaking that she sighed softly.

"The one who should recognize the reality is you, young master."

Then, step by step, she walked up to Charles and looked him straight in the eye, "Open your eyes and see, what the hell is going on in this empire?!" Everything he flaunts is just false empty words, freedom? It is not free at all, there are police and armies everywhere, lest the people have a little freedom; Glorious? It was not glorious at all, it went on adventures after adventures, provoking France and all of Europe to fight, and the people shed their blood and in the end they gained nothing; Revolution? The word revolution is about to become a forbidden word for you! The empire was born because of the revolution, but it was very afraid of the revolution, because the rulers of the empire knew that they were just monsters lying on the heads of the people and knocking on the marrow! The existence of the empire is to insult these words"

As she spoke, her momentum grew and her smile faded, "I have been to too many places in France, much more than you have been in Paris, and I know better than you what this country is all about." In the countryside, the peasants lost their fortunes in a small group of people, and the land that had been allocated in the revolution was soon concentrated in the hands of a small group of people. In the cities, the poor are hungry and cold, and they can only barely make ends meet by toiling every day; Even in your army, the soldiers at the bottom are just as miserable, they have served more than ten years of military service, but they are only treated as tools by the top, their salaries are deducted, weapons and equipment are resold, and no one cares about their life or death! Your empire is, to put it bluntly, just a prison of tyranny where a group of bastard warlords and bureaucrats get together to party! Can't you hear me? The miserable people, the boiling fires, these things that you used to mock us, are preparing to devour you, can you deny the reality, Master Trevier? ”

Charles was a little speechless for a moment.

Because some of Charlotte's words are true.

"Look at you, you don't have anything to say, right?" Charlotte smiled triumphantly again, "You have ruined your reputation, there are complaints everywhere, and the people miss me Bourbon. ”

"The common people all miss Bourbon?" Charles' eyes widened as if he were looking at a madman, "You can't be serious, Charlotte, are you?" ”

"Ah, I'm sorry, it's always easy to talk about too much publicity......" Charlotte smiled apologetically, "Maybe Bourbon isn't that popular, but now you're even more unpopular, aren't you?" The revolution has given you a chance, but you are destined to be swallowed up by it, and at that time, the banner of irises will fly again on this land, and God will bless it again. ”

"It's impossible, even if we're finished, we won't be able to take the Bourbon's turn, that era is really gone." Charles replied without hesitation, "Besides, from what I know of His Majesty the Emperor and some other important ministers of the empire, they are capable of maintaining the situation, and the people of any era are poor and miserable, and there are many complaints, which does not necessarily mean that the empire will not survive." ”

"Then let's wait and see who is right and who is wrong." Charlotte took two steps back and saluted him, "How can we know the result if we don't try?" ”

"Why do you have to try?!" Charles almost roared, and he didn't know why he was so angry, "Wouldn't it be nice to stay here and enjoy your glory and wealth?" ”

"A person, living in the world, in addition to glory and wealth, should always believe in something and insist on something, shouldn't he?" Charlotte raised her head and looked at the grim-faced teenager opposite, with a little tear in the corner of her eye, "Maybe I'm working on a career that is destined to be fruitless, but I'm at least believing and holding on to something, and this is the life I want to live." ”

"I'll figure him out." After hesitating for a moment, the young man sighed and gave up his futile attempts to persuade the other party. "But you have to make sure that you don't involve me and my grandfather in these things, not at all."

"Okay, thank you, Charles." Charlotte's smile had a hint of relief in it. "His name and address, all those personal information are in the shoebox, you can find someone to bail him out, you don't have to do it yourself. In addition, I can assure you that we will never implicate you in our actions without your knowledge, we are a family, and it is my principle not to endanger my family. ”

Charles believed her, he knew that Charlotte was such a person, she strictly followed her own rules, stubborn and determined, stubborn and stubborn.

"Well, I'll stay longer, goodbye." Charlotte was so happy that she hugged Charles, then let go of her hand and said goodbye to him, "I'm sure we'll see each other soon." ”

The feeling of the two soft bulging lumps of flesh on his body disappeared in a flash, and Charles could only watch the other party leave helplessly.

"Goodbye."

With an inexplicable heaviness, Charles returned to the dining room, where his grandfather was already sitting.

"Is she coming?" The old man asked directly.

"Yes." Charles nodded slightly, "She said to send me a pair of shoes, and asked me to do me a favor." ”

"It's really an unfair deal...... This little clever ghost. The old man couldn't help but laugh, "Well, if it's not a big help, then help, we can use them." Charles, we have to leave a way out for ourselves at any time, although the empire is now firmly ruled, but the world is impermanent, who can tell the future! Maybe we'll need help from the Bourbons at any point, so it's important to maintain a relationship with my brother. ”

The old marquis's consideration of betting on both sides, Charles certainly understood, for so many years, the old man had been secretly in contact with his brother, even if he knew that the other party was his opposing party, in order to make his family invincible.

While playing the role of a loyal minister in front of His Majesty the Emperor and a comrade in front of the elders, the old man did not think there was anything wrong with his brother who was a royalist, and he brought it to his eldest grandson, and he also deeply agreed with the old man's approach.

Charlotte thinks that ideals and persistence are above all else, but the two grandparents do not think so, they think that the so-called ideals and persistence are just means for power and wealth.

"Charlotte is a good boy, an amazing boy, you can be friends with her, Charles." After being silent for a long time, the old man inadvertently picked up the knife and fork and began to eat, "However, you have your future, your glorious future is what I have planned, you can see it, and she is ...... after all After all, he's just an exile, so it's good to be just a friend. Do you understand? ”

"I ...... Understood. Charles replied in a low voice.