"Mr. Kong Ze, you are indeed a very good secret police detective."

Charles is a sincere compliment, Kong Ze really did not exaggerate, he used his own efforts and perseverance, in the vast documents, to find an important information, or - a major breakthrough.

As soon as he saw the portrait, Charles knew it was indeed a major breakthrough.

Because, the person in the portrait looks like Monsieur Bertuccio, the butler of the Count of Monte Cristo.

That way, everything makes sense.

Butler Bertucho told Charles that he had not been with the Count from the beginning, but had only been introduced to the Count as a butler several years earlier—and that the introducer was Father Bousani.

Everything is obvious, Father Boussani testifies, clears Bertucho of murder suspicions, and then turns him into a butler at the Count's side.

Then a new question arises, why did the Count listen to the priest's introduction and let a criminal who was in prison and almost sent to the gallows be his butler?

Although the suspicion of Bertucho's murder proved to be unjust, his identity as a smuggler was undoubted, and did the Count really let someone else be close to him with just a few words from Father Bousani?

A robber like the Count of Monte Cristo must be a sensitive and suspicious person, why would he do this?

Unless there is something in Bertucho that he values very much, or a secret.

In other words, Bertuccio is a breakthrough!

"This is only a small stage of progress, sir, and I think there's more to be discovered." was praised by Charles so much, and Kong Ze's always stiff face also had a smug look. "I have retrieved the details of the case in which Father Boussani was involved at that time, and I have retrieved them from the archives."

"Tell me more about it." Charles waved his hand, in a very happy mood. "Why is this gentleman suspected of murder?"

"On the evening of June 3, 1829, the gentleman went to stay at an inn whose proprietor was Gersper-Caderus. As a result, he was unlucky, and the innkeeper, who was trading with a jeweler that night, gave him his diamonds, and exchanged forty-five thousand francs from the jeweler. It was a fair deal, perfectly legal, but evil often came out of nowhere ...... most inconspicuous of places," Kong Ze recounted the general story of the case in a very cold attitude, "It rained heavily that night, so after the transaction was completed, the jeweler had to stay with him for the night, and then the shopkeeper and his wife decided to swallow the jeweler's money directly. ”

"They killed the jeweler?" Charles asked calmly. "It looks like an ordinary robbery case."

"Yes." Kong Ze nodded, "The couple's crime was very bold and swift, the only accident was that the jeweler resisted before being killed, and then shot the shopkeeper's wife. The shopkeeper, Caderus, fled after a successful robbery, leaving only the man and two bodies in the inn, and then the poor man was arrested as a murderer and thrown into a prison in Marseille to await the death sentence. He had been avenging himself, claiming that the robbery was not a crime he had committed, but no one believed it, no one believed that there were forty-five thousand francs worth of diamonds in the small and dilapidated inn, not to mention that he was also a criminal smuggler, which further reduced the credibility of his words-"

"And then Father Bushani came out and saved him?" Charles has understood.

"yes, that guy has been crying out in prison, no one pays attention to him, and he is about to die. It wasn't until later that Father Bushani came to the cell and explained to the judge that the diamond that caused the disaster was indeed given to the innkeeper Caderus, that his suspicion was slightly cleared. Later, when Caderus was caught, he confessed everything, but he claimed that everything was instigated by his wife, and that he was only instigated to rob and kill, but anyway, the poor man was finally cleared of suspicion and released. ”

"Okay, this case is solved, and a wronged person has been rescued from the gallows, which is gratifying. But there is still a problem to be solved...... Charles sneered slightly, "then, why did the priest give that Caderus shopkeeper a diamond worth forty-five thousand francs?" Most people don't give gifts like that, do they? ”

"The judge and law enforcement officers at the time were also very interested in this question, so they also asked Father Bushani and Caderus, who was escorted back." "The priest appeared out of nowhere, and he came to the inn where Caderus was, and told Caderus that he had been asked by a dead prisoner to give a diamond to his friend, and that Caderus was one of them. ”

"Interesting!" Charles was immediately interested, "How can a prisoner have such a valuable diamond?" Also, what is the name of this prisoner? ”

"According to the priest, the diamond did not originally belong to the prisoner, but to an English nobleman who was in custody at the time." "The two of them became friends in prison, and the English nobleman was released from prison and gave him the diamond as a gift. Originally, he planned to use the diamond as a living to get out of prison in the future, but it seems that God did not favor him at all, and he died before he was released from prison, so he had to give the diamond to Father Bushani, who prayed to him on his deathbed, and asked him to give it to his friends. So, in order to fulfill the last wish, Father Boussani took the diamond to Marseille and gave it to Caderus. Father Boussani was of high character and did not steal diamonds, but he could not have imagined that this windfall would end up being a source of calamity and destroy the lives of several people...... Sin is sometimes indeed derived from virtue. ”

"What is the name of this prisoner?" Charles interrupted Kong Ze's exclamation.

"There is no special record in the file, and in the eyes of the judges at the time, it was just a background story in this murder case." Kong Ze replied with some regret.

"What a fool!" Charles was stunned for a moment, and then couldn't help but sigh.

Soon, he rekindled hope. "And what about that Caderus? Where did he serve his sentence? Was he put to death? ”

"Caderus was not put to death, he was sentenced to be a slave on a ship for the rest of his life—that is, paddling under the bilge, chained to it for the rest of his life." When Kong Ze said this, his expression suddenly became a little embarrassed, "Originally, I planned to interrogate him again and make things clear, but ...... He escaped from prison two or three years ago and is now missing. ”

"Incompetence! Stupidity! Actually let people escape! From hope to disappointment, Charles suddenly lost his temper and almost cursed angrily.

After scolding a few times, his mood finally calmed down.

"So, where was the prisoner held and then died?"

"It's Château d'Eve, an island dedicated to the detention of felons and political prisoners." "This island, located in the Mediterranean Sea not far from Marseille, is a place of despair, and many prisoners have died in it. ”

"Well, please go to Castle Eve and check if there was a prisoner of the English aristocracy there many years ago, if there was a prisoner who had a good relationship with the English aristocracy, and ...... Was there a priest Bushani there at the time? Charles straightened his face and gave the order word by word.

"Okay, I'll get to the bottom of it as soon as I can, sir." Kong Ze also felt that he should do this next, so he accepted Charles's order without any resistance.

"Regardless, you've made significant progress." Charles, who had fully regained his composure, shook Kong Ze's hand, "Sir, my grandfather and I are very grateful for your contribution to the Empire, and I hope you can continue to do so!" ”

"I have always served the Empire to the highest standards." Kong Ze straightened his waist.

………………………………

The next morning, Charles arrived at Fontainebleau and asked to be seen with His Majesty the Emperor.

After a morning of waiting, he finally met His Majesty the Emperor again.

His Majesty, who had already expended a great deal of energy in the affairs of state, was now wandering through the garden, washing his already dull mind with fresh air, and recovering his poetry.

He was dressed in civilian clothes, but as always gentle, kind.

At the sight of Charles, he smiled and nodded, and motioned for the young man, who was very pleasing to him, to come to him.

"Long time no see, Charles! How have you been getting along with the Count of Monte Cristo lately? ”

"I'm getting along well with him, Your Majesty." Charles walked up to him respectfully, then bowed down and saluted, "The Count is indeed quite a generous man, and his personality is not as acerbic as he appears. ”

"So, what else have you found about him?" His Majesty smiled slightly, "You came here today, it should be for him, right?" It's hard for you to work with those secret detectives for so long. ”

His Majesty's casual questioning made Charles freeze for a moment.

He was a little nervous and embarrassed, so much so that he couldn't say the words he had prepared at once.

Your Majesty already knew that he was investigating the Count of Monte Cristo with the help of the secret police?

After a moment, he was at ease again.

The secret services and secret police have always been important violent institutions in the Empire, and if there is any trouble, how can His Majesty the Emperor not know about it? If you don't know, he won't be the emperor for a long time.

Judging by the attitude of His Majesty the Emperor, he acquiesced in this, and that was enough. It seems that His Majesty is also very interested in the Earl's origin in private.

"Yes, Your Majesty, we have made some progress." Charles froze, and then replied respectfully to His Majesty, "There are quite a few people around the earl who are quite suspicious, or they have major criminal records. ”

He then told His Majesty the Emperor exactly what he had recently found out about the Count of Monte Cristo—of course, Charles could only conceal what Charlotte had told him, only vaguely hinting that the Count of Monte Cristo might have some outlaws around him as a guard.

His Majesty the Emperor did not interject, but listened with relish, as if listening to a story.

"Interesting, very interesting." It wasn't until the end that he smiled and said, "I'm a little curious about the story of the past." ”

"What do you mean?" Charles asked, pretending to be ignorant, waiting for the Holy Lord's teachings.

"According to you, everything seems to point to Marseille, and maybe the story starts in Marseille, doesn't it?" His Majesty seemed to be in a surprisingly good mood today, patiently resolving Charles' doubts, "Years ago, Villefort was in Marseille; The butler next to the Count of Monte Cristo was arrested and imprisoned in Marseille; The shopkeeper who killed the man was in Marseille, and the first time Father Bousani, who gave him the diamond, was seen in Marseille...... All this must have a plausible explanation, and it is unlikely to be a coincidence. ”

"You're so right, Your Majesty!" Charles's eyes widened, as if he had been instructed.

In fact, Charles had already come to such a conclusion, but in front of His Majesty, of course he had to pretend to be suddenly enlightened.

"Now you can start looking over here, especially the fugitive, murderous innkeeper Caderus, who should be a big hint in this puzzle." His Majesty began to command Ruoding's mode and guided Charles's next work, "In addition, Father Boussani and the British nobleman are also important clues, don't let them go." ”

"Okay, Your Majesty, I'll find out all of this." Charles bowed again, indicating that he had comprehended the divine will.

Then he made a request for his visit, "and I beg you to give me permission to take an inventory of all the documents left by the Marquis de Novatier in Paris between 1814 and 1815, which I think may be of great help to me in the future." I had a strong intuition that figuring out what he did back then might have helped me a lot. ”

His Majesty the Emperor's smile faded slightly, obviously a little hesitant.

It was a bad year for the Empire, his father was exiled, his country fell into the hands of the Bourbons, the country was in turmoil, his supporters were panicked, and the whole country was in a bloody storm, and too many things could not see the light of day.

However, out of trust in the young man's abilities, or rather out of confidence that he would never dare to divulge secrets, His Majesty the Emperor hesitated and agreed to Charles.

"Well, I can allow you to go to the archives to consult the relevant materials, but only the part of Novatier. Charles, there are some things that you don't know better than you know, understand? ”

"Yes, Your Majesty." Charles hurriedly replied.

"In addition, all the cases handled by Villefort in Marseille, you can simply read them together, and I will ask the people from Marseille to send them over." His Majesty the Emperor squinted at the young man, "You may have scruples about Villefort, but I don't. ”

Based on His Majesty's experience with the Emperor, of course, I wonder why Charles only thinks about Chanovatier, and does not say that even the case handled by Villefort has been investigated.

So, he also solved this problem for Charles.

If Charles had asked for access to the relevant files from the courts of Marseille and reached the ears of Villefort, he would have complained; But if His Majesty the Emperor personally secretly ordered it, not to mention whether anyone dared to report to Villefort, even if there were, would he dare to complain about the Emperor's failure?

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Charton smiled, "Actually, I'm not afraid of Villefort, it's just ...... I don't think it's time to bother one of your servants with some speculation. ”

"Villefort is indeed a man who knows how to do his subordinates." His Majesty the Emperor suddenly took a step and walked towards the depths of the garden. "So don't tell him any of these things, lest you add unnecessary trouble to him."

Charles didn't quite understand what His Majesty the Emperor meant, and what did he mean by the fact that he wanted to investigate Villefort again, and obviously wanted to defend Villefort?

However, if His Majesty the Emperor did not want to explain, it was useless for him to ask.

His Majesty the Emperor's footsteps were unhurried, and his eyes wandered in the garden, admiring the surrounding scenery.

The garden is dotted with beautifully shaped fountains that spread their cool water throughout the year, spreading their cool water to the flower beds everywhere. And beside these fountains, flowers bloomed in flowerbeds and flower beds, which spread like fire throughout the garden, almost obscuring the entire horizon of the person, and in an instant became an intoxicating scene against the background of the spring breeze.

His Majesty took Charles to pace in the path of the sea of flowers, the gentle spring breeze with the fragrance of the sea of flowers straight to the end of the nose, in this piece of beauty, there was a sense of pleasure in a trance, the flowers swayed in the wind, and the brilliance in front of him produced a floating color.

"Shire, do you know why I didn't order the Home Office to investigate myself?" In the center of the sea of flowers, His Majesty suddenly spoke.

Charles was a little confused about the question, he really didn't know, so he could only choose to remain silent.

Fortunately, His Majesty the Emperor didn't expect him to give an answer, he just greeted the gentle spring breeze and smiled slightly.

"Because no matter what I do, there are too many people who are interested, and they either welcome me or hinder me, and either of the two will just make things go out of shape, and in the end everything will turn into trouble." "I just want to hear a story," he said to Charles, whether the Count of Monte Cristo came from hell or from Marseille doesn't matter to me, and it won't be a reason for his conviction, understand, Charles?" ”

Charles understood His Majesty's hint.

He was suggesting that Charles should not think too much.

No matter what Charles found out, no matter what the Count had done before, His Majesty would not make a big deal with the Count because of this, because he still needed the Count, and he was afraid that Charles would use too much force for the Count of Monte Cristo's huge fortune, so that he would arbitrarily accuse the Count of the Count, and even directly frame him.

"I'll tell you a story seriously, Your Majesty." Charles assures, "Reality is reality, stories are stories, and the two do not affect each other, and it has always been." ”

"Well, I'm looking forward to your story."

Seeing that the young man was so sensible, His Majesty the Emperor smiled again, and then reached out and patted the young man on the shoulder, "Charles, in fact, you are quite literate, maybe you can help me write these stories one by one in the future?" ”

"I think you're overestimating me......" Charles was a little embarrassed.

At this moment, there was a sound of footsteps on the path next to it.

Charles turned his head and saw a man walking briskly towards him, surrounded by court attendants.

From a distance, this person was dressed in a formal suit, and his head was swaggering.

He was about the same age as His Majesty, handsome, with a handsome beard, and a slight resemblance to His Majesty between his eyebrows.

However, the temperament of the two people is by no means the same.

His Majesty has a gentle attitude and always has an indifferent smile, while this man seems to be energetic, ambitious, and has the temperament of an adventurer.

"Ah, what should come will come." Just as Charles was thinking, His Majesty's sigh rang in his ears.

His Majesty's voice suddenly became a little low, as if he was a little bored, but it was a feeling of strong spirits.

And by this time, this visitor had already been brought before His Majesty.

"Let me introduce you to Charles, this is my uncle Louis's youngest son, my cousin, Mr. Louis-Bonaparte." His Majesty said calmly to Charles. "He's not a prince yet, but he will be soon."