"Is there anything strange about it?" Seeing that Charles's expression was a little strange, Madame Villefort asked.

Of course, Charles couldn't tell the other party that he was suspicious of her relationship with the Count of Monte Cristo, so he had to choose to avoid the important and trivialize.

"Madam, it's not that there are many strange things, but some of the Earl's performances before make me feel a little funny."

"Interesting? What's interesting? Madame de Villefort still had a faint smile on her face, and she could not see anything out of the ordinary.

"The Count has always said that he would love to get to know your family, and he has actually done so—and I will tell you the truth, one of the reasons he attended tonight's banquet was to take the opportunity to get to know your family." Charles said, carefully watching Madame de Villefort's reaction, "Judging by the Count's usual behavior, it is really difficult for me to understand why he is so enthusiastic about your family...... So I just took the liberty of asking if you knew each other before. ”

"Oh? Is that so? Madame de Villefort was rightly curious, "why did he do that?" ”

You ask me, I want to ask you!

Madame's dodge made Charles secretly angry in his heart.

However, although he knew that the other party was deliberately dodging and pretending to be stupid, Charles could only continue to look at the other party patiently.

"Madam, it's because I don't quite understand the reason why I want to ask you. But you don't know. ”

"I really don't know, I just saw him today, who knows what's going on in his head." Madame de Villefort parted her hands very charmingly, "Why don't I ask my husband later, maybe he knows why." But let me tell you, the Count of Monte Cristo, at first glance, is a rich foreign man with quirks, this kind of person does not do things like ordinary people, maybe he is just a whim, in short, when he talks to us, I always feel that his mind is somewhere else. ”

"Is that so......" Charles muttered slightly, then looked up again, "and may I ask you again, if the Count has any next invitation to you?" ”

"Yes. He invited the couple to his upcoming party at his mansion, and he wanted to entertain the friends he had met since he came to Paris. Madame replied at once, and then looked at Charles inquiringly, "Do you think there is anything wrong with my husband agreeing to him?" ”

Sure enough, Charles knew it.

"No, of course not. In fact, the Count made a similar invitation to me, and I thought that as hospitable Parisians, we should fulfill his wishes. Charles smiled, "I can assure you that the Count is very, very rich, and in him you can see jaw-dropping luxuries. ”

"Really? That's something I'm looking forward to. Madame laughed again, and shook her fan gently, "All right, young man, don't wait too much time with me, Valentina is still waiting for you to inform you......

"Goodbye." Charles, with all seriousness, ignored her hidden tease, turned and walked back the way she came.

"By the way, there's one more thing to warn you about!" Just as Charles was about to leave, Madame de Villefort suddenly stopped Charles.

"What's the matter?" Charles asked.

"Mr. Treville, although I am older than you, you are a very favored person in the court after all, and you must have seen more of the world than I have, right?" Madame de Villefort's hand was raised slightly, and she covered her lips with a fan, "Then you should know that it is better to turn a blind eye to strange things—I think you may be too attentive to the Count of Monte Cristo, and it may not be good for you." ”

"Oh? You mean, you want me not to mind the Earl's business, not to get to the bottom of things, do you? Charles's heart sank.

This was the first time since Charlotte that he had been warned not to approach the Earl.

Moreover, it seems to have the meaning of "don't worry too much about our family affairs"?

"Yes, think about it, what family in the social world doesn't have a little personal secret? Even if it's your family, so brilliant, you have a lot of your own troubles, right? Although the fan blocked half of her face, Charles could hear that the other party was laughing, "Every family will have some unspeakable troubles, why should we get involved in them and block ourselves?" ”

If it was just a hint, now it's almost a blatant threat.

Charles was not afraid of a woman's threat at all, not even her husband.

Why should the Trévilles be afraid of the Villeforts?

However, just as Charles was about to retort, the other spoke again.

"Charles, your mother's early departure has indeed caused us unspeakable pain, and your family has suffered a long shadow and distress because of it—is it not a social etiquette that we have never provoked you with anything like this because we understand your situation? To be noble is to politely keep your distance, I think so. ”

I, Charles de Treville, grandson and heir of the marshal, were threatened in my own house by a woman? Charles barely understood the whole truth, so he just watched with his eyes wide open.

He wasn't angry, but rather confused.

Where did she get her faith? What is it that makes her so fearless?

Charles's doubts gradually calmed his mind, and he pondered what the other party meant.

She just said that "every family has its own secrets", and then specifically mentioned her mother, and then threatened herself, did she know any secrets about her mother?

Charles thought for a moment, but was at a loss.

His mother in this life died early due to difficult childbirth when she gave birth to her sister, so he didn't have much memory of his mother at all, and he didn't have much love, but it was his mother after all - so if she really knew any secrets about her mother, it would definitely be a weapon to attack herself and the Treville family.

But what is the secret of the mother?

In his few impressions, his mother was a beautiful but thin noblewoman, who liked to be quiet and kind to others, what could be enough to use it as a threat to himself?

I don't understand.

Charles knew that there was no point in thinking about it any longer, and that he could not go directly to Madame de Villefort, so he had to put aside his doubts about it for the time being.

As if seeing Charles's astonishment and confusion, the smile in Madame's eyes deepened, and her eyes were full of cunning, "Let me enclose you another piece of information, as far as I know, the villa that the Count of Monte Cristo bought in Oteuil was formerly the property of the Marquis of Saint-Meran!" ”

"What?!" Charles' eyes widened.

"I have not deceived you, the villa used to belong to the Marquis for his amusement when he came to Paris, but after the death of my husband's ex-wife, the Marquis was very sad and rarely came to Paris again, so he entrusted my husband to resell the villa. After it was resold, we didn't care about it in the future, but we didn't expect it to be bought by the Count of Monte Cristo as a mansion after three or two turns...... The mystery of life is really hard to say. Madame de Villefort sighed. Well, no bothering you, goodbye. ”

Before Charles could reply, her hand slowly lowered, then she put the folding fan away and turned away.

Charles's train of thought was a little confused, so he didn't speak, just looked at her back steadily.

He didn't know how powerful the other party was, but there was no doubt that Madame Villefort's threat level had risen a lot, and she could almost be said to be half an enemy. In this short time, Madame de Villefort made a great impression on him, a cunning lady who should also be ruthless.

However, whatever her intentions, she was wrong.

Because, Treville is not threatened!

In fact, Madame's threat has inspired the ferocity in the blood of the Charles, which is the ferocity and ruthlessness accumulated by generations of ancestors fighting and plundering, and the more difficult the opponent, the more it will make them feel happy and happy, and will make them find the pleasure of destroying each other.

The Count of Monte Cristo, plus a Madame de Villefort, was nothing to be afraid of.

There was no one else in the corridor anymore, so no servant could see the fierce glint in their young master's eyes.

…………………………

It was late at night, and Valentina, who had been informed by Charles, was a little reluctant, but she still left Marshal Tréville's mansion with her grandfather and grandmother, followed by her father and stepmother.

Charles could imagine what she would be treated this time, but at least for now, there was nothing he could do.

Moreover, he has no chance to rest now.

Because not long after they left, a mysterious visitor visited him in a dark carriage at night.

The person who came was none other than Kong Ze, a high-ranking secret police officer who had previously gone to Marseille to investigate.

His face was dusty, and his eyes were bloodshot, apparently he had rushed back from the starry night, and after returning to Paris, he did not even rest, but rushed here directly to report to him.

This shows that there are very important things to report to him.

Hopefully that's good news.

"Mr. Kong Ze, you have really worked hard." Charles asked the servants to bring two cups of coffee, and then thanked them very politely, "I really appreciate your efforts. ”

"I'm just doing my job." Kong Ze replied blandly, then picked up the cup and took a big sip of coffee at once.

The steaming coffee, with a bitter taste, poured into his stomach, which seemed to give him infinite energy and courage in an instant, and his spirit suddenly lifted up, and the bloodshot in his eyes also subsided a lot.

"What did you get out of this trip?" After he had finished his coffee, Charles asked unhurriedly. "Is there a secret dug up in Fort Eve?"

"I didn't dig up the secret, but I did dig up the ghost." Kong Ze replied coldly, "Sir, there is no Father Boussani in the Château d'Eve. ”

Charles wasn't surprised.

"Tell me more about the situation, then?"

"When I got there, I revealed my identity, so the warden was very cooperative with my investigation." Kong Ze began to explain, "However, 1829 was more than ten years ago, and the warden at that time had died, and even the jailers had changed a lot, so in many cases, everyone could only rely on vague memories and documents left behind to make inquiries. However, we can still be sure that there was not a single clergyman in the prison at that time whose surname was Bousani. ”

"Maybe it's a pseudonym?" Charles remained silent.

"That's not possible." Kong Ze shook his head, "Sir, there are very few priests who listen to prisoners in prison as confessions, and they will not be replaced easily, they are all recorded, they are either dead or in prison, no one has heard of Bushani, and no one has nothing to do with running to Marseille and Paris. ”

"So it's a ghost...... Is it? Charles understood what Kong Ze meant.

After a moment's silence, he asked, "What about the other two people in the story?" ”

"That's exactly what I'm trying to explain to you." Kong Ze looked at Charles unhurriedly, "At that time, we had a very poor relationship with the British, so there were many British officers in the prison, and of course there were nobles among them, but we checked similar files, and among the British prisoners who died around 1829, there were no young British nobles who matched the description in this story, let alone a diamond in their hands - sir, the prisoners' personal belongings will be registered." ”

"What if he's hiding it from the jailer?" Charles asked rhetorically.

"Then he's out of luck." Kong Ze sneered, "Unregistered property is not protected, as long as the jailers find out, they can snatch it away at any time, and he has nowhere to seek redress, because in law this is non-existent property." Even if he was lucky not to be found by the jailers and given to another prisoner...... However, there is a rule in the Castle of Eve that when another prisoner confesses before his death, there must also be a jailer who is present to watch, because there are many felons in the Eve Castle, and they may reveal some valuable secrets before they die. So if that prisoner had been taken out to the priest after death, he would have been confiscated as well, eh...... You get the idea. ”

Charles thought about it, and he did understand.

Forty-five thousand francs worth of diamonds, how could the jailers not be greedy if they found them after the death of the other party? How is it possible for a priest to be brought out of prison and handed over to someone else?

"Then, this British aristocrat who gave someone else diamonds is also a ghost." Charles concluded, "What's next? It should be the turn of the dead prisoner in the story, right? ”

"Wonderful place here, sir." Kong Ze's eyes instantly flashed with ghostly fire again, "After understanding that the so-called Father Bushani and what British nobles were all stories made up, in order to make this trip worthwhile, I began to look at the records of prisoners who died around 1829, and I found a strange thing. ”

"What's the odd thing?" Charles immediately asked.

"In 1829, a prisoner who had been imprisoned for 14 years died." Kong Ze lowered his voice, but Charles could still hear it clearly, "Although it sounds like he has been locked up for a long time, because he was locked in very early, he was only in his early thirties. The cause of his death is rather peculiar, and the records are very brief - he failed to escape from prison and was executed. However, this is not the strangest place, the strangest thing is his crime...... He was sent in as a dangerous political prisoner by judges loyal to the Bourbon family during the Bourbon Restoration, because he was suspected of being a secret supporter of the emperor. ”

"What?" Although Charles was a little ignorant at the time, he quickly came to his senses. "This ...... How come?! ”

It's really weird.

It is strange that in 1815, the restored Bourbons sent the emperor's supporters to the prison of Château d'If, but strangely enough, after the restoration of the empire, such political prisoners were not released.

After the successful restoration of the empire, His Majesty the Emperor certainly did not forget his supporters who were persecuted by the royal family and suffered in prison, and he issued an edict to clear their names and release them all, and these supporters were also grateful to the Emperor.

However, in the Château d'Ives, there was a supporter of the emperor who was not cleared of his name, but was imprisoned until his death in 1829?

It's just impossible.

"Are the people of Ivory crazy? Or was the warden a traitor loyal to the royal family? Charles quickly calmed down, and then asked coldly.

"No, in fact, the warden didn't care who he was working for, he was only responsible for punishing the prisoners so that they would not escape from prison, and he would detain whoever the government sent him in, and he would send anyone away. So, it's not that he's getting in the way. Kong Ze shook his head slightly, "Actually, it's Paris that is the one who is in the way." At that time, the warden received an official letter from Paris, saying that the prisoner was radical and dangerous, and was not among the prisoners to be released...... Until death. ”

"Then why didn't Paris just order him to be killed?" Charles asked rhetorically.

"The warden at the time did not ask, he just faithfully carried out the government's orders, and my personal speculation is that the person who made this decision did not dare to let the emperor know all this, after all, the death penalty order in France needs to be signed by the emperor himself."

"In other words, this unlucky bastard, on charges of supporting the Emperor Napoleon, was imprisoned in the prison of the Emperor Napoleon for more than ten years, and then died?" Charles' face was odd. "Doesn't anyone in prison think it's weird?"

"Your expectations of the bureaucracy are too high, sir." Kong Ze's face was also very strange, it seemed to be mocking and helpless, "They just complete the task faithfully and mechanically, especially in places like political prisoner prisons, and they never ask why, because politics has no why, the more people ask, the faster they die, since Paris has made a decision, they just carry it out, and no one cares anymore." Over time, the young man himself stopped crying out for injustice, and seemed to accept the fate of his unlucky bastard. ”

"Then why did he break out of prison? Also, How did he die? Charles asked rhetorically.

"All these details are very brief in the file, and because the warden at that time has passed away, it is even more difficult to get first-hand information, and now I can only let the prison check itself first, ask the retired jailer, and get things clear as soon as possible. Find out exactly when and how he died. Kong Ze replied. However, the progress made so far that it was worth my first trip to find out who had given the approval to the Château d'Eve prison in Paris to continue to hold the young man. ”

"I ......see," Charles said, his voice lengthened, apparently lost in thought, "then, where is this poor young man from?" ”

"He's from Maasai ......," Kong Ze replied.

"Hell, it's Marseille again!" Charles couldn't help but scold, "Why is everything Marseille?" ”

"So that's where it gets interesting." Kong Ze also felt the same way, "Because this young man is from Maasai, I don't think all the stories will be so simple, maybe Father Bousani's story is fake, but maybe his story has a prototype?" ”

"Okay, so what's his name?" Charles smiled, "Don't sell it, the story should have an end here." ”

"His name is ......" Kong Ze deliberately cleared his throat, and then pronounced a name as if a mage was reciting a spell, "Edmond Dantès." ”

"Edmond Dantès......" Charles muttered to himself, repeating the name several times.

The name looked ordinary, and there was nothing unusual about it, but for some reason, when he repeated it, he felt a slight chill on his back, as if he had been touched by a ghost.

However, there are no ghosts in the world.

Charles suddenly raised his head and looked at Kong Ze, "Let your people in Marseille hurry up and check all the news about this Edmond Dantès, and then go to the court to find all the files about this person!" ”

Maybe it was intuition, but he really thought that this Edmond Dantès might be a key to breaking through the mystery.

"Yes! Mr. Kong Ze immediately straightened up and accepted the order.

…………………………

And at this moment, in a magnificent mansion, there was a pale figure, walking back and forth in the spacious study on the second floor, looking at the moonlight outside the window from time to time, and the garden under the moonlight, watching the figures of those flowers swaying in the evening breeze, as if watching ghosts wandering in the darkness.

What was he thinking? What was he waiting for?

Nobody knows.

"Man, you don't know that you are in the Lord!" I don't know how long it took, but a dull sigh suddenly came from inside the study.