"Don't worry, it's not that bad, at least we don't have to do it now."

After Captain Morel stated that he would rather open fire on his benefactor if necessary for the sake of the Empire and His Majesty the Emperor, Charles comforted him.

However, while Captain Morel seemed to be a faithful man who would keep his promise, he did not particularly believe in his statement.

There's no way, after being in the palace for a long time, it's hard to trust yourself because of someone's words.

Of course, it doesn't matter, because the Charles really don't need to shoot the Count of Monte Cristo now.

Captain Morel is a useful pawn, but his old relationship with the Count of Monte Cristo also gives him hidden risks, and how to avoid risks when using this chess piece is indeed worth pondering.

However, he did not have much time to think, and the door to the parlor suddenly opened, and the old servant walked up to Charles and whispered a few words.

"Mr. Kong Ze is visiting?" Charles was slightly surprised, and then a flash of joy flashed.

Kong Ze had been commissioned by him before, and he had been investigating the old things about the prison in Fort Yve, and now that he has come back to find himself, there must be some progress.

Could it be the Edmond Dantès thing? Charles couldn't help but look forward to it.

"I'm sorry, Captain, I have something important to do here...... "He turned his head and looked at Captain Morel apologetically, "I'm afraid we're going to end today's meeting as soon as possible." ”

"It's okay, you have a big task to do, time is precious, and it's hard to spare so much time to explain the situation to me." Captain Morel quickly stood up, "So what do you need me to do next?" ”

"Let's get the people together, we're going to need some manpower anyway." Charles gave the first order to Captain Morrell, "Do you have anything more reassuring to recommend?" What we need to carry out is a secret mission, and we need to be able to keep it secret and do things solidly. ”

"The most suitable for your requirements should be retired soldiers, among my original colleagues and subordinates, several of them retired and worked in Paris, if you can find them, I think it will be of great help to you." Captain Morel pondered for a moment before replying, but soon looked embarrassed, "However, they all have their own jobs now, and I'm afraid they won't be able to find time for a while—"

"If you can't pull away, you don't have to force it, we are not an army, and we don't have to force others to serve." Of course, Charles could understand what the other party meant, "However, if you can get out of the way, you can ask them to come and help, of course, I will be paid, and it will be much higher than their current salary." ”

This is not a lie, Charles has always adhered to the concept of treating those who serve him well, as long as others help him, he will definitely be rewarded - in life, if you want to do anything, you must rely on the cooperation of others, and if you want others to cooperate with you, you must come up with real money, no exceptions.

Anyway, the Count of Monte Cristo has mountains of gold and silver seas, as long as they can knock out gold bricks from him, throwing some to the people below is enough for them to be grateful.

"Okay, thank you for your generosity, Charles." Sure enough, Captain Morel was overjoyed, thanked Charles repeatedly, and then left with the servant.

Before he left the Treville Mansion, he was like an officer who had been given orders, and he had already begun to think about how to carry out Charles's orders, which people to find as helpers, how to gather relevant information, how to set up a surveillance network against the other party, and so on.

At this time, a new face appeared in the reception room of the mansion.

Like Captain Morrell, he was tall, but his cold and rigid face made it really hard to look at him.

But Charles was in the mood for now.

"Mr. Kong Ze, have you brought me any good news?"

"Good news, but maybe bad news, sir." Kong Ze calmly walked up to him and replied.

"Well, what do you mean?" Charles was a little confused.

"The good news is that I've found Edmond Dantès's whereabouts and why the Fort Eve prison is hiding information about him." Kong Ze grimaced and replied to Charles with an uninhibited emphasis, "The bad news is that he may be dead now, which means that our clues seem to have been interrupted. ”

No, he can't be dead, he's alive now, he's in Paris. Charles said in his heart, but on the surface he remained silent.

"Oh? Let's elaborate, how did he die? ”

"Before I say that, I have to explain to you how I found it so you can understand why we only know now." Kong Ze changed the subject, and then said to himself, "Because of the age, there are not many records of Edmond Dantès left in the Eve Castle, and the warden of the year has died, and the jailers have also died, in order to get valuable information, I had to activate my connections in the police department, investigate the whereabouts of several retired or retired jailers, and finally find two near Marseille, and then interrogate them, and then come to the conclusion." ”

Charles didn't interject, just quietly looked at Kong Ze, waiting for the rest of the story.

"You can't believe there's a priest in Ivory Castle!" Suddenly, Kong Ze raised his head and raised his voice, "Not as a priest who comforts the prisoners, but really as a prisoner, his name is Faria, he is an Italian, I don't know why, he was imprisoned in the Fort Eve prison......"

"And then? What did he do? Charles asked.

"And then he died, in 1829." Kong Ze immediately replied.

Are you kidding me?

In an instant, a wave of anger rose in Charles's heart, and he almost roared at him.

However, of course, he knew that Kong Ze was not a person who joked easily, since he said so, then there was naturally a secret in his heart, so he suppressed the anger in his heart and quietly listened to the other party's explanation.

"Don't blame me for bringing up irrelevant questions, it actually has a lot to do with the death of Edmond Dantès, and it's a long story." Kong Ze smiled, and seemed to feel Charles's anger as well, "You can't believe that in such a heavily guarded Fort Eve prison, there are people who try to escape, and they almost succeed!" ”

"What the hell is going on?!" Charles was intrigued by Kong Ze's words, so he impatiently interrupted Kong Ze's words, "You can tell me a little more clearly. ”

"Well, in 1829, after everything was calm, the prison insiders looked at the cell of the late Father Faria and discovered a secret tunnel." "This tunnel is long, leading up to the prison of Edmond Dantès, and can be crawled through by a man. It's hard to imagine, it's hard to imagine, sir, it's a solid masonry wall! With terrible perseverance he persevered and dug through this passage, no one has yet figured out. ”

"Did Edmond Dantès dig it?" Charles asked.

"No, it's more terrible than this, it should have been dug by Father Faria." Kong Ze gave Charles an answer that surprised him, "They were in the dungeon, Father Faria's prison was downstairs, Edmond Dantès's was upstairs, and if you want to dig a tunnel in the dungeon, no one will dig underground, only up, so it must be the old priest who dug the tunnel." Do you understand? He had been locked up in the dungeon for more than 20 years, and everyone thought he was doomed and would die there, but he spent so much time digging a tunnel in the rock, almost digging through the castle wall, a terrible old madman! ”

It's scary, indeed.

Charles imagined for a moment that an old man, who had been imprisoned in a dungeon for twenty years, without enough food and clothing, and who must have given up all hope and died numbly, but he dug a long tunnel silently - and only at night to avoid people's eyes!

It was terrifying, and Charles felt like he didn't have the perseverance to do so.

Could it be that the title of Father Boussani is a tribute to Father Faria?

A face suddenly appeared in Charles's mind—the old and kind face of the Count of Monte Cristo when he pretended to be a priest, could he be the true face of Father Faria?

That's a ......

"From the scene, it can be concluded that Father Faria tried to escape, but his luck was very bad, he must have calculated the wrong route, and dug into Edmond Dantès's cell." As Charles pondered, Kong Ze's voice continued to echo in his ears, "This blow must have saddened and disappointed the old man, but for another man, it was a perfect opportunity - Edmond Dantès had found a way out of the dungeon. ”

"Did he and the priest continue digging tunnels?" Charles asked again.

"No, he's found a way that's more concise and effective than that." Kong Ze shook his head, and then a slightly ironic smile appeared on his face, "In 1829, the priest died of a sudden illness, and the guards confirmed this fact and planned to bury him, and Edmond Dantès took this opportunity to sneak into the priest's cell, and then hid the priest's body under the bed, and he took the place of the corpse and hid it in the body bag, this is really a clever ghost, he found a way to escape from prison, but unfortunately he does not know a terrible truth. ”

"What truth?"

"Ivory Castle, there is no place for prisoners to be buried in the ground, there is no spare place." Kong Ze replied in a tone that was so cold that it was almost cruel, "They directly tied the body bag to the iron ball and threw it into the sea, this is the burial method of the Eve Castle, it is very simple. ”

"I'm afraid it's too simple......" Charles replied meaningfully.

"So, this is a story of trying to escape from prison and failing." Kong Ze retracted his smile and became serious again, "Sir, I finally understand why the warden and several jailers have to hide this matter, because it will expose their negligence and incompetence - an old fellow actually dug dozens of feet of tunnels with the most rudimentary tools right under their noses, and they didn't know it!" A prisoner steals a beam and changes pillars right under their noses and almost escapes successfully! If they were known from above, they would definitely be held accountable, so they could only hide it until I turned it out now. ”

Then he sighed again, "Sir, I have to say, this is a good story, but now it is just a good story for us, and how can the two men who died in 1829 help us?" ”

He seemed a little disappointed, it stands to reason that he had spent so much energy and dug up such amazing facts, and it could be said that the results were huge, but these results did not help the current purpose, so what was the use of him reporting the attempted escape from Fort Eve more than ten years ago? The warden was already dead, and the government could not punish the current officials of Eve Castle or give him any reward.

It looks like it's been in vain.

However, Charles did not come to the same conclusions as he did.

"No, I think it's helpful to us, Mr. Kong Ze." He looked up, his eyes full of passionate light. "Don't you think that, in fact, the jailers only saw the body of Father Faria, and no one saw the body of Edmond Dantès?"

"But he was tied to a body bag and thrown into the sea, with two iron balls tied to him, and no one could survive such a situation." Kong Ze replied.

"No, ordinary people can't, but don't forget, a prisoner who has been sitting in prison for more than ten years, how much he desires freedom and life! He will survive at all costs. Charles shook his head, still holding on to his judgment, "Also, as you know, Edmond Dantès is a sailor, and a sailor must be well-versed in water, so there may be a way to escape this predicament. ”

Charles's words made Kong Ze fall into deep thought.

"So you mean, Edmond Dantès may not be dead? Is there any other basis to support this inference? ”

"There is another obvious basis." Charles sneered slightly, "Don't you think, Edmond Dantès, is too much of the same age as our dear Lord Count of Monte Cristo?" Maybe it's not a coincidence......"

Kong Ze's eyes widened suddenly.

Under the incredulous gaze of Conze, Charles told them all about his investigation of the Count of Monte Cristo, Lord Wilmore, and Father Boussany.

Kong Ze listened quietly, although his expression did not change, his eyes became brighter and brighter.

Indeed, after intertwining the evidence, he could easily support the inference that Edmond Dantès was the Count of Monte Cristo.

Everything is so coincidental that it can only be explained by this.

Along with the sudden realization, there is an indescribable joy.

Originally, he was a little frustrated, afraid that his thinking was wrong, Edmond Dantès had no value in investigating, and all the energy he had spent was wasted, but after Charles's explanation, he found that the gloomy picture in front of him suddenly opened up.

It turned out that it was indeed the real prey that he swooped down, and the results of his investigation were the most powerful evidence!

"I am fully convinced, sir, of your judgment, indeed, the Count of Monte Cristo, who must be the Edmond Dantès." After Charles finished speaking, Kong Ze spoke again, "This guy ran away from the prison of Fort Eve back then, and then mixed up with his current status, turned himself into a nobleman, and ran back to carry out his plot!" ”

He looked at Charles with admiration in his eyes, and he thought that this young man must not understand anything, but now he found that he was not the kind of evil boy who only called others, but a genius with brains and action.

He had heard some people say that this young man would definitely be a pillar of the empire in the future, and he originally thought that it was just a boring mutual praise from the upper class, but now he found out that the rumors were all grounded.

Shouldn't I be more enthusiastic and active, and get in touch with this future imperial minister sooner? He already had a plan in his mind.

And at this time, in his already hot mind, another piece of information appeared that he thought was worthless at that time.

"Sir, Father Boussani was thought crazy by everyone in the prison at the time, do you know why?"

"Why?" Charles asked rhetorically.

"He always said that he knew the whereabouts of a great treasure, and then asked to exchange this treasure with the French government for his freedom." Kong Ze replied at a very fast pace, "In the first year, he proposed to give the government one million to set him free, the second year, two million, the third year, three million, and so on, and finally to six million. ”

"I don't think anyone will take it seriously." Charles smiled.

"It's true that no one takes it seriously, think about it, in this world, if there are really millions of private goods, how can a person be sent to Eve Castle?" Kong Ze inadvertently satirized the society, "So everyone took him as a joke back then, and no one took this madman's words seriously." ”

The two men looked at each other and laughed again.

Then, their smiles froze.

"And yet—it's possible that he's telling the truth, that this old guy really has some treasure." Charles took a deep breath, "That would explain why the Count of Monte Cristo was able to climb to such a position so quickly. ”

Indeed, the speed at which the Count of Monte Cristo accumulates wealth makes many people feel completely incomprehensible, wealth appreciation has its own laws and speeds, as the principal increases, it is more and more difficult to double, and the incredible wealth of the Count of Monte Cristo can only have two sources - one is to rely on time, slowly increasing in value; One is to rely on the sudden acquisition of a huge amount of principal as start-up capital.

And where did the Earl's sudden richness come from?

Even if it is stealing and robbing, you first need a certain amount of money before you can establish a criminal organization, right?

Charles was completely ignorant of this issue before, but after Kong Ze said this, Charles did understand.

Perhaps, the old madman priest, who was not a madman, said a true truth, which was unfortunately ignored by everyone except poor and fortunate Edmond Dantès.

God testifies, O mediocre people of Château d'If, that the opportunity you have had to help yourself and your children turn around in this life has been missed!

The two of them looked at each other a few more times, and everything was silent.

"Do I need to report the Count of Monte Cristo's condition, sir?" After a long time, Kong Ze asked, "If our speculations are true, then the Count of Monte Cristo is a very dangerous person, and no one knows what such a person will do to get revenge." ”

"You should write a detailed investigation report first, but don't hand it in, just give it to me." Charles thought for a moment and then replied, "What Your Majesty wants to know, the less others know the better, it must be up to the master of the Palace of Fontainebleau to decide." ”

"Okay, got it." Kong Ze directly and simply agreed.

If he had any reservations before, he was now completely obedient, after all, he had made up his mind to curry favor with this star of hope for the Empire.

Compared to him, the officials of the Ministry of the Interior are not very important.

What they can give to themselves, teenagers can give in the future, and what they can't give, teenagers can still give.

"Good." Charles nodded, smiling kindly, "Your Majesty will thank you for your merits." ”

He wasn't going to hand it over to His Majesty now.