"Edmond Dantès."

Charles's words were brief, and his voice was not loud.

However, as if he had shouted some magic spell, at this moment, the Inspector General of Villefort, who had been speaking fiercely, was stunned for a moment.

His face, which had been flushed, soon faded in blood, and finally turned pale.

The name hidden in the deepest part of his heart was now spoken through the mouth of the young man, like a heavy hammer, hitting his soul hard.

He thought that he had buried this ghost completely and buried it in the bottomless darkness, but when this ghost reappeared, he realized that he had never gotten rid of this ghost, never.

"You...... What are you talking about? He asked in a trembling voice.

This is the instinct of a person in a panic, hoping that everything he has experienced is just an illusion and that nothing has happened.

However, the catastrophe has already happened, and it is really there.

"Didn't you hear clearly? Then I'll repeat it again – Edmond Dantès. Seeing the other party's reaction like this, Charles also felt some vicious pleasure in his heart, and this pleasure made his smile full of sarcasm. I guess you're familiar with the name, right? ”

"I ...... I don't know what you're talking about. The Attorney General of Villefort forcibly restrained his fear, and then shouted at him, "All right! I've told you enough today, now I'm leaving and giving my daughter back! ”

Of course, his fierce performance did not scare Charles, in fact, Charles laughed even more happily.

"You don't know what I'm talking about? Then I'll just remind you, just a few key words - Marseille, political prisoners, Chorg Eve, well, do you want me to add anything more? ”

These words, like one blow after another, struck Villefort's already panicked heart, making his face more and more ugly, and finally he was a little unsteady.

What a terrible blow it is for a person to have a secret that has been carefully hidden for decades to be suddenly revealed in front of others!

"Can't say anything? Then I'll move on, Attorney General. Charles looked at him unhurriedly, "Let me tell you some facts, some realities that you never wanted to face—you, in 1815, sent a young man named Edmond Dantès to the prison of Château d'Eve on charges of supporting the Emperor, and after the Emperor re-established the empire in 1815, your father ignored His Majesty's edict to release all such political prisoners, and still ordered him to remain imprisoned, and all information about him was hidden...... Are these true? ”

After being pointed out in such a clear way by Charles, the Attorney General of Villefort finally understood that there was no point in quibbling in front of the other party, and that he must have been investigating himself for a long time to be able to grasp so many circumstances.

This shameless little bastard is actually investigating me!

"You...... You...... Investigating me? Villefort glared angrily at Charles. Who gave you the power to investigate me! You're not qualified to investigate me! ”

He didn't deny it, because at this point, there was no point in denying it anymore, it would only make himself more ugly in front of this young man.

"Yes, I'm looking into you—" Charles nodded slightly, and calmly called the old servant over and told him to bring over the paper bag he had left in his study.

In order to break the other party's psychological defense, he deliberately didn't say a word during this period, and then waited until the paper bag was taken, he took the paper bag, and then used his white and slender fingers to slowly pull out a piece of official paper and handed it to the other party.

These are the official documents that Lucien de Bray specially compiled for the purpose of making dealings with the Charles, and it is on these documents that all the correspondence between the Marquis de Novatier and the prison of Château d'Ifves is recorded.

In the few words of the Marquis de Novatier, the fate of the poor young prisoner, Edmond Dantès, was turned upside down, and he was supposed to be released as a hero, but he was confined in that dark place until he finally died in despair.

The Attorney General of Villefort took the documents with trembling fingers, and when he looked at the shriveled words without emotion, he lost the ability to speak again for a moment.

There was nothing left to justify, everything was laid out in broad daylight - what he had feared most years ago had happened, the nightmare had not let him go, and after decades of waiting, it had finally crawled out of hell and then roared and devoured itself.

He just didn't understand why this young man suddenly wanted to investigate himself, and how these official documents fell into his hands.

It stands to reason that these official documents are all internal documents of the Imperial Police Department, and they have always only been sealed in the archives, and no one will pay attention to them, and they will only slowly mold in the pile of old papers, but why on earth these moldy things will actually run into their own hands?

Was it the whim of the young man, or was it a long-planned conspiracy against him?

If there is such a conspiracy, who is behind it?

A flood of questions tormented his brain, but he couldn't find any answers, as if he was in the darkest room, he couldn't find a way out, he could only be torn apart by fear and anxiety.

Charles was very satisfied with the other party's situation, and he looked at the distraught Prosecutor of Villefort with a smile on his face, and only wished to look at the other party's jokes.

"Who the hell asked you to investigate me?" I don't know how long it took for the prosecutor to finally speak

Although his face was pale, and although his voice was still shaking, he finally relieved his breath and had regained his original senses.

"Your Excellency the Attorney General, you are so clever that everyone thinks you are extremely shrewd, and all criminals cannot escape your eyes...... So, is it time to ask such boring questions? Charles laughed, as if mocking the other's ignorance, "Do you think that anyone can call me, or someone else, call the Ministry of the Interior, and let them go through the filing cabinets?" ”

Charles deliberately did not answer the question directly, but suggested that his aim, of course, was to intimidate the prosecutor to the greatest extent possible.

And his purpose worked, and after hearing his answer, His Excellency the Prosecutor's expression became even more magnificent.

"Your Majesty...... Your Majesty...... Commanded you? Why...... Why did he do it? He guessed in the direction Charr had suggested.

"Hmph, there are some things, we all need to know in our hearts, and no one can get to the bottom of it." Charles interrupted the other party with a sneer, "Your Excellency the Prosecutor General, it doesn't matter who gave the order now, what matters is, how do you plan to justify the matter of your father and son?" You've worked in the legal profession for so many years, you should know what it means for you to do these things back then, right?! ”

Due to the previous will of His Majesty the Emperor "not to involve Villefort", of course, Charles could not directly say "I am on the orders of His Majesty to investigate you", so in order to scare the other party, he could only hint, and he couldn't say it too obviously, seeing that the other party had already taken the bait, so he simply changed the subject.

Charles's cross-examination left the Prosecutor in Villefort with nothing more to say.

His eyes had lost their color, and he seemed to be a little disillusioned.

"Man, who thinks he can escape from the mercy of fate, turns out that in the end, everything is still under the control of the Lord!" He laughed miserably, and then sat down in his chair in despair, as if he had lost the courage to sit, "Since Your Majesty has given the order, then I have nothing to say, just send me down as I want, this is the punishment I deserve." ”

The secret, which had been well concealed, was suddenly put on the table, and the blow to people was greater than anything else, and under such a blow, the prosecutor of Villefort, who was originally so vicious and arrogant, couldn't help but be at a loss at the moment, and was willing to face the punishment of fate.

He's at rock bottom, it's time to get him back - Charles makes a judgment.

"Monsieur Villefort, if you say that, you will not be surprised......" He suddenly walked up to the other man, and patted the Attorney General on the shoulder as if comfortingly, "Although I am indeed conducting an unfortunate investigation, I have no ill will towards you, as long as you do not act rashly against our family, then we would not have to kill you in the first place, would we?" ”

"Who wants to be your family's enemy? Didn't you come to the door yourself? The Attorney General of Villefort laughed bitterly, "You have recklessly broken into my house and instigated my daughters to make enemies of me, even my father...... Hey, forget it, it's all come to this point, what else do I have to say? I think I'm unlucky, I'll do whatever I want, I deserve it. ”

"It's not a desperate situation yet, and it's too early to say despair." Charles patted him on the shoulder again, "I always thought you were a tough guy with an indomitable heart and a hard heart, am I wrong?" You turned out to be just a strong outsider, and when there was a thunder in the sky, you would shrink into the bed and wait for death, and you wouldn't dare to do anything? ”

Charles's cross-examination made the Attorney General of Villefort suddenly feel something, and he raised his head and looked at Charles in disbelief, "You...... What do you mean? ”

"I haven't reported all this yet, and I'm still thinking about whether to report it." Charles' smile grew softer, "So, Prosecutor General, do you think I should report it?" ”

The prosecutor looked at the young man steadily, his face was blurry with blood again, and hope suddenly appeared in his eyes again. "You're going to let me go?"

"Yes, no matter how much we say that our two families are relatives, I can't bear to watch you suffer......" Charles sighed, "Besides, if you have bad luck and a bad reputation, Valentina will not be much better, and the door of the social world will never be open to her again, I don't want to see such an outcome." ”

Charles looked sympathetic, almost believing his own words.

"Valentina...... Valentina ......" the Attorney General muttered, and then suddenly felt something.

Yes, this playboy may have taken a fancy to Valentina, so he wants to let himself go, which makes sense.

Otherwise, with the treacherous and ruthless nature of the Trevill family, if he is really ready to completely destroy himself, he will definitely do everything possible to draw a line with his own family, how can he still have dealings with his own family? Not to mention intervening in the family affairs of his own family.

It can be seen that the Tréville family does not want to destroy themselves, but intends to use this secret to blackmail themselves and get something.

Although it is difficult to be coerced, it is better than being destroyed.

It was as if a drowning man saw a life-saving straw, and the prosecutor general had no intention of scolding this bastard boy for his wolf ambitions, but he was a little glad on the contrary. "Yes, for Valentina's sake, I beg you to ...... Please hold up your noble hand, what do I have to do at this age? It's all for the sake of the kids! It doesn't matter if I'm discredited, but what about the kids? They can't bear that...... Valentina was already weak and arrogant, how could she withstand such a blow? So Charles, I beg you to spare us for Valentina's sake......"

The prosecutor general, who was arrogant and scathing just now, groveled at this time, and begged the young man to let him go, and the speed of the change of face before and after was unexpected even by Charles.

This damn thing, don't look so groveling now, once you have the opportunity to bite back, you will definitely not hesitate! He cursed in his heart.

But, at least, for now, he has taken the initiative.

"Yes, we should make some compromises and sacrifices for the sake of Valentina, and I feel that I should keep you and your family's position." Charles smiled indifferently, "But, all of this must be based on your all-round cooperation with me-"

"How to cooperate?" The prosecutor general also had no intention of bargaining, so he asked Charles directly.

"Tell me first why you sent poor Edmond Dantès to prison in 1815, and why did you not dare to let him out." Charles immediately asked.

"This ......" As soon as he heard the name, the prosecutor's face twitched again, and he refused to answer.

"Sir, you seem to have forgotten that I am helping you. If you don't want to cooperate from the start, then I can't help it. Charles shrugged his shoulders, and then threatened the other party with a lighthearted smile, "You want to confess anyway, either with me or with the judge who interrogated you, I think you know the difference, right?" ”

In order to aggravate the other party's fear, Charles made up again, "With your status, the person who will be sent to interrogate you in the future will definitely not be too low-level, right?" Maybe it's your colleague, tell me, how will he feel when he sees you in prison? ”

Charles's threat finally destroyed the prosecutor's last psychological defense, and he hung his head in pain and chose to confess to the teenager.

"Hey...... How rash we were when we were young! Everyone had to pay off the debt of their frivolous youth. ”

"Don't be afraid, I'm not your creditor, I'm just a listener, please rest assured, I promise to keep it confidential for you." Charles sat down for a moment, poured a glass of wine for the Attorney General of Villefort, and waited for him to explain.

The Attorney General of Villefort picked up his glass, drank it in one gulp, and then simply confessed to Charles the old story.

"Actually, everything was very simple - I was a judge in Marseille at that time, when the Bourbon dynasty had just been restored, and I was most afraid of the emperor's supporters making trouble, especially for fear that they were plotting behind their backs, so there was a high-pressure control of the whole place. At that time, many of the imperial magistrates and judges had been dismissed outright, so I became president of the magistrate's court at a young age, and everyone thought that I had a bright future, and I thought so myself—so in order to make King Louis feel my talent, I redoubled my efforts to spy on the intrigues of the Bonapartartists everywhere, to try the recalcitrant Bonapartartist supporters, and in this high-pressure atmosphere, for every Bonapartist caught, the sentence would be severe. I have to say that my grades were so good at the time that a lot of people there were scared of me...... Oh, if the empire hadn't been restored, maybe my achievements in the legal profession would have been even higher than I am now. ”

With a wry smile, the Attorney General of Villefort first recalled the glory of the old days, and then got to the point, "One day, when I came home from work, I suddenly received an anonymous report that a merchant sailor named Edmond Dantès, while sailing with a merchant ship in the Mediterranean, left the ship without permission, went to the island of Elba, and met Napoleon, took important letters from him, and acted as a messenger. ”

"The Courier!?" Charles opened his eyes in surprise.

I see...... Elba Island was the place of exile of Emperor Napoleon at that time, and it was also the place that the Bourbon family feared the most, and it was already a big crime to collude with them privately, not to mention acting as a messenger for them, it was simply a conspirator.

No wonder this young man was convicted of a felony and sent to Château d'Avve......

"What letter did he send?"

"Some letters from Paris, some of them written by my father himself, mostly about how many people the Bonapartians had instigated to help restore the Empire, and about when to land in France—obviously dangerous." The Attorney General of Villefort replied honestly, "I didn't know it at the time, and this was what my father told me later." ”

"Would your father have given such an important letter to a little seafarer?" Charles was a little suspicious, "He was a young man at the time, I looked at the prison files, he was not even twenty years old when he was imprisoned, this is not like your father's style, he was the head of the underground organization of the Bonaparte party in Paris at that time, and he acted very cautiously. ”

"You seem to know my father well?" The Attorney General of Villefort was somewhat surprised.

"I've seen a lot of documents about your father in the Royal Archives, as well as some of his personal letters to the Emperor." Charles replied calmly, "So I think I should know about him, and I probably know more about his actions during that period than you do, including the fact that he was responsible for the rape and the killing of Baron Ipinay." ”

Charles said all this with the intention of reaffirming in Villefort's mind that "it was really His Majesty who asked him to investigate our family", and it is always easiest to lie to people with the truth.

Sure enough, after hearing Charles's words, Villefort's face became more and more ugly.

After a pause, he hesitated with difficulty, and then replied, "Yes, it was all an accident, and it was the captain of the merchant ship whom my father had entrusted with delivering the letter, an old Bonapartist who was quite reliable. But this rather reliable man died of acute meningitis shortly after setting sail, and he died so quickly that he had time to deliver the letter to Edmond Dantès, and then the young man took it with him, and he let himself be caught in the storm. ”

"What an unlucky one." Charles made a comment, not knowing whether it was the captain who had died of a sudden illness, or the poor young man. "That little guy would never have thought that helping a friend fulfill his last wish would cost him his life for such a small matter, right? I bet he didn't even know what the letter was saying, so he was a fool! ”

"There is no rashness in politics, either you don't do it, or you do it, no one cares what you did it, what you did is what you do, so he was convicted." Villefort lowered his gaze, as if to defend himself, "I received the complaint, and then I arrested him, interrogated him, and he kept pleading his innocence, saying that he had no idea what he had done wrong, but it didn't make sense, and I convicted him of what he had done, and then had him sent to jail." If...... If I had only done this at the time, everything would have been undone, hey, how many mistakes people make when they are young! ”

"What else did you do after that?" Charles hurriedly asked.

"After taking him, on the basis of his testimony and some clues I had obtained from interrogating the Bonapartians in Marseille, I peeled back the cocoon, and then came to a terrible conclusion......" The Attorney General of Villefort looked up and looked out the window with blank eyes, "These bold Bonapartartists were ready to help the Napoleonic Emperor land, and then raise an army to rebel and retake France." ”

He subconsciously used the word "rebellion" at this time, which shows that in the back of his heart, the prosecutor did not regard the empire as orthodoxy in his mind—but Charles did not care about such details.

"It's a terrible business ability." Charles complimented, "You are indeed a good prosecutor. ”

"I was too good, and I ended up hurting myself." The procurator of Villefort replied with a wry smile, "I did not dare to delay, and made my way to Paris, where I asked to see King Louis XVIII, told him all that I had discovered, and reminded him to beware of the southern sea, and not to let the traitor who was trapped on the island return...... Unfortunately, however, I was still a few days late, just before King Louis XVIII sent the alarm to Marseille, Napoleon landed in the south, and then swept through France at an inexplicable speed, Louis XVIII fled in a hurry, and I remained in Paris at a loss, stunned to see myself from a hero of the dynasty to a rebel......"

"You're much better than other rebels, at least you have a father who can help you get rid of your notoriety." Charles replied.

"Yes, I only had my father back then." Villefort sighed, "At that time, I was already at a loss, and in the end I could only run to my father, but my father was proud at that time, he was reused by His Majesty because of his merits, and he could become a future imperial minister......"

"And then you beg him to help you find your future again?" Charles asked again.

"Yes, I was a rebel at the time, and because I cooperated with the Bourbons in Marseille to suppress the Bonapartists harshly, so many people hated me, and now these people have turned over, and my future is ruined, I can only beg him to help me." Attorney General Villefort nodded, "My father agreed, but he asked me to stay in hiatus for a while, so that those people would forget their hatred of me, and he would help me up and down." ”

"And that Edmond Dantès, you must not let him see the light of day." Charles finally understood.

"Yes, the empire can forgive other things, but this one is impossible to forgive. If once this young man is released, all will know, for because of my activism, His Majesty the Emperor will almost never be able to reign in France again...... Maybe it's just a few days away. Attorney General Villefort's expression was complicated, and he didn't know whether he was smug or stunned, "We can only do this." ”

"Yes, if all this is revealed, then your future will be completely ruined, and no one will appoint such a dangerous enemy of the Empire." Charles nodded in understanding, "So in 1815, your father specifically ordered the Fort Eve prison to keep him in prison until the day he died. ”

The Attorney General of Villefort did not answer, but spread his hands.

Everything is already clear.

Edmond Dantès, say he's innocent, he did send a letter to the cabal, say he's guilty, he doesn't seem to have done anything bad...... In short, it doesn't matter whether he is innocent or innocent, what matters is that Villefort must not let him out of prison alive.

And he did.

The poor young man had died in ignorance in the dark of his cell, not even knowing why he had died, and the Inspector General of Villefort, after a few years of dormancy, had finally re-entered the legal profession with the help of his father, and had once again become a prominent figure.

Later, Villefort became the enforcer of the law, and he comfortably sent countless more people to prison, enjoying his power with peace of mind, and even monitoring his father, who had saved him and was now paralyzed in bed.

And the innocent young man could only die in obscurity in a prison a few feet wide.

The world is so unreasonable.

How many people in that huge prison were imprisoned like Edmond Dantès and died in silence? Nobody knows, and no one cares.

In front of the state apparatus, ordinary people are as humble as ants, life and death are involuntary, and no one can even hear the wailing.

If it weren't for the fact that the investigation of the Count of Monte Cristo had resulted in the involvement of Father Boussani, and then from Father Boussany to the prison of Fort d'Eve, I am afraid that no one would have remembered Edmond Dantès, who melted into the air like a wisp of green smoke.

But now, someone knows, so what?

Justice will not be done.

At least the charr is not going to do it.

"Well, what you and your father have done, I already understand—" He patted Inspector Villefort on the shoulder again, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else all this you told me, and since you are honest with me, then I will cover it up for you in front of Your Majesty, as I promised before, and no one can affect your position." ”

His Majesty had no intention of rectifying Villefort, so Charles's guarantee was full of momentum, and Villefort also gained infinite confidence from him.

Finally saved! This cold middle-aged man now only feels that the world is spinning, and he just wants to sleep well.

The mental torture he endured tonight was too great, but it didn't turn out to be the worst.

Although he has now been pinched by the Trevills, he has not been destroyed after all, as long as he can maintain his current power and influence, then everything can still be saved.

He looked left and right, and suddenly felt that this handsome young man was much more pleasing to the eye.

He instinctively felt that if he wanted to remain safe and sound, and if he wanted to maintain his position of power, then the first thing he had to curry favor with this young man.

I don't know why he's so interested in the old things of thirty years ago, but there's nothing wrong with pandering to him.

And, wouldn't it be better to drag one more person into the water?

"Actually, one of the parties back then is still in Paris, and we probably all know each other." He said suddenly.

"Huh?! Who?! Charles thought for a moment that he was about to tell the Count of Monte Cristo, but Villefort's answer surprised him even more.

"Marshal Marshal's Wife." The Attorney General replied in a whisper.

"What?! Marshal's wife? What is her relationship with Edmond Dantès? Charles hurriedly asked.

"She was the fiancée of Edmond Dantès, and after I sent him to prison, this woman came to me and pleaded, and she cried a lot, and she was a big beauty, so I was very impressed." Villefort wanted to draw another family away and distract Charles, so he said very simply, "I recognized her the first time I saw her in Paris, but she couldn't be wrong." ”

From the fiancée of a small seaman to the marshal's wife, this experience is really embarrassing...... Charles sighed in his heart.

The point is, why, is it Malceff?

Villefort, Tangral, and Marsève, the Count of Monte Cristo, were interested in them when he first came to Paris, and now two of them have been shown to have a great connection with an old affair - what about Baron Tangral? Could he also be a Maasai and play a role in the incident thirty years ago?

Charles's mind was racing fast, but he couldn't think of an answer yet.

But one thing is certain - that is, the Count of Monte Cristo must have been very involved in the case of Edmond Dantès thirty years ago, and perhaps even because of this reason he came to France.

Of course, conjecture cannot be used as evidence, but Charles is full of ambition at this time, and he feels that he is close to the end.

At this time, he was no longer just investigating the Count of Monte Cristo for the original purpose, he even had the pleasure of revealing the truth step by step.

The Count of Monte Cristo, Chai Kang, or Lord Wilmo, whoever you are, wherever you come from, I can pull out your fox's tail!

"Charles, is there anything else you want to ask?" While Charles was still thinking passionately, Villefort's voice suddenly interrupted his reverie.

"Not yet." Charles replied, then looked at the other man's tired face, "Go back and rest first, I know you're going to be uncomfortable tonight." I'll have Valentina sent back tomorrow, don't worry. ”

"About this...... In fact...... Actually, it's not that urgent. Velford's normally stiff face suddenly appeared with a slight smile, as if trying to show flattery, "Valentina has suffered so much lately, she must be in a bad spirit, she needs to recuperate, and the current atmosphere in our house is not suitable for her to recuperate...... So, from my father's point of view, I think it's best for her to stay in a place where she can be in a good mood for a while, you can take her around, relieve her boredom, young people, and it is always good to join in the excitement and go around...... Don't be afraid of any rumors, I'll take care of these problems, you guys just have fun......"

Charles was speechless.

He looked at the Attorney General fixedly, almost not believing that the words were coming out of his mouth.

Although the Marquis of Novatier was not a good man, he was a hero for a while, how could he give birth to such a son?