To be honest, Prince Jérôme was not very worthy of the position of Minister of the Interior, but because he was a member of the imperial family and as the emperor's own uncle, in order to maintain the imperial family's rule over the empire, he was appointed to this important post by the court.

In other words, what he relies on most is blood relationship.

With the expulsion of the two princes Louis and Lucien from the empire, the Prince of Jérôme was naturally the most active presence in the royal family, but now His Majesty the Emperor intends to pardon the two princes for their previous sins and allow them to return to France.

It is conceivable that as long as the people of the two branches return to China, then they will definitely be able to restore their status as royalty and become competitors for Prince Jérôme's family.

In this case, the status and influence of the prince, if not in jeopardy, are at least greatly affected.

Of course, he will be very anxious, and the henchmen around him will be even more anxious.

As the secretary of His Royal Highness the Prince, Lucien de Bré has been trusted for many years, and was originally considered one of the shining stars within the government, but after this turmoil, I am afraid that his status in the hearts of the people will be reduced.

He certainly didn't want to see something like that happen.

After Charles admitted that the news was true, Debray's eyes were visibly more nervous.

"What is the attitude of the two families? When do they plan to return home? He asked in a whisper.

"How could I possibly know this? Would Your Majesty tell me such a thing? You think too much of it. Charles looked away at the flowerbed outside the corridor, "But, as far as I can tell, now that Your Majesty has made a decision, things will move quickly—remember, who would refuse to return to the country to enjoy the blessings?" ”

It is conceivable that these exiled members of the royal family, as long as they are pardoned by His Majesty and return to France, will be able to resume their treatment and enjoy the glory and wealth, and as far as common sense is concerned, few people will refuse this temptation.

"I see......," Debray agreed, nodding meaningfully. Well, if you can confirm the news, at least we can be prepared, thank you, Charles. ”

"What does His Royal Highness think about this?" Charles asked.

"What else can you see?" Debray smiled bitterly, "He can only be subject to His Majesty's will." ”

"And what do you think?" Charles asked, "Sir, I don't think your loyalty to His Royal Highness is noble enough for you to give up all your future?" ”

With Charles' understanding of this young man, he was definitely not a man of principle, although he now won the trust of the Prince, and was loyal to His Royal Highness, but in the final analysis, this was only for his own personal future, if Prince Jérôme fell out of favor and finally lost his position as a minister and was forced to live in seclusion, Charles did not believe that he would always follow the prince away, and he would definitely change his court when the time came.

And maybe then, he can be used by others.

"Who knows, let's talk about it then, at least it's not so bad now, the minister is still the minister, isn't it?" The handsome young man, who was deeply loved by Mrs. Tangral, smiled inscrutablely.

Obviously, he didn't rule out the possibility of becoming a pawn of the Tréville family, but he had no plans to change his court now.

After all, at least for the time being, Prince Jérôme is still on the throne, and His Majesty has not shown any intention of replacing him, he can continue to wait and see what happens, and when everything is clear, it is not too late to consider whether to change jobs.

Of course, Charles can understand the other party's thoughts, so he doesn't rush, and for the two Trevier grandchildren, collaborators can always be found, just be patient.

"Well, what do you want us to do for you?" Seeing that everything he wanted to know was already known, Debray didn't want to continue to delay time, so he asked Charles directly, "Don't worry, I am a qualified trader, I will repay you for what you have helped me, and there will be absolutely no shortage of catties or two." ”

"My request is quite simple." Charles smiled slightly, "I have a friend who asked me for help, and one of his friends has been arrested and put in prison for a debt dispute, if you are not embarrassed, please let him go for me." ”

"It's not difficult." Seeing that Charles's request was so simple, Debrey breathed a sigh of relief, "The debt dispute is just a trivial matter, and not many people will pay attention to it in the first place, I will write a note casually, and this person will be ...... Well, your friend's friend let him go, tell me who he is, and in two days he will be running out into the streets. ”

Debray said it very lightly, and it was true—all the police and prisons in France were in the hands of the Home Secretary, and as a confidant of the Home Secretary, it was really just a matter of one sentence for him to let go of a criminal who had only committed a misdemeanor.

After getting the other party's assurance, Charles also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The favor Charlotte had asked him for help had now been completely resolved, and presumably the girl would not trouble herself any more now.

"Is that all you want me to do?" Debray asked again.

"I want you to do something for me......" Charles lowered his voice, "have you ever heard of a man named the Count of Monte Cristo?" He had just arrived in Paris. ”

To Charles's surprise, Debray's face became quite ugly when he first heard the name.

"I know this man. What's your relationship with him? You're here with him today, and you seem to have a good relationship. ”

"Actually, I've only known him for a few days, and this gentleman is still a mystery to me." Charles smiled and replied, "Looks like you're interested in him too?" ”

"I'll tell you the truth, Charles...... In fact, this guy has just set foot on French territory, and we are starting to pay attention to him. After struggling for a while, Debray decided to tell Charles the truth, "Think about it, his whereabouts are mysterious, and he has such a big show, and so much money, it's strange that he doesn't attract the attention of the secret agents." ”

"I think so." Charles nodded. "And what did your spies find out?"

By "secret agents", Debray refers to the secret police under the Ministry of the Interior, a special type of police detective engaged in secret surveillance, founded by the famous Fouché in the era of the Revolution, and developed into a huge organ after the development of the Napoleonic Emperor.

In the time of His Majesty Napoleon II, in order to maintain the rule of the empire, he increased his investment in the secret police, and after two generations of emperors for many years, they have now built a surveillance network that permeates the whole country, and every city and village in the empire is under the watchful eye of the police detectives, and it is normal for strange people like the Count of Monte Cristo to be targeted as soon as they set foot on French soil.

"Before we could find out what was going on, the above stopped this matter, this is from the will of the court, we can only obey." Debray let out a long sigh, then looked at Charles, "So, no matter who this Count of Monte Cristo is, it is certain that there is a backer in the palace, this kind of person is not something we can easily provoke, Charles." ”

Of course, Charles knew that the Count had a backer in the court, and he also knew that the backer was His Majesty the Emperor himself, but he would not tell Debray, it would scare the other party.

"But I'm just trying to provoke him now." Charles looked at the other party calmly, and made his request, "Sir, I hope that you can find a few capable subordinates from your department to conduct a comprehensive surveillance of this earl, not only himself, but all his contacts must be monitored, and no matter what the situation is, it must be reported. ”

Debray was a little taken aback by this sudden request, and he looked at Charles with wide eyes.

"Why ......? Only against the enemies of the state can we afford to go to such great lengths. After a moment, he asked, with some hesitation. Did something happen? ”

"He's not an enemy of the state, but he's an interesting enough person, even dangerous." Charles replied earnestly, "I want to know his details." Lucien, don't you want to know? Don't you wonder where this mysterious tycoon turned the Parisian social scene upside down in just a few days? ”

Charles's question, however, was asked by Debre.

To be sure, Debray had a great interest in finding out the details of the Count of Monte Cristo, whether out of instinctive human curiosity or out of the curiosity of the secret police of the Home Office to keep an eye on everything, but pressure from the court interrupted this curiosity.

"But...... What about the court? After a moment's hesitation, Debray finally got his mind.

"I can be responsible for this, if someone in the palace really comes to ask you, you say that I asked you to investigate this foreign tycoon of unknown origin." Charles replied categorically.

This is not that he is talking big, His Majesty the Emperor has given him the task of keeping a full surveillance of the Count of Monte Cristo, and it is completely reasonable for him to call the secret police to spy on him, even if he is caught, at most he will act beyond his authority, and with his grace in front of His Majesty, no one will pursue him at that time.

Debray groaned again.

He knew that the blonde boy opposite was a popular man in the palace and was very popular with His Majesty, but in the end, he was just a teenager, with no real position and power.

However, the young man was the grandson of Marshal Trevier, and that was a different story.

Marshal Trevier is such an heir, no matter what happens, it is obvious that he will try to protect his grandson, and if Marshal Trevier is a guarantor, he is not afraid.

You don't have to take risks and satisfy your curiosity, so why not do it?

Maybe what else can be gained from this mysterious foreign tycoon......

"Okay, I'll send capable personnel to monitor him as soon as possible, and make sure that the wind and grass around him can't escape your eyes." After a few moments, he finally made up his mind. "However, this is just a private action, our department will not file it, you can keep all the reports yourself, and His Royal Highness and I will not bear any responsibility for this."

"Good." Charles bowed slightly, "Thank you for your help, Mr. Debray. ”

…………………………………………

After leaving Tangral's mansion, it was already afternoon.

After getting into the carriage, Charles did not set out on the journey home, and went straight to another mansion a few blocks away from Tangral Mansion.

The area was home to the rich and noble, full of mansions and mansions, and one of the rather modest mansions where Charles now stayed.

Compared with the other mansions next to it, its furnishings are much simpler, directly revealing the owner's simple character, and the air inside is cold and damp, which makes people feel depressed, and the servants inside are also straight-faced, with a serious and rigid depressing atmosphere.

The owner of this mansion is none other than the present Attorney General, Mr. de Villefort.

After Charles arrived in the living room of the mansion, Monsieur de Villefort, a tall man in a black coat, came into the drawing-room and nodded briefly at Charles.

He had a square face, skin with all the deliberate whiteness of a man who had been working at a desk in an office for a long time, his eyes were deep-set, his gaze was very sharp, and his steps were very regular, and he was obviously a meticulous man.

From his haggard face and wrinkled eyes, it can also be seen that he used to be a beautiful man, but now that time passes, and now he is just a serious and rigid middle-aged man, as if he is the embodiment of the law.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Monsieur de Villefort." Charles saluted the middle-aged man. "I came here on my grandfather's orders. He had received a letter two days ago, the Marquis of Saint-Merand had written to him, and the old man said that he would arrive in Paris in a few days, so my grandfather was now going to entertain him, and by the way he would organize a dinner party with some former friends, when do you think it would be appropriate? ”

"The Marquis also wrote to me, and he said that he would come to Paris in about a week." Inspector General de Villefort replied, in his peculiar, unwarm tone, "that he will come to our house when the time comes, and Marshal Tréville may meet him at any time, as long as he pleases." ”

"That's great, I'll go back and tell Grandpa." Charles looked relieved. "Are you free then? My grandfather would like to invite your family to the banquet as well...... After all, this might make the two old men a little happier. ”

"I don't usually like to be at banquets, but given the old age of the Marquis of Saint-Meyran...... I'll go. After a moment of consideration, the Attorney General agreed to Charles' invitation.

The Attorney-General, Mr. de Villefort, was married twice, the first of which was the daughter of the Marquis de Saint-Melang.

And Grandpa Charles married the sister of the Marquis of Saint-Merand when he was in exile, so because of this relationship, the two families can be regarded as somewhat related.

And this time, the Marquis Saint-Merand himself wrote a letter saying that he was going to Paris from Marseille - it is conceivable that the old man, who was about to live in seclusion for many years, must have come here only to meet his old friends, especially his granddaughter.

The Marquis de Treville, who was also old, certainly did not want to miss this opportunity to meet his old relatives, and, for them, it was also a good excuse to get close to the Villefort family.

"Thank you for the light." Charles smiled, then asked. "So...... Can the Marquis de Novatier also attend? ”

This question made the prosecutor general a little stunned.

"Father? Father's ...... Now my body is so bad, I have been paralyzed in bed, and I can't move, I'm afraid I'd better forget it......"

"Of course, my grandfather also knows about your father's current situation, but this is a special situation, after all, there are so many old friends gathering, and he can't bear to let your father be absent." Charles did not give up his persuasion efforts, "I suppose the old man must have wanted to attend, why don't you ask him?" ”

Villefort hesitated.

In fact, he has a very bad relationship with his father, and there are deep contradictions and grievances between father and son.

However, the Marquis de Novatier, a veteran of the Bonapartists, has always been trusted by two generations of emperors, and can be said to be a trump card for his future.

Now that the country is ruled by the Bonaparte family, no matter what, he must carefully serve his father and keep this talisman. Since his father was paralyzed by a stroke, he has been taking care of him, and he can be regarded as fulfilling his son's duty.

With his father's knowledge, after hearing the marshal's invitation, he would definitely want to attend—even though his physical condition was so bad, his father's mind still burned with fire.

"Then why don't you go and ask him?" After hesitating for a moment, he directly shook his hand as the shopkeeper, "If he wants to go, then I, as a son, have no right to stop him." ”

"Thank you!" Charles was pleased, and then Villefort led the way, and the two of them walked together towards the interior of the mansion.

They came together to a room near the garden, and Villefort pushed the door open, and Charles saw an old man lying in a rocking chair in the room, and next to the old man stood a young girl, who seemed to be tending to him.

It soon became clear to him that the maiden was his distant cousin, Mademoiselle Valentine de Villefort.

She had bright brown hair, dark blue eyes, and a slightly thin pale face, and on her face there was a delicate and melancholy aura, and she had white and slender fingers, but the more she looked at them, the more weak they became, and her eyes were very wandering, as if she was hiding from something, nervous.

She looks beautiful, but she looks weak, and she is the kind of sick and weak beauty that is unhealthy.

However, under her weak appearance, there seems to be a trace of excitement hidden, which seems to be a desire for life, or a desire for love?

I heard that under the discipline of her stepmother, Valentina is doing very badly, judging from her current complexion, I am afraid that this rumor is true.

But even if it is, what can it be? No one can take care of other people's family affairs, there are too many unhappy people in the world, and Valentina is not so miserable.

After hearing the sound of the door opening, the girl's stunned gaze drifted to the two men.

Charles smiled and beckoned to her.

"Good afternoon, Valentina!"