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5. Meeting gift

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    Outside Paris, there are many beautiful suburban towns, among which Auteuil, located at the intersection of the Seine River and the Bois de Boulogne, is the most outstanding.  The beautiful scenery of the blending of mountains and rivers attracts many wealthy and aristocratic people in the city to build their own villas here. At the turn of spring and summer, they come here to enjoy banquets and enjoy the gardens of various mansions to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.  This has been the case recently - as the temperature gradually rises, the originally sparse crowds in Auteuil gradually become denser, and from time to time, lavishly decorated carriages drive into the town along the avenue from the city.  One of them was parked at the door of No. 28 Fontaine Street.  This villa occupies a large area and is surrounded by iron railings. From the outside, only the outline of the building inside can be seen, but even so, it can be seen that the owner spent a lot of effort to build it, and the building is quite exquisite.  , although it is not luxurious and high-profile, it has its own style.  However, the lawn behind the railing is overgrown with weeds and looks a bit deserted. No one has taken care of it for many years.  After the carriage stopped, a young man walked out of the carriage.  His figure is very strong, his movements are stretched, and he looks to have been rigorously tempered, but his appearance is very elegant, his golden hair is meticulously combed, and his blue eyes are also very smart.  Although he still looks a bit childish, he wears a black tuxedo, a white shirt, a thin blue bow tie like a gentleman, and shiny leather shoes on his feet.  Just by looking at him, people can tell that he is a child from a wealthy family. He is a handsome but inexperienced young master. Only occasionally can one see some inadvertent slippage in his blue eyes.  Cunning and indifference.  After walking down, he took out his pocket watch and looked at the time.  Fortunately, everything is so well-chosen.  He walked to the door of the villa and was stopped by the concierge.  "Sir, who are you looking for?" asked the old concierge.  "Is this the residence of the Count of Monte Cristo? I have an appointment today, please pass it on to me." The young man nodded to the old man very friendly, "I am Charles de Treville, yours.  The master knows me." "Okay, please wait a moment." The concierge responded immediately.  Soon after, the door opened.  "Come in, sir, the earl is waiting for your arrival!" The old concierge also saluted the young man respectfully, as if he already knew the young man's identity.  "Thank you." Charles smiled again and walked in quickly.  Along the way, he observed his surroundings carefully, because he was very interested in this count of unknown origin but great style.  After meeting His Majesty there, His Majesty suddenly assigned him a task without any clue, asking him to be responsible for guiding this important person who had just arrived in France to familiarize himself with Paris - in other words, he also had to monitor him.  Although he was surprised at first, since this was a task assigned by His Majesty, Ciel could only accept it.  After returning home, he did not dare to neglect and collected information about the earl everywhere.  But unfortunately, very little information has been collected. Apart from knowing that the earl is very rich, has extensive connections everywhere, and is a mysterious big shot, there is almost no other information.  This made him a little curious about this count - after all, the person who can be the guest of His Majesty the Emperor is definitely not an ordinary person. Since he can be highly respected in various countries, then he must have great abilities.  When he came in, he discovered that the mansion had become a large construction site.  There are people coming and going everywhere, and there are signs of large-scale construction projects along the way. Many large holes have been dug in the front yard. A group of workers are shoveling soil everywhere, and others are laboriously transporting the white goods that have been brought in.  Poplar and maple trees were erected to create a man-made pedestrian forest in the front yard, adding luster to the villa.  And inside the mansion, you can also see a large group of workers painting and decorating everywhere.  It seems that the count is going to completely renovate and decorate this newly purchased villa as his residence in Paris.  Who is this Count of Monte Cristo?  Charles still doesn¡¯t have an answer, but he knows that such decoration must be very expensive.  Under the guidance of the servant, Charles walked into the mansion, then walked around the debris and decoration materials piled on the ground, and walked all the way to the second floor.  There is a living room, a bathroom and two bedrooms on the second floor. One of the two bedrooms is connected to a spiral staircase.Well, the stairs lead to the garden, and next to the bedroom is a huge study room, where the count is.  The servant opened the door and stood outside. Charles took a breath, then walked in with his head held high.  This is a large study room, with bookshelves piled on both sides, probably containing nearly a thousand books.  The book cover is very new, and it seems that it was just bought by the Earl for decoration. Opposite the study is a greenhouse filled with porcelain flower pots blooming with exotic flowers and plants. The Earl is sitting in the middle of the study.  Sitting on the recliner, quietly looking at the book in his hand.  When he heard the footsteps of Charles, the Earl seemed to be aware of it. He put the book on the coffee table next to him, then slowly stood up and extended his hand to greet his young guest.  "Welcome, distinguished guest." A subtle smile appeared on his face.  After seeing the owner of this place clearly, Ciel was slightly startled.  The person opposite him was tall and strong, his movements were very smooth, his reaction speed was very fast, and he still had calluses on his hands. He was definitely a master of swordsmanship - he made this judgment immediately.  This is nothing, the key is that the other person's skin is too pale, coupled with this ethereal smile, it is not that it is ugly, but it gives people a wonderful feeling, as if the other person comes from another world.  He is probably the most suitable person in the world to play a vampire.  This thought suddenly crossed Ciel's mind.  Seeing the strange look of the other party, Ciel felt a little uncomfortable, but he quickly calmed down his emotions.  Pretending to be calm, he walked up to the other party.  "Earl, by your Majesty's order, I will temporarily serve as your attendant to help you get familiar with this city. If I cause you any inconvenience, I ask you to forgive me." The exquisitely dressed young gentleman and the luxuriously dressed earl said to each other.  After watching it for a moment, the picture was frozen.  "Oh, you are so polite!" After a moment, the Earl suddenly raised his eyebrows, and his original indifferent attitude was instantly replaced by kindness, "How dare I treat a child of the Treville family as my follower?  What? You are my guide, my friend, and I am very happy that your Majesty has assigned you to help me." "Have you heard of me?" Charles was slightly surprised.  "Of course, the surname Treville is very famous. Even if it has gone through ups and downs, its family members should be remembered by people." The Earl bowed slightly and motioned for Charles to follow him, "If I remember correctly  , your ancestors had already served in the court in the era of Louis XI, and your great-great-grandfather was married to the niece of Prime Minister de Choiseul" Then, he talked in front of Charles.  Talking about some celebrities and anecdotes in the history of the Treville family.  "You actually know so clearly!" Charles was even more surprised. "I thought no one cared about such things in this era" "I have carefully studied the detailed genealogy of every famous family in Europe.  Keep it in your head," the Count replied seemingly casually.  "You are really amazing" Ciel complimented the other party half seriously and half politely.  "There are very few traditional nobles like you nowadays." Ciel himself doesn't care much about the glorious deeds of his ancestors and knowledge such as genealogy and heraldry. He only has to learn it because of his noble status.  It was just some common sense in genealogy, and it was completely different from the eloquent earl in front of him.  In the middle of the greetings, the Earl took Charles to the balcony outside the inner door of the study.  There is a table and some fruits on the balcony. Sitting here, you can have an unobstructed view of the garden below, and the breeze blows on your face, which makes Charles feel a lot more relaxed.  "It's a pity. It would have been better if you had come here two days later. Two days will be enough." The Earl waved his hand and sat next to the coffee table. "It's really a mess here now and I can't entertain you well." "Your place is here.  The big scene has already amazed me." Charles smiled and said, "After so much effort, are you planning to live in Paris for a long time?" "Not necessarily. I am a person who likes to wander.  I'm used to experiencing different lives everywhere." The Earl shook his head, "I will probably leave after I get tired of life in Paris, maybe a month, maybe a year or two, but it shouldn't be longer." "So,  You spent so much money to renovate this place just for a temporary stay?" Charles' eyes widened slightly.  "When people have the opportunity, they have to make themselves more comfortable, right?" the count replied with a smile.  At this moment, a servant came over with a tray and put down two steaming cups.    "You should be used to drinking coffee in Paris. Let's change the taste this time. The cocoa here is not bad." The count picked up a cup and took a sip gently. "This is shipped from Venezuela.  "It's the best thing, and only one person in Europe can drink it now." "Oh, thank you." Of course, Charles was eager to have such an opportunity, and he picked up the cup of cocoa and drank it.  The aroma of chocolate spread into his mouth in an instant, and then poured into his esophagus and stomach with heat, which also shocked him.  ¡°I¡¯ve always been interested in Paris. It¡¯s the brightest pearl in Europe, so I¡¯ve long planned to come here to see it. But to be honest, I¡¯m still a little worried. I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to get a top-notch place here because I don¡¯t have enough money.  life experience, and this has always been my pursuit" After Charles drank the cocoa, the Earl said slowly and leisurely, "So, Mr. Treville, as you can see, how much preparation do I have to make to achieve this goal?  "Where's the money?" "People have different ways of living. From what I've seen, even people who don't spend much money can live happily." Because he didn't know the other person's intention of suddenly talking about this topic, Charles answered cautiously.  , "However, if you want to spend money like the most famous rich young masters and Russian princes, it will still be a lot of pressure. How much are you prepared to spend?" "Probably, spend five million first, I spend about the same a year  If this amount is not enough, I can spend more." The count replied casually.  "After all, this is Paris, I have to make more preparations." "Fivefive million!" Charles was a little distracted for a moment.  Five million francs, at today's currency value, is roughly equivalent to one and a half tons of gold - even Charles, who was born into a well-born family, would be a little horrified when he heard that someone was planning to spend a ton and a half of gold in a short period of time.  This is a big fat sheep.  The way Charles looked at the count changed.  ¡°Hmph, are you pretending to be sexy in front of me?  Pretend, let you pretend, wait, I will kill you clearly!  "Is it really too little?" Looking at Charles's radiant blue eyes, the count asked.  "No, quite a bit! More than enough!" Charles immediately replied loudly, "Count, you are indeed richer than a prince, or even more powerful than a prince. I can guarantee you that you will become a legend in Parisian society, and everyone will  You will be mentioned at the banquet. " "Oh, that's great." The count smiled again, "It seems that I am lucky enough to be able to afford the life I want. Now the problem is very simple.  , I want to find a bank to help me with discounts and give me the money I need to live. After all, I can¡¯t carry so much cash with me Sir, a friend recommended Baron de Tanglar to me. What do you think of him?  What do you think? " "Baron Danglars is a well-known banker in our country. He has very strong financial strength. It should not be a problem to provide the funds you need, as long as you have enough collateral." Charles replied immediately, of course he knew the other party.  What I want to know is more than just this. "Besides working on the exchange, the Baron is also very interested in politics. He is a director of the Bank of France and a good friend of the Chancellor of Finance. There are also rumors that he may be  His Majesty is considering the candidate for the next president of the Bank of France" "That's really impressive." The count's eyes shrank slightly unnoticed, and then he picked up the cup and took a sip.  "It seems that if I can find this banker, my worries will not be a problem." After a pause, he suddenly looked at Charles again, "By the way, have you heard of Mr. de Villefort?  A friend of mine also mentioned him. " "If you are referring to the Attorney General of Paris, His Excellency de Villefort, then I do know him." Charles smiled and then spread his hands, "In fact, he is.  There is something close to me.¡± ¡°Well, what do you mean?¡± The count seemed very interested.  "Actually, this kinship relationship is quite tortuous, but since you want to hear it, I will tell you in detail." Charles spread his hands, "You also know that during the Great Revolution, many nobles had to flee abroad. My  Grandpa is one of them. He went to Dusseldorf, Germany, and became a shoemaker there, relying on this craft to support himself. Fortunately, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t be where I am today" "You do.  "I don't feel ashamed." The Earl smiled, "As far as I know, many famous people are not willing to talk about what their fathers and ancestors did during their escape." "What is there to be ashamed of?" Charles asked, "The most.  What I admire about my grandfather is his fighting spirit to survive in a desperate situation Without this spirit, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to regain everything he has now. " "Well, you said it very well."I won't interrupt, you can continue -" the earl's smile deepened. " - Well, it was during his exile that he grew up and it was time to get married, but at that time there were no serious aristocratic families in the area.  They are willing to marry exiled nobles, so these exiles can only intermarry with each other. My grandfather married the sister of the Marquis of Saint-Meran.  " Charles took a sip of cocoa and moistened his throat, "The Marquis de Saint-Meran's family was originally a famous family in Marseille. The family was quite wealthy, but at that time they had nothing, and they didn't bring any dowry when they married my grandfather.  , but my grandfather never cared about these things. Soon after getting married, my grandfather responded to the emperor¡¯s order and returned to China with his wife. However, his elder brother-in-law was a staunch conservative and refused to compromise with the emperor.  So I stayed in Germany.  Later, due to an unfortunate failure, the emperor was forced to abdicate. Louis XVIII returned with his court, and the Marquis de Saint-Meran returned with his family. Because of the king's favor, his property was left intact.  The land was returned.  Fortunately, he acted as a surety in front of the king, so my grandfather was not held accountable for having served the emperor - many people were arrested and imprisoned at that time.  " "Then, Louis XVIII only held power for a year before he was driven away by the returning emperor.  "The count added calmly. "Yes, you know everything that happened, so I won't say more. In short, the Marquis of Saint-Meran was prosperous for a year, and then failed again, but this time because of someone  His brother-in-law, my grandfather, persuaded him to stay, and his property was preserved because of my grandfather's kind words. So you see, goodwill is mutual, right?  Charles replied with a smile, as if he was happy for his grandfather's victory, "During that glorious year, the Marquis found himself a son-in-law, which was Mr. de Villefort, so we can be considered a son-in-law.  Relatives.  My grandma is his father-in-law's sister, to put it simply.  "    "oh!  I see!  "The count clapped his hands, as if suddenly enlightened. "Then your two families should have a lot of contact.  " "Actually, that's not the case. We basically don't interact with each other very much, and we just take a breather occasionally.  Charles shook his head, "Mr. de Villefort's father is a die-hard emperor, but he himself is not included. In the year of Louis XVIII's restoration, he misjudged the situation and actively served the king."  , arrested many supporters of the emperor, but later His Majesty the emperor fought back and almost arrested him and put him in jail. In the end, the emperor spared him for the sake of his father, but my grandfather couldn't stand his behavior.  He behaves like a double-dealer, so I have been reluctant to associate with him.  " "Then why did he become the Attorney General again?  "The count seemed very interested. "It was also because his father, the Marquis de Noirtier, suddenly suffered a stroke a few years ago and was paralyzed in bed. The current emperor pitied this loyal veteran minister and served the late emperor.  After so many years, Villefort was re-enabled - and although this gentleman's political stance was not firm, his work enthusiasm and working methods were indeed quite powerful, so he was gradually promoted along the way. Over time, not many people mentioned that year.  thing.  Charles answered honestly, "So now he is the Attorney General that everyone respects."  "Wait, why did the count ask this? When he said this, Charles suddenly came back to his senses - "Since the Count of Monte Cristo claims to be proficient in the genealogy of famous families, how could he not know that he and the Saint-Meran family, and  Villefort¡¯s relationship? He was slightly suspicious for a moment. ¡°Well, Mr. Treville, help me introduce him to Mr. Villefort, can you?  "The Earl looked at Charles kindly and made his request. "He is a very strict person and has no interest in life. He is a workaholic, but he is not that easy to see.  Charles was a little embarrassed, "Besides, I don't have much interaction with him. His wife has been dead for a long time, and he has already married another woman, so this level of kinship is also broken."  Yes, he has two children, one is a daughter from his first wife, who is my distant cousin, and the other is a son from his second marriage, which has nothing to do with me.  " "Can I call you Ciel?  "The count suddenly interrupted the young man again. "Well of course!  " Charles nodded immediately. Then, the Earl took out a shiny object from his pocket. Then, he suddenly stood up and approached Charles. Under Charles's shocked gaze  , he stretched out his hand towards Charles. At this time, Charles saw clearly that the earl was holding a diamond brooch. In the sun, the huge diamond shone brightly, making him dazzled as if it were a medal.  ?The Count pinned the pin on Charles's chest.  "This diamond is not of very good quality. It probably costs about 40,000 to 50,000 francs." Then, the Earl's cold voice echoed in Charles' ears, "But it is very beautiful after polishing. I have worn it before, and this time  I'll give it to you as a meeting gift. After all, I have been bothering you all this time. Thank you, Ciel." "Fiftyfifty thousand" Ciel secretly sighed.  For such a big money, many people are willing to kill people and get goods, and they are just introducing people.  What is this?  "Thank you, Earl." The gentle and handsome blond boy showed a bright smile, "I can help you do this."
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