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23. Party and bad news

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    As night falls, lights are on everywhere in Paris, ushering in its most lively time.  The streets that were sparse during the day were now filled with pedestrians. People went everywhere to have fun and indulge their desires accumulated during the day. The city was noisy everywhere, like a chaotic beehive.  Marshal Treville¡¯s house, which was originally a little deserted, became lively tonight. There were lights and colorful lights everywhere, and guests came here in carriages from time to time and filed in.  Because Marshal Treville is old and lacks energy, the young master Charles is responsible for entertaining the guests. At this time, he is standing in the vestibule with his sister, warmly entertaining every guest who arrives.  The young man wore a black formal suit, and his blond hair was carefully combed and sparkled under the light because of waxing. He wore a white shirt and a tie around his neck. He looked elegant and elegant.  With the composure of an adult.  And his sister is even more radiant tonight.  She was wearing a white dress, with her golden hair hanging down her shoulders and floating slightly behind her back. Her fair face had a hint of blush, and she looked as delicate and charming as a slightly ripe apple. She was as beautiful as a character in a painting.  Because she is still young, Fran basically does not speak to the guests and just stands shyly behind her brother, which adds to her pure and charming charm.  Both brother and sister looked so good that they aroused the sincere admiration of every visitor.  However, after standing like this for a long time and constantly greeting the guests, Charles felt a little tired. Even Fran, who was a little excited because of the rare excitement at home, also felt a little tired.  "There are so many people here today" After Charles sent away a guest, Fran whispered quietly next to her brother, "We haven't had so many people come to our house for a long time, right?" In fact, since she was born,  Marshal Treville's house has never been so lively.  His daughter-in-law died in childbirth, and his son was missing. There were only three owners left in such a big house, and the two were still ignorant children. Under those circumstances, how could Marshal Treville still be in the mood to hold a banquet at home to entertain others?  ?  So speaking of it, this is the first time in many years that the marshal has entertained guests at home. Does this mean that this family has emerged from the haze of the past and begun to usher in a new generation?  In order to take care of his sister's emotions, Charles did not show these thoughts, he just smiled and patted her head.  "Yeah, it hasn't been this lively in a long time, so you have to behave well and don't embarrass our family." "Of course I will." Fran blushed a little, but nodded solemnly.  Then, she raised her head and looked at her brother, "I let me get you some drinks. You must be thirsty after talking so much just now." "Ah, this is really thoughtful!"  Charles smiled even more happily, "Sure enough, I didn't hurt you in vain." "Wait for me, sir." Fran's face turned redder, and she quickly returned to the mansion with small steps, leaving Charles alone.  People in the vestibule.  Ciel continued to entertain the guests, using an impeccable smile and speaking polite words to appease the guests who came from afar, but he was already thinking about other things.  Originally, Marshal Treville only planned to hold a small gathering to receive his brother-in-law who was about to come to Paris so that the old guys could reminisce about the past, brag about their past achievements, but later on, more and more people were invited.  It turned out to be a large social gathering.  This made Charles a little hard, but Charles was also considerate of the old man's thoughts. After all, people like to have fun when they get older. After so many years, it's time for some fun.  In this way, the guests gathered in the mansion one after another. Some of them were old friends of Marshal Treville. These people were already very old. They were all taken to the Marshal's study first to reminisce with the Marshal, while the others  They were taken to the hall in the mansion, waiting for the banquet to officially begin.  While Ciel was still wandering around, there was a sudden commotion in the vestibule.  Ciel walked over there, and immediately saw who was causing the commotion.  This is a middle-aged man wearing a black coat. His skin is as pale as a ghost who has just returned from the underworld. His steps are unhurried and his attitude is solemn and reserved.  Wherever he passed, people stepped aside unconsciously, and then whispered and talked about some gossip about this person.  Although I only came to Paris for less than a month, basicallyThe Count of Montmont has become one of the focal figures in Parisian social circles.  Logically speaking, there is no shortage of wealthy foreigners in Paris who love to spend money, but his extravagant spending has gone beyond what people usually think of wealthy foreigners, and can almost be described as extremely extravagant.  It didn¡¯t take long for him to become one of the inevitable topics in most social situations. People, like Charles at the beginning, speculated on how much money he had and how he got so much money.  As the Count of Monte Cristo's first "friend" after he came to France, Charles didn't know more than others about these two issues, but he had definite reasons to believe that the Count's horrible way of spending money, and  It's not just to enjoy luxury, but it has a deeper purpose - although he hasn't found out this purpose yet.  When he learned that the Treville family was planning to hold a large party, the Earl also proposed to come and join in. Of course, Charles had no reason to refuse and immediately agreed to the request, so the Earl arrived on time tonight.  With a mood that was unclear whether he was happy or wary, Charles enthusiastically walked to the count's side.  "Thank you for your visit, Count." "It is my honor to see the customs and customs of Paris." The Count also nodded politely to him, "I am very happy that you gave me such an opportunity, Charles.  " "You are going too far," Charles couldn't help but laugh, "Now all of Paris is talking about you, and there are countless places that want to receive you. You said you want to see the local customs, but I do.  I'm afraid you won't be able to see it!" "At least you can see some people who are not easy to see here." The Count replied, "For example, Attorney General Villefort, I heard that he is not the kind of person who easily attends other people's banquets.  "Why are you interested in him?" Charles asked tentatively, "As far as I know, he is not a person that people can get along with easily. He is too serious." "That's why everyone is different.  Each has its own charm." The Earl lowered his gaze slightly, "I have always liked to see those unusual people, such as the Attorney General. What kind of people do I have who support this country's huge legal machine?  The mental state is very interesting and worthy of study. "Ah, do you treat Paris as a big museum and us as living specimens?" The count's dodge did not surprise Charles, he just spread out helplessly.  Hand, "Well, in this case, I will fulfill my responsibility as a specimen, and I will introduce him to you later." Today, the Marquis of Noirtier and the Attorney General of Villefort will be present, and Charles also knows it  , the count wanted to come over to attend the banquet, not because he really just wanted to see the local customs, but because he wanted to take this opportunity to get to know Attorney General Villefort and his family, but of course he was happy to provide such convenience.  "Thank you, Charles, I have really troubled you during this time." Sure enough, the earl's attitude became gentler, and he smiled at Charles, "I said, I will repay you for your kindness to me.  Help - tell you good news, I have started to subscribe for those Spanish bonds from Baron Danglars, and you have a share in them." "Thank you!" Charles said.  surprise, and then thank the person immediately.  Charles had previously introduced the inside story of the Spanish bonds underwritten by Baron Danglars to the count. Then the count said that he wanted to buy these bonds, and also said that he would buy a share for Charles, and all the proceeds would be his. Charles did not expect the count's actions.  So quickly, I have already started buying.  No matter what, the Earl has already given his reward, so it is natural for Charles to help him.  "Okay, I won't disturb you for the time being when you receive guests. See you later." The Earl nodded to Charles, then walked quickly to the mansion, leaving Charles alone to continue entertaining guests.  Charles watched the count leave, and then walked back to the door of the vestibule.  At this moment, the shadow of a wheelchair slowly emerged from the shadows.  The shadow became clearer and clearer, finally revealing its entire image.  An old man with long hair was lying on the wheelchair, looking up stiffly ahead, and behind the wheelchair, a girl in a skirt was pushing the wheelchair silently, walking towards the mansion step by step.  .  This person¡¯s face is pale, almost comparable to the Count of Monte Cristo just now. Although he is beautiful, he looks frail and mentally nervous, and seems to be very sensitive to the outside world.  "Valentine!" Charles greeted her with a smile, and then hurried over to greet her.  Seeing how enthusiastic Ciel was, the girl also smiled slightly, and the nervousness that originally lingered on her body??, seems to have faded a lot.  "Char." Her smile was very shallow, but it seemed very sincere.  "Good evening." "Well, good evening." Charles nodded, and then walked behind the wheelchair, "Thank you for your hard work, let me push it for you." Valentine was a little surprised at first, and then her smile deepened.  Some.  "Thank you." She let go of her hand and let Charles help her push the wheelchair, pushing her grandfather, the Marquis Noirtier, into the mansion.  "How have you been lately?" Charles asked while pushing the wheelchair.  "Yes, it's much better than before, thanks to the help of you and your grandfather" Valentine lowered her gaze slightly, and then looked at Charles with gratitude, her voice became much softer, "I and I  Grandpa, I will never forget your family¡¯s kindness.¡± With the help of Marshal Treville, the Marquis of Noirtier has made his will. He will not leave his property to his son and grandson, but plans to leave it to his son and grandson.  Most of the money was donated to charity after his death, and his granddaughter took care of it¡ª¡ªit was handed over to Valentine in disguise.  Due to the prestige and power of Marshal Treville, Attorney General Villefort could only acquiesce to this result.  "There's no need to say it so solemnly, it's just a little effort." Charles smiled sheepishly.  "For you it's a piece of cake, for us it's help falling from the sky It's like the hand of God." Valentine looked at Charles solemnly, "Sometimes sometimes I feel like I finally  Fortunately, I met a cousin who was willing to help at the last moment" "No matter what, everything got better, that's enough." Charles was a little embarrassed by her sight.  He had no choice but to lower his head and continue pushing the wheelchair. Although the old man in the wheelchair could not speak, his eyes were full of gratitude, and he seemed to have other expectations.  After being reminded by his grandfather, Charles also knew that Valentine might have some other thoughts, so he did not want to create ambiguity between the two people, so as not to amplify the feelings in each other's hearts. However, even so, the most basic respect still has to be  Given - Ciel really sympathizes with this girl who lost her mother early and was bullied by her father and stepmother. On the premise of not harming himself, he is willing to provide some help to the other party.  "Where are your father and stepmother?" Charles asked after a moment of silence.  "They came in another carriage, so I don't know, they should be here soon." There was a hint of dark clouds on Valentine's face.  Ah, that¡¯s right. By this time, the old man and his granddaughter, as well as his father and stepmother, were almost torn apart. It would be normal for them to act separately. Ciel felt that he had asked a stupid question.  The two of them were silent for a while and walked forward slowly.  "The man you just entertained is a terrible ghost." Valentine said suddenly after a moment.  "What, do you know the Count of Monte Cristo?" Charles asked.  "He is the Count of Monte Cristo? No wonder his name is so famous" Valentine was a little shocked, "I have seen him in Italy before." "What?!" Charles became more and more surprised, "Is it Italy again?  "What do you mean Italy again?" Valentine rolled her eyes at him, "I traveled to Italy with my stepmother before, and I saw this man. He seemed to have talked with my stepmother." "Is that so?"  ?" Charles's breathing became a little rapid, "Valentine, can you tell me what happened in detail? Why did you meet him and what did you say?" "Just tell me here?"  Valentine grew cold.  "Ah, that's right" Charles also understood at this time. Now is really not the time for two people to have a good conversation. "Then if you have time, tell me in detail. I really feel for this Count of Monte Cristo."  "Interested." The count actually got in touch with the Villefort family before Is this another coincidence, or has it been planned for a long time?  "Valentine, you have got what you wanted now, but don't relax yet. Everything is not over yet. After all, you are still living with them now, and your stepmother still has many opportunities to change everything."  After a while, Charles spoke again, "You must pay attention to safety and report to me at any time. Remember to tell me if there is anything unusual." Now Valentine has received the inheritance, but Charles still hopes that she will continue  Cooperate, so I have to continue to threaten her.  "Well, I understand." Valentine nodded slightly again, "I will continue to write to you regularly." Having said that,During this time, Charles felt a little embarrassed again. During this period of time, Valentine wrote regular reports to him, but because nothing major happened, she wrote it like a diary, recording many trivial things, and often recorded them.  Some personal reflections are almost like correspondence between friends.  To be honest, Charles is not interested in such daily trivial matters, but in order to maintain this hidden line, he has no choice but to bite the bullet and continue. After all, the Villefort family is indeed worthy of monitoring.  While Ciel was still embarrassed, he found a petite figure blocking the way.  He looked up and saw that his sister was standing in front of the wheelchair in shock, staring blankly at the two people walking side by side. She also held a cup in her hand.  "Sir?" After a moment, Fran finally woke up from her shock, "What's going on? Who is this?" "Ah, you came just in time." Charles waved to his sister, "This is  Cousin Valentine, who I told you about, came here with her grandfather. ""Ohthat's it." Fran then remembered the two people Charles had mentioned to her, and then she quickly remembered.  He bowed slightly to the paralyzed old man.  "Hello, Grandpa!" Then, she looked at Valentine with a somewhat complicated look in her eyes, "Good evening, cousin." "Well, I haven't seen you for many years. It's normal that you can't recognize me all of a sudden."  Valentine didn't feel dissatisfied with Fran's gaffe just now, but looked at her very affectionately, and then turned to look at Charles, "Ah, she has become so beautiful. This child deserves to be your sister.  "She will become a big star in the social world in the future." "I don't really want her to show up in the social world." Charles shrugged.  "That's right. The social world is a bit chaotic. It's better for a good child not to get involved in muddy waters." Valentine deeply agreed. "With such a beautiful face and your care, this child is so happy  ¡­¡± The two people¡¯s conversation as if no one else was around caused a hint of gloom on Fran¡¯s face, but it quickly disappeared.  She stepped forward and handed the cup to Charles.  "I brought the drink." "Well, thank you, I'm really thirsty." Charles patted her hair, then picked up the cup and drank it all.  "Ah I feel much better now" Charles let out a deep breath, and then looked at Valentine in a show-off manner, "How is it? My sister is cute, isn't she? She is very well-behaved and obedient!"  "Yeah, it's really hard to find a child who is so considerate to his family now." Valentine nodded, then looked at Fran, "She's so good-looking and has such a good personality. She's perfect. We'll get along with her in the future.  You must be very happy. " "Gu" As the two sang together, Fran lowered her head and made a sound that seemed like she was swallowing saliva.  Who wants to get along with you in the future "Eh? What's wrong with you?" Charles found that something was not right with his sister.  "Nothing." Fran hurriedly raised her head, pretending that nothing happened, "Grandpa is waiting for you. He feels that the time is coming soon." "Yes, the time is coming soon." Charles repeated, and then  Looking at Valentine, "Let's go in quickly. Don't keep the elderly waiting. Everyone is waiting for your grandpa." In this way, under Fran's drifting gaze, Charles pushed  In a wheelchair, accompanied by Valentine, he walked into the mansion.  At this time, the hall was full of people, and it was very noisy.  At this time, Marshal Treville had also walked out of the study, surrounded by a group of old friends, and walked to the stairs in the middle of the hall.  The high-ranking old marshal has an aura of calmness and authority. He became the focus of everyone's attention as soon as he arrived here. Although the old man is old, he is still full of energy, and his steps are steady and powerful, walking quickly.  He walked down the stairs and walked directly to the Marquis of Noirtier who was paralyzed in a wheelchair.  The two people stared at each other for a while, Noirtier's gratitude and Treville's emotion were both unspoken.  "My friend, although you are no longer able to move, you are still a warrior." After a moment, the old man patted the other party's shoulder, and the Marquis of Noirtier blinked heavily, which was what he could express his emotions.  Last resort.  "We are all old." Looking at the other party's senile appearance, the old marshal sighed, "What a scary beast you were back then!" As he said that, he also blinked slightly, as if to hide his sigh.  Tears.  After a while, he changed the topic, "Why hasn't your in-laws come yet?"Yeah, another important guest at this banquet did not arrive on time, that is, Marshal Treville's inner brother, Marquis of Marquis of Marquis of Novatier, because he is about to come to Paris, so Trey  Marshal Weir made an impromptu decision to hold a large banquet in Paris to entertain his uncle.  However, it has been a long time since the scheduled arrival time, but the Marquis and his party have not arrived yet, and the old man can't help but feel worried.  At this moment, there was a sudden commotion of footsteps outside the mansion, and it was obvious that a group of visitors had arrived.  The old marshal and Charles looked at each other, wondering if the Marquis de Saint-Meran and his family had finally arrived.  Before Ciel could go out to greet him, a rush of footsteps came towards the mansion. It was obvious that someone had broken in without notice.  There are very few things that are so unethical.     what happens?  Now Ciel really felt something was wrong.  Soon, he got the answer.  The door of the hall was opened, and an old lady came in with a shawl on her arm and a hat in her hand. She came in without waiting for the announcement. Her white hair pressed against her yellow forehead, and her eyes were engraved with the traces of time.  The wrinkles in his eyes almost disappeared under the eyelids that were swollen from excessive sorrow.  Just looking at her face, you can feel a heavy death aura.  "Angela?!" Marshal Treville immediately recognized the other party. This was his uncle's wife, the Marquise de Saint-Meran.  "Grandma!" Valentine also recognized her immediately, and then ran towards her quickly, "I miss you so much!" "Where is your husband?" Marshal Treville suddenly felt something was wrong,  Then a chill came out of my heart.  "Oh, Your Excellency," the distraught old lady spoke silently.  She said - "Oh, sir, what a misfortune! I am going to die, oh, yes, I must die!" She fell down on the chair nearest the door and burst into sobs.  The servants stood at the door, afraid to come in.  "Monsieur Saint-Meran is dead!" Then the old Marchioness answered bluntly, without any special expression on her face. It seemed that she had been numbed by the bad news.  "Oh God!" Valentine, who walked next to her, suddenly heard the bad news and stood there dumbfounded.  "Dead?" Marshal Treville was also extremely shocked, "When!" "Not long ago, on the way here." Madame de Saint-Meran added, "We took the train together after lunch.  M. de Saint-Meran had been feeling ill for some days, but the thought of seeing our dear Valentine made him set off, despite his illness. We were not far from Paris.  Sometimes, while resting, he made an inarticulate cry of pain, as if one had been hurt in a dream, and then his head fell back suddenly. I asked the driver to stop, but nothing happened.  It was late, I arrived in Paris sitting next to a corpse.¡± Although her tone was very calm, everyone present would feel the great sadness contained in her words.  "Oh God!" Treville was stunned.  He was very heartbroken, after all, this was his brother-in-law.  ¡°But besides the heartache, there is also fear.  He is also old. Death took away his brother-in-law inadvertently. Wouldn¡¯t it take him away at any time?  ¡°I don¡¯t have long to live,¡± he thought sadly.  With this bad news, the originally warm atmosphere in the hall suddenly disappeared and became cold and awkward.  Ciel was very angry.  In fact, he was very angry.  ¡°My grandmother¡¯s brother, the Marquis de Saint-Meran, died on the road like this?  Before you even see him, he has become a dead soul in heaven?  What is this!  Is this an accident or a planned event?  !  He was indeed very angry. After all, the Marquis de Saint-Melan was one of his relatives.  This is not someone who can be crushed to death casually.  Although according to the old lady¡¯s description, it seemed that the Marquis de Saint-Meran died of an unexpected illness, Charles could not believe that this was a pure coincidence.  His eyes glanced around the hall, and finally fell on the Count of Monte Cristo in the corner. At this time, the Count was standing next to a group of guests, and he seemed a little shocked.  You'd better have nothing to do with this, otherwise you will definitely pay the price, the young man thought viciously in his heart.
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