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    Poor Albert!  With such a sigh, Charles lowered his head and secretly turned his gaze to the young man standing next to him.  And almost at the same moment, sights from everywhere also secretly focused here.  Only half an hour ago, he was the envy of everyone, but now, he has become the unlucky guy who is pitied, the protagonist of the tragedy.  Even the most unreasonable guy can probably understand his mood at this time.  Albert¡¯s face turned a little pale, and this sudden news obviously gave him a big blow.  In the past two or three months, the news about his marriage to Miss Danglars had spread throughout the capital and became big news in the social world. Even his parents had told him about it seriously.  Everything seemed to be a done deal.  Although he was a little reluctant, in fact, in his heart, he didn't reject this marriage much - after all, as Charles said, there are very few marriages these days that are born out of love.  Compared with other people's fianc¨¦es, Miss Danglars has good looks, talent, and a large dowry. What's not to accept?  However, when he had accepted all this and was preparing to live in the social world as a married person, the fianc¨¦e's father announced in public that he had not discussed his child's marriage with the Morcerf family.  The rumors are just rumors Is this all just a joke? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? Could the things that his father had talked about seriously in front of him be a joke?  It was clear that Baron Tanglar had gone back on his word!     Why did he do this?  What happened during this time?  Albert¡¯s face turned pale, and his hands were shaking slightly. The huge doubts even prevented his anger from coming to his mind, but even so, a sense of humiliation still made his mind go blank.  In essence, he himself didn't care about losing a rich fianc¨¦e, but if Baron Danglars did this, it would obviously affect his father's reputation. Maybe tomorrow, there will be many embarrassing rumors circulating in various living rooms.  It's coming. Baron Danglars will make his father and son the laughing stock. Even if Parisians are very forgetful, this hot news will continue for a month or two. In other words, the Morcerf family will be laughed at for a while or two.  months!  You have to suffer such humiliation for no reason!  Even though he usually has a carefree personality, Albert still couldn't help but tremble when he encountered such humiliation, especially since this humiliation was not directed at him alone, but also caused his most respected father to suffer humiliation as well.  .  However, it is definitely not a wise move to break out here. It is impossible for him to openly propose a duel with Baron Tanglar. The other party will not accept the challenge, which will only make him a bigger laughing stock.  So, after a moment of shock and anger, Albert took a gentle breath, and then forced out a smile. Although the smile was ugly, he still showed his calmness after all.  "Charle, I've always wondered why you guys have so much gossip lately. Now you can see, these are all invisible things!" He said to Charles as if it was a casual conversation, "I'm still young.  You don¡¯t need to worry about finding a wife for me!¡± Charles was a little shocked at first when Albert complained, and then he laughed.  "Hey, I'm sorry, it's all my fault. It turns out it's just rumors Haha" Although Albert seems to be just a young man who is inexperienced in the world, he is the son of a marshal after all. He can adapt to the situation.  He could take it up and put it down, he could endure the humiliation, and he could force a smile even when being sympathized or even ridiculed by everyone. Ciel even admired him.  The two friends sang together, and the people around them quickly reacted. They all laughed a few times and pretended that nothing had happened. Suddenly, the normal noise returned to the living room, as if the previous disturbance had disappeared.  In order to save the face of the Morcerf family, everyone wisely chose to remain silent and changed the subject. Of course, when they returned to a private setting, they still didn't mind telling anyone about the joke.  listen.  Seeing that the surroundings had returned to a harmonious state, Lucien Debray also smiled again and stood next to his mistress Madame Danglars easily and naturally, as if he was half the owner of this place.  "Madam, I always thought that you were very keen on letting your daughter be Madame de Morcerf. It turns out that you were just joking with me before." He smiled and joked to Madam Danglars, "  Did you hide it???A long time.  " "My friend, at that time I was not joking with you at that time, it was just I just encountered a little unexpected situation.  Madame Danglars looked embarrassed, and then said in a low voice to her lover, "Mr. Danglars thinks it is necessary to see it again."  "    "Yeah?  Look again?  "Lucien Debray seemed to understand something, and then secretly glanced at Baron Danglars not far away. "Oh That's right. After all, you are just a daughter. You should choose your husband carefully and not delay Eugenie.  life!  Marshal Morcerf is a well-known general in our country, and his character is beyond words, but his son needs to be carefully observed. I have never heard of him being famous before.  " He was indeed gloating about his misfortune, and he also intended to give Albert eye drops. He had never had a good impression of Marshal Morcerf's family, but now he was very happy to see that this family was in bad luck. Moreover, there was another one who was even worse.  The important reason is that he is also coveting Miss Tanglar. Yes, although he is Mrs. Tanglar¡¯s ??lover on the surface, he is only close to the lady to get close to the wealth of Baron Tanglar.  He had little love for his wife, not even much respect for her, but it was different for her daughter, who was tall and full of passion, like a burning fire, who had always lived in the shadows.  To a person, it was so dazzling. Even her sharp sneer seemed to be full of a different kind of charm. For someone who was used to false smiles, the proud and enthusiastic Eug¨¦nie seemed to be full of charm.  She is extremely attractive. What¡¯s more, Eug¨¦nie is the only daughter of Baron Danglars. As long as she can hold her in his hands, he will gain immense wealth in the future Lucien Debray carefully heated himself up.  He hid his sight to prevent his mistress from seeing that this middle-aged lady was very dependent on him and obeyed his words, but this was all based on the fact that she thought she loved her. If she knew that she really coveted him,  If the target was her daughter, she would be so angry that she would go crazy. Of course, Mrs. Danglars would not be able to detect what her lover was thinking. In fact, she was so confused now that she had no time to worry about what others were thinking.  She didn't know how to explain it to Marshal Morcerf's family for what they had done today - maybe no matter how she explained it, the rift between the two families had inevitably appeared.  She blamed her husband and didn't understand why her always shrewd husband would suddenly make such a blatant offending move. She resented herself even more and didn't understand why she ended up in this situation. She could only watch helplessly as she was being raped by a hateful banker.  The burden of family. The anger and disgust towards her husband, as usual, aroused the flames of indulgence in her heart. In other words, she needed a complete indulgence to vent her anger and calm herself down again.  A desperate life requires desperate indulgence. This has always been the case. She picked up the wine glass, drank it down with hatred, and then looked at Lucien Debray with a smile on her face, "My dear, let's not talk.  These unpleasant things have come to an end. I want to go to the theater tonight. Mr. Danglars has something important to do. Can you accompany me there?  ¡± In this invitation, the smile on her lips, the red lips, and the temptation revealed between the corners of her eyebrows, no one can guess wrongly what the so-called "going to the theater to watch a play" refers to.  Lucien Debray, who she had been with for a long time, understood better what she meant. He held the lady's hand affectionately, then nodded and looked at the other party with the same passionate eyes, "I obey everything you do.  Order, ma'am.  ¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Tonight is a sleepless night for many people. Unlike the extremely luxurious living room of the great banker Baron Danglars, the living room of Marshal Morcerf  It looks much simpler. There are not many splendid decorations here. It is very simple and elegant on the whole. It is surrounded by a circle of large back benches and various famous tobaccos are placed on the table, all in earthen pots.  , there is a row of fragrant wood boxes filled with cigars from all over the world, painted embroidery hanging on the wall, and porcelain from the East decorated among them. Compared with the decorations, it is more eye-catching than the decorations in the living room.  Weapons and guns of all types were carefully placed on the shelves. The barrels were shiny because of the owner's careful maintenance. In addition to firearms, there were also many cold weapons and armors placed against the wall.  , there are broad swords, stabbing swords, and even?There is a knife that the owner spent a lot of money to buy from Japan in the Far East.  The entire living room is very neatly decorated, with a sense of solemnity, showing off the identity of the owner.  However, at this moment, Count Morcerf, the famous marshal of the empire, was not in the mood to appreciate his exquisite collection. He paced anxiously on the carpet, his footsteps messy, and he no longer had the calmness and stability of the past; he was broad and broad.  Their faces were also twisted together at this time, making him look even more restless.  The dim candlelight cast onto him like a faint will-o'-the-wisp, making him look even more like he came from a ghost.  This middle-aged man has a very glorious military career, has made great military exploits for the empire, and has won the trust and favor of His Majesty. But at this moment, like all parents, he is worried about his son, and there is no trace of the past.  The heroism in it.  After pacing for an unknown amount of time, there was finally a sound of soft footsteps coming from the stairs in the center of the living room.  The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and they were obviously walking down the stairs.  After hearing the footsteps, Marshal Fernand de Morcerf finally calmed down his anxiety and raised his head to look at the people on the stairs.  This is a middle-aged woman wearing an off-white skirt and simple clothes. She has long black hair. Although she is older, her black hair is still silky and smooth, and her dark brown eyes are as lively as water.  Although she does not apply makeup, her skin is still white and her figure is still as supple as when she was a girl.  Her behavior was reserved and measured, both forward and backward. Although she looked worried, she did not lose her due composure. Her whole person looked dignified but also had a sense of high-pressure.  "Mercedes, how is he?" Seeing his wife, Marshal Morcerf walked over quickly, and then asked anxiously.  "He's fine." Mrs. Morcerf shook her head, finally calming her husband down. "He's justa little depressed. I coaxed him a little, and he quickly relaxed and fell asleep."  "That's good" The marshal finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then immediately frowned and looked out the window hatefully, "That bastard Tanglar, he actually did such a good thing! I won't spare him.  !¡± He was indeed very angry today.  A few months ago, he had a good talk with Baron Danglars and they got married. He thought that he had paved the way for his son and chose a perfect fianc¨¦e. However, tonight, when his son  After returning home dejectedly, everything changed.  He was shocked to find that Baron Tanglar had gone back on his word at the last moment - he actually said publicly that he had never discussed getting married with him before!  Although on the surface, Baron Danglars also said something like "I would like to see Albert become my son-in-law," everyone could see that this was just a statement to save some face for the marshal.  No matter what, this is public humiliation!  As the marshal of the empire, Count Morcerf has long been accustomed to bossing his subordinates around. When has he ever been humiliated like this?  What's more, this humiliation came from a friend he had known for many years.  As soon as he heard the news, the marshal immediately flew into a rage. If he didn't have the last sense of reason, he might have rushed to the baron's house with his adjutant to make a fuss.  Fortunately, his wife Mercedes stood up at this time, calmed her husband's emotions, and then took her son to his room, and finally put him to sleep.  The children can sleep, but the adults have too many important things to do and there is no room for sleep.  The biggest problem facing the couple now is, how should all this end?  There is no doubt that as soon as the matter spreads, the Morcerf family will inevitably become the laughing stock of the social world, and for a family with such a high social status, this is the most unbearable situation.  "I understand that I should go visit Emily and find out what all this is about." The couple looked at each other, and after a long silence, Mercedes finally spoke, "Don't go, I'm afraid of you  Then we'll start arguing with them." "Okay, go ahead." Count Morcerf sighed, seeming a little depressed, "But I think it's useless for you to see Emily. There must be nothing so unkind as this.  Danglars can do it. If you go, he will definitely avoid you. What can Emily say? " "At least we can discuss how to end the farce." Mercedes blinked.  Eyes, "We can discuss it with Emily and let her stand up and explain to everyone. She was the one who came to me before.""We have asked about the marriage. Although we are happy to see it happen, the two families have not yet had a substantive discussion about it" Hearing his wife say this, Marshal Morcerf frowned even more tightly. This is the most important thing.  What made him uncomfortable was that although Tanglar openly broke the contract and was of a very bad nature, for the sake of his own face, he really had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow his wishes. Otherwise, wouldn't it look like he was greedy for wealth and had to take advantage of him?  Send your son as your son-in-law? This feeling is really uncomfortable. "Will outsiders believe it?"  He sighed, "It's hard for people to believe that we haven't worked hard for this before."  " "I can't care about that much at this time.  Madam shook her head, "We just need to give an explanation for everything. People in the upper class are very forgetful. As long as we give an explanation, people will forget about it in less than two months."  " "But two months is enough for me to embarrass Your Majesty ten times!  Marshal Morcerf still frowned, "Mercedes, you know, I am favored in front of His Majesty, and many people hate me. I usually don't give them any chance, but now they can catch me!"  When the time comes, they will definitely add fuel to the fire and spread rumors about me in the palace to embarrass me and make His Majesty laugh at me!  " "Your Majesty has always been very tolerant to his ministers. He will not take you as a laughing stock. Even if there are some villains who stir up trouble, it will never affect the relationship between you and Your Majesty.  "Mercedes replied firmly. "In the final analysis, your greatest advantage is that you can fight for His Majesty. As long as you continue to have this ability, who can shake your position?  " "There are many people who can fight for Your Majesty, and I am not the least of them.  "The marshal smiled bitterly, "Don't look at my appearance, but secretly there are many people who think that I am blocking their way, and they want to kick me away.  " "As long as His Majesty is here" Mercedes still wanted to comfort him. "I have been with him for so many years, don't I understand him as well as you do?  Let me tell you something privately - Your Majesty is a monster, my dear.  There was a trace of misery in the marshal's smile, "Our Majesty is both passionate and ruthless. Sometimes I even doubt that he has never loved anyone in his life!"  His most common method is to show favor to his ministers, and then encourage those who are jealous of them. What he likes to do most is to make his ministers live in fear that they may be replaced at any time, forcing them to  I have to obey him!  I use myself to scare the elders, and then use the newcomers to scare me. He never trusts anyone and is always wary of everyone So, do you understand, I can't show any flaws, I'm just easy to use in his hands.  It's just a knife. Once it gets rusty, it's useless. It will be thrown aside and no one cares about it anymore.  "    "Oh, God!  "Hearing her husband's evaluation of His Majesty the Emperor, Mercedes opened her mouth wide and was speechless for a moment. In any case, evaluating the emperor is a very dangerous behavior, and it is only when the situation is in chaos that Morcerf  Only a marshal would confide his feelings to his wife, and his harsh evaluation of His Majesty was beyond the Madam's imagination. The Madam did not expect that His Majesty, who had always been as gentle and gentle as a poet in front of people, was actually like this on the inside; she was even more so.  Unexpectedly, the relationship between two people with such a strong relationship in front of outsiders could be so dangerous. His Majesty has praised her husband more than once as his confidant and a model for the new generation of soldiers in the empire. However, he deliberately made her husband nervous.  Is this uneasy situation and such hypocritical behavior a problem of his personal character, or is it that someone who becomes an emperor will become such a monster? "Fernand, at this point, it is not enough to worry so much."  It's no use. Just calm down.  "She stretched out her hand and stroked her husband's rough cheek lovingly. "No matter what, since His Majesty needs you, he will not abandon you just because of a trivial matter As long as we work hard to make up for it, what happened this time will  It won't be a shock to you.  " After a pause, she spoke again, "Besides, I think although this is bad news, it may not have any positive aspects.  Although a person like Tanglar is rich, his reputation is too bad, and we all know what kind of person he is, he is a complete scumbag, and his behavior this time proves this even more So I think, we  It might not be a bad thing not to be an in-law with such a person.  Our Albert is so good, I believe it will not be a problem to find another good wife.  Marshal Morcerf did not answer, but walked to the sword in his collection, stretched out his hand to touch the cold sword body. The cold metal stimulated his palm, and the murderous aura inside calmed his heart.  Next??.  "You are right, Mercedes, everything is not irreversible yet." He said coldly, "As long as we find a way to make Danglars face reality and take back his life, then what we have suffered will be  The humiliation will no longer exist, and no one will care about this incident. " "You you still want to marry them?" Madam was a little shocked, "They have treated us like this, how can we still be in-laws?  ?! Fernand, are you really coveting their family¡¯s property?¡± ¡°I do like their property, but it¡¯s for our son. At this point, what¡¯s the point of having money?¡±  For him!" The marshal suddenly turned his head and looked at his wife, "Think about our son, Mercedes! I am the marshal of the empire, and everyone admires it, but Albert does not want to be a soldier. I am in the army.  He won't be able to use my prestige after I retire. If I don't find a solid backer for him while I still have my prestige, what else can I leave for him?" "Fernand" Madam closed her eyes.  eyes.  "I don't blame you for doting on him. Every mother will dote on his son, but let's face the reality, dear." The marshal sighed, "Our son is very cute and versatile, but he lacks a stable willpower.  He also lacks the decisiveness to do big things. In fact, this is nothing, and I don¡¯t expect him to do any big things in the future, but we can¡¯t just watch him decline like this after our death, right? So, we have to find something for him?  A good wife, so that he can live a peaceful life like this after I retire. Although Danglars is a disgusting person, his wealth is not fake. As long as Albert marries his only daughter, we will be able to live in peace in the future.  Is there anything else to worry about?" Then he sighed again, "Madam, at this age, what else can I pursue? I have already put aside all achievements, and the only thing I care about now is my family.  , only you and our son are left. I can¡¯t bear to see him sink after leaving us, so I will do my best to pave the way for him. You should be able to understand me. Don¡¯t you love me more than me?  "He?" The marshal's heartfelt words made Mercedes feel touched and a little disappointed, because her husband's words were tantamount to assuming that their son would not be able to achieve the career of his father in the future and could only do  She is a money-keeping rentier. For any mother, this comment is a bit hurtful.  "Well, since you said so, let's do what you want." In the end, she could only reply helplessly, "Fernand, I hope Albert can appreciate everything we do!  "I'm not worried about that." The marshal smiled, and then joked, "Our son lacks everything except kindness. He is the kind of child who is grateful to his parents."  ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ On the same night, there are still different people who haven¡¯t fallen asleep.  In the villa of the Count of Monte Cristo in Auteuil, everything was as quiet as usual.  The night is like a wash, and the quiet moonlight shines on the earth, seeming to coat the villa's buildings and gardens with a silvery glow. In the study room on the second floor of the villa, the shadows of the trees projected from the window are swaying in the breeze.  His posture seems to be dancing with the dim candlelight in the study.  The owner of the villa, the Count of Monte Cristo, was sitting next to his desk.  He was wearing a pure black coat, which made his already pale skin look like a vampire.  And just opposite him, there were two people.  One is a tall young man, standing upright, looking around like a hawk, not letting go of any lurking danger.  And on the rocking chair next to the bookshelf, there was a girl lying on her back.  Although she was wearing a maid's outfit, her legs were crossed in a swaggering manner. Her golden hair and white stockings swayed slightly with her slender feet, showing no image or self-consciousness of a maid.  "Hey, Earl, your world is really heavily guarded." The girl rocked the rocking chair and squinted her eyes slightly, enjoying the comfortable feeling. "Don't you plan to arrest us and bring us to the officials later?  Right? " "Miss Charlotte Sewell, I have heard about you for a long time, and I finally meet you today." The Count of Monte Cristo was not unhappy at all because of the guest's rude behavior. Instead, he smiled slightly.  "Don't worry, seeing how beautiful you are, I believe no one will have the heart to hurt you." "Oh, please don't praise me like that, it's so embarrassing!" Charlotte smiled happily.  , obviously the compliment to the earl was very useful, "Did you invite us here just to see my beauty?" "This is a very important reason, but of course it is not the only reason."The prince replied solemnly.  "Actually, Miss Sewell, I invited you here because I hope to discuss cooperation with you." "Cooperation?" Charlotte and the young man next to her looked at each other.  Although she was mentally prepared from the beginning, Charlotte was still a little uneasy when the count really made it clear.  Charlotte and the others have long known that the Count of Monte Cristo has huge power and is a hidden criminal leader. They have always hoped to use this power, just because the Count intentionally or unintentionally maintains a distance from them.  , so it has never been able to achieve its goal.  However, today, the earl took the initiative to cooperate.  This is a good thing, but of course there must be some problems hidden in it.  "What do you want us to help you with?" Charlotte quickly calmed down, and then looked at the count calmly, "Based on the friendship between us, if it is something we can do, we don't mind.  "It would be great if you could be so generous." The Earl still smiled, "Then, let's share some information first, such as the big operation you are planning recently?"  Shang's smile suddenly disappeared, replaced by alertness.  "I don't know what actions we are preparing for." "It seems that your sincerity is not as good as your words." The Count of Monte Cristo shrugged his shoulders, seeming to be a little uninterested, "Or, your status on your side  Too low to get access to real information? " This slightly harsh ridicule made Charlotte's blue eyes flash with a trace of evil, but it quickly disappeared.  "Then may I ask, what information did you come into contact with?" She laughed again, "If I know anything, I will be happy to add it to you." "Well, since it is me who invites you here, it really should be  I'll be honest here first." The Earl nodded, and then cast his gaze on Charlotte's beautiful face, "According to a source I absolutely trust, I heard that you seem to be planning to make a move in the south.  Is it true that you rescued Prince Carlos?" Charlotte's face suddenly turned pale, and then her slender golden eyebrows squeezed together, giving a ferocious look. This was terrifying.  His eyes fell on the Count of Monte Cristo, but he did not react in any way.
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