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35, settling old scores

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    When Charles said goodbye to Lucien Debray and returned home, the city had begun to fall into night.  Unlike the brisk and relaxed look before going out, he now frowned and looked worried.  There was also an inconspicuous paper bag in his hand.  No one can see how important the paper bag in this young man's hand is.  This paper bag contains some documents, which are all archives in the archives of the Imperial Ministry of the Interior. They record that around 1815, the Marquis of Noirtier, as the special commissioner who took over the Ministry of the Interior, made a report on the Chateau d'If prison where political prisoners were held.  It is a record of a series of official documents issued with orders.  For most people, the documents in the paper bag are insignificant, but for Prosecutor General Villefort, it is tantamount to a bomb. This is the secret that the father and son tried their best to hide - Novati  The Marquis of ?le, by virtue of his position and power, once ordered the Chateau d'If prison to imprison a supporter of the emperor, and to keep everything secret.  What¡¯s the use of knowing this secret?  Ciel doesn't know now.  But it is obvious that in the glitzy and rotten upper class society, a secret is also a weapon, a weapon that can stab someone. The more shameful the secret, the more lethal it is.  Yes, it is now clear that thirty years earlier, in 1815, Inquisitor General Villefort had imprisoned one of the emperor's supporters - the young Edmond Dant¨¨s - for his role in supporting the emperor's dangerous elements.  The charges were sent to the Chateau d'If prison. After the Restoration of the Empire, Edmond Dant¨¨s, who was supposed to be released in accordance with the Emperor's order, was interfered by the Marquis of Noirtier, father of the Prosecutor General of Villefort.  However, he was still imprisoned in prison and had to die in despair.  He still has some questions that he doesn¡¯t quite understand.  Attorney General Villefort was serving the Bourbon Restoration Dynasty at the time, so it was normal for him to arrest the emperor's supporters. This was not a big deal. So why did the Marquis of Noirtier bother so much to cover it up?  What terrible ¡°crime¡± did this Edmond Dant¨¨s commit?  These issues are yet to be clarified, but he is convinced that as long as all this is made public, Attorney General Villefort will be discredited.  "After all, the father and son teamed up to violate the law, and also allowed supporters of the empire to die unjustly. This is a stain that the public will never tolerate. Even His Majesty the Emperor must be careful about public opinion and will not let Villefort fool him easily.  ¡°If he is really so obsessed with justice and fairness, he can announce it immediately, or even go to the emperor and announce all the facts.  However, he is not a person who is so obsessed with justice.  First of all, Prosecutor General Villefort has not offended him now. There is no need for him to attack the opponent at this time and make enemies for himself.  More importantly, he still clearly remembered that His Majesty the Emperor had clearly told him before that he did not want to see Charles involved in anyone's investigation of the Count of Monte Cristo, especially since he had specifically told Charles,  Although Attorney General Villefort has some historical stains, he is relatively easy to use now and is a useful tool. He does not want to see this tool accidentally damaged. ???????????? So, if Charles reveals all the things, his Majesty the Emperor will have to punish Prosecutor General Villefort due to public opinion, and even end his future, but Charles, who disobeys his instructions, may not get good results.  Therefore, Ciel does not intend to reveal the secret now. He just wants to keep it first and then use it as a weapon at the appropriate moment.  "His choice, in a sense, has also become a silent accomplice. He knew that a crime was right in front of him but still chose to turn a blind eye. However, this is the way of the world.  ?Perhaps, this is the so-called bureaucracy.  With these complicated thoughts, he had dinner quietly, and then prepared to go back to his bedroom on the second floor to read a book and spend this ordinary night.  However, just as he walked up the stairs to the second floor, a rush of footsteps interrupted his thoughts.  "Master!" An old servant stood on the floor of the hall with a strange expression and called him.  "Huh? What's wrong?" Charles stopped, then turned back and looked at the other party in surprise.  ¡°This old servant has been his grandfather¡¯s confidant for many years. He also served in the army and had seen the world. He is usually very calm. How could he behave so rudely today.  "A lady came to see you. She said she has something very important to say to you." The old servant said to her in a strange tone.Charles said, "Sir, you'd better hurry up. She looks well, very bad." "Huh?!" Charles was shocked, and then a little confused, "Who is it?!  "A lady from the Procurator de Villefort's house," the servant answered briefly.  "Valentinais it her??" Charles was shocked again.  "What happened to the Villeforts?" What happened to Valentine?  Recently, he has been keeping secret contact with Valentine. At his request, Valentine is writing to him regularly to report on the situation at home. He also received a letter two days ago, and there was nothing particularly unusual about it.  situation, did something suddenly happen to Villefort¡¯s family?  ¡°I just found Villefort, and Valentine came again. What a coincidence ¡°Master?¡± While Charles was still thinking, the servant woke Charles up again.  He still looked at Charles with a strange look, "You you'd better go there quickly, she she was crying too much, I couldn't stop her, she just said she wanted to see you." Hey, you  Why are you looking at me like that?  I haven't done anything!  I'm confused too, okay!  Charles suddenly felt a little lucky. Fortunately, Marshal Treville was not at home today, otherwise God knows where the old man would have thought.  "Okay, I understand, I'll go right away." In desperation, Charles had to go down the stairs again.  Under the leadership of the servant, Charles came to the reception room in the side hall, and then he saw Valentine sitting on the chair.  This thin and pale girl was hanging her head and crying. Her eyes were red and swollen, her skin was paler than usual, her shoulders were shaking all the time, and she was sobbing constantly. Anyone who saw this look of pear blossoms and rain would be unable to help themselves.  Feel compassion.  "Valentine, what happened?" Charles involuntarily slowed down his steps, and then asked Valentine in the softest voice.  And when he approached Valentine, he stopped in surprise.  "Ah?! What's wrong with you!" As he approached, he discovered that Valentine's hair was messy, her clothes were a little disheveled, and she was only wearing one shoe.  No wonder the old servant¡¯s eyes looked so strange just now!  What happened to make this girl look so miserable?  !  "Charle" Upon hearing Charles's voice, Valentine, who was crying with her head down, raised her head, and then looked at Charles as if she was seeing a savior.  She stood up and wanted to walk in front of Charles, but then tears filled her eyes again, and she shouted, "Deaddead!" While shouting, her whole body was shaking, almost  Shaky.  "Hey! Don't worry!" Charles saw it and rushed forward to hold her shoulders, finally preventing her from falling to the ground.  "What happened, Valentine?" "Deaddead" Valentine is still repeating almost hysterically. It can be seen that she has not fainted now. She is holding on to Xia Tian.  Er's hand was so hard that his fingernails dug deeply into the back of Ciel's hand, causing Ciel to shudder in pain.  "Who died?" Charles shouted in her ear.  This wake-up call finally restored Valentine's sanity a little.  She took a deep breath, and then screamed sharply. The sound was like the neighing of a night owl, which made Ciel's eardrums tremble.  "Imy grandmother is dead." "Your grandmotherthe Marquise de Saint-Meran?" Charles opened his eyes wide in surprise, "Dead?!" "Yesdead  Dead!" Valentine replied loudly, about to fall into that semi-mad state again, "Sheshe just died, right next to me!" "This  How could this" Ciel muttered to himself.     Too strange.  The Saint-Meran couple planned to come to Paris to visit relatives and friends. However, just as they were about to arrive in Paris, the Marquis Saint-Meran died. As a result, the reception banquet prepared for him could only end hastily, and the frustrated Marquise followed Villefort.  Together with the prosecutor, they stayed in their home.  Then, just over a week later, the Marquise also left for the west?  ??The couple just left the world in a hurry?  "Yes, grandma died just now" Valentine raised her hands, and then said tremblingly, "It was these hands it was these hands that gave her the end God, God  Ah!" As she said this, sheHe began to cry uncontrollably.  Ciel composed himself.  The news was unexpected and caught him off guard, but no matter what, he had to stabilize Valentine's spirit first, otherwise everyone would only be more confused and he wouldn't be able to find out what was going on.  He let go of Valentine's shoulders and sent her back to the chair. Then he walked directly to the cabinet next to him and took out a bottle of whiskey.  "Come, have something to drink to calm yourself down." He poured a glass of wine for Valentine.  Valentine, who was still crying, didn¡¯t even look at it, but came over and drank it.  She drank a small glass of whiskey in one go, which showed how unstable her mental state was at this time, and she was not even aware of the strong drink she was drinking.  .  After drinking the wine, Valentine's face suddenly turned red, but her spirit calmed down a little.  "What's going on? Valentine?" Charles asked again, "Your grandmother passed away. Was it a sudden illness?" "Grandma suddenly became ill last night, and then passed away today." Valentine asked.  He answered with a tearful voice, "The doctor that dad sent over said it was an emergency, and dad also said it was an emergency" "But you don't believe it?" Charles asked again.  This is obvious. If she believes and accepts this explanation, there is no need to rush over here.  "Yes, I don't believe itI don't completely believe it." Valentine nodded slightly, and then said hastily, "Although grandma is very sad because of grandpa's death, she is not completely unable to bear it, and her spirit has improved.  I started to cheer up, and my appetite was okay, how could ithow could it suddenly disappear in one day? ""Some people are sad in their hearts, but they don't show it on the outside."  "Could it be" "I know, some people are like that, but grandma grandma is clearly not like that!" Valentine interrupted Charles, "You know, I have been staying with grandma these days.  Together, we have been together, and it took so much effort for me to make her laugh again! Just the day before yesterday, she said she would take me to Marseille and let me meet her friends there and plan to stay there.  How could she casually make such an agreement to give me my manor?¡± Although the reason given by Valentine was somewhat emotional, Charles thought it made sense.  After all, when people get old, the most important thing is their children. Since Madame Saint-Meran got along so well with her granddaughter the day before yesterday and decided to take her to Marseille with her, how could she become hopeless today before she has fulfilled her wish?  And then he died of a sudden illness?  "Then you thinkshe died abnormally?" Charles asked cautiously.  "I don't know, I don't know!" Valentine shook her head suddenly, "But in just a few days, grandpa died, and grandma also died with him. Is it really not surprising at all? Is it just that?  Am I the only one who finds it strange? Is there really no human factor? Ciel I'm really surprised! Especially now that I'm recalling what I heard in Italy.  A few years ago, when Valentine traveled to Italy with her family, she overheard her stepmother discussing poisons with the Count of Monte Cristo. This memory is now in her mind like a maggot attached to her bones.  The lingering feeling couldn't go away, especially now that her grandparents had passed away one after another, which made her involuntarily have similar doubts.  She and her grandmother had been getting along day and night these past few days, and she really didn¡¯t believe that she would suddenly die of heartache.  "Do you suspect that your stepmother poisoned your grandmother?" Charles was shocked, "Is there any basis for it?" Valentine's face turned pale, she cried and laughed, and then tears fell from the corners of her eyes.  "No, who would always be wary of their family members?" She did have every reason to doubt it, but since the doctor said so, even if Valentine was doubtful, she couldn't change anything.  This makes things difficult.  Regardless of whether it was poisoning or not, in short, since there is no evidence, the Marquise can only die.  "You don't believe me, Charles?" At this moment, Valentine suddenly asked Charles, "You think this is just my imagination In fact, nothing happened, it was just that my grandmother suddenly died of a sudden illness.  That's all" "No, I believe you." Charles interrupted her, "Valentine, although I rarely interact with your stepmother, I believe that she can indeed do such a thing.  She is so cruel." Seeing that someone finally agreed with her guess, Valentine showed a somewhat happy expression.  "Thank God someone finally saw her for what she was, she really is aA person who can do anything!  " "But it's useless for me to believe it alone. Maybe it was your stepmother who committed such a crime, but since we can't provide any real evidence, then unfortunately, we can only keep our suspicions in our hearts.  "Ciel sighed, "We can only collect evidence first, at least protect ourselves first.  " "So there's nothing we can do now?  She is my grandmother" Valentine closed her eyes in pain. "It is precisely because we have no real evidence that we cannot act rashly.  " Charles looked at Valentine calmly, "Don't forget, if you can't defeat her in one fell swoop, blind action will only make her act more intense, and you will be in danger by then.  There is your grandpa!  Don¡¯t forget, this old man has no ability to resist!  " "Grandpa They won't even want to do something to grandpa, right?  Valentine suddenly opened her eyes wide, "That's that's grandpa!"  " "Perhaps not under normal circumstances, but when people are in a hurry, they can do anything.  Charles sighed, "Valentine, now you have to carefully collect evidence to see what tricks your stepmother will reveal."  Before that, you personally need to be more careful, you have to act cautiously and ensure your own safety - remember, this is the first priority.  You are not only living for yourself, your safety is also related to your grandfather, keep this in mind.  " "Yeahand grandpa, I still have to go back.  Valentine seemed to have finally come to her senses, "My mind was completely confused just now. Thank you Charles, now I finally understand I want to take care of grandpa, and I can't let him become a new victim."  " "When a disaster like this happens, anyone can be in chaos. It's not your fault, Valentine.  Charles comforted the other person gently, "Besides, you didn't do anything meaningless. In fact, now that I know your suspicions, I will help you."  If there really is a demon in your home, let's stop it together, we can do it.  " "Yes we can do it.  "The blush on Valentine's face became even thicker, "We must stop the devil" "Don't go back tonight, just rest here.  Charles looked at the other party with pity, "From now on, being in that home will be a battle for you. You must be very alert and pay attention to prevent yourself and grandpa from becoming new victims. This  It's not an easy job for you, so I think, at least tonight, you should have a good rest and forget all the pain, because from now on you will always be with pain.  " "I still I still" Valentine wanted to say something else, but the strong drink she drank was already taking effect. Her head was dizzy and she couldn't speak clearly.  At this time, the old servant knocked on the door again and came in next to Charles: "Master, another visitor has come, it is Lord Prosecutor Villefort.  " He looked at Valentine, then hesitated, and finally added, "They came with several people, and they seemed to have bad intentions.  " Charles turned to look at Valentine. "I I escaped from home while others were unprepared.  "Valentina explained solemnly, "Dad will definitely be very angry.  "No wonder Valentine looks so embarrassed. Charles knows it well. "Take this young lady to the guest room to rest.  "He turned his head again and gave the order to the old servant. "But" The old servant still wanted to persuade Charles. "Take her to rest!  Charles ordered again impatiently, "Grandpa is not here now, I have the final say here!"  " "Yes, Master.  "The old servant lowered his head, obeyed Charles's order, and helped Valentine to leave. "Thank you, Charles" Valentine thanked Charles in a low voice. "You're welcome.  "Char shook his head, and then asked, "If if everything is really as you guessed, what are you going to do?  " "II will kill her with my own hands!  Valentine replied in a hissing voice, "As God is my witness, I will never forgive you!"  "Her pale face shone with hatred. At this moment, Charles definitely did not doubt the determination in her words. "Okay, I understand.  "Charles smiled gently, and then watched the girl leave. ?????????????????????????????????? At the same time that Valentine was sent to rest, another person was introduced into the reception room.  . But this time it was no longer a bright and beautiful girl, but a frowning middle-aged man, wearing a black coat and his hair was combed.He was meticulous and showed no expression in front of him. He was as serious as the incarnation of the law.  "You have done something very inappropriate, Mr. Treville." He said to Charles coldly just after walking in. "If your grandfather were at home, he would never agree to your ridiculous behavior.  "This is an embarrassing accusation Mr. Prosecutor, what do you mean? I don't know what bad things I did." Charles replied calmly.  "It's pointless to deny it now." The prosecutor looked at Charles with a cold gaze, "My daughter just ran away from the house like crazy, and then came to your home, and you remained silent.  He hid her - isn't this a ridiculous joke? Please give her back to me, sir, it would be best for everyone. " "If you are normal, this is indeed ridiculous, but you have to consider her.  In the current situation, she is too sad and needs a rest. It is with this in mind that I asked her to rest at my place for a night." Charles replied equally coldly, "Our two families are relatives.  What does it mean to stay overnight? " "Family is a warm haven for her, and other places can never replace it." The prosecutor was unmoved, "Girls who are waiting for marriage should not run around.  , this will only make people gossip. Valentine did something stupid because she was too sad. This is not her fault. It is the biggest sin to coax an ignorant girl. A playboy like you is the biggest danger to her.  You will only ruin her reputation, so if you are really doing her best, then please return her to her father. " "What if I want you to change your mind?" Charles asked calmly.  "I say again, I am a father, and I can decide where my daughter stays and where she leaves." The prosecutor interrupted him, "This is my right, and you should respect my rights, otherwise  In the eyes of everyone, you are just a bad boy who bullies others and flirts with others. Do you want to be like that? Don't forget, although you are favored in front of His Majesty, I can also say a few things in front of His Majesty.  "What you said is going too far. I never stopped Valentine from going home. I just said that she was too sad tonight, so she couldn't run away and was resting at my house.  We'd better not disturb her. Isn't this unkind?" Charles seemed to be patiently explaining to the prosecutor, "She is asleep now. Please go back first. She will go home tomorrow." "  Is this what you want to say to a father?" Prosecutor Villefort sneered, "Then my answer is no, for the sake of my daughter's reputation, I can't let her stay here, not even for one night!  If you took her in out of pure kindness, then I would like to thank you, and then please let me take my daughter home!" Seeing the prosecutor speaking so rudely, Charles became angry.  "Home? Thank you for saying it so nicely" Charles sneered, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, "But over the years, have you ever given Valentine the feeling of being at home? Over the years, you have ignored her.  No matter how much you focus on your wife and son, have you ever given her any warmth? If she really felt good, why would she help her grandfather make a new will?  Are you going to run away? Something happened, but you remember that she is your daughter But have you ever sympathized with her grief for losing her grandparents? If you didn't, why could you?  It¡¯s such a big lie to say that this home is her warm haven. In front of people who know the inside story, this is really not a funny joke!¡± Charles¡¯s words were like bullets, whistling and hitting Prosecutor General Villefort.  His face became increasingly ugly.  Because Charles and Marshal Treville helped the paralyzed Marquis Noirtier make a will, he had been harboring hatred towards the Treville family recently. Now that Charles was settling old scores, it made him even more angry.  Medium fever.  "Hey, that's interesting! I didn't expect the Treville family to be serious enough to teach me what family is!" He retorted loudly, "In front of people who know the inside story, this is really not a funny joke! Don't make a joke.  "What's wrong?" Charles frowned.  "What's wrong? Charles, let's not pretend to be confused now, right?" the prosecutor asked with a sneer, "I have been a prosecutor for so many years. To be honest, there are a few things that I have experienced during those ups and downs.  You don¡¯t know? You have a lot of bad debts at home, but now you have the nerve to lecture me in a sanctimonious manner. This is really an unlucky joke!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you are talking about.¡±  He replied after a pause, "If you want to scare me, you'd better make it clear."  "It seems that the old guy is hiding it well" As if he saw that Charles was telling the truth, the prosecutor general also shrugged, "Well, let me tell you something - back then  There are a lot of strange things about your mother's death. Her parents wanted to find out the truth and wanted to cause trouble for your father. It was your grandfather who suppressed it. There were so many rumors at that time!  You still dare to talk about family in front of me when you have bad debts ahead of you How ridiculous!" Charles was stunned.  He didn¡¯t expect that the Treville family would have such old accounts in the past.  The mother¡¯s death was not a normal death, but was it related to the father?  His mind was a little messy, and he tried hard to recall, but he couldn't piece together the appearance of his parents in his mind, let alone recall their relationship back then.  They left too early to leave any impression on themselves.  At this time, he recalled that when he was at home, Villefort wanted to threaten him and vaguely talked about his parents - so that was why?  There is no doubt that Villefort, as the prosecutor general of Paris, although he was not a sitting official at the time, must have sufficient sources of information. Perhaps he really knew that there were some secrets in his parents' affairs that could not be disclosed to outsiders, and he  My wife should also be able to pick up on something.  You actually used these to threaten me Charles's expression was calm, but he had already clenched his fists.  Charles de Treville hates others threatening him most.  "Okay, I've said what needs to be said. There are some old things that no one wants to mention, but you insist on going through the trouble, so what can I do?" Villefort seemed to have noticed Charles's wavering.  The prosecutor showed a victorious smile, "Char, I don't care about your family's affairs. I can't control what you like to do, but in exchange, I also ask that you never get involved in my family's affairs in the future, not at all  As the head of the family, I think I have this right! I will pretend that nothing happened before, but in the future, please don¡¯t pester anyone in our family. We don¡¯t want to associate with your family!¡±  In front of the fierce scolding, Ciel's expression was very calm, as if he turned a deaf ear.  After a while, he raised his head and looked at the other party.  "I can not interfere in your family affairs, sir, but I hope you can guarantee that no matter what, you will never let anyone threaten Valentine's safety. Can you promise me?" "Our family still needs to  You don't have to worry about it." The prosecutor replied with a sneer, "I will protect my daughter without you reminding her." There is no sincerity.     Then there's no way.  Although it is a pity to throw the cannonball now, but now that it has reached this point, it can only be thrown out.  After all, there is no way to watch Valentine return to danger like this. ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? is a wise saying.  Ciel took a deep breath.  Then, he opened his mouth and chanted a few syllables as if reciting a spell.  "Edmond Dant¨¨s."
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