Eagle’s Glory

"Your Majesty, I wish you and your Majesty all the best!"

"I wish you all the best." After hearing the Marquis's congratulations, Prince Talleyrand just smiled. "You are so loyal to the Bonaparte family and have been working for their family's career from beginning to end. I believe that the Bonaparte family will keep this loyalty and merit in mind, and they will reward you with sufficient rewards. This It goes without saying - however, no matter how glorious the reward is, you must first be alive to be eligible to receive it, and it will be meaningless if you die, so I advise you to be more careful and not to put yourself in danger."

After a pause, he added, "Whether we stand on the same side in the future or not, personally, I don't want anything to happen to you. After all, there are not many old bones left like us who have survived until now." No matter who dies unexpectedly, it will be extremely regrettable, and our country will lose another historical witness."

The Marquis of Noirtier was a little surprised. He did not expect Talleyrand, who was always cold and ruthless, to say such tender words to him.

He believed that Talleyrand was not pretending to please him at this moment, because he was deliberately "playing the emotional card" because his level was not high enough.

Therefore, he believed that the other party was telling the truth, and he did not want to see himself get into an accident and lose his life in vain.

Everyone gets old, even this old fox will get old. When you get old, you can't help but be a little sentimental. This is human nature.

"Thank you for your reminder. I also advise you to take care of yourself. When the country is about to fall into unfortunate chaos, your majesty and our country need to rely on your talents and reputation to stabilize the situation as soon as possible and save people's lives... You are burdened with more than I have more important responsibilities." The Marquis of Noirtier responded to the prince in a warm and reserved manner, "As for me, I have put my life and death aside decades ago. My relatives, my friends, and my enemies will never be forgotten. Most of them have turned into loess, so what do I have to fear? Besides, I am indeed old. I can already feel the erosion of aging on my body every minute. I don’t know if I can still How long can I maintain my current status? In this case, the only thing that interests me now is to use up the last bit of my remaining energy to illuminate the career I believe in! As long as I can do this, no matter when When I go to see them, I smile and have no regrets.”

Prince Talleyrand was slightly touched by such a heroic confession of the Marquis, and finally he sighed.

"Hahaha, what an admirable person! You will never change. You are a person who does great things. Unfortunately, you are always unlucky."

Then, he asked, "Is there something wrong with your body?"

"Yes." The Marquis admitted unabashedly,

"In the past two or three years, I have always felt that my physical ability to exercise has been declining. I went to the doctor and he said that this is not a normal functional deterioration, but probably a symptom of a neurological disease. Maybe it won't be long before I can... I had a stroke, and then I was paralyzed in bed unable to do anything... Your Highness, do you think I need to be afraid of death in this situation?"

Prince Talleyrand was silent for a while.

He knew that for an ambitious, proud and confident man like the Marquis, the fate of being paralyzed in bed and at the mercy of others might be worse than death.

So what else does he need to be afraid of?

Prince Talleyrand is now over seventy years old. He is also suffering from the torture of aging and feels that death is getting closer and closer. However, the countless money and power he has accumulated in half his life cannot save his life.

And an old man who was of the same generation and origin as him, and who had experienced the same events, was slowly withering away in front of him.

This inspired him more than any bloody tragedy.

"Yes, you are right. If people must die, it is better to die while doing something important than to die in bed mediocrely." He was silent for a moment, and then sighed.

Then he looked at Edmund again, "Mr. Count, although the Marquis of Noirtier is your ally, you may not know that this old guy was one of the best swordsmen in France. When he was young, He almost never lost a duel in the palace, and he defeated several enemies after entering politics... That kind of vigorous and heroic appearance is still fresh in people's memories even after fifty years! But now he has to worry about his future He is going to be paralyzed in bed. How sad and regretful! He is like this, and so am I. We don’t have much time. The future belongs to you young people. I don’t know what your plans are for the future, but I advise you to Don’t hesitate, because you only have one life. Since you have the opportunity to reach the highest stage, you should ignite yourself and perform well! Just like us."

When Edmond Dantès heard this, he felt a fire burning in his heart, which was both sad and a little angry.

The Marquis of Noirtier reminded him of his adoptive father, Father Faria.

Although his adoptive father had a completely different background and experience from the Marquis, he also possessed wisdom and courage. However, they were also facing the same old age. His adoptive father was already paralyzed and unable to move freely, and the Marquis seemed to follow in his footsteps. , fate played a cruel joke on them, causing those who worked hard to get stuck in the mud, and those who had lofty ambitions to break their wings and fall. How sad! How unfair!

When he thought of this, he couldn't restrain his sadness and almost cried.

The Marquis of Noirtier did not know that the count was complaining about his adoptive father, and thought that he was simply grieving for himself, so he was quite moved in his heart.

In order to ease the atmosphere, he took the initiative to smile and said, "Earl, you are His Majesty's confidant. You are destined to do great things in the future. Don't be sentimental just to ruin the old man. This is not good...and, I think, Instead of worrying about uncertain things in the future, we should first think of ways to do what we have to do now. Maybe when my wish is fulfilled, my body will miraculously improve, hahahaha!"

Although he knew in his heart that this was just the Marquis forcing a smile, Edmund still nodded in agreement.

He knew that his greatest reward for the Marquis was to make his dream come true.

In this way, Edmund and the Marquis discussed with Prince Talleyrand for a while, and talked about some past events, until the guests and hosts had a good time, and they left Valese Castle at night.

At night, the surroundings of the castle seem more and more quiet. Sitting in the carriage carriage and looking at the brightly lit castle, it becomes more and more magnificent. Coupled with the surrounding rivers and fields, it looks so charming.

However, such beautiful scenery could not satisfy the owner of the castle. He only wanted to go to Paris again and taste the sweet taste of power in his hands again.

This is human nature. Edmund thought.

Different from the past, now he has tasted the power in his hands, so he can vaguely understand Talleyrand's choice.

"Don't be envious. If you are successful, you will also have these things, Edmund." As if he could see what he was thinking, the Marquis of Noirtier, who was sitting next to him, suddenly spoke, "But a real man doesn't You should be addicted to these external things. The money and beauty that power brings are wonderful, but power itself is even more fascinating. With power, you can drive all things, implement every whim of your own, and even write history according to your own wishes. ...That is much more exciting than any material enjoyment! Believe me, we once had the great power to control a nation. We took it and shook the whole of Europe, making the earth tremble for us. That is more exciting than any personal enjoyment. Mesmerizing.”

Edmund agreed.

To be honest, he doesn't have any ideals of "changing everything", let alone any plans to exert power, but his benefactor does, and his obligation is to assist his benefactor as much as he can.

He had no doubt about it.

"I didn't expect that your swordsmanship was so powerful-" He changed the subject.

Edmund had known that the Marquis was good at swordsmanship before, but he didn't expect that he was so good when he was young. According to Prince Talleyrand, he was simply the top swordsman in the country - he believed that Prince Talleyrand would not brag casually.

"It's all in the past, there's nothing to mention." Although the Marquis replied humbly, there was always a sense of pride in the corners of his eyes. "I was really able to do some tricks back then, but now...well, my body is no longer what it was before, and I can't do it anymore."

"I really admire you, because I am also very interested in swordsmanship -" Edmund replied.

"Oh? That's great. Who do you study under? Maybe I know him." The Marquis suddenly became interested.

This question actually made Edmund blush.

He hesitated awkwardly, and finally decided to tell the truth, "You know, I was in prison in my early years, and only after I got out did I have the opportunity to learn swordsmanship, and it wasn't considered apprenticeship, I just learned a few skills from Miss Agnes. …”

"Agnes? The young lady of the de-Nordelien family?" the Marquis blurted out, obviously he had heard about Agnes for a long time, "I have heard of some of her deeds - huh, we French people are really getting more and more famous. The worse it is, the young people are not ashamed to let a girl show off her power now? Even if I am older now and my health is not good, otherwise I would be willing to teach her a few tricks."

Edmund also knew how to deal with the world, and he understood that the Marquis's implication was that he was not sure of winning Agnes, so he did not challenge...

He didn't point it out, he just nodded and agreed with the Marquis, "You are naturally more powerful, but there is nothing you can do about your old age and weak strength."

The Marquis, who was already interested, was even more happy after hearing Edmund's compliment.

"Since you are interested in swordsmanship, we might as well compete and learn from each other when we have time in the future." He took the initiative to suggest, "I am inconvenient now, so I don't have to duel. I just use my experience to give you some pointers. I hope I can give you some help. ."

"Of course that's good!" Edmund immediately nodded and agreed, "Please give me your advice."

"I used to be busy with politics, and never thought about teaching swordsmanship. Later, I was too busy hiding in Tibet, and I had no time to think about such trivial matters. Now I can teach my experience to young people, and they are also my comrades. I'm lucky..." the Marquis replied with a smile.

While smiling, his face suddenly froze, as if his bones were stuck in his throat.

Edmund was surprised by his expression at first, but suddenly he understood again - the Marquis must have thought of the grudges between himself and his son, and also thought that he would have a duel with Inspector Villefort three years later to settle the grudges. .

So, it was the sword he taught himself that killed his son?

When he thinks of this, he must feel uncomfortable.

Edmund can understand the old man's mood - although Inspector Villefort has done many evil things and ruined his life, he is the son of the Marquis after all, and it is human nature for a father to love his son. Even if the political stances of the two parties are hostile, the father and son still have a good relationship with each other. After all, they are father and son.

How could he really want to see his son die by the sword?

However, with the pride of the Marquis, it was impossible to beg him to spare his son - after all, Edmund had an irreproachable reason for seeking revenge. Being able to fight in a duel instead of just shooting coldly would give the Marquis face.

So he could only dwell in his heart.

Normally when the two of them were in contact, the Marquis put this matter aside, but when he mentioned swordsmanship just now, it aroused his father's hidden pain, so he suddenly froze in excitement.

When he thought of this, Edmund felt quite uncomfortable.

To be honest, he admired the Marquis of Noirtier very much. This old man had an extraordinary spirit. He not only had the power and vision of a politician, but also had the open-mindedness and boldness of having seen the world. He was full of personality and charm. He could almost be regarded as his lifelong friend.

If it weren't for old hatred, there wouldn't be any shadow left in their relationship.

It's a pity that now this shadow lies between the two people, making it impossible to ignore.

Seeing the old man's painful and depressed look, Edmund suddenly had the thought "How about I forgive his son?"

But after just a moment, he swallowed the words himself.

His father died tragically, his lover remarried, and he was imprisoned for more than ten years... The decisive driving force behind such a tragic situation was this sanctimonious prosecutor.

So unforgivable, unforgivable.

Even if he gives up everything, he will make Inspector Villefort suffer the price he deserves like other enemies.

Just like that, an awkward silence fell between the two people.

It was not until a moment later that the Marquis broke the silence.

"When do you have time to study?"

Edmund also pretended that nothing happened just now and answered in a low voice.

“I’ll be free when you’re free.”

"Well, let's start after we get back. I don't know when my body will collapse, so I have to hurry up." The Marquis said gently, "At your current age, there is no chance of surpassing or approaching Miss Agnes. Yes, but there are some tricks that can be learned. Those are the skills I have honed in many life-and-death fights. If you use them suddenly, you will definitely be surprised."

"How could I fight with her..." Edmund only felt a little funny, "I just want to become more powerful, that's all."

1 second remember network: