Eagle’s Glory

"What makes an admirable prosecutor willing to treat me with respect? Can you tell me what's hidden?"

The Count of Monte Cristo's questions were so critical, coupled with his aggressive gaze, that Prosecutor Villefort couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat from nervousness.

They had worked together before, so he had already experienced the Earl's power. However, when the Earl was full of energy at this moment, he realized that he had underestimated the Earl.

This guy must have killed many people with his own hands!

He subconsciously looked at the Earl's hands. They were obviously white and clean, but at this moment, his eyes seemed to be stained with blood, which was scary.

No wonder he can become His Majesty's confidant.

Prosecutor Villefort suddenly fell into a dilemma. On the one hand, he certainly did not want his black history to be exposed to others; but on the other hand, from the perspective of actual interests, he had to find a solution for himself. The earl serves as a backer.

No matter from any aspect, the earl was his best hope at the moment.

He weighed it for a long time, and finally made up his mind and decided to take a gamble.

"Alas...you have hit my sore spot!" He sighed, and then looked at the other person with troubled eyes, "Earl, to tell you the truth, I was killed more than ten years ago because of an incident. I accidentally made an injustice, and as a result, this long-lasting injustice was discovered by His Majesty for some reason... He questioned me with this injustice, and then I had to... I had to ask Your Majesty begs for forgiveness.”

"That is to say, you were caught by His Majesty, so you had to grovel before His Majesty, right?" Although Villefort spoke in a sophisticated way out of pride, the Earl immediately grasped the essence of it.

"You can say that." Although Villefort was reluctant, he could only nod with a wry smile.

"That's strange. It's just an injustice. What's so great about it!" The earl seemed to feel a little unbelievable. "To tell you the truth, I have killed many people with His Majesty, and every one of them has Do you deserve to die? I don’t dare to speak so shamelessly, but even so, so what? No one will blame me, and I can still be put into great use by His Majesty... A rare talent like you who is valuable to society, even if he has caused What kind of injustice did someone die innocently? It was just a mistake. Who would live without making a mistake? Compared with the contribution you have made to society and to His Majesty, that is only a negligible price. "

The count's defense actually won Villefort's heart, and he didn't think so in his heart! For a moment, he felt like it was too late to meet him.

Unfortunately, he also knew that such words could not be shouted out publicly.

"After all, I am different from you. You are His Majesty's personal attendant and his warrior. It is your duty to kill people. No one will make a fuss about who you kill. But what about me? I am a legal professional. The law must be fair, even if it is only superficially fair; and the legal profession is full of fussy, fault-finding, dissatisfied people who are jealous of all famous people and will attack them if they see such an opportunity! Over the past few years, I have gained a slight reputation, but if people knew that I had hosted an injustice, then this reputation would probably disappear..."

"In other words, you are afraid that if this kind of information is made public, your reputation will be ruined, right?" The count raised his eyebrows slightly, indicating that he understood everything.

But then, he suddenly asked, "So what if you lose your reputation?"

"What will happen?" If he hadn't been too nervous now, Villefort would have laughed in anger, "Being ruined is a disaster that I can't bear, that is, I will lose everything..."

"Isn't that so?" The Earl shook his head, "Your Majesty employs people in an eclectic way and doesn't care so much about the person's character or reputation. Since you have proven that you are so professional and useful, His Majesty will not let you do it because of your If your reputation is ruined, you won't need it - so why do you care about this? You can face His Majesty as usual and just do what he told you, right?"

Edmund's words were so reasonable that for a moment Villefort felt that what he said made sense.

But he blinked and quickly put the tempting thought aside.

impossible! He couldn't afford to lose his reputation.

The aura he has created for himself over the years has become a part of his life. His fame and his complacency in being feared and looked up to by everyone have become the spiritual food he relies on to survive.

If he loses these, even if he keeps his position, what's the point? How could he be willing to do so?

"No, it won't work..." Then, as if he was electrocuted, Villefort immediately shook his head, "Count, it may be difficult for you to understand me from your position. My position and my reputation are integrated. , if I lose my legal authority and lose the respect of others, how can I do my job well? Besides... in life, you have to rely on something, right? I am not greedy for money; I don’t like human contact and don’t have much contact with my relatives. What sense of belonging can I find for myself in this world? Only my reputation... I can’t lose it, just like a fish can’t lose itself. Like the fins of a fish, I must finish my life as the most respected prosecutor..."

Edmund listened quietly to Villefort's inner monologue - this cunning man was speaking the truth at this moment.

His fame is both his halo and the shackles he has created for himself. He must not lose these reputations, otherwise it will be more uncomfortable than death. So for this reason, he was even willing to sacrifice his dignity, bow to His Majesty, and respect and please himself.

The words he just said were, on the one hand, to gain Villefort's trust and to show that he had no knowledge of it, but on the other hand, they also forced him to expose the weakness and fear in his heart. Now he sees it.

No matter how famous he is, the person sitting in front of him is just a wretch after all!

Danglars, Fernand, and Villefort, these three people are not fools. On the contrary, they are very good at speculation, otherwise they would not be able to get along well in this society; but when the real crisis comes, they finally still Will reveal his true colors and be full of ugliness.

It was such a villain who almost ruined his life and let himself die in a dark prison...

Rather than feeling hatred and anger, he felt unspeakable sadness for himself.

It seemed that this sadness and sentimentality did not last long, and Edmund quickly regained his composure.

"I understand. You want this secret to never come to light, right? Then I think that as long as you serve His Majesty with all your heart, His Majesty will not deliberately embarrass you."

"Of course I will do this, but... I have carefully weighed my current situation. The task His Majesty has given me now is by no means an easy task. The more I serve him, the more enemies I will make. Not only will they curse me verbally, they will also try their best to exclude and attack me. I am not His Majesty's confidant, so he will not value me so much. When encountering increasing resistance, he may They will choose to abandon me. Unless...unless I find a strong backer for myself who is willing to intercede for me and protect me in secret."

After finishing speaking, he raised his head and looked at the earl with expectant eyes, everything seemed to be unspoken.

And this was exactly what Edmund expected.

Villefort, who was anxious and extremely afraid of his future fate, was walking into the trap step by step. He wanted to find a backer for himself to get out of the predicament, but he didn't know that what he found was the predicament itself.

He would pay for it, though not now.

"I understand, you want me to be your patron, don't you?" Edmund said calmly, "Mr. de Villefort, I have to make something clear to you, although I do appreciate your Talent, but this does not mean that I am obligated to solve your problems——"

"Of course, I understand that there is no free lunch in this world!" Villefort quickly replied, "I definitely don't want to beg you for help. On the contrary, I want to provide you with help in exchange for your favor. ! You are His Majesty's confidant, and you are destined to become a big shot soon, but a big shot can never fight alone. You also need your cronies and partners. Although I have limited knowledge, I can be considered a little famous after all. I can provide you with a lot of help, both professionally and socially! In addition, if you become successful in the future, you will inevitably have to face various legal problems, and it is inconvenient for you to come forward. If you have me , If you have my friends to solve these problems for you... then you will definitely be able to solve these annoying little things easily."

Then, as if asking for credit, he reminded the count, "Count, to tell you the truth, Lady Emily has asked me before to help annul her marriage to Mr. Danglars as soon as possible, for your sake." I have already promised her, if you trust me, you might as well let me do it, and I promise to do it properly for you."

In Villefort's view, the biggest problem for Emily now is that she is still "Mrs. Danglars", so strictly speaking, she and the Earl have a concubine relationship. Even if the Earl is His Majesty's favorite, this relationship will inevitably end. It affects the earl's reputation in the court, and at least it is a weapon for his political enemies to attack.

If he could solve this annoying problem for Emily, then he would naturally help the count.

Sure enough, after he mentioned Emily, the Earl's face became much better.

"Then I would like to thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. This is just a small effort on my part. There are many things I can do for you..." A playful smile appeared on Villefort's face, and he continued to flatter the other party.

The count fell into silence, as if weighing the pros and cons.

After a moment, he looked at Prosecutor Villefort again.

"I am a person who likes to listen to stories - Mr. de Villefort, could you tell me the details of that injustice? I think it must be a very interesting story."

Villefort was not surprised by the count's request - he had already received this information from Emily just now.

Moreover, this is not only telling stories, but also giving one's own handle with both hands.

The count used this method to ensure that he would not betray, by locking himself to his ship.

That's not bad either.

Now that the bottom line has been broken repeatedly, Villefort is no longer so timid. He knows that he does not have much bargaining power now, and he knows that the earl is the one who can protect him.

"Actually, it's a long story..." He smiled slightly, and then began his narration, "In 1815, as the heir of a famous noble family, I was reused by King Louis XVIII, and he sent me When I took up my post in Marseille, in order to repay His Majesty the King's grace, I had to perform my duties seriously and punish those dissidents who were dissatisfied with the King. One day, I received a letter of report..."

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Then, he told the count how he participated in Edmond Dantes' affair.

Of course, at this time, Villefort also played a little trick. In order to whitewash himself, he deliberately described his fault at that time as "being too eager to make achievements and making an unintentional mistake." He skipped the time when he rushed to Paris. The meeting with his father, because at that time he had already learned from his father that the poor sailor was innocent.

But even if it was such a deliberately whitewashed story, Edmond Dantès still listened to it with interest.

Before, he knew the whole story through the reasoning done by Father Faria in prison and later through his own private investigation. But now, hearing the whole story from the person in charge at the time can be regarded as filling in for him. Complete the entire tragic history.

It was a wonderful feeling to hear his own tragic experience from others, but when he thought of the disaster and pain he had encountered, Edmund couldn't help but feel angry.

In particular, his father died of hunger and cold after he was imprisoned.

Now, after enjoying the glory and wealth brought by His Majesty, Edmund no longer hates himself so much for being "framed as a Bonapartist", but when he thinks of his father, he has never done anything. The kind-hearted old man who did bad things fell into despair and illness because of his arrest. In the end, he died of hunger. He could not stop his overwhelming hatred.

And the instigator of all this was sitting in front of him, narrating old stories that he dismissed with a nonchalant expression.

Does he regret it? Absolutely not.

Did he ever feel a pang of conscience for a moment? Absolutely not.

So...he must get the revenge he deserves, no less!

It took a lot of effort for Edmund to resist his urge to strangle the other person.

He still remembered the agreement he made with his father.

"Okay... I've finished talking about these old things." Villefort, who had no idea, finally ended his story. Then he looked at the count again. "Count, I have nothing to hide from you... What do you think?"

He was actually hinting to the count, ‘I handed over my handle, which means that I am completely harmless to you and am happy to be yours’.

"A very interesting story." Edmund replied in a hoarse voice, "Mr. de Villefort, I recognize you as my ally. We will cooperate happily in the future."

"We have a pleasant cooperation!" Villefort was overjoyed and quickly stood up and bowed to the count. "You will never regret your decision today."

"Of course, I believe so."