Eagle’s Glory

"Hahahaha, pathetic and ridiculous Fernan, it turns out that even if you sell me, you won't be rich and prosperous...hahahaha..."

Marshal Marmont's laughter was full of bitter sarcasm. This was the happiest news he had heard in months.

Fernand was his confidant who had been cultivated and promoted by him, and he had always been entrusted with important responsibilities. It was he who turned this once penniless poor boy into a colonel and an earl. As a result, when he was in decline, the earl But he stabbed him in the back without hesitation, launched a mutiny, tied him up and presented him to the King of Rome in exchange for a chance to rise to prominence.

Now that he is in this situation, Marshal Marmont does not hate the King of Rome. After all, there are winners and losers in this game. If he loses, he deserves to be punished. Instead, he hates Fernand with gnashing of teeth. Now that he heard that this guy is actually dead. , naturally extremely happy.

Of course, he deliberately ignored that he once played the same role against Emperor Napoleon - Emperor Napoleon turned him from a minor adjutant into a marshal and duke of the empire, but he also stabbed the emperor in the back without mercy, and the emperor arrived I will talk about him till my death.

The marshal's joyful ridicule made Edmund feel a little disgusted. Of course, he was not sympathizing with Fernand. He just felt that neither of these two despicable people deserved sympathy, and it was best to go to hell together.

In addition, although the conclusion that Aigron gave about "sudden death during the banquet" was a bit far-fetched, after the news was announced, the outside world did not doubt it. It was not that people believed in Aigron's morality, but at that point in time , everyone felt that the King of Rome needed to stabilize people's hearts. Key figures like Count Fernand de Morcerf, who took the lead in defecting, would definitely receive preferential treatment. The King of Rome had no reason to kill him.

Even if we have to burn bridges across the river, the time has not yet come.

Therefore, at this point in time, no one would believe that the King of Rome ordered the death of Count Morcerf. Everyone just secretly laughed at Count Morcerf for his unlucky fate and actually died on the eve of his rise to fame.

After a brief commotion, everyone soon forgot about the count.

As for Marshal Marmont,

He also didn't believe that this was done by the King of Rome, so he didn't use it to attack the young man. He just mocked the traitor Fernand who had failed in vain.

"Count Morcerf was originally favored by His Majesty and was about to be reused. However, he died suddenly due to an accident during the palace celebrations. This is indeed a great loss for our country." He said in a tone of implicit sarcasm. , teased the dead Fernand, and then deliberately mocked the marshal, "However, his contribution to His Majesty will be remembered by us. After all, without his efforts, the French would have shed a lot more blood. ——Just like you said just now, he did not sit back and watch you waste the lives of your subordinates in a desperate struggle, but made the most correct choice..."

The harsh sarcasm made Marmont's originally pale face turn red immediately, and these words hit the point right away, dispelling the excuse he originally made for himself - your betrayal was to "save human lives" in France, so what's your point? Did the student Fernand also do a good job? Do you want to give me a few words of praise?

But even though he was extremely angry, because he had just been beaten, he did not dare to retaliate with insults. He was just so angry that his lips trembled, and then he stared at the Count of Monte Cristo coldly.

If given the chance, he would definitely let this arrogant earl enjoy the most painful death in the world.

However, Edmund turned a deaf ear to the Marshal's hateful gaze. The reason why he acted so meanly was on the one hand because of his disgust for Marshal Marmont, but on the other hand, he was also deliberately provoking the Marshal against Fernand. Hatred - and this hatred is the key to their next plan.

Seeing that the count had already instigated the matter, Prosecutor Villefort intervened at the right time.

"Marshal Marmont, because Count Morcerf is dead, many of the original facts no longer have witnesses. I have to ask you some questions, including Count Morcerf's own role in this incident. Role—" He used a soft but serious tone even as he explained the situation to the other party.

The hatred and joy on the marshal's face gradually faded, and instead he looked at the prosecutor opposite with a very playful look.

"why me?"

After all, Marshal Marmont has been working in high-level circles for decades and has accumulated a lot of experience. He immediately smelled something wrong from the unusual actions of these two people.

Indeed, he is now a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. He basically has no political value. Logically speaking, everything he says is meaningless. He is just waiting for others to accuse him. There is no need to ask for his opinion. .

Even if Fernan died, there would still be plenty of people who could explain clearly what happened back then, and there would be no need to mobilize troops to find him.

Unless...a suspicion flashed through his mind.

"After all, you are the party involved. Is there anything you know better than yourself?" Prosecutor Villefort replied with a smile, and then continued meaningfully, "Without your own confession and guilty plea, I'm afraid His Majesty wouldn't Very satisfied."

The prosecutor's answer confirmed the marshal's suspicion.

This group of people want to use the dead Count Morcerf as a shield to bear infamy with themselves, and then downplay the names of other parties. Even if they are not exonerated, they can at least give them the opportunity to atone for their sins and save themselves. future.

Marshal Marmont didn't know the twists and turns. He thought it was the King of Rome's own intention, and he quickly figured out the intention - maybe for the King of Rome, delving too deeply into the events of that year would only bring trouble to everyone. Now that we have ourselves as the main culprit to convict, and then "waste utilization" of the dead Count Morcerf, it is indeed an approach that has the best of both worlds.

After thinking about all this, the next question is "what to do".

There is actually no need to weigh this point.

Marshal Marmont has already fallen to this point. Of course he doesn't mind dragging one or two people into the water. Moreover, he hates Fernand with all his teeth. Of course he doesn't mind letting Fernand suffer in hell.

He didn't think about getting away with it, because he knew it was impossible. He had to be the principal culprit, but Fernand would also become an accessory and be reviled along with him.

After thinking about all this, he sneered again.

"Of course I know very well what Fernan did back then, but do you dare to write it down? Don't forget that he has made great contributions to you!"

Edmund and Prosecutor Villefort immediately looked at each other secretly, and they also understood that the marshal had taken the bait.

"Our aim is justice. It is true that Count Morcerf did have meritorious service and His Majesty also commended him, but what happened in 1830 has nothing to do with what happened in 1814. No matter what he did, we will truthfully record it and forward it to Your Majesty has decided." Prosecutor Villefort immediately said some high-sounding words, secretly encouraging the marshal to throw dirty water on Fernand.

The more sins a dead person carries, the less pressure there is on the living. He and the Count of Monte Cristo also used this method to protect some of the parties involved, and this will also be their political capital.

For Marshal Marmont, he has lost everything now, so it is a good thing to have Fernand on his back; by the way, he has also secretly protected those people, and maybe his family will also be able to protect him at some point in the future. Will receive certain care.

So after getting a hint from the prosecutor, Marshal Marmont was very cooperative and began his confession with almost no urging.

In the marshal's confession, before he made the decision to lead his troops to surrender, it was Fernand, his adjutant, who had been persuading him that he needed to "find another way out" for France; it was also Fernand who left the army. Previously, he secretly sent orders to help him mobilize the army; it was also Fernan who helped him communicate with the coalition forces in private and acted as a messenger.

Buckets of dirty water were poured on the dead Fernand mercilessly, so much so that the prosecutor felt it was inappropriate.

Fernand's status at the time was not high, he was just an adjutant to the marshal. Even if he could fake the power, it was impossible to mobilize the entire army. Therefore, in order to be logical, he had to secretly help the marshal "modify" his confession so that it would be logical. Let Fernand's actions appear very prominent without being too deviant from the logic of reality.

Although the Count and Marshal Marmont hated each other, they reached a tacit understanding at this time. They clearly did not say a word about "cooperation", but through inadvertent cooperation, the late Fernand - Count de Morcerf became Marshal Marmont's most effective and most effective assistant when he conspired to rebel in 1814. He had both ends of the spectrum and wanted to climb up because he was afraid that he would be involved in the next war. He lost his life in it, so he tried his best to persuade the marshal and others to surrender, which contributed to the betrayal incident.

There is no doubt that as long as Marshal Marmont's confession is circulated during future interrogations, Fernand will be ruined, and by that time, he will definitely be scrutinized by the outside world again, and people will find out that he forged it for himself. Genealogy pretended to be a nobleman, he betrayed his benefactor Ali Pasha's family in Ioannina, and all kinds of evil deeds will be exposed to the world.

His former reputation will be completely ruined.

And this kind of revenge finally satisfied Edmund - how could the person who stole his fiancée and killed his father be buried as a hero? He must get such an end before he can be satisfied.

For Marshal Marmont, he was extremely aggrieved and suffered a lot during this period. Now this small revenge finally made him feel a lot more comfortable, and even the beating he just received was nothing.

After the confession was completed, this nondescript "interrogation" came to an end. It can be said that both parties achieved relatively satisfactory results.

"Your Majesty, Marshal, I'm sorry that we met in this way, and I'm also very sorry for the quarrel we just had. However, your current attitude makes me very satisfied, and I believe your confession will also satisfy His Majesty." Of course it was impossible for him to say This was a private exchange between him and the count, but he once again used the King of Rome as a banner to warn the other party not to play tricks.

After threatening him, he changed his face and told the other party softly, "Since you are so cooperative, I might as well reveal to you what His Majesty means. Your Majesty does not want the turmoil in the country to continue. He He is also tired of the endless bloody revenge for decades. He just wants to pursue a just result. There is no doubt that he has great opinions on you, but he will not want to put you to death, as long as you follow Continue to display a good attitude and I am confident you will receive a lenient outcome.”

Marshal Marmont was stunned.

After being imprisoned for so long, he has been cut off from the outside world, and he is also at a loss about his fate. Now it seems that his life has been saved. The King of Rome just wants to use himself as a negative example to scare potential dissident elements.

Will the final sentence be imprisonment or exile?

No matter which one it is, it is a bitter result, but compared to being shot or beheaded, this is an extremely good result.

Of course, he couldn't thank the King of Rome profusely, so he just nodded slightly. "Can I meet him once?"

"Whether I see you or not depends on Your Majesty. I can't guarantee you this." Villefort shook his head, "But I can convey this request to you."

Then Prosecutor Villefort made a gesture to the warden to end the interrogation, and the warden took Marshal Marmont back to his single cell.

After the marshal was taken away, the prosecutor picked up the marshal's confession he had just written, and then looked at the earl with a slightly proud look. It was more of a show of merit than a celebration from his comrades.

"Now we have what we wanted, Mr. Count."

"You are indeed a rare talent." Edmund replied. "Not only me, but His Majesty will also be satisfied with your performance."

He said this sincerely. No matter how morally corrupt Villefort was, at least in his professional field, he was an amazing and outstanding talent.

It is precisely because he is so outstanding and can manipulate the law so easily that he despises human morality so much. In his view, all "principles" are just tools that can change everything, and the lives of ordinary people are just stepping stones for him to climb up. That's it, so he can betray, frame, and bully with peace of mind. This is nothing to him.

Will I become this kind of person in the future? Edmund suddenly had this strange thought.

He asked himself, how much of himself was still the young sailor who set sail in the Mediterranean?

It is indeed very different. He has been transformed by reality and turned into a hero who kills and sets fire without frowning.

But...he didn't want to throw away the last shadow of the past.

In any case, the Count of Monte Cristo cannot become another Villefort, otherwise what is the point of all the pain, all the tears and all the revenge?

I, Edmond Dantès, although I have abandoned this name, will still die clinging to my conscience. He swore secretly to himself.

After making all these sacrifices, I must become a person who is beneficial to the world, and only in this way can I be qualified to laugh loudly at my enemies...