Eagle’s Glory

Paris actually has two faces, one is a drunken, fun-seeking look, it blooms at night, those gentlemen, ladies and street warblers, either indulge in pleasure in theaters or dances, or wander around. , greedily sucking the brilliant lights, ignoring everything in the world.

On the other hand, it appears in the daytime. It is serious and rigid, indifferent and harsh, and everyone operates according to their position in the social machine.

Every morning, Paris is like a busy hive, full of energy, people come and go, rushing to complete the seemingly endless work.

On this early summer morning, as usual, at eight o'clock in the morning, Jean-Antoine Poncena got off the carriage on time and came to the building of his bank.

This is a beautifully constructed five-storey building, carefully designed with a golden and fuchsia façade, divided by marble columns and marble carvings between the columns and the windows, although It's unassuming, but there's something solemn about it, and it seems to symbolize the country's new rising power class.

Under the guidance of the secretary, Jean-Antoine Poncena quickly walked up to the top floor and came to his spacious office.

This office occupies a half-floor area, but the furnishings inside are not luxurious. There are cabinets for documents and bills everywhere, just like a library. In the middle is a walnut desk and a large chair, from which you can see the Seine River and the Louvre Museum in the distance from this position, with a panoramic view of Paris.

The building itself, and everything in it, as well as the "Bank of Poncena" based on it, belonged to this old Jean-Antoine Poncena.

He is very thin, and his face is even more stern due to his old age, showing a stereotyped blue color. Combined with the black clothes on his body, it is as cold and hard as marble.

He came to Paris by chance when he was in his thirties, and after more than 20 years of hard work, he has transformed from an obscure shopkeeper in other provinces to a prestigious banker today.

Although he has a huge family wealth and has a huge influence in the financial world, Jean-Antoine Poncena is still the same as in the past, dressed in extremely simple, even a little shabby, he only wears casual clothes, and he never wears any Badges or medals, and rarely participate in public activities, and even declined the proposal to be invited to serve in public office. This simple and humble attitude to life has aroused the respect of others. Everyone said that there was a priest in the smoky Paris exchange. .

And he is indeed worthy of the nickname "Father". He has always been known for his steely will. The rise and fall of public debt and the division and combination of creditor's rights cannot move him. The iron will to maintain the stability of the money network he wove with his own hands.

He has lent businesses, underwritten bonds, and issued promissory notes. He has been involved in almost every business field. However, such a huge business volume has not overwhelmed his spirit. Under the handling of him and his carefully selected subordinates, for many years There have been few mistakes in these businesses, and his promissory notes have always enjoyed a reputation for being extremely stable, and have vaguely become one of the benchmarks in the industry.

Although his life is very low-key, he is rarely known to the outside world, but the fame he has accumulated over the decades has made him admired by people in the industry, and he has the prestige of a "priest".

Today, however, the priest has changed his marble-like composure, and appears uneasy.

The source of his unease was a letter in his desk—he had received it yesterday.

With his status, it is logically impossible for ordinary letters to be delivered to him. Naturally, his secretary will handle it on his behalf, but yesterday his secretary brought this letter to him, just looking at the cover. Just know that this letter is extraordinary - the name of Lucien is signed on the letter.

The name was ordinary, and the surname was not indicated, but Poncena had already communicated with Prince Lucien-Bonaparte several times, so he understood that it was the prince who wrote the letter on purpose.

Jean-Antoine Poncenet remembered the favor that the prince once gave him. If he hadn't supported him, he would have been able to spend his life in obscurity in a small town, and would not have come to Paris to create what he is today. His career was over, so he was very grateful to Prince Lucien-Bonaparte, who had written many times to the prince who lived in Rome before, but the prince rarely replied to him.

He hurriedly opened the envelope and quickly scanned the contents of the letter.

The content of the letter was quite ordinary, but it was just an ordinary reminiscence and warm greetings, but at the end of the letter, the prince instructed him that he might have a friend who would come to Paris recently, and if he asked him for help, he asked him to support him as appropriate.

A few ordinary words, but aroused great waves in Poncena's heart.

As a successful banker, although he seems to be reclusive, he keeps a close eye on all kinds of news, as a benchmark for investment judgment, so of course he knows that the Bonaparte family is now under the leadership of the Roman king. He became active again - and his previous appearance near Strasbourg was causing such a stir that even His Majesty the King was outraged.

Against this background, Prince Lucien-Bonaparte took the initiative to write a letter to himself and asked him to take care of his "friend", which could not help him feel a heavy pressure.

Undoubtedly, he could burn the letter directly, and for his own safety, he should do the same, but in the end Poncenar didn't do it, just put the letter on his desk.

This aspect is due to the kindness of Prince Lucien to him. He will always remember that without the help of the prince, he would never have been able to stand out from the crowd;

On the other hand, in his heart, he felt vaguely that he should not offend the Bonaparte family too much.

He has been through so many storms in his life, he has seen the most bizarre and unpredictable political changes, the guillotine of kings, the founding and demise of republics, the founding and demise of empires. , he naturally knows that the status quo may not be stable.

Can the Bonaparte family succeed again? He didn't know, but at least it was probable - after all, what bizarre thing hasn't happened in France over the years?

Therefore, after thinking about it, he decided to continue to wait and see what happened to Prince Lucien's "friend".

He secretly gave orders to his cronies, and if anyone asked to see him during this time, he must inform himself.

According to the professional habits developed over the decades, after taking his seat, Poncener sat in the chair solemnly, picked up the pen and prepared for today's work.

However, today was destined to be an unforgettable day for him. At this moment, his henchmen knocked on the door and reported to him the arrival of a visitor who claimed to be "Lucien's friend".

Poncenar was so stunned that he left a long scratch on the document.

It seems that everything can't be avoided after all... He smiled bitterly in his heart.

He is nearly sixty years old, his body is getting weaker day by day, and he is about to retire. He still has a big and prosperous family with several grandchildren. Everything he got now is enough to satisfy him, what more does he need to hope for?

But he knew even more that there are many things in the world, and you can't avoid them if you want to avoid them.

Then, he put down the pen, and then ordered his men to bring the guest over.

In this way, Edmund Dantès, who assumed the name Earl of Bellevue, leisurely walked into the office on the top floor of Poncena Bank.

He was dressed to the brim today, in a cashmere shirt and black tuxedo in Paris fashion, with a cane in his hand and a gemstone ring on his finger.

He has always been a fast learner, and after all, he has been a big man in the Principality of Ioannina for a few months, so he has a bit of grandeur in his gestures, making people look like a nobleman.

After arriving here, he looked at the spacious office, and then put his eyes on the banker behind the desk, and at this time, the banker Poncenar was also looking at him.

The man who had brought Edmund in saluted the old man and left the office, the two of them alone.

After a moment of staring at each other, the old banker stood up, then walked up to Edmund Dantes on his own initiative, and held out his hand to him.

"What shall I call you? Are you really the Earl of Bellevue?"

"Out of respect for you, Your Excellency, I should report my real title in front of you." Edmund Dantès also told the truth, not wanting to play tricks with him, "I am the Count of Monte Cristo, as for my real name It is temporarily inconvenient to disclose it to you."

"The Count of Monte Cristo..." The banker frowned, as if munching on information. "I think I've heard of it."

Then, his eyes lit up, as if he had remembered something.

"Ioannina seems to have a Count of Monte Cristo..."

"Your news is really well-informed." Edmund Dantes nodded generously and admitted his true identity.

The old man fell silent for a moment, staring blankly at Edmund, as if he was thinking about something.

"There is no doubt that you can choose to arrest me and turn it over to the police for a reward, which you can easily do now - but Prince Lucien assures us that you are by no means such a person, and His Majesty believes that his own uncle judgment." Edmund Dantes looked at the other person calmly, and then continued, "I don't think you would do such a thing."

Of course I wouldn't do it... Poncenar thought.

Not only because of the repayment of gratitude to the prince, but also out of consideration for his own protection - the Count of Monte Cristo is a trusted and favored servant of the King of Rome. If he does this, in case the Bonaparte family is really restored one day , Even if he had passed away at that time, I am afraid that his family would not be able to escape the reckoning.

So, either leave it alone or help, there is absolutely no option to snitch.

From the sight of the old man, Edmund Dantes was also able to grasp his thoughts, at least he did not notice any hostility in the other party.

At this moment, he suddenly realized his own weight.

Yes, as long as someone is afraid of the Bonaparte family, they must respect themselves three points, because they are His Majesty's spokesman... In an instant, he understood the terrible word "power".

Even such a well-known banker has to be so afraid of himself.

He is in touch with power, and may have power later, and he must stay awake at all times so as not to be corrupted by it.

"His Royal Highness is kind to me, I can't tell the truth, sir, if I do this, the reputation I have accumulated in my life will be wiped out - and for those of us in this industry, reputation is everything." There was a moment of silence. After that, Poncenar spoke slowly, "However, Count, I can probably guess your intention. What kind of help do you want me to provide?"

He hoped that the other party would ask him for money-because asking for money was the most trivial thing for him, and it was the easiest to get rid of responsibility, but to his disappointment, the count did not give an answer immediately. "I just came down to visit his old friend on behalf of the Prince, and by the way, I bring you His Majesty's greetings... Please rest assured, he has nothing to ask of you now."

If you don't want money, it will be troublesome... The old man's heart flashed a hint of helplessness again.

I don't ask for myself now, which means that I will definitely have it in the future, and I really have a headache on how to deal with that young man.

It is true that he is grateful to Prince Lucien-Bonaparte, but to say how much admiration he has for the Bonaparte family and the empire is not necessarily true.

But in the current situation, since the other party didn't ask for it, it would be very difficult for him to turn away from him, and he had the prince's letter.

"Thank you, His Royal Highness, for your love. I am in very good health, and so are my family members." As he thought about all kinds of thoughts, the old man replied in a low voice, "He asked me to take care of you in the letter, Mr. Count, since the prince has something for me. Well, then no matter who you are, I will try my best to take care of you, and only in this way can I repay his favor back then."

He killed his words on "repaying kindness" instead of "loyalty", and only said "try my best", which was the most appropriate reply he could make in this situation.

"Thank you." Edmund Dantes didn't mean to force the other party, but just smiled lightly, "I'm new here, and I also need the support of a well-respected and prestigious social sage like you, so that I can make a little difference in Paris. Come to Mingtang to live up to His Majesty's expectations."

The meaning behind the words of the Count of Monte Cristo made Poncena feel even more uneasy. If he was twenty years younger, he would naturally be able to deal with it with all his attention - but now he is almost sixty years old. The years inevitably sapped his energy.

And in this kind of issue that concerns the life of the family and the future of the whole family, there can be no neglect.

The Count has been watching the old man. His gentle smile and his unhurried demeanor brought an inexplicable pressure to the old man.

So, he decided to call his best assistant over and let him deal with the harrowing scene with him.

He shook the bell line on the table, and soon, a secretary opened the door and walked in.

"Go and call Beauwang," Poncenar ordered in a low voice.