Margaret's Secret

Chapter 21 From Shanghai to Paris (13)
The fields in the rain were full of soil moisture. They all closed their eyes and took a few deep breaths. Marguerite said with blurred eyes, "Smelling this smell is like returning to the royal estate outside Paris."

"Isn't that where you and Lamour had a tryst?"

Margaret seemed to have been shocked by an electric shock, and stopped talking, and the atmosphere between the two became tense again.

Lin Hai was silent for a while and said, "I'm sorry, let's go quickly."

"Where are you going?"

"The bank, of course—open my grandpa's safe!"

He patted his schoolbag, and the "Red and Black" with the safe certificate was in the bag.

Holding umbrellas and coming to the road, they boarded a bus back to the city.I changed cars twice in the middle, and I didn't find the bank on the voucher until ten o'clock in the morning.

That's it!
Lin Hai took Margaret's hand and stepped carefully into the bank's gate. There was indeed a safe room inside, and he had to submit a certificate to enter.

Although the certificate left by grandpa was issued ten years ago, it is still valid today.Walking into the small safe room, Lin Hai suddenly had a feeling of déjà vu, as if he had come to the secret room where the oil painting "Marguerite" was displayed in the Western Art Museum.

According to the number on the voucher, they quickly found the safe, which was at the bottom of the row of urn-like drawers, and the number was "091313".

There is a small window for pressing the password on the outside of the safe. You must have the password to open the box, but Lin Hai can't find any password on the certificate.

What to do?Lin Hai scratched his head. Grandpa must have known or set the password when he handled the safe, but why didn't he leave the password?

Could it be that grandpa's illness was too sudden, and he passed away before he could tell his father the password?If so, the secret in the safe went to the grave with Grandpa.

Naturally, Margaret had never been to such a place, and she didn't quite understand the meaning of the password, so she could only stare at Lin Hai in a daze.The cramped safe room was suffocating, and if the two of them were there for too long, the bank security outside would have paid special attention.

No, the password must be unlocked quickly.

Lin Hai suddenly remembered the French version of "Red and Black", and quickly took it out of his schoolbag. He had already folded a corner of the page with the safe deposit box certificate, so he quickly found it. one page.

This page is exactly Chapter 10 "Queen Marguerite" in the second volume. The content of the text is that De La Mole was beheaded in 1574, and Queen Marguerite carried his head to be buried.On the first line on the left side of the page, such a date is written—April 1574, 4.

This was the day when de La Mole was beheaded!
Lin Hai looked at the context again. This passage was spoken to Julien by an academician, and it was translated into Chinese as: "Do you really not know what happened on April 1574, 4?"

This is also the part most related to Margaret in the whole "Red and Black". Why did grandpa put the safe certificate on this page?Is there some special meaning in the words on this page?
Lin Hai suddenly thought of a certain book, which also contained the plot of cracking the password of the safe.Yeah, maybe grandpa did leave the combination to the safe, and the combination is hidden in this page with the safe certificate!He read the page carefully again, and the most conspicuous figure was "April 1574, 4" on the first line.

If you remove the year, month, day and read it in the order of the current Chinese, it will be "15740430".

Is this number the password?

It was really hard for Lin Hai to be sure. He lowered his head and walked a few steps. What if the password is wrong?If it is wrong to lose three times in a row, the security will definitely detain them. Do you want to take a risk?

However, if this important date is not a password, why did grandpa put the credentials on this page?He looked at his watch again, the second hand was moving little by little, and it was almost too late.

At this time, Margaret urged him anxiously: "What's the matter? Nostradamus may be about to find us."

Can't wait any longer, I'm afraid the bank security will come looking for them before Nostradamus.Anyway, this is something left by my grandfather. As a grandson, Lin Hai certainly has the right to open it and have a look.

It's time to gamble.

Lin Hai squatted down slowly, held his breath, and tremblingly pressed the password—

15740430
The machine paused for about two seconds, and the word "PASS" suddenly appeared on the display screen, and then a "click" sound was heard from the safe door.

Open Sesame!
Lin Hai and Margaret stared at the safe door tremblingly as it slowly opened like the door of an ancient tomb.

However, what surprised them was that what was hidden in the safe was neither banknotes nor antiques, but a letter.

a letter?Lin Hai still had some doubts about his own eyes. He carefully put his hand into the safe, and there were indeed no other items. There was only this letter in the huge safe.

The envelope was a piece of yellow kraft paper with a line of grandpa's handwriting written on it: "My grandson Lin Hai kisses me".

In an instant, Lin Hai's heart seemed to be stabbed by something, and his grandfather's face in memory suddenly became clear, and the tip of his nose seemed to smell the smell of that old paint again.

Sure enough, it was a letter from his grandfather. Lin Hai buried his head between his knees, his chest filled with a touch of sadness.

Margaret patted him gently: "What's wrong with you? What is this?"

Lin Hai stood up tremblingly, raised his head and took a few deep breaths, and said softly, "Let's get out of here quickly." He pulled Margaret and ran out of the bank, holding the letter left by his grandfather in his arms.

On the road outside the bank, Lin Hai looked around in bewilderment. He knew he couldn't stay here for a long time. He had already left a scent nearby, and Nostradamus might find it here.

Lin Hai stopped a taxi while hesitating, and pulled Margaret into the car.The taxi galloped for more than half an hour in the rain, and finally stopped at the back door of Lin Hai's university.

But he didn't want to go back to school, because it was too conspicuous to take Margaret with him, and teachers and classmates couldn't see her.Lin Hai went to the cafe opposite the back door of the school. In the first two novels of this book, the author mentioned this semi-basement cafe, and many important plots were explained here.

Lin Hai chose the most inconspicuous corner to sit down. Even if some classmates came to the cafe, it would be difficult to find their existence.He ordered two cups of coffee and some snacks. France in the sixteenth century did not have the habit of drinking coffee, so Marguerite drank the first cup with a frown. She didn't know that this drink had long been used by Europeans Loved for hundreds of years.

Grabbing some snacks for lunch, and then asking the waiter to wipe the table clean, Lin Hai slowly took out the letter.The seal of the envelope was still tight. He carefully opened the letter and took out a stack of manuscript paper from the envelope.

Although ten years have passed, the safe made the paper look like new, and the blue pen writing clearly appeared. Lin Hai was sure that it was Grandpa's handwriting.

What important information is hidden in this letter, which is worthy of being kept so secret by Grandpa?Lin Hai took another deep breath, and tremblingly read the ten-year-late letter—

My grandson Lin Hai:

When you read this letter, grandpa has passed away for many years, but grandpa will watch you from another world and watch everything you have experienced today.

Yesterday, grandpa saw the report from the hospital and knew that he would not live long, and that death would soon take grandpa away.I have never been afraid of death, but what I am afraid of are other things, secrets that have been hidden for many years, and those secrets are so important that some people will not be willing to die.For decades, I have kept secrets from anyone, and when I go to the grave, those secrets will be buried forever.

But do I really want to bury those secrets forever?Perhaps it's unfair to the rest of the world that I have no right to take secrets to my grave.Therefore, I will record the secret here, and I believe you will have the opportunity to read this letter.

Lin Hai, Grandpa never talked about his past, and you don't know what happened to Grandpa when he was young.In fact, when my grandfather was in his 20s, he studied abroad in France for four years, and that experience was unforgettable. In 1932, after graduating from the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, I embarked on a work-study ship to France.Not long after I arrived in Paris, France, I was lucky enough to be admitted to the Art Department of the University of Voltaire. I was a poor student with no background. I could only study at school during the day and work in pubs or coffee shops at night.

Living in a Parisian environment forced me to learn French very quickly.I suddenly discovered my love for French literature, so I often went to second-hand bookstalls to buy French novels to read.Sometimes I also go to Montemar, where I often meet Picasso and others, but what I studied was classical realistic oil painting, and was not accepted by modernist painters.I feel that I was born in the wrong era. I like the works of masters before the nineteenth century so much, so I put my mind on museums, and often go to the Louvre to see classical oil paintings.

Once, I went to the famous St. Louis Museum, because there are some French court paintings in the collection, including an oil painting called "Marguerite".Nearly 60 years have passed, and I still can’t forget the moment when I saw the painting for the first time, as if I was facing a living life, and her name was Margaret!Yes, I am deeply shocked by this oil painting, it is not a painting at all, but a burning flame, which has never been extinguished since more than 400 years ago, and everyone who sees her is fascinated dump.

At that time, I was dumbfounded in front of the oil painting for a full 10 minutes, as if there was a magic power in the painting that grabbed me tightly and took away my three souls and six souls all at once.When I woke up again, I saw the brief introduction of the work below. It turns out that the woman in this painting is the French queen Marguerite at the end of the sixteenth century.I was deeply attracted by the people in the painting. After leaving the St. Louis Museum, I immediately went to the library of the University of Voltaire. After spending a whole day, I finally found several books about Marguerite. Know something about Queen Margaret in history.At the same time, I also found that Marguerite was mentioned in the book "The Red and the Black", especially about the person de La Mole.

In the next few days, the shadow of Margaret in the oil painting always appeared in front of my eyes, and I found myself fascinated by the person in this painting, and I couldn't help but went to the St. Louis Museum again.It was very late that day, and I stood in front of the "Marguerite" oil painting for half an hour, and when the museum closed and drove me out, night had already fallen.As soon as I walked out of the gate of the museum, I saw a black figure flashing in the alley next to me. I subconsciously took a few steps forward, and the figure actually walked towards me.There happened to be a gas street lamp next to it, illuminating the face of that figure. To my surprise, it turned out to be a beautiful French girl.

Although it was just passing by for a moment, my heart was caught by her, because she has a pair of very charming eyes.When she walked past me, our eyes met, and I was so embarrassed by her bold and cold eyes that I could only take a step back to let her pass.With her long black hair and a long black dress, she looks like a ghost from the era of Louis XIV on the cold and deserted streets of Paris.

So many years have passed, and I still can't accurately describe my mood at that time. I felt that I couldn't control myself, and I couldn't help following her, turning into an alley like her shadow.I have lived in Paris for several years, and I know that the law and order in such alleys is very bad, and robbers often come and rob single women at night.While he was in fear, two black shadows appeared in front of him, blocking the girl's way.The two robbers started to move on her, I rushed up without hesitation, yelled, and punched one of them hard in the face.The two robbers were frightened by me, and immediately turned and fled.

The girl also looked quite frightened. Although I couldn't see her face clearly in the dark, I could feel her rapid breathing.I asked her where she lived and if I would take her home, and she just nodded sheepishly.I took her through the alley. It turned out that this is the only way to walk from the museum to the nearby street. No wonder she walked here.She reported her address, which turned out to be a hotel. I walked with her for 10 minutes and returned to the hotel room.

She said her name was Mathilde, she was from a small town in the south of France, and she was very grateful to me for saving her.I suddenly became a little stiff and didn't know what to say. She said that it was the first time she met a Chinese, so she stared at me for a long time.Although she lived in a small hotel, she was very elegant in conversation, and I soon fell in love with her.After chatting for a long time before I knew it, I left her room.

I didn't sleep well that night and went to see her again the next morning.Just like this, we got to know each other very quickly, and she even came to Voltaire University to see me draw a few times.I found myself falling in love with her irresistibly, I forgot the difference between our race and nationality, and she accepted me without reservation.She asked me to go back to my hometown with her, and I immediately agreed, and set off south with her.

We arrived at that small town in the south of France. Her family lived in a very remote old manor in a valley outside the small town.Her father, who seemed to be of noble descent, received me very warmly, and didn't seem to mind that I was Chinese.Only then did I know the surname of this family—Lamor, which reminds me of the Marquis Lamor in "The Red and the Black".I always feel that this family looks a little strange, it seems that they have little contact with the outside world, and even the voice of their speech has the characteristics of Old French.

On the second day after I arrived there, I heard that the court paintings of the Saint-Louis Museum were exhibited in a nearby city.Mathilde took me there. It was a dark and windy night, and she led me quietly to the back of the exhibition hall. It turned out that someone opened an iron door.We broke into the exhibition hall and found the painting "Marguerite" in the dark.I carried an easel, brushes and paints with me, and under the care of Mathilde, I lit a dim kerosene lamp and copied "Marguerite".

I don't know why she does it, but I love her so much that I do everything she says.Facing "Marguerite" in the dark, it felt like I was talking to someone 400 years ago. I was engrossed in copying it, and every stroke seemed to bear the imprint of that year.The copying of this painting was very difficult, and it was impossible to complete it overnight. When it was almost dawn, Mathilde urged me to leave quickly, leaving no trace of outsiders breaking in.

On the second night, we did the same thing again, breaking into the exhibition hall to copy "Marguerite".After going on like this for about a week, I finally finished a painting of "Marguerite" that was almost fake, so that I couldn't tell which one was real and which one was fake.I gave the finished facsimile to Mathilde's father, and he said that it would be further processed to make the paint on the painting look older, no different from the painting 400 years ago.

So far I have vaguely understood that they were going to manufacture a fake "Marguerite", and I became their fake tool.A few days later, my copy of Marguerite disappeared, and the exhibition of the court paintings at the Musée de Saint-Louis was over, and they all returned to Paris, as if nothing had gone wrong.Only then did Mathilde take out the real work of "Marguerite". It turned out that they had already replaced the real work with the fake one I painted.The museum was completely kept in the dark that the "Marguerite" on display in Paris is actually a copy of my painting.As for the real "Marguerite" 400 years ago, it remained in the estate of the Lamor family.

This frightens me so much that the Lamors are all thieves!And my beloved Mathilde is using me at all!When I was distraught and desperate, Mathilde came to my side and secretly brought the real "Marguerite". She said that she was tired of the lifeless life in the family and was willing to follow me To the ends of the earth.The look in her eyes as she spoke made me believe I was dying of joy.So we left the manor with the real "Marguerite" and quietly boarded the train to Marseilles.

Mathilde not only took away the original "Marguerite", but also stole an ancestral parchment from the Lamor family. She said that a certain important secret was recorded in it, and it might be used for the future. We are useful.I know that the Lamor family will catch up soon, and the only way is to escape from Europe as soon as possible, and Mathilde is willing to elope with me and live in distant China.We hid the real "Marguerite" in a large picture folder, passed through customs like this, boarded a ship, and embarked on the road to the East from the port of Marseilles.

(End of this chapter)