Margaret's Secret

Chapter 22 From Shanghai to Paris (14)
In this way, the two of us came to Shanghai.In order to prevent Mathilde's father from coming over, we all changed our identities, kept our identities incognito, and cut off contact with our family.We cherished that oil painting and parchment, and spent a sweet life that will never be forgotten.But a year later, the Anti-Japanese War broke out, and Shanghai fell into the flames of war. One day in September 1937, when Mathilde was out shopping, she happened to be bombed by a Japanese plane, and she left me forever.At that time, I was devastated and I really didn't know how to live, but I thought of the oil painting "Marguerite" and the parchment, and I had to live for them.

During the eight years of the Anti-Japanese War, I hid the oil paintings and parchments in a secret place to ensure that they were not destroyed by the war.After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, I met a Chinese woman by chance. Although I still miss Mathilde in my heart, I know that life must go on.I married this Chinese woman and gave birth to your father. Now you should know that she is your grandma who died many years ago.

After liberation, I became a university art teacher, but I always kept that secret. I never mentioned my past to anyone, and I never spoke any foreign language. I just lived in obscurity and spent the rest of my life.

As of today, so many years have passed, and when I think back to that night in Paris, it seems like yesterday. Mathilde's face is so clear, which makes me dream again.Is this a sign that I am about to enter another world?Where will I reunite with her after the catastrophe?If this is the case, then I will die without regret.

Lin Hai, my dear grandson, have you ever seen a portrait in the small attic?That is copied from the oil painting "Marguerite", I always hang it in the attic, because my youth is buried there.I have not allowed you to climb into the attic, because I don't want you to be fascinated by the woman in that painting. I know that you have completely inherited my appearance and personality.Although you are only 11 years old this year, you are exactly the same as me when I was a child. I am afraid that you will fall into the same pain as me in the future.

As for the parchment I brought from France, I hid it under the dormer window in the attic of the old house, where you can find it in a little compartment.

What you want to know most now must be the real oil painting of "Marguerite" 400 years ago-I have already hidden it in a place that no one can think of.

At this moment, my heart is very contradictory, should I also tell you the whereabouts of the oil painting?I'm worried that once you discover that painting, it will bring you endless trouble and even danger!
So, I decided not to tell you the answer, but I can give you a hint - she has returned to the womb.

Think for yourself, fate will answer for you.

I will put this letter in the bank safe, because the secrets contained in the letter cannot be seen by anyone except you as a grown-up.

Before I die, I will give your father the portrait hanging in the attic and the certificate of the bank safe, and take care that he will never give these two things to you unless it is absolutely necessary.

But I know that one day you will get into trouble, and you will feel a splitting headache and a dilemma. Only by exploring Grandpa's past can you solve your predicament.

Lin Hai, after you read this letter, you will definitely understand Grandpa.

Grandpa will always love you and bless you in another world.

Lin Danqing

Nov. 1995, 1

In the dark cafe, Lin Hai read the whole letter tremblingly, as if there was a certain ghost whispering words in his ear.This is Grandpa's letter, which was ten years late, and his eyes couldn't help but feel a little sore, as if some ancient liquid was about to burst out of his eyes.

While reading the letter, Lin Hai also translated the contents of the letter into French and told Margaret.Many of the contents involved in the letter were incomprehensible to Margaret, so Lin Hai patiently explained them to her.When he finished reading the letter, Margaret's face changed a little. She moved her body back, shook her head and said, "It's incredible."

But she didn't get an answer from Lin Hai. Lin Hai just stared at the letter in a daze, looking like he had become a fool. After a long time, he nodded meaningfully and said, "I understand."

"Understand what?"

"Although not all of them, I have already thought of some."

Lin Hai stopped talking. He lowered his head and thought for a while, especially the whereabouts of the oil painting "Marguerite" 400 years ago. Grandpa didn't say it clearly, but said "hidden in a place that no one can think of", Where is that?

There is a reminder at the end of the letter—she has returned to her mother's body.

God knows what this "matrix" refers to!Could it be that he has returned to France?Lin Hai shook his head helplessly. He really couldn't understand what Grandpa said. Perhaps Grandpa didn't want to tell him that the painting would always remain a mystery.

However, there may be another person who can help him solve the problem.

The man is in Paris.

Yes, why not tell him the contents of the letter?Since Grandpa's stories all happened in France, it is entirely possible to investigate the Lamor family in France, and maybe there will be new discoveries?

Thinking of this, Lin Hai had already made up his mind to send all the contents of this letter to Paris.

It was very hard to read the letter in the cafe, and it took a long time to translate Marguerite, and it was getting dark outside.They ordered some more snacks, and they ate it as dinner.

At [-] o'clock in the evening, they hurried out of the cafe, the rain was still falling outside, and there were no people on the road behind the university's back gate. Lin Hai dragged Margaret into a trot all the way, and got into an Internet cafe by the side of the road.

Margaret was still curious about this, and asked this and that quietly, but Lin Hai didn't answer much.He sat in front of a computer, opened his mailbox, wrote the content described in his grandfather's letter into an E-mail of more than a thousand words, and then sent the e-mail to the writer in Paris—also It is under.

Lin Hai hurriedly called Paris again, it was the afternoon of European time, and I was at the foot of Notre Dame de Paris.

After the phone call, Lin Hai and Margaret sat in the Internet cafe for a while.Lin Hai's mood was very depressed, he stared at the computer screen indifferently, and did not answer any questions raised by Margaret.

Until Margaret asked in a strange tone: "Lin Hai, did you see it?"

Lin Hai has always been reluctant to hear this sentence, his heart felt as if he had been pricked by a needle, he nodded slowly and said: "Yes, I can see it - Grandpa wrote in the letter that the painting 400 years ago The oil painting "Marguerite" had been subcontracted as early as the 30s, and the real one had been brought to China, while what remained on display in the Saint-Louis Museum in France was just a fake painting by my grandfather!"

Margaret seemed to be mentally prepared, and she fought back not to make a sound.

Lin Hai shook his head and continued to speak in pain: "Since the oil painting exhibited in the St. Louis Museum is fake, how could the ghost of Princess Margaret 400 years ago be completed in the 30s? What about the counterfeit?"

She was speechless, just lowered her head and trembled.

"Look up." Lin Hai said loudly in French, which made others in the Internet cafe notice them, "If the ghost in the oil painting really exists, it should also exist in the real one that my grandfather brought to China. And the "Marguerite" exhibited in the Western Art Museum is actually a fake, so all the lies you made up to me earlier will be self-defeating!"

"I'm sorry, please forgive me!"

Margaret's expression was extremely painful, she was forced to raise her head, but she didn't dare to meet Lin Hai's gaze.

"Tell me, what is the reason? Why are you lying to me?"

But Margaret shook her head, turned around and rushed out of the Internet cafe.

Lin Hai threw down the money in a hurry, ran after him, and shouted loudly: "Marguerite!"

In Shanghai at night, it was raining heavily.

When I woke up in the morning, although the sky in Paris was still not clear, it still beckoned me to go out, otherwise I would not be able to see it in a few days.

Professor Orleans and Yu Li are still locked in the laboratory. I don't know what they are discussing. I feel like the meat on the board, waiting for them to chop it up.

That being the case, why not have a good time first, I ran out of the University of Voltaire in the morning and rushed to the famous Musee d'Orsay.

If you have to go to the Louvre to see the works of classicist masters, then you should go to Orsay to see modernism.The Orsay Museum was remodeled from an abandoned train station in 1986. Many works by Renoir, Ingres, Monet, Manet, and Van Gogh are exhibited here.My biggest achievement in Orsay is to see the authentic works of Van Gogh, the genius who once cut off his own ear, showing another world with brushes and paints.There is also Burne Jones' "Wheel of Fortune", the man entangled on the roulette, his body and mind are so helpless, it is perfect to the extreme.Finally, I watched for a long time under the famous statue of San Marco. The guardian of Venice rides on a two-winged lion and sits in a mermaid-like posture. I wonder if the author has given it a special meaning?

It was already noon when I walked out of Orsay, I ate some cake on the side of the road, and then took the subway straight to Notre Dame Cathedral.When I came to the foot of Notre Dame de Paris and was looking up at the tall spire, my cell phone rang suddenly, and it was Lin Hai's number.

I hurriedly answered Lin Hai's call, and he said that he had made another very important discovery, and now he had written all of it in an e-mail and sent it to me, asking me to check the e-mail on the Internet quickly.I agreed to him on the phone, but since we have come to the foot of Notre Dame, let's climb up first.

In 1163 A.D., Pope Alexander and Louis VII jointly laid the foundation stone for Notre Dame de Paris. It was not completed until 1345. Later, after wars and restorations, the building stands still today.Notre Dame usually only opens one or two of the three doors, and the middle one is rarely opened. It is said that this door is only opened once in 25 years. pray.

When you arrive in Paris, you must go to the top of Notre Dame to take a look, because everyone has to go up, so there is a long queue upstairs.After queuing for more than two hours, I was finally lucky enough to step on the top of the tower and take a look at Quasimodo's bell tower by the way.The most famous ones on the roof of Notre Dame are, of course, those little stone beasts. Under the dark April sky, they look down on all living beings in Paris and witness the sorrows and joys of human beings for centuries.I especially took a few photos of the little stone beast. It has wings behind it, looks like an angel, supports its chin with its hands, and seems to be thinking. I am sure it is spiritual.

After queuing for two hours, I was on the top of the building for less than 10 minutes before I hurried down.When I left Notre Dame de Paris and was about to go back, I never expected to meet that tramp—Jacques—on the square.

In this crowded city of flowers in Paris, I met him three times in just a few days, which is indeed a bit of fate.Jacques got a suit from somewhere, and he warmly wanted to hug me, which is not customary among us Chinese, so I returned the salute with fists in both hands.

I wanted to go back to the University of Voltaire to surf the Internet, but Jacques held me back. He wanted to take me for a drink. It must have been some kind of shit luck for him to get a windfall.Thinking of the last time he took back my wallet for me, I really owe him a favor. I think that China has been a country of etiquette since ancient times, how can I let this Banghuer look down on me?Just go, at worst, let me treat you.

Jacques took me to a roadside tavern and had a few casual drinks. We couldn't hold enough alcohol, and Jacques soon started talking nonsense. I couldn't understand what he said anyway.He said "friend" a few times in bad English. It seemed that we were already good friends. I couldn't help laughing at myself. I didn't achieve anything in Paris these days, but I made such a foreign friend.

Although Jacques said he was the one to treat the guests, I paid for him in the end, which was considered a repayment of the favor.

At 1000 o'clock in the evening, I returned to the University of Voltaire. Before I had time to see the professor and Yu Li, I hurried to the top floor of the History Department, turned on my laptop and went online.Sure enough, I received an e-mail from Lin Hai. He wrote more than [-] words in the text of the e-mail.

It's unbelievable that the sheepskin book was obtained in this way!And the oil painting "Margaret" is actually a fake. The real "Margaret" 400 years ago was brought to China and hidden as early as the 30s, and there is still no trace of it.

How to make people believe these things?I shook my head and paced the room, wondering if there was a Chinese youth named Lin Danqing who was thinking as hard as I am now in this campus in the 30s?

No, you must tell Professor Orleans about these things. Since Lin Hai is willing to tell me about his grandfather's past, it means that I am his only hope, and I must help him solve the mystery!

I immediately ran down the stairs and found that the lights in Professor Orleans' laboratory were still on, and he and Yu Li were analyzing something together.I immediately interrupted their conversation and told Yu Li exactly what was in the e-mail I just received.

Yu Li was obviously also taken aback. After he translated these words to Professor Orleans, the atmosphere in the laboratory became extremely tense. I stared blankly at their faces, as if looking at two cold stones.

The ashen-faced Professor Orleans finally spoke, and Lin Hai translated his words to me: "The Lamour family you mentioned just now are the descendants of Queen Marguerite's lover, De Lamour."

"Isn't he executed? How can there be offspring?"

But I thought of "The Red and the Black" again. Isn't there also a family of the Marquis of La Moore?

Yu Li shook his head and replied: "The Lamor family has many branches, many of which are descendants of de Lamor's brothers and nephews. However, the Lamor family you mentioned just now is actually very special. A family tree was found in the south of France a few years ago, and there was a record of this family in it, and it was said that it was a ghost family."

"Ghost family?"

I couldn't help opening my mouth, thinking of the stories in my novels, it turns out that there is no difference between ancient and modern times, and things are the same.

"Yes, it is said that the Lamor family lived in seclusion in a remote valley in the south of France and had little contact with the outside world. Many people died at their hands for hundreds of years." But Yu Li and Professor Orleans They exchanged glances, nodded and said, "However, what interests historians the most is that this La Mole family is the descendant of the illegitimate child born to De La Mole himself and Princess Marguerite. .”

"What did you say? De La Mole had an illegitimate child with Marguerite?"

Although I have read a lot of materials these days, I have never seen such a statement. Isn't this kind of romantic unofficial history the same as the Qing palace dramas that are joked in China?
"This is not the novelist's imagination, but Professor Orléans' research over several years. According to a large number of court archives and records, there is sufficient evidence to prove that on April 1574, 4, de La Mole was killed. After the day of execution, Margaret's figure gradually changed, until mid-November of that year, she secretly gave birth to a son in the court. Her husband Henry never acknowledged the child, and Queen Catherine also believed that He is a bastard, and immediately sent the child out of the palace."

"From this you conclude that the child is de La Mole's flesh and blood?"

"Yes, to be exact, the posthumous son of de La Mole."

"I understand why Margaret was buried with her lover's head in her arms, because she knew that the seeds of her lover had already been planted in her belly."

At this time, Professor Orleans muttered something to Li, he nodded and said: "But more importantly, she wants to give her unborn son a gift."

"Gift?"

"Yes, Professor Orleans and I have researched the results today. According to the parchment you provided, not all of it is written by Louis IX. A small part of the text was added by descendants in the sixteenth century. This can be seen in the font and spelling. Based on these sixteenth-century texts, we can be sure that this is related to the Valois court, and Marguerite was at the court at that time."

"Then you think that this gift that Marguerite wants to give to her illegitimate son is the secret of the 'Louis IX mystery'?"

Yu Li smiled slightly: "You are very smart, you really wrote psychological suspense novels. Yes, when De La Mole was executed, Marguerite was distraught, and wanted to end her life, but thought of the pain in her belly. She still has to bear the burden of humiliation and live on. She not only has to live strong, but also leaves the most important wealth in the world to herself and La Moore's illegitimate son, so that he can avenge his biological father when he grows up. Be king of France and master of the world."

"God, this secret really has such a major effect?"

"At least many people are convinced of this. It can be inferred that Marguerite must have mastered this secret at the time, but her mother forbade her to leave the court and actually put her under house arrest in the Louvre. She also Considering that the child is likely to be forcibly taken away by others when she is born in the future, she cannot tell the secret to the child at all. Therefore, she must use a very concealed method to record the secret information so that it can be passed on to her child in the future. "

But I shook my head and said, "This is really bizarre. These are all your speculations. Is there any evidence?"

(End of this chapter)