Margaret's Secret

Chapter 13 From Shanghai to Paris (5)
The sky was much darker again, with gusts of cold wind blowing across the river, I knew it was going to rain in the morning, but I didn't have an umbrella at hand.I was in a hurry to find that bridge, which is the "New Bridge" in the movie "Lovers at New Bridge", just like people who go to the Thames River in London are looking for the Waterloo Bridge in "Blue Bridge".

The "new bridge" was not found, but the old bridges were one after another. I gave them Chinese names one by one, from "Old Gate Bridge" to "Waibaidu Bridge".

Unfortunately, it finally started to rain. In April, Paris was suddenly bleak and rainy. I looked for a place to shelter from the rain, and finally hid in a bridge hole beside the Seine.

The Seine River is all around, and the rain has made the river turbid, and a few small boats are lying on the bank, just like "a wild crossing without a boat."

Suddenly, I heard someone calling me behind me: "Sir! Sir!"

I turned around nervously, and saw a scruffy man with long fluffy hair in the style of the eighteenth century and a stubble on his chin. He nodded to me with a smile on his face, and said something. String French.

It's a pity that I didn't understand a word, so I just shook my head blankly.The man said another sentence in English: "Hello, How are you?"

I searched the limited English words in my mind, and stammered the answer: "How's yourself?" "

"Bread—"

He pointed to the long bread behind me, and I immediately understood the meaning of the word, which is bread in English.

What surprised me even more was that he spread out his hands to me, he was a beggar!What's funny is that the man had a smile on his face, as if he was praising the friendship between China and France.

Thinking about how I am always "good at giving" when I am in China, naturally I have to carry forward the kind nature of the Chinese people when I go abroad, so I took out the two loaves of bread and "gifted" to this predestined person under the bridge.The more reason is that I really can't eat it anymore, and it's too troublesome to take it back.

"Thank you!" The man took the bread in a very gentlemanly manner, with an aristocratic attitude of "neither humble nor overbearing". He stared into my eyes and asked, "Chinese?"

Probably the Japanese and Koreans who come to Paris are very stingy. They can tell at a glance that I am from a majestic and powerful country, so I can't help nodding complacently.

At this moment, the wind and rain outside the bridge hole is still unabated, and the Seine River seems to have the momentum to overflow the embankment.I could only hug my shoulders and shiver.

Seeing my appearance, the man immediately patted my shoulder, and then took out a tattered umbrella from behind the broken sofa in the bridge hole.I immediately said "Thank you", and there were a few poor English words left, so I didn't know how to express my gratitude.But he just waved the bread in his hand, and those big black eyes seemed to say: "You gave me the bread, I gave you the umbrella, we trade fairly."

Suddenly, I realized that he looked a bit like Alan Deron. How did he end up joining the beggar gang? The world is really changing.Saying "bye" in a hurry, I took up my umbrella and ran out of the bridge hole.

It was raining and raining outside, and Paris was shrouded in rain and fog. I ran along the Seine River for a while holding an umbrella, and finally found the subway station. I took the subway back to the University of Voltaire according to the location indicated on the map.

It was already dark when I returned to the university, and Yu Li was waiting for me in the dining room, and took me to a postgraduate dinner.He looked very tired, as if he had been studying the parchment all day, he shook his head and said: "This matter seems to be getting more and more complicated, Professor Orleans thinks the value of this parchment is very high, whether it is a parchment The texture and production, as well as the writing method of the text on it, are all originals from the [-]th century. As for whether the author is Louis IX himself, this remains to be studied tomorrow.”

"Isn't this great? Isn't Professor Orleans' appraisal the most authoritative? The parchment is true, and the contents recorded in it must be very important."

"Yes, but the problem now is that if it is really a cultural relic from the thirteenth century, it will definitely cause a sensation in the entire European historical circle, and many people will come to interview you by then. However, the professor does not want this to happen, he hopes We can all keep it secret, and he wants to study in a secret state. Because solving the 'Louis IX mystery' is his long-standing dream, and it is also a lifelong research project of many other scholars..."

"I see what you mean. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about it."

Yu Li nodded: "Well, you don't know, in the 70s, we also had an expert at the University of Voltaire, who devoted his whole life to researching the 'Mystery of Louis IX', it is said that he was in a certain place in the south of France Finally found clues and found a mysterious tomb, the coffin board is full of records about Louis IX in Egypt. The expert spent three months studying the coffin, and announced that the coffin will be buried on Christmas Day 1975 On Christmas Eve, the final answer to the "Louis IX Mystery" was announced to the world. However, on Christmas Eve of that year, people found his body, lying in the coffin he was studying. The police have always The cause of death has not been found, and no one dares to study the coffin, so it can only be buried in secret again."

"Is it really that mysterious?"

I can't help but think of the curse of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh. There may be many historical mysteries that we modern people are not allowed to explore, and many people are often buried in curiosity.

"The death incident I mentioned just now is only a relatively famous example in recent decades. In fact, since the nineteenth century, there have been famous scholars and explorers who have become bizarre because of their research on the 'Mystery of Louis IX'. Death, not so much that Louis IX made this secret famous, it is better to say that the death of these researchers made their research objects more mysterious. According to my own incomplete statistics, from 1945 to 2000, A total of thirteen European and American scholars and explorers died because of the "Louis IX Mystery", and the cause of death is still unknown. Of course, these are only recorded deaths. If various unrecorded deaths are added, there may be even more More." Hearing this, I was already horrified. This parchment book involving the "Mystery of Louis IX" was brought to Paris with my own hands, and I have touched it myself. Is it such a terrible thing? , will it involve me again?

Now I have some regrets, there is no free lunch in the world, they invited me to travel to Europe for free, and the price is some unknown danger.And where is the danger?

I looked at Yu Li's silent face, dazed and ignorant.

Today Lin Hai woke up very early, before six o'clock in the morning, he quietly walked down the attic.Margaret was still sleeping on the bed, the quilt just covering her head and neck, her long black hair was scattered on the pillow, maybe she had washed her hair last night.

He walked slowly to Margaret's side, the morning light shone on her eyelids, her white skin was as clear as glass, and it was easy to remind people of the legend of Sleeping Beauty.

Is it just a kiss that can wake her up?
Lin Hai's heartbeat quickened again, he quickly suppressed the thought in his heart, let it stop quickly.

Is Margaret in front of her a human being or a ghost?Her body was aged more than 400 years ago, and she became a pile of dead bones lying in the soil of France.However, if she is just a ghost now, how can she explain her behaviors such as eating and sleeping?
Perhaps, her soul died as early as April 1574, 4, with the head of her beloved La Moore falling to the ground, and the remaining body was just a walking dead, accompanied by her husband to death a few years later.But her mother, Queen Catherine, still loved her, and she didn't want to see her beloved daughter become a soulless person, so the queen mother recalled Margaret's life through the power of Nostradamus who mastered magic. soul, and imprisoned her in the secret room of the Louvre.

In other words, Margaret died on April 1574, 4, at least completely dead in spirit, but she was later resurrected under the spell of Nostradamus, or she Her other self—in order not to conflict with the walking dead Marguerite, who really has a soul—can only be imprisoned in the back room of the Louvre.And this so-called "secret room" is actually the oil painting "Marguerite".

Just as life has countless possible bifurcations, for Margaret's life, she has two possibilities after April 1574, 4: the first is to become a completely "dead heart" Margaret Queen, the second is to be imprisoned forever in the secret room of the Louvre.What we see in history books is her first possibility, and the second possibility does exist, but ordinary people cannot see it, or can only discover it through oil paintings.And what Lin Hai sees at this moment is Margaret in the second possibility.

From the perspective of the outside world, Marguerite is indeed imprisoned in the oil painting, but from the perspective of Margaret herself, she is imprisoned in the secret room of the Louvre.In the space of this mysterious oil painting (secret room), time is always stagnant, which reminds Lin Hai of the time theory of light speed travel - when the astronauts traveling at the speed of light in space return to the earth, they find that the time on the earth has passed Hundreds of years, and only a few hours on the spaceship, his descendants on earth have multiplied for several generations, and he himself is still a young man.This is probably the reason why Margaret in the oil painting (Chamber of Secrets) still maintains a beautiful youth even though more than 400 years have passed in the human world.

Between the world of Margaret's oil painting (the secret room) and our real world, there is a window where we can see each other. This window is the frame of the oil painting for us, and it is the secret room for Margaret. in the mirror.She can see those of us who appreciate the oil painting from the mirror in the back room, and we who appreciate the oil painting can also see Marguerite herself through the frame.Through this picture frame (mirror), Margaret in the oil painting (chamber of secrets) and people in our real world can peek at each other.

As for why Margaret was able to leave the oil painting (secret room), step out of her mirror, and enter the human world more than 400 years later from her world, Lin Hai was completely puzzled.

At this time Margaret finally woke up, she opened her emerald eyes, and seemed to be whispering something in her mouth.Lin Hai couldn't hear what she said clearly, so he couldn't help lowering his head and approaching her: "What are you talking about?"

But she immediately pursed her lips, shook her head and said nothing.

Suddenly, Lin Hai realized that he shouldn't be standing in front of a girl's bed. He wisely retreated to the outside of the old house and went out to buy breakfast and lunch.

When he came back with something to eat, Margaret had finished washing, and her hair seemed to be pulled up. I don't know what tool she used, and she made a hairstyle very casually.

While eating breakfast, Margaret said softly, "Why did you look at me like that just now?"

"Because..." Lin Hai hesitated for a while, and finally said boldly, "You are very charming."

Although all the women in the world like this sentence, Margaret's expression has not changed at all. She said lightly: "I seem to remember that many men said this sentence to me a long time ago. .”

Lin Hai was stunned by her answer. That's right. Margaret in history was glamorous and charming. She had bowed down to countless princes and nobles under her skirt, and had countless romantic affairs. The words just now were really important to her. It's all too common.

Lin Hai's heart sank, and he felt ashamed. Although he was a handsome guy that many girls secretly liked in school, as long as he thought of the French court in the [-]th century and the French movie "Queen Margot", he would immediately You will feel ashamed. On that grand and romantic historical stage, Margaret is the moving heroine, while Lin Hai can't even stand up to the extras.

Suddenly, a hand lifted Lin Hai's chin. It was Margaret's gentle hand. Her fingers were as cold as crystals, gently resting under his jaw, which made the Chinese boy tremble slightly.

"Did my words hurt you?" The breath from her mouth blew onto Lin Hai's face, and she said in a very small voice, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that, but your words reminded me of some past events...God Well, I almost forgot about those people, my brothers, the Duke of Guise, and..."

Her words stopped suddenly, and her eye sockets trembled a few times, as if some ancient liquid was about to gush out.This surprised Lin Hai, she must have remembered someone, right?
Lin Hai took out a handkerchief and handed it to her, but she shook her head and refused.Margaret seemed to be enduring in pain, but the tears flowed down slowly.

This is the first time Lin Hai sees Margaret crying, she is so lovely, who is she sad for?Lin Hai already had an answer in his heart.

He didn't want to disturb Margaret any more, so he put the lunch on the table and said softly, "I'm going to school now, and I'll come back to see you in the afternoon."

Lin Hai left the old house, feeling a little sour all of a sudden.

An hour later, when he returned to school, he ran into some roommates and asked him where he had been these days. Lin Hai could only perfunctorily say that he had gone to the suburbs to take care of his father.

There were two big classes in the morning, both of which Lin Hai didn't like. After three hours of sleepwalking, he rushed to the cafeteria for lunch.

After lunch, he returned to his dormitory, turned on the computer that he hadn't used for a long time, and went online to enter the GOOGLE search engine.

The keyword he searched for was "Nostradamus".

Yes, Lin Hai wants to check the ghost that Margaret mentioned, this person who used some means to imprison Margaret in the oil painting (secret room), this person who is famous in history as a mysterious prophet people.

He searched many Chinese websites, and also entered the French website, and got more French information. Nostradamus, the mysterious figure in France in the sixteenth century, finally gradually surfaced.

Nostradamus's real name is Michel de Nostrodamus, and "Nostradamus" is his Latin-style name. On December 1503, 12, Nostradamus was born in Provence, southern France. It is said that his ancestors had been court doctors.

Nostradamus had extraordinary talents since he was a child, and became a doctor when he was young. Because he was punished by the religious court, he lived a life of wandering for six years, and began to show the ability of prophecy—a nobleman pointed at two ends Piggy, ask Nostradamus to prophesy its fate.Nostradamus predicted that black pigs would be eaten on the plate and white pigs would be eaten by wolves.The lord ordered to kill the white pig for dinner. Unexpectedly, a wolf ate the white pork by surprise, so the servant had to kill the black pig to make a dish.The lord said that the white pig was on the table, Nostradamus insisted that it was the black pig, and finally he called the servants to find out the truth.

In 1555, Nostradamus published his first collection of prophecies, The Centuries, spanning from his time until the end of the world.He originally planned to write a thousand poems and compile ten collections of prophecies, but the seventh was not finished. The collection of poems "The Centuries" is written in obscure medieval style, including French, Provence dialect, Latin, Italian and Greek. The chronological order is deliberately disrupted, and the secrets hidden in the book can only be deciphered by experts.

After the publication of "The Centuries", the name of Nostradamus shocked the whole of Europe, especially in the court, because one of the lines predicted the death of the king. In 1556, Queen Catherine summoned Nostradamus in Paris, and the queen asked about the quatrains that hinted at the king's death. In 1559, the king really died, and the facts verified the prophecy.So in the long life of Queen Catherine, she always believed in the prophecy of Nostradamus.

In 1564, Queen Catherine led the royal family to tour the country and met Nostradamus again in Provence.There was a young man among the Queen Mother's entourage. Nostradamus wanted to see the mole on his body, but the young man refused.The next day, Nostradamus took a peek at the young man while he was asleep and predicted: "This young man will become the king of France in the future." His sons are still alive, so it is not his turn to inherit the throne.But many years later, Nostradamus' prophecy actually came true. The young man became Margaret's husband. After all his political enemies were dead, he finally ascended to the throne of France. He was Henry IV.

When Nostradamus passed away in 1566, when his body was found, it was just as he predicted: "Lying stiffly between the chair and the bed."

Seeing this, Lin Hai took a deep breath, and the terrifying footsteps in the art gallery seemed to be heard again... Yes, that is Nostradamus, a terrifying magical ghost.

But according to historical records, Nostradamus died in 1566, and he had been dead for eight years by the time Margaret was imprisoned in 1574.Lin Hai only thought of two possibilities: the first possibility is that Nostradamus in 1574 was already a ghost; the second possibility is that the one who died in 1566 was just a substitute of Nostradamus, the real magic Master Nostradamus did not die (or his life has become another special form), he was secretly summoned into the palace of Paris by Queen Catherine, and became an important force for the Queen Mother to deal with political enemies. tool.

Perhaps it doesn’t matter whether Nostradamus is a ghost or not. The important thing is that he lived forever in the dark, and spent more than 400 years with Margaret in a hidden corner in the oil painting (chamber).

And now that Margaret has escaped from the cage of the oil painting (chamber of secrets), Nostradamus has the responsibility of guarding her, how could he let it go?Perhaps he will come after him soon, with those terrible footsteps in the dark...

(End of this chapter)