"Yes, originally I had no evidence, but now I have found it, and the evidence is on you."
"Yu Li nervously looked down at himself and asked, "What evidence?"
"I coldly laughed and said, 'It seems like you've already admitted.'
"Idiot!"
"Since I escaped from Voltaire University, I have been enduring for several hours. Although I vaguely sensed something at the beginning, I still couldn't believe it was true. After all, you are my best friend. How could you do such a thing? But after thinking it over for several hours, I can't think of anyone else besides you who would want to kill Professor Orléans. When I saw your eyes in the cemetery just now, the killing intent that was revealed in your gaze sent shivers down my spine. Yes, this is the gaze that only appears after a murder - a standard 'look of ferocity'. You have lost your sanity and maybe you will even kill more people."
"Shut up."
"Yu Li suddenly pulled out a handgun from his pocket, and the black muzzle was pointed straight at my chest."
"I hadn't even reacted yet when Jacques let out a strange cry, but Yu Li quickly turned his gun towards Jacques once again. He spoke both in French and Chinese, saying: 'None of you are allowed to move. Whoever moves will be shot!'"
"We stood facing each other in this chilly cemetery, the three of us, as ghosts returned home in the early morning hours. The sorrowful wind blowing around us reminded us of classic horror movies."
"I took a bold step forward and asked, 'Why? Why did you do that?'
"Yu Li suddenly gave a bitter smile and said, 'You will never understand me. Everything I do is for my father. He paid a great price in his research on the mystery of Louis IX. I must complete his unfinished mission, so I came to France to pursue my graduate studies.'"
"I know that you and Professor Orleans are very eager to discover that secret, but why do you have to kill people?"
"I never thought of killing anyone, but since I joined Professor Orlan's team, I have discovered many suspicious things. I found that many of the professor's important papers were identical to my father's manuscripts, and even their research results were very similar."
"This answer surprised me greatly: "Do you suspect Professor Orleans of plagiarizing your father's research results?""
"It's not a suspicion, I have secretly confirmed that this matter is absolutely true. During my father's visit to the University of Voltaire, he worked with Professor Orleans to study the 'Mystery of Louis IX'. The despicable professor not only stole my father's results, but also intimidated and hypnotized my father to cover up his own wrongdoing. This caused my father to become mentally unstable and say nonsensical things, forcing him to return home early, where he later passed away unexpectedly."
"So you really hate Professor Orleans?"
"Yes, all of this I discovered after coming to France. I hid my identity and the professor never knew who my father was. I kept my hatred buried inside and swore to avenge my father. But Professor Orleans is an expert in studying the mystery of Louis IX, and I must rely on him to uncover that secret. So, I must wait for the best opportunity."
"I think I understand now: "When we get that genuine 'Margaret' oil painting, you believe you won't need Professor Orleans and can solve the mystery on your own. That's when you'll commit murder."
"Yes, I have quietly perceived the implication of the oil painting signature. I think I can uncover that secret now, and your presence happens to be the scapegoat."
"So you killed Professor Orleans and framed me," I shook my head, "If the professor's death was just, then what crime have I committed? Am I not your best friend?"
"Yu Li shook his head and said, 'I'm sorry, but in this world, I have no friends. I've long seen through this world, and studying academics is useless. The only feasible way is to use knowledge to create wealth for oneself. Knowledge is the most important power, and since I have knowledge beyond the ordinary, I must use it to serve myself.'"
"I understand now. After obtaining the genuine painting of 'Margaret,' there were only three people in the world who had the opportunity to uncover the secret: myself, you, and Professor Orléans. You killed the professor and framed me, leaving only you. You can now solely possess this secret."
"You are right. This secret is so important that four hundred years ago, Margaret went to great lengths to pass it on to her children so that she and Ramol's illegitimate son could become the rulers of Europe. The Ramol family spent four hundred years deciphering the secret, and during this time, no one knows how many people died or how many thrilling stories took place. Yes, I am certain that this secret will bring me wealth, fame, status, and even unlimited power, and completely change my life."
Under the cold moonlight in the cemetery, Yu Li's expression became exceptionally ferocious, and the dark muzzle of the gun was pointed directly at me, shaking incessantly.
"Is he going to shoot?"
"My heart is about to jump out of my throat."
"Bang!"
"I closed my eyes in an instant, but besides feeling a shudder in my heart, I didn't feel anything on my body. So I opened my eyes in great panic, only to see Yu Li had already fallen to the ground with some blood on his forehead, next to a metal-cased lighter."
It turned out that Jacques saved me. He kept a lighter in his hand all the time. Just as Yu Li was about to shoot me, Jacques threw the lighter and hit Yu Li's forehead directly.
"Anyone's forehead hit by this metal lighter would at least suffer a concussion. I quickly lowered my head and checked Yu Li. It seemed that he had indeed been knocked unconscious.
"Surviving a life-threatening danger, it's really a miracle!"
At that moment, I almost fell apart and couldn't embrace Jacques. I quickly took out my phone and called the police
A few minutes later, the police car woke up the sleeping ghosts with its sirens, and the police rushed into the cemetery and took the three of us away
"Goodbye, Archabault Cemetery."
I have obtained freedom.
At dawn, when I had just stepped into the police station, I discovered that my photos were plastered all over the wall. I had truly become a wanted murder suspect throughout France. Fortunately, there was a Chinese translator at the police station, and I explained the situation to the authorities in detail. Jacques was willing to testify on my behalf as well.
"But most importantly, I have obtained evidence of Yu Li's murder."
"When I saw Professor Orleans' body, I found that he was holding a button, but I didn't pay much attention to it at the time. Later, when I saw Yu Li in the cemetery, I found that there was a missing button on his shirt pocket, and the button on the other pocket was exactly the same as the one in the professor's hand. Originally, I only suspected Yu Li, but after discovering this, I confirmed that he did it, so I said the evidence was on him. As for why I didn't immediately tell Yu Li, it's because I was afraid that he would throw away his clothes after knowing it, and then it would be impossible to prove that the button in the professor's hand was his. When Yu Li was arrested wearing a shirt with a missing button, he was still unaware of this fact himself.
After forensic examination, a small amount of the professor's blood was found on Yu Li's clothing, and he did have the opportunity to commit the crime.
"The truth came to light and Yu Li will be charged with murder while I have regained my freedom."
"As for the book of the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead found in the tomb, it was handed over by the French government to the Louvre Museum for research."
"As the discoverer of this "Book of the Dead", I certainly have the right to know its contents. The experts at the Louvre were very polite and received me well. They have already deciphered parts of the contents of the "Book of the Dead"."
"One of the experts had previously studied sinology and had studied in Peking University for 7 years during his youth. He fluently told me in Chinese, "Do you want to know the major secret in this book?""
"Yes, it is said that many people died trying to obtain this book."
"The expert shook his head and smiled, saying: "In fact, it's not that mysterious. Its origin is just very peculiar. After the preface in ancient Greek in the Book of the Dead, it starts with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. The first sentence is meaningful - this book was written by the future undead."
"Undead of the Future?"
"I have never heard of this before. Aren't spirits supposed to come from the past? How could there be spirits from the future?"
"Because the author is a future ghost, that's why this book is called 'Book of Ghosts'."
"Where did the undead come from?"
"Of course, it's the future. The beginning of the book describes an astronomical phenomenon during the "Ancient Kingdom Era". Around 4,000 years ago, on the day of the autumn equinox, a mysterious spaceship appeared in the sky above Ancient Egypt and landed at the top of the famous Great Pyramid of Khufu. The people who came out of the spaceship wore strange clothes and possessed extraordinary technology and means, which were highly advanced in the eyes of the Ancient Egyptians. They claimed to come from a future world more than 4,000 years ahead, and accidentally traveled through time and space to the Ancient Egyptian era."
"Is it the time travel of future humans?"
"The expert nodded slightly and said, "Yes, that's why the ancient Egyptians called themselves 'the future dead.' They claimed that their spaceship had been destroyed and they couldn't return to their own era, four thousand years in the future. They could only live among the ancient Egyptians. One of them was a historian from four thousand years later who was determined to write down all he knew about human history before he died. And so he wrote this book, 'The Book of the Dead.'"
"The history recorded by people four thousand years from now, for those living four thousand years ago, would it not be a book of prophecies about the future?"
"Like the memoirs you wrote when you were old, if they were transported through time and space to your younger self, they would become a prophecy of your own life." The expert became somewhat emotional at this point, occasionally interspersing a few sentences in French. "The Book of the Dead was written in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and was revered as a sacred object by the pharaohs of Egypt at the time. It was kept in a temple on the banks of the Nile, until it was sealed by Alexander the Great inside a pyramid in the fourth century BC."
"Did this book really prophecy human history?"
"I have already read some of it. If the "Book of the Dead" was indeed written four thousand years ago, then its prophecies are quite accurate. For example, the destruction of ancient Egypt, the Trojan War, the rise and fall of the Persian Empire, Alexander the Great's expedition, the unification of China by Qin Shi Huang, the Spartacus uprising, the Battle of Red Cliffs, and other events from both the Eastern and Western histories have accurate descriptions in this book. Only contemporary historians can have such a broad knowledge, it is certainly not something that the ancient Egyptians could have predicted four thousand years ago."
"Like Nostradamus' 'Centuries'?"
"The expert suddenly laughed and said, "Haha, speaking of 'The Chronicles', I actually discovered a secret about it at the end of this 'Book of the Undead'."
"Does the Book of the Undead also prophesy about Nostradamus and the Centuries?"
"He shook his head and said, "It's Nochadamus who signed his name at the end of this 'Book of the Dead'!""
"What? How could Nochadamas have signed on a book that dates back four thousand years?" At this point, I couldn't believe it no matter what. "Could he really be a ghost who travels through time?"
"Of course not, but rather it was that the Book of the Dead was once collected by Nostradamus. Since Louis IX was captured during the expedition to Egypt, the Book of the Dead was brought to France and has been cherished in the palace ever since. One of Nostradamus's ancestors served as a court doctor, and one of his ancestors must have stolen the Book of the Dead from the palace, which was passed down through several generations before it came into Nostradamus's hands. Because Nostradamus was proficient in ancient Greek, he was able to understand the part of the Book of the Dead that was translated into ancient Greek and knew what would happen in the future world, thus becoming a great prophet."
"Unbelievable, is it true that Nochadamas' "Chronicles of the Ages" actually plagiarized this "Book of the Dead"?"
"Exactly! Nohchadanmas used poetry as the form and language was very obscure, in order to achieve a different style from 'The Book of the Dead', but the content was essentially the same. Do you know why Nohchadanmas died before finishing 'The Centuries'?"
"Because his secret was discovered by Queen Mother?"
"The expert didn't expect to be exposed by me with just one sentence. He nodded and said, 'Your reasoning ability is very strong. Obviously, it was the former queen Catherine who discovered the secret of Nocatamis, poisoned and killed him, and took away the Book of the Dead. The queen must have looked for content related to herself in the Book of the Dead and found out that her three sons would all have a bad ending, and that the Bourbon family would replace the Valois dynasty.'"
"So the empress dowager was very afraid and hidden the 'Book of the Dead' in the Archabault Abbey?"
"Everything became clear at this point. Princess Marguerite, 400 years ago, must have also discovered the Queen's secret, which is why she transmitted information about the Archabault monastery to her child through the form of a painter's signature."
"The expert suddenly let out a long sigh and said, 'Now I understand why Queen Mother Wang planned the bloody St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. It's because she learned the future secrets from the Book of the Dead, and knew that the Valois dynasty was in danger and her sons would die one by one. However, Queen Mother Wang was a very tough woman, unwilling to succumb to history. For the sake of her family and her beloved sons, she had to change history. So, on the occasion of her daughter's marriage to the Protestant leader Henry, she launched the crazy St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre.'"
"Oh my! But she still hasn't eliminated Henry from Waler."
"Yes, no one can change history. Queen Mother knew that Henry would inherit the throne in the future, so she prepared a book to poison him. But she did not expect that the book would be taken by her son Charles IX to read. As a result, Henry lived well, but Charles IX was poisoned and died. The Queen Mother originally wanted to secure the throne for her son, but instead ended up killing him.
"I finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, 'It's true that clever calculations can backfire and endanger lives. History cannot be altered.'"
"Yes, for hundreds of years, countless people have desired this book, hoping to use it to obtain power, wealth, and status, even dreaming of dominating the world. But in truth, one only has to look at the fate of Queen Catherine to know that obtaining this book will not change one's destiny – in fact, it may bring about a tragic end even sooner."
"Just like how the Empress Dowager originally intended to kill her son-in-law, but instead poisoned her beloved son."
"The expert smiled knowingly and said, 'Every person who has struggled to find this book in later generations has almost never met a good end. Although four hundred years ago Margaret was wise and arranged such a clever code to leave this book to her descendants, tragically, her descendants have been hidden in deep mountains in the south, suffering for hundreds of years in search of the secret, and countless people have died in the process. If Queen Margaret were aware of this situation, I think she would prefer this secret to rot forever in the grave!'"
"I finally understand that in fact, any prophecy cannot alter history. What we can do is to seize the present moment."
"At this point, I suddenly feel much more relaxed. After being in Paris for so many days, this moment is the happiest I've felt."
After bidding farewell to the experts, I walked briskly out of the Louvre Palace. At this moment, Paris was just lit up and many tourists were vying to capture the night scenery. At least, there will no longer be the haunting presence of the Louvre to disturb them.
Suddenly, a hand patted me on the back. I nervously turned around and found it was Jacques, smiling mischievously.
"Ah, tonight it's my turn to treat/pay for the meal again."
Chapter 30 Epilogue.
"On the second day, I boarded the international flight back to my home country."
The first thing I did after returning to Shanghai was naturally to find Lin Hai. In the small café on Nanjing West Road, I met him and Margaret.
Fortunately, Margaret was wearing a fashionable dress. Otherwise, I would have thought she walked out of a painting. I know she comes from a mysterious family, with the blood of Princess Margaret and De La Mole flowing in her veins from four hundred years ago. Without the bloody St. Bartholomew's Night, without the passionate love of Margaret and De La Mole, without the belief to bury the head of a loved one, how could this family still exist today?
Yes, this family was born for secrets, but more importantly, it was born out of a love story. Fortunately, Lin Hai is not De La More, Margaret is no longer a princess or queen, and the tragedy of four hundred years ago will not be repeated.
"Lin Hai opened his hands towards me, and it turned out that the letters in his hands had already been removed with the help of his classmates from the Department of Chemistry."
"I told Lin Hai that the authentic 'Margaret' oil painting has been reclaimed by the St. Louis Museum, and the counterfeit 'Margaret' painting that Lin Danqing painted many years ago, which has a legendary quality due to its age, also has a very high value. As the inheritors of Lin Danqing's legacy, Lin Hai and his father have partial ownership of the counterfeit 'Margaret' painting, and if it is auctioned in the future, they can also receive a considerable income."
"As for the parchment book given to me by Lin Hai, it has been recognized by the French government as a national treasure-level cultural relic and designated to be collected by the Louvre Museum. However, Lin Hai's family can receive a substantial compensation.
I asked Margaret about her future plans again. She told me that her family has already forgiven her for her act of betrayal, and that she deeply loves China. She is in the process of preparing to come to China for further studies.
"Finally, Lin Hai asked me a question: 'Have you seen any records of human history after 2005 in the book of the dead?'"
"I smiled and said softly -"
"The heavenly secret must not be divulged."
---THE END---