On a light, sunny morning, the Treville siblings, together with their friends and the Foreign Office staff who hosted them, finally arrived at the world-famous museum on Oxford Street.

As soon as they stepped out of the carriage, they could see the magnificent classical building, and the main entrance to the museum stood out behind the colonnades that mimicked the ancient Roman style.

Even in the 21st century, the British Museum in Russell Square on Oxford Street is still a must-see for most visitors to London, let alone today.

At this time, the British Empire was at its most glorious time, so his soldiers, merchants and colonists scattered all over the world were constantly transporting cultural relics obtained by legal and illegal means here as a decoration of the glory of the empire.

The moral stain will be forgotten, but the treasure will remain here forever as part of the proud memory of the British.

Since it wasn't a holiday, there weren't many people visiting the museum, so it was easy for the group to enter the museum with the help of diplomats.

For the average person, they can only get a perfunctory guide here, or even ignore it, and there are many places where they can't go. But for the distinguished guest of England, Mr. Treville, he naturally had many different conveniences, one of which was the presence of a special French-speaking staff to guide them.

"Mr. Treville, Miss Treville, you have come to the greatest treasure trove in the world. I am very fortunate to be able to lead you to appreciate it. In the slightly dimly lit hall, the librarian bowed very respectfully to Charles and Fran, with an unconcealed pride in his respect. I believe that you will be able to make this trip worthwhile. ”

"I believe so, too." Charles replied very kindly, then pointed at Fran, "But it is not easy to satisfy my sister—she has studied art for a few years, so she has the same good tastes as all unaccomplished artists. ”

"You're so humorous." The librarian couldn't help but smile, then turned his gaze to Fran, "Miss Treville. Tell us that, and not only in France. Even in England, beautiful ladies are privileged. ”

"So you're pretty confident here?" Fran took over, not looking to agree with the other party's pride.

"Of course, it's the best museum in the world, and if you're not happy with it. Then there is no other museum that will satisfy you better. He replied proudly. This was taken for granted to him.

"The British Museum is very good," Fran nodded in acknowledgement, but out of a sense of pride, she couldn't help adding, "However, there are equally good museums in France, and we also have a lot of art treasures in the Louvre." ”

The Louvre was already open to the public at this time as a place of art, but at this time France was not as powerful and large as the British Empire. The richness of the natural collection is not as rich as that of the British Empire, and it can only be said that it can match or even slightly outperform it in some aspects. But. That didn't stop Fran from putting on a haughty look.

"Mademoiselle Tréville, since you live in Paris, and you love art so much, you must have been to the Louvre many times, right?" The librarian looked at Fran with a respectful and slightly reserved smile.

"Of course." Fran nodded without hesitation, "When I was just learning to paint, the teacher took us many times, and I am familiar with the roads inside!" The teacher focused on the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, and let us see the statue of Venus...... That's beautiful. ”

In 1820, a farmer on the Greek island of Milo in the Aegean Sea discovered a statue of the goddess of beauty while digging in the earth. After the news broke, a French warship, which happened to be anchored in Puerto Milo at the time, rushed to the scene as soon as the captain learned the news. However, the statue happened to be bought by a Greek merchant and was ready to be shipped to Constantinople. Seeing that the treasure was about to be lost, the captain at that time immediately ordered the ship to be driven to stop it. A scuffle ensued between the two sides, as a result of which the treasure was damaged and the statue's arms shattered. The dispute between the two sides was settled by the local authorities of Milo, and the French paid for the statue and donated it to the King of France, who at the time was still the Orthodox King Louis XVIII. In this way, "Venus" was transported to France, which immediately caused a sensation at that time.

Of course, whether the Bourbons, Orleans, or Bonaparte reigned, they would have recognized it as priceless.

"In that case, you must be accustomed to seeing paintings and sculptures," the curator shook his head with regret, "and the collection of paintings in the Louvre is indeed the pinnacle, and the Greek collection inside is also an immeasurable treasure." ”

"I think so." Fran accepted the praise without modesty.

"So, to make your trip a little more efficient, I recommend that you visit the part that is more novel for you first." The librarian smiled at her, not minding her pride, "I can take you to the Egyptian Pavilion first." ”

"Egypt Pavilion?" To his surprise, Miss Trevill was a little surprised to hear his suggestion, and glanced at her female companion next to her.

It's not that they don't want to go there, but it's a historical issue.

In 1798, when Emperor Napoleon was still a budding general of the French Republic, under the orders of the republican government, he led an expedition to Egypt, leading tens of thousands of troops to fight there, defeating the Egyptian Mamluk army, the Syrian army and the Turkish Sultan army many times, and conquering almost all of Egypt.

From the very beginning, the expedition had a cultural purpose, and Napoleon carried out a great deal of archaeological work after the conquest of Egypt with a large number of archaeologists and related experts, excavating a large number of ancient Egyptian antiquities.

Originally, these cultural relics were intended to be transported to France for preservation, but it was not long before the political situation in France changed abruptly. The already precarious government of the republic became even more precarious, and in order to seize power, Napoleon abandoned his army and returned to France. Later, a coup d'état was staged to become the First Consul, and the soldiers who had been left behind quickly surrendered to the British, and the artifacts they excavated had to be transferred to the British under the surrender agreement, where they became part of the collection of the Imperial Museum.

Half a century had passed since then, and as descendants of the victors, the librarians had all but forgotten the old stories, treating them as if they were naturally preserved here – something that the French might not have seen that way.

After a moment of embarrassment. Fran finally confirmed that the honest librarian was not mocking them Frenchmen, but was merely enthusiastically offering advice based on her situation.

"Okay. Thank you for your suggestion, then let's do what you say. She immediately agreed.

"Okay, please come with me." The librarian smiled and nodded, and then politely led the way ahead. No matter what the era. There is always something convenient for beautiful women.

"Go and see. I'll forget it. Charles suddenly said, "I'll just go to the library and look at the books." ”

"Won't you come with us and watch it?" Fran was a little surprised.

"Yes, I'm not there, I don't have much interest in Egypt and antiquities." Charles shrugged lightly, "Just find a place to read a book." ”

In fact, this is mainly because he has already seen the precious collections of the Egyptian Pavilion once, so he has no interest in looking at them again.

"But...... We're finally ...... together" Fran was still a little hesitant, finally. She looked up at Charles, "Why don't we all go to the library and read books?" ”

“…… It's a rare trip here. What are you doing reading a book? Charles smiled dumbly, "Okay, don't worry about me, you can just go shopping, it's just that I'm alone, it's not a big deal." Besides, you young people are here, and if I keep following along, you won't be able to talk about young people. ”

It was then that Fran remembered that the young Bonaparte was also following them. He had been silent since he came along, perhaps because he didn't know how to interject.

That's when she realized that Charles didn't want to get too close to him at this time.

"Alright, well, all at your ......" Finally, she could only let out a long sigh.

"Have fun, then, Miss Tremier." Charles gestured to her, then turned to leave.

"Sir, don't you need someone to lead the way?" The librarian asked in the back a little anxiously.

"No, I can find it!" Charles replied without looking back.

As an important part of human civilization, books are of course also an important collection of the British Museum, which has always housed a large number of books and manuscripts. In 1823, the late George IV also donated his father's library (King's Library) as a gift to the British Museum, enriching the collection.

At this time, the museum's library was one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of books in the world, a collection of knowledge and culture, and a magnet for many scholars.

It was here that Dr. Marx completed most of his magnum opus, where he collected materials and wrote. It was not until 1973, when the British Empire ceased to exist, that the British Library was officially established and the museum's collection was transferred to the British Library.

In the 21st century, he visited here once, and he went to the tour guide to find the seat he used to sit in the past.

At that time, how could he have imagined that he would be able to see a real person and become the target of his repeated naming and scolding? The changes in the world are truly unpredictable.

Fran followed the guide to the Ancient Egyptian Museum, and although Charles's departure made her feel a little unhappy, this unhappiness was soon washed away by the oncoming large number of artworks.

Under the guidance of the librarian, she began to admire the ancient Egyptian artifacts one by one, and was soon dragged into the torrent of history, immersed in the amazing and strange creations of that ancient civilization.

The Rosetta Stone, the statue of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, a variety of large stone sculptures of man and beast, temple architecture, numerous mummies, numerous inscriptions and frescoes, as well as utensils and jewelry...... Everything about the ancient Egyptians was displayed in front of her.

"These things were supposed to be ours!" After admiring the large number of frescoes up close, Fran bit her lip with some dissatisfaction, "Originally, we discovered them first in Egypt, and the emperor brought a large number of experts on an expedition to Egypt, so he was able to excavate so many cultural relics, they should be properly preserved in the Louvre, not here!" ”

"That's it!" Mary nodded in agreement, she was also very fond of these works of art, "They were supposed to be French, but they were snatched by the hateful English!" If we were in Paris, we would be able to see it whenever we wanted...... How could these Englishmen, who had no artistic talent, understand their preciousness! ”

"But...... Didn't you just say that all these things were Egyptians? The young man next to him, Jérôme Bonaparte, sounded a little confused, "Where is it stored, has no one cared about the opinion of the Egyptians?" They won't be happy that they have to choose between England and France......"

When they heard this rebuttal, the two girls turned their heads to look at him at the same time, this poor young man, who was obviously a warrior who had served in Texas, couldn't help but shrink slightly, as if he really said something wrong.

"Yes, no one cared about the Egyptians, anyway, they themselves didn't and didn't care about themselves for forty centuries. Rather than leaving these artifacts there and disappearing into the sand, of course it should be in the hands of someone who knows how to appreciate and protect them, right? ”

Mary casually dismissed him, ignoring how contradictory it sounded—not many people in this day and age would have a bad conscience about colonial plunder.

Jérôme Bonaparte shrugged, he had no idea of arguing with the two young ladies, and since they thought so, they should not be wrong.

He didn't like the museum, and he didn't like the weird, seemingly useless things.

But, as an American, he was completely incomprehensible and uninterested, but that did not prevent him from following the beautiful Miss Tréville around with great pleasure - he did not care where they had been.

If he can go to France and become a member of the royal family in the future, there is no doubt that he will have the opportunity to accompany her.

In order to achieve this, he is now ready to give up all pride.

"Bless me, O God!" He thought to himself. "As long as you can get me back, no matter how many times I kowtow to Louis Bonaparte!" (To be continued......)