Chapter 93 The Relics of the Super Female Spy
Pascal was looking at his phone's photo album, and Xiao Peng added, "I suspect the owner of this box is a jeweler. When they fished it out, it was filled with jewelry. You can see it too: gold, diamonds, crystals, gemstones, pearls, everything."
I noticed that some of these jewels are engraved with words, for example, the emerald brooch in this photo has 'Fontaine 22' written on it. "Papi, what does this mean?"
Pascal looked at the photo and said, "That refers to 22 Place Vendôme in Paris, the address of the first store of the luxury brand Van Cleef & Arpels. This is a brooch produced by Van Cleef & Arpels."
After listening to Pascal's explanation, Xiao Peng suddenly understood: "In addition, some of these jewels are engraved with names, a total of three names, 'Margaret-Gil Truida-Zeller', 'Miss MacLeod' and 'Mata Hari'. These three people may be the names of the owners of these jewels. Do you know who they are?"
But Pascal shook his head: "I don't know. I haven't heard of these names!"
Fabian, who was standing nearby, thought for a moment and said, "These aren't three people, they're just one person! These three names are all the same person's name!"
Xiao Peng and Pascal looked at Fabian together: "Do you know this person?"
Fabian smiled bitterly and said, "Pascal, were you sleeping during history class? Don't you know who Mata Hari is? Margaret-Gil Truida Zeller is Mata Hari's real name! And Miss MacLeod is the name she used when she first arrived in Paris."
Pascal exclaimed after hearing this: "Could these jewels be Mata Hari's jewelry? No way?"
Fabian shrugged and said, "That's something you need to research. It's beyond my knowledge."
Xiao Peng listened for a long time and then asked hesitantly, "Is the Mata Hari you're talking about the same Mata Hari who was executed by the French for 'treason' during World War I?"
Pascal snapped his fingers. "That's her! But whether this is her relic or not needs to be verified. Even the authenticity of these jewels needs to be verified. I need to see the originals."
Fabian said directly: "If this is really Mata Hari's relic, Xiao, you can buy the best French sports car as a toy."
What's the best French sports car? A Bugatti, of course! And of course, the price is amazing! Fabian used this statement to prove that the jewelry was truly worth the money.
In fact, when Xiao Peng heard the name "Mata Hari", he was sure that he had made a fortune!
This name may not be well-known to Chinese people, but in Europe, especially in France, it's universally known, literally in textbooks! Known as the "father of 20th-century spies," Europeans believe only James Bond is the perfect match for Mata Hari. (P.S., in the film "Casino Royale," James Bond's daughter, Marta Bond, is the daughter of James Bond and Mata Hari.)
In fact, Mata Hari's life is indeed a legend.
She was the daughter of a Dutch farmer. At the age of 19, she married a Dutch naval officer 22 years her senior and moved to Indonesia with two children. After their divorce, the 28-year-old Mata Hari left Indonesia alone and moved to Paris to work as a jockey in a circus. Later, she performed striptease under the stage name Mata Hari.
She wasn't good-looking, and wasn't young either, yet she became a wildly popular dancing star and the most famous socialite in Paris at the time. She was surrounded by military and political figures from France, Germany, and Russia, and was the mistress of many high-ranking military officers. To put it bluntly, she was a high-class prostitute, which was also the necessary condition for her to become a top spy.
However, there is still controversy about whether she was a German spy or a double agent for Germany and France.
Some people say that she was the culprit for France's early disadvantage in World War I. The French authorities accused her of stealing intelligence for Germany, which eventually led to the deaths of 50,000 French soldiers. Therefore, she was held in the "Trial of the Century" and was eventually executed.
However, there were many doubts about that trial. When Mata Hari was sentenced to death, many of the charges were based on speculation and there was no solid evidence. Mata Hari provided a lot of evidence in court that she was a double agent for France, but it was not adopted and she was directly sentenced to execution.
So there is a saying that Mata Hari's death is more like a scapegoat used by the French intelligence agencies to shirk responsibility for their own poor performance! The specific truth is still undetermined.
However, if Xiao Peng were to look at it from an outsider's perspective, this... indeed seemed like something the French intelligence service had done.
It is said that French men are very romantic towards women. In fact, this statement is really inaccurate. Whenever French men need a scapegoat, the first thing they think of is to push the woman out to suffer.
At the outset of World War II, France surrendered early and became a German "backyard," becoming a popular vacation destination for Axis soldiers. After the war, France conducted a massive "liquidation" campaign. Women who had served Axis men during World War II were particularly hard hit, suffering horrific consequences. However, the men who had served the Axis powers during the war were largely spared.
Decisions like surrender were all made by French men, but in the end they had to use women to redeem their lost face and rely on sacrificing women as a fig leaf. The attitude of French men towards women is really not as gentle as imagined. . . . .
Mata Hari is so controversial that Hollywood even made a film based on her life, starring Greta Garbo, who received the Hollywood Lifetime Achievement Award. A few years ago, a Mata Hari memorial was established in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, where many consider her a pioneer in resisting male dominance. She also established the Mata Hari Foundation to support disadvantaged women.
Exactly what kind of person she was is a matter for historians. The only certainty is that, as one of Paris's most prominent socialites of the period, Mata Hari was undoubtedly a wealthy woman. Upon returning to France from Spain, she was arrested and swiftly executed. Although much of her wealth was confiscated by French authorities, it was undoubtedly a small amount compared to Mata Hari's actual wealth. If the jewelry Xiao Peng recovered is indeed hers, it would solve a historical puzzle.
Pascal could no longer hold back: "Xiao, take me to see the real thing!"
Fabian also said: "Let's go now!"
But Xiao Peng shook his head: "In fact, I don't want to release them now."
"Ah? Why?" the two brothers exclaimed together.
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