Next, Liang En and the others toured a series of important locations in the Palace of Versailles, such as the famous gardens and the extremely luxurious chapel.
Of course, they didn't miss the Hall of Mirrors either. This building, considered a "treasure of the palace" in King Louis XIV's reign, is named for its 17 floor-to-ceiling mirrors composed of 483 glass panes.
It is the most luxurious and splendid part of the Palace of Versailles. The mirrors reflect the gilded ceiling murals. Opposite the mirrors are 17 arched floor-to-ceiling windows with excellent views, through which one can take in the beautiful scenery of the gardens behind the palace.
In those days, the Hall of Mirrors was the venue for large court receptions and for the king to receive high-ranking delegations, while the entire Palace of Versailles was a place where the king, nobles, and ministers indulged in luxurious and extravagant lives.
For most people, however, their knowledge of this building comes from history books. Due to the Franco-Prussian War, France was defeated, Emperor Napoleon III was captured in Sedan, and Alsace and Lorraine were ceded.
After the war ended, German Emperor Wilhelm I, who led the army close to Paris, was crowned in the Hall of Mirrors and proclaimed the establishment of the German Empire.
When World War I ended, Germany became a defeated country, and France designated the Hall of Mirrors as the place to sign the treaty, namely the famous "Treaty of Versailles." The items used by the representatives at that time are still preserved here to commemorate the glory and the significant ceremony of the French.
Because the Hall of Mirrors witnessed many important moments in French history, Liang En and Joan of Arc examined it very carefully. During their visit, Joan of Arc noticed something interesting.
"I think this place looks very new, not like it dates back to Louis XIV's era," Joan of Arc curiously remarked as they exited the Hall of Mirrors.
Although Joan of Arc wasn't very familiar with archaeology, after spending so much time with Liang En, she had learned some basics, such as estimating the age of an item.
"It's simple," Liang En explained. "During the French Revolution, the Palace of Versailles was repeatedly plundered by the people. The furniture, murals, tapestries, chandeliers, and decorations were all looted."
"This was devastating for the Palace of Versailles. Besides taking away all the wealth, the people also caused extensive damage, even smashing and removing doors and windows."
"By 1793, the remaining artworks and furniture in the Palace of Versailles were transported to another art treasure house in Paris—the Louvre, and the Palace of Versailles fell into ruin."
"In 1833, King Louis Philippe of the Orleans dynasty ordered the restoration of the Palace of Versailles, converting it into a history museum. The construction took 47 years and was finally opened to the public as a history museum in 1937."
With this, Liang En spread his hands and smiled. "So, what we are visiting is a palace that has been continuously rebuilt since 1833. Most of the items on display, except for the murals and sculptures, were reconstructed after 1833."
"I see," Joan of Arc said with a look of realization. Fortunately, the destruction back then didn't completely ruin the overall structure, allowing them to still see some murals left from the era of the Sun King, Louis XIV, and reminisce about the past glory.
In the following days, they visited a bunch of significant landmarks in Paris, such as Notre-Dame Cathedral, Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Champs-Élysées, and the famous Eiffel Tower.
A week later, they met with Mr. Duris again and expressed Joan of Arc's willingness to inherit the Duris family.
"I am very pleased that you are willing to become my heir, my dear cousin," Mr. Duris said with a smile upon hearing the news. "Of course, I assure you this won't bring much change to your current life."
Unlike the past when nobles needed to personally manage their estates, most nobles today don't need to manage their properties directly. They entrust their properties to management institutions.
The most popular way for Western nobles and wealthy individuals to preserve their wealth is to transfer ownership, management, and beneficiary rights to foundations. Naturally, the foundation's operators are family members.
This way, descendants can continue to enjoy immense wealth without paying a penny. The Duris family operates in this manner, so for Joan of Arc, the most complex task ahead was going through a series of legal procedures.
So, until Christmas, Liang En and the others stayed in Paris to handle various matters related to the inheritance of the title. These tasks were indeed quite complicated.
Most of the work could be handed over to professionals, such as their legal team or financial advisors. Even Elizabeth Bathory hurried back from the United States to help temporarily.
Of course, there were some tasks that Joan of Arc had to do personally, such as signing documents and attending a series of gatherings to announce the existence of the Duris family heir to others.
At Joan of Arc's strong request, Liang En accompanied her to all these gatherings. This clearly conveyed a very obvious message to others.
"These banquets are really boring," Joan of Arc said, looking tired at a banquet hosted by the Count of Paris after attending several gatherings over consecutive days.
"Indeed, they are boring. Fortunately, after today's gathering, we don't have to attend any more," Liang En comforted Joan of Arc. "After all, today's host is essentially a representative of the French royal family."
Currently, those claiming the title of King of France are divided into three factions: the Bourbon faction, the Orléans faction, and the Bonapartist faction.
Among these traditional French royal factions, Mr. Duris did not support the traditional Bourbon succession but was a steadfast supporter of the Orléans faction.
Traditionally, they are considered descendants of Joan of Arc, so unlike traditional nobles who solely pledge loyalty to the royal family, their highest principle is loyalty to the nation of France.
The current Bourbon heir does not meet the Duris family's aspirations, as this "King of France" is Louis XX, the great-grandson of King Alfonso XIII of Spain, titled Duke of Anjou, who used to work at a Venezuelan bank and now lives in Spain.
For the Duris family, it was impossible to accept a foreigner as the King of France. So, they preferred to support the Orléans faction, even though its royal lineage was less legitimate from a noble heritage perspective, rather than support a Spaniard.
Over the years, the Duris family actively participated in various Orléans faction activities, and their importance in the faction grew.
Today's banquet was a significant event in the French noble circle, especially for the Orléans faction. It could be seen as a gathering of the Orléans faction.
After all these years, the Duris family has become the backbone of the Orléans faction. The choice of the family's heir even impacted the faction's future, which is why so many people attended today.
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