I Am Louis XIV

The fireworks that day continued until the next morning.

Neither the residents of Paris nor the foreign guests went to sleep that night. They either sat or stood, holding bread and beer, having a good time, and thoroughly savoring a feast in the void, even if it is heaven. What a sight crystal geniuses have! At three or four o'clock, those who couldn't hold on anymore simply lay down on the stairs, roads, and squares. They didn't know when they fell asleep, but they only knew that they were awakened by the sun.

Barre is from Evry, a small town only half a mile away from Versailles, and now he is very rich. Barre is also an exquisite baker, and his business is booming. Many people who come to Versailles to work will work in his shop Three meals a day, hey, that's a luxury, isn't it? Barre's old father often said that when he was a child, only the nobles had three meals, and the common people had two meals. They worked on an empty stomach in the morning and were full at noon, and drank some wheat porridge when they returned home in the evening. What is it—the young people nowadays have to eat three meals a day, with butter, cheese, sausage or ham in the bread? What a sin!

Barley, who is not guilty of crimes, doesn't care. His bakery business is getting better and better. With savings in hand, he can't help but have a different idea, that is, to meet the king in Paris or Versailles, but traveling in this era —even if the distance between the two places was only half a league, it would still be a considerable expense, and it would be a considerable sum if he were to go to Paris, and the business of the shop would bind him.

The king's 80th birthday is a good opportunity, mainly because more than half of the customers in the store have gone to Paris to celebrate the king, and he is also old. When I left, I baked a lot of bread and asked my youngest son to carry it on my back. I sold half of it on the way, and I was about to earn back the cost this time. No, wait, there is also accommodation and food and drink afterwards.

He let his son pull him up, stretched out his hands and rubbed his waist and back, seeing that other people seemed to be doing the same, he couldn't help laughing secretly, and dismissed the idea of ​​sleeping on the side of the street if it was impossible. Intend. The streets of Paris are clean and level, but they should not be paved with hard stone slabs. They look comfortable to walk on, but not so good to sleep on.

But when he and his son asked, let alone the price, all the hotel owners shook their heads, and someone simply put up a sign saying "The room, cellar, attic, stable, and kitchen are full" outside the door. I went to the alleys where I heard about the wandering girls—they also had rooms for business, but I found nothing. The only good thing is that they didn’t spend money on food and drink. Many Parisians are doing charity. As long as you go up and say "Long live the Sun King!" "Bless our king!", you can get bread and water.

Barre still has to drag his young son, nothing, but the streets of Paris are now full of all kinds of juggling, performances and games. They had to yell out who paid their commission before, so that people would know who had done it - but their performance was really wonderful, not to mention children, adults couldn't help but stare at it, but Barley watched It was getting dark, and worried that he could not find a place to stay, he took his son away after only a few glances. Unexpectedly, after walking for a long time, his son resolutely stopped going. Someone was performing a kind of An obscene dance, the dancer lifted her skirt up high, when did the teenagers in the small town see this, and Barley quarreled with his son as a result.

They got carried away with the quarrel, and Barre casually pushed his son, who staggered and bumped into an unlucky pedestrian.

This pedestrian is about 30 to 40 years old, which is the time when men are most majestic and strong, and he is different from most tourists. From the hat to the coat, from the coat to the shoes, they are all pure black, and only the edges are inlaid with gold and pearls. Bao's shell is used as buttons, and the collar is turned up enough to cover the shoulders of the white lace collar. Under the collar, a royal blue silk scarf is exposed. A large gold cross hangs from the end of the silk scarf. A bright red shoulder strap hangs from the right shoulder. Pulled straight to the waist, one can tell that he is an aristocrat—although many businessmen and officials are adorned with the most extravagant fabrics and accessories, and the royal family has also relaxed the authority to use royal blue, but it is due to inertia , If a person wears a royal blue coat, he should be an officer, but if it is not a coat, but a scarf, vest or cloak that uses royal blue and has a shoulder strap, that person is most likely a nobleman.

Of course, if a commoner insists on wearing royal blue clothes, it is not impossible, but it will always lead to some unnecessary misunderstandings, such as the latest comedy rehearsed by the Molière troupe, which describes a peasant who accidentally picked up a The cloak lost by the nobleman was misunderstood as a big man going out on tour when he entered the city. He was invited to the mayor’s house as a guest and was entertained by the bishop. The bankers rushed to lend him money. "Sisters" are even more scrambling to get close to him and other stories of hilarious accidents.

"Oh, my lord," Barley apologized quickly, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! My little son is always so reckless, bastard, come and bow to the lord!"

Barley's youngest son hurried over, took off his hat and bowed to the man.

"It's nothing," a voice came from behind the man: "There are too many people here, there are always accidents, but if there is any conflict, it's better to discuss it in a secluded place."

Barre looked over, and a person was walking away from the person hit by his son. He suddenly understood that if this person hadn't stood in front of him just now, this little idiot had bumped into this person. He saw the person first The sideburns under the hat were as white as snow, and he subconsciously slapped his son again—he almost ran into an old man. Barley was also nearly fifty years old, and he knew that the old man's bones were very fragile, but Can't stand such a hard hit.

But when he looked up again, he was a little unsure about the age of the other party. The other party was wearing a mask, yes, it was the kind of carnival mask, and there were quite a few people wearing masks today, because many of the tourists were Italians and Spaniards.

"Father," said the man in black.

He must be sixty, Barley thought, and he wished he looked like this when he was sixty.

"With all due respect," said the older gentleman, "I just heard you talking about lodging..."

"Yes," said Barre nervously, "we didn't expect there to be so many people in Paris." He thought that Paris, like his small town, could always find a hotel or a place to stay.

"Millions of people flocked to Paris," the gentleman went on, "but the King has ordered churches, monasteries, chapels, and other public buildings to be open to visitors except nursing homes, orphanages, and hospitals, don't you know? ?”

"We just entered Paris late last night," Barley said, "and then watched the fireworks all night. Maybe the master said it, but we didn't hear it." He cheered up, "But if what you said is Really, I really want to thank you very well."

"Well, really," said the gentleman, "it happens that I don't have any important business, so I'll take you there. There's a chapel only three hundred feet away."

He pointed to the alleyway on the left, and sure enough, in the sky at the end of the alleyway, there was a pinnacle of the clock tower looming.

"It's just thank you very much," Barley said, "Master," he said embarrassedly, "it's just that this won't trouble you too much?" If it were a commoner like him, he would guess whether the other party was An accomplice to a thief or a swindler, but this gentleman's one button was more than all the money he had with him, and he certainly didn't think so.

"We're going there too." The gentleman said, "I'm Louis, and he's my youngest son, Charles." He pointed to the man in black.

"Um...Louis...Master?"

Louis smiled helplessly, "Follow me." He said, and then walked forward first. According to the king's request, every street and alley has gas lamps and sewers, so even such a remote alley is dry. It was clean, only some flower petals falling from nowhere dotted the pavement. On both sides of the pavement were towering walls. The part below three feet was a little mossy, but it was very cute against the red bricks and stones.

Barley followed at a distance of ten steps away from the master. His son didn't understand, he took his father's arm but was held back by his father: "I think that is a kind master." The younger son said in confusion: "You What are you afraid of?"

"Because he was a kind gentleman, we should respect him." Barre said, his youngest son was born late, and he didn't know what the original nobles were like-compared to daring to throw a dead cat at the nobles. The Parisian citizens of the dog, the people of Evry are the most docile lambs of God. They accept the rule of the lord, and the lord is a little king. He has various powers such as coinage, administration, taxation, legislation and judgment. His followers, officials, and knights are the masters of the common people—they can raise taxes as they like, and hang up the peasants who cannot pay the taxes until they turn into bones; They; they would rather eat until they had to throw up what they swallowed than give some bread to dying orphans and widows...

Not to mention those unlucky ghosts who were hanged, had their hands chopped off, or drowned in rivers for offending nobles because of some trivial things.

Barre's talent comes from his father. His father was a chef in the lord's castle. He was always cautious and smart enough to ask the lord to resign before he was too old to make mistakes. But you have to think that Barre's bakery came from him The salary was a big mistake. He failed to bring anything out of the castle. Barre’s bakery was completely abolished after Louis XIV came to power, and the tax collector system was banned, and the governor was sent. The "invitation" went to the Bastille in Paris. After the people in Avry gradually recovered from the endless haze, they slowly stood up.

But this kind of thing can’t be said to the youngest son, but Avry is very close to Versailles, and Barre runs a bakery, so it is inevitable to deal with some servants and followers of the nobles. Let him say that in recent years, the gentlemen have indeed They are becoming more and more friendly—at least they made out of nothing, were picky, and even took bread without giving money. At most, the servant will take an extra piece of bread, which is nothing to the baker—there is a saying It is called "the baker's dozen", which means that in order to avoid being said to be short of two, if you buy a dozen of bread, you will be given thirteen.

Otherwise he would not have had the courage to come to Paris—only he wondered if he would see the King.

Just thinking about this, they walked to the end of the alleyway. A priest opened the black iron gate. Barre and his youngest son suddenly saw a square square hidden in the mansion. Large, with a small bell tower standing, this chapel is completely built in Romanesque style, that is, the building surrounds the square, with the chapel in the middle, and the other three weeks are rooms for priests and pilgrims. Now there are some people here. , There are devout believers and lucky outsiders.

The priest led Barley and his young son into a room with four bunk beds covered with crisp white linen sheets.

"How much does it cost to sleep here for one night?" Barre asked cautiously, "Do you want to buy indulgences? Or other offerings?"

"Consecration is optional," said the priest. "The only thing you have to do is to wash the sheets, pillowcases and blankets before you leave. If there is any damage, you will be charged." Ask the old man, he wanted to thank him, but he hesitated for a moment before the priest disappeared. He turned his head and saw his youngest son touching the bed excitedly: "Father," he said, "it's made of cotton! "

"Really?" Barley's attention was distracted: "These priests are so generous!" Cotton is not a rare commodity these days, but ordinary hotels still use hay to stuff mattresses. "It must have been repaired or newly built here," he added, and he could smell the damp chalk.

Just as Barley and his youngest son were curiously exploring their new residence, Lord Louis and his son Charles had already walked into the chapel under the guidance of the priest. This chapel is private in name and not Allowing others to enter and pray - in fact, if believers walk in here, they will be surprised and confused, because there are no crosses and icons, only rows of black chairs, white walls and an empty altar.

Only the high stained glass windows reveal the significance of this palace—each window depicts a lifelike golden lion in different shapes, but they all bite wheat in their mouths. If someone sees it, they will probably be able to Guess this is telling the story of Saint Ignatius, who is said to have been martyred after being thrown into the lion's mouth, saying before his execution, "I am the wheat of God, ground finely by the teeth of the lion, that I may become The pure bread of Christ."

"Come here, you back off." Louis said.

"Leave me with you," said Charles.

"Just a minute, then," said Louie, "just to tell me about Antonia."

"Antonia..." Charles couldn't help showing a trace of guilt: "The wizard also said that they couldn't make any beneficial changes to Antonia's hip bones. She regretted not being able to participate in this grand ceremony. Hope to be able to greet you and express my thanks again.”

"I'm the one who needs to be thanked," Louis said. "She was seriously injured when she was Carlos II, and she shouldn't have had so many children."

"She was very happy." Remembering the Queen's expression when she said this, Charles couldn't help but smile: "Father, you don't know how happy she was when she gave birth to Alfonso."

"Daughter of Habsburg." Louis sighed. He thought of the queen mother and queen. The men of Habsburg only regarded them as gifts and chips, but who knew what kind of flame was burning in their hearts? ?

"Do you still love her?" Louis asked. "There are still people who ask me if I should find a French lady for you to be a 'Royal Lady', but I refuse."

"Thank you," said Charles, "I don't need it." Speaking of love, he didn't know if it was love between himself and the queen—it must be said that they were more like comrades in arms than husband and wife. The Habsburgs have been operating in Spain for two hundred years, how can the remaining power be easily erased by a contract? When he ascended the throne in Toledo Cathedral, he was just an adult, but what he faced was the numb people, the ministers who were full of doubts and thoughts, and the ghosts and ghosts in the court. He not only had to deal with political affairs, inspect military affairs, but also To balance the forces of the French and the Spaniards in the court——before he sorted out an idea, another important matter was before him, and that was his marriage.

As we all know, a king's marriage can be sold for an unbelievably good price, but Charles Carlos III encountered more than one problem at that time. There was no princess or duke's daughter of his age; Marrying a French noblewoman, the Spaniards hoped that he would marry a Spanish noblewoman; he deliberately postponed the marriage, and some people spread rumors that he might be incompetent...Even Queen Teresa wrote euphemistically, saying, She recommended several trustworthy female officers to him...

"At that time you wrote to me, saying whether you could choose Antonia, the eldest daughter of Leopold I, as your wife. I was very surprised." Louis said.

Although Louis admired and appreciated Antonia's courage, when it came to marriage, he did not include her in Carlos III's marriage candidates at the beginning. Age is not a big deal. In political marriages, uncles, nephews, uncles There may be close relatives such as nephews, or both parties are underage, or even toddlers, or there is a huge difference in age, but Antonia is not a qualified wife candidate at all in the eyes of men in this era.

When she defected to Rome, it was tantamount to betraying her husband and in-law's family, as well as her father and natal family. Without the protection of Louis XIV, no women's monastery in Rome would accept her. People thought that although she survived, she was equivalent to dead. Until her younger brother Philip came to the throne and sent a messenger to ask her to return to Vienna, she actually refused. Now even her mother felt that she was a She fell insane, but when Eralius went to visit her, she calmly said that once she returned to Vienna, little Philip, as her male family member, had the right to arrange a marriage for her. Boothburg was at a time of weakness, and she would be sold at an estimated price once she returned. At that time, her situation might not be much better than when she was in Toledo.

Such a woman is really awe-inspiring, especially since she is not like a big princess and princess, she has not received systematic education, and her father Leopold I has always been dissatisfied that she is not a boy, and in a hurry Before deciding to marry her to Spain, this princess, like all noble ladies, had received the most shallow and useless education.

When Carlos III decided to let her be his wife, the French and the Spaniards miraculously stood together. The Spaniards did not approve of the daughter of the Habsburgs re-entering Toledo, fearing that she would stand on the side of the Habsburgs. The French think that she is too old and the time available for childbearing is too short, and Toledo also said that the princess might not be able to conceive, and they are worried that once the contract with Antonia is concluded, The marriage contract and the succession to the Spanish throne were all on the table.

However, Carlos III revealed the stubbornness and enlightenment inherited from the Sun King in this matter. He went to Rome in person and asked Princess Antonia for her opinion. Accepted the marriage proposal of Carlos III.

If Louis XIV did not speak on the matter, almost no one could speak, and Philip IV, Holy Roman Emperor, was subtly silent all the time, and if Antonia was indeed barren, then he would still be able to have a new life. The possibility of getting Spain, if Antonia is pregnant, then the future King of Spain still has the blood of Habsburg.

Antonia did not have a child until the fifth year, when everyone was almost desperate, but fortunately she did not cross Anne, the Queen Mother of France. The first child was a boy, and then she announced that she was pregnant again when the eldest son was seven months old. The royal family must wait until about three months before making an official announcement, that is, she was pregnant again when the eldest son was four months old , After giving birth to the eldest daughter, she had a second son, then a third son, and a fourth son at intervals of one year.

How important an heir is, you can see the madness of Leopold I and the ten-year war of succession to the Spanish throne. After the birth of the eldest son, Carlos III could even feel that the old officials in Toledo had questioned and guarded The attitude of fear and fear suddenly eased—his Spanish attendant José Patinho told him that it was because they felt that this was the correct way to inherit the throne, just like the red and white roses in England (Lancas and York), the victor and the loser enter into a marriage contract, and the two noble bloods fuse together to finally bear the fruit of peace. Isn't it the joy of both sides?

I can’t say what kind of key role this child played, but he was indeed a breakthrough, like a torrent of water breaking through the mud, and the old chronic diseases accumulated by Spain under the Habsburg rule finally got a chance to heal. Until today, Carlos III Finally became the king of Spain recognized by everyone...

Not a puppet, not a rebel, but a vibrant branch.

It's just that Antonia's continuous birth at any cost eventually made the bones in her body loose quickly, and even the wizard's medicine was helpless. She suffered a broken hip after a fall two years ago, and she still has to rely on a wheelchair to move around. She was ten years older than Carlos III, and the doctors said that she probably had no chance of standing up again.

"She said she had nothing to regret," said Charles, and then he paused, wondering if he should say that.

"Anything that can make Leopold I and his allies unhappy will make her happy." Louis said on his behalf. He understood Antonia's heart. If she and the psychologically deformed Carlos II, and allowed her to be tortured and humiliated, if she could still have a little hope for her father and his ministers-then, after she fled to Rome, instead of being able to After receiving the asylum that the country and her father should give (even if it is just to interrogate Spain on her behalf), she is regarded as a treasonous criminal. Either she is required to return to Spain immediately, or after she is asked to die, this illusory warmth has disappeared. was completely blown away.

"So don't underestimate the lady around you at any time." Louis said with emotion.

"So I think it's enough for me to have Antonia." Charles said, except for the overheated revenge, Antonia is no worse than his two sisters. His two brother-in-laws are not royal wives, he thinks He doesn't need to either.

"Well, it's up to you." Louis said, and then suddenly felt the light shaking, he raised his head to make sure that the change of light and dark at this time was not his own illusion.

Charles also noticed, "It seems that I should leave, father, I will wait for you in the dean's room."

Louie nodded.

As soon as Charles left, the candlelight suddenly changed from heavy gold to light cobalt blue. The chapel seemed to lose its color in an instant. Thick frost condensed on the lion on the stained window, and the small thorns stretched in all directions. Silence There were countless tiny flapping sounds in the air.

A warm sable cloak fell over Louis' shoulders. Then, almost instantly, a figure appeared beside the king.

Louis stretched out his hand, palm up, and the other hand came up immediately.

Hands are the most revealing of age. Even though the skin on Louis, who seems to be favored by heaven, has begun to become thin and loose, it can almost slide on the bones, but his palm is still hot, while the other hand, It is cold and smooth, like ceramic.

The two hands were tightly held together.

Well, I will update the "Saint" episode tomorrow, which is about the original Alex (that is, the Alex who was replaced by the Lich in "Undead Reign") after coming to the Lich's plane and inheriting The story of an elf girl named Ilda.

This episode is because one of my old readers asked me that the Lich replaced Alex. Isn’t the queen who doesn’t know the inside story and the original Alex a bit pitiful?

I thought about it, and it may take a lot of words to explain, so I might as well write a side story to answer, and thank her for her selfless help before.

Another thing to mention is that I can’t find the original q that started with 248. Readers who join this q group should be careful not to have any economic transactions. I am a high social fear. Readers will feel embarrassed to give rewards and will not want to borrow money. What.

The new article is in the archives, tentatively titled "The King of the Holy Land".

Louis also has the Duke of Orleans and the modern episode, but it will take a few days.