I Am Louis XIV

How Charles II in Oxford cleverly competed with his ministers, generals, and elders for prestige, and how he mocked the Roman Church was temporarily put on hold by Louis, and he even had to put aside the matter of revenge against the Roman Church—although he said , according to the current military strength, it is not impossible for Louis to repeat the story of the handsome man Philip IV, but first of all, just as he had besieged Rome before but did not finally capture Castel Sant'Angelo, Europe headed by the Holy Roman Empire The country will not allow France to control the church for another hundred years. He can do so, but the gain is not worth the loss—after Philip, the Duke of Orleans, returned to Paris, Louis also invited Cardinal La Riviere to his room and asked if he could It is impossible to push a pro-French or French bishop to the Pope, but Mr. Larivière said with regret that since the Holy See returned to Rome from Avignon, after Gregory XI, The good thing that the French cardinals once served several consecutive popes is gone. Not only is it gone, the subsequent popes are either Italians or Spaniards, and now the most popes in the College of Cardinals are Italian bishops. It is impossible to use the whole of France to bribe the Pope who is not conducive to his own election.

As he said that, he glanced at His Majesty the King, which was meaningful, as if to say, Your Majesty, don’t forget that you were still attacking Rome not long ago. To the Pope, you are only so much more than the King of England. A pious skin.

"So you know," the king said jokingly, "have I thought about peeling off this layer of skin?"

This sentence immediately caused Bishop Larivier to break out in a cold sweat, because he could hear from the king's words that this sentence was not entirely just a threat—although almost all the religious power in France was in the hands of the king, in On the surface, they still belonged to the Roman Church, and Bishop Lariviere was different from Bishop Richelieu and Bishop Mazarin who held real power. It can be said that although he fully supported the king and was loyal to the king, he also hoped to be able to get rid of the king. Seeking benefits in the church, so...he was thinking about whether his contact with the envoys of the Roman Church had exposed his feet, or he had attracted the attention of the king's spies in some matters, or unconsciously Leaning towards the Church, wisely shut his mouth.

This idea is half-true to Louis. For an atheist-even if there are werewolves, witches and devils here, he will not establish true faith, and the current church is indeed not worthy of people. Believe it, and the church has gone downhill from the momentary glory of Canossa Castle, which is why he did not repeat the mistakes of his ancestors—because it is useless to take the Pope in his hands now. The Anglican Church has already occupied an unshakable position. The princes of the Holy Roman Empire are more Protestants. Apart from Spain, the devout Catholic powers now only have France, and Spain and the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire came from Habsburg, a French The Pope's decree will only be used by them to wipe their ass.

And France is about to go to war with Spain.

In this way, the Roman Church is really useless, and their hostility towards Louis has directly threatened the king, his loved ones, and the king's people, although Philip nodded as king in Lorraine, But without this plague, Louis is confident that these people will be slowly brought into France's pocket-after all, who wouldn't want to live a better life? When Lorraine's steel, coal, glass, and porcelain industries develop to a certain level, the two territories will become prosperous, and the people in the territories will be able to live a comfortable life. At that time, if someone encourages them to Rebellion, and they might turn hostile to those idiots.

But when Lorraine and Alsace were initially stable, the plague spread by the church destroyed all the efforts made by the Duke of Orleans, Philip and Louis. Louis knew very well that the priests and monks of the church would kill the Duke of Orleans who refused the refugees to enter the castle. What does it look like, and the French governor who went there later will inevitably have difficulty because of this reason. In this case, they can leave their territory and drive those people who hate them out of French territory, because you may You can guard against enemies, but you can't always guard against those "good guys" who pretend to be.

After all, it is impossible for them to ensure that there are only French people around them. For example, the assassination of Louis in Dunkirk was ostensibly the behavior of Huguenots, and the Duke of Orleans, and later Lorraine officials, could not want to Always beware of a glass of water, a needle in a saddle or a bullet or crossbow bolt coming from behind.

It's just that this kind of behavior has greatly affected the development of Lorraine and Alsace. Originally, according to Louis' plan, this territory would give him several times the benefits within three years. Now this time may be delayed to ten years. years later.

Fortunately, with the help of Colbert, France's finances have improved significantly in the past few years. There are also products created by Louis from the other world, led by wizards, and various new technologies from the inner world. The treasury was filled in a steady stream, so that the king's future arrangements would not be completely in vain - but thinking of the church, Louis still couldn't help feeling annoyed, and now he wanted to envy Charles II, because he had a bold ancestor Henry VIII World.

It's just... "Brother Wang?"

Louis looked up and saw Philip, the Duke of Orleans, standing in front of the desk. He was wearing a huge and fancy hat. The ostrich tail feathers on it could almost hang from his arms to the ground, and the entire hat could cover the Duke's upper body. When he was in Lorraine, Philip suffered a lot. When he came back, he was thin and dark. Although the queen mother wanted to hold a triumphal banquet for him immediately, he was firmly rejected by him. Not only did he refuse With the support of his elder brother, he declined all invitations and stayed in his room to grow white and fat.

"It seems that Vettel is doing a good job." Louis stretched out his hand and squeezed Philip's arm, "Come and sit down," he said, "I'm going to finish here soon, and you will have lunch with me today."

"Water is afraid of you," Philip said with a smile as he handed his hat to the attendant beside him, "He will do his best for every order you give and dare not disobey in the slightest."

"Although I'm glad he has such awareness," Louie said while opening a document, "but seriously, I have nothing to fear. I don't think I'm a person who will drag people out and behead them at any time." tyrant."

Because this royal chef is unfortunately Fouquet's chef, or in other words, he was invited to Paris by Fouquet himself, and the first banquet he put up to show off his skills was to entertain you, and then, while he was still expecting you When the reward was given, your guards and musketeers surrounded there, from the eminent Mr. Fouquet to the servants of the stables, all were thrown into the same newly opened Bastille prison, although Let’s just say, as a hired cook, Vatel didn’t suffer much, because no one would torture him because of his obedience, but he was scared out of his wits, even if no one was executed in Fouquet’s case, he Or decide to flee to England...

But unfortunately, his savings were lost in the chaos, and the bounty he was expecting was also gone, so when he managed to raise enough fees - the king was assassinated in Dunkirk, the situation in Paris He suddenly became nervous. Vettel tried to leave several times but failed, and was almost arrested again. Fortunately, Prince Conti at the time had tasted his craftsmanship and could not forget it, so he invited him to his home to do something. , Then, according to the tradition of the French court, nobles will always recommend the best things and people to the king.

Going around, Vettel became the king's servant.

But Vettel does have a talent for making meals, and what he is good at is in line with the king's preferences, and his timidity also ensures that he is difficult to be bribed-the king's generosity to him also ensures that he will not be easily bought. He took the risk, so after several twists and turns, he actually climbed to the position of the royal chef, which made many people feel aggrieved, because Vettel's status is really low. Not only is he not a nobleman, he is also an illegitimate son who grew up in the Bois de Boulogne. .

But now Louis has less and less to consider for others. Vettel is loyal and obedient, and he is willing to use him with superb skills, just like any person who has no background but is capable.

The king's lunch is always richer, and it is different from the past. Whether it is a normal meal or a banquet meal, not all meals will be placed on the table at once. According to the king's request, the dishes are delivered one by one. Served, from soup to appetizers, from appetizers to main courses, from main courses to desserts, from desserts to coffee or tea - dishes must be hot in winter, and only wine or drinks in summer, appetizers It will be chilled, and soups and meat dishes must be warmed, which is even more difficult than keeping the dishes fresh.

The way Vettel racked his brains was to use a dining car with a small charcoal stove. Dishes that needed to be kept warm were kept warm on the small stove until it was time to eat, and then they were taken down and poured into large silver plates that were also heated. .

While letting Philip try the latest curry pork, Paris is already a bit cold after autumn, and eating some curry can help people maintain their body temperature better, while nodding approvingly to Vettel, on the king's table, poultry and mutton Occupying the main position, few people were able to make pork delicious before, and curry is also a new seasoning. He can quickly apply curry and pork together. Vettel's talent cannot be underestimated.

Vettel, who was serving at the side, also breathed a sigh of relief. People say that Louis is a gentle and tolerant monarch, but for a chef, this master is not easy to serve—first, he doesn't like butter, at least not every dish. There is cream in all dishes; second, he doesn't like mixed flavors, and each dish must have a clear main body, just like there must be only one general in an army; It may be complicated, from all kinds of meat to various vegetables, and various spices, but his food intake is so small that he only tastes two or three bites of each, never like the current nobleman, as long as he tastes delicious food, he will be happy Eat a big meal... In the end, this His Majesty seldom expresses his opinions on the meals. They have to observe carefully to determine what dishes His Majesty likes and what dishes he doesn't like.

Like today, it is really rare to express approval clearly. Even though Vettel is still afraid of His Majesty, he can't help but be full of joy. His fingers keep moving around behind him, imagining that he can make pork and curry again. Something else, don't wait, in view of the king's habit, if there is curry pork today, these two materials will not appear tomorrow or the day after tomorrow...

When the blueberry pie was served, the servants retreated under the king's signal. Vettel was still planning tomorrow's menu in his mind, but the king's thoughts had left curry pork and returned to government affairs.

He had told the Duke of Orleans before that when he returned from Lorraine, he would be involved in the first real war since the king's own administration, that is, France's war against Flanders--Flanders, in fact The upper part is now southern Belgium, which still belongs to Spain. Above it is the Netherlands, below it is France, on the left is the Strait of Dover, and on the right is the Holy Roman Empire and Luxembourg. If you remember, the current Duke of Luxembourg It is the good friend and righteous brother of Prince Kong Dai. The opportunity to go to war has become very ripe, but some preparatory work is still needed in the early stage.

This is what Louis wants to tell Philip, because this time the church's conspiracy is directed at France and England, but the biggest victim is no one but Philip. Who should seek the king's help to avenge his enemies? Only the Duke of Orleans, no matter whether it is to repay the most loyal brother or the most reliable general, Louis cannot refuse, but for the upcoming battle of Flanders, the revenge against the church must be postponed.

"Philippe," said Louis, somewhat apologetically, "I have just given Monsieur La Rivière a mission," he said, lifting the little silver jug ​​of honey and dousing Philip's blueberry tart. A thick layer, he doesn't like things that are too sweet, so he can taste the sweetness hidden in the sour taste of blueberries, but Philip, like the queen mother, is addicted to sweetness, so in order to cater to his taste, only a little sugar is added to the blueberry stuffing The duke must taste sour, so he must put a lot of honey, but it is another rare reward for the king to serve him. Philip accepted it, and guessed that his brother must have his reasons for doing so. . Thinking of the upcoming Battle of Flanders...

"Is it related to Mrs. Wang's dowry?" After the king put down the silver pot, Duke Philip also poured some on the pie for the king politely. The mind is also connected together.

"Yes." In the first few years when Louis was in power, almost every place needed money every day, and compared with the cost of armaments and construction, no matter how extravagant personal enjoyment was, it was just a drop in the bucket. In those days, the king even forced Going to see the request for payment documents that Colbert sent to him, it must be said that he has always wondered whether he will become the second Charles I—compared to Charles I, he spent more money on the two His money may have been multiplied countless times - he didn't become bald or crazy because of it, it's all because Louis has a healthy and young body and a tenacious soul, oh, and Colbert, Colbert's eldest daughter and second daughter have already Married to two dukes respectively, the three daughters who are still toddlers must have the title of duchess, but let the king say that he is absolutely worthy of this reward, poor Colbert, he is in Saint-Germain-en-Laye When I first met the king, he was a young man with thick hair. Now it is said that he has become the most popular customer in the wig shop.

And in such a crisis, the king never asked Philip II of Spain for Queen Teresa's dowry. Is it really for love? Of course it's impossible, even the naive Queen Mother didn't think so, and the French ministers who are always talking about the king's respect for the queen rarely mentioned this matter, "Sister-in-law..."

"I'll let her live in Fontainebleau for a while," Louis cut open the pie, watching the purple filling slowly flow out: "She's leaving today." As the princess of Spain, queen of France, special Leisa's situation is of course very embarrassing, not to mention that Louis still used her dowry as an excuse to start a war against Flanders. She is indeed better in Fontainebleau than in the Louvre, at least there she is less likely to meet People who don't want to see, and the environment of Fontainebleau is better than the Louvre in the center of Paris.

"That's why you sent Monsieur Bishop La Riviere to Rome in order..."

"Well, we need the support of the Roman Church for this appeal." Today's high court is almost equivalent to Louis' personal tool, and the Privy Council is also subject to the king. Now all the king needs is theological support for this war. In France, the failure of the church's conspiracy is also a blow to the church. If they can be made to think that as long as they support the French king in this matter, they will be forgiven and the problem will be solved. However, Philip, the Duke of Orleans, was almost defeated. Staying in Nancy forever, asking him not to speak up for himself, pretending that nothing happened, Louis also felt very shameless.

"So what about the Holy Roman Empire?" Philip did not disappoint his brother like every time before, he asked with a smile: "I'm afraid Leopold I will not let us oppress this family, and in the Buddha Randall expands the territory."

Louis sighed in relief: "Yes, we must also take into account Leopold I of the Holy Roman Empire. He only married Teresa's sister Margaret before, and unlike Theresa, Margaret Gretel and her descendants still retain the right of inheritance to Spain, only after the current king of Spain, so we are not without chance-Philip, compared to having the right of inheritance, Leopold I certainly hopes to own Spain as soon as possible , if we inform the emperor of Carlos II's physical condition, and promise not to seek the succession to the Spanish throne as long as we get Flanders, Brabant, and Franche-Comté, you Do you think he might agree?"

"It's very possible," said Philip, forgetting about the cold pie: "but are you really going to give it up?"

"A bird in the hand is worse than a thousand birds in the forest." Louis said: "Leopold I was born in 40 years, two years younger than me, no one would believe without ambition, and compared with the whole of Spain, the Buddha What is Randall, as you said, he will agree."

"Have you selected the emissary, then?"

"Well, I plan to let Prince Conti do this."

"Although I have no intention of interfering with your ideas," said Philip, "I must say that Prince Conti is indecisive, weak-willed," to be more precise, a coward, "and is not a good person to do this. Yes, brother Wang, I am more willing to do this for you, to meet the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and to fight for his neutrality or bias for you."

"I believe you will do better than anyone else," Louis shook his brother's hand reassuringly: "I also understand Conte's character, but what I need is an envoy like Conte, because only such a person , to make Leopold I despise us, despise France, think that even if we get Flanders, we will not pose a threat to him, and sign the agreement-but you are different, my brother, " He said affectionately: "Your enemies fear you and know you. As soon as Leopold I saw you, he would immediately raise his vigilance."

"I will disguise myself as a useless villain." Philip said, or a woman, even if his enemies now say that he is a devil general, he still maintains a preference for small skirts, nothing more than this It can confuse people.

"No." Louis said without hesitation, "If it's just because you like it, you can dress yourself up however you want, but if it's for me, for France, I'd rather you bleed, get hurt, and don't want your reputation to be damaged , I would rather see people fear you than see them despise you, don't think about it, I will never allow it, and I have more important things to invite you to do than Leopold I."

"Can you tell me, Your Majesty?"

"Of course." Louis fiddled with the pies on the plate, and found that they were completely cool, so he asked the attendants to take them down to warm them up, and then discussed with the Duke of Orleans about an item that would affect Major events in the entire Europa and even the entire world are coming.

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Louis and Philip were harmonious here, and Charles I, who was far away on the other side of the strait, could finally put down the heavy load on his shoulders—in order to take this opportunity to gain the support of the people and ministers, he exhausted himself. Money, even The Queen Mother’s jewelry and clothes were pawned, and even the banquet was not held for several months, but these efforts were not without gains. The Black Death in London has disappeared, and reconstruction work is also proceeding in an orderly manner. From France Support is arriving at the port one after another—although these cement and craftsmen need to be replaced with the blueprints of the latest warships, they have greatly eased London's urgent needs, and the Parliament and the House of Elders have nothing to say about this.

At the same time, Louis's letter to Charles II also vaguely mentioned something about the Roman Church. Charles II couldn't believe it. How dare they do such a thing? Forget it, spread the plague in Lorraine, isn't the Roman Church afraid of the Black Death! At that time, the Black Death swept across Europe... But not long after, he got the news that the plague spread by the refugees from Lorraine and Alsace miraculously disappeared after entering the Rhine Valley. People all claim that this is a gift from God, and the church has received a large donation, but maybe this is the reason why they cast the seeds of the plague without fear?

This chapter combines two chapters into one, and the compensation chapter promised to everyone is in it, and the extra words are free.