I Am Louis XIV

Parisians leave Paris, Parisians return to Paris.

This is not a joke, the fact is that the Parisians were full of resentment because the king decided to hold a victory banquet at Versailles, but resentment turned into resentment, no Parisian could afford to go to Versailles and stay in Paris, so while the king was still there At the time of Flanders, Paris was almost a half-empty city. Unexpectedly, a few days later, another news came, which made the Parisians excited and anxious-it turned out that the king still wanted to hold a parade in Paris. The ceremony and mass, that is to say, the triumphal ceremony can still be said to have been performed in Paris.

So the Parisians went back to Paris again.

The Duchess of Montpensier, who witnessed all this in the Louvre, couldn't help but make a contemptuous gesture, and at the same time sighed. It has been so many years since she returned to Paris, and she has gradually learned about the king's heart and methods—he may I saw through these Parisians a long time ago, they are ruthless, chasing fame and fortune, and throwing anything at will can make them do what they want. For example, this time, the celebration dinner was held in Versailles, which caused dissatisfaction among many Parisians. But they dared not even sneer in the tabloids before the royal power, which was brought by victory, and when they were extremely disappointed, the king generously promised that there would be a grand mass in Notre Dame de Paris, and thereafter The parade was also held in Paris instead of Versailles-this behavior was like pushing a person into the abyss and giving him a rope, and the Parisians fell into unprecedented ecstasy, even more than what they heard at first. Joy when speaking of the great victory in Brussels.

As far as the Duchess of Montpensier knows, the dignitaries in Paris intend to build a majestic Arc de Triomphe to commemorate the king's victory. They have already prepared the necessary funds and materials, and they are waiting for the king to return to Paris. Just point your finger on the map and start working. Of course, the Duchess also pulled out her purse without hesitation. As one of the richest women in France, she has never been behind anyone in this regard, and she will get it sooner than anyone else. The king's reply, the king said that he intended to place the Arc de Triomphe on the Queen's Boulevard. This avenue was built by the woman of the Medici family, Queen Mary, during the period of Henry IV, and it was in Paris presided over by Louis During the major renovation, the designer Le Notre, who is currently working on the gardens of Versailles, expanded and extended this avenue, and set its end in a flat circular square.

This avenue pierces straight into the center of Paris from the gate of the Louvre, and several wide roads extend from the circular square, leading to various regions of Paris, just like the branches of a big tree. Above is Boulogne, below are Tuileries and the Louvre. It is said that the king intends to build a triumphal arch on the west side of the circular square. When Xiaodong was making a mark, the maid next to him asked curiously, "Is there any reason why Your Majesty chose this place?"

The duchess glanced at this maid. She was also the daughter of an earl, and she was very close to the duchess, so that sometimes she was too... contemptuous. The duchess thought that maybe she should change a servant, and replied kindly: " Because this won’t be the king’s only victory.” This is just the beginning, Flanders’ Arc de Triomphe does not have the qualifications to stand in the most important position, her cousin is ambitious, and Flanders is completely It was an expected victory, but to Louis, it was not worth mentioning at all.

"I don't know if Prince Condé can come back together." The maid said again, now the Duchess of Montpensier is determined to replace her. In the court, Prince Condé and Montpensier The Duchess can be called a beautiful couple, the only regrettable thing is that the Duchess of Montpensier is not married yet, as an unmarried woman, it is too frivolous to be close to a prince, but obviously, The duke chose not to marry, so her moral requirements were no longer so harsh—she was not annoyed that the maid casually put Kong Dai on her lips, but that she was not for the duchess, but for the sake of the duke. Herself.

The Duchess has never lacked decent attendants, musicians and poets. Although the wife of the Prince of Condé returned to the fief with his heir, there are countless dewy affairs of this gentleman, but this kind of thing will not make the Duchess Angry, although from the very beginning, she did have some sincere feelings with Prince Condé, but she still longed for the crown more—during the Battle of Bastille, she brazenly betrayed her father and helped Condé, was it just Because of love? No, it's just because if Condé is really pushed to the throne, then the Duchess of Montpensier can completely become the queen of France through reasonable operations.

After all, the wife of Prince Condé was not from a famous family. The reason she was able to become Condé's wife was only because her uncle was the Bishop of Richelieu.

It's just that Condé was finally deterred from the throne, and she was almost abandoned by her father and the court. Fortunately, Louis still needed her, and now, she and the Prince Condé were in another alliance. , exchanging information, helping each other, and occasionally spending a happy night-but she is not sure whether the king will let Condé come back, or stay in Flanders, but the most likely is the former, anyway, Condé has been in the past few decades I'm afraid there is no way to leave the king's side. Who told him to do such a thing?

Thinking of this, the Duchess felt relieved. It was not her fault, it was just because the Duke of Condé could not be completely trusted by the king, the more he needed the help of the Duchess of Montpensier, and they could not conclude a formal marriage contract , and it will not arouse the king's suspicion. If this continues, it will not be a bad thing for the Duchess. The Duchess of Montpensier thought so, picked up an emerald necklace from the box, put it on her neck, looked around, "how?" Among her jewelry, this necklace is not the most precious, but it is It was given to her by Prince Condé at the Red Children's Bazaar. At that time, the Queen Mother was really angry.

After a few seconds, she untied it: "When we are going to meet the king, we will wear it together with that diamond necklace." She is going to meet the Queen Mother later, and the Queen Mother must not be reminded of it. This is an embarrassment.

This emerald necklace came in handy a week later. It is said that the king specially arranged the itinerary. He and the army entered the city of Paris at the moment when the sun was brightest. Loyal generals, ministers, and soldiers rode through the entire city. Not many soldiers came back, but everyone wore the golden louis bestowed by the king, illuminating people's eyes. The cart was full of conquests and offerings from the Flanders, and the gold plate of victory that people had persuaded the king to leave behind was also among them-the king did not change his mind, but the prankster Philip, Duke of Orleans, asked the craftsmen to imitate It was made of brass and then gilded with a layer of gold. It was so piercing that people couldn't open their eyes even in the sun.

The musketeers walking by the side of the convoy stretched out their hands from time to time, grabbed a handful from the seized items, no matter what coins, jewelry or small utensils, and threw them towards the crowd. Gorgeous nobles are no exception, because this kind of gift has a special meaning.

The king returned to the Louvre surrounded by people. After a quick meeting with the Queen Mother, the Queen and the children, he changed his clothes and went to Notre Dame Cathedral. After mass in the church, the procession was huge. He set off in a mighty way, and no one noticed that Mr. Corneille in the team had a strange look on his face—he had just followed the "saints" in a procession not long ago, and almost lost his life. He can't even see the portrait of Saint Denis now— —As soon as he saw that portrait, he felt that his head would fall off his neck at any moment.

But very few people knew about it, and the people had no way of knowing it. The parade ended smoothly, and they climbed into the horses or carriages contentedly and tiredly, because the banquet in Versailles was next. .

The ministers couldn't help but feel a little bit strenuous, only the king and the younger brother were still so energetic, but they also took the carriage when they went to Versailles, this time the younger brother didn't sit with the king, but with his wife Sitting with his daughter, he looked down at his daughter. His daughter was born in the same year as the king's daughter Elizabeth, and she is 7 years old today. She grew up carefree in the court, innocent and lovely, and inherited The beauty of Philip and Henrietta, just thinking about her subsequent marriage, Philip felt troubled for a while——Looking at his expression, Henrietta rarely guessed what the king was thinking, although there was no love between them, only responsibility, But the love for her daughter is the same.

Princess Elizabeth has already confirmed her engagement with King Karl XI of Sweden, so there is less room for maneuver for the daughter of the Duke of Orleans. There are not no kings or princes of the same age, but for France, it is best now The best candidate is Carlos II of Spain. The problem is that Philip has been with the king for a long time, and he also knows that after the Habsburgs spread the noose of marriage all over Europe, what they harvested is not only the crown, but also genetic diseases. Carlos The evil consequences on the II are particularly clear—as the eyes and ears of the king inside and outside the palace, Philip, the king of Europa, knows everything about him. He knows that Carlos II is not only deformed, but also very weak. Some people swear that he Unable to have children of his own, the ambition of his illegitimate uncle Don Juan comes from this.

He is unwilling to marry his daughter to such a vain monarch, but if it is for France...

"I may stop in Paris for a while," said the Duke of Orléans dryly at last. "We may have another child, Henrietta, a boy, perhaps."

For Henrietta, a boy, a duke's heir is of course the most important thing, but she also realizes what the duke is talking about... This is a consolation and a reward, given that she might lose things - but she can't even refuse, not to mention that the princess has to take her own responsibility, even her brother Charles II wrote to her, urging her to have a boy as soon as possible - even if it is not her responsibility The birth of a child needs a mother as well as a father, and the Duke of Orleans has stayed in Paris for a short time since he married her. After Sass returned, he went to Flanders with the king not long after.

After Philip finished speaking, he fell silent, and only gently stroked his daughter's curly hair. He loved his child, but even if it wasn't for France, he couldn't veto the king's will.

While in Flanders, Philip thought that perhaps the king would keep him in Flanders, as the king's brother, the Duke of Orleans, would be just right, as governor of a newly conquered land, but the king finally changed his mind. He had made up his mind, and he and the king knew it as soon as they stepped into Paris, and the king brother distributed his glory and success to him without a trace of stinginess, just as he distributed his army and power to him.

He couldn't return more to Brother Wang.

—————

If someone can look down from the sky at this time, he will be surprised to find that on the three-mile road from Paris to Versailles, there is a bright pearl chain made of torches and kerosene lamps, and people are rushing to Versailles. , from the humblest beggar to the most prominent lord, they are eager and curious about the king's new palace and the banquet in the new palace, and some people are worried that the king's announcement that anyone can participate in the banquet will not let everyone They sat with the lower classes, but they were soon relieved, and when they were still a thousand feet from Versailles, bread and light wine began to be distributed, but those who had a little self-knowledge stayed, eating and drinking. Shouting long live the king.

Further on, there is a large market with bright lights. In the market, there are artisans of Limoges and residents of Versailles, and more people are left here.

On the hard road leading to Versailles, there were almost only the rumbling of wheels and the trampling of hoofs. Every other distance along the road, there was a musketeer standing proudly under the torch, their hands on the hilt of their swords, and their chests. It is full of gunpowder packs and bullet barrels as in combat.

When the carriages and horses finally arrived at the huge square, the Palace of Versailles was already waiting for their praise like a burning city-although it was not perfect, the large gallery and the central building were enough for trial use. The holly maze on the side has also grown, and at night, no one will enter without authorization, only the torches illuminate the green branches and dancing springs.

Countless water droplets were thrown into the air, refracted under the light like a diamond version of light, the people who came to participate in this event admired and walked into the large gallery, the first thing they saw was along the 500-foot The dining tables set up in the vaulted corridor, each covered with white linen, are lined with neat armless chairs. After arriving here, only the gentlemen and ladies who came to guide the attendants are eligible to go on, and those who stay are not dissatisfied. The portraits in the large gallery have been hung, and the candles on the many lampstands A lot of them are lit, and even men's beards and women's lace can be seen clearly.

As the king asked, Mr. Leblanc and his students, as well as the painters he recruited, worked day and night for several months and got the best reward here. Some people may say that as the king's royal painter LeBron lacks the soul that an artist should have, but how many people here can have enough appreciation? They don’t need a soul when they look at paintings, as long as the characters are realistic, the scenery is detailed, and the colors are gorgeous, and these people are still the first Seeing portraits depicting one thing in a row at a time, some people even forgot their fear and etiquette and ran from one end of the Grand Gallery to the other.

This kind of action quickly stopped under the shouts of the musketeers, or there was a loud and orderly sound of trombones. A gentleman thought that there was another war, but he was laughed at, and someone explained it to him later. He heard that this was the sound of the trumpet announcing the beginning of the banquet.

The sound of the trumpet was not entirely correct, and the attendant blew a reed pipe decorated with golden lilies. Before that, the steward of the palace solemnly walked up to the crowd and announced: "Let us share the meat rewarded by the king." "——This is also a tradition, and Louis has no intention of changing it. There may be less than a hundred people who can sit before the king, but they are all the most loyal and capable. The linen table-cloths were linen with silver borders down to the feet, and their dishes and utensils were either silver or glass, which shone bright white in the candlelight.

At the long table where the King sits, on the left and right are his brother and the Queen Mother, then the Dauphin, the Queen, the Duchess of Montpensier, the princesses and princesses, the Duchess of Orléans...that is, all the members of the royal family, These noble people second only to the king can use gilt tableware, and the linen tablecloth on the long table is also dotted with gold edges instead of silver edges. Unlike the long tables of the guests, under the candlelight here, the It is a warm orange-yellow.

Under the leadership of the dining room attendant, dozens of attendants served the first dish-sweet and sour appetizer soup.

It's too late, add a thousand words.