I Am Louis XIV

"Is that the illegitimate son of Pope Urban VIII?"

Louis turned his head and saw his younger brother Philip poking his head out of the door: "Don't look like this," he reprimanded gently: "This is not etiquette. Bontang, go and get a chair," he said again Turning to Philip: "Has mother gone to Mass again?"

"Yes." Philip said, and he came in from the outside. Before the "suspenders" ceremony, he could only wear a luxurious little silk satin skirt, but inside the smock was hung the silk dress that Louis gave him. Dagger, he walked all the way to Louis, bowed to him, and then moved to the armchair brought by Bontang-in this palace, there are only three people who can sit face to face with the king for the time being, Bishop Mazarin , Queen Mother Anne and the younger brother Philip, in fact, Bishop Mazaran did not agree with Louis' tolerance of Philip. According to him, the younger brother should stand in front of the king like a courtier.

Louis didn't think that these red tapes would have any effect on the real careerist. Gaston, Duke of Orleans, kissed his brother's robe when Louis XIII was alive, but he was not merciful when he rebelled, and he For Philip, there was indeed a sense of guilt, which made him always extra tolerant towards this brother.

"Where are you going to have dinner, Your Majesty?" Bontang asked respectfully. The young king is a very emotional person. He usually eats breakfast alone in the dormitory, and lunch depends on the time and place. Sometimes in the study, sometimes in the courtyard, sometimes in the woods (when he was out hunting); The Duchess of Eyre or the Prince of Condé), they would exchange interesting gossip over meals and occasionally enjoy music. The king often personally asks about the dishes for dinner, trying his best to take care of everyone's taste and ensure health and deliciousness.

"Philip and I are using it in the small hall today." The small hall is one of the ground-floor corridors facing the garden in the Richelieu house, just at the end of the "bow gallery". It has become its advantage, and the room is small enough, and it only needs a small amount of charcoal to heat it-the current royal family doesn't care about the cost of a little bit of charcoal now, but when thinking of the tens of thousands of hungry mobs outside, Louis I really can't stand throwing fees that are useless.

He got up from his seat, and Philip jumped up too, stretching out his arms to the king, though the queen mother always called him "my little girl," and the attendants and servants always treated him like a princess. Treating him, but Philip didn't deflect his position too much-he was like a knight in high spirits, ready to let the king hold his arm, to be His Majesty's pillar and His Majesty's shield.

"Bring me my beaver hat," said Louis, "and give it to Philip, we're going a little way down the porch."

The Tibetan clothes manager behind Bang Tang immediately went to the door to give orders to today's servants. The servants issued orders to the servants. The king and his brother waited for a few minutes before finally being able to put on their hats and heavy cloaks. Walking towards the small hall arm in arm.

Before that, Bang Tang also issued an order to the chief manager of the charcoal fire, so that the charcoal fire in the small hall can be lit, but this is not something the king will care about. When he and his brother arrived, the small hall was already warm , the king sits at the head of the table, accompanied by his younger brother on the left hand side, pouring water for the king and preparing seasonings. Louis asked him to pour himself a glass of water, picked out some pepper sauce and let him go back to his place, "Thank you," he said, "Philip, thank you very much for your service, you can sit down, today we have The pigeons you like, you should eat as much as possible."

Philip bowed and thanked the king before sitting down calmly. Today's pigeon is stewed, stuffed with white mushrooms and chopped celery, and only salt and pepper are added. It is considered a soup. The king eats very sparingly. The younger brother shared a pigeon, but there was also a cream of beetroot soup.

Although there should be four soups according to the rules, Louis banned such rules very early on. Gluttony is a way for people today to show off their wealth and power, but for a king who has not yet formally contacted government affairs Not so necessary.

After that, there was a roast duck stuffed with apples. The king only chose some duck breast meat and baked apples in it. Apples are probably the only fruit that can be roasted and taste sweeter except pineapples and bananas. After soaking in the sweet and sour juice of the chicken, the fatty duck skin will also become refreshing. The younger brother Philip ate a pair of duck legs with relish.

The third course has roasted lamb, sliced ​​ham, poached eggs, and cheese. Louis still only chose some sliced ​​ham on the plate. When the main course came, he wrapped the thinly sliced ​​lettuce with ham and cheese. Sometimes he also used this method to carry his lunch when he was hunting outside, so people called it "King's Bread" and it quickly became popular among the nobles and ministers. Even Bishop Mazaran was busy with official duties. There will also be a "King Bread".

After that, there were three different jams, lingonberry, peach, and blackberry. The king picked some lingonberry jam and rubbed it on the bread, which was only about one bite in size. It was the end of today's meal.

The younger brother Philip ate a lot of jam. In winter, there are not many fruits, only jam. Louis has always been cautious about this so-called jam, which is similar to adding fruit to sugar, but from the Queen Mother to Philip, no one ignores it As fate would have it.

At last the attendant brought the milk, and Philip frowned at the sight of it. He didn't like milk, but it was something his brother ordered him to eat, "because it makes you grow taller," said the king. Said—Louis watched Philip add several tablespoons of jam to it before he could barely drink it, which was both funny and helpless. He also ordered the chef to add almonds to the milk to get rid of the taste that children don’t like, but this method is very annoying. She was about to be objected by the Queen Mother Anne, because... most of the poisons smell of almonds, once something smells of almonds in some food, it is hard to say whether it will suddenly become deadly.

This is no joke, as mentioned earlier, Philip III's unfortunate eldest son died from a sauce with grated cherry pits.

Not only Philip drank it, but Louis also drank it. They are now in the first stage of development, and they must lay a good foundation. I am not kidding. At this time, the king and the duke still need to kiss each other on the battlefield, not to mention that there is another world now. Monsters and unknown people are watching in the dark - they obviously have no awe of the king, just like the citizens of Paris.

"Tell today's cook that the stewed pigeon is well done, and give him a small crown." Louis said, "Ask him to prepare another one for my aunt and my cousin. Need more pepper."

Bontang immediately retreated under orders.

The younger brother, who was lazily holding a pickled olive, couldn't help but pouted, and Louis gave him a stern look: "Don't do that, Philip, they are our relatives, we should have take care of them."

"But they all say it's because you're in love with Henrietta," said Philip.

"What kind of nonsense is that?" Louis said angrily, "I should really warn the people around you. Henrietta is only six years old. What kind of person can fall in love with a six-year-old child?"

Philip was silent for a while, "That's good," he said, "Mother is worried about this, they are not going to make Henrietta your wife." He fiddled with the silver knife and fork in front of him, it was Mary .Medici brought it to the French court after marrying from Italy to France. At that time, people in the French court preferred to eat with their fingers. At that time, some priests accused the daughter of Medici of being too extravagant. Since Louis XIII , The court gradually began to return to its original state. When Louis XIV could decide how to eat, the knife and fork were on the table again.

"What do you know?" Louis didn't move around the Queen Mother very much, so he might not be as well-informed as Philip in this regard.

"Because of your previous insistence," said Philip, "your... clemency to Charles, Duke of Cornwall, has aroused some people's doubts. They probably cannot accept an English princess as queen, although Queen Mary of England Princess Henrietta would obviously love to have this marriage."

"They're right," said Louie, "I wouldn't choose Henrietta as my wife."

"Why, don't you love her?" Philip asked: "Although I hate her, in terms of identity, appearance and cultivation, Henrietta is indeed a good choice."

Louis smiled. Ever since he knew that he was Louis XIV, he was sure that his future marriage would not simply need to consider love and status. "I will not marry Henrietta." He reiterated——Britain and France is like two sharp swords, which can only be hostile, but incompatible. He supports the Duke of Cornwall only because as a king he must stand firmly on the opposite side of the traitor, and his future wife must come from a A country that could benefit from each other with France, Henrietta was out from the start.

Philip obviously wanted to say something, but there was a crisp click outside the door, and the king immediately jumped up from his chair and rushed out the door. He bent down and picked up a small bag, which made him feel familiar. When he put it to his nose and smelled it, he smelled a strong sulfur smell, and immediately confirmed the identity of the person who came.

"It's okay," he walked in and said to Philip, who also looked tense, "I know who that person is." He paused: "It's not an enemy."