I Am Louis XIV

The Tower of London is full of ravens.

The Duke of York glanced up briefly, the white tower against the black shadow flying up and down, and against the gray twilight background, it looked even more strange and inexplicable-this white tower with a height of about one hundred feet is In 1078, William the Conqueror built the main building of a fortress, and then built thirteen buildings around the White Tower. This complex was once used as a military fortress, royal palace, armory, observatory, and mint. , the treasury, the prison and the execution ground... and what made the Duke of York feel chills was that when he looked at the building, he thought of another Duke of York.

This involved a long and famous war and a vile thief. After the Wars of the Roses, it was Edward IV who was victorious. He had two sons. The eldest was traditionally made Prince of Wales and the second As the Duke of York, this is also the reason why the British kings canonized the second son as the Duke of York. The problem is that Edward IV passed away too early. His eldest son Edward was only thirteen years old when he came to the throne, while his younger brother was only ten years old. They were no luckier than Louis and Philip. At that time, not only did they have no strong supporters, they only had an ambitious uncle——Edward IV had two younger brothers, one was sentenced to death because he was held hostage by opponents of Edward IV, and lost his right of inheritance , the other, that is, the Duke of Glarosse, and later Richard III, secretly sent a priest to declare that Edward IV had married a woman before marrying the queen, and that woman was still alive, and the queen and Edward IV Edward V and the Duke of York were imprisoned in the Tower of London—although the Tower of London was still a royal palace at that time.

But since then, no one has been able to see the two unfortunate princes again, and no one knows whether they are dead or alive. They just disappeared without a sound, even if Richard III was later defeated by Henry. Tudor, they still haven't made a sound, but considering that Henry Tudor was already married to Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth at that time-even if they were lucky enough to survive, it is best for them and others to die.

For this crown, the Duke of York thought in his heart, how many noble people have thrown away their blood, heads and dignity.

Such memories weighed like a heavy lead on the heart of the thirty-seven-year-old duke. He was younger than his brother, but he was already full of hair, but the ambition that grew from his youth was like a wild vine. That way, not only would it not wither gradually as the years passed, but it would grow stronger and stronger, almost covering his eyes and ears—but just as the carriage he was riding turned to Whitehall Palace, a small roadside On the stage, a strangely dressed fellow is singing at the top of Shakespeare, from a chapter of Richard II, saying: "For God's sake, let us sit down and tell sad stories about kings of death—some deposed, some slain in battle, some haunted by the spirits of those they deposed, some poisoned by their wives, some slain in their sleep, and none ended well. For within this hollow crown encloses The king's mortal body..."

For the Duke of York, who believed in astrology like any member of the royal family in the past, the voice of this ignorant man pierced his heart like a sharp awl. He stretched out his hand out of the car window without thinking, and planned The servant accompanying the horse ran over immediately, bowed his head and listened to his order. The Duke whispered a few words, and the servant immediately turned the horse's head and galloped away. After about half an hour, the Duke of York was already walking there. When he was in the hallway to meet the king, the attendant had already returned, and his sword had just been wiped clean, and the blood of the "criminal" did not leave a trace on the sharp edge.

A man's death, even to the duke's entourage, was a trivial matter, and the duke of york was troubled by the bad omen it brought, especially when he was summoned by the king. Outside the king's room, he unexpectedly met the king's astronomer and astrologer, Mr. Flamsteed. The astrologer was dressed in a blue robe and looked solemn and a little unhappy. The Duke of York greeted him kindly, and then He couldn't help inquiring curiously: "Is there anything that bothers you?" He asked, thinking, if it's just about money or official position, he can try to give some help, so that the astrologer can see for himself Let's see in the future...whether he can take another step...

"The matter should have been resolved." The astrologer said: "You know, our observatory is on the White Tower. I don't know why, there have been a lot of crows there recently, and their feces and feathers are constantly polluting the sky. And damaged our stargazing equipment, I came to ask the king, can someone drive or kill these hateful birds, but His Majesty is not willing." Speaking of this, the astrologer showed a puzzled look , They have never encountered such a situation before: "But the king asked us to move to Greenwich, maybe it would be better there." He shrugged: "What about you? Your Highness, are you also here to see the king?"

"My brother summoned me," said the Duke of York, "but I also hope to see my dearest brother."

"Then I will not bother you anymore," said the astrologer, "farewell, Your Highness, and may God bless you."

"May God bless us," said the Duke of York. He watched the astrologer turn around the corridor before motioning to the attendants outside the door to report.

When the Duke of York entered the room, Charles II was staring out of the window. The early autumn scenery cut by the small black grids one foot square was not very pleasant. He also saw ravens. If these ravens were common birds, he would Of course it will meet the expectations of the astrologer, but these birds are the servants and eyeliners of the wizards, and it is clear who he chooses. After all, the wizard can do what the astrologer can do, but the astrologer cannot do the wizards. things that can be done.

The Duke of York was unaware of this matter. Although he is a member who has the right to know the existence of the other world, some powers are unique to the king. At least until Charles II completely loses his power, the wizards will not take the initiative to lean towards the Duke of York. —Especially the wizards of England, who are as rigid and exacting as the common Englishman.

For this younger brother, Charles II would not trust Philip as much as Louis did to Philip. Henrietta's words took root in his heart like the seeds of poisonous weeds, and the British wizards—although they rejected the king's request at the beginning (To be honest, they were all quite surprised too), but after some hesitation, they agreed to let the king have a biological heir with the help of potions-speaking from the bottom of their hearts, if Charles II was still Kang When the Duke of Wall failed to get help from Louis, then the journey of his return and the experience in between may make him choose to give up the struggle with the parliament, but it is precisely because of Louis who is in front of him, when it comes to age and seniority In other words, Charles II, who was far superior to Louis, would of course also have a competitive heart. When Charles I was beheaded, he was already nineteen years old. Even if he ascended the throne directly, he would have nothing to say. He exaggerated many opinions and methods on politics—unlike Louis XIV, he had almost no memory of Louis XIII, and his teachers were all arranged by the queen mother and the bishop.

Although Charles I was beheaded, although Charles II was exiled, and Louis XIV fled Paris three times in embarrassment, why couldn't Charles II do what Louis XIV could do? Compared with Louis, he has another extremely favorable condition, that is, he comes from the inheritance of Henry VIII. He is not only a secular king, but also a religious leader. As long as he can buy the London Tribunal, he can also kill wizards like King Arthur. The pawn is placed on the chessboard of the game.

In addition, there are some other things that he only learned after he decided to gather England’s inner world—more and more people from the inner world have either passively or actively entered the secular world. Maybe one day, they Those legends and stories that I have read will really appear in front of people's eyes... His behavior cannot be said to be a betrayal of faith. On the contrary, making preparations in advance is what a pious warrior should do of.

Four months ago, Charles II finally made up his mind. With the help of the wizards, the queen became pregnant, but it has not been officially revealed to the outside world. The wizards have even replaced the work of the imperial doctors. It has to be said that their medicines And treatment methods are more trustworthy than the royal doctors of Charles II, and there were no devils or ominous signs during the queen's conception. Regarding Charles II's questions, the wizards explained that unless the husband and wife One of them has lost the ability to reproduce, otherwise there is no need to use sacrifices. Charles II has fourteen illegitimate children. Of course, the problem is not with him, so it is the queen, and the queen is not sterile, she just ... ran into a little problem...

If Charles II didn't have an illegitimate child, then he might become suspicious, but if he has a child, then as long as the queen's problem is resolved, it is only natural for him and the queen to have a child—just a week ago, the wizard made a statement for him. Did a fortune telling, the child is a strong boy, Charles II has an heir! Only then did Charles II decide to proceed with Henrietta and his plan. He summoned his younger brother to cast the bait and persuade him to stand on his side in the future war against the Netherlands.

"Come and see this." Charles II said kindly.

The Duke of York walked over[c1], and in the portrait placed in front of the window stood a tall, beautiful girl. She stood in front of the window, behind her was a thick crimson curtain, which made her skin fair and flawless , the eyes are bright and moving.

"Maria Beatriz Anna Margherita Isabella d'Este," Charles II uttered a series of syllables, and then flicked his numb tongue gently: "This year Twelve years old, the eldest child of the Duke of Monaco, her younger brother inherited her father's title in 62, but is now being regent by their mother, she is her mother's most beloved child, not even one, people It is said that if she is a son, then Francesco II should be her rather than her younger brother."

"The eldest son should inherit everything from his father." The Duke of York said respectfully.

"However, Italy doesn't seem to fully follow the Sacre law (that is, the law of primogeniture)." Charles II said as if unintentionally, "Her brother was born in 1960, and he is only ten years old now." Then unexpectedly seeing the Duke of York's eyes brighten up again, "And her dowry..."

"How much dowry does she have?"

"No less than the Queen of France, Teresa of Habsburg," said Charles II, and then he said, half-jokingly, "Maybe I'll ask you for a loan."

The Duke of York did not speak. He went forward and stroked the person in the portrait. As Charles II said, the girl is as beautiful as a rose that just bloomed, and her dowry covered her even more. Bright precious light.

"How?" Charles II said: "The envoys of the Duke of Monaco are in the palace. As long as you are willing to act according to my will, I will call them and sign a contract." something, I want you to know."

"Speak, sir," said the Duke of York.

"The Duchess of Monaco has a request," said Charles II: "she will not marry her daughter to a Calvinist," he said: "her daughter's husband must be a Catholic."

"It's ridiculous!" The Duke of York almost blurted out. He knew very well that he did have many supporters in the court and the army, but these supporters were all Protestants. They would never allow a Catholic to become their king. , the lessons Bloody Mary taught them are deep enough (Mary I was the eldest daughter of Henry VIII, and in the process of restoring the Catholic faith, she carried out cruel revenge on the Protestants, hence the name Bloody Mary), once he promises The king, it may be more serious than he sided with the king and started war on Holland without approval of parliament.

Charles II just smiled at his violent reaction, took his brother's arm affectionately, and led him to the window.

"See it?" said Charles II. "That's the Thames."

"I see." The Duke of York is reluctant to see this river, because it has become a disgrace to the British Navy not long ago, and the Dutch General Luyter drove his ships along the Thames River straight into London, Although their shells did not pose a fatal threat to London, the pride of Londoners was shattered in this battle.

"It brings enemies, yes," said Charles II calmly, "but it also brings friends, Monsieur Duke."

"... What kind of agreement did you sign with Louis XIV?" the Duke of York asked after a moment of silence, and he was not a fool.

"Not just Louis XIV, but the Church of Rome," said Charles II. "They helped us take back power, and we gave them a king who believed in God."