I Am Louis XIV

Jeanne is a bathroom maid, which is a new profession-after King Louis XIV made no secret of his emphasis on cleanliness and his abhorrence of dirt, bathing became the fashion of Paris again-the reason Not to mention a new fashion, because before the 14th century, people in France were also keen to soak in boiling hot bath water. However, due to the rampant spread of syphilis and the Black Death, these bathrooms, which were regarded as the transmission points of the epidemic, gradually became popular. Disappeared, as for those overly extreme behaviors - like saints and saints who have insisted on not touching a little water for decades, so that "dirt armor" has formed on their bodies, let's ignore it for the time being. Cleaning is done by wiping the body with white cloth towels, masking the smell with perfume, and changing clothes constantly.

But after the King remodeled the Richelieu House, which is now the residence of the Duke of Lorraine, and the Louvre, some guys with a keen sense of smell followed suit by adding or remodeling private bathrooms in their homes, at a great cost , although what most people expect is to have a common topic with the king, the comfort of the bathroom and sanitary facilities is beyond doubt. The construction team of Mr. Waugh (the architect of the Palace of Versailles), and even the "special salons" where Mingshu gathers, clubs and hotels have also made great improvements in this regard.

On the streets of Paris, when Mr. Fouquet was still the king's finance director, one of the projects he was responsible for was the construction of public toilets. It refers to the similar buildings of the ancient Romans, which is arranged in a U shape. Three neat rows of potholes, where people can say hello, spit and exchange some opinions on the current situation, and the dirt is washed directly from the Seine or the Duke's (the Duke of Orleans is not happy about this) aqueduct. The pipes below the street lead into the wilderness outside of Paris - people are not used to it at first, especially the drunkards who are drunk at night, but they are used to tearing down their pants casually and enjoying it - so it is still going on. An important position was born, one was the night patrolman, they carried sticks and whistles, rushed up to wake them up as soon as they saw such fools, and then decided whether to fine or labor, this occupation continued until three hundred Years later, no matter how loud the human rights activists were, they could not take the stick out of the hands of the patrolmen - because they, like many professions, were "employees of the Sun King", an intangible political and cultural heritage , Their wages are paid by the royal family, and they can even be inherited by their descendants - they are also the pride of the French.

Oh, of course, there are many occupations like this, for example, there are also the cleaning ladies in the shared toilets mentioned above-they are all in their fifties and sixties, but they are strong and tough old women, although I said above , there are always people in the toilet who can't help spitting and snotting, but they have to be sneaky, because once the cleaning women find out, they will rush up fiercely until you pay the fine obediently, or you Clean up those things... But you also know that since it is open to civilians, it is difficult to keep it absolutely clean, at least the smell is always inevitable.

So Jeanne was very content with her new job, especially since she was lucky enough to find work in a women's bathroom, not a toilet or a men's bathroom - as it was before the Black Death, the men's bathrooms quickly disappeared. It has become another trading place between Mingshu and customers. Even if you are only a servant in it, it is difficult to keep your innocence. After all, water needs to be added to the bathtub from time to time, and books, food and wine needed by customers must be delivered to hand. The softness of the resting place is hidden behind the curtains - who knows what happens in it, so that even though the maids in the men's bathrooms not only get three times the salary of the women's bathrooms, but also get rich rewards, Jeanne is still Anne. I stayed in this women's bathroom called "Venus" with peace of mind.

The "Venus" women's bathroom was originally a three-story hotel, and now it has been transformed into a second-floor bath, the top floor is resting, and the bottom floor is a comprehensive place for selling some women's favorite goods. Most of the women who come and go here are businessmen. The family members of government employees or low-ranking military officers are not poor enough to afford bathing, but they are not rich enough to add bathing facilities to their homes—they require brass faucets and pipes, bathtubs and seats. Even if it is expensive ceramics, it is not a small fee to connect the pipes in the home to the public pipes. Of course, there is a monthly payment for the upper water, and the same is true for the lower water.

But just as men will use the bathroom as another kind of recreational place, so will the ladies - in addition to occasionally meeting with their lovers here, they will also gather to talk about the latest fashion, accessories and entertainment in Paris. False rumors, or laughing at a companion who was not there together... Maybe the transpiration of water vapor will be as smoky as alcohol, Jeanna has heard a lot of surprising gossip here, today So, too, she pricked up her ears as she ran briskly between the tubs, a merchant's wife was complaining under the cover of steam that her husband was powerless, and another clerk's wife was asking where the effective A prescription for abortion, people around her are laughing at her husband for being too jealous, and a woman is persuading another woman to accept an ugly daughter-in-law who has married three times but has a generous dowry... Jeanne hides her smile in the Behind the sleeves, he poured a large glass of iced lemonade for a lady who is always very generous. The surname of this lady is Gaul, a noble surname. Perhaps because of this surname, his husband was married to the Marquis of Lois Promoted as the manager of the military depot, she will leave for Flanders in a few days, but what makes her sigh is her lover, an officer, who is about to follow Viscount Turenne to station in the Netherlands——in the tub beside her Mrs. Gerrard, whose husband is also an officer, is urging Mrs. Gawler to find another desirable lover: "After the king returned to Paris," she said, the fine lines around her eyes seemed to be opened in steam. Opened: "Are you afraid that you don't have a foal strong enough to ride? You are so beautiful and young, you can choose one as you like."

Mrs. Gawler took a sip of lemonade after hearing the words, and turned around and leaned on the tub, "But I heard that many of those officers are peasants from Versailles."

"My God, do you still care about this?" Mrs. Gerrard exclaimed hypocritically, "you are after love, not marriage."

"I'll think about it," said Mrs. Gawler. "I'm not going to be laughed at for choosing a farmer for my love."

"If that farmer could get into Versailles," said Madame Gerard, "those talkative fellows would be red-eyed with envy."

"Versailles?" Madame Gault asked in surprise, "Isn't it the Louvre?"

"Why do you think so," said Madame Gerard, "the last feast was at Versailles."

"A lot of people say it should be in Paris," said Mrs. Gawler. "My husband and my good gentleman think so too."

"Do you trust me or them. They didn't leave Paris - I mean, they didn't take part in the battle, but my husband was in it, right next to the King." Madame Gerard proudly Speaking of which, Mrs. Gawler showed a look of disbelief. After all, if Mrs. Gerald's husband had really made great achievements in the war against Flanders or the Netherlands, she would not be here with him. She said she would at least have a private bathroom.

Although there was steam in the bathroom, Mrs. Gerrard seemed to have guessed Mrs. Gawler's suspicion, and she snorted contemptuously, "If you don't want to hear it, forget it."

Of course Mrs. Gawler wanted to know, not only for her husband, but also for her lover. She hurriedly ordered little Jeanne to bring wine and pastries, and Jeanne hurried to the kitchen to get wine and some Little Cake ran up quickly again. Fortunately, Mrs. Gerald was also waiting for the bribe. After drinking, she confessed that her husband was wounded in the battle against Holland, so there was a Access to the Victory Banquet at Versailles, which, according to him, could last fifteen days or more, was scheduled for the sixth day, but there was a good chance the King would come to greet them.

"But this is Paris." Although Mrs. Gawler is not keen on politics like most ladies, the pride of Parisians still makes her say this sentence.

"The King prefers Versailles," said Madame Gerald persuasively, "and no one can change His Majesty's mind now."

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Louis XIV certainly wouldn't change his mind.

After the battle against Flanders, he once held a high mass and victory parade in Paris. Although the banquet was held in Versailles, it was said at that time that Versailles was larger than the Louvre and could accommodate what he said "Every Frenchman", but in fact, it was his first victory. The king still couldn't guarantee whether his insistence would arouse the dissatisfaction of the Parisians, so he had to make some concessions.

But after the war against the Netherlands, the throne of the Sun King was already unshakable. In this case, Louis XIV would not hold any ceremony or banquet in Paris except for the high mass. It was based on his dual considerations of politics and economics - when he was fourteen years old, he decided to build a new city to replace the turbulent and turbulent original capital Paris, and in the past few years, the most important thing is this Victory, so he will definitely hold a parade ceremony and a grand banquet in Versailles, and he believes that at this moment, no minister or nobleman dares to dictate his will.

Sure enough, not to mention the court, even the Parisians, who have always been the most contemptuous of the royal family, only quietly, occasionally, complained a few words-the lack of affection for the king, under the light of the Sun King, those who once dared to rush into the king's bedroom The thugs couldn't help shrinking their courage. They also realized how powerful, cruel and arrogant they had a ruler, and they didn't even know whether to be sad or happy.

Louis only stayed in the Louvre for a few days before leaving for Versailles. On both sides of his driver were musketeers and guards in distinctive armor. Behind the driver was a mighty motorcade. The queen mother, the king's younger brother, the Duchess of Montpensier, the Prince of Condé, the Prince of Conti, etc... A group of nobles and dignitaries, followed by ministers and generals such as the Duke of Luxembourg, Viscount Turenne, Colbert, Marquis of Lois... …there was a longer queue after them, and at the end there were even pedestrians, more than during the triumph of Flanders. Tens of thousands of people crowded the Avenue of Versailles. According to the count of d'Artagnan, the Parisians can Said to be out in force.

Louis looked out the car window, and suddenly remembered the scene when he was ten years old, awakened from his slumber by Bishop Mazarin, and hurriedly fled from the Louvre to Saint-Germain-en-Laye, when the streets were full of bonfires , simple fortifications, pairs of violent and restless eyes peeking at the king's whereabouts behind the overturned carriage and dirty wooden boxes, compared to the werewolves who appeared later, they made Louis more frightened - these people are like greedy and Despicable hyenas, a little flesh and blood will drive them completely crazy, but in name, they are the people that Louis wants to protect and care for.

"Paris..." Louis shook his head slightly, leaned back, and slowly closed his eyes, as if leaving a nightmare behind.

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Mrs. Gerrard anxiously climbed the car window to look out, because her husband was wounded in the battle against Holland, so in addition to the king's reward, they can also enjoy some privileges, such as being out of sight here. Occupy a good position in the marginal queue, but it is conceivable that this good position is impossible to pass the officials and nobles. When she looks at the front, she is unwilling, but when she looks at the back, she is satisfied, just because there are too many people It was dusk when they arrived in Versailles. Mrs. Gerrard hurriedly got off the carriage and almost fell to the ground—her legs were almost numb after sitting in the carriage for too long.

This time the king did not set up "obstacles" on the way to the Palace of Versailles. Even if he won a big victory in the battle against Flanders, the funds in his hands must be prepared for the subsequent war against the Netherlands. The Palace of Versailles Only the decoration of the new large gallery and the central hall was completed, and the other rooms were still empty, but after he captured Amsterdam, the gold of Amsterdam allowed the king's designers to complete it after paying off the merchant's loan After completing the final decoration and decoration work of the Palace of Versailles, 1,800 rooms are enough to receive the guests invited by the king. As for those uninvited guests, they can also be treated with great hospitality-but they are not eligible to stay overnight.

But for most people, this is enough—some people who had participated in the previous grand event couldn't help shouting excitedly. Versailles, which really showed its full face, was a completely different concept from the Yoshimitsu Katayu they remembered .

That's not a palace, that's a new city.