I Am Louis XIV

When Mrs. Milady tracked down the maid's whereabouts, they couldn't find anything of value except for this empty house, and this house had been abandoned for a while—the original owner had a Zhuang died unexpectedly. He has no relatives. Although the lawyer is also looking for his heir, but so far, there is no result. The house has been closed and the curtains are drawn. business.

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"You said there are traces of wizards in it?" Louis asked gloomyly, "Evidence, or witness?"

"It is precisely because there is no evidence and no witnesses, Your Majesty." Mrs. Milady said cautiously: "If it was written by ordinary people, it is impossible for us not to find clues."

Louis was sitting by the Duke of Colonna's bed, holding the child's hand. The most critical moment has passed, the Duke fell into a deep sleep, the lost blood could not be replenished for a while, his face was pale, his lips paled, the fingertips held by the king were as cold as marble, he squeezed the one The same slender and slender hand stood up.

He is not only a father, but also a king. Although he is willing to be with his children, if His Majesty the King does not appear in front of the people at this time, I don’t know what kind of rumors will spread like moss under the steps. Spread—France has indeed won, but it has also added countless enemies, and Louis will not easily leave it to them: "You are here, madam," he said, "to take care of this child for me."

Madame Milady bowed to her knees: "And then," she continued, "where is the Duchess of Colonna?"

"Although she has always been stubborn and extreme, she has not gone crazy to this point," Louis said. "She must have been influenced by something, but we will never know how sincere or false it is," Louis said. He glanced at the Duke of Colonna who was lying on the bed. The child stopped his mother because Mary mentioned the queen and the crown prince. Because Louis had already planned the future path for his eldest son, so he It is very clear that even if Louis loves him again, he will not allow him or his mother to hurt little Louis and Queen Teresa-if Luciano will be the king of Naples in the future, then little Louis will take over France The man with the king's crown and scepter, Louis XIV had such deep expectations for France and his country, how could he allow the most orthodox successor to be threatened?

Therefore, even if he wanted to raise his magic wand to his mother, the little Duke of Colonna would never allow her wishful thinking to reach the king's ears. It was a taboo that could never be violated.

It's a pity that the painstaking efforts of the little Duke of Colonna were still in vain. Madame Milady sighed and sat down on a chair beside her—Marie Mancini seemed to have recovered a little sanity at dawn , The problem is, just like what the king said, no one knows how much sincerity is in those crazy words-even if the king does still have some childhood nostalgia for Marie Mancini, he will It is impossible to let her stay in Versailles, no, it should be said that from now on, the Duchess of Colonna may only spend her life in Gayola or Calais.

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When Louis XIV came to the Hall of the Goddess of Victory to receive the invited guests, some sharp-eyed people noticed that today's king seemed to be close to the Duke of Orleans and used a little makeup. It seems that what happened last night in the Palace of Versailles Some things, but in this era, the assassination of dignitaries has always been a common occurrence. Seeing the king, his younger brother and several important ministers, the generals are still walking steadily and behaving as usual. Some people are happy, some people regret ——It's just that no matter what kind of thoughts they have, when the king walks towards them, what he sees is always a head bent like a reed blown by the wind. The king stops in front of the familiar royal blue. Officers and Soldiers in Flanders and Holland: "I remember you, Gerald," said Louis kindly, "you are a brave man. How is your arm?"

"Thanks to your blessing," Gerald replied excitedly: "I have fully recovered, Your Majesty, and I am always looking forward to returning to your army and continuing to serve you!"

"Undoubtedly, sir, I am also looking forward to seeing you again." Louis said, and the generals following him couldn't help but smile. Yes, since Louis returned to Paris, people have been making indirect remarks and asking How to deal with the 120,000 army-every king hopes to establish his own standing army, but the army-that is, how much pressure the full-time soldiers will put on the treasury, from the fact that the king needs to borrow money from merchants every time he goes to war It can be seen from this point, but Louis successively confiscated assets of nearly one million livres from Flanders, and another 2.7 million livres from the Netherlands, which added up to almost sixty million livres. Queen Teresa, perhaps the ambition of the French king since Francois I with the big nose, may be achieved in the hands of Louis XIV.

And for these soldiers, whether they are ordinary soldiers or marshals like Viscount Turenne, they are almost eager for war, especially when they have already eaten the huge dividends brought by the war.

Gerald was remembered by the king, and even said a few words to him, which made the people around him envious. Although it was impossible for him and his wife to have a room in Versailles, at the banquet, his seat Moved a few steps forward, and there was a seat for him at the evening concert too, although the officer, born in a vulgar tavern, probably had less taste in music than a lamb chop on a plate, he would rather It’s better to say I’m watching than listening—because for this boring man, only the conductor’s performance is the most exciting in the huge orchestra of 200 people.

This is not nonsense. The first time Louis saw how Mr. Lully conducted the performance, he was also taken aback, because he conducted by tapping the ground with a heavy pointed cane. When the conductor entered When he reached a state of ecstasy, he seemed to be gnashing his teeth and fighting a giant instead of leading people into the palace of music. Mr. Lully, who was brought into the court by the Duchess of Montpensier, was not only the initiator , is also the best, and every time the king sees him directing the performance, he feels that he should appear in his army more.

Gerald also had this kind of thought. When everyone was concentrating on the wonderful performance, he also kept sighing and making oops, oops, asking him to say, it would be great if this Mr. Conductor was a grenadier It's too much, look at that powerful arm! Every time he knocked on the ground, the floor would vibrate, and sometimes the rhythm of "bang bang bang!" was so dense that it made people feel breathless-God, he said in his heart, there is no need for those drums and harps Or the trumpet, as long as this gentleman stands there and knocks hard, it is enough to make people excited.

Of course, Mr. Lully didn't know that there was a person in the audience who "appreciated" his commanding skills and talents so much. He was also an unlucky guy-he was Italian, his father was just a mill worker, and his mother was also the daughter of a mill worker. , but his humble birth did not prevent him from showing his talent. Although he was just wandering around with a group of bohemians at the beginning, using guitars and violins to accompany dancers, but at the age of fourteen, he was miraculously captured by a strange He was given to the Duchess of Montpensier together with some exquisite gifts. The Duchess liked this handsome boy so much that she not only made him her squire, but also made him his servant. He studied under his music chief, and later Lu Li not only became the son-in-law of the music chief, but also inherited his position.

When the Duchess of Montpensier returned to Paris, she also brought him into the court. As early as a few years ago, the Duchess had intended to introduce Lully to Louis XIV, but at that time, Louis' thoughts were all on the upcoming During the war, Lully’s performance could not attract his attention at all, until the king’s triumphant return from the Netherlands, the Palace of Versailles not only needed the decoration of statues and murals, but also needed wonderful drama and wonderful music to shock tens of thousands of guests, so Lully and Molière were immediately promoted to high positions by the king. In return, they presented three grand tragedies and comedies, several witty little plays, and a "victory march" specially composed for this glorious triumph. .

Among today's audience, there are quite a few people like Lieutenant Gerald, but none of them are people Lu Li cares about. The reason why he performed so hard is because the king is here, only when he is looking at the king exhaustedly , It is still regretful to find that the king did not show any sign of being conquered by his music or performance. He frowned slightly and said something to the prince beside him. Lu Li looked at his mistress worriedly, Meng The Duchess of Ponceier, the Duchess clapped her hands lightly, saying that his performance is not a big problem, then it is state affairs and government affairs-this is also a helpless thing, the king is not too keen on pleasure, and, To put it a little presumptuously, Lu Li felt that their Majesty might not have much artistic talent...

Of course the king didn't know that his music director was secretly despising him. Lully guessed right, the king's mind was still on his desk, and half of it belonged to the Duke of Colonna, who was still struggling with pain, on the body of his firstborn son. , what he and Philip discussed was how to make the absence of the Duke and Duchess of Colonna not arouse people's attention and speculation-in the daytime, people can understand that they may go hunting or play on the Grand Canal, but at night, the king's There is a seat for them at the long table. The king doesn’t care about Mary, but the Duke of Colonna and Louis don’t want him to be thought by some people to have lost the king’s favor and trust—then the Duke of Orleans proposed that every night tonight Individuals were required to wear masks until the end of the feast, so that no one would arouse suspicion as long as a young man of the same stature as the Duke of Colonna sat next to the king.

The Duke of Orléans, Prince Philip, as everyone knows, is the king's favorite brother, even more capricious than the Dauphin Louis, he made a proposal with feigned joy, the king readily agreed, and it was time to light the candles When the torches were held and torches were held, the Palace of Versailles was full of guests wearing masks—almost all the guests at night were princes, important ministers, and envoys, and they never cared about money—although it was only a few hours, they all The Duc d'Orléans' whimsy didn't bother him, and some of the ladies' masks were even able to match their attire.

These masks can barely cover the forehead, the bridge of the nose, and a few cheeks. The materials range from silk to gold, but they are enough to cover up the difference between the double and the Duke of Colonna under the flickering candlelight. On the left hand side, he tried his best to look calm. The king looked at his hand, but it was just a young man: "Who are you?" Louis asked gently. The Duke of Orleans must think that this child is very credible, so he will be accepted. Introduced to impersonate the Duke of Colonna.

"Let me tell you, Your Majesty," the child said in a low voice, "I am François Eugene, the son of the Earl of Soissons."

Louis paused slightly, no wonder he felt that this child had many similarities with his Luciano, of course, they could be said to be cousins, the mother of this child was Olympia Mancini, Marie... Mancini's sister, and his father wasn't even Eugene Maurice, Count of Soissons, but Louis' greatest enemy, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Olympia Mancini had died because of an "accident" with the acquiescence of the king. Originally, the child should have been sent to the monastery, but the Earl of Soissons, out of mercy, or because he was unwilling to let a Holy Roman Emperor, The child of the Archduke of Austria was in exile, so he recognized the child, and Louis also prepared an extra reward for him to house the child in the future. Unexpectedly, no, the Earl of Soissons was in Luxembourg during this battle. The duke fought under the command of the Duke. Unlike Gerrard, this well-born general also had a room in Versailles, but he did not expect that he would bring little Eugen with him. Louis felt an indescribable feeling in his heart. ripple.

"Don't worry," Louis said, "The Duke of Colonna is just... I have some things for him to do, but I don't want others to presume, so please take his place for a while... Only tonight, boy, you and I With me, no one will disturb you."

"It's a great honor, Your Majesty," Little Eugen's cheeks outside the mask were obviously stained with a layer of crimson: "I am willing to serve you, Your Majesty."

"Well," said Louie, "I'm glad to hear that, too, sir."