I Am Louis XIV

"To be honest," Theodric said bluntly: "I didn't intend to get involved so deeply at the beginning - if Amon of Zmixi hadn't suddenly gone crazy..."

"You must thank Uncle Theodric, I say," Louis said happily: "Without him, I might not have such a lovely child like you."

"Bishop Mazarin only made one mistake, and that time he almost died. Since then, your father has always been accompanied by priests - it can only be said that His Majesty the King or Mr. Bishop had other ideas at that time." Orderic said, and then he paused: "No, it should all be our Majesty's idea. I don't think Bishop Mazarin would be crazy enough to ignore his own beliefs and those of the French." Then he glanced at Louis: "Do you think I should continue?"

"I don't think there is anything untoward between us." Louis said jokingly, and then nodded slightly: "Let's talk, little Louis is also fourteen years old, Mr. Theodric, I was almost the same age at that time. "

"Your father is bold." Theodric said without any emotion: "Your Highness, there were people without faith before him. They were either too stupid, too smart, or too shameless. Your father may be both. There are all three of these. In short, after the era of Merlin and King Arthur, the church's crackdown on wizards was the most severe and extensive, far better than the so-called Inquisition - of course, you can understand that it is just two political forces competing against each other. Strangling, because their origins are the same."

Little Louis squeezed his hand nervously, and Catboy let out a dissatisfied cry. He took it out awkwardly, put it on his knees, and intertwined his fingers instead.

"In the five hundred years between 700 and 1200, the church did succeed in doing what Merlin failed to do. They replaced him - Mr. Little. Everything wizards could do, priests could do, and only a few wizards could do it. , because of blood and marriage, of course, the former is the most important, they received the protection of the king and survived - this situation did not ease until the Crusades." When Theodric said this, Louis raised his hand , indicating a pause.

"Tell me, kid, you've had a history lesson on this period of time, and you can speculate on what its ultimate consequences were."

Facing the king's question, little Louis thought for a while, of course, as the heir of a country: "The church originally wanted to use holy war to consolidate its power, but they failed."

"A very serious failure," Theodric said: "The church's priests were constantly damaged in continuous conquests, so that they had to recruit new blood from the other world. These new blood are the judges and presiding judges of the Inquisition."

"You can see," Louis said, "the Inquisition was still constrained by the church at the beginning, but within a hundred years, their partners turned to secular forces."

"It's like the two kings of Spain." Theodric said: "At that time, the Queen of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon used the Inquisition to purge different voices in the court and plunder the wealth of their subjects. Proper use of this weapon saved subsequent rulers a lot of effort. But," he emphasized, "but even they were not as...excessive as what your father did." It was obvious that he tried his best to He chose a gentle word: "Although the church comes from wizards, it can also be said that it comes from older polytheistic beliefs, but they have indeed made themselves into a virgin. Even among kings and queens, there is no such thing. Stupid fanatic believers, but their continuous education and guidance for hundreds of years have also invisibly erected a tight line of defense, preventing many people from taking a step beyond it."

"I know," little Louis pursed his lips and said, "I have taken philosophy classes." This is why people with more education have less pious beliefs - it was also when the king allowed witches to work in the army that he In the new army, what if it is the previous army? Ha, they will either flee in all directions, or they will swarm up, send the witches to the stake, and imprison the "crazy" king.

Kings and queens like those in the past also received systematic education since childhood. Although these courses must include theology, they will also include content from ancient philosophy (mainly Greece and Rome), which flourished in polytheistic beliefs. The philosophy courses of the Times can make people clear-headed and quick-thinking, and they will not be limited to one place and unable to extricate themselves.

Some people may ask, weren’t the first universities founded by the church? Yes, church people, especially those senior teachers who have not yet had their last shred of sanity taken away by alcohol and women, know very well how important education is. It is not that they cannot fool the people, but they cannot continue to fool the people - in those situations where When people with power and money realize that knowledge cannot be monopolized in the hands of the church, they will start to learn (when they do not have such awareness, the church is a den of forgers and fraudsters) - the church can only take the lead and This power is in your own hands.

"So now most people still believe in purgatory." Louis said thoughtfully.

"Everyone except you," said Theodric.

"Even I may not be able to deny it. After all, no dead person has come back to tell us whether purgatory, hell and devil really exist." The king said: "But this kind of thinking, you can also say it is belief, has become the church. Intangible assets, that is, they can use it to bargain with people, gentlemen, such as indulgences, such as excommunication, such as the Last Sacrament. Just like the coins in the hands of merchants, the swords of knights and the crowns of kings, they A palace and prison of nothingness are carefully built. Before everyone wants to do something, he must think carefully to avoid going to hell or losing the qualification to ascend to heaven. As for the priests, they do not need to do this. Pay nothing but their spit.”

Little Louis took a deep breath. He could vaguely feel it before - but today his father had obviously lifted the last layer of fig leaf.

"Perhaps you are wondering why we chose this time," Theodric said: "Because you have already seen the vagaries and bloody cruelty of the ordinary, and now you are going to see with your own eyes the strangeness and unpredictability of the extraordinary. And as I said before, the culprit is your father."

"Your father is one of those rare people who doesn't care about the chips - the chips held by the priests. He is more ambitious than any king I have ever seen. He is just like another Caesar. He will plunder when he sees it. He cannot tolerate another voice appearing in his court or even in the church. He has made a bad start, worse than King Arthur. King Arthur only has Merlin by his side, and beside him - you know, He doesn’t mind accepting anyone who has the ability.”

"Then the problem came," Louis continued: "I knew everyone was watching me to see when I would go to hell, but they waited and waited. Not only did I not go to hell, I also got Holland and Flanders. Del—that barrier, no, it should be said to be a thin veil, was finally broken by me."

Speaking of this, even Theodric showed a sarcastic look. The once handsome man Philip IV (King) completely shattered the church's illusions in terms of military affairs, while Louis XIV gave the church its final victory in terms of faith. All the majesty is gone, and France is really a good daughter of the Roman Church - a Goneril and a Reagan (Note 1).

"So after the Dutch War, kings of various countries began to use wizards from the other world for their own use," Theodric said: "There are not many wizards with long-term vision and wise minds, but they also have some that ordinary people cannot. The replacement parts, the son of King Charles II of England, and the sudden recovery of Carlos II of Spain are probably inseparable from them, and in this war, if you saw them around those kings and generals They don't look like knights or priests, they might just be wizards."

"And I heard that the Ottoman Turks also brought their patriarchs and priests." Theodric said: "I am still a little unfamiliar with them, so next, you'd better bring the cat boy, and the last It is better not to leave the priest at your side."

Little Louis nodded obediently, and Theodric couldn't help but glance at Louis. Although little Louis was the son of Louis XIV and was taken by him for many years, in terms of temper and character, he was not the same as his father. There was nothing similar: "Then I'll take my leave first, you two." He said, and then turned into a group of gray-black mist and got out through the gap in the window.

Theodric could also go out, but the corridor outside the room was full of priests. Although he had a tacit understanding with the priests around the king, it was better for them not to meet without meeting.

Little Louis watched the fog disappear and hesitated for a moment. Louis grabbed the cat from his lap, put it outside the door, and pushed its butt: "Wait a moment," His Majesty the King said, "Give it to me during dinner." You Salmon." When he came back, he saw his Crown Prince with a complicated expression - forget it he didn't know before, now he knows that Catboy is a part of Theodric... He can know what the king did to it, right? …

"Theodric will understand," Louis said. "What do you want to say to me?"

"Father," said little Louis, "I thought you would let the Duke of Colonna manage the inner world of France..."

"How could you have such an idea?" Louis said, "How could I make such a childish mistake and tear France apart with my own hands when I finally managed to unite it?"

"But I'm just a mortal."

"I am only a mortal," said Louis XIV.

"That's not the case," said little Louis. "You are not an ordinary person, I know that."

"Hey," Louis showed a subtle smile: "Tell me about it, son."

Today just happened to be the right time, and he wouldn't mind giving little Louis a deeper understanding of the other world he would rule under his supervision, but what did he hear?

——————

"The king is a wizard?!" Duchess Montpensier was on the bed when she heard this. It was originally an extremely beautiful night - the duchess lost three satisfactory marriages in a row - Louis X 4. After the Duke of Orleans and the Prince of Condé, they have lost the urge and enthusiasm to find a husband, but there are still many people who are willing to court the richest heiress in France, including several foreign dukes and princes.

But let the duchess say that if France is still the same weak and weak state thirty years ago, she may consider marrying abroad, especially when her father cannot become the king of France and she cannot become the queen of France. , but now France is strong, prosperous, prosperous and fashionable. Her status among noble ladies is second only to the queen mother and queen. The eldest princess will only leave France if she is crazy.

With such considerations in mind, the duchess will never accept the courtship of foreigners. Only French people can surround her. Yes, although the duchess is already over forty years old, the king also complimented her like a blooming flower. The roses are at their most intensely colorful and fragrant, because Louis XIV developed cosmetics that were not harmful to the human body in advance, liberated wizards, and repeatedly gave honors and rewards to craftsmen and bachelors. The Duchess and others The noble girl is not like the women in the past who faced aging and disease in advance for the sake of beauty - she is tall and plump, with smooth and fair skin, and her dark chestnut hair and eyes are like a lioness, fierce and charming. Although not all of her suitors are sincere, they are not so embarrassed when speaking compliments.

However, the only guest the Duchess has had in the past year has been Count Rozin, this lucky boy from the Comont family. He was once a member of the King's Musketeer Guard, but because he repeatedly violated the King's rules - he was He was the kind of person who was used to having fun and misbehaving, so he was kicked out of the Musketeers before the Battle of Flanders - after that he was often seen wandering around the Bois de Boulogne, and later Through whomever he passed, he walked into the Palace of Versailles and took the opportunity to catch up with the Duchess.

Count Luozeng's character is worrying, but in terms of appearance, he has nothing to fault, and he has a strong body. He often wears a loose t-shirt in the Duchess's room and on her bed. The linen pajamas are just a long-sleeved robe that is roughly in length to the knees, with nothing underneath, and the knot at the collar is completely opened, exposing the chiluo's chest.

Now he leaned gently behind the duchess, caressed her neck, rubbed her ears with his breath, and said these words as if talking to himself.

Note 1: Both are characters in Shakespeare's play "King Lear".

King Lear is an old British legend, which was later adapted into a play by Shakespeare. It is also one of Shakespeare's four great tragedies. It tells the story of the elderly King Lear who wants to divide the country among his three daughters. Lille and his second daughter Regan won his favor and divided the country. However, his youngest daughter Cordelia got nothing because she was unwilling to flatter her. The King of France who came to propose marriage had a discerning eye and married Cordelia as his queen. King Lear left the throne, and his eldest daughter and second daughter actually refused to give him a place to live. The king at that time had no choice but to go to the wilderness... Cordelia led a team to attack, and the father and daughter were reunited. But the war went unfavorably, Cordelia was killed, and King Lear died in grief guarding the body of his beloved little daughter.