I Am Louis XIV

The king's words immediately calmed down Nicolas Fouquet.

"The delicious fruit is always guarded by the fierce poisonous snake." Fouquet said: "Only the brave can get it."

"So I want you to go further?" Louie asked.

"As you order?"

"Not in Paris."

"Not in Paris," Fouquet bowed to the king, knowing exactly what he meant, except that Paris was, after all, the capital of France and the domain of the king, and that it was already turbulent enough, as long as there was a spark would explode, and the king would not let him issue a lottery ticket there, both for Paris and for his own safety, which he engraved on his mind: "What about Orleans, where about Bordeaux?"

"Neither," said Louis, "the people there are bound to be extremely vigilant against outsiders. I want you to go to Bourges, to Lyons, to Provence, to those places that have not openly rebelled." Go to the place where you have been spying on and playing tricks all the time, don't go as an official of the king, but go as a merchant who is greedy for profit. Wherever you are, you must first visit the lord there, and dedicate His gifts and sincerity, promises to give him dividends and taxes, the degree of which is up to you."

Fouquet straightened up instinctively when he heard this, because he knew very well that since the king said that the extent of it was up to him, that is to say, apart from the position of chief financial officer, what he could get from these lottery tickets Profit also has his part, just look at how he balances the interests of the king, the lord, and himself, and he can't help but tremble again at the thought of the huge wealth that may be amassed.

"So how big do you think I should set the bonus?" he asked.

As for the lottery, in fact, it has appeared since the ancient Roman period until now, but before Louis, few people used it to make a profit, and more to get support from the common people, just like bread and the Colosseum, So it is not so much a lottery, but another more interesting reward, but now that Louis wants to make it a long-term business, he needs to make detailed calculations of expenditure and income like all transactions.

"I want to leave this matter to you." Louis said, otherwise, why did he recommend Fouquet to Bishop Mazarin in the letter? "But I have a request. I hope that the small prizes will be widely distributed, but there must be a maximum prize... maybe... ten thousand livres."

"My God!" exclaimed Fouquet, "that's too much."

Of course there are a lot. You must know that even for General Schaumberg, Louis only promised him 50,000 livres, and he had to go to Paris to fulfill it.

"But if it's lower than that," Louie said dryly, "people won't be crazy about it."

Fouquet took a deep breath—he could almost see how many people would lose their fortunes... No one could stand such a thrill, compared to only two or three deniers or a few crowns, at most But for a gamble of Louis d’Or, you can get it all at once... Fouquet has heard before that when Bishop Richelieu was appointed as a cardinal, he had an annuity of 5,000 livres per year, and then Louis XIII gave him 10,000 livres, that is to say, as long as a commoner can spend a small crown, as long as the goddess of fate is willing to smile at him, he can comfortably be a cardinal for two years Bishop, or King's best friend for a year.

Not to mention others, even Fouquet had the urge to spend all his money to buy every lottery ticket he could get his hands on.

"When the lottery is drawn, it should be public so that everyone can see it. Whoever wins the first prize, you must put the louis d'or in the box and hand it to him neatly, with the lid open,"

Fouquet imagined that scene, but his mouth felt dry.

"Also," Louis hesitated: "You decide for yourself."

"Please say... Your Majesty."

"Do you want to limit the number of tickets that each person can buy, and ... give some protection to the person who gets the jackpot."

Foukai lowered his head and thought for a while, then he understood that restricting the purchase of bills is obviously not good for them, but it will not cause too tragic consequences. Even if someone buys bills from others with a lot of money, it is difficult to supervise , but in the face of some virtuous people's accusations, such regulations can obviously ease people's emotions, and he can stand in a more favorable position; It is certain, Fouquet is even prepared, or maybe he will deliberately promote a poor person to win the first prize, so that it can spread faster and wider. After all, in people's perception, noble people often With good luck, a nobleman gets a windfall income, he will not care, and will only be casually mentioned occasionally, only a lowly person will jump because of a small crown Being among the class that he could only look up to before is the most interesting thing to talk about.

That being the case, in order for this rumor to continue to spread, the first person to win the first prize should not only have no accidents, Fouquet must also try to make him escape from the exploitation of the lord and judge, and the plunder of robbers and military officers, so that he can escape quickly. Joyful, smooth and smooth to become a country gentleman or a priest, or any position worthy of people's respect and envy.

"I will consider it carefully, Your Majesty," said Fouquet.

"Very well," Louis said, "then submit a work plan tomorrow."

"What?"

"Situation analysis; tasks and requirements; methods, steps and measures; possible problems and solutions; ending and preparations for the next stage, etc..." the young king said briskly and gently, completely ignoring Fouquet's stunned eyes, he I’ve never written anything like this before, and it’s not a problem at all to say love letters full of sweet words or endless compliments—if the person standing here is just a big fool who doesn’t know anything, maybe he can relax point, but he is Fouquet, a shrewd, sensitive and proud nobleman in robes, just listening to those key words, he knows that it may be difficult for him to deal with his new master like those idiots... How excited and excited he was when he was in charge of issuing the lottery, how scared and cringing he is now, like a dog seeing a steak, salivating, and hesitating because of the whip hanging on the steak forward.

The king was not in a hurry at all, he knew that as long as he was a smart person, he would know that as long as he handed over this document, he would undoubtedly put a set of bridles on himself. refuse?

It is impossible for Fouquet to refuse, "Please give me some more time." He said in a low voice, without the previous air: "Your Majesty, give me three days, no, five days... I will give you what you want in five days. need."

Louis also knew that it was impossible for him to finish writing this document in one night. This was just a small intimidation. After all, Fouquet was completely different from Schaumberg or Viscount Turenne.

—————

Bontang watched Mr. Fouquet come out dejectedly, and then opened the door and walked in. The king glanced at the sky and said, "bring lunch for three people."

"Are you going to have lunch with those two gentlemen?".

"The two counts of D'Artagnan." Louis said, "They are my musketeers now, Mr. Pierre de Montesquieu and Mr. Charles de Baz Castelmo."

Bontang went as ordered, and soon, the king's door was knocked respectfully, and two imposing young men appeared in front of the king: "Oh," as soon as the king saw the rather familiar face, he said Said: "No wonder I hear you have a Welsh accent, so you are all from Gascony." Gascony is a region located in southwestern France. The man Philip IV seized it, and later because Philip IV was busy fighting with the Roman Church, he negotiated with Edward I and returned Gascony to Britain, but in the Hundred Years War that followed, France and Britain again There were tug-of-wars again and again in Gascony. Although France won Gascony in the end, some foreigners stayed in Gascony. Among them were some Welsh, and everyone knew Wales. Humans are the most rebellious group of guys, so gradually some people think that Gascons are a group of dishonest guys, but let Louis say that what he needs now is someone who urgently needs to change his situation. Like Nicolas Fouquet, and these cousins.

When Pierre realized that the king had spoken to himself first, he couldn't help feeling excited. Compared with his cousin, Pierre de Montesquieu had a mediocre face and was not good at words, although he Trying to dress up, but in front of friends and ladies, he still can't be as popular as his cousin Charles, but he still loves this cousin very much, although the latter always likes to boast and boast, otherwise he would not have Lent him his title of earl.

Charles de Baz Castelmo is also well aware of this, and at the same time, he is full of gratitude. After all, with the surname of Castelmo alone, he does not know when he will be noticed by the nobles. This young gentleman has never Doesn't matter so-called virtue, for him, whether it is accepting the largesse of ladies (which are almost always taken from the coffers of their husbands), or climbing through flattery, boasting, or false titles. A high position is something to be proud of.

If someone else was standing beside him, and the king spoke to that person first, Charles would definitely be angry. Maybe he would ask for a duel with that person after he walked out, and use blood to prove which of them was more worthy of the king's trust, but this If it were his cousin, he would be very happy for him.

"I have heard that one of you is count d'Artagnan," said the king, "and the other has temporarily borrowed the title."

"Yes," said Pierre, "I am Count d'Artagnan, but I have lent that title to my cousin."

"Then shall I call one of you d'Artagnan?"

"Please call my cousin D'Artagnan," said Pierre earnestly; "as for me, my companions and friends call me Pierre, and I am used to it, and so do you, Your Majesty. Mine, so you will call my cousin by the name d'Artagnan."

"Then," said the King, "Pierre, d'Artagnan, my dear gentlemen, come to the table and dine with me."

The two musketeers immediately bowed to the king, expressing that they were willing to obey. As soon as they sat down, the sumptuous dishes were brought up one after another. The king was growing up, and the two musketeers were the most hungry At the beginning, they may be a little restrained, but soon they gobbled it up, and there is also a relationship between the king's dishes that do not spare spices, salt, and butter, and taste extremely delicious.