I Am Louis XIV

The archbishop folded up the secret letter and burned it on a candle. The priest looked at his face, which was distorted like a devil due to the lack of flesh and skin, and felt a tremor and pain in his heart: "Sir..."

"You go out."

"Sir, the people of Toledo will not surrender. We will fight for God until the end."

The archbishop turned his head and stared at the priest. The priest lowered his head involuntarily and did not dare to look at him. "Get out." the archbishop repeated.

When the priest backed away slowly and left, and the door was locked again, the archbishop stood up, stood in front of the mirror and observed himself carefully, then took off the heavy gold cross and the bishop's robe, and put on Wearing black uniforms, only a wooden cross tied with a linen rope hung around his neck, and he covered his face with a thick hood - just like a pious and humble ascetic, he walked out the door.

Without alerting anyone, he took to the streets of Toledo. Toledo is an ancient city. Before being recaptured by the Catholics, it was ruled by the Moors and Berbers, as well as the Visigoths. The Moors and Berbers were both pagans, and the Visigoths were also It took until the eighth century for the city to finally convert to Catholicism. The city left many traces of sin under their administration. Fortunately, these traces have almost been eliminated or replaced, such as the Cathedral of Toledo standing in front of the archbishop. .

The Cathedral of Toledo was originally a pagan temple. In 1226, the then King of Castile Ferdinand III and the Archbishop jointly placed the first stone on the ruins of the temple and turned it into a cathedral. The construction of the church began, and this huge project continued until the 16th century. It has five halls, 88 columns, and large stained glass windows. The stories in them all come from the Bible; the spectacular The choir pulpit railings and seats were all made by the most famous and intelligent craftsmen of the time. The fine carvings reproduce the scene of the Catholics taking back the city from the pagans; the Octagonal Hall, which was only completed at the end of the 16th century, was built by Philip. The beautiful building dedicated to the martyrs and disciples of Jesus in the Third Age was used as a reliquary, filled with all kinds of sacred objects, from the bones of St. Louis, to the statue of St. Juan, to the cross of Bishop Mendoza. .

Kings and queens were crowned here and their sarcophagi were placed here.

Many priests who came here for pilgrimage and war gathered here. They either came from various places earlier or were driven out by the French from their churches and monasteries. Some were timid or believed that money, honor and faith were not enough. The priests, who were not as important as their lives, fled back home. Here are the clergy who have nowhere to go and are full of resentment. They can't believe that they have taken away their power and status.

Louis XIV's army regarded these priests as less than local nobles or officials. Just like France, in cities that were captured or surrendered, the clergy only recognized those appointed by King Louis XIV of France. Priests who cannot obtain a certificate of appointment from the king, even the chief priest and even the bishop, will be expelled. They can either continue to seek the support of the French king, or they can only do what they are now, gathering under the command of the Archbishop of Toledo and asking France Man launches a holy war!

The archbishop understood at a glance that those who returned home hoping to get a better future were local Spanish priests. They were either the second sons of the lords or their brothers. When Carlos III came to the throne, if their father and brother could If you have a stable position, you can also get new appointments from Louis XIV or Carlos III; most of the priests who ran to Toledo in anger were people from the Roman Church, or relatives of the bishop, or gave After receiving enough bribes from the Red Prince, they now met a king who was unwilling to obey the mercy of the Roman Church, and could not provide more money. Of course, they had to make a desperate move - maybe King Louis XIV of France would consider the reaction of the Church and cooperate with them. Do they compromise?

The archbishop did not pray, although many priests here were enthusiastically reciting scriptures loudly, shaking icons, and kneeling devoutly - kneeling on the cross, which imitates the moment when Christ was crucified on the cross. The body is thrown on the ground, the limbs are spread out, and the chin is pressed against the cold stone... Kneeling in this posture for an hour is like being on a "stretch rack." This method of kneeling is indeed used in monasteries. Used as a means of discipline, it is very popular because it can cause great pain.

But to outsiders, the monks here are really pious.

When we left the cathedral and came to the streets, the black robes of the priests were still visible from time to time. They either stood in the square and preached, or they were naked and whipped themselves with a whip with an iron piece at the end, or they showed it to people. The "evidences" of Louis XIV - books, periodicals, cosmetics, tolerance of Protestants, etc., are all demonic traces left by this impious king... They obviously intend to repeat the story in Leon. It is a pity Yes, let the archbishop see it, not many people believe in them.

Seeing the confusion on the faces of the priests, the archbishop almost laughed out loud. They probably thought that Toledo, the Spanish religious center that has never been moved, should be well instigated, but they didn't know that the residents here had already passed by. After the events of Carlos II and the Inquisition, the credibility of the Roman Church has dropped to the lowest level - that terrible event was only a few years ago, and people's memory is not that bad.

Although the original riots were still suppressed, even if the archbishop was given unfettered power, he would still have to spend the rest of his life to wash away the filth and sins brought by Carlos II to the people, not to mention that under Louis Before Los III was crowned, he was still fighting with Duke Don Juan, the Habsburg nobles, and the Patiño family, and it was hard to tell the winner.

There is no doubt about the people's love for God, but it is hard to say about the church. They don't understand the inner story, entanglements, and differences between the adults in the Inquisition and the adults in the church... The priests were once happy to use the term "Inquisition" The heavy and sharp whip was used to whip and intimidate the people, and now they have to bear the damage caused by the backlash of this weapon.

"A bunch of stupid beasts!" A priest preached until his mouth went dry, but he still received very few responses, so he couldn't help but curse and spit.

There was only a little bit of spit on the archbishop's robes, but out of compassion, he still reminded him: "Honorable sir," he said to the priest: "Do you know what happened to the last person who called them that?"

"how's it going?"

"His grease and ashes are still left in the arena. You can see it when you go there," the archbishop described: "The black area is very clear."

"..." The priest's eyes widened. He was obviously not a priest from Toledo: "You are talking nonsense. This is Toledo."

"Yes," said the archbishop, "this is Toledo." He let out a regular laugh and walked back to his mansion. His mansion was full of priests, but strangely no one noticed He, he returned to the room, exhausted, and did not even have the strength to take off his disguise. He thought of the people he saw, each with a haggard figure and a pale face. He could not remember what they should look like, but he seemed to still remember the Philippians. In the years when King Li IV came to the throne, he had just become archbishop, and it was a time when he was satisfied. At that time, Toledo was not ruined to what it is now. The nobles built their own fortresses in the mountains. With the palace, the common people celebrated one festival after another, from the torch festival of Saint Anton, to the Feast of the Virgins with fragrant flowers, to the Saint's Day where quails and rabbits are dedicated, to the mountain festival of Severa, where alms are given to each other. There’s Carnival in April, there’s the theater festival in February, people go on pilgrimages at Easter, St. George’s Day in April, there’s St. Mark’s Day when people eat egg and sausage pies, and there are all kinds of pilgrimages… …On the anniversary of the Preaching Saints, people race geese, dogs and rabbits chase each other, dance, sing, and imitate the moment of the advent of Christ…

Since when did these disappear? Of course, they will disappear, of course, when people can no longer take out a penny in their pockets, the children are so hungry that their faces are emaciated, and mothers want to "accidentally crush" the babies around them to death when they go to bed at night; young lovers are forced to say goodbye , the boy gave his last cry on the muddy battlefield, the girl had to do immoral business for the livelihood of the family, but the priests were shaking indulgences and donation boxes and threatening the believers to drain them all so that they and their families could go to heaven. The last bit of blood and tears...

Who can still have the strength, extra money, and the mind to laugh and have fun?

Priests, nobles, and kings took turns enjoying this sweet fruit, but who could have imagined that one day it would also dry up completely? It was once so rich that the ground was covered with gold and the branches were covered with diamonds.

The archbishop could not even criticize anyone, including Philip IV, because he himself did not notice. What’s funny is that when he first noticed that the people of Toledo had retreated to the edge of the cliff, it was because of his disciples. He had been angry because of Alberoni’s betrayal. No, thinking about it now, it should have been The fear that arises out of fear is disguised as anger.

"Tuk-tuk."

"I don't want to see anyone," said the archbishop. "Gentlemen, I want to be alone for a while."

The person outside the door paused for a while, but did not leave. After a few seconds, the door was opened. The archbishop looked over angrily, and then showed a look of astonishment: "Alberoni?"

"It's me," said Alberoni.

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"Innocent XI was called by the Lord three days ago to enter the heavenly home."

Louis XIV knew this news earlier than the Archbishop of Toledo. After all, he and Elario, who had become the Cardinal Prince, had fast communication methods. Innocent XI may have died earlier than before. Raluo knew it earlier. After all, the cardinals of the Roman Church had already taken control of the Vatican. With Raluo's weak foundation, the only thing he could do was barely compete with it, so as not to end up like Barras. .

He also had to protect the former Queen of Spain, the eldest daughter of Leopold I, who was hiding in a monastery in Rome. After all, the former's identity was sensitive. Even if she had terminated her engagement with Carlos II, if someone kidnapped her and Forcing her to admit that Carlos II had a legitimate child with her - of course, this result is difficult to achieve when the marriage has been declared invalid, but sometimes, it is enough for them to disturb a pool of clean water.

Louis XIV sent Alberoni, who was sent to France by the archbishop, to Rome. He did not expect that this child would play any role. But surprisingly, he did serve for himself in a Spanish red coat. He found a job with the bishop. He was handsome (otherwise the archbishop would not have taken a fancy to a gardener's son), and was alert by nature. When he was with the archbishop, he also received systematic and profound teachings, and he soon replaced him. The little attendant became one of the "items" that the cardinal often showed off.

Also because the cardinal often took him with him, on the night when Innocent XI was about to die, although the Pope's residence was closely monitored, the priests who saw him did not feel surprised and only casually asked He told him not to wander around, but he didn't know that this child was carrying a domesticated little house mouse.

The red princes have always been very knowledgeable about how to use wizards, and it is not difficult to block the methods of wizards. After carrier pigeons are widely used, St. Peter's Square and the surrounding areas of the cathedral are even more secure if necessary. Even the feathers could not fall to the ground, but long before Innocent XI's condition worsened and he died, Eralius managed to give Alberoni a small house mouse with which to exchange information.

This little house mouse is not a magical creature, and it has not been cast with any magic. The information is not on it, but is stuffed directly into its belly, so... it can be regarded as a disposable item, but this disposable item can Playing the most critical role at the critical moment - Elario was almost transferred before, knowing that Innocent XI could pass away at any time and the papal election could start at any time, of course he would not leave Rome and lose the right to vote and be elected.

Facts have proved that the red princes were very fast, so fast that others would think that they had omitted many procedures - such as funerals and masses. However, they did do it, but it was very simple. Ellario had time to write a letter to Louis XIV. After writing a personal letter and delivering it, he was imprisoned in the Sistine Chapel.

If the papal election follows tradition and unspoken rules, it will be no different from a huge deal. The red princes have to bargain, you come and I go, but the election time this time is unsurprisingly terrifyingly short, only twenty-four hours. White smoke came out of the Sistine Chapel chimney.