I Am Louis XIV

"Can I say something boldly?" The Duke of Orleans looked at His Majesty the King and said seriously.

"Tell me, this is not above the court, nor in the palace, Philip. It's just a casual chat between brothers. Don't you call me brother instead of your majesty?"

"Then I have to say, if I'm not mistaken, you really like those Indians." said the Duke of Orleans. "No, I should say, you always seem to be full of sympathy and compassion for those poor, weak and humble people." Empathy, you were born to be a king, the most noble person in France, but you seem to..." He couldn't think of what adjective to use at once: "Not only can you bend down to listen to their cries, but you also seem to be right there. Among them... most of them feel the same..."

"But you have never fallen to that point." The Duke continued, "We have always been together, brother, and the worst time was only at the Castle of German-en-Laye - in order to ensure that we could afford to pay the wages of the servants, we My mother dismissed a large number of servants, but our treatment was not too bad, and it never happened again after Fouquet came to German-en-Laye.”

"Oh, it's true," Louis said, "If I must say it, brother, maybe it's because my soul has seen another world."

"another world?\

,""Yes, another world." Louis said: "A world without gods, kings, nobility and churches. Although people there will have classes and discrimination based on power, status, assets and even occupations, they still There are some bottom lines that are never allowed to be crossed..."

"for example?"

"For example, life. For example, dignity. For example, freedom." Louis said: "There may be some greedy or arrogant people who want to destroy them, but there are always some ordinary and conscientious people like the rising tide. Let’s step forward bravely together and defend to the death the peaceful and prosperous age that we finally achieved through the sacrifice of countless noble saints.”

"But without a king, without aristocrats, without a church," Bontang cried, "how could they do it?"

"First some people brought fire, some lit them, some led them to other places, some used their bodies to shield themselves from the cold wind, some gave up their property, some used blood as fuel, and countless righteous men came forward to fight. ——They also made mistakes and hesitated, but in the end they moved forward. As they walked, they shouted, calling people to go with them. More and more people gathered behind them, even if their The road became more and more rough and dangerous, and finally, they walked all the way into the light and reached the blessed land they promised their followers.

They did not take this blessed land from anyone, nor did they obtain it through deception. Every bit of it was cultivated bit by bit by themselves, and those who followed them worked there peacefully. , live happily, and embrace hope - no matter what, they believe that the sin will disappear, the shadow will fade, the unjust judgment will eventually be rectified, and those valuable sacrifices will be rewarded. . "

"This is the Kingdom of Heaven." Bontang said, "This is the Kingdom of Heaven," he couldn't help but repeat, "But how could it happen in reality?"

"Who knows," Louis said, "Philippe, you are curious that I have never lived as a civilian, but I understand their pain. That is precisely because I am an ordinary person in another world. Think about it. , when I come back here and see my people living like pigs and dogs, how sad and horrified am I in my heart?!"

He stood up and walked to the window, "I don't deny that I am very cruel and callous to some people, but Philip, I also want to proudly say that since I took charge, my people have only moved in a better direction. Rather than falling into the abyss." He looked out and could see the Bastille: "I hate Parisians and like Versailles, people say so, but it is wrong. What I hate is the chaos, At the mercy of people with ulterior motives, either impulsively or intentionally doing all sorts of evil things." Just like in the two Fronde riots, the crimes committed by those thugs are countless.

"What I like are good people, good people who obey the law, have a conscience, are hardworking and trustworthy - whether they are Huguenots, Puritans, Bohemians, Indians or whatever. , it doesn’t matter.”

"You are always able to see things that we cannot see, and you have thoughts and concepts that we cannot touch." The Duke of Orleans said: "Both mother and Bishop Mazarin said that you are a born king."

Louis sighed slightly and smiled. He knew that even if he said it, no one would believe such an incredible thing. Bontang and Philippe only thought that their Majesty the King just imagined a new country that he expected to create. , the new Rome, the new heaven on earth.

The Duke thought about whether this answer could appease the fragile glass hearts of the Versailles people - they were shocked when they heard that a group of savages from the New World were about to invade the palace, and they might be lucky enough to become the king's officers and get one or two fiefs. This kind of behavior is probably similar to the king's desire to confer titles and territories on his beloved horses and hunting dogs. To be honest, those Indians are no match for the king's horses and dogs.

This is also because Louis XIV is already the powerful Sun King. If he had done this before he took office, or in the early years of his takeover, the nobles would have publicly refused to attend his banquets, performances, and royal meetings, or more seriously. Then the Duke will be enthroned as the new king.

"Well, those Indians can also be said to be tall, strong, and good-looking." The Duke said, wondering whether he should refuse the visit of those slave traders who came to seek refuge and support from the Duke. They started from the previous century. They are buying and selling black-skinned people, and now they plan to buy and sell red-skinned people. But if His Majesty the King intends to drive those Indians, as the king's younger brother, he will respect them more.

"I don't do this out of mercy," Louis said. "Although my scholars are still in the New World, I heard from wizards that the New World may be richer than we imagined." Wizards are better than mortals. Immigrating to the New World earlier. To put it simply, they, like the Puritans, were chased by the Inquisition and had nowhere to hide. Their inner world was cut off from the land, when the population of Europe was not so dense. , the blank space on the map was not so conspicuous, but as the population increased, the wizards' territory was eroded little by little, and they had to withdraw from their original ancestral land.

Some of their relations with the Indians are very tense, and some are mild, mainly depending on whether they conflict with the land, beliefs or ways of doing things. Therefore, some wizards are regarded as priests by the Indians, while some wizards have become evil spirits. Evil spirit...

Those wizards who were regarded as priests and who were at peace with the Indians had a wider reach. After the wizards of Gajola were sent by the king to meet with them, they also told the king's wizards about them. Discoveries of coal, steel, gold and silver... Boundless bison and wilderness as far as the eye can see, as well as large rivers with abundant water, scorching deserts and moist swamps. No one has accurately measured this continent yet. Although its area and circumference were smaller than that of any other country in the world today - except for Ottoman Turkey - it was probably larger than any other country in the world today.

Just for those lands, it is worth making some concessions. What's more, the colonists on this land now - the Netherlands are at the end of their game, and the United Kingdom is also unable to support itself. As for Spain, Portugal, etc., they have already surrendered themselves. share, or it only occupies a very small area - now even if America is said to belong to France, no one will deny it.

If according to the ideas of Charles II, or any other monarch except Louis, since he has obtained the ownership of the New World, there is no need to give any compensation to the residents who originally lived there, those ignorant, backward, ignorant and savage Indians. Any treatment, or in other words, whatever treatment is given to the beasts, is what is given to them. It would be better if the Indians could be wiped off the continent like dust.

Fortunately, the man in charge of the New World was Louis XIV, who was willing to treat the Indians like any other people as long as they obeyed his laws.

"That's why you changed your mind and allowed those Indians to come to Versailles to see you."

"Yes." Louis nodded. People in Versailles and Paris are always willing to dance with the king's baton, starting from Schaumberg, to the officers and soldiers under his command, if they just rudely ask them to respect and treat each other as equals. I'm afraid it's not easy to treat Indians, but if they are lords conferred by the king and have appeared at the banquet in the Palace of Versailles, they won't care too much about the color of the other person's skin.

——————

It was also the first time that "Horn" and his companions made their official appearance at the banquet at the Palace of Versailles. Their original clothes were not allowed to be worn. If they came to the banquet wearing bison leather coats, tasseled boots, and feathers in their heads, , they will definitely be regarded as a bunch of clowns.

With the help of servants, they changed into the military uniforms of an army captain. The military uniforms at this time did not have much military elements. Apart from the shoulder straps, collars and buttons, there was only a wide light gold belt between the royal blue long coat. Extraordinarily eye-catching. The places they passed inevitably caused whispers one after another. The men frowned and looked carefully, while the women's eyes had some ambiguity - who gave the horns, and Rolf's actions? The Indians represented are all stronger and taller than ordinary people.

After all, if an Indian tribe sends an envoy to another tribe, that envoy must be the most powerful and fearless warrior.

Even though the king's generals were good men with outstanding demeanor and manners, they certainly lacked that wildness that was so rare in Versailles and Paris.

Rolf, "Niujiao" and others actually behaved extremely calmly, which was beyond Bontang's expectation. The attendants he specially sent around them only needed to make a few pointers about their position and movements. Since they were just strangers, they quickly If they want to leave, even if there is a slight mistake, it doesn't matter, but if they are as confused and stiff as some provincial officials and nobles who set foot in Versailles for the first time, it will be embarrassing.

What they don't know is that Horns and Rolf are just... incomprehensible.

In the eyes of Indians, those things that would make strangers tremble are no more beautiful than a feather with clear lines, nor more amazing than a steep cliff, or the golden light of the sun shining on the river after the mist disperses. The light of candles is not as soft as moonlight and starlight, and the expensive myrrh and sandalwood make them miss their furs and tents even more.

After the king and queen had danced, and had danced a minuet with Madame de Montespan, someone came up to the Horns and whispered that he should make an invitation to Madame de Montespan, as he had learned before. The horns, who had learned how to dance - no more difficult than learning how to use a musket - immediately stood up and came to Madame de Montespan.

Mrs. Montespan once tentatively mentioned what happened that day to Louis, but she was mercilessly shut out by Bontang. Louis's answer was simply a warning. Once he realized that this was not only what Buntang meant, but also what happened. After receiving the king's order, the lady finally regained some sense and did not show any displeasure even though it was a savage Indian who asked her to dance.

"One of my sons will be the Duke of Montreal," Louis said to the Horns. "This is his mother."

Indians have always held an optimistic and free attitude towards marriage and love. As long as a man and a woman have a good impression, they can become husband and wife after a simple ceremony. If the marriage is unhappy, a separate ceremony can be held to declare the death of the marriage. , then the husband and wife can also find a suitable spouse again, and chastity is not as valued as people think.

"Niujiao" and Rolf's tribe practiced monogamy, but he knew that some tribes had polygamy or polyandry, and knew that their "Sun Chief" had two wives. It would not be surprising if the warchief is willing to let his son be the administrator of the tribe: "I hope he can be as strong and wise as you." Niujiao said.

"He will study with me until he is fourteen and become a warrior before he comes to you." Louis said, "I guarantee that he will also be a very good friend."

"May our gods and yours keep our friendship as long as the river," said Horns.

Seeing that the king's royal wife actually danced with an Indian, some people couldn't help but look dim or change their expressions.

"Get ready to stop," Colbert said.

"That's a shame," said one of his sons-in-law. "The king would need slaves too."

"With the king's trust, you can reopen trade at any time, but if you don't have the king's trust..." Although Colbert was just a businessman, and his sons-in-law were all dukes, he didn't show any emotion when he rebuked them. Ruthless: "You can give it a try. It doesn't matter. Everyone, His Majesty can reserve a room for you in Versailles. Of course, he can also reserve a room for you in Bastille."