I Am Louis XIV

Viscount Turenne showed a surprised look. He had no doubt that Duke Halebour was lying. "Why didn't you tell His Majesty?" He blurted out: "I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, "It's my fault. "He thought that the king's son had left Paris with his mother when he was still in his infancy, and had been with the Duke of Colonna, who was most loved by the king, and the crown prince Louis, who was the most valued by the king, and even Auguste, Duke of Montreal. Differently, he had little interaction with Louis XIV.

With this premise, of course he would be more cautious, and, indeed, as he said, how could a group of werewolves hear such news, but Viscount Turenne quickly stood up: "Follow me!" he said, Then he took Baptiste and ran to the king's carriage.

At this time, they could already see pedestrians and riders on the road. In order to ensure safety, this railway track, which was only 25 kilometers long, closely relied on the original Avenue of Victory, which was the cement avenue connecting Versailles and Paris. In this way, the king's guards can continue to protect the king's safety on one side, and members of the king's court can also follow the king.

In addition to the ministers and nobles in the palace, the people in the motorcade were those who served the king, including musicians, painters and poets, as well as actors and clowns. Molière walked towards the carriage from his carriage. Looking at the golden front end sprayed with white smoke, yes, those people insisted on painting all the King's steam locomotives in a beautiful light gold color. When it ran in the sun, it looked like a gorgeous morning light. Just as a price, every time you drive this royal motorcycle, you have to re-modify it.

"I read that right," Molière said. "The 'motorcycle' seems to have stopped."

"No," said his seventh love and leading lady, "it's just slowed down."

——

"Let those who greeted you leave first," Louis XIV said, "and let the Duke of Orleans come to see me." The Duke of Orleans was in Versailles, so he did not accompany him this time. There was only one steam locomotive, and no one would notice it. What - in order to let Baptiste explain the matter clearly, the king ordered the locomotive to slow down. After all, as soon as they left here, they would be surrounded by countless people.

With the king's order, the welcome ceremony at the small station was naturally cancelled. The king got on his horse and walked through the noisy town of Versailles. Before people could see him clearly, he ran to the steps of the Palace of Versailles, carrying his The sedan chair has been prepared. Louis rarely uses this kind of vehicle, but it is the same as his choice to ride through the town. If he climbed the steps on foot, he would have to accept constant compliments, greetings and greetings, which would be too delayed. It's time.

Louis did not pass through the Grand Gallery, but walked through the road next to the labyrinth and entered the Venus Room directly. The Duke of Orleans met him in a secret small room. When he heard that such a thing could happen, even if he had always The Duke of Orleans, who had no scruples, could not help but change his expression: "How dare they do this?!"

Doesn't this mean that officials appoint the king, rather than the king appointing officials?

"They may still feel aggrieved," Louis said with a smile: "If I hadn't intervened, the current King of England would have been Oliver Cromwell, the son of a squire who had no blood ties to the Stuart dynasty. .”

"No," the Duke of Orleans sighed: "Don't talk about bravery, wisdom or humility and piety. They pushed Cromwell up just because although Cromwell controlled the army, he had a bad background. I will always lack confidence when facing those councilors and elders."

"This is why they are unwilling to support the Duke of York. If the Duke of York is replaced, it will be just another 'Charlie II'. Maybe he will be purged more thoroughly." At that time, Charles II had some royalist officials. Only by pledging a general to become the King of England again, the Duke of York got together with a group of criminals and losers who were exiled to the New World. In order to make room for these upstarts, they will do whatever it takes to destroy the current Hampshire. The nobles in the palace sent them to the gallows or the guillotine.

"Let your little birds... no," Louis said brightly: "There is no need to verify the truth or falsehood of this rumor. Tell them that they will try their best to promote this matter. The little birds in the UK can even abandon their disguise. "As long as they can ensure their own safety, they can do whatever they want - and what about the scholars, professors, and artists who were optimistic about it before? Tell them that chaos is about to begin in London. If they are still unwilling to leave," he said from the drawer He pulled out a roster: "These people will be brought back to France even if they use force or deception."

"Do you think William III... can compete with Charles II and the Duke of York?" Viscount Turenne frowned: "Your Majesty, I am very worried. I have met William III. He is an ambitious young man. This It's nothing, there are too many ambitious young people, but his experience in his youth and the training he suffered in the Tower of London have made him very, very, very good at patience and observation, as well as being resolute and resolute. Such an enemy is Very scary."

"Perhaps," Louis said, "especially if he really becomes the King of England, he will never forget the great shame of Utrecht." He sighed: "So we may have to do something Bad thing."

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William Hendrik van Orange has had many identities since he was born. He first received the title Prince of Orange from his father who died young. Later, this title was rejected by the Dutch Parliament. The Dutch Parliament gave him the title of "Son of the Country" at the cost of driving away the British around him and replacing them with them. Later, his grandmother and mother wanted to win for him the positions of provincial governor and naval commander. But the Dutch Parliament immediately said that the two cannot be held by one person at the same time. After he came of age, he obtained the position of Speaker of the Zeeland Provincial Parliament through various means.

Then, his fate suddenly slipped towards the abyss - he never thought that he would become a prisoner of his uncle Charles II - he was not afraid of the aggressiveness of the French, but those few days in the Tower of London Years ago, the hesitation, suspicion and worry brought about by the cutoff of news could keep him awake all night. Although his prison was quite suitable for his identity, no matter how soft and thick velvet or fur was, it could not warm him. He was captured by Charles II and the Netherlands. The sincerity of torture and trampling by the parliament, when he was released from prison, the worst assumptions turned into reality - the people of the Netherlands were full of suspicion of him. They believed that he sold the Netherlands to the British to become a Ukrainian. Grand Duke of Delcht.

Sometimes William III couldn't even confirm whether he could persevere to the end. It would be great if Louis XIV was a tyrant like Charles II who exacted taxes and despised human life, or maybe the governor he sent was short-sighted and had a bad temper. Villains can also be used, but no. Louis XIV implemented all his ideas for the newly occupied territories when he conquered Flanders. From the governor, to the generals, to the most humble officials, they only had to follow the existing rules. Just follow the procedures and laws.

As for what the people need, maybe Charles II didn't know it, and the Dutch Parliament didn't know it either, but how could William III, who had spent his whole life to regain the crown of the Orange family, not know it? What always makes him smile bitterly is that when the people recognize him, their representatives will say that he has done as well as Viscount Turenne...

It's quite ironic, isn't it? Viscount Turenne's mother is the daughter of the Orange family, which is why he became the Governor of the Netherlands. On the one hand, it is because he also has Orange blood in his body; Because he had served under Prince Maurice and could even be said to be a disciple of the former - so he actually had a true feeling for the Netherlands. This kind of emotion has always been difficult to disguise and hide. Maybe initially In the past few years, the Dutch were still somewhat defensive, but by the time the first batch of North Dutchmen were registered as French, even the fiercest independentists could not criticize the French king's lenient policies in terms of people's livelihood.

A single poll tax, reasonable business taxes, smooth roads, novel but inexpensive goods, delicious and rich meals, gorgeous and fashionable clothes and boots - these all came from France, even if some people still remember Leut The general could only remain silent in front of the smiling faces of the children.

William III tried hard, but no matter how hard he tried to catch up, he could never keep pace with Viscount Turenne - he was a puppet of Charles II. He could sacrifice his own interests, but he could not make the British who were obedient to obey him. His thoughts and voices were controlled in Utrecht Castle, and he was surrounded by spies from the King of England.

He once thought about contacting his uncle, the Grand Duke of Brandenburg, now the King of Prussia. However, although his envoy met the King of Prussia, the King of Prussia was not prepared to anger his in-laws and allies, that is, Louis Fourteen - "I have no such obligation." He said this in his message. William III knew as soon as he heard it. Prussia was now extremely close to France. He had obligations to the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, but not to William III. .

"My people," William III shouted in his heart as he stood on the undulating deck and looked back at the port of Rotterdam: "I did not mean to leave you, but if I continue to stay in Utrecht, I will never be able to spread my wings, show my talents, and implement my ideas. Rest assured, people of the Netherlands, I will come back one day, and by then, the Netherlands will still be the strong and independent Netherlands."

"What's the matter, Your Highness?" asked the envoy of the British Parliament who accompanied him. Although according to church law and tradition, the current William III should not be called "Your Highness", but why should he feel unhappy: " You are on your way to a great future."

This frivolous tone made William III feel his stomach churn, but he also knew that now he had almost no bargaining chips to use. The small power he had established in Utrecht could not be easily brought back to Oran. The supporters of the ruling family have all been abandoned by him in the Netherlands - not because he was reckless and gullible, but because the British Parliament did offer a price that he could not refuse.

A marriage - to the daughter of the Duke of York.

The UK does not strictly enforce Salic law, but in contrast, the rights of a male heir are still ahead of those of a female heir. Therefore, his inheritance rights will still be opposed by some die-hard conservatives, but if he is married to another male heir, Once the daughter has a marriage contract, then just like the ending of the red and white rose, his inheritance rights become legal and reasonable.

It’s not surprising that the British Parliament didn’t like Charles II. He really liked hanging special decorations on Westminster Abbey. Moreover, he was as militaristic as his father Charles I and fought more than one defeat. The people at home The merchants and merchants shouldered heavy taxes, but watched helplessly as they turned into iron blocks sinking to the bottom of the water.

As for why they don't like the Duke of York either - it's because the Duke of York is preparing to convert to Catholicism.

The British people who passed "Bloody Mary" didn't want to try to see if a "Bloody James" (the name of James, Duke of York) would appear.

The Duke of York's two daughters were born to him and his previous wife, Anne Hyde, the daughter of the unfortunate former Lord of the Admiralty. He and his latter wife have no children yet. These two adult ladies are devout. As Protestants, they could not disobey their father's arrangements, but if someone supported them, they were willing to marry a Protestant. Otherwise, they might be forced by the Duke of York to convert and marry a Catholic.

What Louis XIV didn't care about was something more important than life to other people - the eldest daughter of the Duke of York was also a brave woman. By doing this, she was tantamount to making peace with her father's enemies. If defeated, her best ending would be the Tower of London.

But on the other hand, she may not be the kind of meek and ignorant woman in the usual sense. This is also what worried William III, because this lady asked to rule England with him, that is to say, she would Mary II was the same as the former Queen of Castile, and as an outsider, William III might not be able to compete with her - this would also be an embarrassment and humiliation that might last for a long time.

William III shook his head. Did he still have room to refuse?

"How long until we reach Margate?" William III asked.

"Before it gets brighter." The messenger said, "Your Highness, this will be a good sign. When we enter the Thames River, the sun will shine all over your body, just like God crowning you."