I Am Louis XIV

The prince had a fever for several days and then died. "

Madame Aubigne had just finished speaking. Everyone in the room, from His Majesty the King to the Duke of Orleans, from the Duke of Orleans to the Duke of Vendôme, from the Duke of Vendôme to the Prince of Conti, and finally to Bontang, all showed strange expressions. Look, as the master of a country, the object of adulation and hatred of countless people, not many monarchs can die in peace, and the methods of death are also various. Some died in battle, some were killed by imperial doctors due to illness, and some died. Some were murdered by their wives and their wives’ lovers, others died of gastrointestinal explosion after eating too much delicious food at once, or were stabbed by assassins while going to the toilet... Beep - but James II actually It is really unbelievable that he died like this.

But on the other hand, the root can be seen from the fruits. If this ambitious gentleman had not always been too ruthless, his wife and daughter would not have hesitated to let him die.

"How many days do you think?" the Duke of Vendôme asked, "Didn't Buckingham Palace give any response?" How could Charles II let go of this great opportunity? Logically speaking, James II should not be able to sleep comfortably in bed. It would be better to die comfortably with the anointing and surrounded by his wife and daughter.

Madame Aubigne took a deep breath: "I don't know what to say, everyone..." She said hesitantly: "Maybe you have also heard..." Does the king have a "little bird"...

"You are at the right time, madam," said the Duke of Orleans, "so go ahead and tell us that we are mentally prepared."

"Charlie II may have died earlier than the Duke." Mrs. Aubigne said that although the Duke of York has become king and people have switched to calling him James II, she still does so out of caution. Call him the Duke: "I heard that he found out that night that the Duke was struck by lightning and his life was in danger - he was having dinner at the time and just threw a honey almond into his mouth, but he choked it because of laughter The trachea was damaged, and the attendants struggled to get the fatal thing out. The suffocation caused by the coughing led to a stroke..."

"Oops!" Everyone couldn't help shouting in unison. Stroke is a stubborn and strange disease. Not to mention current doctors, even wizards can't figure out the cause and treatment of this disease.

Charles II's queen immediately rushed from Hampton Palace to Buckingham Palace. Her and Charles II's son had just died, and now she was about to send her husband away. Although she tried her best to save him, she only kept Charles II. In just two or three days... Charles II died earlier than his hated brother. It is said that when he left, he punched many holes in his body to draw out the "bad liquid", but it did nothing - except make him more Pain and debilitation.

Louis XIV estimated that Charles II was born in 30 years and is now in his fifties. In this era, the superiors often drank alcohol without any restrictions and consumed large amounts of fat, protein and sugar. London was not far from the sea. Far away, there would be many more delicious shellfish, shrimps and sea fish on Charles II's table. He had symptoms of gout a few years ago, and presumably other diseases also didn't spare him - he had just lost his only The heir was probably unable to give birth to a child at this age. Unexpectedly, he heard the news that the Duke of York had been struck by lightning and died not long ago. He was very sad and happy, and it was not impossible to suffer a severe stroke.

Thinking of this, he asked again: "Hey, you are talking in such detail, is it because someone told you?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, it is my protector, the Duchess of York."

When the Duke of York was dying and the news of Charles II's death had not yet reached their ears, everyone in St. James's Palace was in danger. The men had no bright future and were always worried that they would be executed as traitors. Even in the enlightened and tolerant France, treason is still a crime that involves three to five tortures, followed by cutting off the limbs, removing the organs and then executing him. Britain is no exception. Edward I once punished Ireland. The leader of the rebels inflicted this punishment, and it is said that his wails resounded throughout the heavens.

As for the women, they were either confused or panicked but didn't know what to do. When one of the maids ran out, they were humiliated and killed by the thugs, and were thrown naked on the street. After what happened, the Duchess made a prompt decision. With the help of Madame Aubigne, the Palace of St. James was reorganized. Since Louis XIV married the eldest princess with a team of guards, other kings have followed suit. Some accompanied their daughters when they got married, and some even though their daughters got married. , but also sent a team of people.

In order to avoid arousing her husband's dissatisfaction and jealousy, the Duchess hid this group of musketeers in Richmond. They listened to the master's call and of course came day and night. After arriving, they immediately put order in the castle. To clear it up - despite the fact that there are only thirty people, the Duchess and Madame Aubigne can now understand why the French King did what he did at that time. It is really reassuring to have the power completely on your side. It also makes people braver and calmer.

At this time, envoys from Charles II's wife, the Queen of England, and the Princess of Portugal also came to St. James's Palace - in this era when the king was about to go to war, he was lucky to be able to delay it for so many days, Duchess She calmly accepted the queen's will and went to Buckingham Palace with the envoy. When she got there and met the queen, she learned that the king was dead.

The two widows looked at each other, and it seemed like they were really similar. Foreigners - Charles II's queen was a Portuguese princess, and the duchess was the daughter of the Duke of Modena; Catholics - yes, hell, they were both, but they were the same before. Most of the attacks fell on the Duchess; there were no children - they had all been pregnant, either stillborn or dying.

No one knows exactly what they talked about in the secret room, but when Congress and the nobles got involved, they had less room to play: "It was the queen who told the duchess how Charles II died, and the duchess told "Mine." Madame Aubigne said: "We jointly managed to hide it for a few more days, until the bodies of Charles II and his brother stunk, and the Queen and Duchess had to make it public - but before that, They managed to hide Anne, the Duke's second daughter, and summoned Edward Hyde, the Earl of Clarendon, and his sons to the palace. Before most people knew the news, the Earl of Clarendon contacted a few more people. The people who were willing to support them, they faced off against the people who came later, I mean, the opponents.”

"The battle in London was over at that time, and Britain did not implement the Salic law," Louis said, "then Princess Anne is the natural heir."

"But the Congress does not admit it, at least it is not willing to admit it like this." Mrs. Aubigne said: "They originally wrote the 'Bill of Powers' to restrict the king, and now they are going even further. The specifics are in what I brought. It’s in the letter, your majesty, but you’ll know when you read it, it’s obvious that after turning their back on the church, the English turned their back on the king.”

"I've already seen it." Louis said: "It's not surprising, power is a good thing, otherwise why would everyone fight for it."

"The madness of Charles II frightened their courage and intensified their anger. Your Majesty, if you were the king of England, they would definitely not dare or be willing to do this."

"You are wrong in saying this," said Louis XIV: "How many crimes are committed in the name of justice, freedom and honor, so that people can benefit and appease their conscience? No one knows , but in any case, what these British MPs did must be the first of them. Even if King Arthur stands in front of them, they will not willingly hand over the power in their hands, let alone their enemy, what about me?"

He paused and looked at Madame Aubigne: "You once served as the envoy of Innocent XI. It seems that this time you will be the envoy of the Queen and Duchess of England. It seems that they handed over A very important task for you."

"That's right," Madame Aubigne stood up, bowed respectfully to Louis XIV, and then said: "I am not an official messenger, but I do bring a message from the queen."

The Duke of Vendôme and the Duke of Orleans exchanged glances. It seemed that they had guessed something. Madame Aubigne also relaxed slightly: "Your Majesty," she returned to her seat at the king's signal, "the queen intends to invite The son of the Duke of Orleans went to London to marry Princess Anne and jointly rule England, Scotland and Ireland, as well as all the Stuart colonies in the New World."

Everyone present showed a look of understanding. They may have known this as early as they learned that the British Parliament intended to invite William III of Orange to become the King of England. William III's mother was the sister of Charles II and the son of the Duke of Orleans. Little Philip's mother is also the sister of Charles II. There is no reason why William III can do it but little Philip cannot. If there is any difference, it is probably that little Philip is a Catholic, but after Louis XIV's eldest princess married to Sweden, Judging from the fact that he converted to Protestantism without hesitation, Louis XIV should not care what his younger brother's son believed in.

"This is an important matter, madam," Louis XIV said kindly: "You can take a good rest in Fontainebleau for a while and let us think about what answer to give."

Of course, Madame Aubigne had no reason to refuse. She also knew that staying in Versailles at this time would attract too much attention, and Fontainebleau would be pure. "This is exactly what I long for, Your Majesty." She said, and then turned to His Majesty the King bowed and took his leave.

When he was alone in the room, the Duke of Orleans reached out without hesitation and took out the letter from the king's hand to read. Of course, the queen could not have written this letter herself, and not much was revealed in it, but there was no need for it. Otherwise, just look at these:

1. The King of England cannot be a Catholic and must convert to the Church of England - it doesn't matter, even the princess of Prussia may convert to Protestantism. Moreover, their grandfather, Henry IV, also converted from a Protestant (Huguenot) to a Catholic in order to inherit the throne of France. For kings, faith is sometimes nothing more than a wipe. Something like that.

2. People who are directly dependent on the king cannot serve as members of the House of Commons.

3. All decisions made by the king and orders of the government must be signed by members of the Privy Council to take effect.

4. The power to appoint and remove judges belongs to the Parliament. The king has no power to pardon those convicted by the Parliament.

5. The power to appoint and remove priests belongs to the Archbishop of Canterbury, but the candidate for the archbishop is appointed by Parliament, and the king decides whether this person should serve as the archbishop...

Seeing this, the Duke of Orleans sneered, "Do they need a king, or do they need a statue for decoration?" While forwarding the letter to the Duke of Vendôme, he said: "The Portuguese princess is obviously interested. Introducing an enemy into Congress that she can profit from."

"This is where I can't make a decision." Louis said: "Maybe my behavior has given them the wrong idea. I am not that ambitious." After hearing this, Prince Conti stood behind the king. He made a face: "They thought I would bite the bait like a hungry fish."

"You are not such a person, you are super soft-hearted," Duke Vendôme said confidently, which stunned Prince Conti: "If you were the kind of person who only cares about interests, the Crown Prince's wife would not be a Portuguese princess. , the eldest princess’s husband will not be the King of Sweden, even if it is the eldest princess, you did not agree to marry her to Carlos II, but chose the Crown Prince of Prussia for her.”

"But this marriage is different." Louis looked at his brother: "This is a crown."

"It is better to say that it is a noose on the gallows than a crown." The Duke of Orleans stood up, walked around the room, and said with great boredom: "In England from now on, legal power will surely trump royal power, and Parliament will prevail. Above the king, this marriage will not bring any benefits to France or little Philip. On the contrary, it will further arouse people's fear..." The son of the French Duke of Orleans arrived in London, and under various restrictions, he married a foreigner. The princess is no different. If you do nothing, you will be accused of being a mediocre person. If you work hard and make progress, you will be considered ambitious. Once any natural or man-made disaster occurs, you will be the scapegoat used to appease people's anger.

"But this matter is not only for little Philippe, but also for us." Louis patted the chair next to him and asked the Duke of Orleans to sit down: "You make me dizzy, brother." This invitation is actually related to the princess. The marriage is very similar, even more so. There is a saying that goes well: "There is no French king who does not want to be the king of England, and there is no English king who does not want to be the king of France." Henry VI, who ruled two powerful countries at the same time, Every king after him was driven mad with jealousy, although this king ended up being beheaded by rebels in the Tower of London.

But think about it, the people of Versailles were willing to marry the princess to such a devil just because Carlos II was the king of Spain (at that time, Carlos II seemed to be a good man on the surface, but in private everyone know), if they knew that as long as they converted and married the Duke of York's daughter, they could get a country, why wouldn't they happily come over to facilitate this?

But if you think about it carefully, this matter is like tasteless food to France, and it is a pity to abandon it. First of all, as Louis said, once the son of the Duke of Orleans becomes the king of England, they will no longer have any rights or obligations towards him. It can be said that; secondly, the three islands of England, Scotland and Ireland are isolated overseas, which means that this country can form a unique economic and political system, and the royal power is restricted everywhere, from the Queen (Anne) to the common people's control over everything in France. Full of vigilance, it is almost impossible to gradually synchronize and assimilate them by sending troops and officials, as Spain did.

In the end, perhaps there is no need to wait until Louis XV takes office. Britain and France will end their short-term alliance and return to the current state of hostility or worse. If little Louis is constrained by family ties with the Duke of Orleans or makes a wrong decision , Everyone who supports this marriage today will regret it.

Tomorrow is Chinese Valentine's Day... Let me write a sweet extra...