I Am Louis XIV

The nobles of Versailles had a hobby - to stay on the terrace in front of the Palace of Versailles and look down at the crowds below.

We have said before that the Palace of Versailles stands on a high platform, with a total of more than 300 steps from the square at the bottom to the terrace at the top. Only a few people who are fortunate enough to be allowed to enter the Palace of Versailles have the privilege of using a sedan chair. Others have to come up step by step, and these nobles will lazily lean on the railings of the terrace between banquets and dances, waving fans, holding canes, enjoying the breeze and picking at the same time. They were bald and whispering to each other.

Everyone who walks slowly on the steps on their own feet will be commented on by these arrogant guys, guessed at the purpose of their visit, and even teased, but if they see a simple or gorgeous sedan carrying a sedan slowly... Slowly going from bottom to top, they had to dress up again, and ran down to wait impatiently - after all, there are fewer and fewer people qualified to ride in the sedan chair, and they are becoming more and more important.

However, some nobles who served the king in the army did not bother to use this right even if they had it - in order to show their health, sometimes they would even walk to the Grand Gallery in one breath without stopping.

Like the Duke of Vendôme's most beloved grandson and the king's adopted son, Eugen Savoy Jr.

Countless pairs of eyes were staring at him, openly or covertly. People were whispering under fans and wigs. Men and women had equally long and boring tongues. Ten years ago, these things might have made him embarrassed, but now they can't. If you shake him even a little bit - no one who has been on the battlefield, has seen blood and flesh splattered, or heard the last whine, sigh or cry will not care - what are these gossips compared to life and death?

"Ignore them, they are a bunch of idle fools." Joseph standing next to him said. If anyone cast an ambiguous glance, he would glare back fiercely. This was Bourbon and the future Duke of Vendôme. And because he is favored by the king, there are not many people who can insist on looking at him provocatively.

"I don't care either." Little Eugen took Joseph's arm and put it down - either he was unwilling or Joseph was a step above him. When they walked side by side, holding arms would hinder each other. When he was young, little Eugen was angry because of this: "This kind of thing happened to me as early as ten years ago."

He would like to thank the Count of Soissons for his generosity, which allowed him to get rid of his shameful origin and walk in Versailles as an upright and legitimate son. But those who want to know will always know, especially those who not only know that he is not the Count of Soissons The eldest son, the illegitimate son of Leopold I, the enemy of France and Louis XIV - they didn't like him, and here, dislike is enough to make you unable to move, it doesn't even have to be disgusting - if you don't Louis XIV.

Louis XIV was only lenient to him because he was in love with his family. He owed Marie Mancini and was unwilling to let her reputation be damaged again. But no matter what the reason, little Eugen must be grateful to the king for his love and care. Nurturing, he and his queen treated him like another of their children. He meant that even if he and his mother had an accident together, he would have nothing to complain about, not to mention that he could still have a room in the Palace of Versailles and grow up with the son of the crown prince and the duke.

Just like Joseph next to him, although his grandfather was also the illegitimate son of Henry IV, he was legally recognized and he was also a legitimate son. Unlike little Eugen, the former could still be respected in the Palace of Versailles. Without Louis XIV, he would not have the right to have this close friend.

There are also little Louis, the crown prince. There are countless people who want to join the crown prince, but little Eugen can do it easily.

You know, if you say that you are favored by the king, it means that you can rise quickly and be liked by the crown prince. Then it means that not only you, but also your relatives, friends, and even the entire family have the possibility of rising.

It’s no wonder that there are always people who are full of ill will towards little Eugen.

Family - little Eugen thought to himself that he had long decided to leave Count Soissons, otherwise he would occupy the eldest son's name, title and property. He didn’t want to escape into a monastery like the “eldest son” of the Duke of Longueville. He liked the army, the court, and wine and beautiful women. But Louis XIV had already told him that if he insisted, the king would re-canonize him. He, this kind of situation is not unprecedented in history. If his elder brother obtains another title, he can transfer everything that he should have inherited to his younger brother.

When he gets his own title and territory, marries a wife and has children, he will also have his own family. Thinking this way, he couldn't help but feel satisfied.

"Versailles is still the same as before." Joseph said. He hadn't been away as long as little Eugen, but he hadn't returned to Versailles for several years.

They stood for a while at the entrance of the Grand Gallery. They were strong enough, but they were still a little tired from climbing the three hundred steps without stopping for a moment.

"Who said that," said little Eugen, "there are still changes." Although the large gallery was crowded, he could still see that the murals on both sides of the corridor had changed their contents. It is said that LeBron now has hundreds of people. Only disciples can meet the needs of the king and the royal family - He paused briefly in front of the last mural and couldn't help but smile. This was the scene where he put the key to the city of Leon in the reliquary and dedicated it to the Sun King - -Of course, this scene is completely fabricated by the artist, but it fits little Eugen’s wishes. The city of Leon is of great significance, and he only spent a very small price to capture it. It is really worth writing about. .

"I have one too." Joseph said, pointing to a mural of a naval battle. It was his ship. Unfortunately, although the commander on it was carefully depicted, it was difficult to identify who was who from it. possible.

"Okay, boys, I can totally understand your vanity," a voice interrupted: "But don't keep His Majesty waiting."

They all looked up and saw that the person coming was none other than another Bourbon, Prince Conti. They quickly took off their hats to him and followed him to the king's living room.

——————

If Louis XIV wanted to discuss political affairs with his ministers, he would usually be in the Jupiter Room, but if he wanted to talk to close friends, he might be in the Juno Room, which is slightly smaller and more comfortable, and further up, such as The Viscount Turenne, Colbert, the Marquis of Lois and the Count of Soissons, etc., would be in the small meeting room adjacent to the king's suite. If they were talking to blood relatives, they would most likely be in his living room or study. .

Although little Eugen is not a Bourbon, he is the adopted son of the king. He can also enter this room, but every time he can't help but feel a sense of shame - he is a Habsburg, not a Bourbon, and even more unfortunate What's interesting is that when he was a child, he could still vaguely see the beauty of the Mancini family, but when he grew up, he inherited all the ugly features of the Habsburgs. His big chin was simply a replica of Leopold I, and his height was not as good. Not even as good as the Duke of Montreal, who was just an adult, let alone other Bourbons.

As for the Bourbons, there is no need to go into details about the king and the duke. The Duke of Montreal is as slender and delicate as a ceramic statue. The appearance of the Duke of Hallebourg does not meet the aesthetics of the Versailles people, but it is difficult to find any major flaws. The Dauphin is small. Louis is the template for the "Holy King" in many people's imagination. Even the silver-haired Duke of Vendôme and the romantic Prince Conti have their own charms, attracting people's attention.

"The sun is bright, the stars are twinkling, and the moon is bright," he said self-deprecatingly: "It is natural that a piece of stone should be out of place."

"This stubborn stone has its own treasures in its heart," Louis continued.

"You also have a pair of discerning eyes." Little Eugen said. He stepped forward, took the king's hand and kissed it, "Sit down." Louis said: "My child, I think you have probably guessed that there are some things I It’s up to you to make your own decisions.”

Little Eugen sighed.

"It seems you already know," Louis said bluntly - little Eugen has been on the battlefield for ten years. Although Louis will still call him my child, he continues to treat him as a child who is ignorant of the world, almost Humiliating him: "Yes, Leopold I sent an envoy to negotiate with us."

"He would have negotiated with us ten years ago," little Eugen raised his head arrogantly. Ten years of military service are enough for a young man to become a experienced general. He is also so young. Louis XIV can definitely do it. Understanding Leopold I: “What terms could he propose ten years later?”

"It's no surprise," said the Duke of Orleans. "It's actually very fair."

Duke Vendôme coughed before suppressing his laughter, "Leopold I is not Charles II after all. Gentlemen, he is a good king and will not blindly do things that he knows he cannot do." According to that The Queen Mother Catalina said that the reason why England was still in turmoil after Queen Anne came to the throne was because Charles II emptied the treasury, merchants and people's purses for ironclads and wars. What would happen if the treasury was empty? Putting aside the harm, in order to repay the money lent by the bankers to the king, taxes need to be used to offset the debt - just like France before Louis XIV took over, tax collectors once again ran rampant in England, Ireland and Scotland. , but the war taxes levied by Charles II several times before have drained the last bit of blood from the people, and they can no longer produce anything, except hunger and anger.

The recent sudden surge in Irish immigrants to America seems to explain everything.

This is a vicious cycle, unable to pay taxes - people flee - the remaining people have to pay more taxes - they have no choice but to flee - the taxes are shared again... It is said that he once shouted "It only takes three The English aristocrats who had "one worker, one herding sheep, one shearing sheep, and one weaving" began to panic - in their hearts, there were as many serfs and workers as fleas, and they couldn't catch them all. Who knew that such a day would suddenly come , they all disappeared?

Compared with Charles II, James II, and the incompetent Queen Anne, Leopold I was obviously smarter and kinder. His only mistake was that he should not indulge his competitiveness against Louis XIV. Although he was It is indeed painful for such a peer to be suppressed again and again, but he should take a longer-term view - at least before Flanders, the Netherlands and Spain, he should first stabilize his royal power and ensure that he is the elector of the Holy Roman Empire. dignity and status.

Well, he has tried his best. It is not easy to win over these princes with different ideas and electoral rights. On the issue of the succession to the Spanish throne, as a direct descendant of Habsburg, he really should Reaching the last step - in fact, he was riding a tiger and was unable to get off. If he did not dare to attack France on such an important and critical matter, he would even less hope to gain the respect of those careerists.

Even so, the final battlefield is still not part of Austria, Spain or France. Both sides have tacitly bound the venue for the competition to the Principality of Milan. This means that not only the French do not have to bear the damage and sequelae caused by the war, The Austrians didn't have to, and apart from a thunderous brief conflict in the first few years, there was a long, intermittent tug-of-war. In the end, not only the French, but also the Austrians began to build fortresses and build walls. In short In short, he did not attack or retreat, and completely assumed a rogue posture.

This approach is not very good-looking, but it does alleviate the pressure brought by the war on Austria. Leopold I has been waiting for opportunities and looking for gaps, but ten years later, he also became seriously ill, and his days on earth were almost gone. How much, his son is not even a minor yet, he must admit that he still lost the war. In the end, he was still forced to bow to Louis XIV for the sake of the country, people and family, and was willing to recognize Louis' second son Charles. , that is, Carlos III's power over Spain in exchange for Louis XIV's support for his son - don't forget, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was elected.

If Leopold I defeated Louis XIV, his son Philip could of course become the master of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire at the same time like Charles V. However, ten years of futility had already made the electors anxious. Dissatisfied, he had to consider whether someone would take the opportunity to usurp the power and crown that Habsburg had held for hundreds of years.

"So," Louis said to little Eugen in detail about the current situation in Austria and the difficulties Leopold I had to face, "Leopold I hopes you can return to him. He would recognize you legally, give you an army, and perhaps make you regent until his son Philip came of age, making you, so to speak, one man under one man and over ten thousand in Austria, and, in the Holy Before the princes of the Roman Empire, you can still maintain a high status and great power..."

Seeing what little Eugen seemed to want to say, Louis raised his hand: "Don't answer me in a hurry, child," he said: "Leopold I still has some time, you can think about it carefully."