I Am Louis XIV

After standing for a while in front of the bed, which was covered with fur, but the mattress was made of rushes - even if it was dry and fresh, there were still insects crawling in. Poor little Eugen first This time I was a little at a loss.

His memory before the age of three was not very clear except that his mother repeatedly said that he was the son of an emperor. But when he was in Soissons, the Countess of Soissons had already started to use the wool that the king respected. Mattress. Later he came to Versailles. In addition to wool, Versailles also had cotton and fur, but no matter which kind, it was absolutely clean and powdered, ensuring that there would not be a single flea or bed bug.

The linen sheets should be new and starched. Maybe people here think this is a good enjoyment and privilege, but little Eugen just felt like he was lying in a nettle field - the linen was treated enough It is also quite soft, otherwise some people would have worn it as underwear before Louis XIV, but it still has the same problem. No fabric can be more considerate to human skin than cotton, not to mention that little Eugen, as the adopted son of the king, he The bedding has always been made of American cotton. The seeds of this cotton come from Arabia. It is a very rare and good cotton species. The woven cotton has a silky luster, and it feels like running water when touched.

Although little Eugen has been fighting for nearly ten years, during the war, the king can bring his bed and bathtub, and the commander's treatment will not be bad. He has never slept with a living creature. bed. In the end, he could only ask the servant to take out his white cotton pajamas from his luggage, spread the pajamas on the bed, then cover him with a sea otter skin cloak, and slept haphazardly. When he woke up, he felt that his face was sore and painful. Itching, I took out the mirror and took a look, only to find that my unprotected face had been bitten by bugs several times.

He washed himself in the wooden basin, applied medicine, and then reluctantly pulled himself together and walked downstairs. The servant hesitated, as if to prevent him from going to the hall to eat - the place they stayed in was a three-story building, just a so-called The third floor is nothing more than a high-rise attic. As for the first floor, it was already very late when they arrived here last night. There was no kerosene lamp or gas lamp for lighting. The candles could ensure that they could see the steps and the ground clearly, so as not to It would be nice to fall down.

When he went downstairs, he realized why the servants were trying to stop him. It was obvious that people here had done their best to clean and repair things, such as the icon on the wall - you could tell which church altar it came from at a glance. The triptych was removed from the top, probably to cover the big hole in the back, and there was a carpet on the floor - but you could tell at a glance that it wasn't the original, it was too small, so small that it revealed the clear lines of light and dark, you know, that's After being exposed to friction, mud and grease, or exposure to sunlight, wooden floors are bound to leave irresistible marks.

Little Eugen wanted to say that there might be torture from the sun here - because the windows here were still old wooden shutters. Obviously, the sun could not always visit here. He sat down at the table and saw the Duke of Orleans was sitting there. Enjoy an extremely simple breakfast that is even insulting to your status, with hard-boiled eggs and wine. The wine was brought by them.

"If you want to eat something," the Duke said, "I advise you not to." He glanced at the attendants beside him: "One of my attendants ran to the kitchen last night and asked for a supper, and he still has diarrhea. "Yeah." Little Eugen suddenly lost his appetite: "Sir," he asked, "Did they do this intentionally?"

"I think not," said the Duke of Orleans. "You will understand when we go out."

Little Eugen had no choice but to suppress his dissatisfaction and anger, and ate two eggs at the Duke's insistence. But after a while, the mayor of Prague came in fear. Of course, Prague is a city in the Kingdom of Bohemia and the territory of the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, but even in wartime, a prince's brother and a possible emperor An illegitimate child is enough to turn this city upside down.

Just like Louis XIV must support Charles II to defeat Lord Protector Cromwell, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire cannot play any conspiracy when the armistice agreement and contract have been signed and the mission is performing its obligations and exercising its power normally. A trick, this is a tacit understanding between the kings. Otherwise, the Holy Roman Empire will never send out missions, marry other countries, or let Habsburg princes go on study tours. His princes will also accuse him of being too reckless. , and too mean.

"We are going to the Cathedral of St. Vitus to worship. Please come with us." The Duke of Orleans said indifferently.

The mayor of Prague relaxed a little. He was also worried that these distinguished French people would go to Prague’s churches in the Old Town or squares, such as the Church of the Savior and the Church of St. Nicholas. It was not that he was unwilling, but the St. Nicholas Church in Prague Castle. The Vita Cathedral is obviously safer than other churches.

The sky was bright and little Eugen could see more things.

Where is Prague? It is not an ordinary city. Not only is it not far from Vienna, as Eugen Jr. said, it was also the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia. At that time, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was Charles IV of the Luxembourg dynasty. He was also the King of Bohemia. He attached great importance to this city. He not only repaired and expanded the original Prague Castle, but also built a new city next to the old city, as well as universities, bridges and many churches. Prague Castle The Cathedral of St. Vitus in is one of them.

During breakfast, little Eugen wondered whether what they encountered was due to the hatred or contempt of the Prague people. But as soon as he walked out of the official residence, he immediately understood that this official residence might be the most complete and cleanest in the whole of Prague. Architecture - Prague was once prosperous, but now it is in decline. The streets are potholed, sewage flows across the streets, the building walls are mottled, and there are still black traces carved by the smoke from torches. Perhaps it is to avoid accidents and face the street. The door panels and windows are closed tightly, and they remind people of witches' teeth - dirty, crooked, and chipped everywhere, but there is still dirty smoke coming out from inside from time to time, which is similar to those from horse hooves. It was mixed with the stench that spilled out from under the wheels, but it was difficult to find the source.

When they passed the church by the square, the church was actually missing several colored windows. It was dark, like the empty eye sockets of a blind man.

You must know that the church has always been the richest, even more than the king and emperor. "The archbishop here is really slacking off a bit." Little Eugen couldn't help but say.

"Mr. Bishop has been busy renovating St. Vitus Cathedral." The mayor did not dare to say that the Archbishop of Prague had been busy amassing money and trying to return to Rome or seek another wealthy diocese.

The Duke of Orleans guessed it, but it really didn't have much to do with him.

They didn't meet anyone along the way, until they entered Prague Castle. The attendants in the castle were all sallow and thin, and slow to react. Little Eugen was almost terrified until he saw the Bishop of Prague and his priest. They, the priests, were all fat and rosy, which made him feel relieved.

After they simply received Holy Communion, prayed, and listened to the sermon, little Eugen discovered something strange. "Where are the nobles here?"

Logically speaking, even if he refused the canonization of Leopold I, the Duke of Orleans was here, and they should come to see the Duke.

"Either he is not qualified." Philip has the dual identity of the prince's brother and Duke of Orlian. Unless he gives permission, not any small nobleman will be honored to see his face: "Or he follows the emperor to Vienna. .”

"Was it the two incidents of being thrown out of the window?" asked the young Duke of Enghien. The "two incidents of being thrown out of the window" were both events that were caused by religious conflicts and eventually triggered a political earthquake. To put it simply, it was Percy When the Protestant "Hussites" of Mia held a demonstration for the first time because of the death of their leader Huss, they were angered by the behavior of people in the city hall throwing stones from high places. They rushed into the city hall and removed the mayor and others from the city hall. The window was thrown out of the window, and the "Hussite War" was fought for fifteen years.

The second time was because Ferdinand of Habsburg, who had just become the king of Bohemia, wanted to revive Catholicism in Bohemia and persecuted the Hussites. So the Hussites repeated the same mistake and stormed into Prague Castle. , throwing three of the king's ministers out of the window... This reckless action brought about the famous "Thirty Years' War".

During the Thirty Years' War, the Swedes invaded Prague. The king fled with his ministers, generals, and queen, leaving the people of Prague to face looting, gunfire, burning, and massacre. Prague was destroyed in just a few days. It was in ruins. If the King of Bohemia was willing to return here and rebuild the capital after this, Prague might still have a chance to prosper, but Habsburg's unkindness and unrighteousness began to show at this time. Not only did the king not come back, he moved the capital directly to Vienna.

Prague has since become a political and economic depression. It can be said to be one of the ugliest scars of the Habsburgs - the king was forced by the mob and expelled by the enemy here, just like Leopold I. Too willing to mention Flanders, Ferdinand and his successors were not very willing to mention Prague. Prague has almost become an unexplainable place of exile. All officials who were sent here from Vienna were sent here by the upper class. Those who are disgusted, when they get here, they either try their best to collect money so that they can be transferred as soon as possible, or they give up on themselves and enjoy themselves wholeheartedly.

Although this place is already so bad that even a slightly attractive "famous lady" would not set foot there.

Little Eugen paid attention to the attendants in the castle. They should be the best group of people living among the common people in Prague. But apart from being thin, what is shocking is that they seem to have lost their expectations of life. ——Their clothes are clean and tidy, but they are so careless that they twist the wrong buttons, expose the lining, and break the candles. The altar may be clean enough, but the curtains are dusty and the corners of the room are piled with feces, which makes the little Eugen couldn't help but think of yesterday's bathtub, those little thorns that could be easily cleaned...

No one among them even thought about leaving with them. They looked at the French mission, full of boredom and hatred, and every glance seemed to drive them away, hoping that they could leave quickly and not hinder the Prague people here. eyes.

Little Eugen felt that even if they cast a fierce look like the refugees in Milan, it would be much better than this kind of... inaction that seemed to exude the smell of decay.

"How does this compare with Vienna?" the Duke of Orleans asked with a smile.

Young Eugen was unwilling to admit that Leopold I was not a bad ruler, but what he saw and heard during the subsequent journey completely overturned his original idea - it turned out that it seemed simple Simple, let the people have something to eat, clothes to wear, a roof over their heads, a job, the ability to feed their children, the ability to receive treatment when they are sick, and then die peacefully in bed, and furthermore, they can read and shop. , you can have fun... It is so difficult and rare. Some city managers, whether they are bishops, mayors, or lords, as long as they can do the first five steps, that is to say, they can ensure that the city and the countryside If the civilians here can survive and reproduce, they are compassionate and capable.

Some people are cruel, or are weak-minded and easily deceived. Their territory is probably like Prague now, a lifeless quagmire.

Those who did not have light in their eyes were not like this at the beginning. They had also struggled and resisted, just like the Hussites and the locals in Bohemia before, who had been hit and destroyed more than once. Only then did they become like this - they didn't know what to do, should they die, or should they live? Which one is easier?

"It's terrible to think that Paris was almost like this," said the Duke of Orleans.

"How is that possible?!" Little Eugen said immediately, and the little Duke Enghien next to him also showed an expression of approval.

"Go down, we are almost to Poland," said the Duke of Orleans. "There are worse things waiting for you."

——————

Little Eugen didn't think anything could be worse than the cities they saw, even though he had heard that the Slachta class in Poland still practiced slavery, that is, plundering Cossacks from the Ukrainian plains (sometimes There were also Tatars) as their own slaves.

The original meaning of Cossack was "light cavalry", "light cavalry" and "spy". Later, it was attached to "free man" or: "person who has the courage to resist". In fact, the original Cossack They were a group of Slavs who could not bear the enslavement of the Golden Horde. In order to avoid the whips of the Mongols, they ran to the grasslands of southern and Eastern Europe that were still inaccessible at that time, and have multiplied there to this day.

It's just that these Slavs never thought that after the Golden Horde was completely destroyed, the backward serfdom system was actually inherited by people with the same skin color as them, and even carried it forward. The disaster they had escaped once again fell upon them. on their heads.