I Am Louis XIV

It stands to reason that Duke Baptiste of Halebour should have returned to his suite to rest early, but the werewolf blood in his body would always cause trouble at night when the moon rises. After bathing, he still couldn't sleep, so he simply got up quietly and After wandering around the empty halls and rooms for a while, we went to the Apollo Golden Pavilion on the top floor.

Everyone knows that Louis XIV's personal coat of arms is the human-faced sun, and people also call him the Sun King. When the Apollo Golden Pavilion was completed in the Palace of Versailles, it was a jaw-dropping masterpiece. Later, craftsmen and artists even used it to repair it. Opportunities time after time to make it more perfect.

Called a pavilion, it is more like a small chapel with floor-to-ceiling windows all around, except that people worship here instead of God. The four walls are decorated with gorgeous murals made of gold foil, and the top is made of ebony and blue velvet, depicting golden lilies. There is a crystal lantern hanging, and the candles on it are changed every few hours and will never go out. When people are walking on the road, if they see an unmoving star, they will know that it is the gift of the sun from Versailles. Give them the light.

"Why are you here?" Baptiste asked. It turned out that someone was already sitting in the golden pavilion.

"Too much sleep during the day," said Auguste, Duke of Montreal. Baptiste walked up to him and sat down against him. He was so close that Auguste could feel the heat from his body being transferred to him: "If only my body were as healthy as yours, I would be so healthy." Okay." He heard that Baptiste arrived at Versailles several days later than him just to chase a whale, but he didn't dare - Madame Montespan was crying and fussing at the time because Montreal was not only remote and barren (at that time Minerals have not yet been explored), and it is a place with a polarized climate. The spring is short, the summer is hot and thundery, and the autumn is cool and pleasant, but it does not last long. It starts snowing in Montreal in October and can continue until the second half of the year. March of the year.

Auguste's physique... I don't know whether it was because of his mother or for other reasons. He was not as good as Louis' previous children. Because of what Madame Montespan did, he insisted on taking office early instead of As Louis said, he spent a few months or even years in warmer places such as New Amsterdam. After arriving in Montreal, he was very uncomfortable and would fall ill when winter came for several consecutive years.

"I saw your two little calves, they are quite strong." Baptiste said, and then he heard Auguste cough twice. He walked over and opened the corner cabinet and took out a cashmere sheet from it. A blanket was placed over him.

"Maybe it's because of their mother." August's son is not that kind of strong person, but he married the daughter of the Marquis of Lafayette, which means that the two children are a quarter Indian. People, their names were given by their great-grandfather himself. This marriage once triggered a big explosion in public opinion. The Marquis de Lafayette's insistence on marrying an Indian woman had already made many people find it difficult to accept, even though the Sun King later gave the French nobles the same power without discrimination. With the status given to the Indian chiefs, the turmoil can only be said to have subsided reluctantly.

Some people still accuse the Marquis de Lafayette of being too frivolous and greedy.

But what is the identity of August, Duke of Montreal and Grand Duke of Upper America? Legally, he is a Bourbon. In terms of blood, the French have regarded him as a Bourbon in America. If he has a son in the future, My child, this boy is going to inherit the throne of Grand Duke! For a time, all kinds of letters of protest and persuasion were sent to Paris and Versailles like snowflakes, and some people even went to the king in person to persuade him hard.

Of course, the king's will will not be shaken by such nonsense, and among the people, they obviously prefer nobles like the Duke of Montreal who are willing to get close to them. Although the authority of the Sun King has never faded, "a qualified monarch should The idea of ​​"being respected, but if he is incompetent, should be dismissed or restricted" has gradually become popular among ordinary people. As long as he is well-founded and does not use despicable words to slander the royal family and the king, today's orators are already very popular. Stop being thrown out of cafes by angry people.

"Will Crazy Horse become the Grand Duke of Upper America?"

"I don't know," August said, "but my son should be." His son has a gentle temperament, is cautious and humble, and is related by marriage to the largest Indian tribe. His future rule will not encounter big challenges. question, "as long as he could maintain the French settlers, the native Indians, and the immigrants from Ireland, England, and Scotland."

"The most troublesome people are the English, right," said Baptiste. Even though the immigrants from England were as poor as other immigrants and came to the New World with empty hands, those Puritans still held the idea of ​​"I believe in God, I am a Puritan, and I am supreme" that was speechless. They were closest to the Indians. There were constant conflicts, and they couldn't even get along well with the Irish and the French immigrants.

Whether it was Auguste or Baptiste, the religious policies they implemented in America were the same as Louis's, or even worse. In other words, they were wary of religious power and were ready to suppress it at any time. , no matter what religion.

In their territory, under the law, you can believe in any god - including the Feitian Noodles religion, or not. No one will interfere with you, asking you to believe, or convert, or through Making money or committing crimes in the name of religion. The Indians, Irish and French all carried out these points very well, but the Puritans from England could not. Perhaps Cromwell's persecution and killing of Catholics gave them a wrong impression. America did not hesitate to point the gun at her neighbor.

"I am considering revising the immigration laws of Upper America." Auguste said: "The original ones were too loose. My father allowed me to refer to the French immigration laws and ask for help from legal professionals. The Duke of Burgundy originally recommended it to me. I killed a man, but unfortunately he was stabbed by a shameful thug."

"Oh, you're talking about Baron Montesquieu," said Baptiste. "I know him."

"But it doesn't matter, the Marquis de Lafayette said. A young man whom his mother's distant relatives asked him to take care of is just right for me. It is said that he is very talented, in good health, and has a quick mind. The only drawback is that he may be on the bus now. Be a guest inside."

"Wait, a criminal?"

"A fantastic and absurd man," said Auguste. "When we get to Paris, I will go and see if he is really capable."

"If you have it," said Baptiste, "lend me to copy it."

August stared at him: "Lower America doesn't seem to have such troubles."

"It didn't happen before, but now it does." Baptiste said, "Do you know that Africa may soon be in chaos?"

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No one knew about the conversation between the two brothers, and they put aside their heavy thoughts. Tomorrow they would start from the Palace of Versailles, march all the way to Paris, and then return from Paris to Versailles for three weeks.

While the king was leading the royal family members to say mass in the chapel, the police in Versailles and Paris, as well as the king's guards, had been busy for half a night.

"How many people are here?" a policeman couldn't help but ask.

"Maybe half of France is here." The Guardsmen beside him said. Unlike the police, they rode war horses with shoulder heights that were almost the same as the height of ordinary people. Of course, they could see that they were farther than ordinary people, even so. , he still couldn't see the end - it had been widened in the past few years, and the Avenue of Victory, which was wide enough for four carriages to run side by side, was full of people. The police were busy pulling up the ropes, and then hanging the French flag and the French flag on the ropes. Wang Qi, so that the people dare not continue to push forward.

The Guardsman rode forward, slowly moving through the crowd, and working with his colleagues to disperse the overly dense crowd. Anyone who has been on the battlefield knows the damage that can be caused by the stampede that sometimes occurs in a dense crowd. No less impressive than muskets and artillery, they didn't want to add an ominous color to this important day.

Fortunately, the French are now accustomed to accepting the arrangements of the police and soldiers. Although there are complaints and pushes, the black color that makes everyone who sees it can't help but tremble has finally dispersed, and then the carriages return to carriages, and the pedestrians return. Pedestrians and riders are all ordered to retreat to their own yellow lines.

The ones who have the upper hand in these queues are undoubtedly the people who live here or rent them here. Not only do they not have to work all night long, they can also take out fresh bread, fruits and sweet water to gorge themselves on it. However, those who have come all the way here People from other provinces and foreigners do not have to worry about having to travel long distances hungry. There are already vendors selling food and water, and some people have proposed "portable toilet buckets" that have been eliminated for more than ten years, and business is actually booming.

The Guardsmen walked slowly past them. His horse stretched out its head and took an apple from a basket on the head of a peddler. The peddler noticed it, but he just glanced at it and turned his head away - - Unlike the people who did this kind of small business fifty years ago, he should be a resident of the villages and towns near Versailles. This basket of apples is not his livelihood, but extra money, and he does not need to waste his time and energy arguing with others.

The owner of the horse had no intention of taking advantage of this. With a flick of his finger, a small egg flew out and landed right in the apple basket.

"Thanks!" the vendor shouted, and continued walking forward.

The Guardsmen walked until they reached a place with only a few carriages before turning around. Looking at the surrounding scenery, they had almost reached Evry. Evry was half a league away from Versailles, and one league was equal to about ten thousand taels. Thousand feet, that is to say, this line is nearly six thousand feet long. He couldn't help but clicked his tongue, feeling full of pride in his heart.

In fact, these are not all. Louis XIV had long considered the pressure that the huge flow of people would put on roads and cities. Early on, he ordered local officials and priests not to issue passes and certificates at will - but gave some quotas as appropriate. As for those People coming from various countries would be unable to move without a pass issued by a trusted person on the king's list, and they would have to go home in despair.

In this case, he, who was good at mathematics, could roughly calculate that there were about 100,000 people crowded on the Avenue of Victory from Versailles to Evry, and they were going to Paris with the king.

As the first ray of dawn cast its light on the Apollo Golden Pavilion in the Palace of Versailles, people finally heard the long trumpet sound, and they became restless with joy. The king was coming!

The Palace of Versailles is located on the top of a human-made mountain. The stairs start from a huge square. Surrounding the square, there were originally some hotels for low-level officials and aristocratic servants. Later, they gradually evolved into a village, which is also the famous town of Versailles. There is a very special place in this town, that is, a central road that is almost as wide as the square-today it has long been cleaned up and sprinkled with perfume and flower petals.

The first thing that vaguely appeared in people's field of vision were the numerous portraits of saints and crosses. According to tradition, they always walked at the front of the procession, followed by the priests carrying incense burners, and the three cardinals dressed in clothes symbolizing life and health. Wearing green sacrificial robes and riding in a sedan chair, they walked in the center of the procession, constantly making gestures of blessing to people.

"This is our cardinal!" the Frenchman said proudly.

Since the Avignon incident that deeply humiliated the Roman Church, the cardinals in Rome have been dominated by Italians. In contrast, the French cardinals have always been the least and most excluded. But this situation happened under Louis Things changed after Luciano, the illegitimate son of XIV, became King of Italy. In order to ensure the independence and autonomy of the Vatican, the Roman Church had to agree to many harsh conditions, including the appointment of Ellalius, who was supported by Louis XIV, as pope. This one.

Elario was an Italian and was a judge of the Inquisition before. Logically speaking, these bishops should not be in such a difficult situation. They even backed down and said that they could let a Frenchman be the pope instead of letting Elario wear the triple crown. . Of course, this was rejected by Luciano without hesitation. King Elario I later jokingly said in correspondence with Louis that this was because they really did not want to let the original "tool" like a horse or a knife "Ascend to the supreme throne.

No matter what the bishops of Rome thought, it was of no avail. Elario became pope twenty years ago. As a "young man" (compared to those old popes), he continued his rule for a full thirteen years. In these thirteen years, he reformed the church, purged the Inquisition, eliminated all opposition, and promoted a group of young, talented, energetic and not-so-dirty priests into the upper echelons of the church. At the same time, among the mortals, The unreachable place - that is, the other world, also received the sincerity of the Pope. Elario I stated that as long as the wizards are willing to abide by the laws of mortals, they will not be pursued by the church. Keep your own secrets well, even if you are willing to go out of the other world and live with mortals.

We all know what the world is like here. If possible, who would be willing to live on a depressing, small island or a hidden territory? And have your own children?

Sunflowers aren't the only ones who want to follow the sun.

It's a pity that not all kings have the courage and courage of Louis XIV. The first to be released were the wizards in Italy and France, and then countries that were close to France such as Sweden, Prussia, Spain and Portugal, like the United Kingdom and France. Places like the Holy Roman Empire may have to wait a while longer.

But it was not difficult for Elario I to occupy a sufficient position in the College of Cardinals for France. Now, in addition to these three French cardinals, there are also bishops from Portugal and Spain who have put on red coats. One of the former, The latter was also three. In 1586, Sixtus V determined that the number of cardinals could only be fixed at seventy. This number should not be underestimated.

The cardinal turned around and turned from the Versailles Road to the Avenue of Victory, surrounded by the priests. They were only wearing gilded breastplates and sapphire blue sleeveless cloaks, holding banners. Guards cavalry with lances and musketeers followed, constantly taking off their hats to greet the cheering crowd, followed by a group of infantry with regular steps, holding lances with bayonets on their shoulders, singing " God bless the Sun King!" (composed by Lully, lyrics written by Molière), he walked past people's eyes with his chest held high.

After them, two trumpeters came out on horseback, raised their trombones, and blew several times.

At this time, even the paralyzed people had to stand up from the crowd. They first saw four lively white horses, wearing feather crowns, swaying rhythmically with the clatter of footsteps. They also had The four companion horses are all dressed up in the same way. The driver holds the gold and silver reins loosely in his hand, and there is also a riding crop purely for decoration - these horses do not need to be whipped to be obedient.

The king was sitting in the carriage. He was the only one. Even the queen could not sit with him at this time. He pushed open the window and opened the gauze curtain so that the people on both sides of the road could see him without any hindrance. , and at the sight of him they screamed like mad, jumped, shouted, waved their hats and arms, and ran after the carriage—and were stopped by the police and the Guards. This approach is dangerous when there are large numbers of people.

Then came Queen Teresa's car, the carriages of the kings and grand dukes, the King of Poland, the King of Spain, the King of Italy, the King of Portugal, the King of Prussia... the rulers of America from top to bottom, and then the ambassadors who were princes or dukes - - Those further down are not eligible to join this procession. Following them are the Crusader Knights wearing red crosses on a white background. As the victors and defenders of God, they have this right. After the Crusader Knights They are the famous Polish wing cavalry. Their gorgeous costumes are in sharp contrast to the Crusader knights.

Behind them is the motorcade of nobles and officials, as well as their relatives. They cannot appear at this time. No matter how they boast about being favored by the king, no one will believe them. Soldiers with shining collars and epaulettes ride on horseback. He walked along the carriage, occasionally joking and joking with a certain lady in the carriage.

When the procession finally ended, people's shadows had shrunk to their feet, the police began to retract the ropes, people were commotion, and the Guards galloped back and forth in the gaps in the procession, constantly using their sword scabbards to maintain order.

Merchants or wealthy provincials would ride horse-drawn carriages and steam locomotives, but some just wanted the privilege of marching with the king, or could not afford the expense of a carriage (a carriage required everything from purchasing, configuration to maintenance) (a large amount of money), or those who were unable to rent a carriage and did not trust steam locomotives, they could only move forward. Fortunately, the Marquis of Senelet, who was in charge of this matter, had considered the matter early and stopped by the roadside. Haystacks were placed so that horses could be fed and rested. Drinking water and free bread were provided. Today's Victory Avenue has long been illuminated by gas lights.

Although these eight miles were long, the road was flat, and there were many people traveling with them, as well as the police and the king's guards. People did not feel tired and moved forward desperately. When the night fell, the last person was gone. Arrive at the Porte du Soleil in Paris.

As early as Louis XIV's rectification of Paris, the old and dilapidated city walls of Paris were demolished. Louis' designers built a ring-shaped boulevard at the original location of the city wall. However, some people say that there is no gate between the city and the countryside. There would be no intervals. With this in mind, the designer added four triumphal arch-style gates, among which the Puerta del Sol standing on Victory Avenue.

The height of the marble city gate even exceeds the original city wall. It is built with Clara white marble. The reliefs on it represent the four important wars in Louis XIV's life - the Flanders War, the Dutch War, The Great Battle and the War of Spanish Succession are surrounded by small scenes to show other victories related to the king.

There are lights in front of, behind and even above the city gate. The golden light renders the white marble with an ivory texture. The lifelike portraits are more like being alive. In this era when the most advanced lamps are still limited to gas lamps, this kind of The scenery is truly unforgettable.

"Hey, everyone, look to the left!" A person suddenly shouted.

Everyone who heard it subconsciously looked to the left. Above the orange lights and white stones, a gorgeous flower suddenly burst open in the dark sky!

"It's fireworks! It's fireworks!" They suddenly forgot about their fatigue and shouted excitedly.

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"This is dedicated to you, Your Majesty, by the people of Paris."

The mayor of Paris said respectfully.

Huge fireworks exploded in the night sky, like blooming flowers, like the light emitted by the sun. Everyone who saw it couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, but this was not the end, but the beginning. After that, more fireworks went up. The sky takes on different shapes and colors! More people shouted, and this was the first time colored fireworks other than orange-red appeared.

Vermilion, emerald green, bright yellow...

Incomparably bright and bright blue.

"I named this blue Mancini blue." At some point, Luciano I walked up to Louis: "The fireworks are a gift from the people of Paris, but this blue is given to you by me. Gift."

There will probably be another chapter or two of the celebration, and then there will be a side story with the present day and the Duke of Orleans.

The extra chapter of "Saint" will be updated next Monday, and I have also modified the previously blocked chapters. If there are still more chapters, please remind me in the book review area, and I will modify them again.