I Am Louis XIV

In order to show respect and love for this lady, the king took her hand and walked into the hall first, followed by the Queen Mother and Cardinal Mazarin, and behind them were Queen Mary and Princess Henrietta of England. Princess Tower was held by Philip, the Duke of Anjou, followed by princes and nobles, ministers of civil and military affairs. They followed the king orderly and solemnly, holding hands in twos and twos, just like a group of dogs following their masters .

As soon as the king entered the hall, the band began to play music. It was a tune adapted from a brisk Swedish folk song, which made Mrs. Christina smile. The seats and long tables in the hall have already been arranged. In addition to the white linen table-cloth, there were innumerable flowers, which were either spread like cushions in the corners, or hung like hangings from the corner of the zenith, and the tables were covered with silver and white china. The tableware and the flowers on the table were placed in crystal vases. Although it was not yet late at night, the servants had already lit the candles, so that the light reflected from them would illuminate people's eyes.

As for the white ones, the silver and gold plates are already full of candied fruit and pastries, the coffee, juice and honey water in the pots and pots are almost overflowing, and the hot ones are emitting white mist, as are the iced ones. In front of , the king's brother, the queen mother and the bishop, Queen Mary and Princess Henrietta of England, and in front of today's distinguished guests, there is a beautiful statue. Mrs. Christina looked at it for a long time before she was sure that it was It is carved from snow-white powdered sugar after solidification.

Of course, this is not all. Tonight’s dishes have been prepared since four o’clock in the morning. By now, some guests can almost smell the rich aroma of the delicious dishes that are ready to go, which makes them especially feel this time. The pre-dinner prayers were too long—but fortunately, before their bellies began to growl impolitely, the soup was served, three thick soups, one clear soup, the soup was sea fish soup, partridge soup, and then one. Double flavor soup, quail and beef are stewed together, then eggs, vegetables and salt are added, and precious spices are sprinkled - such as cinnamon, pepper and cloves; The taste of the soup is also strong enough, but since there is no meat in it, it is clear soup. But the king ordered the chef to put a puff pastry hat on it. This is something that the French or people in other places have never eaten. They watched the king's movements carefully and imitated the king's puff pastry. The skin is torn apart, and then put into the soup to eat together.

After the soup comes the main course, such as stewed leg of lamb, steamed ham with honey, roasted venison, pheasant stuffed with chestnuts, etc., one after another, the tastes are different and very delicious, although in this kind of banquet, people can't avoid whispering They tried to process the information they had, but since the soup, few people were able to speak anymore. Their tongues were almost completely occupied by these rare delicious things, even the expensive ones who valued their figure The women are also constantly asking for more food.

After the main course are vegetables, chrysanthemum lettuce from Paris, white asparagus, artichokes, parsnips (radishes), cabbage, cauliflower from Cyprus, shallots and thistles from Italy, some fresh, some pickled or processed They are processed, but they are all clean and refreshing. After sweeping away the greasyness brought by the main dishes, fruits and boiled eggs are followed by vegetables. These are to ensure that some guests with big appetites will fill up, but even if a giant dragon came today, Louis I also believe that it has been fed, but when seeing those brightly colored fruits with water droplets, some people still can't help holding them in their hands.

Because of the season, the fresh fruits are mainly apples and some berries. There are three kinds of apples, spotted-skinned apples, purple apples and small red-skinned apples. When they are presented, they are served on a silver plate, and there are also cherry and peach fillings. Cakes, assorted jams, etc.

The wines on the table came from Champagne and Burgundy, and all Burgundy wines were dedicated to the king by the Duchess of Montpensier for the banquet.

This sumptuous dinner lasted for three hours, and at the end everyone was eager to go out for a "walk". Special servants took them to the secret room, so they enjoyed it again after that. A view like no other.

Speaking from the bottom of his heart, Louis felt that after dinner, it would be most comfortable to go for a walk alone or read a book quietly in the study, but it was a pity that he couldn’t, after the banquet was the scene he was most eager to see— ——He invited Mrs. Christina to a terrace in the northeast corner of the Louvre. From here, you can see a sparkling canal. Next to the canal is the Red Child Market. If you look to the right, you can see Notre Dame Cathedral, next to Next to Notre Dame is the Place de la Bastille.

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Standing on the bell tower of Notre-Dame, Vauban has been nervously holding up his binoculars, and beside him is a piece of sandwich bread that he has only bitten into twice. The tower in autumn is terribly cold, but even so he dare not drink it. A few sips of wine to keep out the cold——As soon as he saw the king appearing on the terrace, surrounded by countless ministers, he immediately ran over to pull out the torch, and shook it vigorously to the people under the bell tower——A few horses galloped from the bell tower They galloped out, one street after another, the riders had whistles in their mouths, and the sharp whistle rolled over people's ears like the wind, so the people waiting by the oil lamps immediately lit the lamps, and then turned them on. They hang high on lampposts.

These lampposts have been seen by people for a long time, but at that time they only used them as flagpoles or for other purposes, until now, under the dark sky, it seems to take away the light of the stars in the sky, Countless lights illuminated the streets and alleys of Paris, and they clearly outlined each street. Residents were no longer trapped in their houses, they walked out of their homes, and watched the light brought by the king with joy.

Then they were pleasantly surprised to find that under the orders of the king and the bishop, almost all the shops opened at night, and the candles in the glass windows illuminated the shops brilliantly. Under the beautification of the environment, even the inferior products show different colors or textures from those in daytime. Some customers who were misled by their own vision foolishly bought a lot of products that they dismissed when the light was sufficient. Goods, so they became more sincere when they shouted long live the king.

Of course, the cheers of one or two people cannot reach the tower of the Louvre, but people here can completely see the scenery below. In this era, only candles and grease lighting people can only feel the difference from the past on religious festivals. Even in Paris, the night is still dangerous, dreary, and dull, but now, like the winding of a toy box, everyone in it moves, and the dark night and the golden The streets give this ancient city its distinctive beauty, and all are captivated.

"This is only the first day," they heard the king say, "and every day will be like this."

He turned around and proudly declared: "This will be a city that never sleeps!"

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Some people may wonder why Louis would hold such a grand banquet and implement such a huge project when the treasury was empty and even needed loans to maintain the operation of the army and the government, but in the seventeenth century, this was the noble prince. One of the ways we most often use to show our power - endless, unrestrained and careless spending and extravagance will make your friends happy, make your enemies cower, and make those greedy merchants scramble to get to you. Eligibility for loans, no kidding, that's it - they'd rather lend money to a lord who spends a thousand livres a day on shoes than to a man who desperately needs ten liards in exchange for Hungry for a loaf of bread.

In order to hold this banquet, the king also made great efforts. The reason why the palace was decorated with so many flowers was because there was not enough velvet and gold leaf to decorate the walls. Some tableware was even temporarily borrowed from the bishop's mansion and some merchants. The curtains and tablecloths, candles and charcoal of the Louvre and half of the Tuileries Palace are concentrated in the hall and a handful of rooms. When people sigh for the light on the street, most of Paris The area is virtually still shrouded in darkness.

This is also swearing strength to the allies and enemies of France, at least for those envoys from other countries, they will describe tonight's banquet in detail in tonight's letters, so that their kings can carefully consider it. The attitude of the new young king of France.

And for those ministers and judges, at least at this moment, they are convinced by their king.

They couldn't even contain the excitement in their hearts, and they whispered impolitely before the king left, but this was exactly what Louis wanted to see. When he left the hall, everyone bowed and sent him off until his figure disappeared. behind the door.

Only Bontang, the king's trusted bedroom chief, could see the king's fatigue. Louis fell asleep after a simple wash, and missed a visit from Theodoric, Prince of Vatican.