I Am Louis XIV

"I used to hate Mrs. Montespan." The eldest princess said with emotion: "But after I really got in contact with her, I found that I couldn't help but fall in love with her, and so on," she thought for a while, and then said: "It's not that I like it, but..." She carefully chose her words: "It's comfortable, yes, Dad," she said to Louis: "I feel very comfortable when I stay with her, and there is nothing unsatisfactory. What I want is that she can't hear the voices that make me irritated or see the things that bore me. She doesn't say a word when she wants to be quiet. When she wants to talk, she can always bring up topics that interest me. .”

"That's why I know she is not as harmless as she seems, but I still keep her by my side." Louis said: "This is her talent, children. It is a very terrifying weapon, and it is more powerful than Her mother and her sister, she was able to use it with great skill and precision."

"Aren't you afraid?" asked the Duke of Colonna, who had remained silent since mentioning Madame de Montespan.

"If I wanted to be afraid, I would have been afraid twenty years ago." Louis glanced at his eldest son and said meaningfully, "Mrs. Montespan can be said to be expelled by her kind. I won't even Being afraid of that world, how could I be afraid of a failed outcast?”

The Duke of Colonna lowered his head. No one would believe it if Mrs. Montespan had nothing to do with Mary Mancini's eventual loss of control. Not to mention that they had old grudges, just look at Mary Mancini. As soon as she stepped off the stage, Madame Montespan immediately appeared next to the queen. It was a seamless operation and everyone knew the reason for it.

It's just that the king's side seems to have always been so bloody. Where people can't see it, not to mention the ladies vying for the position of royal wife, even the generals and ministers are inevitably fighting overt and covert battles - a few that are often mentioned here. The names are all undoubted winners, but there is no need to elaborate on the methods in the dark - people compete for the position next to the king. Firstly, it is because the king is really generous to the people he loves, and secondly, once the king trusts someone, , he will be more willing to trust the other party, and his position will become more solid, which can even benefit future generations.

Such as Colbert, Viscount Turenne, Prince Condé, Duchess Montpensier... etc. It can be said that if Mary Mancini had not made the most unreasonable mistake, the king would still be there. Bear with her until the end - the Duke of Colonna saw it clearly, so he did not resent Louis, but he would never accept Madam Montespan, but he must also admit that with Madame Montespan, he showed the two sides he once had. What a dereliction of duty for a royal lady - although one of them has not been made public.

The princess also sighed: "Mrs. Montespan has come to watch the rehearsal of Mr. Molière's latest play these days. Your Majesty, she seems to intend for the Glory Theater Company to conduct an extremely grand tour."

The Duke of Orleans understood Madame Montespan's intention as soon as he thought about it: "She wants more people..."

"Let the names of Paris and Versailles radiate out faster." Louis said at the same time, which can be said to have the same meaning as the Duke of Orleans. The children, except for the still ignorant little Duke of Enghien, also understood that drama is not only music, dance and A combination of stories and stories, it can often drive trends and fashions at the fastest speed, even faster than the fashion brought by "famous ladies".

Since the completion of the Palace of Versailles, many local nobles have indeed come to request an audience with the king and visit the beautiful Versailles and prosperous ancient Paris. However, there are still some stubborn and ignorant princes and princes who are watching cautiously, unless the king comes in the next few years. Giving generous rewards to the people around you, from wealth to positions, is like sprinkling fish attractant in a pond to attract them.

The problem is that Louis XIV is a stingy person, so Mrs. Montespan adopted this method to relieve the king's worries. Maybe some people still won't come, especially those old and cunning guys, but since they are already too old, they The heirs can also have a heart as cold as a rock. Those young people who stick to the cold and desolate castle, it would be fine if their eyes are always covered, but if someone holds the glorious world outside to them What about in front of you?

As the Duke of Orleans said before, to have fun, to be luxurious, to be decadent - it may be just a matter of one night. It is conceivable that Mr. Molière's Glory Theater will not only bring wonderful music to those from other provinces , with gorgeous dances, elegant manners, ups and downs of plots and exciting lines, it will also bring the latest wigs, perfumes, jewelry and clothing, and even delicious food. They are like gorgeous birds that fly across people's field of vision. They fly away before you can see them clearly, but the beautiful shadows left behind are enough for people to chase after them desperately... catch up... Once they come to Versailles, Once you come to Paris, you will never leave again.

"If the response is acceptable," the princess added, "the Glory Theater Company may leave France..."

"It's nothing." The Duke of Orleans said: "In fact, the Glorious Theater Company has already been to London once." He exchanged a look with the king, and it was during this trip that the Duchess of Orleans, as the secret messenger, successfully completed her mission The mission not only made the Duke of York resolutely give up the easy-to-hand spoils and victory, but also made the royal brothers Charles II and the Duke of York completely tear through the last fig leaf and become unrelenting enemies.

"Will they go to Poland?" Duke Colonna coughed slightly, suppressing the sadness in his heart and asked.

"I think they will, but Madame Montespan will definitely put them last, oh, no, maybe not, but definitely at the back, so that they can't wait and their hearts are like cats scratching." said the Duke of Orleans.

"In fact, when the envoys returned to Warsaw and their territories, they began to trumpet the hospitality they received in Versailles and Paris," Louis said.

"There are also gifts." The Duke of Orleans added, showing a subtle smile - the gifts received by these envoys were all carefully "selected", including porcelain painted with gorgeous flowers; sparkling glassware; Oil paintings by court painters - depicting magnificent palaces, nobles in fine clothes and scenes of hunting, dances and banquets; exquisite and small ivory fans; velvet as thick and soft as animal fur, glittering with starlight; deep colors The silks and laces as delicate and complex as spider webs... Even weapons such as short-handled muskets and daggers are all inserted into holsters and scabbards inlaid with gold, silver beads and gems, not to mention such muskets. Whether it had been eliminated in the king's army, the decoration outside was worth hundreds of livres.

Not only that, after obtaining the king's consent, Mrs. Montespan also pulled dozens of rolls of tapestries and carpets that had been plundered or ordered by the French royal family during the Capetian dynasty from the warehouse and gave them to Poland. Messengers, these tapestries and tapestries were once one of the greatest treasures of the French royal family. When the kings still lived in the castle, without tapestries and carpets to cover them, the blue-grey ground was hard and cold, and it would also make the dark room look extremely dark. Shabby.

People in later generations have their own praise and criticism for Madame Montespan's approach. Needless to say, the magnificence of the tapestries and tapestries can easily cause the Polish Schlachta to be dissatisfied with their original ordinary life, even if they are very aware of their income. It should be used to enrich the army - but when they were lying on the bed, facing the story about extravagant pleasures told by the tapestry... They had always regarded themselves as the kings of the territory, and now they saw how the real king was squandering. , they can't help but feel unfair in their hearts. When the French nobles are willing to buy their output at twice the original price, the sudden increase in income also makes them feel that it is not a sin to indulge occasionally.

"Although it is said to be twice the price," said the Duke of Orleans, "in fact it should be said to be the original price, because we bypass the merchants and buy their wheat and rye directly from the Polish nobles."

"It would be great if other businesses could do this." The eldest princess sighed.

Louis smiled: "No, no, no, merchants are very important. Without merchants, goods and currencies in the world cannot circulate as they do now. Moreover, our transaction with Shila Chita is only a small part and does not affect To all the merchants.”

"But the scope will gradually expand." The crown prince said sensitively.

"Of course it will be expanded," Louis said: "The Marquis of Lovas is building more warehouses for me on our border. In order to fill these warehouses, I will purchase a large part of Poland's wheat in the past three years."

"What about those merchants?" asked the eldest princess.

"I will give other charters to merchants in this country. As for merchants elsewhere..." Louis glanced at the eldest princess jokingly: "I will also grant some privileges to merchants in Sweden. Other countries will depend on the situation, but Philip has three years to ensure that the wheat, rye and oats of Schlachta do not go elsewhere.”

"Leopold I will definitely get in the way."

"As long as he has so much money." Louis said softly: "As long as those Shila Chita can endure falling from heaven to hell again," he smiled: "Of course, maybe someone can, maybe it's not that bad, But anyone would think, if a quart of wheat can be sold for three livres, how can they endure two or even one livre per quart?”

"We still have so many good things." The eldest princess said happily, and little Eugen looked around. Indeed, compared with the common crown prince, eldest princess and eldest princess, every room in Versailles is so magnificent. , everything you can see is as beautiful as the Garden of Eden described by the painter - the door frames, window frames, domes and furniture covered with gold and silver foil, the huge milky white porcelain vase even taller than the maid, with roses or roses in it. It's peony. The floor is as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the fine wood grain wall panels and tapestries, or oil paintings. Even the little figures that the king brought for them to play with are carved from ivory and ebony, and the small flags are also made of taffeta. Yes, the length and width of less than a finger are actually decorated with fine embroidery. The silver pots filled with grape juice and lemonade are shining at the children's feet. Even the small porcelain plate holding the cake is inlaid with silver. side.

But the most unforgettable thing, little Eugen thought, should be the sanitary equipment and installations in Paris and Versailles - some people may not understand it, but as long as you pass by, you don't have to plug your nostrils with your fingers, and you don't have to worry about the black holes coming in at any time. Only those who have fallen from a high altitude or watched tumbling maggots spend long minutes in the extreme cold and heat will know how important a bathroom is.

There was also the bathroom. It was only after little Eugen came here that he realized that his grandmother's perfume did not smell the same as before - it still smelled very good, as long as it was not mixed with old dirt and grease...

It is said that the Duke of Orleans has an extremely large engineering team. Maybe they will go to Poland before they finish their work in France. The envoys have discussed that they also need to renovate their castles.

It took the king twenty years to build Versailles. How long would it take them? And this is not something that can be solved with just a few renovations - ladies will modify everything from their hairstyle to their shoes for a new hair pin, and men will also buy a strong new war horse for a new spur... …Enjoyment never ends. Louis XIV didn't care about throwing away money to monopolize Poland's grain exports, because he knew that the money flowing out would soon return to France.

The Duke of Colonna seemed to want to say something, but he finally stopped. After all, there was still little Eugen here - the identity of little Eugen was known to the royal family. He thought that once the Polish Schlachta's The export trade is controlled by the French, so it is easy for the French to provoke conflicts between them - when the French are always the highest bidders, sellers will definitely fight with each other - especially later, in France After the warehouse is full, Louis XIV will definitely reduce the amount of wheat purchased. Of course they can sell it to others, but as the king said before, they can sell it for three livres per quart. How could they accept one or two livres a quart?

In order to be able to sell for three livres a quart, they will definitely regard those competitors as enemies, and then there will be more places to make fuss.

"Okay," Louis clapped his hands and said, "It's..." He glanced at the clock, "It's almost time for afternoon prayer (three o'clock in the afternoon). Children, our little party should be over. Bontang, put away the cake, I think our little Duke of Enghien won’t need dinner tonight, others put away their things..."

"But I still want to talk to you." The eldest princess begged.

"Yes, child, we will spend a long time together in the future," Louis said. The Duke of Orleans remembered that Louis had said that he would keep his daughter until she was twenty, and couldn't help making a face. He also thought: "Don't Worry, children," said the Duke of Orleans: "You must have a good rest these days and do not get sick, because the king and I have decided to take you out to play."

The eldest princess was the first to give a loud cheer.