I Am Louis XIV

Compared to the proud French, the Swedes are certainly not happy about this situation.

We have said before that in this era, marriages between kings and their children are just another manifestation of political covenants. When a queen or crown princess marries into a completely unfamiliar country, they will never be greeted by anything like Good intentions will only lead to doubt, consideration and contempt.

The "handover" ceremony on the border between the two countries is the first insult to these innocent girls. According to tradition, the princess should take off all her clothes and jewelry in full view of everyone (even if it is only a female), without even leaving a ribbon. , and then, not even a maid or a dog was allowed, and a person shivered across the so-called border line to accept the service of the noble daughter of her husband's side.

When Queen Teresa got married, Louis reminded the ladies who went to greet the queen that there was no need to create such a scene - should the ladies be allowed to use the queen's figure as a form of use after tea and dinner, under the curtains of the couch? Does this pastime of passing time make the king's face shine? If a king wants to make another king bow his head, and if a country wants to make another country surrender, shouldn't generals and ministers be allowed to speak with weapons and strategies? What's the point of teasing a helpless girl? ?

Louis XIV would not allow anyone to slight Princess Theresa, let alone let the Swedes harm his daughter.

When the Sun King stood outside the tent, maybe only a dozen steps away from the eldest princess, no one dared to point out the king's behavior. Next to the eldest princess, he even used the daughters of several dukes and princes as maids. (Originally, they only had to serve the queen mother and queen.) Most of the Swedish female officials were the daughters of counts or marquises. The Swedish queen mother obviously intended to embarrass the new queen, but she did not expect that because of the difference in status, she would be in the tent. While inside, even if the French maids stepped up and down on the border line that was temporarily replaced by silk ropes, and held up the curtains that were so thick that they couldn't see what was going on inside to let the eldest princess change clothes, the Swedish The female officer also shivered and was speechless - there is only one duchess, she may be the so-called exclusive female officer sent by the Queen Mother. A female officer with this status can almost be said to control the future happiness, anger, sorrow and joy of the new queen - she It is specially designed to guide the new queen on how to live in a strange palace, but most of the time he will be a jailor and executioner.

The duchess only took one step, and the princess came to greet her. Although she could only be called the princess, her father was the Duke of Orleans and her uncle was Louis XIV. After the Duke of Orleans returned to Versailles, The dark things that the Duchess of Orleans poured into her body disappeared because of the Duke of Orleans' unabashed preference and regard. She loved her father and her uncle, and even more, she loved the eldest princess who was like a sister to her.

She stood in front of the duchess. Dukes and dukes are also different. The Duke of Orleans is considered inferior to one person in France and superior to ten thousand people. It is well known to the world how the king indulges his younger brother. Some people doubt that even if the Duke of Orleans wants to sit down, He would happily agree to the throne of the king, and the eldest princess was obviously protecting the eldest princess now.

As soon as the Duchess saw the eldest princess, she was distracted by the blue diamond on her chest before she could say anything. Of course, this lady was not so short-sighted. She was suddenly speechless because this blue diamond once belonged to Philip IV and was later taken to Austria by his daughter as a dowry. The Archduke of Austria also It was Emperor Leopold I of the Holy Roman Empire who had it mounted on a scepter for a period of time. Her husband, a diplomat, also saw it and described it to her vividly after he came back.

You could also say that it might have been another blue diamond - but not too different in size, shape and color from the one her husband had described. The Duchess had also heard about it because of the previous Battle of Camnico. As the recipient of assistance, Leopold I owed Louis XIV a large sum of money. Although he tried his best to raise and borrow money, he was still unable to make ends meet. Although Louis XIV generously stated that he could also use the territory to pay Payment was made, but Leopold I solemnly refused - it is possible that he took some jewels to fill the hole.

As for whether the diamond was sold by Leopold I and passed into the hands of Louis XIV, or whether it was given directly to the French as a repayment of debts, the Duchess had no way of knowing and did not want to know - as if she was afraid that others would not be able to guess the origin of the diamond. , this diamond is also set in the style of an eye in the Ottoman Turkish style.

Ottoman Turkey is far away from Sweden, but since Louis XIV returned triumphantly after defeating the Ottoman army of 250,000 troops, soldiers and officers brought back a large amount of seizures and ransoms, including many jewelry and decorations. , this exotic and beautiful style actually became popular under the promotion of artists and nobles - artists are fond of the new and dislike the old, and the ladies who go to Versailles, if they don't wear one or two pieces of Turkish-style jewelry, then It means that she is neither respected by her husband nor favored by men, or that her husband and lover are useless people and cannot get her a piece of jewelry with special significance.

Among these jewelry, the most popular one is the "Devil's Eye". The Ottoman Turks believe that this blue eye-shaped jewelry can protect them from the devil. The French are considered devils to the Turks, but this is not the case. It doesn't stop the devils from happily wearing them on their chests.

This fashion soon spread from Paris and Versailles to all parts of Europe, and Sweden was no exception. The Duchess also wore a devil's eye brooch, but it was neither a trophy nor made by craftsmen in Versailles or Paris. It was just a poor imitation by a Stockholm craftsman - in fact it was not that crude, but the Duchess couldn't help but arch her back slightly, as if she could hide the brooch on her shoulder.

"Please wait a moment, madam." She said kindly: "The princess will be changed soon."

She spoke Swedish. In terms of proficiency, if you close your eyes, you would think it was a Stockholm noblewoman speaking. The duchess moved her lips unwillingly, as if she wanted to say something more, but the princess had already turned around. She went to give orders to the maids - she changed to French. The Duchess had learned French, but at such a speed she... couldn't understand it. She had no way of knowing what else these French people wanted to do. , she hesitated.

She was the highest-status among the Swedish female officials. She did not speak, because the Swedish maid stepped on the soft and expensive beaver skin, and her body stiffened involuntarily. She was even more helpless - the jewelry and furs on the French noblewoman were almost as good as Compared with the Queen Mother of Sweden, not one or two, but a whole dozen! When they took the clothes and jewelry held by the Swedish maid, no one could resist.

In the few minutes she hesitated, the eldest princess had already changed her clothes with the help of the quick maid.

This kind of handover ceremony, which is really difficult to understand from the perspective of ordinary people, is analyzed by modern psychology, which is similar to a destructive psychological attack. How many princesses have to endure such humiliation and are forced to do so during the ceremony? Immediately after the end, she fainted or cried bitterly - at this time, she didn't even know anyone, only the female officials and maids of her husband's country. She had to rely on them and accept their comfort or discipline. This emotion would always be felt by her. She was brought to the court and endured until she gave birth to an heir, even until she closed her eyes and went to see God.

The eldest princess of Louis XIV may be the only princess so far who did not mourn and cry in front of the crowd when she left her motherland. She acted very strong, and this strength cannot be said to be unique to her. Yes, there are some stubborn princesses, but there is absolutely no princess who has a father like Louis XIV. He not only supports the independence of the eldest princess in words but also in actions, so that she can maintain the dignity of a French princess.

After saying goodbye to her father, although she was wearing Swedish clothes and Swedish jewelry, she always held her head high. She was very cold to the female officials headed by the duchess, but she was relatively gentle to the envoys, not to her What opinions does the duchess have? I only know from the Queen Mother and the Queen. Generally speaking, most of the men in the envoys who come to greet the princess are the king's cronies, and the ladies are mostly the Queen Mother or powerful people. The wives of nobles and ministers came here with the intention of kidnapping the new queen. For this reason, the eldest princess could not allow them to stay with her.

It was not that the Duchess had never taken advantage of the fact that the eldest princess was unfamiliar with the situation in Sweden and was alone and helpless, so she took the opportunity to complete the task assigned by the Queen Mother. But only the next day, she was serving the eldest princess when she got up. ——It was still a cold spring in Sweden at this time, and the eldest princess was only wearing soft pajamas. She asked the eldest princess to get up from the bed first, stand on the ground, and take off her pajamas so that they could put on her long underwear.

This may sound like nothing to the man, but the eldest princess has long known that although it is said to be serving her to change clothes, the time can range from a few seconds to a few minutes. Even if the fireplace is blazing, it is enough to make her miserable.

"I want to change my clothes in bed," said the eldest princess, "I don't want to catch the cold."

"But it's against the rules."

"If there is any rule written in a book that your queen cannot change her clothes in bed," said the eldest princess, "then please bring it to me."

The Duchess pursed her lips.

"I want to change my clothes on the bed," the eldest princess said politely, "This is the second time, madam."

"No, Your Highness."

"Then," the eldest princess glanced at everyone in the room: "Mrs. Spare, please come and serve me. I want to change clothes on the bed."

Mrs. Spare raised her head in astonishment.

Speaking of the Swedish female officials around the eldest princess, they may not know that just after the list of entourage was finalized, Louis XIV's spies over there produced a detailed piece of information about the eldest princess's journey from Paris to Malmö. During the long journey, they have already known their situation well. To put it bluntly, they know them better than their husbands. At least their husbands will not know how many lovers they have.

Of course, the leader of the female officials designated by the Queen Mother will bear the brunt. The eldest princess estimates that she will not have much chance of getting along with her peacefully. She is the wife of Minister Aksa Oxensheyna, who is Karl A close confidant of the Tenth Generation, he was also the Queen Mother's right-hand man during her regency. But this was all in the past twenty years - when Oxencienne was still a count, he was loyal to Gustav II, the father of Queen Christina. After the queen came to the throne, he continued to serve her , but as time goes by, his ambitions also expand - he hopes that the queen can marry his son John, and we all know that Christina is not willing to marry any man. She had an affair with Oxen Scheiner As a result of the conflict, Oxenciena immediately turned to Christina's cousin.

No one would think that Carl Gustav was a pure little white flower. If Christina really wanted to abdicate from the bottom of her heart, she would not still seek to return to the throne for many years to come. She even said that if Carl ten If she could not be a good king in her lifetime, she would return to Stockholm and ascend the throne again, but this possibility has completely disappeared with Louis XIV's disappointment in her.

Oxencienna became Gustav's prime minister when he was twenty years old. He must have outstanding talents. Unfortunately, his son John was slightly inferior, although he inherited his father's title (Kara). After the Second Emperor ascended the throne, in order to praise Oxenciena, he gave him the title of Duke), but he failed to achieve many impressive results, so he has been leaning closely on the Queen Mother, perhaps because of the time spent sticking to it. It was so long that even when Karl XI came of age, the couple would not be able to change things in time.

So, let’s talk about the Countess of Spare whom the eldest princess passed by and called by the Duchess. Who is this Countess of Spare? Her husband has a cousin, Ebba Sbarre. Her name is well known, but unfortunately she does not have a good reputation. She used to be Queen Christina's maid, and there were rumors about Lily's affair with the Queen. The eldest princess also knew a little bit about it. What others don't know is that she once testified in a private hearing that the Queen likes to wear men's clothes and considers herself a man. This proves from one aspect that Christina is likely to refuse marriage for life and will not have an heir. ——There is a reason why she said this. Not to mention whether the queen has such a tendency, as a maid who betrayed her master, she still stayed in the palace in Stockholm after Karl X ascended the throne, which can explain a lot of problems.

Christina does have shortcomings as a king, but if there weren't many hands pushing her, she might not be reduced to an anonymous monastery.

Under the calm gazes of the female officials, the countess of Spare's back was covered with cold sweat. The eldest princess of France leaned on the pillow, with her hands folded on her abdomen, her posture calm - although logically speaking, she should be Queen of the Swedes, but she doesn't seem to feel that she should abandon her original identity at all. They will face not only a new queen, but also the only daughter of the Sun King. Mrs. Spare recalled the conflict yesterday between the Swedish and French missions with the 300 mercenaries accompanying the eldest princess. It could not be said to be a conflict, because the Swedes only protested a few words, and the French yawned and said ——Our Majesty the King and his fifteen thousand loyal soldiers are still less than three miles away from here. If you think three hundred people are a bit shabby, then we will ride our horses overnight to return to Mal. Mo, it’s not a problem to ask Your Majesty to allocate more people to escort the eldest princess to Stockholm...

She stood here, but she still seemed to be able to hear the sounds coming through the thick walls. These three hundred mercenaries were all cavalry, each of them tall and strong men. They were dressed in colorful clothes and wore fur cloaks. , under the cloak are swords and muskets. Although they are hired, they are even more disciplined than the soldiers and generals in the Swedish army - they are on duty every night under the princess's dormitory, and the leader is more disciplined. I have to meet with the eldest princess every day and ask her if she needs anything.

The eldest princess is no stranger to them either. If she has anything or wants to know, she will ask them to do it or get an answer from them.

Seriously, if these mercenaries weren't all men, their only use would be gone.

So should she continue to stand here, or should she replace the Duchess of Oxencienne and become the leader of the female officials, as the eldest princess requested?

Mrs. Spare was very clear about the Duchess's plans. The noble ladies in the palace were the best at using such soft knives to kill people. No matter how small it was, from the beginning, the new queen had to obey everything that followed. With the arrangement of the duchess, the duchess can use reprimands and lessons to avenge Louis XIV's humiliation to them - the Queen Mother and even most Swedish noblewomen will be happy to see this scene, but the Sun King's Will the eldest princess really do what they want?

It is true that the eldest princess does not have a maid by her side now, but if she also refuses, will the eldest princess really have no choice but to be at their mercy? Mrs. Spare didn't think so. She asked her husband - he was also in the mission. Count Spare chewed for a while before saying that these three hundred people happened to be able to protect them no matter what situation they encountered. The number of people who had escaped back to France from wherever the eldest princess was.

"Is it also possible from Stockholm?"

"also."

"Where's the army from the Danes?"

"also."

This is the source of the eldest princess's courage. The Sun King left these three hundred people to declare that his protection for the eldest princess would not disappear just because she became the Queen of Sweden.

It is simply impossible to manipulate the eldest princess of France like she did with the new queen. As soon as she thought of this, Mrs. Spare took a bold step forward and came to the front of the Duchess in disbelief. , then turned to the maid behind him: "Bring up the queen's clothes."

Under the half-cage curtains and warm blankets, the eldest princess changed her clothes as leisurely as she did in the previous days, then completed her personal cleaning work and went to the prayer room (that is, the place used to deal with personal needs) - -Most Swedes are Protestants, and she also skips daily morning prayers and meals. After the meal, the mercenary leader knocks on the door to say hello and ask the eldest princess what she needs.

During the whole process, the Duchess seemed to be under a sudden witchcraft. No one saw or heard her. Finally, when Mrs. Spare left the room, the Duchess grabbed her arm and held her. His eyes glared out fiercely, and his originally pretty face became distorted: "You know..."

Mrs. Spare didn't wait for her to say anything threatening: "I don't want to say anything. Do you know why King Louis XIV of France is still in Malmo?"

The Duchess paused: "Why?" She showed a contemptuous smile: "Does he really intend to break the engagement and take the queen back to France?"

"No," said Mrs. Spare pitifully, "he is waiting for our king."

Suddenly I felt a little uncomfortable, so I had to eat less today.