I Am Louis XIV

If the Paris Basin is the heart of France, then Provence is the soft belly of France.

And this abdomen must be the abdomen of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. The same beauty, softness and richness are unforgettable.

As white as the skin of a goddess is the sand by the sea, roses are her cheeks, lavender is her eyes, and the sea breeze here is like her breath, warm and with a fragrance that never fades away.

Most of the people here are engaged in agriculture and fishing, and countless fresh fruits and vegetables, olive oil and garlic, as well as spices, fish and shrimp are placed on the tables of the Provençal people.

If you want to say how people in Provence feel about the king, their favorability must outweigh their dislike. After all, Louis XIV’s series of measures and decrees have clearly developed the southern region better—the king’s cosmetics industry and spices. The roses and lavender here are used in the industry and the dye industry; the king’s roads allow their vegetables, fruits and fish to be transported to farther and farther places; the seeds brought by the king’s officials, such as potatoes, Tomatoes, coffee, etc., they are also trying to grow; and I heard from businessmen that the king intends to turn Marseille from a military and fishing port into a commercial port, just like Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

From the perspective of people in Provence, Marseille is fully capable of taking on this important task. It faces Corsica and the continent of Africa, with Italy on the east, France and Spain on the west, and the interior of France and the Holy Roman Empire. In terms of sea transportation or land transportation, it is a shining nail - yes, it will be as expensive and dazzling as diamonds in the future, and it will also become the foothold for the French king to conquer Italy.

Louis XIV never concealed his plans for Italy, which can be seen from the fact that he tried his best to conclude a marriage contract between his illegitimate son and the daughter of Cosimo III-although this is a brazen succession method.

An illegitimate child has no right of inheritance in canon law and other laws based on canon law, so although he is the eldest son of Louis, he must seek power over Naples from another descendant of Bourbon, the daughter of the Duke of Orleans— ——Because Princess Anna of Tuscany obtained the inheritance rights to Naples from her mother, so that only when she becomes her husband, the Duke of Colonna is eligible to initiate a succession war related to Naples.

Of course, if things develop to this point, neither the Church of Rome, nor Spain, nor the Holy Roman Empire will stand idly by, and even the princes of Italy will not. Destroyed - the Habsburg system will not allow the French Bourbon's influence to expand further, and the Roman Church cannot tolerate a complete Italy - are they really satisfied with just one Vatican?

As for Milan and other vassal states, there is no need to say more. They do not know how many times they have cursed Cosimo III of Tuscany-this wolf was undoubtedly introduced to Italy by Cosimo III.

But Cosimo III is also very clear that the Medici family is still a merchant family in the final analysis. When the Europeans hardly have the concept of "standing army" and all wars are controlled by mercenaries, money can play a decisive role. The role of - until now, no, as early as a century ago, this practice has proved outdated and unreliable.

As the Duke of Colonna occasionally said—the army is a violent machine belonging to the state—Cosimo III could swear on his aching knee that this sentence definitely came from the mouth of Louis XIV, and he also saw it, How terrible is this beast that is raised by a whole country If Louis XIV decides to march against Italy, who can stop him? Are those mercenaries who go to the battlefield like doing business?

He didn't regret doing it at all, especially after seeing the state of his eldest son Ferdinand and younger son Gian. They were not vicious people, but like all Medici, they lacked political and military knowledge. talent.

Moreover, although Ferdinand has not yet grown up, he also has symptoms of gout. He has had gout for many years and he knows that once the disease occurs, the patient can do nothing but cry. Although the youngest son Jian has no symptoms, he is also weak. There is no way to ride a horse, swim, or stay outside for long periods of time.

Therefore, when Ferdinand went to Versailles and was unwilling to return, his courtiers were troubled by it. Cosimo III was very sullen on the surface, but he was very calm in his heart. A carefree life is not a bad thing, and the body of the future Italian king also has the blood of the Medici family.

Cosimo III felt that it might still be possible for him to see the birth of the future King of Italy.

But if the Duke of Colonna really has this intention, then the support from France is absolutely indispensable. Marseille is still an important military port. Sharp arrows.

Marseille has been confirmed as a foothold for the King's Parade, but the Masai people may have to wait for a while, because after a period of discussion between the king's ministers and the generals, the king's car will enter the Provence region from Orange , then down, to Alvignon, which was considered a shame by the Church of Rome, then Aix-en-Provence, the old capital of Provence, and finally Marseilles, and then the king would continue east, south-maybe A short visit and stopover in Monaco.

Orange is actually quite a sensitive place - because not so long ago, it belonged to the Netherlands. William of Orange refers to William I who owned Orange. This territory originally belonged to the Nassau family and was later inherited by William I. After that, he and his descendants all took Orange as their surname—even if This domain has always been in the hinterland of France and was essentially owned by the French king, but it was indeed a state within a state until William III had to sell it before the fall of the Netherlands.

Louis XIV’s grand parade, using Orange as the starting point of the Provence region, was precisely to reaffirm to the people here the French king’s legal right to rule and own the place, and also to deter potential supporters of the Orange family. For this reason, the king's carriage will pass under the most famous Arc de Triomphe of Emperor Tiberias in Orange. The 17th year was dedicated to the Roman Emperor Tiber at the time - amazingly, the intention at that time was almost the same as the current intention, and it was also to warn the residents of Orange and eliminate their fighting spirit and courage.

This triumphal arch walks with huge limestone. There are three arches, one big and two small. The highest point is sixty feet high. The arrangement was also a subtle but profound compliment to Louis XIV.

Prince Conti also did a ridiculous thing. Of course, it is not a bad thing for the parties involved, that is, Mr. Molière and his Guangyao Theater Company. There is one in Orange, which is also the oldest and the largest. With the division and decline of the Roman Empire, the loss of time, the destruction of wind and sunshine, this theater that can accommodate 8,000 people has long been completely abandoned, and the roof collapsed like a spectacle. Leave the walls and columns, and the funnel-shaped seats.

The Orange people once used its walls as fortifications, and later the theater was also inhabited, turning it into a small residential area.

The Prince of Conti had them all moved out, the Coliseum was restored, and M. Molière was given a delightful new play to present to the King.

"Don't do anything that is too risky." The well-sleeved and over-lucky gentleman said meaningfully, and Molière sighed deeply: "Please believe me, my courage has been exhausted. Just last time, I don’t even dare to jump a step.” Even if he wanted to go crazy again, Beauchamp and others would not cooperate with him: “But sir, what makes you think that I can jump in a few days? Come up with a new play immediately?"

"Can't you?"

"cannot."

"Then you can figure it out, Monsieur Molière, the king already knows and expects it..."

We don't know how Molière cursed Prince Conti in no one's place, but Prince Conti was happy to embarrass this guy-Molière's behavior did please and comfort the king, but it also made many people fall. No stage...especially a person with the surname Bourbon like Prince Conti, who happily crossed the square and walked to the king's palace. Of course, he can also have a room near the king's suite-he was about to enter the door At that time, he saw a group of people moving furniture, curtains, carpets, etc. to and fro, "Who is it?" He asked curiously, because this room was obviously closer to the king than he was.

Everyone in Versailles knows that the closer the room is to the king's suite, the more favored the person living in it will be. In the past, although the rooms of the favored royal wives were small and few, they were closer to the king than the queen.

But the one standing outside the door was the Crown Prince, and his things were being moved out of that room. Prince Conti was speechless in secret, wondering for a while whether he should go over to greet His Highness.

The crown prince had already seen Prince Conti, he nodded to the prince, and the prince came over immediately.

"The Duke of Colonna will live here." Prince Conti said, Prince Conti paused, and immediately looked at the other person's face, but there was nothing unusual in his tone and demeanor. Crown Prince Louis is now gone. He understood the thoughts of these people very well, and he smiled easily: "Don't think too much, uncle," he said affectionately, "The Duke of Colonna has just arrived from Calais, I think he will definitely want to spend more time with His Majesty."

Prince Conti glanced at him with admiration. They really liked this tolerant and kind crown prince, but sometimes he was too good to be true. If the church refused to give Louis XIV the title of saint , but he can give one to the future Louis XV—of course, at this time, he still doesn't know the other "great achievements" of Louis XV in the future.

————

The Duke of Colonna described it as haggard, he could be said to have lost his mother twice, the first time he had to bow to the authority of his father and the king, and he could understand the latter's pain, but the second time, he was finally able to completely He poured out his anger and grief.

As soon as he saw Louis, he took a few steps forward and knelt on his father's knee, a gesture he had rarely seen since he was ten years old.

At first he could barely hold back his tears, but as soon as a warm palm fell on the top of his head, he couldn't help sobbing.

"I will never let them go, never!"

"Me too," Louis said. "Don't worry, Lucy, we won't have to wait long."

The conversation after that was only known to a few people, and only the father and son were engraved with more content. Most people only saw the Duke of Colonna accompanied His Majesty the King in the Roman Theater of Orange.

The king is mighty and powerful, the ministers and generals are dressed luxuriously and look arrogant. Behind the crown prince is a young man who makes people feel strange. Countless eyes are focused on him, because he actually shares the box with the royal family members.

The identity of this young nobleman quickly flowed into everyone's heart like the fragrance of roses brought by the wind. In fact, the local nobles in Provence had also seen him, but the Duke of Colonna has been in Tuscany in recent years. In the world, from a teenager to a young man, there are always great changes in appearance and figure, which makes people feel strange.

But even if the Duke of Colonna appeared next to the king for the first time, he was enough to become a big man in Versailles and Provence in terms of Louis XIV's love and compassion for him and the gentleness of the Dauphin.

In just a short distance, many people have already planned to rewrite an invitation letter, prepare a new gift, and call a few good people who know the truth.

The Duke of Colonna didn't even look at those heads that kept bowing before his father and the king. How to pretend nothing happened.

Also, those vicious sinners, did they choose Marie Mancini because she was just a royal wife who had stepped down from her duties? And he is just a duke without a territory?

Would they dare to treat a king's mother like this if he was already king of Italy?

The Duke of Colonna didn't want to resent his father, that's what Marie Mancini said to him - it wasn't that she had no choice back then, and the king didn't cheat her, even the marriage contract between them was with her acquiescence established.

The Duke of Colonna could not undo his mother's sacrifice for love, he could only turn his anger on those who had destroyed all hope.

It's not that Louis, Philip, Bontang and others have such an idea. As long as they are insiders, even the queen, they think that one day, they will make up.