I Am Louis XIV

As always, behind the King, the Prince of Conti on the left and the Duke of Orleans on the right.

In addition to having an elder brother who is the king of Poland, Prince Conti also has a cousin who is the king of France. With such status, Louis XIV will send him out when he needs a prominent envoy. , and as an envoy of this era, it is not so safe for the envoy itself or the people who visit the country-the envoy is likely to be assassinated or expelled, and the envoy is also likely to become a spy and a murderer.

It is not that Prince Conti has never encountered danger, nor has he never done dangerous things, but he has two good brothers and incredible luck, which allows him to complete the tasks entrusted by the king time and time again. Now even if he does not have Bourbon Even with his surname, he can rely on the king's trust in the Palace of Versailles, and it is only natural to walk in the forefront of ministers and nobles.

As for the Duke of Orleans we need not say more.

Behind these two are the king's ministers and generals - the so-called nobles in robes and nobles with swords. Of course, more than 20 people here are the best of these two categories. Since Condé went to Poland As a king, the leader among the nobles with swords is the Viscount Turenne, and then the Duke of Luxembourg—although the Viscount Turenne maintained a humble attitude and was willing to walk behind the Duke of Luxembourg, the Duke of Luxembourg thought, if at this time The current king of France is Condé the Great, and as his adoptive brother and best friend he does his part, but the current king is Louis XIV. Although the Viscount Turenne originally sided with the Fronde, no one can deny that he switched to the King The camp's time came earlier than any of the generals here.

In fact, there is one person here who did not attend, otherwise this position should belong to him, that person is the Duke of Vendôme, not because of his great achievements, but because he is also a Bourbon, although it is legally recognized, the political level and The kind of illegitimate child whose religious position will not be recognized, but Bourbon is Bourbon, and Louis XIV is not the kind of ruler who would hate blood relatives. He was even willing to let Grand Condé be the king of Poland. This shows that .

However, the Duke of Vendôme couldn’t come today. The doctors and wizards said that he was like a candle that burned to the end, barely maintaining a faint light with the last bit of wick and wax oil. The all-night banquet, everyone stayed from beginning to end, the king and pregnant women were no exception, and he had no such privilege, so after asking the king's permission, he drank comfortably in his room in the Palace of Versailles Drinking wine, eating cheese, listening to the sound of music coming from the cracks in the windows to pass the time.

The person he is waiting for is not only his son who can only be among the halls, but his grandson.

The future Duke of Vendôme, Joseph, Jean Bart, Villars and others are at the end of the line, but not in the hall, but those who follow the king. Immediately, countless pairs of eyes were fixed on them. Compared with the previous adults who were married and had children despite their high position and authority, these young and promising generals were more favored by noble ladies—yes, noble ladies, Not the daughter of merchants and low-ranking officials.

If it was only Joseph, people in later generations would not be surprised, because unless the Duke of Vendome made a mistake like the Duke of Sedan, he was destined to be a general and lord with real power, but let Barr and Vera What about you? Here we come to Vauban.

This Mr. Vauban was just an army captain under the command of Prince Condé at the beginning, but during the Fronde riots in Paris, he stood by the king without hesitation and became a royalist. His identity made it difficult for him at that stage - after all, Prince Condé was still interested in the French throne at that time, but since the king transferred him to his own guards, he was at ease. In the war against Flanders and the Netherlands Zhong won a lot of glory and merit for himself, and the king did not disappoint his expectations after his triumphant return. In addition to repeated promotions, he also gave him the title of Viscount—just equivalent to his elder brother.

Not to mention that a viscount title is nothing. In 2020, there are only about 3,500 French aristocratic families, and even fewer in this era. The reason why Vauban was able to get a viscount title was because his father was a viscount. This title was to be reserved for his elder brother, whose surname is well documented.

But this can be said to be a signal that France is about to usher in an unprecedented war, and everyone knows it, but the benefits of this war are so rich, ranging from ordinary people to dignitaries, no one raised objections , in whispers and whispers, the conclusions reached in the king's small drawing room have spread throughout Paris and Versailles.

But even if there were no rumors deliberately released by Louis XIV, just looking at Flanders and the Netherlands, people also know that Louis XIV is not a king who only loves conquest and plunder like Alexander the Great, but has no interest in ruling. Spain means that this piece of land closely connected with France will also be full of the king's officials, troops and spies. It will be a large piece of fat and good meat, just waiting for meritorious ministers to divide it.

Unlike Britain and other countries, French nobles can be hereditary and must be landed nobles. This has also caused the French king to be very stingy with titles. However, in Mrs. Montespan’s salon, in order to give her son Montreal The duke is seeking power, and has even given the price of the Washio Flower Medal-in France, those who are awarded for merit are generally promoted to nobles by obtaining the Order of Saint-Louis or other knightly orders. The Washio Flower Medal only represents the humblest baron or even a knight (knight), but... as long as one can get a knighthood, it represents a leap in class, even if you have to pay the price of migrating from the rich and warm France to the desolate New World. There are a lot of people.

The lady of the royal family has always been the king's wind blower. When the nobles saw that the king had raised his hand to give Mrs. Montespan such rights, they knew that the king might... This may be the only chance for hundreds of years. You know, theirs The son, the second son and the third son, and if lucky, the fourth and fifth sons. In short, as long as he is not the eldest son, he is doomed to have no title and territory to inherit... Although the Salik Law is strictly enforced, who wants to sit idly by? Do you want to watch your children sink into a lower class?

They kept staring at the Order of Saint-Louis on General Vauban's chest. Someone had already heard that the king's most trusted valet, Bontang, was summoning LeBron and others to design a special order for the army, and they were still buying it. Needed gems and diamonds—does this mean that in the future, after the war of Spanish succession, there will be more lords in this palace.

Some people can't wait to invest early.

In addition to the young officer, there is another person who is the target of many people, and that is Colbert's son Seignelet, who was born as a businessman. Almost all of his finances were entrusted to him, and he was indeed an extremely talented person in finance. While taking care of France and the king at the same time, he was able to secure a large family business for himself. This amount of money is enough for him to exchange for a duke and son-in-law for his three daughters, and it will also add luster to his son—it is true that Seigneille’s title is a gift from the king, but it is also indispensable for the help of the three duke and son-in-law— And they can't stand it being said that they have a merchant relative.

The Marquis de Seigneilles is nearly thirty years old, but men in this era tend to marry late, except for a few political marriages—men other than the king and his heirs tend to choose their careers before marriage. This is also because the place where they work is either a palace or a court , either the court or the army, or the army or the church (wait, stop here), in short, it is not too late for a gentleman to marry even at forty-five years old, but for ladies, there is only a short period of time to find a suitable husband. In a few short years, otherwise he would enter a monastery.

Although the background of the Marquis de Seigneilles is mediocre, or even not very good, his title is real, and this time he will also accompany him on the expedition. Colbert's three daughters also said that they hoped that their younger brother could soon Entering into a marriage contract and having children—most people here have such a desire, especially some only children. They must go to the battlefield for meritorious service, but they also need to ensure that the blood of their own family can be passed on, not Give it to a distant relative who never communicates.

So, as soon as the king and queen, Mrs. Montespan, and the great princess had danced and returned to their seats, they found that the Hall of the Goddess of Victory had also become the Hall of Venus, with fiery eyes everywhere And tenderness.

Twenty years ago, the fashion that was popular in the French court either came from Spain or Italy, and Spain still occupied the main position, but at that time, Spain was still a powerful country even at sunset, and it is not surprising that other countries would follow suit Following—yes, not only France, but even other countries at that time, it was usually very dark and very depressing... Huge ruffs and turbans were also common.

Now, France is the emperor of art and fashion, and because France has maintained a tolerant attitude towards religion since Louis XIII, people's pursuit of beauty has no shackles and barriers.

In some remote places, when women still wear headscarves and paint and paint, they will be denounced as whores. The women in Versailles have already begun to curl or loose their moist and moving hair. The hairdressers will be black, The long blonde or chestnut hair is curled into small curls, combed into various exquisite styles, and adorned with diamonds and feathers-this is for those who are married. , Unmarried women tacitly wear flower crowns.

Joseph was dancing with a lady in a wreath, richly dressed, fair-looking, and with a good surname, and the conditions were pretty good, maybe that was the bad thing—not only did she always look Looking arrogant, he even took the initiative to talk to Joseph. For an unmarried girl, this is really a bit reckless. While dealing with her lazily, Joseph tried not to meet her eyes, because he looked at her , she immediately showed a... how should I put it, a smile that was more suitable for her father to show.

Joseph knew that he might be the best target she wanted to hunt. He was young, promising, valued by the king, and he also had titles and territories, not to mention that he was still a Bourbon. It was a shame to have children out of wedlock, but the king's Children born out of wedlock are of noble blood.

But he would definitely not choose such a woman as his wife, not to mention other things, her IQ is so touching, she didn't even notice his boredom, no, maybe she did, so she tried hard to arouse his boredom Interested, "Huh?" Joseph turned his head away - because he heard a name that was not very common in the court.

Eva.

A lady in the court would not have a name like Eva. This name probably belonged to a servant, but Joseph also knew that there was a lady in the court named Eva. She was the maid of the princess and a privateer. The daughter of the owner of the ship, she was also married, but unfortunately her husband was a British spy who was hung on the wall of Dunkirk by Jean Bart and his grandfather earlier.

The informer was this lady.

The girl who danced with Joseph was jealous of Eva and hated it because she was Parisian and Eva was from Dunkirk, her father was a baron, and Eva's father was a pirate. The daughter of the duke became the maidservant of the great princess and the lover of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. They could still be a little calmer, but it was such a woman who would not even glance at their grooms, but she became a woman who was always on the lookout. It is no wonder that those who can accompany one of the most honored men in France have their hearts sore and sore like vines.

Joseph's companion's accusations against Eva sounded purely clichéd to Joseph. He had heard too much in Versailles. After all, this lady could be said to be out of place in the Palace of Versailles. A commoner is not qualified to accompany the princess, but later he heard that Eva took the initiative to promise the princess that if the princess married to Spain, she would definitely go to Spain and marry The Spaniards came to stabilize the position of the princess.

At that time, Carlos II's madness had begun to emerge. Although he was cured, no one knew whether he would have children or how long he would live. Spain had a tense relationship with France, and the queen might still be spared, but It's hard to say about her maids, especially Eva's humble background, they will not show mercy.

At that time, whether it was the king, the Duke of Orleans, the dauphin or anyone who loved the princess, they were very moved when they heard this. The king also decided that when the princess married to Prussia, she would give her Giving Eva a title is another reward, and it is also for her to have a say in the strange court.

Thinking of this, the music just stopped, and Joseph nodded politely to his female companion, "There is one thing you probably don't know," he said: "Ms. Eva will soon be canonized as Countess of Fourney."

The other party's eyes widened, but at this time Joseph had already walked towards the princess.

Happy New Years to our readers!

All the best, good luck!

Tomorrow, on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, we will receive the God of Wealth. Readers, please pay attention to receiving red envelopes in the new chapter!