I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 151 Three years later (5)

As if to see the hesitation and hesitation in the heart of the Duchess of Orleans, Louis immediately added: "In addition," he also looked at the Queen Mother and said, "Next month I am going to let Philip go back to Paris, and there is a more suitable position for him. The king said, this sentence really made the two noble ladies happy at the same time, the queen mother closed the fan with a snap, and asked briskly: "You mean, you plan to let him go back to Paris, and then again." Don't you leave us?" The king smiled and nodded, so the Queen Mother and the Duke of Orleans immediately exchanged an excited look - without any reluctance, compared to the Duke of Orleans who was far away in Lorraine - the king thought, After nearly ten years of pro-government, Louis finally understood why in another distant eastern country, the emperor always reproduced as many children as possible. In addition to ensuring that his bloodline was passed on, it was probably to allow the new king to have one. Such as the helper of the arm.

It's just that there are not many blood relatives like Philip the Duke of Orleans who are full of loyalty and love to his brother and the king, but just like this, the king also feels that the burden on himself has been lightened a lot - although the Queen Mother, Prince Condé (yes) Yes, you read that right) and a group of important officials and veterans are all side-by-side reminding the king not to give his brother too much power, but who can reassure him more than Philip? He can hand over the chaotic and prosperous Lorraine and Alsace to Philip, and he can also hand over to him new industries that cannot be disclosed for the time being, including important coal and iron. After he became calm, an order sent Philip back to Paris. He believed that Philip would neither think that he had the intention of hiding everything, nor would he be nostalgic for the power and money in his hands, and he would also believe that his brother would arrange for him. to a place where he can better utilize his talents.

  Although, the king pulled out a letter from the Duke of Orleans to him from a drawer. In the letter, in addition to reporting to the king the important output of Lorraine, such as coal, steel, and forest, and the development of new industries such as glass, paper, and ceramics, as well as some **** terrible things—mainly suppressing riots and punishing smuggling, and Aside from the execution of spies and spies who tried to steal secrets, it was a different kind of complaint from the first two. The Duke of Orleans was far away in Lorraine, and he complained a lot - starting from the fact that he had to renovate and build mansions and castles.

Fortunately, his doge's palace is located in Nancy, the capital of Lorraine. Although in the Gallo-Roman war, the defeated Gauls had to go south, but they also brought some things that belonged to the Romans, such as water, since The terrain of Nancy is high in the west and low in the east. The city they built on the Merter River also has basic sewers and diversion canals, but the problem is that after hundreds of years of destruction, the sewers and canals here are almost We can only re-excavate and find out along the original traces. Fortunately, the king's bachelors researched cement very early, so that these ancient ruins can be used as soon as possible.

The original Duke of Lorraine, the one who rejoiced in Paris, had a mansion in Nancy, called the Château de Fowlerville. Like most castles, it has no water, and the toilet (people call it the prayer room elegantly) is located on the inner side of the protruding turret of the castle, that is to say, as long as someone is not afraid of dirt, it can be drained from the pipe. Looking up, you can see the butts of the nobles... The Duke of Orleans has always lived in the Louvre with his brother. It is no exaggeration to say that the king has always had what he has. Of course he could not bear such a situation - he arrived in Lorraine Afterwards, the first thing done was to remodel Fowlerville.

Interesting to say, this kind of behavior cheers up the ill-conceived Lorraines, who think that the governor sent by the king is nothing but a sack, and they always say after dinner that the prince of Paris even has a butt. They were delicate and could not even stand a little cold wind, but when the barrier outside the castle said to be to keep out the dust was removed and Fowlerville Castle appeared in front of them again, everyone was silent.

What they saw was a brand-new, lofty, vast castle, surrounded by a fast-flowing moat, with cylindrical towers standing at the four corners of the towering wall, and the rectangular main building like a strong and silent giant. The glass inlaid on the walls of the cathedral gleamed in the sunlight, as well as the stables, the arsenal, and workshops of all kinds - no one cares about the **** of the noble anymore, maybe the duke did it for him in the first place Zun was worried, but now the castle could not only protect his noble butt, but also the lives of him and those French officials.

In fact, if they knew that this duke was able to build such a magnificent castle, they would definitely not sit idly by and at least set up some obstacles for the duke of Orleans, but the duke of Orleans started the construction and hated the dust. The reason has erected a barrier (the manor where he temporarily lives is not far from here), and the territory around the castle also belongs to the Duke of Lorraine, and no one can enter or peep at will. Buying too much stone, thinking that he just repaired the main tower to explain to the king who sent him here... They also discussed whether to invite the duke to live in their mansion, and use compliments and bribes to make him dizzy Turn around and guarantee that "Lorraine is still Lorraine's Lorraine"!

   As a result, after the Duke of Orleans arrived in Lorraine, he firmly nailed the first nail in Nancy.

With this castle there, even if the rebels of Lorraine could swept in like a prairie fire, the Duke of Orleans could safely wait in the castle until the king's rescue - after he settled in the castle, he followed Schumberg. A general learns how to be a general, that is to say, to participate in some annihilation battles not far from Nancy, most of these people are supporters of the brother of the Duke of Lorraine. When Duke Lin's brother was at war, the work of pacifying the rear was almost the job of the Duke of Orleans.

No matter what kind of battle it is, it is almost impossible not to be injured a little, and the duke of Orleans was also slashed in the cheek by bullets, or pierced in the arm by a crossbow, but that was not what he complained to the king, he complained that, Because of the injury to his face, the doctor did not allow him to continue applying powder, and because of the injury to his arm, he could only wear his coat over his body instead of wearing it neatly - the king's spy also reported that the appearance of the Duke of Orleans was indeed confusing A lot of people, because he looks like a delicate and beautiful young duke, and likes to dress himself up with powder and ribbons like a woman, and attaches great importance to his quality of life.

But just as the Duke of Orleans renovated the castle to ensure that his buttocks would not be publicly displayed, but it did not prevent him from rebuilding the castle into a military fortress that was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Prevent him from taking the lead on the battlefield and strategizing - General Schumberg also said that he is an excellent general with military talent like Viscount Turenne. For Schumberg, who was very cautious because he was a foreigner and a mercenary leader, it can be said that it is very rare. It can only be said that the Duke of Orleans does have an outstanding talent that he cannot give up.

   That's why the king planned to recall the duke of Orleans to Paris so that he could participate in the first war when the king came to the throne.

And in order for the Duke of Orleans to be more familiar with the other generals who fought this time, and the king must also understand his brother's hard work, so that he can have a good rest in Paris and enjoy the long-lost family happiness, a year earlier or It was necessary for him to return to the Louvre for two years—speaking of which, the Duke of Orleans also complained in his letter that although Lorraine was not far from Paris, the merchants here were really stupid, and the new fashion in Paris , whether it is the style of clothes, the style of hair, or perfume, dance and music... can not be sent to Lorraine at the first time, every time he returns to Paris, he has to temporarily live in Versailles, change his clothes and make up, to ensure that He was the most fashionable boy in Paris before he dared to return to the Louvre.

And then there's the occasional mention of his daughter, although the Duke of Orleans and his wife, Princess Henrietta didn't get along very well when they were kids, and really, they were arguing before Henrietta came back to England. and mutual sarcasm (mainly Philip to Henrietta), but since they got married, their attitude towards each other has calmed down, especially after having a daughter. Philip may not love his wife, but he really loves his daughter.

So, what the king said to the Duchess of Orleans was not all lies. He would indeed sacrifice a lot for France, but the reason why he made such sacrifices was to ensure that he and the people he loved were free from fate. Manipulation and torture, since this is the case, he will not put the cart before the horse. The Duke of Orleans is in the heart of the king, even more important than the Queen Mother Anne-Louis. Because he is not a simple child, he respects and loves Louis XIII, because Louis X San handed over this huge country to himself, and was Wynn to the Queen Mother, because the Queen Mother protected and supported him when he was still very young, but the younger brother Philip, who grew up with him, was undoubtedly the most affectionate with Louis. Facts have also proved that Philip did not live up to Louis's affection and love for him - in some matters, Louis would rather sacrifice his own plans and interests, but also to ensure that Philip the Duke of Orleans can be as innocent and happy as ever.

Although more often, the innocent happiness of the Duke of Orleans is always based on the embarrassment of others - for example, now he occasionally wears a skirt ... and then puts on a mask and appears at the ball with a smile and arm-in-arms with the Duchess of Orleans , and there are no fools who are confused by him. Although the height of this "beautiful lady" seems to have exceeded the level of ordinary women at this time, Philip's attitude and demeanor are by no means comparable to ordinary ladies.

Thinking of this, the king couldn't help but smile - the last time the Duke of Orleans came back, the Duchess of Montpensier came to the king angrily, because someone came to woo her - it's nothing, it was an officer with a title, The problem is that the object of his courtship is the duchess of Montpensier pretending to be the duke of Orleans... The king had to pay the duchess Montpensier with a whole set of beautiful gilt glass dishes, and asked her to dance with her at the ball, to restore her reputation.

   When the Duke of Orleans returns, I am afraid there will be more such things. The king feels that he should tidy up his storage room, so as not to be stretched.

   He was about to summon Bontang when Bontang appeared, "Mr. Bishop Elarius wants to see you."

The king was surprised. Although he had established a very reliable covenant relationship with Elarius, Elarius rarely came to see him in person, especially after the king's army almost captured the Vatican. They don't care much about what the Roman Church thinks of them, but the Inquisition is still inseparable from the current Roman Church in name and substance, and Louis doesn't care, as long as the priests of the Inquisition can guarantee Paris and the court. It's enough not to be disturbed by the dark creatures - he didn't even pursue the negligence of the two priests in the Dunkirk assassination, although Eralius did change two people by the king's side later.

   Usually the king or Elaius would pass the news through these two people, but this time Elaius suddenly came in person, which really made the king feel a little bit of disobedience.

   His heart was beating wildly involuntarily.

   This ominous foreboding became even stronger when he saw Elalo walk into the study in black clothes.

Elarius was still the same, and time always seemed to be very lenient to these inhumans - he bowed to the king, and then cast a spell. After the soft light passed over his body, the king found himself much calmer, even There was some numbness, but the cat on the desk didn't move, indicating that it wasn't some kind of spell that would harm the king.

   It's just that it also changed from a peasant's posture to sitting upright, staring closely at Elarius with golden eyes, and in name, they were supposed to be undead enemies.

   "Your Majesty," Elarius said. For some reason, the king could always hear a trace of pity in his voice, which should be the same as before: "There is a plague in Nancy, the capital of Lorraine."

  —

The king was unreal for a moment, because he suddenly realized that he couldn't hear or see, his fingers seemed to be unable to touch, and the smell of spices and coals that always pervaded the study also disappeared... His heart suddenly Swelled to the limit, every shock moved his body, slamming against his ribs violently, he swayed, barely able to continue to sit firmly in the chair, a pair of arms supported him, he thought it was Bontang, but that A red belt stabbed him in the eye, "Mr. Bishop..." he said, unable to hear himself, so he wasn't sure if he said that.

   (end of this chapter)