I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 162 The Black Death of London (3)

How far away in Oxford Charles II skillfully competed with his ministers, generals, and elders for prestige, and how the mockery of the Roman church was temporarily put on hold by Louis, who even had to put aside his revenge against the Roman church—though, According to the current military strength, it is not impossible for Louis to repeat the story of the beautiful man Philip IV, but first of all, just as he besieged Rome before but did not finally capture the Castel Sant'Angelo, the European countries headed by the Holy Roman Empire. He will not allow France to control the Church for another hundred years. He can do so, but it will not be worth the loss. After Philip, Duke of Orleans, returned to Paris, Louis also invited Cardinal La Riviere to his room and asked if it was possible A bishop who was pro-French or French nationality was pushed to the throne of the Pope, but Bishop La Rivière regretted that since the Holy See returned to Rome from Avignon, after Gregory XI, there has been a continuous The good thing that several popes were held by French cardinals is gone. Not only is it gone, the popes after that are either Italians or Spaniards, and now most of the cardinals are Italian bishops. It is impossible for his own Pope to be elected, even if he uses the whole of France to bribe.

As he said that, he also glanced at His Majesty the King, which was meaningful, as if to say, Your Majesty, don't forget, you were attacking Rome not long ago, and to the Pope, you are only so much more than the King of England. A pious skin.

   "Then you know," the king said jokingly: "Have I ever thought about peeling off this skin?"

This sentence immediately caused Bishop Lariviere to break into a cold sweat, because he heard from the king's words that this sentence was not entirely just intimidation-although almost all the religious power in France was in the hands of the king, but on the surface On the other hand, they still belong to the Roman Church. Bishop Lariviere is different from Bishop Richelieu and Bishop Mazarin who hold real power. It can be said that although he supports the king and is loyal to the king, he also hopes to be able to learn from the church. So... he wondered whether his contact with the messengers of the Roman Church was exposed, or attracted the attention of the king's spies on some matters, or unknowingly biased on some issues. Church, while wisely shut up.

This idea is half-truth to Louis, to an atheist - even if there are werewolves, witches and devils here, he will not establish a real faith, and the current church is really not worth believing in , and the church has gone downhill from the momentary glory of Canossa Castle to decline and decline, which is why he did not repeat the mistakes of his ancestors - because it is useless to take the Pope in his hands now, the Anglican Church Has occupied an unshakable position, the princes of the Holy Roman Empire are more Protestants, and the devout Catholic power is now only France except Spain, and Spain and the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire are from Habsburg, a French pope. Orders will only be used by them to wipe their ass.

   And France is about to go to war with Spain.

In this way, the Roman church is really useless, and their hostility to Louis has directly threatened the king and his loved ones, as well as the king's people, although Philip nodded as king in Lorraine, But without this plague, Louis is confident that these people will be slowly collected into the French pocket - after all, who wouldn't want to live a better life? When Lorraine's steel, coal, glass and porcelain industries develop to a certain level, these two territories will become rich, and the people in the territories will be able to live a comfortable life. At that time, if someone encourages them Rebellion, they may turn hostile to those idiots.

But just as Lorraine and Alsace were beginning to stabilize, the plague spread by the church destroyed all efforts made by Philippe and Louis, Dukes of Orleans, who knew very well that the priests and monks of the Church would turn the Duke of Orleans who refused the refugees into the castle. Described as it is, and the French governors who then go there will inevitably struggle because of this, and in this case, they will be able to leave their territories and drive the people who hate them out of the territory of France, because you may You can guard against the enemy, but you can't guard against the "good guys" who are disguised.

After all, they couldn't guarantee that there were only French people around. Like the assassination of Louis in Dunkirk, it was the behavior of the Huguenots, and the Duke of Orleans, and later Lorraine officials, couldn't possibly want to Always be on the lookout for a glass of water, a needle in the saddle, or a bullet or crossbow from behind.

It's just that this behavior has greatly affected the development of Lorraine and Alsace. Originally, according to Louis' plan, this territory could give him several times the benefits within three years. Now this time may be delayed to ten times. years later.

Fortunately, with the help of Colbert, France's finances have been significantly improved in the past few years, and there are goods created by Louis from another world, and from the other world, led by wizards, from various new technologies. The treasury was filled endlessly, so that the king's future arrangements would not be completely in vain - but thinking of the church, Louis couldn't help but feel annoyed, and now he must envy Charles II, because he has a daring ancestor Henry VIII .

   Just... "Brother Wang?"

Louis looked up and saw Philip, Duke of Orleans, standing at the desk. He was wearing a huge and fancy hat. The ostrich tail feathers could almost hang from his arms to the ground, and the whole hat could cover the Duke's upper body. , when he was in Lorraine, Philip suffered a lot. When he came back, he was very thin and black. Although the Queen Mother immediately wanted to hold a triumphal banquet for him, he was still resolutely refused. Not only did he refuse Now, with the support of his brother, he declined all invitations and stayed in his room to raise white and fat.

   "It looks like Vettel is doing well." Louis squeezed Philip's arm. "Come and sit down," he said, "I'm going to be finished here soon. You and I have lunch today."

   "Vattel is afraid of you," Philip handed his hat to the attendant beside him, and said with a smile, "He did his best to every order you gave, and did not dare to disobey the slightest."

"Although I'm glad he has this awareness," Louie said as he opened a document, "but seriously, what's so scary about me, I don't think I'm someone who would drag people out and behead them at any time. tyrant."

Because this royal chef is unfortunately Fouquet's chef, or in other words, he was personally invited to Paris by Fouquet, and the first feast he showed off his skills was to entertain you, and then he was still looking forward to you. When the reward came, your guards and musketeers surrounded it, from M. Fouquet of the moment, to the servants of the stables, all of them were thrown into the same newly opened Bastille, though Let's just say, as a hired cook, Vettel suffered nothing, because he obeyed and no one would punish him, but he was still frightened, even if no one was executed in the Fouquet case in the end, he Or decide to escape to England...

But unfortunately, his savings were lost in that chaos, and the bounty he was looking forward to didn't fall, so when he finally managed to raise enough money - the king was assassinated in Dunkirk, the situation in Paris suddenly He became nervous, and Vettel tried to leave several times without success, and was almost caught again. Fortunately, the then Prince Conti had tasted his craftsmanship and could not forget it, so he invited him to his home to do things, Then, according to the tradition of the French court, the nobles will always recommend to the king what they think is the best.

   After going around, Vettel actually became the king's servant.

But Vettel does have a talent for making meals, and what he is good at is in line with the king's preferences, and his cowardice also ensures that he is difficult to be bought - the king's generosity to him also ensures that he will not take risks easily , So after several turns, he actually climbed the position of the royal chef, which made many people feel indignant, because Vettel's identity is really low, not only is he not a noble, but he grew up in the Boulogne woods. The illegitimate son of an unknown father.

   But now Louis needs to consider less and less for others. Vettel is loyal and obedient, and he is willing to use him because of his superb skills, just like any person who has no background but is capable.

The king's lunch is always a bit richer, and unlike the past, whether it is a normal meal or a banquet meal, not all meals will be placed on the table at once. According to the king's request, the dishes are delivered one by one. What comes up, from soup to appetizer, from appetizer to main course, from main course to snack, from snack to coffee or tea - in winter the dishes must be hot, in summer there is only wine or drinks, the appetizers will To chill, soups and meat dishes have to be warm, which is even harder than keeping the dishes fresh.

The way Vettel racked his brains was to use a dining cart with a small carbon stove. The dishes that needed to be kept warm were kept warm on the small stove until it was time to eat, and then they were taken down and poured into a large silver plate that was also heated. .

Louis gave Philip a taste of the latest pork curry. Paris was a little cold after autumn. Eating a curry would keep one's body warm. He nodded approvingly to Vettel. At the king's table, poultry and lamb were served. Occupying the main position, few people have been able to cook pork deliciously before, and curry is also a new condiment that can quickly apply curry and pork together, Vettel's talent really cannot be underestimated.

Vettel, who was serving on the side, was also relieved. People said that Louis was a gentle and tolerant monarch, but for a cook, the master was not easy to serve. First, he did not like cream, at least not every dish. There is cream in it; second, he doesn't like mixed flavors, and each dish must have a clear body, just like there must be only one general in an army; third, he likes the ingredients of each meal as much as possible The complex, from all kinds of meat to all kinds of vegetables, and all kinds of spices, but his appetite is very small, so small that he only tastes two or three bites of each kind, never as good as today's nobles, as long as he tastes delicious, he will be happy Eat a big meal... In the end, it is this His Majesty who rarely expresses his opinion on the meal. They must observe carefully to determine what dishes His Majesty likes and what dishes do not like.

Like today, it is rare to express praise clearly. Even though Vettel is still afraid of His Majesty the King, he can't help but be full of joy. His fingers are constantly moving behind him, imagining that he can use pork and curry again What else, don't wait, given the king's habit, with pork curry today, these two ingredients will not be available tomorrow and the day after tomorrow...

   Until the blueberry pie was served, and the servants stepped back under the king's signal, Vettel was still planning tomorrow's menu, but the king's mind had left the curry pork and returned to government affairs.

He had told the Duke of Orleans before that when he returned from Lorraine, he would be involved in the first real war since the king's personal rule, the French war against Flanders - Flanders, in fact That is what is now southern Belgium, which still belongs to Spain. Above it is the Netherlands, below it is France, on the left is the Strait of Dover, and on the right is the Holy Roman Empire and Luxembourg. If you remember, the current Duke of Luxembourg is It is the friend and righteous brother of Prince Kong Dai. The opportunity to start a war has become very mature, but some preparatory work is still needed in the early stage.

This is also what Louis wants to tell Philip, because the conspiracy of the church is aimed directly at France and England, but the biggest victim is no one but Philip. To say who should seek the help of the king to take revenge on his enemies, of course also Only the Duke of Orleans, whether it was to repay the most loyal younger brother or the most credible general, Louis could not refuse, just because of the upcoming battle of Flanders, the revenge on the church must be postponed.

"Philippe," Louis said apologetically, "I just gave Mister Bishop Lariviere a task." A thick layer, he doesn't like things that are too sweet, so he can taste the sweetness hidden in the sour blueberry, but Philip is just like the Queen Mother, addicted to sweetness, and only put a little sugar in the blueberry filling to suit his taste. Bread, the duke must taste sour, so he must put a lot of honey, but it is a rare reward for the king to serve him. Philip accepted it and guessed that his brother must have his reasons for doing so. . Reminiscent of the upcoming Battle of Flanders…

"Is it related to Wang's dowry?" After the king put down the silver pot, Duke Philip also politely poured a little on the pie for the king. Minds are also connected.

"Yes." In the first few years of his pro-government, Louis needed money almost every day, and compared with the cost of armament and construction, personal pleasures, no matter how extravagant, were only a drop in the bucket. In those days, the king even forced Going to see for himself the letter of request that Colbert had presented to him, it must be said that he had always wondered whether he would become a second Charles I—and he spent more on both than Charles I. The money may have multiplied countless times - not bald or mad because of it, all because Louis has a healthy young body and a tenacious soul, oh, and Colbert, the eldest daughter and second daughter of Colbert have been married separately. Two dukes were given, and the third daughter, who was still a toddler, must have the title of a duchess, but let the king say that he is absolutely worthy of the reward, poor Colbert, who was the first in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The first time I saw the king, he was a young man with thick hair, and now it is said that he has become the most popular guest in the wig shop.

   In such a crisis, the king did not ask Philip II of Spain for Queen Teresa's dowry. Is it really for love? Of course it's impossible, even the most naive queen dowager never thinks so, and the French ministers who always talk about the king's respect for the queen rarely mention this matter, "Sister Wang..."

"I'll let her live in Fontainebleau for a while," Louis cut the pie and watched the fuchsia filling slowly flow out: "She's going to leave today." As the princess of Spain and the queen of France, special Of course Lessa was in a very embarrassing situation, not to mention that Louis still fought Flanders on the grounds of her dowry. She was indeed better at Fontainebleau than at the Louvre, at least there she was unlikely to meet. People who don't want to be seen, and the environment of Fontainebleau are also better than the Louvre in the center of Paris.

   "So you asked Bishop La Rivière to go to Rome in order to..."

"Well, we need the support of the Roman Church for this claim." Today's high court is almost equivalent to Louis' personal tool, and the Privy Council is also subordinate to the king. Now all the king needs is theological support for this war, of course, for In France, the failure of the church's conspiracy is also a blow to the church. If they can be made to think that as long as they support the French king in this matter, they can be forgiven, and the problem can be solved. Staying in Nancy forever, asking him not to speak up for himself, pretending that nothing happened, Louis also considers himself very shameless.

"What about the Holy Roman Empire?" Philip did not disappoint his brother as he had done before, he asked with a smile: "Leopold I is afraid that he will not allow us to oppress this family, and in the Buddha's life, Randall expands his territory."

Louis sighed with relief: "Yes, we must also consider Leopold I of the Holy Roman Empire, who was only married to Teresa's sister Margaret before, and unlike Teresa, Margaret was the only one who Grete and her descendants still retain the right of inheritance to Spain, only after the current king of Spain, so we are not without a chance - Philip, of course, Leopold I preferred to have Spain as soon as possible rather than have the right of inheritance, If we inform the emperor of the physical condition of Carlos II, and promise that as long as we get Flanders, Brabant, and Franche-Comté, we will not pursue the right to the Spanish throne, what do you think? Is it possible for him to agree?"

   "It's quite possible," said Philip, having forgotten the cooled pie: "But are you really going to give up?"

"There are ten thousand birds in the forest, it is better to have one bird in your hand." Louis said: "Leopold I was 40 years old, two years younger than me, and no one would believe it without ambition. Compared with the whole of Spain, Buddha What is Randall, as you said, he will agree."

   "Then have you chosen that messenger?"

   "Well, I'm going to let Prince Conte do this."

"Although I have no intention of interfering with your thoughts," said Philip, "I must say that Prince Conte is indecisive and weak-willed," a coward, to be more precise, "not a good person to do this, if Yes, brother Wang, I am more willing to do this for you, to visit the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and to win his neutrality or bias for you."

"I believe you will do better than anyone else," Louis shook his brother's hand soothingly: "I also know Conte's person, but what I need is an ambassador like Conte, because there is only such a person , to make Leopold I despise us, despise France, think that even if we get Flanders, he will not be a threat to him, sign the agreement - but you are different, my brother," he said. He said affectionately: "Your enemies fear you and know you. As soon as Leopold I saw you, he immediately raised his vigilance."

"I will disguise myself as a useless little person." Philip said, or women, even now his enemies say that he is a devil-like general, he still maintains a preference for small skirts, and there is no more than this. Can confuse people.

"No," said Louis, without thinking, "if it's just because you like it, you can dress yourself however you want, but if it's for me, for France, I'd rather you bleed and be hurt than your reputation be damaged. , I'd rather see people fear you than see them despise you, don't think about it, I will never allow it, and I have more important things for you to do than Leopold I."

   "Can you tell me? Your Majesty?"

"Of course." Louis fiddled with the pies on the plate and found that they were all cold, so he let the attendants serve them to warm them up, and then discussed with the Duke of Orleans about a variety and a large number of tableware. Events for the whole of Europa and the whole world come.

  ———

Louis and Philip can be said to be in harmony here, and Charles I, who is far away on the other side of the strait, can finally let go of the heavy burden on his shoulders - in order to take this opportunity to gain the support of the people and ministers, he exhausted his own money, and even The Queen Mother's jewelry and clothes were sold, and even the banquet was not held for several months, but these efforts were not in vain. The Black Death in London has disappeared, and the reconstruction work is proceeding in an orderly manner. Support is arriving at the port one after another - although these cements and craftsmen need to be replaced with the latest warship blueprints, it has greatly eased London's urgent needs, and the Parliament and the House of Elders have nothing to say about it.

  At the same time, Louis' letter to Charles II also vaguely mentioned something about the Roman church. Charles II couldn't believe it. How could they dare to do such a thing? Forget Britain, and spread the plague in Lorraine, wouldn't the Roman Church not be afraid of the Black Death! At that time, the Black Death swept the entire Europa... But soon after, he got a message that the plague spread by the refugees of Lorraine and Alsace miraculously disappeared after entering the Rhine Valley, people The chorus praised it as a gift from God, and the church received a large donation, but maybe that's why they cast the seeds of the plague without fear?

   The two chapters of this chapter are combined into one, and the compensation chapter that promises everyone is included. The extra words are free.

   (end of this chapter)