I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 170 Hofburg (5)

Leopold I was sent to Bosnia to continue the possible negotiations, and also to judge the authenticity of the deal was Count Francis Eusepius, whom the emperor had always trusted very much. The count was in Leo. Pod I served as a negotiating ambassador for the Holy Roman Empire during his marriage to Princess Margaret of Spain, and now he has become the emperor's emissary - Milady carefully read the information about him and managed to get in touch Having seen the lord, she found that this Count was probably one of the most stilted people she had ever seen, who didn't like to dance, drink, never gamble, and eat in moderation, although he always claimed to be a Catholic. A disciple, but looks more like a Protestant, he may not be the smartest and most tactful minister in the hands of Leopold I, but he is better at keeping secrets, and his simple life ensures that there is no closeness around him. A man, he has no hobbies and avoids people from taking advantage of it. He is taciturn, and his temperament can even be said to be a bit gloomy.

Such a person, even if he finally finds out that the previous incident was just a farce, I am afraid that he will keep it a secret until he sees God, or if there is something really happening, he can still perform his duties well - but probably no one thinks that, Somebody would be so bold, or rather, to treat the affairs of the state as if they were having fun - Milady felt that this was a gift from God, and Count Eusebius, though credible in any way, never did. In the game world, he also lost a lot of opportunities to see the dark side, and he didn't even think about how he would be deceived.

   "You are simply a..." Prince Conti said with difficulty after hearing about Milady's plan.

   "Mad man?"

   "No, not even the ravings of a madman in a nightmare would be so absurd," said Prince Conti: "You will fail, and me."

   "What does that matter?" said Milady: "Leopold I will soon find out that he has only met a group of liars, and that the king of France has lost more than he, and he will be glad."

   "But how can we get him to agree to be neutral in Flemish affairs?"

   Milady listened and sighed, "If things really develop to that point... I have a very bad idea, Your Highness, I hope I don't use it."

  Prince Conte's face stiffened. "Whatever you're going to do," he said, "don't do it, and don't tell me, I don't want to know anything."

   Milady looked at him, patted his thigh and laughed.

  ——

It was not the first time that Count Francis Usipius set foot in Mostar (the capital of Bosnia). He disguised himself as a businessman and came here when he was very young, and even went to Istanbul - Istanbul is the capital of Ottoman Turkey. There, the conflict between religions was less intense because the sultan wanted to show his generosity, but in other regions under the rule of Ottoman Turks, people who believed in God were not so well treated, from peasants to peasants. In the beginning, those who did not want to convert would have to pay more taxes, merchants would be exploited more heavily, neither the army nor the government would allow Catholics to appear, and then the Catholics were driven to Mostar Living on the east side of the river, the Ottoman Turks and the converts stayed on the west side of the river, separated by a turbulent river, and those who lived on the east side would be called "beasts".

If they want to enter Mostar, it is impossible to reveal the identity of the Patriarchs, otherwise they will be monitored - fortunately, the Ottoman Turks here are not too embarrassed by the merchants, especially the merchants who can bring them important materials, Eusebie. Count Si hid in the caravan, and the leader of the caravan showed that they were selling muskets and small cannons while selling spices and silk, which is what the current Ottoman Turkish sultans and Davic need most. After some negotiation, Count Usipius and his party were able to stay on the west side of the river.

Unlike the east side of the river, the buildings here are much taller and tidy, and temples can be seen everywhere. The golden domes and the walls decorated with small blue tiles make them extraordinarily magnificent and colorful. When Davech's soldiers came by with that huge beard on their faces, everyone had to make way for them, unless they came across someone more honorable, an official or an officer—who also had the job of keeping the streets in order. No matter whether they go to the market to buy or sell, the caravan has to pay them a lot of money.

   And these people can only live in the most remote areas, right next to the Mostar River, the room is a bit damp, the sound of the rushing river is close to my ears, and the rumbling is hard to sleep. Count Usipius tossed and slept on a rug with no discernible color or pattern, less than three years after the end of the Ottoman-Turkish-Austrian war, and once he revealed his identity, the great Vicchi here would not even need a trial. Execute him, and even if Davech does have the idea of ​​betraying Bosnia, will his reckless appearance make him shrink back and call forth an equally rapid death?

If Prince Conti was here, he would surely gloat that someone was more unlucky than him, Count Eusebius is in exactly the same situation as he was before, and the latter's situation is even more difficult than him - Eusebius It is impossible to start from the wife or lover of Davic, because women in Ottoman Turkey are not allowed to leave the back house, nor are they allowed to contact men outside, otherwise they can only die.

But this time the count brought a bribe of about 30,000 livres just to be able to meet the governor of Bosnia, and he decided that once he saw the governor, he would tell him what a ridiculous scam they had encountered before, a How the French slaves of the Ottoman Turks claimed that Davich intended to betray the sultan, Davicius may be furious and put him to death, but if this is true, then Davicius should treat the envoy of the Holy Roman Empire with caution, And Mr. Earl is undoubtedly inclined to the latter guess, because...how is it possible, how could someone set up such a crazy scam, and if those people came with money, then they should have taken the emperor's reward and escaped , but the fact is that the messenger is dead, and the French king's move seems to confirm that the Grand Vitch is looking for more than one buyer, and the spies of the Grand Duke of Transylvania have indeed heard that there is one who came from afar The mysterious messenger is honored to live in Brown Castle, although it has been decided by the Transylvanian Parliament to hand over to the city of Brasov, but sometimes, some important guests are still warmly received there.

Count Usipius slept with such anxiety, and the next day, Austrian spies helped them find an officer, from the officer's mouth, they confirmed that there had indeed been a French slave by the Governor's side, and that soon after He had disappeared before, and his name and appearance were matching the messenger. The news made them very excited, and then they obtained the name of a close associate of Davech from this officer, and they managed to use it. A box of gold coins knocked on 3 to open the door of the other party, and then the earl, as an exotic businessman, asked to meet Davech alone.

   "Tell your master," said the count, "that the goods I have brought are priceless."

The cronie didn't seem to believe their words, and showed contempt, but let them leave. After that, there was no movement. Some people suggested that the earl go to the cronie again, or give more bribes, but the earl did not. He didn't really want to see Davec in this way, but just wanted Davech to know that someone wanted to see him, Davec would definitely order someone to investigate them, and then he would naturally know that they were Messenger of Leopold I.

Sure enough, just when Count Eusepius was also beginning to get restless, his door was knocked, and he was led out of the room by several strangers. The soft black silk covered his eyes and bound his hands. He was taken to a carriage, and then, for some unknown time, he was taken out of the carriage and walked for a long time along the winding corridor before finally being led to a chair to sit down .

The silk that covered his eyes and bound his hands had been untied, and a dozen candles were lit around him, which were a little dazzling, but at the other end of the room, a man half-lying and half-sitting on a large chair was not. Almost all of them were hidden in the dark, and only a thick gray beard could be seen. He was wearing a jacquard robe and slippers on his feet. The knife's fingers revealed his unease and hesitation.

"Good evening," said the man, his voice strong, but not high, the kind of man who always gives orders and who always have to listen: "It's just that I don't know. I am speaking to a friend or to an enemy."

   As soon as he opened his mouth, the peculiar Italian tone made the count lighthearted. He stood up and bowed to the Governor of Bosnia. This was not cowardice, but due etiquette.

   "If you wish, we are friends, Your Excellency," said the Count, neither humble nor arrogant.

"The Austrians and the Ottomans have been enemies for hundreds of years," the other said, "but we are not on the battlefield now, so sit down and we can be friends for the night." He seemed to make a gesture, The room suddenly became completely bright, and the graceful maids scattered to the corners with heavy brass light stands. They were like fish swimming in the water when they moved, and like sculptures when they stopped. His face was covered with a soft veil, and the Count turned his head after only one glance. But this was only the beginning. Then, more maids came in with silver plates and gold cups. They laid down countless huge flowers, fresh peaches, grapes, and honeydew melons on the huge table between the governor and the earl. Downstairs came a sumptuous dish—feathered swans and peacocks, roasted wild boars, fried quails, stewed chicken, eel soup, and stacked cakes and preserves, and many other foods that the Count could not recognize, occupying almost his entire vision.

It was only then that he noticed that the footsteps of the maids were light and silent, not only because of their excellent qualities, but also because there was a long blanket on the ground that could bury the whole foot, and minks and The fur of a squirrel, and the wall is covered with a glittering golden curtain—the curtain that suddenly opened made the count startled, but behind the curtain there was no ferocious soldier, only a small hall with splendor, and then a girl dressed in luxury like a The petals that fell on the water appeared in front of them, and another maid held the oud to accompany her.

When the girl danced, the count even hesitated, because he didn't know if he should mention that matter at this time, before this matter was achieved, whether it was the Governor of Bosnia, or him, and Leopold I They don't want to be known by the sultan. The problem is that the governor of Bosnia doesn't seem to think about this problem. Like a host who entertains an ordinary visitor, he quietly enjoys dancing, and occasionally eats grapes and drinks. coffee.

The Count    endured the dance until the end of the dance, when the young girl suddenly walked up to him, knelt down, put her hands behind her, and raised her face and chest to him.

   "Remove her veil," said the Governor, "and then she will be yours."

The posture of the girl's body was better than any portrait or sculpture the count had seen before, but he just turned his head and said, "Thank you very much for your kindness, sir, but I just want to talk to you alone. talk."

   "I know what you are worried about," said the Governor. "These people can neither hear nor speak."

   Count took a light breath, "If I insist..."

   "All right," said the Governor, and the men retreated as silently as they had appeared. "Now you may speak."

   "First of all, I have unfortunate news for you," said the Count. "Although your messenger arrived in Vienna and conveyed your intentions, he died at the hands of unknown assassins."

   The governor said something, the earl didn't catch it, but it was probably something like they said God bless him or something, of course, they had their gods: "But this is all he told us, sir, and nothing else."

"Then I can tell you, since you have come for this," said the Governor, "I want a million livres worth of gold or silver, a title of duke, and a fief of not less than thirty knighthoods. ."

Although the Count    guessed that the other party must have a lion's mouth, he couldn't help but be startled.

The governor waved his hand and did not allow him to speak: "I know what you are going to say, but there is no bargaining, this price is not worth mentioning for Bosnia, and you have Styria, Carniola, Iraqi Stria and other places, if you get Bosnia, you will get Transylvania, and then the whole of Slovenia. I know very well what Bosnia means to you, and I am not the only messenger sent. I Not much time, sir, you have less time."

   (end of this chapter)