I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 228 The second person who declared war on the Netherlands

  The Tower of London is full of ravens.

The Duke of York raised his eyes and glanced briefly. The white tower was against the black shadows flying up and down. Against the gray twilight background, it looked even more inexplicable. This white tower, about a hundred feet high, was in In 1078, the main building of a fortress built by William the Conqueror, and then thirteen buildings were built around the White Tower. This building complex was once used as a military fortress, royal palace, armory, observatory, mint, The treasury, the prison and the execution ground... And what made the Duke of York chill was that when he looked at the building, he was thinking of another Duke of York.

It involved a long and famous war and a vile thief. After the War of the Roses, the victorious was Edward IV, who had two sons, the eldest who was traditionally named Prince of Wales and the second who was named Prince of Wales. For the Duke of York, this is also the origin of the British kings canonizing the second son as the Duke of York. The problem is that Edward IV died too early. His eldest son Edward was only thirteen years old when he ascended the throne, and his younger brother was only ten years old. They were no luckier than Louis and Philip, who had no strong supporters at the time, only an ambitious uncle—Edward IV had two younger brothers, one was executed for being held hostage by Edward IV's opponents, and he lost his inheritance. The other, the Duke of Glaros, later Richard III, secretly dispatched a priest to claim that Edward IV had married a woman before marrying the queen, and that woman was alive, and the queen and Edward IV His marriage contract was therefore illegal, his two children became illegitimate children, and Edward V and the Duke of York were imprisoned in the Tower of London - although the Tower of London was still a royal palace at the time.

But since then, no one has ever seen those two unfortunate princes again, and no one knows whether they are dead or alive, and they just disappeared without a sound, even if Richard III was later defeated by Henry D. Tudor, they still didn't make a sound, but considering that Henry Tudor was married to Edward IV's daughter Elizabeth at the time - even if they were lucky enough to live, it was better for them and others to be dead.

   For this crown, the Duke of York thought to himself, how many noble people have sacrificed their blood, heads and dignity.

Such memories are like a heavy weight of lead on the heart of the thirty-seven-year-old duke. He is younger than his elder brother, but his temples are already flourishing, but the ambition that has grown since he was young is like a wild vine In that way, instead of withering away with the passage of time, it grew stronger and more prosperous, almost covering his eyes and ears - but just as the carriage he was riding in turned towards Whitehall Palace, a small stage by the roadside Above, a queerly dressed fellow is reciting aloud Shakespeare, from a chapter of Richard II, saying: "For God's sake, let us sit on the ground and tell sad stories about kings. Death—some were deposed, some died in battle, some were haunted by the souls of those they deposed, some were poisoned by their wives, some were killed in their sleep, and none of them died well. Mortal body..."

For the Duke of York, who believed in astrology like any previous royal family member, this ignorant man's voice pierced his heart like a sharp awl, and he put his hand out of the car window without thinking. The attendant who was accompanied by the horse immediately ran over and bowed his head to listen to his orders. The duke whispered a few words, and the attendant immediately turned the horse's head and galloped away. After about half an hour, the Duke of York was already walking towards When he was in the corridor of the king's audience, the entourage had already returned, and his sword was wiped off, and the blood of the "criminal" did not leave a trace on the sharp edge.

The death of a person, even for the Duke's entourage, is only a trivial matter, and the trouble in the Duke of York's heart is still from the bad omen it brings, especially when the king summons him, he Outside the king's room, he accidentally met the king's astronomer and astrologer, Mr. Fransteed. The astrologer was dressed in blue robes, and looked solemn and a little unhappy. The Duke of York greeted him kindly, and again He couldn't help but inquired curiously: "Is there anything bothering you?" he asked, thinking that if it was just about money or an official position, he could try to give some help so that the astrologer could see for himself. Let's see in the future...whether he can go one step further...

"It should be said that the matter has been resolved." The astrologer said: "You know, our star observatory is on the White Tower. I don't know why, there are a lot of crows there recently, and their feces and feathers are constantly polluted. And damaged our star-gazing equipment, I came to ask the king, if we can let people drive or kill these hateful birds, but His Majesty is not willing." Speaking of this, the astrologer showed a puzzled look. , they have never encountered such a situation before: "But the king asked us to move to Greenwich, maybe there is a better place." He shrugged: "How about you? Your Highness, have you also come to see the king?"

   "My brother has summoned me," said the Duke of York, "but I also wish to see my dearest brother."

   "Then I won't bother you anymore," said the astrologer, "Goodbye, Your Highness, and God bless you."

   "May God bless us," said the Duke of York. He watched the astrologer turn the corridor before he motioned for the attendant outside the door to report.

When the Duke of York entered the room, Charles II was staring out the window. The early autumn scenery cut by a square black lattice was not very pleasant. He also saw ravens. If these ravens were ordinary birds, he would Of course, it will meet the expectations of the astrologers, but these birds are the servants and eyeliners of the wizards. It is clear who he chooses. After all, wizards can do what astrologers can do, but astrologers can't do wizards. things that can be done.

The Duke of York is unaware of this matter. Although he is a member of the right to know the existence of the world, some powers are unique to the king. At least until Charles II completely loses his power, the wizards will not take the initiative to favor the Duke of York. —Especially British wizards, who are as rigid and rigorous as mortal Englishmen.

Charles II did not trust the younger brother as much as Louis did to Philip, Henrietta's words took root in him like the seeds of poisonous weeds, and the wizards of England—though at first refused the king's request ( Seriously, they were surprised too), but after some hesitation they agreed to let the king have a biological heir with the help of potions - and from the bottom of his heart, if Charles II was still Cornish When he was a duke, he couldn't get Louis' help, so his journey of return and the experience between him may make him choose to give up the struggle with the parliament, but it is precisely because of Louis in front, in terms of age and qualifications , Charles II, who is far better than Louis, will of course have a competitive spirit. When Charles I was beheaded, he was nineteen years old. Even if he directly ascended the throne, he had nothing to say. When he was with his father, he was even more excited. He has a lot of political insights and methods - unlike Louis XIV, he has almost no memory of Louis XIII, and his teachers are all arranged by the Queen Mother and the Bishop.

  Although Charles I was beheaded, although Charles II was once exiled, Louis XIV also fled Paris three times in embarrassment. In this case, what can Louis XIV do, why can't Charles II do it? Compared with Louis, he also has an extremely favorable condition, that is, from the inheritance of Henry VIII, he is not only a secular king, but also a religious leader. As long as he can buy the London Inquisition, he can also be like King Arthur. This piece is placed on the game board.

In addition, there are some things that he only knew after he decided to gather the inner world of England - more and more people from the inner world have either passively or actively entered the world. Maybe one day, he will read Those legends and stories that he has passed will really and nakedly appear in front of people's eyes... His behavior cannot be said to be a betrayal of faith. On the contrary, preparing in advance is what a devout warrior should do.

Charles II finally made up his mind four months ago. With the help of the wizards, the queen was pregnant, and it has not been officially revealed to the outside world. The wizards even replaced the work of the imperial physicians. It has to be said that their medicines And the treatment methods are more trustworthy than the doctors of Charles II, and there were no devils or ominous signs in the process of the queen's conception. To the question of Charles II, the wizards explained that unless the husband and wife were two. One of them has lost the ability to bear children, otherwise there is no need to sacrifice. Charles II has fourteen illegitimate children. Of course, the problem is not with him, then it is the queen, and the queen is not infertile, she is just ... ran into some minor issues...

If Charles II had no illegitimate children, then he might be suspicious, but he has children, so as long as the queen's problem is solved, he and the queen have children as well - just a week ago, the wizard did for him. For divination, this child is a strong boy, and Charles II has an heir! Only then did Charles II decide to carry on Henrietta and his plan. He summoned his younger brother, just to drop the bait to persuade him to stand on his side in the future war against the Netherlands.

   "Come and see this," said Charles II genially.

The Duke of York walked over [c1], and in the portrait placed in front of the window stood a tall, beautiful girl, standing in front of the window, behind a heavy crimson drapery, which made her skin white and flawless. , eyes bright and moving.

"Maria Beatrice Anna Margarita Isabella de Est," Charles II said a long string of syllables, then flicked his numb tongue: "this year Twelve, the eldest child of the Duke of Monaco, her younger brother inherited her father's title in '62, but is now being regented by their mother, who was her mother's most beloved child, not even one of them, people It is said that if she is a son, then Francesco II should be her and not her brother."

   "The eldest son should have inherited everything from his father." The Duke of York said respectfully.

"But Italy doesn't seem to follow the Sacley law (the law of primogeniture) exactly," said Charles II, as if unintentionally. "Her brother was born in '60 and is only ten now." Then unexpectedly saw the Duke of York's eyes brighten again, "and her dowry..."

   "How much dowry does she have?"

   "As much as the Queen of France, Teresa of the Habsburgs," said Charles II, and then half-jokingly: "Perhaps I'll take a loan from you."

The Duke of York did not speak, he stepped forward and stroked the person in the portrait. As Charles II said, the girl was as beautiful as a first-blooming rose, and her dowry covered her even more. Bright treasure.

"How is it?" Charles II said: "The envoys of the Duke of Monaco are in the palace. As long as you are willing to act according to my will, I will call them and sign a contract." He paused: "But there may be another I want you to know something."

   "Speak, brother," said the Duke of York.

   "The Duchess of Monaco has a request," said Charles II: "She will not marry her daughter to a Calvinist," he said: "Her daughter's husband must be a Catholic."

"It's ridiculous!" The Duke of York almost blurted out, he knew very well that he did have quite a few supporters at court and in the army, but these supporters were Protestants and they would never allow a Catholic to be their king , Bloody Mary has taught them a lesson deep enough (Mary I was the eldest daughter of Henry VIII, and in the process of restoring the Catholic faith, she took cruel revenge on Protestants, and the name of Bloody Mary came from this), once he promised The king, probably more serious than he was on the king's side and went to war against the Netherlands without going through parliament.

  Charles II only smiled at his violent reaction, taking his brother's arm intimately and leading him to the window.

   "See?" said Charles II. "That's the Thames."

"I see." The Duke of York was reluctant to see this river, because it had become a disgrace to the British Navy not long ago, and the Dutch Admiral Reuter drove his ships along the Thames straight into London, Although their shells did not pose a mortal threat to London, the pride of Londoners all collapsed in this battle.

   "It will bring enemies, yes," said Charles II calmly: "but it will also bring friends, Monsieur duke."

   "...What kind of agreement did you sign with Louis XIV?" The Duke of York asked after being silent for a while. He was not a fool either.

   "Not only Louis XIV, but also the Church of Rome," said Charles II. "They helped us take back power, and we gave them a king who believed in God."

   (end of this chapter)