I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 343 The Children's First Wedding (3)

What Cosimo III was deeply proud of failed to resonate with Louis XIV. Although it was true that he was always called the second Saint Louis, Louis XIV called himself the Sun King from the very beginning, and he did not need What a noble name the church bestows!

Perhaps in a few hundred years, Louis XIV itself will become an adjective rather than a noun, and when people speak of a powerful king, a wise ruler, or even a rich and generous man, they will Will say "He really looks like a Louis XIV!",

Louis XIV, who had this idea, of course had no idea about churches, relics or stained glass paintings - if he knew nothing about Florence or the whole of Tuscany, he might stop and admire for a moment, After all, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and its collections have considerable artistic value.

   But the richer the church, the more desolate Florence appears.

  ————

   Perhaps to Cosimo III, and to those who were eligible to enter and leave the Pitti Palace, how hard the lowly poor people lived had little to do with them. But the next day, Louis and the crown prince, the little Louis, changed their attire, dressed as a pair of ordinary noble father and son, and walked out of the Pitty Palace with attendants and priests.

The saddest among these people is the little Prince Louis, who has always had sweet and romantic fantasies about Florence. After all, many world-renowned scholars and artists come from this free city once favored by muses. How many prosperous scenes and how many touching stories are told by their brushes and ink pens?

They call Florence the Garden of Eden on earth, where people are carefree, rich and noble, the ground beneath their feet seems to be plated with silver, the tableware is gold, the walls are hung with silk rugs and drapery, petite girls Indulge in luscious love with a handsome teenager under the shade of grape leaves.

   Now they can only see the grayish houses, the narrow alleys and the dark sky.

If a house is left unoccupied for a long time, it will accumulate dust and lose its vitality, and the same is true of a city - Florence was once known as the laurel and pearl of the peninsula for its developed textile, commercial and banking industries. The woolen business became dispensable as early as the British and French began to enter the industry, and the status of the banking industry was taken away by the later Genoa, Venice and the Netherlands. As for business, Italy and Ottoman Turkey encountered the same. The problem - the new route changed the trade routes of merchants from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic coast, and merchants no longer had to pass through the land routes monopolized by Ottoman Turkey, and no longer needed to spend precious time and energy in Italy, in France, Spain With the rapid rise of many ports in Portugal, it is also inevitable that the Italian city-states will slowly decline.

  If the Duchy of Tuscany could have survived for a while with tangible and intangible assets accumulated during the Renaissance, then Cosimo III, who had no talent in governing, was a disaster.

Every Italian who mentions Cosimo III will say that the only right decision he made in his twenty years in power was probably to marry his daughter to the Duke of Colonna, the illegitimate son of the French king, and to politely reject the divine The courtship of the Roman Emperor Leopold I, although the hidden danger of the Duchy of Tuscany also began from this moment, no one can deny that under the rule of the Duke of Colonna, Tuscany has The people of the Principality finally got a chance to breathe.

   But this is a long time ago. The crown prince, Little Louis, looked at the buildings that had been decorated with all his might, but still showed a bit of decadence, the old ships and the broken bridges. In addition to disappointment, he was disappointed. He and his father have traveled to many cities, Paris, Versailles, Nantes, Marseille, Calais, Dunkirk... and the two cities in Slovenia before, it is not surprising how a city is run down, but it is not Not Slovenia, which lies between two powerful countries, where even minimal independence is not guaranteed, but Florence, Italy.

"Twenty years ago," said Mrs. Milady, who had come to be a guide for the distinguished father and son. After all, they might not have brought the king and the crown prince to see what they really wanted to see, after all." It's not so bad here, but since Cosimo III started to govern personally - yes, he was like your father, Your Highness, after his accession to the throne, his mother was in charge for a while, and that lady has been doing things very well. Hesitating, following the rules, although it's not too good, it's not too bad either."

"Here are some other things I want you to see and hear." Louis lowered his head and said at the right time. Little Louis nodded immediately. He had been attentive enough before, and now he is trying harder to keep Mrs. Milady's attention. Combine what he said with what he saw.

"Since you have only come from Rome and have made a small pilgrimage," Madame Milady said, "then let's start with faith and morality." She smiled and glanced at the prince - Madame Milady She was a bishop of Mazarin. She was a few years older than Louis XIV. Although she was also a witch, youth was more willing to dwell on her than a mortal, but the wrinkles on the corners of her eyes and lips could not be concealed. She didn't want to hide it either. Together with the sunken eye sockets and cheeks, they gave her a strange charm that young women couldn't have.

   She looks like it was in late autumn. Although it withered, it is still a rose that sticks to the branches. The color and fragrance are more intense when the age is gone.

She noticed the Prince's gaze, and winked at him. The Prince did not blushed with perseverance, but Louis XIV laughed softly - a smile that reminded Madame Milady of the Oolong when they first met. - As a spy of the Bishop of Mazarin, how many people did she play tricks on, but she was almost shot to death by the new master who was about to be loyal - If she really died, the Count of D'Artagnan would have been able to tell this joke for a lifetime.

Of course, she shouldn't tease another Louie. Apart from his identity, his father is still by his side. Mrs. Milady coughed twice to break up the ambiguous atmosphere she had previously created: "Let me continue. Well," she bowed her knees in repentance, and went on: "I have been here for a while, gentlemen, and I have found that the Florentine code is probably thicker than the French."

"As far as I know, the French code is enough to make students who want to be judges and lawyers complain." Louis said that after he took office, although he deleted a lot of red tape, he also added a lot of provisions. .

   "There is actually only one line in the law book of the Principality," said Madame Milady: "Cosimo III de' Medici."

"The grand duke added a lot of decrees after he came to power, but let me see that these decrees are not only good for the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, but also for Florence, Pisa, Siena, and other places. It's no good for me." Madame Milady said: "Your Highness, I was honored to be ordered by the king to help her govern Gayola under the command of Madame Marie Mancini, the Duchess of Colonna."

"I know." The Dauphin nodded, France belonged to him, and Gayola belonged to his brother. Louis XIV didn't even need to tell him this. Queen Teresa had already told him that this territory could be Said to be Mrs. Marie Mancini's dowry, according to tradition and law, it should really belong to his elder brother. Unless his elder brother has no heirs, his descendants may inherit Gayola, and it depends on Gayola. When did Jorah break away from the inner world and officially appear in front of people.

"Madame Marie Mancini," Madame Milady opened her fan and patted her chest with some nostalgia, "she is not a vicious person, but she is willful, arrogant, a little hysterical, and perhaps a little stupid. But fortunately, she was at least willing to listen to your father's words and some of my suggestions at that time."

"Do you know what I was most worried about at that time?" Madame Milady looked at the Ponte Vecchio in the distance - it used to be the jewelry and antique trading center of Florence, where people came and went, except for the shops on both sides of the bridge. In addition, there are not many figures: "She is often driven by temporary emotions and does things that make people laugh and cry - I won't go into the specifics here, because many of them are directly related to you are not allowed to be contacted now. part," she nodded apologetically to the crown prince: "I mention this lady to tell you that Cosimo III is more impulsive and reckless than Marie Mancini. In the short and shallow part, there is more than that.”

   She straightened her body and pointed into the distance, "Did you see that little house?"

   "I see," said the Dauphin, "it looks new and doesn't fit in well with the surrounding buildings."

"This is the new customs set up by Cosimo III." Madame Milady said with a sarcastic smile: "Your Highness, you should know that this is the tenth place for merchants to come to Florence after they entered Tuscany. customs."

  The crown prince, Louis, was obviously startled for a moment. He didn't understand what the tenth customs house was. Isn't there only one customs house? Because Calais, Dunkirk, Nantes and other places all have customs, he has personally visited them, and he has also seen how the merchants pass through the customs in Calais.

   "Yes," said Madame Milady, "it was built by order of Cosimo III."

  "Maybe it's a bit stupid to say that." Little Louis asked: "But are these customs offices used for inspection and tax collection?"

"The inspection is second," Mrs. Milady said: "The key is tax collection, no, this question is not stupid at all, because when I heard this, my first reaction was the same as yours, yes, all Goods coming into Florence from the outside, even a bale of wool, have to go through ten checkpoints and pay taxes ten times."

   "Will there be any merchants willing to come?" Little Louis blurted out.

   "Of course there won't be any more. The economy here was sluggish. Once the story of the ten customs offices in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany was spread, even fewer people were willing to come here."

"Why does Cosimo III want so much money?" Little Louis thought for a while. The Duchy of Tuscany had steadfastly maintained its neutrality since Cosimo I, neither voting for Habsburg, nor for France or France. It's Spain, after all, they can't even prepare their own army, so Cosimo III needs money, it should not be used for wars, as for their extravagant life, the original taxation in Tuscany can also be satisfied, why did he get it? Such a ridiculous thing?

   "Because he has to pay for the Office of Public Manners."

"What is the Office of Public Manners?" Little Louis asked. "Is it...like the one that my father banned not long ago?" He was talking about a patrol set up shortly after Louis XIV came to power. They were composed of some retired veterans. , in order to put an end to the habit of Parisians who like to dump **** waste in the streets and rivers, they can be fined or sent to prison. Those who have been on the battlefield will not be afraid of dead cats and dogs.

At that time, the streets of Paris could at least allow people to step out of carriages and jump from horses without fear of being buried under their knees with excrement, and without the fear of urinating with a "Watch out!" while walking comfortably in the moonlight. You are stinking and soaking wet, and you can gradually see fish and swimmers in the Seine. .

At that time, feces and urine needed to be collected and pulled away by **** carts, but as the scope of the renovation of Paris continued to increase, the sewer work was completely completed a few years ago, and the new apartments replaced the old sheds. This kind of The behavior is pretty rare, so these veterans either retire or go on to other things.

"what do you think?"

   "It shouldn't be." The crown prince sighed. He also saw the turbid river water and the road surface with a lot of solid dirt remaining even though it had been washed.

"This so-called office of public etiquette was set up purely to meet the personal needs of Cosimo III, but it required more manpower and effort than other departments in Florence." At this time, they also walked to the city hall, which The lintel of the city hall is inlaid with lilies - it once belonged to the Medici family, the head of the Medici family at that time, and the tyrant of Florence, Cosimo di Giovanni de Medici, gave it to Florence city ​​government.

  There are two execution platforms standing on the city hall square, one on the left and right, like some kind of decoration. Louis calculated that from the Pitty Palace to here, they have seen five execution platforms.

   There are unexpectedly many people here, and they also saw some young people who were **** by ropes. Judging from their dress, they did not look like famous Shu and wandering girls, and their guests.

   "Cosimo III was not a womanizer," said Louis, "but not a Puritan either."

   "This is the open-air office of the Office of Public Manners," said Mrs. Milady. "These are the unlucky people who can't pay the fines."

   "Is no one allowed in Florence now?" Louis heard the people shouting desperately.

   "How is it possible, Your Majesty," said Mrs. Milady, "they should have been fined for being with young women in the house..."

   At this moment, even Erael, who was beside Louis, turned his head and listened carefully: "It's true," he said, "does he want to be a saint?"

"Cosimo III's moral code is obviously different from others." Madame Milady said: "He believes that if young men get along with young women in the house, they will love, rape, and have children. Children, they will have an abortion, they will kill infants, and they will fall into hell, so he made such a law."

   "What a developed imagination," Louis murmured. "Then. What if there were people in broad daylight who were doing unethical things in the square?"

   "Then they are innocent and innocent," said Mrs. Milady.

   This answer is really ironic and helpless.

They didn't go on to see the farce in front of the Plaza de la Municipality, which had something to do with Louis XIV's visit. They stayed there when all the illustrious people in Florence came to the Pitti Palace for their wedding. The young children in the family began to feel restless. They either held small gatherings in the name of celebration, and took the opportunity to meet their lover;

   Those wolves in the public etiquette office also found an opportunity.

   "Don't they think..." Little Louis asked, "Is this kind of thing really too ridiculous and harsh."

"Ah, it's because you've never been someone's subordinate or worried about your own livelihood." Madame Milady said directly, if she had to go back to Paris one day, maybe she Would be more cautious, but she's been with the Duke of Colonna for so many years, watching him grow from a swaddling baby to a young but ambitious ruler, to make her just give up everything in Gayola She didn't want to—especially after, we, Marie Mancini's stupidity, had led her into Mrs. Montespan's trap.

"No employer will see that its employees are taking money for nothing but doing nothing, especially a department like the office of public etiquette that can be banned at any time, and everyone expects it to be banned. Welcome, the more dispensable, the more they cling to any trivial thing and make it as serious as possible, because otherwise it's hard to show their importance. "

   "But it's a crime," said the crown prince.

"There is a parable in the far east," said Louis XIV: "When a king likes men with thick eyebrows, all the people in the city draw their eyebrows so that they can be joined together; when a king likes wide clothes, every A person's clothes need to be made of three times as much fabric; and when he likes a thin waist, someone starves himself to death for wanting a thin waist."

   Addition completed

   (end of this chapter)