I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 365  A little thing about the Swedes and the Lorraine-Alsatians

   Compared to the proud French, the Swedes are certainly not happy about such a situation.

As we said before, the marriages between kings and their sons and daughters in this era are just another way of expressing political covenants. Queens or princesses marry into a completely unfamiliar country, and those who welcome them will never It's kindness, it's just suspicion, consideration, and contempt.

The "handover" ceremony on the border between the two countries is the first disembarkation of these innocent girls. According to tradition, the eldest princess should remove all clothes and jewelry in full view (even if only women), without even leaving a ribbon. , and then, not even a maid, a dog, a person shivering across the so-called boundary line, accepting the service of the husband's noble daughter.

When Queen Teresa got married, Louis reminded the female officials who went to greet the queen, and there was no need to make such a scene-could the noble ladies sit on the curtains after tea and eat, and use the queen's figure as a way to pass the time? Is the face of the king very bright in the diversion of time? If a king wants to make another king bow his head, and a country wants to make another country submit, shouldn't generals and ministers speak with weapons and tactics? What's so good about teasing a lonely girl! ?

  Louis XIV did not allow anyone to despise Princess Teresa, let alone let the Swedes hurt his daughter.

When the Sun King stood outside the tent, maybe only a dozen steps away from the eldest princess, no one dared to point fingers at the king's behavior. Beside the eldest princess, he even used the daughters of several dukes and princes as maids. (They all only needed to serve the queen mother and queen.) Most of the female officials in Sweden are the daughters of counts or marquis. The queen mother of Sweden obviously intends to embarrass the new queen, but she did not expect that because of the difference in status, in the tent At that time, even if the French maid stepped on the border line temporarily replaced by silk ropes, holding up the curtain so heavy that you could hardly see what was going on inside, let the princess change her clothes, the Swedish female official She was also stunned and speechless—there was only one duchess, and she might be the so-called exclusive female official sent by the Queen Mother. A female official with this status can almost be said to have the joys, sorrows and joys of the new queen in the future—she came here specially. Instruct the new queen how to live in an unfamiliar court, but most likely will be a jailer and executioner.

The Duchess only took one step, and the Grand County Lord greeted her. Although she could only be called the Grand County Lord, her father was the Duke of Orleans and her uncle was Louis XIV. After the Duke of Orleans returned to Versailles, The dark things that the Duchess of Orleans poured into her body also disappeared because of the undisguised preference and value of the Duke of Orleans. She loved her father and her uncle, and even more loved her sister-like princess.

She stood in front of the duchess. Dukes and dukes are also different. The Duke of Orléans is under one person in France and above ten thousand people. Everyone knows how the king condones his younger brother. Some people suspect that even the Duke of Orleans wants to sit for a while. The throne of the king, he will gladly agree, and the grand princess is now obviously protecting the eldest princess.

   As soon as the Duchess saw the Grand Princess, she was about to say something, and was taken in by the blue diamond on her chest. Of course, this lady is not so short-sighted yet. She is suddenly speechless because this blue diamond once belonged to Philip IV, and was later brought to Austria by his daughter as a dowry. The Archduke of Austria also It was Leopold I, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, who had it inlaid on the scepter for a period of time. Her husband, as a diplomat, also saw it and described it vividly to her after returning.

   You could also say that it might be another blue diamond - but not too different in size, shape and colour from what her husband described, and the Duchess heard about it, too, because of the previous Battle of Camnico. As the assisted party, Leopold I owed a large sum of money to Louis XIV. Although he tried his best to raise and borrow money, he was still unable to make ends meet. Although Louis XIV generously stated that he could also use his territory to The money was paid, but Leopold I sternly refused—he probably took some jewels to fill the pothole.

As for whether the diamond was sold by Leopold I and entered into the hands of Louis XIV, or whether it was directly handed over to the French as arrears, the Duchess had no way of knowing and did not want to know—as if she was afraid that others would not think of the origin of the diamond, The diamond is also set in the shape of an eye in the Ottoman Turkish style.

Ottoman Turkey is far from Sweden, but since Louis XIV defeated the 250,000 Ottoman army and returned triumphantly, the soldiers and officers brought back a lot of seizures and ransoms. There are many jewels and decorations in it. , This very exotic and graceful style has become popular under the impetus of artists and nobles-artists are fond of the new and dislike the old, and the ladies who go to and from Versailles, if they do not wear one or two pieces of Turkish-style jewelry on their bodies, it is She is saying that she is neither respected by her husband nor favored by men, or that her husband and lover are both useless and unable to find a piece of jewelry with special meaning for her.

Among these jewels, the most common is the "Devil's Eye". Ottoman Turkey believes that this blue eyeball-shaped jewel can protect them from the devil. The French are even the devil to the Turks, but this It doesn't affect the devils gleefully wearing them on their chests.

The fashion quickly spread from Paris and Versailles to all parts of Europa, Sweden was no exception, and the Duchess also wore a brooch of the Devil's Eye, but it was neither a trophy nor a Versailles or Parisian craftsman. Just a poor imitation of the Stockholm artisan—not so rough in fact, but the Duchess involuntarily arched her back slightly, as if to hide the brooch on her shoulder.

   "Please wait. Madam." She said kindly, "The eldest princess will be ready soon."

She speaks Swedish, as far as proficiency is concerned, close your eyes and you would think that a lady from Stockholm was talking, the duchess moved her lips reluctantly, as if she had something to say, but the sheriff had already turned around. Go and give orders to the maids - she switched to French, the Duchess had learned French, but at this pace she... didn't quite understand, she didn't know what else these Frenchmen wanted to do. Hesitated.

She is the highest-ranking female official in Sweden. She does not speak, because stepping on the soft and expensive **** skin, the Swedish maid who involuntarily stiffens, is even more helpless—the jewelry and fur on the French lady's body can almost match Sweden's. Compared with the Queen Mother, not one or two, but a total of twelve! No one could resist as they passed the clothes and jewels held by the Swedish maid.

   In the few minutes she hesitated, the eldest princess had already changed her clothes with the help of the fast-handed maid.

This kind of handover ceremony, which is really incomprehensible from the eyes of ordinary people, is analyzed by modern psychology, which is a kind of psychological attack similar to destruction. Immediately after the end, she fainted or cried bitterly - at this time, she didn't even have a familiar person, only the female officials and maids of her husband's country, she had to rely on them, accept their comfort or discipline, this emotion will always be carried by her. In the court, she endured until she gave birth to an heir, and even until she closed her eyes and went to see God.

Louis XIV's eldest princess may be the only princess so far who did not mourn or cry in front of the crowd when she left her homeland. She was very strong. Yes, there are tenacious princesses, but there is absolutely no princess who has a father like Louis XIV. He not only supports the independence of the eldest princess in words but also in actions, so that she can retain the dignity of a French princess.

After saying goodbye to her father, although she wore Swedish clothes and Swedish jewelry, she kept her head held high. She was very indifferent to the female officials headed by the Duchess, but she was relatively gentle to the envoys, not her What is the opinion of the Duchess, I just know from the Queen Mother and the Queen that in general, the men in the embassy who came to greet the Princess are mostly the king's cronies, while the ladies are mostly the Queen Mother or powerful people. The wives of nobles and ministers, they came from the beginning with the idea of ​​holding the new queen hostage. For this, the eldest princess could not allow them to stay by her side.

It's not that the duchess has never fought, taking advantage of the princess's unfamiliarity with the domestic situation in Sweden. When she was alone and helpless, she took the opportunity to complete the task assigned by the queen mother, but it was only the next day when she was serving the eldest princess when she got up. - At this time, when it was still cold in the spring in Sweden, the eldest princess was only wearing soft nightclothes - she asked the eldest princess to get up from the bed first, stand on the ground, and take off her nightgown, so that they could put on her long underwear.

   This may sound like nothing to a man, but the eldest princess has long known that although she is serving her to change clothes, this time can vary from a few seconds to a few minutes, even if the fireplace is blazing, it is enough to make her embarrassed.

   "I want to change clothes on the bed," said the eldest princess, "I don't want to get cold."

   "But that's unethical."

   "If there is any rule written in the book that your queen cannot change in bed," said the eldest princess, "then please show it to me."

   The Duchess pursed her lips.

   "I'm going to change on the bed," said the eldest princess politely, "this is the second time, ma'am."

   "No, Your Highness."

   "Then," the eldest princess swept everyone in the room: "Mrs. Spare, please come and serve me, I want to change on the bed."

   Mrs. Sbarre raised her head in amazement.

Speaking of the Swedish women officials around the eldest princess, they may not know that the list of the entourage here has only been decided, and Louis XIV's spy over there has come up with a detailed information. The eldest princess went to Malmö in Paris. During the long journey, he knew their situation well, and to put it rudely, he knew them better than their husbands, at least their husbands would not know how many lovers they had.

Of course, the leader of the female officials designated by the Queen Mother bears the brunt. The eldest princess estimates that she will not have many chances to live in peace with her. She is the wife of the minister Aksa Oxenchener, who is Carl The tenth's henchman was also the right-hand man during the Queen Mother's regency. But it's all about twenty years - when Oxenscheiner was still a count, his allegiance was to Gustav II, the father of Queen Christina, and after the queen came to the throne, he continued to serve her, But as time went on, so did his ambitions - he wanted the Queen to marry his son John, and as we all know, Christina didn't want to marry any man, and she clashed with Oxen Scheiner , Oxen Schena immediately turned to join Christina's cousin.

No one would think that Carl Gustaf was a pure little white flower. If Christina really wanted to abdicate from the heart, she would not still seek resettlement for many years afterward. She even said that if Carl ten I can't be a good king, she will return to Stockholm and re-enthrone the throne, but this possibility has completely disappeared with Louis XIV's disappointment with her.

Oxenscheiner became Gustav's chancellor at the age of twenty, a man of great talent, but unfortunately his son John was a little inferior, although he had inherited his father's title (Carla. After King II ascended the throne, he gave him the title of duke in order to commend Oxen Scheiner), but he failed to make many considerable achievements, so he has been leaning closely on the Queen Mother's side, perhaps because of the time of sticking It's too long, and even if Karl XI is an adult, the couple has not been able to turn around in time.

   Then, let’s talk about the Lady Sbarre that the eldest princess passed over the Duchess and called. Who is this Countess Sbarre? Her husband has a cousin, Alba Sbarre. Her name is widely known, but unfortunately it is not a good name. She used to be Queen Christina's maid, and there were rumors about Lily with the Queen. The eldest princess also knows a little bit. What others don't know is that she once testified in a private hearing that the queen likes to wear men's clothes, and she pretends to be a man, which proves from one side that Christina is likely to refuse marriage for life, and there will be no heir. —There is a reason for her to say this. Not to mention whether the queen has such a tendency, as a maid who betrayed her master, after Karl X ascended the throne, she still stayed in the royal palace in Stockholm, which can explain a lot of problems.

   Christina does have her flaws as a king, but if she hadn't been pushed by a lot of hands, she wouldn't necessarily have been reduced to an obscure monastery.

Under the calm scrutiny of the ladies, the Countess of Spare's back was covered in cold sweat, and the eldest princess of France was leaning on the pillow, her hands folded on her stomach, and her posture was calm - although she should be Sweden now. The queen of people, but she doesn't seem to feel that she should abandon her original identity at all. They will face not only the new queen, but also the only daughter of the Sun King. Mrs. Spare recalled the conflict between the Swedish and French embassies yesterday because of the three hundred mercenaries accompanying the eldest princess—it can’t be called a conflict, because the Swedish protested a few words, and the French yawned and said— Our Majesty the King and his fifteen thousand loyal soldiers are still less than three leagues from here, and if three hundred are a bit shabby to you, then we rode back to Malmö overnight, It is not a problem to ask your majesty to send more people to **** the princess to Stockholm...

Standing here, she still seemed to be able to hear voices coming through the thick walls. The three hundred mercenaries were all cavalry, all tall and strong men, and they were gorgeously dressed and covered with fur cloaks. , under the cloak are swords and muskets. Although they are hired, they are even more disciplined than the soldiers and generals in the Swedish army - they will be on duty in the princess' bedroom every night, and the leader is even more Every day I have to see the princess and ask her if she needs anything.

  The eldest princess is also not unfamiliar with them. If there is anything or want to know, she will let them do it, or get an answer from them.

  Seriously, if these mercenaries weren't all men, their only use would be lost.

   Then should she continue to stand here, or should she replace the Duchess of Oxencienne as the head of the female officials as the eldest princess requested?

As for the Duchess's plans, Mrs. Sbarre is very clear that the noble ladies in the court are the most likely to use such soft knives to kill people. Don't think it's just a trivial matter. Once you start, the new queen will obey everything that follows. With the arrangement of the Duchess, the Duchess will be able to rebuke and teach them the humiliation of Louis XIV. The Queen Mother, and even most of the Swedish ladies will be happy to see this scene, but the Sun King's greatness Will the princess really do what they want?

   The eldest princess does not have a maid by her side now, but if she also refuses, will the eldest princess really have no choice but to let them be at their mercy? Mrs. Sbarre didn't think that she had asked her husband - he was also in the mission, and Earl Sbarre chewed it for a while before saying that these three hundred people happened to be able to protect them no matter what the situation was. The number of people the princess fled back to France from anywhere.

   "Will it work from Stockholm too?"

"also."

   "From the Danes' army?"

"also."

   This is the source of the eldest princess' courage. The Sun King left these 300 people to declare that his protection of the eldest princess will not disappear because she becomes the queen of Sweden.

It is impossible to manipulate the eldest princess of France like she did with the new queen before. Thinking of this, Madame Spare boldly took a step forward and came to her front under the unbelievable gaze of the Duchess. , and then turned to the maid behind him: "Bring the queen's clothes up."

In the half-cage drapery, in the warm blanket, the eldest princess changed her clothes as calmly as the previous days, then completed her personal cleaning and went to the prayer room (that is, the place to deal with personal needs)— Most of the Swedes were Protestants. She also avoided the daily morning prayers and meals. After the meal, the mercenary leader would knock on the door, saying hello and asking the princess what she needed.

During the whole process, the Duchess seemed to have been sowitched all of a sudden, no one saw her, no one heard her, and finally when Lady Sbarre exited the room, the Duchess grabbed her arm and she His eyes stared out viciously, and the originally beautiful face was also distorted: "You know..."

Madame Spare didn't wait for her to say anything threatening: "I don't want to say anything, do you know why King Louis XIV of France is still in Malmö?"

The Duchess    paused: "Why?" She showed a contemptuous smile: "Does he really plan to break the engagement and bring the queen back to France?"

   "No," said Mrs. Spare with pity, "he is waiting for our king."

   I suddenly feel a little uncomfortable, and today I add a little less.

   (end of this chapter)