I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 373 The Dowry of One Million Rifles

I've planted the flag, everyone, I can't seem to make any guarantees in the future - I said a few hours ago that there will be twenty-five more changes this month, no pigeons, and I was dragged to the hospital by 120 at night...then A friend who asked me that it was 8 or 9 o'clock, why did it arrive at 8 o'clock in the morning... I'm sorry, I was rolling in bed at 8 or 9 o'clock that night... Sad fish... I was actually recommended ^^

  The last chapter will not be updated, the interval is too long, I am afraid that some readers will not be able to see...

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In what used to be the Louvre, everyone had a place, the king did, and so did a lowly servant, Louis XIII complained, three people were in charge of the fireplace in his room, and one informed the steward that the king needed to light up The fireplace, the one carrying the charcoal, and the other lighting the fireplace, if the person lighting the fireplace speaks to the general manager, it is quite indecent behavior, and it will make the person responsible for reporting to the general manager feel that he has been insulted.

   And, if Louis XIV didn't change, then in a few decades, his great-grandson would be thirsty from night to morning because he couldn't find someone responsible for pouring her a glass of water.

Of course Louis XIV would not allow such a stupid thing to happen in Versailles, he built Versailles to dominate those ambitious nobles, lulling them with food, spirits, comfortable beds and unparalleled views, with all-nighters The balls, the increasingly extravagant costumes and jewelry, gambling, hunting, and "brothers of love" drained their energy, emptied their wallets, and cluttered their minds—rather than concentrating them and constraining the king of.

Therefore, although there are still strict and clear classes in the Palace of Versailles, the complicated rules that are as dense as silk threads will never limit the king. On the contrary, the king has all the privileges, and he can also give privileges to anyone he favors. It can be said that the more people he likes and likes, the more he can speak and act without restraint, just like his brother Philip, the Duke of Orleans, and the children of Bourbon.

Ms. Eva is obviously a person who is incompatible with the splendid and gorgeous Palace of Versailles. If it wasn't for the king's will, she would not have had any dealings with the grand princess. Thought, she never thought that this lady, who was just a little favored by her, was willing to go to Spain with her - her background was criticized by some ministers, but it was because of this background that she was more than the grand princess. The other noble ladies around her were resolute and determined—she did not lament or show pity when she mentioned this marriage, but like a hunter, she was eager to try in the face of a ferocious beast that would bring great benefits.

   Her words aroused the ambitions of the grand county lord, so that when she heard her father, the Duke of Orleans, visiting late at night, she did not feel panic, but raised a fire in her heart.

The Duke of Orleans did not expect to see such a daughter. The Grand Princess added a soft crimson velvet robe to the bedclothes. Under the candlelight, her long hair seemed to be covered with a golden tulle down to her knees. Her face was bright red, as if she had been drinking, but also seemed to have just rode a horse, and her eyes were shining brightly, reminding the Duke of Orleans to think of one of the bravest soldiers under his command.

Everyone knows that King Carlos II of Spain has come to Versailles with his attendants. There are many people who support the marriage. It is common for the king and the Duke of Orleans to discuss political affairs at dinner. The Duke of Orléans had come to pronounce the sentence - and as one might have guessed, the marriage was difficult for Louis XIV to refuse, after all, it was Spain.

  The Countess bowed to the Duke of Orleans, "Father," she said.

   "I have something to tell you," said the Duke of Orleans.

   "That must be a very important thing," said the great county master. "Tell me, father, I am looking forward to it, just like a ship is looking forward to the storm."

"Sit down first," said the Duke of Orleans, as they moved to the fireplace, and the Duke saw that the Grand Princess was wearing only slippers and no socks, and gave his daughter a reproachful look, "put your feet on my knees. Come on." He said that today the duke wore a heavy but soft jacquard satin coat, the princess did not reject her father's kindness, and her feet quickly hid in her father's warm embrace.

  The Duke of Orleans put his hand on it, "like a pair of little pigeons." He said: "I still remember, when you were still in the baby, your feet were not as long as my thumbs."

  The Grand Princess looked at his father tenderly: "I have grown up, father, although I don't want to, I always have to leave you."

  The Duke of Orleans was silent for a while. He stared at the candlelight like a wizard, trying to divination the future from it. "Have you met Carlos II?"

   "Yes, Father."

"What do you think of him?"

   "It's not as terrifying as people say," said the lord of the county. "I've been to the medical school in Blois, and I've seen people with smallpox and leprosy. He's not the most terrifying."

   "But you don't have to marry smallpox or a leper," said the Duke of Orleans. "

"Like most men in the world, he has strengths that cannot be concealed, as well as weaknesses that cannot be ignored." The Grand Princess said: "I can see from his eyes that he is determined to win. Like His Majesty, he is also a king. That alone beats a lot of people."

"But your uncle and I, our majesty, have no intention of agreeing to this marriage," said the Duke of Orleans. "Besides our love for you, child, there is also that, if you marry into Spain, your majesty will also Wouldn't be happy to see you have kids."

"Ah." Even after hearing such a terrible thing, the Grand Princess remained unmoved: "I remember that Mr. Colbert told us about the marriage contract between His Majesty and Queen Teresa. According to the results of the negotiation, Queen Teresa It should bring a dowry of 500,000 livres to France, but in fact, this dowry has been dragged on from the time of Philip IV to the present, and Spain does not seem to be able to pay the arrears. His Majesty has so far been There was no mention of it, and he should have deliberately used it to veto the renunciation of the throne signed by Queen Teresa when she left Spain."

  The Duke of Orleans nodded: "Her Majesty the Queen is pregnant. This child is likely to be a boy. If it is a boy, then he is most likely to inherit the throne of Spain."

"That is to say, if I marry Carlos II, it will not be worth the loss," said the grand county master: "Even if I marry, the Habsburgs of Spain will not be able to stand on the side of France. Pain for me." She paused: "But there must be many ministers in the court who support this marriage." Although Louis XIV's attempt is not impossible, the operation involved is much more troublesome and complicated than a marriage. Well, maybe there's going to be a war. If the lord of the county marries Carlos II and has a son, then the blood of Bourbon can also gain a foothold in Spain.

   "So we're going to change their minds."

   "Change their minds?" said the Grand County Lord, "It's hard."

"It's not too difficult," the Duke of Orleans put his daughter's feet together: "You know, in this world, what people do, what ideas they maintain, and even what they believe in, in the final analysis, there is only one word, that is Interests." He continued: "I have discussed with Your Majesty that we will increase your dowry to one million livres, and add a fief of Friesland, next to Gelderland."

   The big county lord was really surprised. Although it has been estimated that the dowry of the big county lord will be more than 800,000 livres, what kind of concept is one million livres? When Queen Teresa married Louis XIV, there was only a dowry of 500,000 livres. In this way, the dowry has not been paid by the Spaniards. Louis XIV bought Lorraine from the Duke of Lorraine. It is also one million livres; the king of Denmark wants his daughter to become a crown princess, and the chips given are also one million livres; even in order to deceive and coerce the Habsburg of the Holy Roman Empire, which is Leopold I was neutral when France attacked Spanish-owned Flanders, and in that ridiculous scam, Bosnia was also sold for a million livres; and Leopold I at the previous convention The debt owed during the war was only 1.5 million livres. Just kidding, if Leopold I had a son and could marry the grand county master, he would not have to worry about Louis XIV coming to urge him. debt.

"With this million livres," said the Duke of Orleans, "a lot of people will be tempted." It is easy to break apart the alliance of ministers. Although the grand county master is as beautiful as the first rose that blooms in the early morning, But a large part of her charm also came from her dowry, which must have been enormously rich, and her husband's in-laws who must have been the favorite of the king and the duke of Orleans: "And a fief of Friesland, next to Helder. orchid."

The princess is no longer the girl who cried when she heard that she was going to be married to a deformed monster a few years ago. When the duke said this, she immediately understood the intention of His Majesty the King and her father: "You are going to Power over Gelderland in subsequent engagement negotiations?"

"If things really get to that point," said the Duke of Orleans, "then we have to change our plan, but for an exotic princess, a rich dowry means nothing, and we will ask Spain to make Gelderland her own. The gift is given to you, and you will marry into the Habsburg-Spanish royal family with part of Gelderland and Friesland."

   "Just like Queen Eleanor." The Grand Princess murmured.

"Just like Queen Eleanor." The Duke of Orleans said, "Eleanor of Aquitaine." The queen had been married twice, and her territory, the Duchy of Aquitaine, was rich and vast, and she was the first to bring it into the French royal family. Later, she was brought into the dowry of the British royal family. In her biography, she was a noble and incomparably charming woman, but this reserved and arrogant-she was not very polite to her ex-husband Louis VII, her later husband Henry II She also respected her very much, and it was she who was also the Duchess of Aquitaine who gave her confidence.

   "You will be made Duchess of Gelderland," said the Duke of Orleans.

The Grand County Lord raised his head, tears flashing: "Your Majesty does not need to do this." Louis XIV divided up the Netherlands because France at that time was in dire need of digesting the two huge prey of Flanders and the Netherlands, and there was no extra energy. It is impossible to say that Louis XIV will give up his ambitions for the Netherlands.

But Gelderland will be a talisman for the great county lord, because if the great county lord has a child, her territory can of course be inherited by the child, but if she dies without a child, then her territory should be the closest to her by blood. One of the heirs, someone from the Bourbon family, probably her younger brother.

  The Spaniards had to treat the bride with caution if they did not want to see Gelderland in the hands of Bourbon.

   "Of course, it is more likely that the Spaniards will not agree to this request." The Duke of Orleans said: "Then everything will be solved."

"Father," the lord of the county held out her hand to the duke, and when the duke leaned forward, she whispered softly in her ear: "Frederick left me a letter," she took his father's hand: "he Back to Brandenburg—but not fleeing, not evading, he swore to me that even if he angered his father, he would destroy the marriage."

Of course, the Duke of Orleans knew about Frederick's sudden departure, and he also knew that he had left a letter to the Grand Princess. He even knew the content of the letter, but he was not stupid enough to say it. He smiled happily as the Grand Princess expected. Came out: "He loves you."

"Yes, he loves me." The princess took back his hands and a pair of warm feet: "Sometimes I have to be glad that there is such a test, which is good for him and me." She Remember what Mr. Colbert said, people will pay special attention to things that cost them a lot, whether or not it really has that kind of value. Conversely, if it is easy to get, even if it is a rare treasure in the world, they will I don't care too much, even if I lose it, it's just a sigh.

As the eldest son of the Elector of Brandenburg-Prussia, Frederick is undoubtedly the proud son of the heavens. Even if Versailles has thwarted his spirit, he is still a proud boy who gets along with the grand county master. At that time, his energy was no different from that of Carlos II - he was indeed the most likely candidate for the husband-in-law of the grand princess.

But as soon as Carlos II appeared, this distinguished gentleman panicked. He could barely maintain his demeanor and spirit in front of the Spaniards, but when he came to say goodbye to the great county master tonight, his face It's white, his hands are cold, and his eyes are full of anger and anxiety: "I just hope he doesn't really quarrel with the elector." The grand county master said.

"I don't think so," the Duke of Orleans also felt a little happy, after all, no father-in-law would like his son-in-law too much, and he was quite happy to see that arrogant fool suffer a loss: "This marriage is also Blanc. What the Archduke Denburg expected." Especially after they raised the stakes in the dowry.

   (end of this chapter)