I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 384 The King's Parade (7)

   "Come down, Mr. Count."

The earl looked around with his head stuck out. In addition to the two gentlemen with muskets in their hands, there were four or five guys roaming around on horses and watching the wind. He suppressed the panic in his heart, "If you need some assistance... "

The visitor laughed, he moved the barrel of the gun, and the other person opened the door of the car. The count had to obediently get out of the carriage. When he got off the carriage, he saw his coachman and two attendants lying on the ground with their faces pale, and they fell to the ground. Not daring to move, the Count cursed in his heart, but did not dare to say or do anything—these bandits were obviously well-trained and experienced, not to mention how they forced the groom to bring the carriage here, so what? It was shocking enough that the two squires standing on the carriage frame failed to issue a warning, and that the Count did not notice anything during the whole process.

The Count    got out of the car, and one of the robbers nodded: "Sir," he said, "Take out all your weapons."

The Count wanted to say something, but he changed his mind under the gaze of two pairs of piercing eyes. The cloaks of these bandits were all expensive black wool. Except for the muskets in their hands, there was nothing on their belts. Armed with the spare musket and dagger, the rapier collided with their boots above the knees—his eyes stopped on the boots for a moment, before showing a stunned look.

The boots are very beautiful, but only in the king's army, officers will wear this kind of sheepskin boots that will wrap the calf tightly. Of course, there are also musketeers and guards. He pondered for a while and smoked the musket in his arms. Come out, hold the barrel upside down and give it to one of the two, then lean down, and from inside the boot—he was wearing boots with wide cuffs that reached his ankles, which is what most nobles wear—pull out out his dagger.

   "Only these two? Sir?" asked one of the "bandits".

"I'm a gentleman, not a soldier," replied the count, who nodded lightly, motioning him to return to the carriage, and before the count was seated, one of the two robbers jumped into the carriage and the other jumped onto the coachman's As soon as someone outside made a light snort, the wheels turned from slow to hastily.

   That man was sitting next to the Count, and the Count sniffed lightly as if inadvertently, making his guess even more certain. Because their king had high requirements for cleanliness from a very young age, everyone around him paid attention to personal hygiene, and this ethos has continued to this day - now people take a bath or wipe their bodies every day. It is a well-established rule that even the village couple who could never set foot in Paris or Versailles half a step in their life learned to use a coal stove to warm a little hot water to wipe their faces and hands in the morning.

For someone like the Count, the bathroom and toilet were renovated early in the house according to the latest Parisian style, and hotels in big cities also have such facilities, so there will never be any dirty and unpleasant smell on him - this is very It's normal, but a robber can also be clean, only a little scent of pine and cypress is not right, it's not that they can't afford the cost of bathing, but for most people, time and money are wasted on it, once or twice It may be acceptable, but it seems a bit... impractical to do this every day. What can I do with this money?

   But what nobles like most is pointless tossing, so as to completely cut off from the group of people they despise. Although they often cursed the king at home, they did their best to support the king's new industries—sweet candy, refreshing coffee, gorgeous satin and woolen cloth, china as white as jelly, and clear as glass that didn't exist , bright gas lamps and candles...and furniture and utensils for bathrooms and toilets, pipes and fittings...and so on, and so on, the biggest consumers for the time being-maybe in ten or twenty years, these lords and officers.

The earl was younger than the king, and he seemed to have been spared, as far as he could remember, the sufferings of older men, namely the filthy mansions and roads, but he still smelled those commands. People with unbearable smells, especially those... low-status people, even wealthy businessmen, there are many people who would rather sprinkle more perfume than go to the bathroom every day. Even if I took a bath when I came to see him, it still looked like a piece of fishy pork in a soup pot in boiling water.

But the Count smelled the same kind of smell on this "robber". He turned his head and stared at each other without blinking. The kerosene lamp with glass lampshade hung in the carriage. Because of the latest fulcrum hanging method, Therefore, even if the carriage is slightly bumpy from time to time, the fuel inside will not spill out easily.

   "What will happen to my groom and squires?" asked the count.

"They'll be safe and sound, and they'll just have to walk hard all night, and then they'll be back in their own homes." The man replied, his voice with a slight southern accent, and the earl immediately thought of one of the king's favorites. One, the Count of D'Artagnan. The origin of the Count of D'Artagnan has always been criticized. He is not a Count (in the beginning), but he often calls himself this title. He is still a Gasconian, and a Gasconian is in the eyes of Parisians. A group of country bumpkins, if it weren't for the king's favor, D'Artagnan would not have climbed to the current position. The most hateful thing is that after he won the throne, he managed to promote a large number of fellow villagers, so that there are many more people with southern accents in Paris. people.

"What about me?"

   "You..." The person took off his mask gently, allowing the Count to see his smiling face.

  ———

   "Of course you will receive the best hospitality."

The Duke of Vendôme said that in front of him was the furious Duke of Saint-Simon, who pushed a glass of hot milk with whiskey toward him: "Age, age, my dear, you have to remember your age, none of us are. Boy, it's not going to do us any good for our health."

"The king's gallows and beheading tables are even more useless." The Duke of St. Simon said, "How dare he do this!" During the uprising, there were no letters or documents left, and there was even very little contact with each other. Louis XIV did not want to convict him easily, let alone execute him or imprison him, and even deprive him of his territory and title. Impossible! Unless the king suddenly goes mad - don't look at the fact that many nobles have become the lackeys under the king's rank, but dogs also need to be appeased and fed. If the king really dares to do something to a duke without evidence, even if it is A duke with insufficient foundation will inevitably cause widespread doubts and shakes. Louis XIV is a smart man, and he will not do that.

"I thought you would be happy." The Duke of Vendome saw that the Duke of Saint-Simon was probably not in the mood to eat, so he moved the large silver tray to him and began to eat the Duke of Saint-Simon's "King Bread" and hot Add wine and milk, not to mention other things, the king's cook is really good, even this kind of temporary snacks are delicious: "This is the king's invitation."

"What invitation..." cried the Duke of St. Simon, "I was caught here!" He clenched his fists, and as soon as he left the conspiracy room, he felt that something was wrong before he got into the carriage-he was still A secret gaze glanced, but before he could react, a few shadows sprang out from the corner of the dark, and a large cloak covered his face, and then—there were about a hundred bulls Sitting on him, he couldn't move, and he was tied firmly, and was carried into the carriage. The carriage walked for a while and came here.

It would be a lie to say that he is not afraid. He is old, and it stands to reason that he should not be so afraid to see God, but his child is too young. This is why he took bribes from Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I to oppose Louis XIV. If he handed over the spy list in his hand, relinquished his power, and stayed in the mansion, or in a room in Versailles... His youngest son's future can be seen at a glance, that is, Ruwando To be loyal to the king, like the grandson of the Duke of Mu, hang out for a while in the army or in the company of the king's musketeers, go to a military academy, and start as an officer--if he's gifted, maybe a Vauban or Thierry A person like Viscount Na, but even Viscount Turenne was wounded on the battlefield, even fatally - how could he allow his only son and his old son to suffer such a threat? !

   Of course, he could also stay with his young son and not go anywhere. But with Louis XIV, the fact that blood or the king's preference can be used to achieve success has long ceased to exist, and he even used the royal wife - although this is almost a joke, it can also be seen that , The Sun King must be surrounded by some talented people - as a person who has climbed from an ordinary servant to this position, how can the Duke of St. Simon not know what kind of hardships and difficulties will be in this process?

   What he wants to seek for his son is an easy, rich and noble future... If the king is not willing to give it, he can take it himself...

   But all the ideas, all the conspiracies, all the conspiracies, seemed to be a phantom dream: "I don't understand what you mean," went on the Duke of Saint-Simon, "haven't I met a loathsome band of thugs?"

"It's not very good to say that the king's boys," the Duke of Vendôme bent his fingers and scratched his nose: "Don't be stupid, can I still not know you? Louis XIII's puppy is not so slow, you You should have guessed it. It was the king who invited you here..." He smiled: "And," he said after meeting the angry eyes of the Duke of St. Simon: "You are allowed to accompany you, good sir, how much It is enviable that you can follow His Majesty and bask in the glory of the Sun King throughout the entire parade.",

   The Duke of Saint-Simon stared at him, as if to see a **** in the face of the Duke of Vendôme: "Follow?"

  "Follow me," said the Duke of Vendôme, "and laugh, it's a wonderful thing!"

"how long?"

   "Didn't I say, the whole parade," said the Duke of Vendôme, "for a year."

   One year.

The Duke of St. Simon slumped weakly in his chair, as he said, a king has no right to arrest or murder a nobleman for no reason, not a baron, let alone a duke-king. It is vulnerable. Even the Duke of Sedan, his territory is not deprived of treason, but in exchange for the lives of himself and his eldest son, and returned to the royal family as one of the exchange conditions, so even if the Duke of St. Simon is similar In the semi-open opposition to the king, intending to destroy the foundation of the king's rule, it is still difficult for Louis XIV to directly punish, or even reprimand.

   Maybe in the long years to come, the king could expel the Duke of St. Simon from the center of power by fringing and downplaying him, but the thing is, Leopold I probably won't give them that much time.

   But think about it in reverse, if the king cannot belittle a courtier and nobleman without any reason, should his courtiers accept the favors he bestows with sincerity? If Louis XIV sent a messenger to the mansion of the Duke of Saint-Simon today, the Duke of Saint-Simon could still manage to refuse—he was not the first person to do so. After the completion of Versailles, there were people who tried their best to go to the attic. There are also people who are stubborn and only willing to stay in the territory.

   But now he is already in... The Duke of Saint-Simon strode to the window, he is already at the Palace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, presumably at the banquet tomorrow, he will be "honored" to appear beside the king and accept people's envy and compliments. Needless to say after that, he would be taken away by the king like a piece of luggage.

   For a year, for a whole year, he probably couldn't contact his secret agents. Even if he could contact them, wouldn't it mean handing over these people to the king? But if there is no contact... These people are not saints... Without a fixed capital injection, they will slowly disperse. After a year, even if he wants to gather these people, it is impossible. If his son has grown up , maybe there is still a chance to save it, but heck, he is only one year older than the king's youngest son, and now he can't even say a complete sentence!

   At this time, the Duke of St. Simon didn't know, and the most despairing thing was still to come.

The next day he met all the accomplices at the banquet—of course, they were all fortunate enough to be invited by the king to accompany him, and they would travel with the king through most of France, lasting more than four seasons, of course, the king brought With the entire court, it was easy to bring dozens of people, and the king generously provided them with servants and guards...

   Damn squires and guards!

   (end of this chapter)