I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 48 The King Continues the Conversation with Fouquet and the Two Monsieurs D'Artagnan

  The king's words calmed Nicholas Fouquet all of a sudden.

   "The delicious fruit is always guarded by ferocious serpents." Fouquet said: "Only the brave can get it."

   "Then I want you to go further?" Louis asked.

   "At your command?"

   "Not in Paris."

"Not in Paris," Fouquet bowed to the king, fully understanding what he meant, except that Paris is after all the capital of France, the king's domain, and the other thing is that it is already turbulent enough, as long as there is a little spark It would explode, and the king would not let him issue lottery tickets there, both for Paris and for his safety, and he etched it in his heart: "Where is Orleans, what about Bordeaux?"

"Nor," said Louis; "the people there must be wary of outsiders, and I want you to go to Bourges, to Lyon, to Provence, to those who, though not openly rebellious, The flag has been peeping and playing tricks. You should not go as an official of the king, but as a greedy businessman. No matter where you are, you must first visit the lord there and dedicate it to His gifts and sincerity, his promises of dividends and taxes, the extent of which is up to you."

When Fouquet heard this, he stiffened instinctively, because he knew very well that since the king said that the extent of it was up to him, that is to say, in addition to the position of financial director, what could be obtained from these lottery tickets Profits also have a part in him, just looking at how he balances the interests of the king, the lord and himself, and thinking of the huge wealth that may be accumulated, he can't help trembling again.

   "So how big do you think I should be?" he asked.

Speaking of lottery tickets, in fact, it has appeared in ancient Rome until now, but before Louis, few people made profits from it, and more to get support from the common people, like bread and the Colosseum, So it is not so much a lottery ticket as it is another more interesting reward, but now that Louis wants to make it a long-term business, he must make detailed calculations of expenses and income like all transactions.

   "I will leave this matter to you," said Louis. Otherwise, why would he recommend Fouquet to Bishop Mazarin in a letter? "But I have a requirement that small prizes spread widely, but the biggest one...maybe...10,000 livres."

   "God!" Fouquet exclaimed, "That's too much."

   Of course there are many, you must know that even General Schumberg, Louis only promised him 50,000 livres, and he could only cash it in Paris.

   "But below that," said Louie nonchalantly, "people wouldn't be crazy about it."

Fouquet took a deep breath - he could almost see how many people would go bankrupt... No one can stand such a thrill, compared to only two or three deniers or a few écuits, at most one In terms of the gamble of Golden-Louis, you can get it all at once... Fouquet had heard before that when Bishop Richelieu was appointed cardinal, there was an annuity of 5,000 livres a year, and then Louis XIII that year Give him 10,000 livres, that is to say, a commoner who can afford a small Ecuador, as long as the goddess of fate is willing to smile at him, he can be a cardinal for two years in comfort, or Be the king's best friend for a year.

   Not to mention others, even Fouquet has the urge to take out all his money and buy every lottery ticket he can catch.

   "When you roll out the lottery ticket, make it public so that everyone can see it. No matter who wins the jackpot, you have to put the gold-louis code in the box and hand it to him neatly, with the lid open,"

  Fouquet imagined that scene, but his mouth was dry.

   "And," Louis hesitated, "you decide."

   "Please say... Your Majesty."

   “Whether to limit the number of tickets each person can buy, and … to give some protection to those who get the jackpot.”

Foukai lowered his head and thought for a while, and then he understood that restricting the purchase of bills is obviously not good for them, but it will not cause too tragic consequences. Even if someone buys bills from other people with a lot of money, it is difficult to supervise , but in the face of the accusations of some virtuous people, such a regulation can obviously ease people's emotions, and he can stand in a more favorable position; as to whether to protect the person who wins the first prize, this It is certain, Fouquet has even made preparations, or maybe he will intentionally prompt a poor person to win the first prize, so that it can spread faster and more widely. After all, in people's cognition, noble people also often With good luck, a noble person gets an unexpected income, he won't care, and it will only be mentioned casually occasionally, only a lowly person just jumped up because of a small aegis. Being in the class he could only look up to before was the most interesting thing to talk about.

That being the case, in order for this rumor to continue to spread, the first person to win the first prize should not only have no accident, but Fouquet must also try to let him escape from the exploitation of lords and judges, and the looting of robbers and officers. Be merry, become a squire or a priest, or any position worthy of respect and admiration.

   "I will consider it carefully, Your Majesty," said Fouquet.

   "Very well," said Louie, "then hand in a work plan tomorrow."

"what?"

"Analysis of the situation; tasks and requirements; methods, steps and measures; possible problems and solutions; finishing and preparations for the next stage, etc..." said the young king briskly and gently, ignoring that Fouquet was already stunned, he had previously But such a thing has never been written before, and it's not a problem to say sweet love letters or gushing compliments - if it's just a big fool standing here, maybe he can relax a little bit, But he is Fouquet, a robed aristocrat who prides himself on being shrewd and keen. Just listening to those few key words, he knew that it might be difficult for him to deal with his new master as perfunctory as those idiots... I heard that the king asked him to be responsible for the lottery How excited he was at the release, how terrified he is now, like a dog who saw the steak, salivating again, and hesitating because of the whip hanging from the steak.

The king is not in a hurry at all. He knows that as long as he is a smart person, he knows that as long as he hands out this document, he will undoubtedly put a set of bridles on himself. What is even more hateful is that this set of bridles was made by himself, but he can refuse?

It is impossible for Fouquet to refuse, "Please give me a little more time." He said in a low voice, losing his previous air: "Your Majesty, give me three days, no, five days... I will give you what you want in five days. of."

  Louis also knew that he couldn't finish the paper in one night. This was just a small intimidation. After all, Fouquet was completely different from Schumberg or Viscount Turenne.

  ———

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   "Are you going to have lunch with those two gentlemen?".

   "The two counts of D'Artagnan," said Louis. "They are now my musketeers, M. Pierre de Montesquieu and M. Charles de Buzz Castelmo."

Bang Tang complied and went, and soon the king's door was knocked respectfully, and two young men with high spirits appeared in front of the king: "Oh," the king saw the rather familiar face, and immediately Said: "No wonder I hear you have a Welsh accent, so you all come from Gascony." Gascony is a region in southwestern France, which once belonged to King Edward I of England, and was later taken over by the King of France. The man Philip IV took it, and then because Philip IV was busy with the battle with the Roman church, he negotiated with Edward I to return Gascony to the United Kingdom, but in the following Hundred Years War, France and the United Kingdom fought again. There was a tug-of-war in Gascony. Although France finally won Gascony, some foreigners stayed in Gascony, including some Welsh people. Everyone knows Welsh. People are the most unruly of the bunch, so gradually some people think that the Gascons are a bunch of dishonest guys, but for Louis to say, what he needs now is someone who needs to change his situation urgently. Like Nicholas Fouquet, and the cousins.

When Pierre realized that the king had spoken to him first, he couldn't help but feel agitated. Compared with his cousin, Pierre de Montesquieu had a mediocre face and was not good at words, although he Trying to dress up, but in front of friends and ladies, he still can't be as popular as his cousin Charles, but he still loves this cousin, although the latter always likes to talk and brag, otherwise he would not His title of earl was lent to him.

Charles de Baz Castelmo also knew this, and was very grateful. After all, with the name Castelmo alone, I don't know when he will be noticed by the nobles. This young gentleman has never He doesn't care about so-called virtue, for him, whether it's accepting the generous support of ladies (which are almost always taken from their husbands' wallets), or climbing up through compliments, boasting, or false titles Being high is something to be proud of.

If there is someone else standing next to him, and the king talks to that person first, Ciel will definitely be angry, maybe after he goes out, he will ask for a duel with that person, to prove with blood which of them is more worthy of the king's trust, but this is not the case. If a man was his cousin, he would gladly be happy for him.

   "I have heard that one of you is Count of D'Artagnan," said the king; "the other has borrowed the title temporarily."

   "Yes," said Pierre, "I am Count of D'Artagnan, but I have lent this title to my cousin."

   "Then shall I call one of you D'Artagnan?"

"Please call my cousin d'Artagnan," said Pierre earnestly; "as for me, my companions and friends call me Pierre, and I am used to it, and so do you, Your Majesty. Mine, so call my cousin D'Artagnan by the name."

   "Then," said the king, "Pierre, D'Artagnan, two dear gentlemen, please come to the table and have lunch with me."

The two musketeers immediately bowed to the king, expressing their willingness to obey, and as soon as they sat down, the sumptuous dishes were served in an endless stream. The king was growing up, and the two musketeers were the most prone to hunger. At the beginning, they may have been a little restrained, but soon they devoured it. Among them, the king's dishes are also rich in spices, salt, and butter, and they taste incomparably delicious.

   (end of this chapter)