I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 580 Blessing

   "The minds of the uneducated people are very simple," Elizabeth said. "Whoever lets them live, they let them live."

When she said this, she and little Eugen were in front of an elegant chapel. Visby, like most ancient cities from the Roman period, built buildings, paved roads, walls and old towns on the rugged hills. The buildings are basically made of gray-white limestone, and most of the new buildings are made of red bricks (sometimes painted with chalk). They walked from the city hall to about four or five hundred feet, and people bowed to Elizabeth along the way. The salute showed that they were not ignorant of Elizabeth's identity.

But Elizabeth only had two maids, Governor Visby, two Swedish officers, and a little Eugen, and this number may not be of any use in assassinations and riots: "Father told me, how do you see it? Whether a king is successful or not, let's see if he dares to walk alone among the people, if he can walk among the people and come back from the people, it means he must be loved." She turned around, He smiled mischievously and comfortably at Little Eugen, "It's a pity that he can't do it, neither can my husband, or in other words, the king of any powerful country can hardly do it, because while they are strong, they cannot do it. There are many enemies to avoid, and if these enemies are immoral or too stupid, they will do something unexpected."

   She turned to the end of the street again: "But Visby is just a city and Gotland is just a big island. Wouldn't it be disappointing if I couldn't do what my father said?"

   "Your father is admirable," said Governor Visby sincerely: "The name of the Sun King shines like his honor and never falls."

"I only hope to be able to do one percent of what he expects," said Elizabeth, and they continued on down the ramp, where several buildings below the chapel belonged to St. Mary's Cathedral, St. Mary's Cathedral is Visby's main church and the most conspicuous building in the city - white walls, red roof, three towering wooden towers - these three wooden towers have pointed tops , dyed a deep dark brown due to the erosion of the years and the smoke of fireworks, it is especially noticeable in the blue sky.

St Mary's Cathedral was not originally the largest church in Visby, but in a man-made fire, a tsunami of flames swept through most of the city, and people at that time were almost desperate, thinking they were going to Completely lost their home. Unexpectedly, the flames went out as soon as they touched the Cathedral of Santa Maria. The Gotlanders believed that they were under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary and changed the church to the master. a church, and see it as a monumental monument.

  The three wooden towers that were smoked by fireworks but miraculously not ignited have also become holy relics. Today, except for the archbishop and Queen Elizabeth, the owner of the city, ordinary people are not allowed to climb the towers. It's not that the priest who manages this church is chasing the fire, but the devout people always want to cut it off, cut off a piece of wood and take it home to protect themselves and their families. If there are no restrictions, it may not take a few days. These three buildings were not destroyed by the fire. The tower is about to be buried in the hands of believers.

But today Elizabeth did not bring them to visit the holy relics. Little Eugen was like family to her, and Visby was her territory. She avoided some red tape and completed herself step by step. Once she arrived in Visby, A series of important tasks to be completed—she is the Queen of Sweden after all, and she still spends most of the year in fulfilling the duties of the queen. On formal occasions, the absence of the queen by the king will inevitably cause a lot of discussion. I was able to see the Duke of Orleans and Eugen the Younger because they were the envoys of the Sun King, and because there were Swedes who wanted to join the new Crusade.

   "This is St. Mary's Orphanage," said Elizabeth.

In front of everyone is a wide courtyard, surrounded by green mulberry trees, and there is only one road leading to the hall. The robe, the white fabric bathed in the sun on the clothesline, swayed gently with the breeze, as if a group of noble female knights were dancing.

They were greeted by Bishop Visby, and a few priests, followed by Sister Sister, "Very good," said the Bishop, "Your Majesty, we have a hundred and fifty-three new babies, Just waiting for your blessing."

   "What?" Elizabeth frowned slightly, "There has been no major war recently."

"No," said the bishop, a sharp-eyed middle-aged man who, by the looks of it, and his hair hard enough to hold a bonnet, was not a man willing to give in easily: "the Polish ones The Tatars and Cossacks, who heard that there were monasteries here willing to accept abandoned children, put their children in small boats and pushed them to the shores of Gotland at high tide in the evening... well, if we If they are found, they will be **** together with the people they brought, thrown in a small boat, and sent back, but sometimes it is not possible, and we have no way to throw the child into the sea."

Little Eugen suddenly remembered what he had been through in Poland, and could not help but feel a deep compassion, but raising so many babies to be able to make a living on their own would require a lot of money, and it is conceivable. You know, this fee is going to flow like a stream.

"Wait a minute." Elizabeth said, there are no parents who are willing to abandon their children, but they don't want their children to become slaves, but... "Maybe it will be better in the future." Wait until Bourbon really becomes the master of Poland , the existing serfdom in Poland was abolished, and the Cossacks would no longer be forced to lose their children.

"Bring all the children," she said, and she and Eugen went to the main hall of the orphanage, where there were rows of benches and tables, which could be used for chapels, dining rooms, and workshops. Someone had prepared a high-backed chair for the queen. Little Eugen saw the bishop brought a box from the priest and served on the side. He only thought this scene was a little familiar, until a nun and mama carried a baby, Elizabeth. He touched his forehead and cheek lightly with his hand, and then hung a gold coin with a punched ribbon around his neck.

  Little Eugen immediately remembered, isn't this a "touching" procedure?

Louis XIV also "touched", in order to show his nobility and orthodoxy, how to be favored and affirmed by God, almost all kings will be "touched" when they are on the throne. Any disease can be treated by "touching", but little Eugen did not have the honor to see the "touching" of the Sun King, because - Louis XIV smiled and said to him, "touching" is just a kind of comfort Means, lymph nodes are originally a self-healing disease. As long as the patient is in a good mood and has sufficient nutrition, the possibility of recovery is very high. Are gold coins not gold coins?

But when the king popularized the hospital like universal education, and every year countless students came out of the medical school to become doctors, the people's desire for "touching treatment" became less, and they didn't even have to leave their own city. They can receive effective treatment, the price is not so high, the speed of recovery is also fast, and the full purse and rich goods can also ensure that they are well nourished, so why go all the way to Paris or Versailles?

But the Cossacks here, the abandoned babies of the Tatars obviously need this "touch treatment", and little Eugen can't hide his excitement and stares at every baby who has received the "blessing". This is undoubtedly the Queen's exercise. The power of the king, but the people present were calm and commonplace, which showed that on Gotland, Elizabeth did have undoubted power.

  These children...will become a force that belongs to Elizabeth in the future.

   "It will be a long time later." Elizabeth saw what he was thinking and smiled: "I was about to tell you that you may have a group of Swedish students in the future."

   "Swedes?" Little Eugen asked immediately: "Only Swedes?"

   "What do you say, isn't Gotland a part of Sweden?" Elizabeth said. "You have to teach them well."

"I don't know what I...my future will be," little Eugen had an urge to tell the older woman about the setbacks she had suffered since Leopold I was seriously ill, but was ashamed of it. Some content, unable to say: "Your Majesty, I am not a person worthy of their emulation."

"Let's talk more candidly," said Elizabeth. "My dear friend, my dear brother, I once thought you were a frivolous man, but now it seems that you are not a naughty child, or On the contrary, you are very harsh and worrying about yourself—if you are an ordinary Frenchman, a baron, a viscount or an earl, the things you hold on to are as worthless as dust and feathers, But you still can't figure it out, oops, I think I know why my father asked you to come here."

   She paused, "I saw you looked strangely relieved when you saw those Tatar babies, and I think you know how the Poles treat them."

   "They are dealing with the Cossacks in a cruel way, worse than the Romans, worse than the devils in hell."

"Then why don't you want to change this situation?" Elizabeth said: "Brother, I am a woman and I am doomed to not be able to go to war, but I also have my own method to eliminate the injustice and disaster in the world. You are a strong man. The man you are, you can go to the battlefield, and you are also a famous general, why are you still standing here, regretting and lingering uneasy for your frivolous and foolish actions when you were young?"

She couldn't wait for little Eugen to speak, and continued: "If I were you, Eugen, I would immediately jump on my horse and run to the battlefield of the New Crusade, and use my military exploits to make those Shirachita bow their heads in front of you. , bowing my head, I will exchange the heads of the Ottomans for the lives of the Cossacks, even if they don't want to; I will stand in Henry's court and shout to any great nobleman who dares to challenge the authority of the king Roar, and make them tremble with fear; I will lead my soldiers across the moor and fields, listening to all the cries of despair and pain, accepting their appeals, and giving them Swedes, French, or Everything that Spaniards enjoy, including freedom."

"When then," said Elizabeth, "when a hundred people, a thousand people, ten thousand people, or even more people see you as a saint, will you still remember your past mistakes? At that time, you will still laugh at yourself now, how like a giant elephant tied by a thin chain of childhood, afraid of the pain in the little memory and not dare to try it - obviously as long as you With a little effort, you can break free from the shackles."

   "I am only the **** son of an unrighteous man," cried little Eugen: "Your Majesty, I have sullied your reputation with those dark thoughts in my heart, and..."

   "And the Grand Princess, my cousin," said Elizabeth, and she saw that little Eugen's face turned pale again.

   "So you're going to Prussia and apologizing to her, as you are apologizing to me now."

   "Then..." Elizabeth held up little Eugen's face, she was still taller and firmer than him: "Then go to atonement, if you think those are your sins!"

   "Can I?"

"can!"

   Elizabeth said firmly.

  ———

   "It seems that I don't need to say anything more," said the grand princess, who is also the current Princess of Prussia.

"No need." Little Eugen said: "I'm a fool, Your Highness, I see myself too humble, and you too weak, and I can't extricate myself from the past, but I should know that in my Compared to the world I know, there are many more people who are suffering, and compared to them, I'm like a bummer."

He was silent for a while, and under the encouragement of the grand county master, he continued: "I want to accept the advice of the Queen of Sweden and join the new crusade." Little Eugen rubbed the buttons on his cuff: "The only talents I have are On the battlefield, if that's what I can do, then I'll do it."

"You are a virtuous person, but you don't have ideals. I'm glad you finally found it." The Grand Princess said kindly. Although it has been so many years, maybe it's because she is still a princess instead of a princess. For the Queen's sake, the Grand Princess seems to be more docile and less aggressive than the Grand Princess, but judging from the prestige she has built in and outside the Berlin Palace over the past few years, even if she is not an Eleanor (Aquitaine's Eleanor). Leno), and at least an Elena (Edward I's wife).

  The Grand County Lord smiled comfortingly and stretched out his hand to him: "I would also like to thank you for escorting my father to Berlin."

   "He is also my uncle." Eugen said, "It is my right and my duty."

   "It's me who's wrong," said the Grand Princess. "Then," she stood up, "let's go find him together. He will be very happy to see us."

The grand county lord is now the crown princess of Prussia. Of course, he will try to avoid being alone with young men, so as not to give birth to rumors. They walk and talk in the courtyard of the Berlin Palace, followed by maids and entourage, and the Duke of Orleans is invited to go with him. King William I of Prussia speaks, and they are in the signing room of the Berlin Palace, which can be said to be a semi-formal and intimate meeting place.

William I has been working hard to repair the alliance with France. After Leopold I finally ended the war with Louis XIV, he could finally get out of that awkward state. He was on the promenade and the Grand County. The Lord met, "your father should have gone back to his room," he said.

The grand county master can only go to the room of the Duke of Orleans. Like the Palace of Versailles, the room must be close to the suite of the royal family members for such an important guest. At this time, night has fallen, and the servant is lighting the lamp. In an instant, the mirror on the wall of the small hall suddenly showed a slender white shadow. Little Eugen turned his head sharply, his hand was already holding the short gun, but he couldn't see anything on the corridor.

Is    an illusion created by flickering candlelight?

Note: Eleanor of Aquitaine is known as the "two queens", which means that she was the queen of the king of France and the king of England, and because of the territory of Aquitaine in her dowry, the war between the two countries was triggered. King Henry (the second husband) fought against her husband with the intent of depriving her of power from her son.

Elena was the wife of the most wise and great King Edward I in England. She had a very sincere relationship with Edward I. She once participated in the Crusades with Edward I. After her death, Edward I was escorting her coffin back to the capital. On the way, a cross was erected at every stop, and he wrote a poem: My harp plays a sad song, I love her ardently when she lives, and I cannot but love her when she dies.

   (end of this chapter)