I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 127 Mary and Child of Calais

Colbert's suspicion was completely expected by the king. For people who did not have enough and advanced means of exploration, whether it was Africa or America, the New World gave them fish and fur, especially the French explorers. The road they opened for France was still stalled at what came to be called Quebec and is now called New France. From Henry IV to Louis XIII, their sight was always on Europa, and they did not have much interest in the New World. - Or, because in 1555 and 1612, France's opening of the New World was continuously attacked by Portugal and Spain, and they had to withdraw from Rio de Janeiro and Saint-Louis in Brazil. territorial desire.

But Louis knew that it was a treasure land promised by God, flowing with milk and honey, and buried with gold and silver, but this matter still needs to be discussed in the long run. Louis didn't even want to go to war with any country until the population decimated by the civil war had grown, at which point he would have to thank the previous kings of France for their sensitivity and efforts to the crown, for Charles II wrote again to complain that the Parliament was coercing him against him. The Netherlands declared war, because the Dutch fleet directly affected the business of the British. Like Louis, Charles II was unwilling to go to war at will, but at this time the British Parliament was almost controlled by the businessmen. These new nobles , once executed a king for his purse, exiled a protector of the country, and now threatens a king... Louis reminded himself that when reusing these merchants, they should also be careful about their ambitions, for these people , there is nothing that cannot be bought and sold, even fame, life or even a country.

The king's silence caused Colbert to glance at Bontang worriedly, and Bontang shook his head slightly, indicating that this did not mean that the king had any dissatisfaction with him, "These coins are well done," at this moment, the king said, and then he took a silver coin and a gold coin himself, and put them in Colbert's hand, "This is to reward you for your hard work," he said, "Bondon, you also come to get one, yes, each of them. Take one, and I'll take the rest to the Queen Mother." In fact, before handing over the two boxes of coins to the Queen Mother, Louis took a few coins and put them in his pocket. He gave them to the Queen, and Queen Teresa later pierced it through a hole and hung it around her neck as a pendant.

It wasn't just the queen who did it, the queen and the younger brother did it too, so this little ornament suddenly became popular in Paris and spread quickly in all directions, which caused a tiny problem, that is The circulation of these two coins has become a problem. Fortunately, the king does not have such a big ambition, and hopes that they can immediately replace the coins of Italy or Spain and become the currency of France. The French are still a little distrustful of their own coins. This is also a problem, but it will be handled by time, or in other words, to cultivate more credible people to find gold or silver for the king in the new world, after hundreds of years, almost all paper money in circulation And fictitious numbers, but banks will still have vaults, and the country will still have certain gold reserves, which is not unreasonable.

At the full moon of Louis and Teresa's firstborn, the king went to Calais. He didn't forget to ask for an inner world. He remembered that he had read a book in the inner world, which described a strange The small animal is very keen on precious metals. Wizards have always been worried that it will peel off buttons, bite off staff, or damage jewelry. Louis wondered if it is possible for this small animal to find what they need in the ground or on the ground. What about the minerals, after all, in his impression, those minerals are not far from the ground, and can even be found in rivers.

It is not a simple matter for the king to go to Calais. What happened to him when he went to Dunkirk last time, everyone knows that the Queen Mother does not want him to leave Paris, but as a king, he must be For those who wanted to go on an expedition and patrol, after a lot of reluctance, Louis still set off for northern France after Lent. This was his first official tour after he came to power. It was completely different from the period of exile. Every city along the way , every territory and every duke or marquis respectfully greeted their king, it was a great honor to be able to speak with the king, and none of the officials below the mayor were qualified to meet the king. Feeling helpless, Madame Lavalier, whom the queen insisted on taking him, has also become the object of flattery. Go, a "lady" recognized by the royal family replaces the queen here.

Madame Lavalier was surprisingly good at dealing with these scenes with silence and smiles. The king then remembered that she was, after all, Princess Henrietta's personal maid. When Henrietta's identity was embarrassing, her identity was even more so. It is not worth mentioning, and I know that she must have suffered a lot of difficulties and humiliation in the French court.

They stopped in many cities along the way, and the gifts received by the King and Madame Lavalier were almost piled up, and most of them were of great value, especially when passing through towns with a large number of Huguenots. It's because these believers also heard about the assassination of the king... but there are still not as many Huguenots in the north as in the south - the king stopped slightly when he passed a church, and all the people inside were Huguenots. , the people in the entourage couldn't help but tense up - but in the end the king still said nothing.

Of course Louis wouldn't let those who tried to kill him and almost succeeded so easily, but the problem was that the Huguenots had a lot of power in the South, and they were almost entirely made up of merchants and craftsmen , If Louis, as Bishop Mazarin worried at the beginning, went his own way and banned the Edict of Nantes issued by Henry IV, it is very likely to directly shake the foundation of France's industry and commerce. The stern Colbert also subtly admonished the king.

It seems that in addition to the Academy of Fine Arts, the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Letters, Louis thinks that primary and secondary schools for merchants and craftsmen must also be put on the agenda, and he has been educated like that, knowing that sometimes children receive education from teachers , which is more rapid and intense than the guidance they received from their parents, and has a deep memory. Or, he can also invite academicians of the Academy of Sciences to make some innovations and transformations in the existing handicraft industry, such as replacing labor with machinery, In this way, even if these Huguenots leave France because of the ban, they will not have an impact on the French handicraft industry, because machines are originally intended to replace humans, and most of them are.

This idea became stronger when the king arrived in Calais, because Calais is the place where tulle, lace and woven lace are rich. As a port city with a mild climate, the residents here, especially women, also As delicate as lace and lace, because it is summer, their clothes have become lighter - the women here, even the noble ones, are not as neat and rigid as the people in Paris, they Their dresses are almost always made of layered tulle, and then embellished with lace at important positions. In some private occasions, they even only wear a long loose dress, and then tie a jeweled belt around the waist.

That's how Mary was dressed. When she saw Louis, she immediately took a few steps forward with joy, as if to pounce, but then she stopped again, showing a complicated look, her indecision made Louis With a sigh, she stretched out her hand, and the king embraced her. Mary was a mother, but her body was not much plump, even thinner, and her butterfly bones protruded dangerously from under the skin like a pair of blades. , and the king could feel the clear spine, "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Not good," Mary replied, rude, but still made Louis laugh, Mary always seemed to be like this, maybe there was worry in his eyes, Mary seemed to want to be with him Arguing, but suddenly calm: "I...I know, Louie," she said sadly, "I did something wrong."

Louis did not respond because he guessed that this was not Mary's last words, and sure enough, Mary raised her head and said earnestly: "I did something wrong, but Louis, don't think of me as an enemy, okay? I don't Expect to be your wife, and don't expect to be your only love, but don't hate me, okay? Even for little Luciano's sake?"

Little Luciano is the real first-born son of Louis. As a descendant of witches, he was determined to be a wizard a few days after he was born, and perhaps because Louis also has outstanding talents, little Luciano is almost destined to become a wizard. A mighty man, his name was given by Louis, in Latin, it means from the glorious land, and also has the meaning of glory, this name is the expectation of a father and a king, although he cannot be like another brother. Born to be king that way, but Louis wants him to be king of the inner world—and that's what he uses to impress the Mancini family.

Little Luciano is still an animal that can only crawl on all fours. He is very familiar with his mother. When she is talking, he raises his head and looks around curiously. Louis gets up and sits on the carpet beside him. Not my enemy," Louis said. "Mary, I don't see my child's mother as an enemy. Sit down beside me," he gave Mary, and after Mary sat down, he said Mary said: "I did get mad at you, because Mary, you know how much effort I put in to be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility, and I also reminded you from the beginning that I not only Your Louis, also the king of France, the child of my father and mother, the elder brother of the king, the protector of the people, I admit that I am happy when we are together, like a little honey in a bitter life, so it seems Especially precious, but Mary, if I had really given up my duty, the rights and obligations God gave me, I would live with guilt and remorse all day long—maybe you don’t care…”

"I…"

"Don't deny it," Louis let little Luciano hold his thumb: "You think I'm going to be a wizard, and a wizard is always above mortals, and I shouldn't hate you or hate you for that...but You should also know by now that you don't feel good when people tell you it's all for your own good." He was referring to the ruthless deceit of the Mancini family after they struck a deal with the king. When Mary thought Louis would stay with her in the inner world, Louis only gave her one child.

"But I can promise you one thing," said Louis, "Mary, take good care of our children, the future Duke of Colonna, I have taken this identity from the Colonna family. In the inner world, his identity is Flawless, he was born in a formal marriage, with Merlin's blessing, and when he grows up, Mary, when he becomes king of the world, you'll have him come to meet me."

   "Will that be a long time, Your Majesty... twenty years, or thirty years?"

   "Take it as my punishment for you," said Louie, "unless your love doesn't last that long."

   "My love will last under six feet, Your Majesty," Mary said. "Every day I will love you more than the day before."

   "Then do as I say," said Louis. "If you need anything, you can tell Madame Milady that she is trustworthy."

"I do not like her."

"If you're saying she's too frivolous," said Louis, after thinking about it, "I can only say that it's for this reason that you don't have to worry, are you still worried that I'll be interested in such a lady? "

   "She is popular with many young wizards, and if I hadn't known that she really had no other bloodline, I would have wondered if she was another Mancini."

"The Mancini family is indeed rich in beauties." Louis said from the bottom of his heart, just look at little Luciano and little Louis. Although they are still babies, in terms of appearance, little Luciano is indeed better than little Louis. , he also looks stronger than little Louis, not only because he is nearly a year older, the wizard's physique is indeed far superior to ordinary people.

   "Then," continued Marie, "compared to that Madame Lavalier?"

   "You don't know who she is, do you." Louis said, "She is a werewolf."

   "Will she give birth to your child?"

"I have no idea."

   "Maybe you want to say I'm jealous, but Louis," Mary gave the carpet a grim smile: "A wizard's child may not be a wizard, but a werewolf child must be a werewolf, Your Majesty."

  …

   (end of this chapter)