I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 29 The Ugly and Real Parisian Streets

Coincidentally, Sebastian's friend was having a lover on Turbig Street, and her father was a stubborn and grumpy man, so Sebastian's friend had to sneak through The alley went on a date with her, so as soon as he heard what the prince's servant said, he immediately knew the prince's current position, "It's just that you can't ride a horse in that kind of alley," he said embarrassedly: "Even if it's walking, it's very embarrassing. "

"Then we won't ride," said the king, then waved his short sword, tore up his own horse coat, and wrapped it in soft and beautiful square-toed shoes. They were going to fight, and of course they couldn't wear clogs anymore. Look at the bazaars that have been "cleaned" and know how terrifying the streets are that are cut off from the king's sight.

The Musketeers followed suit, and their horses were put in the care of the mayor, and Sebastian and his friends were wearing boots to save the trouble, and the king's eyes were on their light maroon shoulder straps. After a while, "Are you officers of the Kongdai Corps?"

   "Not all of them, Your Majesty." Sebastian Vauban said proudly: "I am still a trainee officer, and I came to Paris because of the admiration of the Prince, to accept the commendation and the post of officer."

   His friend glanced at the king uneasily.

Louis smiled: "I swear that the Prince of Condé would be very willing to give you this position." He said: "You, and your friends, will not only be rewarded by the prince for your bravery, but also mine, I said before, I'm going to give each lad five gold louis, and so do you."

Sebastian's friend squirmed his lips, as if to say something, but at this time, they had to set off, and he had to take the honorable man and the musketeers into the nearest alley in dejection. .

Everything was just as Louis expected, and where the king could not see, it was full of filth and ugliness - the road of the Red Boys Market was only flat dirt, there was only mud and potholes, and the potholes were full of black water, which could not be used. The identified waste is the raised hills in the swamp, on which maggots and flies dance wildly all day long, and all kinds of odors keep pouring into their noses, at most, the hot smell of fermented feces, and dry meat. The musty stench, or the sour stench of cheese, the sticky stench of pickled and tumbled fur, the chilling stink of dead cats and dogs... They were passing through an open In the courtyard, she saw a potbellied woman squatting on a pile of coal ash. She looked numbly at every man passing by, and continued the production process without any cover. A baby fell from her skirt and fell to the ground. A little dust was raised.

   She glanced down, lifted her skirt, and just threw the baby in the soot, and went on to do her job—washing clothes in urine.

  Sebastian almost rushed over, his friend grabbed him and shook his head, indicating that they had more important things to do.

Louis can only write down this matter. It's not that he can't give the woman some money, but he also knows very well that the dark windows seem to say that the room is empty, but there are many hungry mobs here. It was only because the king and his party were well-dressed, wearing muskets and daggers, but if he took out the gold coins, it would ignite the fuse leading to evil. He knew how terrible the people were when they were crazy. Sometimes they themselves don't know what they are doing, and they are completely dominated by impulse.

Fortunately, this alley was frequented by Sebastian's friends, although it was indeed dirty, rugged, and narrow—the widest part only allowed two slender women to pass face to face, and the narrowest part. The place asks the musketeers to raise their hands and move over sideways. Every house is covered. The upper floor directly protrudes from the bottom wall for several feet, facing the floor of the roadway, blocking almost all light. - From the gaps between the sparse wooden boards, you can see the scene in the room, there are traces of scorch and water soaking, and there are deliberately dug holes, and there are piles of ancient feces below, it seems that someone has taken this place as his private toilet.

   Such stamps are of different heights. Even Louis has to bow his head at the lowest point, and can only allow them to raise his head at the highest point.

The only good thing is that they saved a lot of time, and in just a few minutes they were at the place where the Prince Condé had happened, the prince's carriage was lying on the street, the bridles were loose, there were no horses, and the sharp eyes of Sebatis Ann Sweeping across the street, he immediately pointed out where the Prince might be. The Musketeers were reluctant to believe him, but Sebatisian argued that he was only seen by his superiors because of his unusual talent for barricade tactics. It was recommended to Prince Condé. He knew at a glance that the carriage was deliberately overturned, and it may be that Prince Condé used it as a protective barrier - there were obvious musket projectiles passing through and hitting the carriage. The traces of cracks, he had seen countless times in Lorraine.

And the traces left by these projectiles are almost concentrated on the left side of the carriage, that is to say, the prince must be hiding on the right side. On the right side is a tavern, an antique shop and a hard-collar shop. He chose the antique shop without hesitation. . "But how do you know that the prince is in the antique shop?" asked the king.

"That's for sure," Sebastian said. "If it were me, I would also choose an antique shop. Your Majesty, the prince is a heroic warrior. In the antique shop, in addition to the jewelry that ladies like, there are also short pieces that men like. Sword and armor, he can arm himself in no time."

  Sebatisian's speculation was correct. As soon as they rushed into the store, they saw that Prince Condé was holding a small shield and a rapier, confronting three assassins at the same time.

The Duchess of Montpensier is so infatuated with the prince for no reason. He is in the best years of his life as a man. He has fought for France for 12 years, and his long military life has given him a healthy physique. With fearless guts, he has a broad forehead, black curly hair draped over his shoulders, eyes glowing with rage, neat white teeth clenched tightly, but every time he swings his sword, he lets out a lion-like roar. .

Because they were so close, the king did not order the musketeers to shoot, but drew their swords and spoke with the assassins, the musketeers were strong and brave boys, and the two helpers who had volunteered Not showing weakness, but the small and messy storeroom limited their performance. Sebastian and his friends helped the prince at the king's gesture, and the others went to help the other two.

Seeing so many helpers from the prince, the assassins immediately showed a flinching look on their faces. Prince Kongdai showed courage many times that of a pampered person. Even if his enemy escaped, he would chase after him. Go up, and thrust the sword into his back personally, then turned to fight alongside the two officers who were clearly of the Condé's regiment.

They knocked down almost all the shelves in the antique shop. First, the prince was trying to slow down his pursuers. Later, it was the assassins who wanted to get rid of the musketeers. Acting as armor and weapons, the sound of batches and pongs could be heard incessantly. Only two musketeers had been standing beside the king, watching the surroundings vigilantly. For them, although it was a pity that His Majesty could not see their excellent skills and strength, but It is also a great honor to be able to protect the king.

When they saw Prince Kongdai walking towards the king with a sword in hand, they immediately put their hands on the musket and hilt that threatened him. Prince Kongdai seemed to realize something, he threw the weapon on the He fell to the ground and knelt down in front of the king.

  The king stretched out his hand, and he kissed it at once.

   (end of this chapter)