I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 90 How the King Rewarded Marie Mancini (Part 2)

   Such hairstyles are of course impossible to cover with scarves or hats.

In the same way, it must also be matched with the corresponding costumes and jewelry, so after the barber and the king have withdrawn, the maids are like birds with flowers in their mouths with a complete set of jewelry and costumes for Mary. Dress up, in the same way, today's dress has also been adjusted by the king, the chest expands to the sides of the shoulders, exposing part of the collarbone, a short pearl necklace hangs down a diamond the size of a thumb - the diamonds at this time are mostly cut by grandmothers. The green method, but the diamonds here, from the hairpin to the pendant, all adopt the olive-point cut method required by Louis, so that the brilliance at the sharp corners is so high that it is almost impossible to open your eyes.

   But no rings and earrings, so as to fit the identity of Marie Mancini, after all, Louis just wanted to show her importance to himself, not to further damage her reputation. In the palace, it is quite rude to dress more luxuriously than the superiors. If someone is too exaggerated, it will not only arouse the dissatisfaction of the princes and dignitaries, but will also be ridiculed for being unsophisticated and frivolous.

After that, there were rouge and mirabilis powders that Louis copied with a very small but absolutely deep memory. Maybe no one knows where the mirabilis powder first came from - but Louis still remembers that its origin is in America, And now that France has a very large land in the Americas, it is not difficult to get some mirabilis. He even started to grow these flowers in Versailles a few years ago, but until this year, their seed production will not produce enough for The powder sold - Compared with the lead powder that is more used by women nowadays, Mirabilis powder not only does not damage the body, but also nourishes and whitens the skin. It is also more delicate and has a natural fragrance.

It is also necessary to mention rouge here. No matter in which era, or in the East or the West, people never cover up their enthusiasm for red. Even though red is the representative of sin in Catholicism, it can be seen from holy clothes to women. Their skirts, they still scrambled to wear red fabrics on their bodies to show off their identity and wealth - the red pigment familiar to the French originally came from the Ottoman Turkish Empire, the main material of this red is madder, the accessories It's cow dung, bull's blood and olive oil. The taste is touching. Even so, European artisans (there is even a dyer's guild in France) have been experimenting for hundreds of years and have not been able to reproduce it. There are also St. John's blood and Armenia. Red, the main material is a rare bug, of course, one can imagine how little they are produced - the red velvet coat, which was presented to the king by M. Fouquet, worth five hundred livres, of which about There are three hundred livres in its color.

But if possible, when the king chooses the color of his clothes, he seldom chooses red, except for the shoulder straps - this is the color his father chose for him, there is no way to change it, not for other, just because almost all the red dyes dedicated to the king are now From Spain, France's enemy - one of their courtiers brought back from America a dye called cochineal, the little bug that grows on cacti and brought Spain a steady stream of wealth, so much so that people Also call them red gold.

  Louis didn't want at all to make France's enemies richer, so with the court running at the king's liking, the bright color was gradually withdrawn from the court - except that the women had to use it for rouge. Although Louis regretted it, he was also working hard to attract more scholars to France. He remembered that the appearance of chemical pigments was not far from now. Who knows when it will suddenly appear, as long as he is willing to give support - this It is also the reason why he valued Rene Descartes. Although the church and the old-fashioned did not like him, he was the king among scholars. If he was willing to formally teach at the University of Paris, there would be some outstanding talents like moths to a flame. flew to France.

   In the end, it was Bontang's whispered reminder that brought back the thoughts of the king's departure. At the moment when the door opened, although almost all of these were done by himself, Louis still showed a surprised smile.

She is so beautiful, if before entering the room, Marie was a beautiful little girl, a flower bud waiting to bloom, then now she has shown her charm, and the rose rouge also from Versailles has swept her away from the gloom before. , become alive and full of hope.

  The light green coat and skirt that the king specially chose for her was also embroidered with pink roses, just like the silk flowers that Mary wore on her head, they complemented each other and echoed each other.

   They smiled at each other and could hardly take their eyes off each other, as is the case with any pair of lovers.

  ———

At the ball before dinner, the king first danced the Basdown with the Duchess of Montpensier, and then the minuet with Henrietta. During the Gavotte, the ladies were all guessing that the king would Choose who to be his dance partner-Louis pulls a pink rose from a water bottle beside and inserts it in the second button hole, then walks to Mary-Mary came out happily, holding hands with the king to the hall, The hateful eyes were still piercing her body like thorns, but she was no longer afraid.

The   Gavotte dance comes from the folk. In the court, the Delgavote dance has become complicated and regular, but the whole is still full of a relaxed and happy atmosphere, or it is the king who rarely shows the vitality of people of this age.

The Queen Mother was not unhappy when she saw this scene. Louis was the child she and Louis XIII only had after 23 years of marriage. He was born with high expectations. She and Mr. Bishop, especially, She's going to say she doesn't like Marie Mancini - she knew the kid when Louis told her he'd choose Marie as his Gavot dance partner after he was hurt by her brother I'm afraid it can't be reversed.

The issue is…

   "Marie Mancini is still a... a virgin." The Queen Mother's eyes were always sharp. She looked at Mr. Bishop who was beside her.

   "The king does not want to interfere with her future marriage," said Mr. Bishop.

It was the custom at this time that, generally speaking, it was common for those who were prominent to find a husband for their lover, and that husband was often always knowledgeable, unless the former's love disappeared, or the When a big man dies, they will never ask their wives to fulfill their marriage obligations, and sometimes, they will deliberately run far away.

   "So I said..." The Queen Mother clapped her hands with her closed fan.

   "Bontang said the king had changed his clothes in the morning and he was healthy," said Mr Bishop.

   "Okay," the Queen Mother said helplessly, "I think so for now, but you have to arrange it, even if it's not Mary."

   (end of this chapter)