I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 21 A corner of the curtain

Louis roughly estimated that although the church recognized the existence of werewolves and vampires around 1414, this does not mean that there were no dark creatures in the surface world before, and the saints of the church have existed since 54 BC. It was recorded, that is to say, although those people who do not know whether they really have extraordinary power have been hidden in the dark and cruel battle for a thousand years, maybe at the beginning, they were indeed religious and hardworking, only People who worked for the Lord, but even the wise King Solomon became stupid and stupid in his old age, let alone a group of mortals who had to eat, drink, live and travel despite having great power.

   And the king quickly thought of a question: "According to you, do these monks and judges in black choose their disciples from mortals, or from their relatives?"

This sentence made Dean Lariviere glance at him in surprise. This is not something that an eleven-year-old child who has not received any professional education can say - even when he was eleven years old. , and only understands bread, sparrows and the skirts of the maids, "Yes, Your Majesty, although they also select disciples called by the Holy Spirit from mortals, most of them are from their relatives."

Louis nodded, and he understood that at first, there were only a few people with extraordinary abilities. It was a simple matter to maintain tradition or obey the precepts when the number was small, but later, maybe it was to deal with The rapidly spreading darkness, perhaps because their faith was shaken by worldly emotions, some monks returned to the secular world, married wives, and their children inherited their perception of the Holy Spirit, thus becoming the main force against heresy.

   This made him immediately think of another thing: "So is the Templars involved in this matter again?"

"The Templars are a branch of these monks." Dean Lariviere said while admiring the sensitivity of the young king: "Well, to be clear, Your Majesty, they are considered to be made by the church. an attempt."

That's right, Louis thought, if it were him, he wouldn't be so helplessly watching this power out of his control, he can only say that the church can only be said to be powerless before this - in AD 395 Before the split of the Roman Empire, the development of the church was difficult. Not to mention the congregation, even the bishops and the pope were martyred. In 756, the Frankish King Pepin donated the soil, and the church was finally able to lay the foundation. They all fought endlessly, and even split into two churches, the East and the West.

Founded in 1119, the Knights Templar were officially recognized by the church ten years later. Within a hundred years after the church split, when the Catholic Church was stable at the beginning, they began to attack the extraordinary power they had coveted for a long time. In this case, the Temple The strange power and expansion speed of the Knights have also been reasonably explained - as well as the various strange rituals and decrees in the Knights Templar. Thinking of this, even Louis can't help but gossip. Heart, he leaned towards Abbot Lariviere and asked in a low voice: "I heard that the Knights Templar were declared heretics by King Justice (Philip IV) in 1307, and after interrogation, they Being convicted of a lot of horrible crimes, um... but what I want to know is that the Templars really do something very blasphemous... or something rude during initiation and training..."

Dean Lariviere took a sip when he heard the words, he, ah, because of some relatively special identities, he knew it, but he... He took a closer look at the king's expression, and found that in those beautiful blue eyes It really only belongs to the curiosity of children, and these things can only be said to be open secrets in the church, and Philip IV, unfortunately, is the ancestor of this king, even if he does not talk about it now, wait until this After the king assumes power, he will still know. The dean is eager to gain the favor of the superior, and looks forward to one day climbing to a position like Richelieu and Mazarin. He moved his footstool closer to the king, leaned his body, and said in a low voice as much as possible: "I can tell you, but your majesty, you must not say it - speaking, they are related to your ancestors. , Philip III of Capet also has some indelible connections."

  Louis raised one eyebrow and motioned him to continue.

When he saw that the king was not angry because of his arrogant behavior, he showed a more interested look, and he couldn't help but be a little more excited: "Your Majesty, I wonder if you have heard the sentence, 'If they are innocent, Why not let the flames melt gold and put him on trial to prove his innocence!'?"

  Louis pondered and shook his head.

"These words were written by Philip IV in the secret letter, which was the secret letter, which led his officials to arrest all members of the Knights Templar without hesitation, and to torture them immediately. Dean Lariviere whispered, "Although the punishments were still crude at the time, I mean, Your Majesty, they bound criminals to iron frames, greased their feet and bodies, and put them in Roasted on the fire, the tortured people all screamed and answered any questions."

   "But wouldn't such an act cause injustice?" Louis asked.

"This is to blame Jacques Morais, the commander-in-chief of the Knights Templar at the time. After he took office, he foolishly confided some inside information about the Knights to the then Pope Clement V, involving the former Pope. The details of Boniface VIII and Philip IV's father, Philip III, surprised Clement V, and he handed it over to Philip IV, and it was for this reason that With that horrible secret letter."

   "Is there a connection between these two?"

"Isn't it true," said Lariviere, "you may not know that Boniface VIII and Philip III were secret members of the Knights Templar at that time, but Philip III's initiation ceremony It was held later than Boniface VIII, the problem was that Philip III's initiation came shortly before his eldest son Louis died, and at the time there was a prophecy claiming that Philip III committed 'unnatural' Sin', and if he does not repent, one of his princes will die in six months - Your Majesty, the Capetians have always had a sacred family tradition, and every king has regarded himself as the most devout monarch, starting with Louis VII, This family claimed to be dedicated to the Crusaders, and they did so, so it stands to reason that they should have been protected by God, but..." Larivière spread his hands, "Philip III. Instead, it was as if he had suffered some kind of curse. His father died of dysentery in battle, and he could not even return to his court. The same was true for his eldest son, and even more so for himself. Isn't this a harsh punishment? ?"

   "There are also legends that Philip III's step-wife poisoned his eldest son to get her son to the throne," Louis said.

"Isn't it more of a curse that the wife is a witch?" said Larivière, "and Philip IV obviously believed in another version, and from the venom of this secret letter, you can guess that at that time he had How angry."

"so…"

   "Yes, all the accusations are true, especially the filthy parts... Alas, Your Majesty, I really shouldn't say it, because they'll definitely get your ears dirty."

   "Stop selling off." The king said, pouring himself a cup of tea for the fat gossip chief, and adding a lot of sugar.

   "Well, since you ordered me to say it, let me tell you one thing, they, ahem... did something extremely blasphemous."

Dean Lariviere made a few gestures: "Your Majesty, you are still a child, anyway, first the new knights kiss their seniors, then their seniors kiss the new knights, and then they take Come to the cross, trample it under your feet, spit on it, pee..."

   "It's crazy, it's crazy, Dean, it's really crazy."

   "No, Your Majesty, that's what they do."

   "Uh huh huh," Louis sighed: "This is really evil."

"The more evil is behind," Dean Larivière said, "is there any part that can't be disclosed - Your Majesty, they will also... drink it as a sacrament, drink it with the chalice in turn... those, do many crazy things before the cross matter…"

   "Isn't this something only heretics do!"

"That's why." Dean Lariviere said, "Philip IV worshipped his grandfather, Louis IX. During his reign, Louis IX became a saint. He related the death of his grandfather to his brother's death. His death was all due to the evil rituals his father performed when he secretly joined the Order, and despite Clement V's best efforts to intercede, he insisted on executing most of the Knights Templar."

   "How can you still beg for mercy?"

"Because, according to the Knights Templar," said Abbot Larivière, "they fought against the infidels for a long time, so in order to avoid being humiliated and tortured when they were captured by the infidels, they That's how...we formulated such a set of initiation ceremonies and training content..."

  Louis smiled and leaned back on the seat: "Well, shouldn't they keep their fidelity under any circumstances?"

"Your answer is exactly the same as that of the just king," said Dean Lariviere. "Yes, he said the same." His eyes slanted to one side: "He not only said so, but Threatened the then Pope Clement V, Your Majesty, he said that if the Pope could not act impartially, he would make the confessions of the Templars public, you know, at least, Boniface VIII, Clement V His predecessor was a secret member of the Knights Templar. Once the confession is made public, the church's face will be reduced to a quagmire, so," he shrugged, "the next thing will not be interesting, Your Majesty, Your theology teachers, if they teach here, will tell you how they were banned and denied."

This Gualouis ate with relish. Compared with his current theology teacher, that is, Father Poitier, who is the mentor beside the Queen Mother Anne, Lariviere boldly knows more. He looked at this eagerly and thought. Man of power: "You're a lot more interesting than my theology teacher." Louie said with the naive tone of a child: "I'd like you to be my teacher."

   La Riviere's fat face suddenly flushed with excitement, which made him look more like the saint the children admired most.

   "Extremely... honored!" He even stuttered a little: "I am very willing, Your Majesty, I am very willing."

"I still have to talk to the bishop and my mother, but I think they will agree." Louis said, if it is a minister or a wise man Mazarin and the Queen Mother Anne may still consider it, but Lariviere Well, every Parisian knows that he is a clown who overestimates his ability and dares to compete with the Archdeacon Reis and the Prince of Conte. Bishop Mazarin handed him over to Louis just for his amusement.

   "Tell me then," Louis continued: "Since the Church supported the Knights Templar in 1129, how could they have established the Inquisition in 1231, and then the Inquisition?"

"That's why I said earlier that it was the will of Holy Father Gregory IX," Larivière said. "He didn't like the Knights Templar very much at that time, because they had too much association with pagans. He is also good at accumulating money, and..." He paused: "There are also crimes such as alcoholism and gluttony, so he devoted himself to setting up an extraordinary organization dedicated to the church. At that time, I mean, those monks in the original world. and its descendants, also shaken by the Knights Templar incident." He gave the king a wink you know: "Some people live like King Solomon, while others still live precariously and frugally. Days, even the most devout monks can't contain the surging tide... They have this tendency, plus the promise of Gregory IX... And then you see, the next few decades they did no better than the Temple The Knights are worse, even worse, and unlike the Knights Templar, they are not deeply involved in the secular power struggle, so the leaders of the church gradually turned to them - Jacques. Morley is indeed doing stupid things, but if the Church hadn't already had the idea of ​​abandoning them, these things should have been cut off in the presence of Holy Father Clement V."

   "Does the church still have the same view on these supernatural beings?" Louis asked.

"It's not very consistent." Lariviere said, "It's not the church's problem, but the black judges and the ascetic monks of the tribunal. It's true that the monks are the main force, but the judges are obviously more important. The favor of the superiors is mainly because... Well, monks always have to be religious. Of course, it's okay for them to be pious, but it's wrong to be less respectful to the Roman church, although I must admit that sometimes those guys are really nothing to respect. , but you know..." La Rivière struggled to find the right adjective.

   "The wood is beautiful in the forest, and the wind will destroy it." Louis said.

"Oh, that's what I said," Larivière complimented without missing an opportunity: "This is a philosophical statement worth transcribing into the Bible, Your Majesty, please allow me to repeat it... Mu Xiu Yu Lin, Feng Bi Destroyer, O God, what a precise and elegant phrase, I really want to tell everyone at once."

  Louis couldn't help laughing: "Farewell, Dean, this sentence may not be very appropriate to use here. I guess they hate those ascetic monks because their piety contrasts with the impiety of some people."

   "No," Dean Larivière said meaningfully: "This is the most deadly."

   "What about the judges in black?"

   "They're better. To be honest, they're similar to those in the Roman church. After all, they all have wives and children that haven't been made public yet. They have to think about themselves."

   "Then the Church didn't want to treat those monks the same way it treated the Knights Templar?"

"It's hard." Lariviere said solemnly: "Only the most devout ascetics can become a sharp sword that can restrain dark creatures, and if they indulge in worldly pleasures, even the most gifted children will Will be annihilated among mortals... All the Church needs is their power, without which they have no meaning."

   "It seems that the church is also having a headache," Louis said. "If you are not religious enough, you will have no power, but if you are religious enough, the church's actions will be questioned."

La Rivière smiled happily: "That's right, Your Majesty. But it's impossible for them to give up. Whether it's the Inquisition or Rome, the church has gradually grown stronger in "On the Power of the Monks and Princes", which can be compared with these monks. There is a close relationship, but the situation of the church has not been as good as before, after all..."

   "After all, the power of the world is also getting stronger."

   "Yeah," Lariviere sighed: "Especially after the appearance of muskets, mortals are not powerless to fight back against dark creatures."

"There must be enough guns and ammunition, and enough soldiers," Louis said. "Brave soldiers." Just like his musketeers, they must be superior in numbers and firepower, otherwise mortals will be unable to Fight against those dark creatures.

  La Rivière thought for a while, but didn't speak, because the current king doesn't even have his own army, why should he mention His Majesty's sadness?

   But his eyes couldn't help but fall on the king's red shoulder straps.

At this time, various forces in Paris had their own armies, and then in order to identify enemies and friends, officers would wear shoulder straps of various colors on their shoulders, the royalists were white, the Prince of Condé was light maroon, the Duke of Orleans was Gaston is dark blue, Mazarin... Alas, this bishop actually has his own army. Their shoulder straps are green, but it is the orthodox of this country. His Majesty has only some musketeers and young servants to accompany him. , It is said that it was damaged a lot in the previous assassination.

Just as Dean Lariviere was debating whether or not he should give a sum of Riffel to show his loyalty, the king suddenly called his name affectionately and said, "Mr. Lariviere." He said : "If you want, I have one thing for you to do now."

   "Please tell me." Lariviere said quickly and earnestly: "What do you want me to do? Your Majesty, even if you want to dance face-to-face with the devil, I will go."

  Louis smiled: "No, I'm not that interested yet, Mr. Dean, I just want to renovate the chapel of the Tuileries Palace."

   "Why, it is a good thing to serve the Lord," said M. Lariviere, "you will be rewarded well, Your Majesty."

   "I'll give you ten thousand gold louis, do what you want," said Louie, "but I have a request."

   "I'm listening."

"Please hire as many citizens of Paris as possible to do it, don't pay them directly, pay them bread and wine, do it for a day, do it for a day, of course men are fine, children and women are fine, as long as they can do things, they can Invite them to come."

   Dean La Riviere raised his head and blinked, then he understood, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will try to hire as many people as possible."

   "This is work for the Lord," Louis said. "It doesn't matter how many people there are. If you don't have enough money, you can come and tell me at any time."

  La Rivière had already planned to fill part of it himself, but being able to get the qualification to see the king at any time was enough to satisfy him. He was keenly aware of the tired face of the young king, so he respectfully stepped back and prepared to leave.

   "One more thing," Louis stopped him: "If there is nothing in the way, can you tell me how you know these things?"

  La Rivière hesitated for a moment, "I am a small mistake made by the venerable Holy Father Urban VIII when he was young." After speaking, he bowed again and again and withdrew.

now it's right.

Louis said in his heart that Urban VIII abdicated in 1644. Richelieu was in power when he was in power. In order to contain Richelieu, he specially promoted Mazarin, so that a priest from poor background entered Louis Thirteen eyes, so even if Mazarin eventually became Richelieu's heir by accident, he would still be grateful for the kindness of Urban VIII to him, so although Larivière was only an abbot , and was not favored by Urban VIII, who could still be recommended to the king.

   (end of this chapter)