I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 211 Henrietta's Persuasion and the Decision of Charles II (4)

   "That's great," said Henrietta, looking at her brother and smiling suddenly, "You know what? I'm the Duchess of Orleans of Bourbon and Princess Henrietta of Stuart."

   "I know, but sister, what are you trying to tell me?"

   "Let me persuade you to try to promote the alliance between France and England, even at the expense of making such a promise - to the Duke of York, it is His Majesty's intention, I think you have guessed it."

   "Yes, he is a devil who gives temptations that I cannot resist."

   "But Louis also once said that a king who is not hated by his enemies will not be a good king."

   "What a sharp statement." Charles II said sharply: "Henry VIII also once said that the number of enemies you have often means how strong you are."

   "So he will definitely take advantage of this. If my brother, the Duke of York is canonized, then after that, whether you have an heir or not, this matter will become the beginning of chaos."

   "It's like drinking poison to quench thirst, but sister, it was you who held my hand and signed my name."

   "It's your greed, my brother, but this matter is not without wiggle room."

"If you meant that I should put the Duke of York to death, I would not have done that," said Charles II. "I have no heir, he is first in line to the thrones of Scotland, Ireland and England, and though I hate him, I do not. I won't let Stuart's orthodoxy be severed in my hands."

   "But when things calm down, you will fulfill your previous agreement." Henrietta said: "Brother, I was the Duchess of Orleans before, but from now on, I will be Henrietta."

   "Dawn is coming, we are running out of time. Sister, if you have anything, just say it."

   "Then I said, Brother Wang, you and the queen have no children. You must have asked God and saints. Now please tell me, have you asked the devil?"

"Oops!" Charles II immediately jumped up from his chair, he recalled Henrietta's words in his mind, and his expression became more and more frightened: "What nonsense are you talking about, Henrietta! You pushed me towards The gaming table doesn't count, and you're going to push me to hell?"

"That's strange," Henrietta said calmly. "Aren't you surrounded by wizards and witches? If it wasn't for them, it would be hard for you to guarantee that our secrets would not be caught by them. Sharp ears and eyes hear and see."

"Yes, but it's different." Charles II tightened his forehead, his head even buzzing a little: "Henrietta, children born under witchcraft do not belong to their parents, nor do they belong to them. God, he only belongs to wizards, I can't let such a child inherit my throne." He suddenly raised his head and stared at Henrietta, "You're not going to tell me that Louis' children came this way too!" Louis XIV's children were much easier than his father Louis XIII, and almost immediately after the wedding ceremony, the queen had children.

"It's a pity, no," said Henrietta, "but all you need is time, and a war will not end prematurely, and if your child is born in a year, the Duke of York is still at sea , someone will surely reject your will..."

"Ah, yes, this is not the first time." Charles II's gloomy face was covered with a dangerous gray: "But my ministers, those Protestants, they have secretly had a secret relationship with the Duke of York. First and last. They're just cheering for it to get done."

   "But anyway, you're a Protestant, not a Catholic."

   This sentence made Charles II laugh: "So does the Duke of York."

   "You can let him not, his wife, unfortunately, the daughter of the Earl of Clarendon seems to have died."

   "Yes, God bless her."

"Their relationship between husband and wife does not seem to be very harmonious." Princess Henrietta said that although the average life expectancy of people at this time is short, it is only for those in the middle and lower classes. The Duchess of York is only in her twenties. He had only been married for less than ten years, neither because of the dystocia nor because of the plague. The Duke of York was a mercenary man. After he got the position of Lord of the Admiralty, he first took the blame for the Dunkirk incident. And because he publicly accused Charles II of his lack of morality, and at the same time caused the disgust of the king and the parliament, he was used as a scapegoat for the defeat of the Second Anglo-Dutch War, and he expelled the elderly from the United Kingdom. The same is true of his wife, who neither respects nor loves, so that the lady died of depression at a young age: "I have a good marriage here to tell him."

   "Then tell me about it first." Charles II asked with interest.

   "How about the daughter of Duke Monad?"

"Monard of Italy?" This candidate made Charles II bounce his tongue involuntarily: "The descendant of the illegitimate son of Alexander VI?" He relished the scandal that he had messed with his biological sister, and even brought up their father, the then Pope Alexander VI, who was the great-grandfather of the current Duke of Monad, although the reputation of his ancestors was not good. Good, but the Duke of Monad is indeed one of the most famous and powerful princes in Italy. His daughter married the Duke of York, which was a blessing for the Duke of York. Anyway, his first wife It is only the daughter of an earl, and Duke Monad is well known for his wealth, so his dowry for his daughter must not be too simple.

   Don't forget that the expenses of the British royal family are in the hands of the parliament, and Charles II is stretched thin. Could it be that the Duke of York can go anywhere? Such a glittering bride, even Charles II couldn't help but be moved.

   "His daughter Maria is eleven years old and can start talking about marriage next year."

   "Will the Duke of Monad be willing?"

   "If the title of Duke of York is not enough, then add the title of Prince of Wales. Wouldn't he wish he had a daughter who was Queen of England?"

   "I almost thought you were a lobbyist for the Duke of York." Charles II sighed. If the marriage was a success, then the Duke of York's status would be even more unshakable.

   "But it must not be what your ministers and deputies want to see." Princess Henrietta said: "You may not know that the Church of Rome is also in contact with Louis XIV."

   "Ah, yes, I heard that Alexander VII was dying." Charles II said without respect.

   "Not only do they want to make peace with the King of France, but they also want to talk to you."

Charles II's eyes widened. Of course, in England, the dispute between Protestantism and Catholicism has lasted for hundreds of years. He has experienced wars, massacres and exiles caused by several kings because of their beliefs. Fighting, it's just that the Church of Rome is willing to lower its stature and talk to their hateful Protestant king first, which is really a rare thing.

   "What's weird about that, isn't that the case with Lady Christina?"

"So she's no longer king of Sweden," said Charles II casually, and then he suddenly paused: "The Duke of Monard and his daughter are Catholics, but would he also ask the Duke of York to convert? "

"It doesn't matter whether he wants it or not," said Henrietta languidly. "We only need your ministers and councillors to believe that the Duke of York accepted a bribe from the Church of Rome to become a Catholic with his wife. Then , brother, as long as the queen shows her belly, of course there will be objections, at least to delay the canonization of the Duke of York, so that you will neither break your promise nor let you lose the title of Prince of Wales."

   "The Duke of York..."

"He was at sea then, and you had only to control his ears and eyes, and what his messenger said, he would believe, and," sighed Henrietta, "I am not sure, for Mona's sake. The Duke's daughter and her dowry, will he really convert to Catholicism?"

"And this is what my ministers are most afraid of." Charles II said that once the Duke of York obeyed the king's will and led an army, it would be a kind of betrayal for these people, and once he intended to convert to Catholicism. Open, then those who support him will be angry and panic, yes, there is a **** Queen Mary in front (the daughter of Henry VIII, after inheriting the British throne, not only converted to Catholicism, but also at home Restoring the Catholic faith and setting off the massacre of Protestants), in the short five years she was in power, countless Protestants were forced into exile and forced to convert, and even more led by the Archbishop of Cranmer. More than 300 people, including Protestants, were burned at the stake, and the prisons in London were overcrowded. This tragedy will never be forgotten by any Protestant, and they will never continue to support the Duke of York.

The Duke of York may have glimpsed the conspiracy, but at the time, he was on the battlefield, with little news, and Charles II assured that no one would explain it for him - and when he got back to London and the dust settled, even if he got a Mona The wife of the daughter of the Duke of Germany - the problem is that the Protestants must think that he has abandoned his original beliefs, of course, he can go back on it, but after losing the title of Prince of Wales, he can really abandon the Duke of Monad support? But as long as the Duke of Monard is still Catholic, it will not matter if the future wife of the Duke of York converts, because she is still the daughter of a "Catholic".

"Louis once told me," Charles II said with a sigh after pondering this matter several times in his heart: "Faith is like a heavy double-edged sword, and kings are on the edge of the sword. As a dancer, I'm finally getting a taste of it now."

   "Then this matter," said Princess Henrietta, "it is up to you to decide."

   "How did Louis do it?" murmured Charles II: "He didn't have the need to deal with a bunch of devil's children."

"Maybe it's because His Majesty never thought that these wizards were the children of the devil." Henrietta recalled: "For His Majesty, whether they are wizards or witches, they are just like his ministers and people, but they are not good at things. Same."

"I hope he has such a fearless idea." Charles II said that since King Arthur, there have been no less wizards in the king's court, but they are all in secret, but to say, let wizards have such power, Louis X Fourth is the first person after King Arthur, isn't he afraid? That is the instinct that a mortal must have in the face of existence beyond the scope of his own cognition, the instinct of terror and disgust...

  ———

   "Because wizards also bleed, age, and die, and while they are alive, they also worry about food, clothing, housing, and transportation." Louis XIV said.

   "Before I go out again," he said to a graceful, charming lady: "I hope the bohemian witches settle down in Orleans in peace."

"It must live up to your expectations." Another Mancini, Mrs. Prince Conti bowed her knees and saluted the king. The members of the Mancini family are all rare beauties, and she is no exception, and she is no exception. It's strange that Prince Conti married her only to meet Mazarin, but he never complained after that.

"What about the Huguenots?" the king asked another man, the ever-grimacing Prince Conti, who was honored by the king for having undertaken two important tasks and accomplished them well, but The task given by the king this time really embarrassed him.

   "Still around the corner, delusional," he said.

"It's not surprising." Louis said that the conflict between Huguenots and Catholics has not stopped since the events in the town of Vassi in 1562. After the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, The Huguenots even formed a federal republic in the south of France, and the rebellion continued for twenty years until Henry IV came to the throne and issued the tolerant "Edict of Nantes", but the Huguenots did not Satisfied that Henry III before Henry IV, and then Louis XIII and Louis XIV suffered successive assassinations and curses, with the shadow of the Huguenots swaying behind the scenes.

  So Louis would not easily indulge these Protestants, even if he was at war with Holland - he considered this matter for a long time before deciding to let the Minister of War, the father of the Marquis de Lois, and the Prince of Conti be responsible for it.

   "How many Huguenots are there in France today?"

"About three hundred and fifty thousand," replied the Prince of Conte, who could not help but ask: "If you hate them, why don't you repeal the Edict of Nantes, or expel them?" The tame Lorraine is like the Alsatian.

   "If those Huguenots could be replaced as easily as the Lorraines or the Alsatians," Louis said.

   (end of this chapter)