I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 251 Little Eugen

When Mrs. Milady traced the whereabouts of the maid, they could not find anything of value except this empty house, which had been abandoned for a while - the original owner was due to a He passed away unexpectedly. He had no relatives. Although the lawyer was also looking for his heir, so far, there was no result. The house has been closed and the curtains were drawn. Unexpectedly, it was used to make a terrible buy and sell.

  ——

   "You say there are traces of a wizard in it?" Louis asked gloomily: "Evidence, or a witness?"

   "It is precisely because there is no evidence and no witnesses, Your Majesty." Mrs. Milady said cautiously: "If it is the handwriting of ordinary people, we can't find clues."

  Louis sat by the Duke of Colonna's bed, holding the child's hand. The most critical time has passed. The duke fell into a deep sleep, and the lost blood could not be replenished for a while. His face was gray, his lips were pale, and the fingertips that the king held in his hand were as cold as marble. He squeezed the one. With his slender and slender hands, he stood up.

He is not only a father, but also a king. Although he is very willing to accompany his children, if at such a time, His Majesty the King does not appear in front of the people, I don’t know what kind of rumors will come as quickly as the moss under the steps. Spread—France did win, but it also added numerous enemies, and Louis would not leave them lightly: "Here you are, Madame," he said, "take care of this child for me."

   Madame Milady bowed her knees: "Then," she added, "what about the Duchess of Colonna?"

"Although she has always been stubborn and extreme, she has not gone crazy to this point," Louis said. "She should have been influenced by something, but there is a bit of sincerity and a bit of falsehood in it, we will never know," Louis said. Glancing at the Duke of Colonna lying on the bed, this child tried to stop his mother. It was precisely because Marie mentioned the queen and the prince, because Louis had set a future path for his eldest son very early, so he It is clear that even if Louis loves him again, he will not allow him or his mother to hurt little Louis and Queen Theresa - if Luciano will be the king of Naples in the future, then little Louis will take over the king of France The man of crown and scepter, how could Louis XIV allow the most orthodox heir to be threatened with such deep expectations for France and his country?

   Therefore, even if he wanted to raise his wand to his mother, the little Duke of Colonna would never allow her wishful thinking to reach the king's ears. That was a taboo that should never be violated.

It's a pity that the painstaking efforts of the little Duke of Colonna were still in vain. Madame Milady sighed and sat down on a chair beside her. At dawn, Marie Mancini seemed to have regained her senses. The problem is, as the king said, no one knows how sincere those mad words are - even if the king does still have some childhood nostalgia for Marie Mancini, he can't Let her stay in Versailles, no, it should be said that from now on, the Duchess of Colonna may only spend her life in Gayola or Calais.

  ———

When Louis XIV came to the Hall of the Goddess of Victory to receive the invited guests, some sharp-eyed people noticed that the king today seemed to be close to the Duke of Orleans and used a little powder. It seems that what really happened in the Palace of Versailles last night Some things, but in this era, the assassination of dignitaries has always been a common occurrence. Seeing the king, the king's younger brother and several important ministers and generals are still walking steadily and behaving as usual, some people are happy, some people regret - It's just that no matter what kind of thoughts they have, when the king walks towards them, he will always see the head bowed down like a reed blown by the wind, and the king stops in front of the familiar royal blue, all of which are accompanied by him. Flanders and Dutch officers and soldiers: "I remember you, Gerard," said Louis kindly: "you are a brave man, how is your arm?"

   "Thanks to your blessing," Gerald replied excitedly: "I have fully recovered, Your Majesty, I am always looking forward to returning to your army and continuing to serve you!"

"No doubt, sir, I am also looking forward to seeing you again." Louis said, and the generals who followed him couldn't help but look happy. Yes, since Louis returned to Paris, there have been people who have been talking about and asking questions. What to do with the 120,000-strong army—every king wants to build his own standing army, but how much pressure an army—that is, a full-time soldier will put on the treasury, from the point that the king needs to borrow money from merchants in every war It can be seen, but Louis has successively seized assets of nearly one million livres from Flanders and 2.7 million livres from the Netherlands, which adds up to almost six specials. Queen Lesa, perhaps the ambitions of the French kings since the big nose François I, can be achieved in the hands of Louis XIV.

   And for these soldiers, whether they are ordinary soldiers or marshals such as Viscount Turenne, they are almost eager for war, especially when they have already eaten the huge dividends brought by war.

Gerard could be remembered by the king, and even said a few words to him, making the people around him look envious. Although it is impossible for him and his wife to have a room in Versailles, at the banquet, his seat Moved a few steps forward, he also had a seat at the evening concert, although the officer was born in a vulgar tavern, and his taste for music may not be as good as that of lamb chops on a plate. It’s more like listening than watching—because for this boring man, in a huge orchestra of 200 people, only the conductor’s performance is the most exciting.

This is no nonsense, Louis was also taken aback the first time he saw how Mr. Lully conducted the performance, because he conducted by beating the ground with a kind of heavy pointed cane, and when the conductor entered When in a state of ecstasy, he is literally gnashing his teeth against a giant, rather than leading people into the palace of music, the Monsieur Lully, whom the Duchess of Montpensier brought into the court, is not only the initiator. , is also a leader, every time the king sees him directing a performance, he feels that he should appear in his army more.

Gerald also had this idea. When people were concentrating on the wonderful performance, he also kept sighing and sighing, making oops, oops, and asking him to say that it would be great if the conductor would be a grenadier. But, look at that mighty arm! The floor vibrates every time he hits the floor, and sometimes the rhythm of "bang bang bang!" is so dense that you can't breathe—gosh, he said to himself, no need for those drums, harps, or It's the horn, as long as this gentleman stands there and knocks hard, it's exciting enough.

Of course, Mr. Lully did not know that there was someone in the audience who "appreciated" his commanding skills and talent so much. He was also an unlucky guy - he was Italian, his father was just a mill worker, and his mother was also the daughter of a mill worker. But his humble birth did not prevent him from showing his talent. Although he initially wandered around with a group of Bohemians, using guitars and violins as dancers, at the age of fourteen, he was miraculously killed by a stranger. Fancy - that person is the Duke of Guise. He was given to the Duchess of Montpensier along with some beautiful gifts. The Duchess liked this handsome young man very much, and not only made him her own attendant, but also made him a teacher. Learning from his own music director, Lu Li not only became the music director's son-in-law, but also inherited his position.

When the Duchess of Montpensier returned to Paris, she also brought him into the court. As early as a few years ago, the Duchess had introduced Lully to Louis XIV, but at that time, Louis's mind was all about the coming. In the war, Lully's performance could not attract his attention at all, until the king triumphed from the Netherlands, Versailles not only needed the decoration of statues and frescoes, but also needed wonderful plays and wonderful music to shock tens of thousands of guests. Lu Li and Moliere were immediately promoted to high positions by the king. In return, they presented three grand tragicomedies, several witty dramas, and the "Victory March" specially written for this glorious triumph. .

In today's audience, there are many people like Lieutenant Gerrard, but they are not the people Lully cares about. He performed so hard because the king was here, only when he looked at the king exhausted. , still regretted to find that the king did not show any signs of being conquered by his music or performances. He frowned slightly and said something to the king's younger brother beside him. Lu Li looked at his mistress worriedly. The Duchess of Poncere, the duchess clapped her hands lightly, indicating that there was no big problem with his performance, then it was state affairs and government affairs - this is also a helpless thing, for pleasure, the king is not too keen, and, a little bit Presumptuously speaking, Lu Li felt that their majesty might not have much artistic talent...

Of course the king did not know that his music chief was secretly despising him, Lully guessed right, the king's mind was still on his desk, and half belonged to the Duke of Colonna, who was still struggling with pain, his firstborn son. , what he discussed with Philip was how to keep the absence of the Duke and Duchess of Colonna from attracting attention and speculation - during the day, it was understandable that they might go hunting or play on the Grand Canal, but at night, the king's long There is one of their seats on the table, the king doesn't care about Marie, but the Duke of Colonna, Louis doesn't want him to be thought by some people that he has lost the king's favor and trust - so the Duke of Orleans proposed that everyone tonight Masks need to be worn until the banquet is over, so that no suspicion will be aroused as long as there is a young man of the Duke of Colonna's stature sitting next to the king.

The Duke of Orleans, the king's younger brother Philip, as everyone knows, he is the king's favorite younger brother, and his willfulness even surpasses that of the dauphin's little Louis. When it comes to torches, the Palace of Versailles is full of masked guests - the guests at night are almost all princes, high officials and messengers, they never need to care about money - although it is only a few hours, but they are not because Embarrassed by the whimsy of the Duke of Orleans, some ladies' masks even matched their attire.

These masks only cover the forehead, the bridge of the nose and a little cheek, and the materials range from silk to gold, but they are enough to hide the double in the flickering candlelight. Unlike the Duke of Colonna, he sits in the king's On the left hand, he tried his best to look calm. The king looked at his hand, but it was only a teenager: "Who are you?" Louis asked gently, this child must be believed by the Duke of Orleans. Promoted to impersonate the Duke of Colonna.

   "Let me tell you, Your Majesty," the boy said in a low voice, "I am the son of the Count of Soissons, François Eugen."

Louis paused for a moment. No wonder he felt that this child had many similarities with his Luciano. Of course, they could be said to be cousins. The mother of this child was Olympia Mancini and Marie Claire. Mancini's sister, and his father was not even Eugene Maurice, Count of Soissons, but Leopold I, Louis's greatest enemy, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

Olympia Mancini had died because of an "accident" acquiesced by the king. Originally, the child should have been sent to the monastery, but the Count of Soissons, out of pity, or because he was unwilling to let a Holy Roman Emperor, The child of the Archduke of Austria was in exile, and he recognized the child. Louis also prepared an additional fief to reward him with a fief so that he could accommodate the child in the future. Unexpectedly, no, the Count of Soissons was in Luxembourg during this battle. The Duke's subordinates fought. Unlike Gerrard, this prominent general also had a room in Versailles, but he did not expect that he would bring little Eugen with him, and an inexplicable burst of indescribable thoughts suddenly appeared in Louis's heart. ripple.

"Don't worry," Louis said, "The Duke of Colonna is just...I have something for him to do, but I don't want anyone to guess, so please take his place...just tonight, boy, you're with me There will be no one around to disturb you."

   "It's a great honor, Your Majesty," Little Eugen's cheeks were visibly stained with crimson: "I am very willing to serve you, Your Majesty."

   "Well," said Louie, "I'm glad to hear that too, sir."

   (end of this chapter)