I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 348 The man who came to persuade Cosimo III

The Duke of Lorraine was in Siena at the time of Cosimo III's distress over Spinoza, and in his room mulled over the conflict between the Archduke of Austria and Leopold I, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, before he left Vienna. Every word he ordered.

The Duke of Lorraine, not the Duke of Lorraine who exchanged his fief Lorraine for a large sum of money, has a mansion in Paris and a room in Versailles - here we will review a little, Lorraine It was originally a grand duchy between the Holy Roman Empire and France. Whether it was the Holy Roman Empire or France, they wanted to take it in their pockets every day. After the "good Henry" died, his younger brother took his place, and then Henry's two daughters were married to their two cousins, the two Dukes of Lorraine we mentioned here, the elder brother Charles, and the younger brother Nicholas.

This younger brother is no better than Philip, Duke of Orleans. When Charles was fighting outside, a reckless soldier misrepresented his death. Nicholas took the opportunity to usurp his position as duke, and led his army to turn back in a fierce manner, intending to regain the title and territory. At that time, with no children, suffering from an incurable disease, and only a few years of good life, Nicolas simply sold Lorraine to Louis XIV - and he himself stayed in Paris and did not return to Lorraine.

The three major outputs of Lorraine: wood, coal and steel, can make any king want to win, and Louis XIV is no exception. His general defeated the original Duke of Lorraine, Charles, and did not recognize his ownership of Lorraine. The Duke of Lorraine had to go into exile in Austria, and his son became the second King of the Lost Lands. People can only call him Mr. Lorraine.

This situation was broken after the death of the Duke of Lorraine in Paris. As soon as he heard that Nicholas was dead, Leopold I immediately declared that his title should be inherited by Mr. Lorraine Jr., whether Mr. Lorraine Jr. would like to Inheriting the title of uncle for the time being, this title is also worthless, unless Leopold I, or a certain elector, the king is willing to lend troops to the little Duke of Lorraine (for the time being), let him take back Lorraine .

However, when the standing army of France exceeds 150,000 and the garrison of Lorraine exceeds 30,000, probably no one will make this loss-making business, not even Leopold I, and it is even more impossible after the battle of Slovenia. .

Of course, the little Duke of Lorraine would feel pain because of this, and at the same time, there was nothing he could do. Perhaps to appease him, Leopold I gave him an important but not so important job, which was to travel to Florence as the envoy of the Elector of Bavaria. , to broker the marriage of the daughter of the Elector of Bavaria and the eldest son of the Archduke of Tuscany.

The Grand Duke of Bavaria became the Elector in 1623. This honor and power was exchanged for the loyalty of the Grand Duke of Bavaria to Habsburg - replacing the original Pastin family. His success made the little Duke of Lorraine seem to see it. There was a glimmer of hope, so for this job, the little Duke of Lorraine did his best to satisfy the Archduke of Bavaria and the Emperor Leopold I behind him.

He also heard the news that Louis XIV was stationed in Florence, and poor Cosimo III sent a messenger to say that it was best not to let the French know about it before the covenant was reached, lest there be troubles, little Lorraine Although the duke was disdainful, in order to avoid accidents, he still agreed, and he temporarily stopped in Siena with the portrait. When he first saw Siena, he thought exactly the same as that of the Dauphin of France. Siena was in His impression should be a voluptuous and plump woman, but now it is an old woman with a shriveled chest.

Fortunately, Siena still retains a little moving color after all, that is, a moving name, she is said to be from Genoa, her mother is a maid of honor - from the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, and her father is the brother of the Sultan, because The one-person inheritance method was killed by the current sultan, and her mother took her to escape. Of course, there are very few people who are willing to believe her, but at this time, most of the famous brides will have a name like this, okay Raise your value.

But this famous woman who calls herself Havsha does have a special exotic aura. Her hair is black, her skin is snow-white, and the corners of her eyes and mouth have infinite aura. She doesn't wear corsets and skirts like Italian women today. Instead, like the women of Istanbul, they wear a long robe, with a belt that hangs down to the abdomen, with glittering slippers under their feet, and a round hat on their head with a very long ostrich feather inserted into the hat.

She bares her chest, but it's just a subtle triangle, completely different from the recent fashion of increasingly larger square openings and curved openings, which pleases the little Duke of Lorraine, who, after all, is fed up with seeing the French thing.

Haversa walked into his room with a jug of wine, her waist swaying, and although there was no corset, it was destined not to be as worrisomely slender as the ladies of Versailles, but it also had a special flavor—mainly because it was in the There was an ecstatic force between the bed sheets, and the little Duke of Lorraine reached for her, took the jug, "sit on my lap," he said: "my little robin, give it to me What news did you bring?"

By the way, he spent a lot of money on this famous Shu, but it was not all for pleasure. Most of the famous Shu were responsible for spies and brokers, and the information flowed from the mouths of the men and gathered them here. , and then they are divided into categories, looking at the needs of customers, and selling them one by one, but they rarely inquire about things because of the requirements of customers-customers occasionally make mistakes, maybe they don’t remember themselves, but they need to inquire. , must leave clues.

  Hafsa told him that the king of France might leave Florence on the third day after the Assumption of the Virgin and return to France.

This kind of news, as long as the servants of the little Duke of Lorraine are a little more careful, they can know that, after all, a king's guard of honor, guards, and an army of servants do not do whatever they want. , prepare provisions, need possible support, and support.

   "I'll give you a ring with a ruby ​​the size of your little finger," said the little Duke of Lorraine, "and then you'll tell me that it's worth the price."

  Haversa glanced at him and stretched out her hand with a clear meaning. She couldn't speak if she couldn't see anything.

   The little Duke of Lorraine took the ring out of his pocket and gave it to her. She leaned over to the ear of the little Duke of Lorraine, with a touch of wine sweetness, she said: "The eldest son of the eldest duke, Ferdinand, quarreled with the eldest duke yesterday. It is said that he intends to go to Paris to go to university, but the duke does not allow it."

"Of course not." The little Duke of Lorraine said, and he didn't say anything next, because once he revealed his identity and mission, Havsha would sell him to others as soon as he turned around, "but this news is not worth it. Ring, this ring is worth five hundred livres."

   "Then there is another news that you may be interested in." Havshama casually put the ring on his fingers and found that each finger was bigger, this ring should belong to a man. The little Duke of Lorraine clenched his hand tightly around her waist as if warning, causing a scream of annoyance, and the woman half-truth leaned against him, pressing his Adam's apple with her hand.

   "Speak." The little Duke of Lorraine pressed down the desire in his body and pulled Havsha: "You should know anything else, tell me, or I will kill you."

   "I'd rather die in your hands," Havsha smiled, "What a strong warrior you are."

   "How do you know I'm a warrior?" Little Duke Lorraine asked seemingly indifferently, but the hand that held Havsha's waist and thin wrist did not relax.

"You have glorious medals all over your body," Havsha didn't seem to notice that the little Duke Lorraine's body was already tense. Although many men under her would be tense, this kind of tightness... Maybe It really will bring death, she lowered her head and used her lips instead of her hand, "The way you walk, the tone of your speech, your firm gestures and eyes. How can I not see it? You should have hit Those who have seen blood, sir, how many mercenaries are there in Italy, although you are like a liger among wolves compared to them."

   "I'm just an ordinary soldier." Little Lorraine said.

"He must be a great general in the future." Havsha felt that the body under her body had become as gentle as the other party's tone, and she leaned towards him more boldly, biting his hair and earlobes - it's a pity that little Lorraine The duke did not forget what had happened before: "Tell me all about it, ma'am, or give me the ring."

"You are such a ruthless lover," Havsha lamented, "but who told me to love you, well, let me tell you, the king of France sent a messenger not long ago to buy some Judas from Cosimo III man, but was rejected by Cosimo III."

   "Why?" The little Duke of Lorraine immediately straightened his body, allowing Cosimo III to reject the King of France. Do those Judas have any great secrets on them?

"How do I know, I spent a lot of money in order to get this news." Havsha also straightened her waist and withdrew her hand, and the ring disappeared from her chest at some point. clothes.

   "What are you doing to care about this matter?" asked the little Duke of Lorraine strangely.

"All the famous Italians are watching the French king's every move," Hafusa said, completely ignoring the sudden darkening of the young Duke Lorraine's face: "The first royal wife of the Sun King was an Italian woman, there is no reason not to. There is a second one, even if there is no such possibility, it is said that His Majesty is also a generous and good person."

   "Ah bah." said the little Duke of Lorraine angrily, "is that all there is to it? Why does he want to redeem those Judas? Why does Cosimo III disagree?"

   "It seems to be about heresy or something. I don't know what happened after that." Havsha played with her fingers and said lazily.

   The little Duke of Lorraine lowered his head and thought for a while, then suddenly pushed Havsha to the ground, stood up, and walked out of the room with a somewhat weird posture.

   "Aah!" Havsha said, she didn't get up in a hurry, she lay on the cold floor with a dangerous smile.

  ————

Cosimo III's gout was much better after the feast of the Assumption, perhaps blessed by the Virgin, but his toes and knees no longer hurt, and his head hurts again - because the envoy of the Bavarian elector, even in the French Before leaving, he quietly came to Florence.

The little Duke of Lorraine walked into the Pitti Palace for the first time. The Pitti Palace is a magnificent building. The stone walls used are all black, and the style is masonry, that is, huge stones, such as Building blocks build the walls of the palace. On the left side of the gate is a stone about 30 feet long, sticking out of the wall very abruptly. This is the original owner of this building, Luca Pitti did it on purpose when he built the palace, meaning leather The Ti family was far superior to any family in Florence, including the Medici, who were only one of many at the time. He probably never imagined that in less than a hundred years, the Medici family "bought" the Pitti Palace from Pitti's descendants. To be ridiculed for a day, the power of the Medici family will be prominent for a day.

   But the power of the Medici family was limited to Tuscany and even Florence, the little Duke of Lorraine thought.

They still met in the room with Raphael's work, and Cosimo III, who had only let blood and was pale, watched as the servants of the little Duke of Lorraine brought the huge life-size portrait before him, "Let Ferdi Come see me in the south." He said, looking at the window a little nervously, at about three o'clock in the afternoon, there was a Requiem Mass in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore today, held for the soldiers who died in the previous battle, so The French, from the King to the Duke of Colonna, to the Dauphin, the Dauphin, went, of course, he had carefully arranged it - a long mass that might last until nightfall, followed by a procession.

"Before His Royal Highness Ferdinand arrives here," the little Duke of Lorraine also stood at the window, looking at the Burberry hills behind, "I have something I want to ask you, about the king of France, and those Judas people's business."

Cosimo III frowned subconsciously, he clutched his chest, gasped a few times, as if he would faint at any moment, but he still managed to hold on reluctantly: "It's just some Judas, who have sinned - but were He, was seen by... that majesty, you know, he was kind by nature, so he offered to pay for their sins... but he didn't know what terrible devils they were, so... I think, that majesty, has changed the original attention."

   "I don't think so," said the little Duke of Lorraine coldly. "First of all, I don't think that His Majesty is kind, and secondly, I don't think he will give up so easily."

"I think he is merciful enough." Cosimo III pointedly said - the little Duke of Lorraine's face immediately turned red and white, and the king who lost his territory would be ridiculed, otherwise there would be no such title as the king of lost territory. Now, let alone a duke, his father has been in exile among the various princes of the Holy Roman Empire after losing his territory under the French interference, hoping to gain his own strength from the conspiracy and turmoil.

  Unfortunately, he has no talent other than wars. Some people may be willing to use him, but he will never give a foreign general title and territory like the French king.

Shame and hatred burned in his heart like a flame, causing him to die young, but he also planted the fire in the heart of his only son, the little Duke of Lorraine knew what Cosimo III was referring to, he was saying, The King of France did not kill his father and him after he got Lorraine - either he admitted that Louis XIV was indeed tolerant, or he admitted that Louis XIV looked down on them at all and did not think they would make any waves.

   The little Duke of Lorraine was unwilling to accept both of these results. He turned his face and asked in a normal voice as much as possible: "Is this Raphael's work?"

Although Cosimo III smiled inwardly, he also hoped that the messenger would not talk too much after returning, so he nodded: "Yes, it is his work, the veiled woman." He moved on the chair. , while taking a sip of the tableted wine.

"It reminds me of Florence in those days," said the little Duke of Lorraine, as if unintentionally. "Although I didn't have the chance to see it, my father once described Florence to me, the city of springs, gold and silk, and marble. , full of scholars, artists, and beautiful and noble men and women."

   Now it was Cosimo III's turn to show a strange look. Although he did not lose Florence, the city was already dead, and he was no better than the Duke of Lorraine.

"Let's get down to business," the little Duke of Lorraine said with some slight smugness after taking back a city: "When I was in Siena, I heard that Louis XIV was going to buy a few Judas from you? "

   "There is only one thing that must be said." Cosimo III: "I have rejected him."

   "Who was that Judah? Was he a valiant general?"

  Cosimo III smiled: "How is it possible? That is the most cowardly and incompetent clan."

   "Then is he a renowned and knowledgeable scholar?"

   "Neither, he is just a devil who indulges in heresy and deliberately spreads this disease to others."

   "Well, let me ask you one last question, is he a businessman who is good at accumulating money and proficient in accounting?"

   "Even more unlikely, although his people are proficient in it," Cosimo III: "But he made a living by grinding lenses while in The Hague."

   "That's it," the little Duke of Lorraine clapped his palms: "If that's the case, why don't you ask for a lot of money to give this devil to Louis XIV?"

Cosimo III was stuck, he certainly wanted to put to death all heretics, especially Spinoza, a thorn in the church's eyes, but... his daughter was married to the **** son of the king of France, he wanted It is both sides, rather than completely offending either party.

   "Louis XIV is our enemy, you have to admit it." The little Duke of Lorraine raised his head, his aggressive attitude made Cosimo III unhappy for a while, he turned his head and coughed to refuse to answer the question.

   The little Duke of Lorraine touched the cup in his hand: "His Majesty Leopold I told me that when I finish this mission, I must first go back to Vienna and report to him."

  Cosimo III pursed his lips.

   (end of this chapter)