I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 352 Lively Rebellion (4)

There are many noble ladies in the court now wearing lace or ribbons around their ankles like Mrs. Montespan. The dark ribbons against the white and thin skin are indeed a beauty, but they probably don't know what is underneath the ribbons. The wounds are deep in the bones - with the strong system of wizards, Madame Montespan has never been soft on herself, of course, she is tougher on others, and the warden of the Bastille has made her a goddess - those who were almost It was just a torture tool used as a decoration, and now it welcomes several new guests every day.

"enough."

It would not be Madame Aubigne, nor Bontang, nor even the Duke of Orleans, and only the Sun King, Louis XIV, can calm Madame Montespan, a beautiful mad dog. , her master.

   "But..." Madame Montespan still wanted to fight, but the king only glanced at her and stretched out his hand to Madame Aubigne: "Is that my child?"

Mrs. Aubigne silently put down the child. Regarding the education of this child, Mrs. Aubigne also maintained different ideas from Mrs. Montespan. Mrs. Montespan valued this child very much and spoiled her, although it was said that it had already arrived. The age of a toddler, but if it wasn't for Madame Aubigne's insistence, his little feet might not have been able to touch the ground until today.

As soon as the king talked about August, Madame Montespan stopped talking immediately. She was not a fool. When Madame Aubigne passed Auguste on the promenade before, the dignitaries in the court were very angry with her. Although she is very earnest, she turns a blind eye to the children behind her. After all, in this day and age, even if it is a crown princess, the queen's pregnancy must be recognized by the king-sometimes it's just a sentence, a small banquet, but without this, no one Will admit that this child exists, even if he is right in front of them, such a big one.

   Compared with her dissatisfaction, August's identity is of course the most important.

Auguste fell to the ground, turned his head, and looked suspiciously at his mother and Madame Scarron. Although his mother was not very conscientious, she remembered to look at him every morning and night, and hug him, Madame Aubigne. He was a little more familiar, now the two ladies were pushing him gently, telling him to go forward - in front of him was a stranger in a chair, looking at him cautiously.

As a father it was impossible for Louis XIV to fall in love with Auguste right away, but after his return the Duchess of Montpensier had already described to him how lovely and lively the child was, and now he Finally got to see his youngest son - August is perhaps the one who bears the least resemblance to the king compared to his three older brothers, his features are mostly inherited from his mother, and his hair is chestnut brown , very curly, his eyes were golden amber, which, although very attractive, was clearly not Bourbon, and his lips and browbones were as sharply angular as Madame Montespan, although It doesn't look obvious on a child, but you can imagine what he will look like when he grows up, Mrs. Montespan is the kind of gorgeous and fierce appearance.

But he must be the prettiest of all the king's children, the Duchess of Montpensier said he was not exactly cute, he reminded Louis of the children who were painted on canvas, maybe because the writer was always an adult , their charisma in the picture is more like coming from two time periods - the contradiction between child and adult - as is the case with August, the king holding his hand when he hesitantly walks forward and then nearly falls Taking his little arm and putting him on his lap, he stroked the child's hair, looked closely at his eyes, his nose, his chin, the child's bright eyes, the wet little nose, the perfectly shaped chin There was a trace of pity in his heart.

   He made this child aggrieved because of the child's mother,

"I heard you called him August," said the king, and Mrs. Montespan bowed her head at once. August was a meaningful name. It means August in English, but Montespan Naming her own child certainly wasn't because she liked the month, and his date of birth wasn't August - Augustus was actually a variant of Augustus (Latin Augustus), and as for Augustus, everyone Knowing what the word means—it was the name of every Roman emperor, and is now inherited by emperors and kings alike, and although the child was an illegitimate illegitimate child, Madame Montespan's ambitions were still evident, "but since You already have that name," said Louie, "and I'm not going to change it, he's August, my fourth son."

Madame Montespan was overjoyed, and immediately left her chair, fell to her knees, and thanked the king for the gift - thus Auguste received a formal recognition, and henceforth he could at least have the title of duke, as per Louis XIV. Judging from his actions, he may still have a fief.

"Three days later," Louis played with Auguste's little finger: "I will hold a dinner party in Versailles to celebrate Auguste's birthday. You can think about who you need to invite." He looked towards Since entering the room, Madame Aubigne, who has hardly spoken any more, said, "Madame, come with you too, although I think that even without me, you can still be invited by the eldest princess or the Duchess of Orleans, but now since You are here..."

   "I am not keen on it," said Madame Aubigne, "but it is my pleasure."

Madame Montespan almost couldn't control herself, she got up, took a few steps, came to the king, knelt on Louis's lap instead, put her head in Auguste's arms, the king smiled , "You take August down first, ma'am," he turned his head sideways: "Bondon, prepare a room for ma'am and August."

   Bontang bowed his head and withdrew with Madame Aubigne and Auguste.

In place of Auguste, Madame de Montespan nestled in the king's arms with contentment, and during the time he was away from Paris, she often looked back—she had the first time with the king when she was still Artenais. Meet, when the king was still a teenager, she was just a child, a child with some naive ideas, she almost begged the king to allow her to stay by his side - she was young, but she also had a profound understanding of power How vicious and sharp - don't think there are no power jugglers outside the court, a common innkeeper could tell them to get out of his house together on a stormy night; a man not even a clergyman The scribes could deny them access to the town; a butcher, a fisherman, a farmer were more noble than they were without status; the potions stored by their father could, in the beginning, buy them clothes and food, and shelter—but not. In exchange for a valid identity certificate, it is not that they have not tried, but they have been deceived several times, and it is only after this that they realize how much an unidentified refugee wants to see a big man who can sign an identity certificate. Disaster.

The king had been an opportunity for them, and his father had turned him down, and Madame Montespan didn't quite understand it at the time, but then she guessed - once they accepted the king's protection, they were, in a sense, the king's slaves Now, it's not what the king will do to them, but they'll never be free from now on, just as they were in the Mancini family - but how many people can truly be free in the world.

She had resented her father and laughed at his innocence, and even now, she did not feel that he had made the right choice—if she was not the daughter of the Duchess of Mortmar, the Marquise of Montespan, just a The daughter of the imperial physician, she cannot become a royal lady, she is fed up with love, she only pursues power and money.

   "Then why are you unwilling?"

   Mrs. Montespan was taken aback, she thought she had spoken the truth without knowing it, but looking at the king's expression - he should just guess, "I thought of something in the past, Your Majesty."

   "The past, what kind of past?"

   "An unpleasant past," said Mrs. Montespan, "let's not mention it, Your Majesty, you've worked hard all the way, don't you want a good rest?"

   "You don't act like you want me to rest." Louis took Madam Montespan's hand.

   "Sometimes exercise is the best way to rest, you said." Mrs. Montespan stood up from his arms, "Although it's still a while before night, let me serve you."

   At this time, the advantages of being a witch are reflected. She can get rid of the tight corset and layered skirt without the help of servants.

  ———

   "God, is this the Palace of Versailles?" Alexander exclaimed excitedly.

Baruch Spinoza, Alexander Torricelli, and Christian Huygens, who were favored by Louis XIV, turned from exiles and prisoners in the square to the throne of the king The guests, freed from their cages by the soldiers, showered and changed, shoved into the French's carriage, and followed the army all the way to Paris, were a little dazed, except for Spinoza - generally speaking, a philosopher always He has a profound research on human psychology and behavior. The other two have no idea what it is about. When they arrive in Paris, they are not Paris, because the king directly stuffed them into the castle of Vicomte Vaux, which is the original Mr. Fouquet. The golden comfort zone built for himself was converted into the Royal Academy of Sciences after being taken by the king as his own - under the premise of legality.

Like Versailles, because many scholars valued by the king gathered here, they always had family members and friends, and the latter also had their own families, so a town soon formed here, and the king even built some according to the style of the new district of Paris. The apartment was here, so they, mainly Torricelli, were different from Spinoza and Huygens, who were still in close contact with each other. He had a wife and several children. Large apartment with room.

He immediately entertained his friends, but what made them even happier was that it was a paradise for all scholars and researchers. As long as the "project" here was approved by the king, you can do whatever you want, whether it is Disobedience to doctrine, or disregard for ethics—but usually most of the problems that arise are medical subjects, and the only person to worry about is Spinoza.

Contrary to what people have guessed, Spinoza did not eagerly want to participate in this group of people after coming here, nor did he immediately begin to promote and explain his ideas, unlike when he was in Amsterdam, The Hague and Florence, Instead, he calmed down. Although he also appeared in classes, salons, and parties, half of them listened to other people's rhetoric, but he seemed to be silenced.

This made his friend Huygens a little worried, but before he could have a good conversation with Spinoza, the king's messenger sent Louis XIV's will, which can also be said to be an invitation - the king is the youngest son Augustus At the special dinner, many scholars were invited, and they were just one of them.

Torricelli was probably the one with the least psychological burden. After he found out that all the things he had hidden in Florence also followed him to Paris, he no longer had any thoughts about his former hometown, and decided to do it with all his heart. French, as a French, what is the most important thing about being a Parisian? Of course it's Versailles. You must see it. It's best to go in and walk around, but not everyone can have such qualifications. Those nobles from other provinces don't even want to return to their own territory and only spend time in Paris. Time is not just for an invitation. ,

   Of course, if you can have a room in Versailles, it is even more regrettable in life.

   "But to accomplish such a large project," said Huygens, "it would take much money and manpower."

"It may have cost a lot," said Spinoza, "but this project is not the pyramids of the Egyptians and the Colosseum of the Romans, it is like Paris, not only did not cause harm to the people, but it lasted for a long time. helped them."

   "You're saying the king hired them and paid them wages so they could support their families," Huygens said.

   "Mainly refugees," Spinoza said. "There used to be tens of thousands of refugees here." A number that would terrify any king.

   "I don't know when you came to know this king so well," said Huygens.

"Now that we are here," said Spinoza, "it may cost the king a lot of money, and I don't think he will dismiss us lightly, and we may be here for a long time, That being the case, we should get to know him well."

   "He may indeed be different from what we think." Huygens said: "He respects knowledge and science."

Spinoza just smiled. Don't tell his old friend some things. He was on the road, in Paris, and in Versailles. He was always learning about the king. The Dutch called him a tyrant and a dictator. It may be true, although they were sent directly to the castle of Vicomte Vaughan, but in the salon, one can always hear about someone's relatives, or even himself being thrown into prison with gas lamps - the king When dealing with traitors, it is no different from other kings.

Then they did not discuss the matter further, because there were still more than three hundred steps to go - this is what all those lucky enough to enter the Palace of Versailles (except those who have the privilege of riding in the sedan chair) have to face The first level, fortunately, the king's architects took this into consideration. So many steps are not straight from top to bottom. There is a platform every 20 steps, which not only ensures safety, but also allows people to have a place to rest. Later, The queen added marble sculptures in the middle and on both sides. The base of the sculpture is about a foot and a half from the ground, and the width is also a foot and a half, so that people who are tired from walking can sit down. Their wide skirts are not only large, but also very heavy. It is said that female nobles from other provinces have to practice horseback riding and walking at home after obtaining permission to see them, so as to appear less embarrassed in the labyrinth square of Versailles.

This kind of seat is called the Queen's Seat. At first, Huygens complained a little bit. He didn't understand why the king built the Palace of Versailles at such a high place, but he climbed halfway and sat on the Queen's Seat and looked into the distance. Suddenly, he was at peace—he saw the blue sky, the dark green forest, the brown and golden land, the silvery lake, the purple and pink flower fields, the red roof tiles, the row upon row of roofs, The grey road stretches from under the white marble steps to the invisible distance.

This is the scene that Louis XIV can see every day. He suddenly understands a little bit. If he is also a king, he can also make Holland show such a scene. He will not feel that annexing and occupying other countries is a sin, It will only feel like God is spreading blessings in all directions.

He took a deep breath—even the quality of the air is better than that of the flat ground at a high place. When he was about to talk to his friend Spinoza, there was a sudden commotion, and Spinoza was the first from the queen. Standing up on the seat, he pulled Torricelli and Huygens, who were still ignorant, and they stood up, only to find that everyone around them stood up, or retreated to the sides of the steps - it turned out that there was a sedan chair From bottom to top.

As I said before, there are not many people who can use the sedan chair on the steps. Apart from members of the royal family, there are only a few ministers and dukes who are beloved by the king, as well as some older and respectable people, such as Luo, the leader of the imperial physician. Ma, René Descartes, etc., but Descartes rarely comes to Versailles, Lom prefers to spend his last time in medical school, Colbert sometimes uses it, after all, he often needs to travel between Paris and Versailles. time, and the work is heavy, but he usually only uses a small lift, like a simple chair, and he often sits on it, dozing off with his head down - although this will inevitably invite some ridicule, but Satisfies his little vanity and cautious nature at the same time.

   But if it was Colbert, he would not have caused such a big disturbance, so the three scholars soon saw the source of the disturbance.

   (end of this chapter)