I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 429 This is our king! ? (middle)

  The light comes from a kerosene lantern.

Carlos II was very concerned and angry about Louis XIV's unwillingness to marry him, but he was not shy about using good things from France. This kerosene horse lamp was used with ordinary torches and candles. Different, it will not go out in the wind and rain.

   But the people who come here twist the wick very small, even in the dark, it will not be too obvious from a long distance.

Queen Antonia and the maids who were willing to leave with her always had a dozen or so. Although Mrs. Milady told her that there would be someone to meet and guide her, no one they were unfamiliar with came to the room. send. They knew very well that if Carlos II could not come back, then their best ending would be a lifetime of confinement. If Carlos II could come back, they would also be unable to endure the days of fear and anxiety.

If the queen dowager's female officials return, she will be surprised that the queen's suite has become so "clean", most of the jewelry and clothes, expensive furnishings and utensils (such as candlesticks, glasses and dressing boxes, etc.) There are silk carpets and draperies with bright colors and rich patterns. As long as they are not embroidered or decorated with double-headed eagles, they are also sold. The money they exchange is partly used to hire those bold and famous Shu To serve the king, part of it was used for bribes and bribes, and part of it was exchanged for a reliable bill of exchange, and part of it was hidden on the queen and several female officials she trusted.

All these things could not escape the help of Madame Milady, but when things came to an end, Queen Antonia could not help but feel uneasy. She tried to suppress the fear in her heart, pulled her hood, and walked through the narrow passage with the maid. When she saw the light , of course, she expected that the other party was Miladib's secret son, but when she saw the man's face, she almost screamed in fright, because this man was none other than the Admiral Patinho who valued the most. With an officer you trust!

But she couldn't call out. The officer whispered "Excuse my offense" and pressed her face with a palm. The little queen was still a child, and her face could not be completely covered. She didn't have time. In response, a maid next to her rushed forward without thinking, pulled out the hairpin, and stabbed the officer's arm.

Hairpins are nothing new. When the ladies were still wearing headscarves, they used hairpins to fasten the headscarves to the bun. Later, from the French court, men and women began to wear ornately decorated, wide-brimmed hats. Hats, these hats also need to be fixed with hairpins. The hairpins are longer, thicker and sharper than the headscarves. Otherwise, they can't hold hats that are heavier than the headscarf, but for women, this kind of hairpins It is a portable, concealed weapon.

The    officer shrank his hands, stepped back quickly, and then took something out of his pocket and held it high.

   Although raindrops kept hitting the queen's eyes, she still recognized at this moment a pin that once belonged to her, which she had given to Madame Milady when she first met.

"How can you..." The queen couldn't help asking - she knew something about this person. Carlos II had boasted in front of her how this young man defeated an armed caravan of the British, you know Spain The invincible fleet is like the afterglow of the setting sun, and it is already a great achievement to have such a feat.

The officer didn't say a word, just waved his hand and motioned them to follow him. In the middle of the night, it rained again, and the torches on the outer walls were all extinguished, but the gentleman walked calmly without any hesitation, Queen He and the maids followed him apprehensively, sometimes through vacant rooms, sometimes through dusty corridors, sometimes across a gloomy hall.

   They actually only walked a short distance and took very little time, but the girls were almost exhausted.

But it turned out to be fortunate, as if they had only turned a corner, they saw a thickly shadowed motorcade under the cobalt blue sky, parked on the street behind the palace, which was used for the palace The kitchen supply and water supply, so the stone lattice road has been well maintained. From here, you can reach the suburbs of Toledo. Queen Antonia looks out from the northwest tower of the old palace more than once, imagining how she can escape from this place. hell.

As soon as she boarded the carriage, the queen's maid gave a low cheer. She saw that a fur cloak had been placed on the seat, and there was a thick carpet under her feet. The seat surface was bulging and wrapped in velvet and goose feathers. The carriage was unremarkable from the outside, but it was surprisingly comfortable inside. When they sat down, they found a basket with wine and food.

The coachman had already put on a wider hat than ordinary people. No need to tell them. The officer who escorted them here counted the number of people. With a wave of his hand, the carriage started one after another in the rain. Splash - three Spanish ladies were arranged in a carriage. Although they had been through hardships with the Austrian ladies, at this time, this arrangement was obviously more in line with their hearts.

  The three girls stretched out their hands and shook hands, their eyes full of tension and hope.

"that person…"

   "Well, it's Sonia's brother," said one of them, and she recognized him instantly.

  Sonia was tortured to death by Carlos II. It was said that sooner or later her brother would put a knife in Carlos II's chest, and for that reason Patinho transferred him back to Madrid, but his previous months as a squire at the court had been enough for him. This old royal palace knows all about it.

Sonia's brother watched the motorcade go away. This motorcade was not his handwriting. He didn't have enough money and no such connections. Except for the sturdy and comfortable carriages, the horses used in these carriages were all variegated. , but they are all good Jerez horses, that is, Andalusian horses bred by the Carthusian priests. This kind of purebred horse is called a hot-blooded horse that is not a hot-blooded horse. It is docile and intelligent. It also requires a lot of money, but to travel on such a rainy night, and possibly gallop day and night to get rid of possible pursuers, these horses are indispensable.

If his sister could also escape from the palace in such a carriage, how nice it would be to escape the king, the officer sighed in his heart, while he was fighting for Carlos II, Carlos II was hurting and humiliating his dearest He naively thought that when he lost his parents and his elder brother had to go on expedition for several years, the royal palace of Spain and the queen's maid should be the safest place and the safest place. It turned out that he was very wrong. .

  So, when Mrs. Milady found him—he agreed, surprisingly and quite simply.

  ——

   When Bishop Toledo was wearing a sacrificial robe and came out with a baby wrapped in a double-headed eagle king flag, the people looking up at the tower were silent.

In his loud, clear voice (he was used to preaching to thousands of people, after all), the Archbishop said that the grievances they complained about were already known to His Majesty, but apart from the blasphemous priests, there were also some who The wicked to the ominous smell had fled when they couldn't see it. But don't worry, disappointment, His Majesty has already chased after him with his attendants, and soon, when dawn comes, he will triumph with those heinous criminals, who will be in the square after the Mass of All Saints' Feast. Judgment and punishment of these heinous sinners, all sins will be thoroughly purified in the flames, and those unfortunate souls will ascend to heaven without regret.

It should be said that there are no obvious flaws in the words of the archbishop, or that the people at this time did not have the qualifications and abilities to receive systematic education. Even in Toledo, most people with logical reasoning ability. It was nobles and priests. The Archbishop's appeasement obviously played its due role. Although some people were still very sad, they had calmed down. Only the relatives of the deceased were still hesitating unwillingly in pain.

Madame Milady was in the crowd, looking inconspicuous in her brown turban, as she expected—the crowd, as Louis XIV once said, were like blindfolded donkeys, Without the ability to judge and analyze, it is easy to be incited or coerced, especially since they are all mortals, and if they have no savings (most of them do not), then three meals a day and a place to live are the most important things in their minds. important stuff.

One or two hours may be no problem, but if it goes on, it will directly affect their work the next day. If they can't see the result, or think they have seen the result, they will disperse like birds and beasts, no matter how important Secrets are hard to set off waves in their hearts.

So, when the archbishop thought the matter had come to an end and was about to persuade people to return home as soon as possible to prepare for the next day's Feast of All Saints, Bella's lover came out with his head held high and his face exposed to the torches In the light of , "I saw His Majesty's son," he said, "and Bella, her parents, wanted to see their daughter too—ah, God, maybe that's why they lost track for no reason. !? Lord Bishop, do you know where we found Bella's reliquary!"

  The Archbishop doesn’t know, he doesn’t even remember Bella very much, but he knows that the Inquisition has sewn up the mouths and eyes of many people to cover up their crimes—and maybe Carlos II’s, but…

"You really don't know anything about this!?" Bella's lover continued to shout, his face was not sure whether it was rain or sweat, a small, shiny spot that made him look like tears His face was full, "That's God's dwelling place on earth!"

   This is the biggest problem - the relationship between the Inquisition and the Roman Church is extremely complicated, let alone difficult to explain, even if it can be explained, can the archbishop tell these mortal poor people clearly? Impossible!

"You said your Majesty went to hunt down those sinners," Bella's lover said coldly, "but I heard that the Convent of Santo Domingo was His Majesty's second palace, where he often went to do penance, read scriptures, and wait more time there than anywhere..."

  The archbishop's face darkened, Bella's lover couldn't see it, but he knew that from now on, he might not be able to survive in Toledo or the whole of Spain, but he just felt extremely happy!

   "You are lying, sir." The Archbishop said: "Are you slandering our king!?"

   "We just need a solid answer!" Bella's lover shouted.

  The Archbishop could only ignore the man—but he had already given the attendant a wink and asked him to get rid of that man... Whether he is or not, he will appear on the execution ground tomorrow, and the charge is of course treason.

But when the attendant led the servants to run down, all they saw was a dense crowd of black people. They squirmed and contained the young man in the innermost part of the crowd. The archbishop's attendant looked at the cold faces and didn't even dare to Intimidating and abusive as usual, after a few dry "pleases" to no avail, he returned to the archbishop in vain.

   "They..." He said timidly: "They said they would wait here for His Majesty to return..."

The adults in the room all looked troubled. The people who went to find the king have not come back. They don’t worry about anything else, they worry that Carlos II will not come back to the feast of the saints because of his absurdity. Then they will face a large group of people. The people are full of doubts and anger.

   Suddenly someone coughed lightly, and the archbishop looked up and saw that it was Alberoni, "Maybe I can try," he said, "I'll go and persuade them away."

  The Archbishop of Toledo softened when he saw the child: "Don't go," he said, "it's too dangerous."

   The average person will be numb with fear when facing a few vicious thugs, not to mention thousands of people...

"Just some ordinary people," said Alberoni. "Please let me try, teacher, they can't be kept here all the time - long waits, useless waits, will only make the anger more violent. ."

   "How are you going to convince them?" Duke Don Juan asked: "They don't seem to believe us very much." He looked around: "And I always feel that our enemies are pushing inside."

   "There must be," said the Queen Mother, "otherwise the mob would have dispersed long ago."

The archbishop also thought it was very possible, but Alberoni insisted on going. He said that even if these people did not want to listen to him, he was just a child. Take a look and see who is instigating and agitating the civilians inside.

What finally made the Archbishop give in was a sudden change - the deceased found by the commoners from the monastery of Santo Domingo and the priests who could not escape were placed in front of the gate of the old palace, so that even Carlos II would return. This is a problem, in the eyes of everyone, Carlos II, and the priests and monks of the Inquisition who were too stupid to escape... No one can speculate how the situation will change and develop.

Alberoni obediently accepted the mission given by the teacher, and a cloak of squirrel skin - the torture of Carlos II greatly damaged his body, like this wet and cold weather, he The cough never stopped.

"I'll go with you." Jose Patinho, who had not spoken, said that everyone was not surprised. The two of them were a very good pair of friends. If Jose hadn't been driven away by Carlos II, Alberoni may not have been imprisoned for so long, no one knows.

   "No," Alberoni smiled: "Maybe I'll be back soon."

   "How are you going to convince them?" Jose asked.

   "As long as they get out of here," said Alberoni, "I will tell them that the sinners have probably escaped to the arena."

"Ah..." The Queen Mother said that the arena refers to the ancient Roman Colosseum in Toledo. Like many traces left by the ancient Romans, almost only the outer city wall and the ring seat are well preserved, and other buildings inside are long ago. It collapsed or crumbled, but the arena and the old palace where they were located were at the east and west ends of Toledo. When these people ran there, I am afraid it would be difficult to have the time and strength to run back.

   "If they find out it's a lie..."

   "That's just a kid talking nonsense," Alberoni said. "They should be angry with themselves for believing me so easily."

   "I'll accompany you," Jose said.

  Alberoni glanced at him: "If you insist."

  Alberoni's behavior is quite risky. After all, there are too many people gathered in front of the old palace. As long as there are one or two people who are unreasonable, or who are controlled by anger and sadness, his situation is very dangerous.

   "We can let others go," said the archbishop.

   "No," said Alberoni, "unless it is you, or Monsieur Patinho, or the Duke of Don Juan--they may trust a king's valet, but how can they trust a stranger?"

   This sentence is also true, Alberoni, and Jose, in the years when they were close to Carlos II, the three of them often appeared in one place, and people were familiar with them.

  ———

   Mrs. Milady reached out and touched the drops of water dripping from the brim of her hat. The rain was not very heavy, but at this time, the rain was not so pleasant.

The Archbishop's guess was right. If there were no organizers and supporters, these people would have dispersed long ago, but Milady and her dozen or so subordinates, as well as some dexterous and good-spoken Judas, are not very obvious in appearance. , shuttled back and forth in the crowd, while encouraging the victim's relatives to persist until the last moment, while distributing wine and bread as a friend of the latter, promising a small compensation, etc. to maintain the current situation, of course, also It was necessary to poke their tongues to stimulate their empathy and sympathy, and some cunning spies praised them a lot, and said that when the king came back, he would definitely meet them and reward them in person.

   This kind of speculation is not too much. In people's memory, there are many people who came from common people but made a fortune because of hunting "witches" and even became "masters".

  People are imagining with longings as they drank heavily to resist the pervasive cold.

When Alberoni and Jose were hung from the wall, they didn't notice until the servants lit torches, and under the fire, two teenagers walked among them, one of whom was quickly recognized. , "That's the king's attendant and friend." Some people whispered.

   "I'll take you to see Your Majesty," said the young attendant, "He's in the arena."

   separated by firelight and rain, his eyes met Milady's.

   (end of this chapter)