I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 498 The King's Royal Expedition (8)

   Hearing this, Louis immediately raised his head, "Oh." He paused: "But that's not the reason why you came to me."

   Bontang nodded respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty, when they put him in jail, the priest said he had a letter from the Archbishop of Toledo to you."

"It has been cleaned up." He went on to say that the "cleaning up" here is of course not the kind of cleanup that people think, but the "cleaning up" that has been checked by wizards and priests. After all, among the dark wizards, people who are good at media curses But a lot. Louis picked up the letter on the tray and found that it was actually written in fairly traditional vellum and gemstone ink. Vellum was more expensive than parchment because it was made of calves that had not yet emerged from their mother's belly. The son is about to kill two cows, but the toughness and texture are impeccable. The gem ink is an ink made of precious gem powder such as lapis lazuli and sapphire. That said, it's also super expensive.

"That archbishop is really a wonderful person." After reading the letter, Louis said with a sigh, what is interesting is that in front of Carlos II, it was the archbishop who was closer to France. Ledo ran out, hiding his identity and came to propose to the Grand Princess, it is hard to say without his handwriting; he stood with Patinho against the Duke of Don Juan, because the Duke of Don Juan was very worried if Carlos II had A queen with a strong background, the queen will take his place and represent the government.

Unexpectedly, the Archbishop of Toledo now stands on the opposite side of France, but Louis can probably guess what he thinks. If Carlos II marries the Grand Duke of Orleans, it will be completely beneficial to Spain. More than harm, first of all, the father of the big county lord is only a duke, not a king. She was born to be a Habsburg princess in the court, that is, the queen mother; secondly, the dowry of the big county lord is sufficient. Spain's sluggish sea power; finally, the grand dame is healthy, strong, beautiful, world-famous, and she and Carlos II will soon have children.

   But once Carlos II died, it would not do the archbishop any good if His Royal Highness Charles of France came to compete or win the Spanish throne through his mother's blood. Although people often say that France is the eldest daughter of the Catholic Church, in fact, after the captivity of Avignon, Spain replaced the rebellious eldest daughter of France as the most devout child of the church. There are also established Protestants. Some of the Spanish Protestants burned torches, some danced on the gallows, and some of them were lingering, probably in the prison of the Inquisition.

As the archbishop of Toledo, he criticized Louis XIV for being too tolerant of Huguenots. He also realized that the king was not really religious. Although Louis XIV prayed every day, attended Mass, and regularly Confession, but just look at his attitude towards Protestants and pagans, as well as his attitude towards the inner world. He is the kind of selfish ghost who can be pulled by the devil as long as he can. He is not afraid of going to hell, nor is he afraid of going to hell. Hope to go to heaven, only to take care of his realm on earth with all his heart.

   If such a king finally becomes the ruler of Spain, the Spanish church and clergy will dance in chains like their French counterparts.

When the Archbishop of Toledo accused Louis XIV in the newspaper of being unwilling to return the "ordained power" to the Church, Louis guessed that he would be a nail in Spain, but he still underestimated the priests His cheeky, the archbishop probably guessed that his disciple might be caught before he came to Paris, so he wrote a letter to Louis XIV.

He did not ask for the king's tolerance in his letter. Louis XIV was indeed very mild to the people, but to his enemies... let's put it this way, if he had the same attitude towards the church and the people, the cardinals in the church would not be the majority All on the Habsburg side. But in his letter he described in great detail what his disciples did during the riots in Toledo...even wrote about Carlos II...even though the archbishop was still lying on his bed and moaning because of the torment of his wounds. 0 can't stop chanting, but he is a smart man after all, he doesn't think his disciple will be so loyal to guard Carlos II until the last moment - if he admires Carlos II's painful struggle to the last moment, it is possible .

   Ask a few other people who may have seen the tragic death of Carlos II, and he will know it.

If the archbishop shouted about heaven and **** in his letter, and threatened the church and the faithful, Louis would only use it to set fire to it, but he did not, he described to the king - in the eyes of others, Alberoni was simply a heinous but he knew that Alberoni would be appreciated by Louis XIV for the help he gave to those people, and he even avenged the girl's revenge.

   That's right, Louis was really curious about this young man, although the young priest was also mentioned in the spy's report.

   He asked Bontang to bring Alberoni to him.

  Alberoni, as the son of a gardener, was able to be favored by the archbishop at a glance and accepted as a disciple, of course, because of his beautiful face, even if he looked a little haggard because of the long journey, he still looked quite flattering. The king watched him for a while. "You know what your teacher sent you to Paris for."

  Alberoni took a deep breath and cried almost uncontrollably.

He had always thought that the teacher must have hated him, and he was ready to accept whatever punishment he received. He was even a little dazed when he was taken out of Toledo overnight by two priests, but now he could not understand ! His teacher had already decided to be martyred before sending him out, or to the safest place for him - France.

Yes, in any place, I am afraid that he will not be willing to be the accomplice of the king or the lord, his heart is still pure, his blood is still hot, he was also a lower class, and he knows the hardships they will endure, Louis. Fourteen is not a devout believer, but he is definitely a good king. Only under his command, Alberoni will not die or die in a mediocre life.

"Your teacher guessed right, I won't take anger on innocent people at will." Louis said: "But I want to ask you one thing, Alberoni, which do you prefer, the church in France, or the Church in Spain?"

  Alberoni was silent for a while, and then said as if he couldn't bear it: "Forgive my presumptuousness, Your Majesty, I didn't see the church in France, but I saw your church."

   Bontang heard the king's laughter outside the door.

Isn't it true that Alberoni's face was flushed, and he did not pay 11 taxes to the Roman Church, nor did he pay any fees such as clergy inheritance, transcription gold, donations, etc. - and not only the royal family, but all France. This is the case for everyone, and now it is even more reluctant to hand over the right to appoint and remove the priesthood... What is the difference between France and England, which has a separate door, except that there is still a thin fig leaf hanging on it! Think about it and know that if Bourbon came to Spain, Spain would also implement this system... This means that the Roman Church has completely lost its two main branches - only the Holy Roman Empire is still struggling to support the troika. , Hell, some of the imperial princes are Protestants, and it's no wonder that the cardinals of Rome would rather endure the threat posed by pagans than stand on Leopold I's side!

   Archbishop of Toledo sees it very clearly, so he will say that he will be a martyr...

   "But I'm not asking the Roman church, I'm asking... You, Alberoni, which church do you like?"

   "...the French Church."

   "Good boy," said Louis, throwing the Archbishop's letter into the drawer. "I like you too, Alberoni, do you know that your teacher wants you to study theology in Paris?"

   "That's what the teacher said."

"If you want to continue to be a priest in the future, I don't recommend that you study theology in Paris," Louis said. "The seminary in Paris ... is not suitable for a child like you at the moment." In fact, the seminary in Paris Rather than cultivating priests, it is better to say that he is cultivating philosophers. If Alberoni has the ambition to dress in red instead of burying his books in a small monastery, then...: "You better go to Rome."

  Alberoni looked up in surprise.

"But I also want to tell you that Rome is not peaceful now." Although King Innocent XI belonged to a moderate faction, he was too old and ill and could no longer control the princes in red. The pro-French forces are now battling those stubborn guys endlessly, from tongues, documents to swords and curses, everything is complete, at this time Alberoni is sent to Rome, and there is no doubt that he will immediately belong to Eraeli's side, No one knows what will happen in the future.

   "I accept any arrangement, Your Majesty." Unexpectedly, Alberoni said without hesitation, "Do I need to do something for you? If I am qualified."

"I don't think a child can do anything for me," Louis softened his tone. "Maybe someone will let you do something. If you have the courage, you might as well show me what kind of talent and courage you have. ."

"You'll see." Alberoni moved his lips, and when Louis thought he would intercede on behalf of the archbishop of Toledo, he endured it, and did not act innocently until he left the room .

  ———

   There is a reason for sending Alberoni to Rome, because Elarius had mentioned not long ago that he needed a nimble child to do something for him—probably related to some pressing secret. Fortunately, Alberoni was originally a disciple of the Archbishop of Toledo, who was the leader of the most tenacious force against the French. Those princes in red in Rome might not have thought that he would be a Frenchman. Fine work here.

Innocent XI's condition is getting worse every day, he may die at any time, and a new pope may be elected at any time. Louis is worried that Leopold I will recklessly elect a pope who hates France. With the help of the cardinals, the Church of Rome will become the most tiresome obstacle or hindrance in this war.

   When he sent Elarius to Rome, he had the ambition to let Elarius take the throne, but after all, Elalius was a priest in the world after all, his foundation was weak, and it was easy to cause all kinds of fears - too young, too young! Since the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Pope has grown older every time. Today, the Pope in his 70s can still be called a proper age, and the 80s and 90s are not without them. Elalius is only a few years older than Louis XIV. Years old, a forty or fifty-year-old pope came to power, wouldn't his succession have to wait for decades? This is really scary!

What's more, the long period of power can allow the Pope to implement several reforms. The previous reforms can be completed in one term. It is very rare, and it is very common to complete several consecutive terms... Sometimes there are different opinions. The Pontifical overthrow... But if the Pope can survive all the opponents - in short, a young Pope, absolutely impossible!

   In comparison, this cardinal is a man of the king of France, but it is a small problem.

  ———

  ———

   There is a reason for sending Alberoni to Rome, because Elarius had mentioned not long ago that he needed a nimble child to do something for him—probably related to some pressing secret. Fortunately, Alberoni was originally a disciple of the Archbishop of Toledo, who was the leader of the most tenacious force against the French. Those princes in red in Rome might not have thought that he would be a Frenchman. Fine work here.

Innocent XI's condition is getting worse every day, he may die at any time, and a new pope may be elected at any time. Louis is worried that Leopold I will recklessly elect a pope who hates France. With the help of the cardinals, the Church of Rome will become the most tiresome obstacle or hindrance in this war.

   When he sent Elarius to Rome, he had the ambition to let Elarius take the throne, but after all, Elalius was a priest in the world after all, his foundation was weak, and it was easy to cause all kinds of fears - too young, too young! Since the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Pope has grown older every time. Today, the Pope in his 70s can still be called a proper age, and the 80s and 90s are not without them. Elalius is only a few years older than Louis XIV. Years old, a forty or fifty-year-old pope came to power, wouldn't his succession have to wait for decades? This is really scary!

What's more, the long period of power can allow the Pope to implement several reforms. The previous reforms can be completed in one term. It is very rare, and it is very common to complete several consecutive terms... Sometimes there are different opinions. The Pontifical overthrow... But if the Pope can survive all the opponents - in short, a young Pope, absolutely impossible!

   In comparison, this cardinal is a man of the king of France, but it is a small problem.

  ————

Throwing Alberoni to Rome, Louis arrived in Barcelona on the first day of September, because he inherited the title of Count of Barcelona from Louis XIII. The mayor of Barcelona held a silver plate and a golden key to wait for the king and lord Ben When he arrived, the people who greeted the king were dressed in costumes and smiling, and they could not see that a month ago, they were preparing to send the king's younger brother to the position of the count of Barcelona, ​​instigating him to compete with his elder brother.

However, even the mayor of Barcelona can't compare to Lupo, the mercenary leader, the first to show his loyalty to the Duke of Orleans, and the strongest among the Catalans. Force, and the fact that the duke of Orleans did not break his promise to recommend this man to the king.

Like all mercenaries, Lupo is a bit slick, but when facing the king, he is very serious. Louis tried to ask him some questions, and he was able to answer them, not only in Catalonia Ronia, it seems that he did his homework seriously before, and Louis asked two or three questions at random - Lupo saw that the valet who was said to be the king's most trusted valet moved slightly, and he immediately asked. Understand that it is time to retire.

   He carefully turned his back to the door as the mayor said, and slowly backed away facing the king. When he was about to leave the room, the king suddenly asked, "Mr. Lupo?"

   "I'm here, Your Majesty, what are your orders?" Lupo said quickly.

   "If," the king rubbed the ring on his hand seemingly casually: "If I give you the power to recruit soldiers, how many can you give me?"

  Lupo was startled for a moment, then fell into a huge ecstasy.

   (end of this chapter)