I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 13 The Crooked Duchess of Montpensier

This little twist did not attract too many people's attention, only some people ridiculed the Duke of Cornwall's maid for being too timid and fragile, but later Louis saw this maid next to Princess Henrietta - because she was at the king's side at that time. At the feet of her, so he still had a little impression of her - this lady was not much older than Mary, but she had the slender figure and melancholy temperament that only adults can have. Her appearance was not very outstanding, but The dark chestnut curly hair is beautiful.

Although she is still very young, she is much better than the naive and mischievous Marie Mancini in terms of how to serve nobles, and she also knows how to win the favor of others. Henrietta didn't like her at first, because People were always whispering that it was a great faux pas for her to pass out in the presence of the king, and there were also suspicions that she was doing grandstanding to get the king's attention, and that she was being sent to Henrietta by the Duke of Cornwall. It's hard to tell if he wants to expel this maid. Henrietta is still very young, but she knows that this maid is not liked by her brother, but within a few days, Henrietta is very willing to let her be by her side. , so Louis saw her several times, but the king didn't like the child very much, not because of the previous rudeness, but because she was too unlike a child.

Although His Majesty the King reiterated that he would treat the Duke of Cornwall as himself, Charles was still an outsider or even an enemy in the eyes of many French people, and his request made the bishop and the Queen Mother feel embarrassed - after all, the French royal family at this time There is no way to give him troops or funds to restore the country, and they themselves are in a precarious position. Gaston, the Duke of Orleans, refused the king's edict and remained in the house of his daughter, the Duchess of Montpassière. In the domain, only the daughter, known as the "grand lord", was sent to Paris as a hostage or a substitute for comforting the royal family.

As we said before, the first marriage of His Royal Highness Gaston was forcibly completed by Cardinal Richelieu and his mother Marie de' Medici, although the Bourbon (collateral) lady brought A generous dowry came, that is, Mengpansiye, and he was still full of disgust for it, and this disgust even continued to their daughter, although the grand county master was full of admiration for this irresponsible father. but he not only never cared for the poor child, but he kept interfering and wanton meddling after she inherited the territory of her mother, Montsier, and now he has sent her to Paris—everyone knows, Paris is like purgatory now, and it is difficult to say whether it contains real and terrible malice.

The Queen Mother Anne had some pity for the Duchess of Montsier. In any case, the Duke of Orleans married Marguerite Lorraine, the sister of the Duke of Lorraine in 1632. At the time, the 5-year-old Duchess of Montssier Abandoned at the court of Paris like this, the Duke of Orleans never mentioned taking her back, as if there was no such daughter, until Louis XIII forced him to take her back before his death.

In those few years, the life of the Duchess of Montessier in the court was very difficult, because everyone knew that she was the daughter of a traitor. The rebellious heart of the Duke of Orleans Gaston was beyond words. He never bothered to hide it, and of course he didn't care about him How much malice the daughter will be treated. Fortunately, the Queen Mother Anne had no children at that time, and the young Duchess couldn’t help but arouse her loving mother’s heart. Such feelings continued until the Duchess left the court. Some people say that Louis XIII also wanted to match the new Prince Louis. The marriage with the Duchess of Montsier, because the Duchess of Montssier once stood by the cradle of little Louis and laughed and called him "my little husband."

It is also possible, however, that this was the reason why the Duchess of Montsier was forcibly expelled from the court (although Louis XIII was only smiling at the time), Louis was born in 1638, the Duchess of Montssier in 1627, both The difference of eleven years, if the age is the second, then the father of the Duchess of Montsier has reached the point where Louis XIII tires it out, how could he not let his son marry the daughter of the Duke of Orleans, What's more, the Duchess of Montpasier has nothing but inheritance from her mother's territory. According to the Salic Succession Law, the title and land of the Duke of Orléans will only be left to his son Jean. If Jean dies, then The heir became Philip, the second son of Louis XIII.

The Duchess of Montsier was only sixteen years old when she left the court, and she is now twenty-two years old. It stands to reason that a girl of this age should have married and had children long ago, but her father, the Duke of Orleans, seemed to regard Montssier as a Her own territory would never allow her to marry with her territory. After leaving the palace, it was rare for her to meet a suitable suitor. Although the Queen Mother with such a compassionate heart was annoyed by the Duke of Orleans standing by, she was also very sympathetic. Prepare to find a sincere husband in the court for the Duchess of Montsier.

   Of course, there is also a bit of trading and self-serving connotations, but for the Duchess of Montpasier, this is really a great opportunity.

Everyone thought so. At the banquet hosted by the Queen Mother, young and handsome men shuttled back and forth like salmon in the sea, showing off their heroic physique and graceful posture. When they were dancing, Louis noticed Cornwall The Duke of Earl left unnoticed. His departure made many people relieved. After all, he is still a king who has not yet been crowned. He is not married. He is very competitive in the marriage of the Duchess of Montpasier. The only shortcoming is probably He remained a Protestant, much to the dissatisfaction of many in the French court. His mother and sister persuaded him to convert, but he never wavered.

Sometimes Charles, Duke of Cornwall wonders if he's being too stubborn, but since Henry VIII, in order to gain autonomy in marriage (he needs a recognized heir), erected the Church of England alone, proclaiming himself religion and state After the supreme leader, every monarch after him (except his eldest daughter, Mary) thought it was wonderful, to be able to completely control the two lifelines of the country, that feeling is any praise, Nothing compares to a compliment or a promise at the end of the day.

   But on the contrary, as a hated Protestant, it is too difficult for him to get help from the believers of the church.

Compared with Anne, the Queen Mother of France, Assistant Mazarin and his cousin Louis are not so devout, but they also stand on the stand of France and will not make promises easily. The Duke of Cornwall intends to send his sister to her. Henrietta married Louis, but unfortunately his mother said that the Queen Mother Anne and Bishop Mazarin would never see this marriage come to fruition, and neither Louis nor Henrietta were too young to get married in the few years There, no one knows what will happen, and Henrietta can't use her own thoughts to influence Louis XIV's judgment - it is good that she can not be influenced by others now.

The courtiers of the Duke of Cornwall wanted him to marry the Duchess of Montsier, but Charlie didn't think the Duchess of Montssier was a suitable candidate, even though she was twenty-two years old regardless of her status...a bit stupid , she left the court for five years, and during these five years she may have listened to a lot of slander about the queen mother or the bishop. During the banquet just now, she mentioned her father with admiration more than once That is, the Duke of Orleans, Gaston, who is the least favored by the court, makes the Queen Mother Anne's attitude obviously cold.

  Looking at the others, Bishop Mazarin looked gloomy, King Louis looked uncertain, and his bored brother Philip broke every flower he could touch one by one.

The only one who is willing to flatter the lord of the county is the Prince of Condé. It would be nonsense to say that he has a good opinion of Gaston, Duke of Orleans, but since the royal family returned to Paris, he has been expecting to be rewarded for his merits. - For the Queen Mother Anne and the Bishop of Mazarin, too greedy in return, their memory is not so bad, Prince Condé's work in Saint-Germain-en-Laye has destroyed the royal family's trust in him, after returning to Paris , Prince Kong Dai not only always complained that the royal family was ungrateful, but also constantly mocked the Queen Mother Anne and Bishop Mazarin - he openly instigated a marquis to pursue the Queen Mother, and asked the Queen Mother during the meal why she did not give "that special lover." Reverend" to humiliate the queen mother and the bishop (he always thought they were having an affair); in his letter to the bishop of Mazarin, he used "the most famous gentleman" to address the powerful man Minister; he also brazenly requested a red cardinal hat for his younger brother, Prince Conte, who had played a major role in the previous rebellion.

Such a request would of course be rejected, and Prince Kongdai became more and more dissatisfied, so he did not hesitate to use the words of the grand county master to wantonly slander and curse the royal family and consecrate a traitor like the Duke of Gaston When she became a saint, the Duchess of Montpassier was beaming with joy, completely ignoring the face of the Queen Mother, and dancing with Prince Condé with a smile. People said that if Prince Condé was not forced to marry Richelieu's niece, he would have Will definitely be the husband of the Duchess of Montsier.

Because of this, Charles, Duke of Cornwall felt that this woman was really stupid. She should have found a husband who could help her stand in Montsier or the French court. The latter could make up for her vacant time in the palace, but she did not choose any of them, but chose a married person who was coldly treated and hated by the entire palace like her father.

   Even the Duke of Cornwall would not be happy to see such a lady officer or maid, let alone a wife, in his own court.

   However, it is possible that the Duchess of Montsier would not choose a precarious and dependent husband, and the Duke of Cornwall gave himself a sharp mockery in the dark.

   "It's not quite like you," said the voice in the corner.

A black figure that was at least three times the size of an adult man stood up from the corner cabinet. If there were other people in the room at this time, he would be scared to death, because it was a huge gray wolf, and its Eyes glow with bright blue light in dim light.

   (end of this chapter)