Autumn in Blois was somber and gorgeous, and the people of the court changed their clothes with the change of climate, and colorful velvets and heavy silk cloths could be seen everywhere, but gold threads, crimson brocades, ferrets, and purple velvet were only for the royal family for the time being, and today's Duchess of Brittany, the queen of France, was dressed like this - her golden brown hair was pulled up high, and she wore a gold headband inlaid with precious stones, and her excess hair was braided and hung down behind her, and she wore a square-necked skirt, revealing her snow-white skin. Beautifully ornamented pontose sleeves with ribbons and pearls hanging from the cuffs, and a wide skirt embroidered with lilies, the symbol of the French royal family.

When her loyal lady, Madame Benevolent, put on a complicated flat wrinkle collar for her, even the duchess, who had always been less picky, frowned: "What the hell is this?" ”

"The ghost of the French." "Bear with me," said Madame Kind, "for we are in Blois." ”

"Yes, we are in Blois," said the duchess contemptuously, "and now the French are becoming more and more incompetent, and will this kind of thing help them to defeat the Spaniards?" ”

"It seems that it can't," said Madame Kindheart, "that the king is still in Italy." ”

"I swear I didn't expect to pick such a good person." The Duchess said happily, "Twelve years, can you imagine, my dear, that in the mire of Italy, Louis XII struggled for twelve years, and my child has grown up, and he will be the monarch of Brittany." ”

"And the king of France," Madame Kindness pointed out mercilessly, "as soon as we return to Blois, they will try to win his trust and affection, and his place around him," she said, with a hint of apprehension: "I heard that the king intended Cardinal Georges to be his teacher, and that he had chosen for him some French companions and maids-in-waiting." ”

"It's not surprising." The Duchess regretted it: "If that one does not wield so much power, I may have managed to invite him to Blois, and I have the right to choose a teacher for my son." ”

"Don't talk like that," said Mrs. Kindness angrily, "don't you think there's not enough going on here?" She pressed her master's shoulder, lowered her head and whispered, "Do you know that there are some bad rumors out there suddenly?" ”

"What kind of rumors?"

"Rumor has it that Francis was not the son of Louis XII."

The Duchess's eyes widened suddenly, and then she put on a sarcastic look like the kind lady who heard the rumor for the first time: "They must not know, this ......" is not a rumor, although the rumor-mongers only want to shake Francis's throne, but they definitely did not expect that they are crooked.

Seeing that she did not continue, Mrs. Kindness sighed softly.

"So in the rumors, who is the father of my child?"

"There are everyone, from the guards to the dukes," said Madame Kindness, in a low voice, "but the most is Prince Orange, for as soon as you return to Brittany, you will appoint him general for life, and the others, the French, the Brittany, and the English." ”

"Did anyone guess that?"

Mrs. Kindness paused: "Yes." "But few believe," she replied, "because he left Brittany a few months ago, and you were in Blois when you were conceived, and he was in Rome at that time, and no one thought he would be ......"

"Then let's not mention it again," interrupted the Duchess, "but I would like to know who Louis XII and I have no second son, and who they want to be the king of France." ”

"I have a few candidates, but the most likely one is the Duke of Valois."

"Yes, he's the most likely, and he's five years older than Francis, seventeen years old, and it's a good time to be strong and healthy, and he's said to have several illegitimate children?"

"Yes, Your Highness. His ** function is clearly very pleasing to the French. ”

"I wonder what my husband, the king of France, will think when he hears such rumors?" The Duchess speculated that it must have been anger, and although they did not spend much time together, as far as Anne observed, Louis XII was not a gentle man, and his anger burned throughout the French court—he permitted, or intended to provocate, disrespect, and hostility to his queen, because he wanted to ensure that his queen would not collude with his courtiers and become an unshakable source of trouble when he went out to war. But if they deliberately deny Francis's inheritance to France, they will not only anger the Duchess of Brittany and the queen of France, but also shake his power base, and a king without an heir can hardly be valued by the princes, because his heir is not directly related to him, and is more of an enemy than a kinship - like Charles VIII and Louis XII.

And the current Duke of Valois, when Louis XII had no heir, he could come and go as he pleased, surrounded by ministers and knights, but when Francis was born, let alone the court, the king almost didn't want to see him again, if he was only a child forever, it would be fine, but when he grew up, how could he have no attachment to the throne that was once at his fingertips? And as far as the Duchess could tell him, he also had a mother who was passionate about power, and she had cursed Anne and her son Francis countless times, but the Duchess never cared about the barking of the losers - without Anne's hands, Louis XII alone held them firmly to Coqueak (the birthplace of the Duke of Valois), unable to move.

It's just that since there are such rumors, it means that things have changed, the Duke of Valois's mother is the daughter of the Duke of Savoy, although the original Duke of Savoy has died, his daughter may still inherit some of his power, those people will of course prefer that the grandson of the Duke of Savoy can become the king of France, in this case, he is afraid that it will be difficult to clear his suspicion - maybe he does not need to clear it.

And there must have been some French people in it, although Louis XII was away for a long time, but the French court was always full of people, and they already complained a lot about the queen spending most of her time every year touring Brittany, and even more resentful that she did not allow the French to raise Prince Francis, and Francis's knee-jerk inclination, which favored Brittany over France, made them even more worried, and they wanted to change to a more French ruler.

But how did Anne allow such a thing to happen?

"We might be able to find a girl." Madame Kindness said in a lower voice, as if sighing, "The Duke of Valois is a merry man, and there are many women around him who cross the river. "As long as one of them is willing to put something in his wine, the name of the Duke of Valois can be crossed off the list of the French.

"Wait," said Anne, "and see how this war turns out." ”

She hoped that Louis XII would delay the war as long as possible, but her children would inherit not only Brittany, but all of France, and she lent money generously, both for freedom and power, and for a satisfactory return.

To put it simply, she needed a less crushing defeat, or a less grand victory.

But the Duchess of Brittany also knew that there was no such thing as a perfect thing, and sure enough, bad news followed.

First Gaston. Morality. The death of Fois, the defeat at the Battle of Ravenna, and then Rome, where Louis XII was captured by a group of weak clergy and thrown into the prison of the Pope, and his army was surrounded by the Spanish and the Holy Roman Empire outside Rome.

Finally, there was the papal verdict – Louis XII was sentenced to excommunication.

That is to say, all the marriages, covenants and covenants made under the watchful eye of the Church, as long as they relate to Louis XII, have become a waste page.

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After paying a huge ransom, Louis XII returned, and the people who greeted him looked heavy and silent, saying that they were welcoming a living king, but even if it was the coffin that greeted the king, it was not surprising, but for most people, Louis XII came back alive and dead There was no difference, France was defeated again, this time not only the French court treasury became an ornament, but even the queen, the Duchess of Brittany's inner bag was as empty as an old woman's chest, The money he borrowed from the princes and ministers was never returned, and it was difficult to find a trace.

Louis XII looked haggard and confused, and the only thing he could do was to do his best to save the lives of the generals, cardinals, clergy, and every knight of the Edict, whose freedom had to be redeemed by himself or his family. The Medici assured that they would not be humiliated or murdered.

But his fate was predestined, the humiliation of Avignon was deeply remembered by every clergyman, especially the Pope himself, Leo X had just been assassinated, and he was threatened with such a threat, no matter how lenient and kind he was, he could not help but be furious, he was sentenced to excommunication, cut off from the whole Catholic world, he no longer had his own kingdom, his own court, his own wife and heir, his subjects were still willing to recognize him, but just like Henry IV, Louis XII was also worried that the princes would be ready to reel from his defeat.

Anne, Duchess of Brittany, the queen of France, was the first time she had seen such a frail king, even Charles VIII, who was so pale and cowering from his wounded and dying illness, that he had even been stripped of his fine clothes, and in such bitter cold weather, wearing only a thin linen robe, barefoot, and chained around his waist, like an old and humble ascetic.

Compared to the still beautiful and moving queen, his appearance is completely beyond the imagination of Prince Francis.

Frances is also only twelve years old this year, and he is a stranger to his father, whom they have only met when he was still very young, and he has almost forgotten it, but in the imagination of every child, the father is tall, strong, handsome, unrivaled, this man makes him dare not recognize him. It was Mrs. Kindness who gently nudged him, and he went up, kissed his father's hand, and hugged him.

Only then did he realize that his father's hands were as cold as stone carvings.

Louis XII looked up as if to say something, but Anne held up a hand and stopped him.

"Don't talk here," said Anne, "let's go back to Blois first." ”

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