This situation was commonplace in Paris and Versailles, but it was unexpectedly unexpected, bitter for the Duke of Saint-Simon and his associates, and there were not a few kings who were embraced or even deified, such as Saint-Louis. But it was the first time they had seen Louis XIV as a saint, as a master, as a patron, and even as an amiable and respectable elder (although the king was not yet forty years old this year).

There are not a few kings who are feared by the people, or rather, it is not difficult to do this, as long as there are enough gallows and beheading tables, but it is not easy to make the people fear- Louis XIV seemed to have great faith in himself, and his guards never drove away the people who pursued them, and if a carriage got stuck in the mud, a horse or a mule broke a leg, there would be soldiers laughing and running to help, and if someone prayed loudly, the king or duke would listen to their wishes, and tell the officials to deal with them or give them a reward.

It is difficult to say exactly how the Duke of Saint-Simon should be described - but as the king's motorvoy grew farther and farther away from Saint-Germain-en-Laye, he became more and more silent, and his "friends" seldom met and discussed eagerly, and became less and less surprised when the Duke of Saint-Simon saw one of them walk up to the king and bow to him when the motorcade was still fifty miles from Dunkirk.

It's just that he still can't make up his mind to hand over the last bit of power in his hands, which was originally something he wanted to exchange power and status with the king.

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Louis XIV saw the hesitation of the Duke of Saint-Simon, and the Duke of Saint-Simon was a mistake of Louis XIII, and he did not shy away from saying that the Duke of Saint-Simon was probably in the same position and status as his Vauban, Colbert, and even Fouquet, and Louis XIII was bad because he did not hold on to his trust in the Duke of Saint-Simon, and did not resolutely dispose of him and take back the power he had given him - just like Louis XIV did with Fouquet.

But Louis XIII was Louis XIV's father, and of course he would not blame his father, and he could wield the Scepter of Thunder and wipe them all out like Jupiter when he was lucky with the Duke of Saint-Simon and others like him? But if it was twenty years ago? Will he do it, but twenty years later? Firmly rooted in him? When the treasury is full and there are many adherents? He didn't have to make a big deal about it. So, whether it's the Duke of Vendôme? Or the Duke of Orleans? All he saw was a calm and leisurely king, whose birds kept sending news from all over the place, and he smiled at them and shook his head at them as if he were admiring Monsieur Molière's new play.

More and more "followers" are sent to the ranks of the Grand Parade? Even a marquis gentleman who "unfortunately" broke his leg while hunting? He couldn't help but smile wryly when he looked at the Duke of Saint-Simon, they were old-fashioned people who held their territory and would never accept bribes or temptations from the king, but they really should think of it? Their majesty has never been a good man who follows the rules.

There were also stubborn old men who were not "invited" by the king, though they had to, because their children and grandchildren had become hostages of the king. Of course? Are these young people voluntary, under the pressure of their fathers or grandfathers? They may not be able to leave the realm and go to the king's army? Or Paris? Or maybe Versailles? But when the king is stationed in their castle (the vassals are obliged to provide the king with the best accommodation), or in a palace not far from them, who can restrain their cheerful feet?

Young men and young ladies do not listen to the persuasion and lessons of their elders, and they do not value the dominance and castles of their memories, compared to the stubborn old men, and the king does not deprive them of their titles and possessions, on the contrary, he gives them many opportunities—it is well known that young people are impulsive by nature. Curious and arrogant, with the likes of Jean Barr and Joseph Bourbon in front of their contemporaries, how could they think that they would be left empty for the rest of their lives?

Of course, the king's approval and favor for these young people's deeds, and their heirs have become Louis XIV's possession, so what can the old men do? If they still hold on to their original ideas and practices, their children will be the first to suffer, and if the king is more shameless, who can they give them to even if they retain their territory and power without an heir?

Louis touched his ear,

"What's the matter, brother?" the Duke of Orleans noticed, and asked sideways through the cover of his glass.

"It's a bit of a fever. Louie said, "I've heard people say that if you're always being talked about, your ears will get hot. When the Duke of Orleans heard this, he could not help laughing: "I have not heard of such a saying," he said, "there must be many people who talk about you," he looked at the crowd, "here those who love you and those who hate you are afraid of a tie." ”

"Things have to be settled. Louis picked up a berry, but did not immediately put it in his mouth: "Now is the best time for the king of Bourbon." If little Louis is allowed to do it, I can't guarantee that he will be able to do it well. He sighed and did not continue, and the Duke of Orleans did not make a sound, he knew that his brother was a little disappointed in the Dauphin Louis the Younger, but he and many other ministers thought that it was a good thing that the Dauphin Louis the Younger was not the second Sun King...... They could not have imagined that there were two Louis XIV – one young and powerful, and the other young and ambitious......

Of course, the Duke of Orleans can guarantee that the final victor will be his brother, but such a fight will not only hurt France, but even the whole of Europa - it will be like two dragons fighting each other.

Louis the Younger, unlike his father, Louis XIV would have been disappointed, and more people would have only thought that it was God's blessing to France.

"But I believe," said the Duke of Orleans, pouring a glass of wine for his brother, "that when the procession arrives at Dunkirk, many will change their minds." ”

"I hope so. Louis XIV said: "I would prefer to fight a real enemy than to useless internal strife." ”

"They'll understand your hard work. Said the Duke of Orleans. After all, it will be an irresistible behemoth that will come forward to convince them this time.

As it was a small town, the place where the king feasted was moved to the courtyard—not the usual hall, which could not accommodate so many people, and in fact the courtyard was dilapidated, but at night the trees and flowers lit by torches and candles outperformed silk and gold leaf, or rather, the jewels of ministers and noblewomen were filled with the shortest places, but the most dazzling of the crowd was not the king or the Duke of Orleans, but Madame de Montespan.

The Duke of Orleans once wondered how the king could choose such a royal lady, to say, Madame de Montespan was beautiful, but when he saw her, the Duke knew that she would not be the type the king liked, look at Marie Mancini before, she was more sincere in her feelings, and she had known the king when she was young, and later Madame de Lavallière, she aroused the king's pity more, but what about Madame de Montespan? She only saw the king treat his royal wife as if he were a general or a minister, but she did not really understand the nature of Louis XIV. No, it should be said, she was not the daughter of the Duke of Motmar after all, and her other father was not a sophisticated politician who was good at intrigues, so that she could not grasp the most important "line".

The Duke of Orleans, listening to Madame de Montespan's laughter, said in his heart that the worst thing about this lady was that she had sold herself too cheaply, not that he doubted the affection of Marie Mancini or Madame Lavallière—so to speak, if any noblewoman in the court had been treated favorably by the king, she would never have asked for any material or honorary reward in a foolish manner—the king's favor was the most precious, and with the king's favor, what did you want?

Like Madame de Montespan...... She thought she was smarter than anyone else, and she received from the king the position of royal lady, the power to accept bribes, and the opportunity to be chased, but the king saw her in a completely different way than Marie, or Madame Lavallielle......

The king did not prepare a way back for her.

But among the ladies known to the Duke of Orleans, many of them were so eccentric and extreme that they could not be communicated, and his wife, Henrietta, Duchess of Orleans, was one of them. She had a good hand of cards— Even though she was often bullied, it is true that she grew up with Louis and Philippe, because she almost became Louis's wife, but in the end she accidentally became his sister-in-law, and because Philip, Duke of Orleans, was too amorous, Louis XIV always had a little apology for her, and later in the war against the Netherlands, Henrietta secretly returned to London, successfully brokered an alliance between England and France, and provoked Charles II to the Duke of York, which contributed a lot, and Louis XIV also told Philippe that he should treat his wife well。

But the Duke of Orleans still had difficulty accepting some of Henrietta's ideas and could not understand them...... I don't know if it's because she's been living a life of exile and parasitism since infancy, and she always seems to be shrouded in an invisible layer of gloom and sadness, which has never disappeared since she married the Duke of Orleans, and even affected their daughter, the Grand Lord, and their son, and lately even worse—perhaps because the Grand Princess—had planned to sacrifice the Grand Princess, twice. It is also possible that the Duke of Orleans insisted on sending their son Alex to the Queen Mother for care and education...... The Duchess of Orleans thought it was a punishment and torture, but it was only because Alex was too young to take part in the parade, so he was temporarily left in the care of the Queen Mother, who stayed in Versailles. As a result, the Duchess of Orleans was depressed during the parade and fell ill here.

The Duke of Orleans also explained to her that although he and Louis were a little angry that she did not value the Grand County Lord, they did not mean to blame her, and she did not need to worry about it at all, the Grand County Lord may have some knots, but what kind of irresolvable grudge between mother and daughter? Let time ease the emotions of the Grand County Lord, maybe they can be reconciled when they return to Versailles.

But there is only one result - in vain. The Duchess of Orleans did not believe their words, and she also harbored regret and yearning for her daughter, but her tense emotions were like the strings of a piano, which could not be released from beginning to end, and her worries were like foam tumbling on the sea, disappearing here and reappearing, and the Duke of Orleans was helpless, only hoping that the change of circumstances would make her condition better.

This is where she and Madame de Montspan are most similar, they decide what they are, they don't listen to anyone else's opinions, or look up to see what is going on around them—the Duke of Orleans saw Madame de Montespan walking towards the king with a wide skirt and a crowd of people, dressed like a nymph (banshee) in the forest, with an aggressive beauty, "Dance with me, Your Majesty." She shouted fervently, stretching out her snow-white arms.

"I'm going to meet a couple of important people later. Louis said, handing her the golden cup: "You have fun here." ”

If it were Marie Mancini or Madame Lavallière, the Duke of Orleans thought Louis would at least dance with them before leaving.

Madame Montespan's eyes flashed with a complicated look that was difficult for others to guess, "Your Majesty......"

"Go play," said Louis, "and you'll see a gift on the dresser tomorrow morning, and you'll love it." With that, he nodded to his brother and got up to leave, and the Duke of Orleans could not resist casting a sympathetic glance at Madame de Montespan, but wasn't that what she wanted?

"I'm going to meet Jean Barr and his uncle. While in the hallway, Louis said, "What about you?"

"I'd like to go see Henrietta first. The Duke of Orleans said: "I hope that her illness has been cured, and if she does not appear at the ceremony, it will be difficult for people to ...... the meeting."

"Don't force her. Louis said, "Although ......," he shook his head, "when we get back to Versailles, we will find another way." ”