When Frederick returned to the Berlin Palace in Brandenburg, his father, the Elector, was standing in front of one of the largest and most complete walls of the conference room, looking at a map of Europa—not a map of religious painting more like a precise geographical description than an exact geographical description, as he had invited the wizards of Prussia to draw with the help of a raven's eye.

The map was usually almost hidden behind a curtain, and the Elector seldom pulled it up, lest it be questioned, for as soon as he saw it, he knew that it was anything of an extraordinary thing—Frederick slowed down when he saw it, and he gazed at it with his father, which, unlike the obscure drawings that had preceded it, accurately outlined the present territory of Brandenburg-Prussia— From the map, Brandenburg-Prussia looks like a slender ribbon that flies, with Brandenburg on the lower left, East Prussia on the upper right, and East Pomerania in the middle, surrounded by Poland.

The Hohenzollern family of Brandenburg-Prussia can even be called an upstart in most of the families with a long heritage, first of all, the Hohenzollerns were only canonized as counts in the 11th century, when their surname was still Sauron, and later because of their allegiance to the Hohenstaufen family and the Habsburg family, they were fortunate to be named the new electors after the extinction of the original Duchy of Brandenburg, and Frederick's grandfather, through marriage, got Prussia and merged the two places into one, Frederick's father after the accession to the throne, even more vigorous, cautious, finally put people into the mouthThe "barren Brandenburg" and chaotic Prussia were thriving – hence the "Great Elector", which is a term rich in praise.

The map was like a bucket of cold water mixed with ice poured directly over Frederick's body, and his feverish mind suddenly sobered up—the Elector knew that it was his own son who had entered the room, but he said nothing, just quietly looked at the map with his hands behind his back, and after a few minutes he turned and looked at Frederick. Frederick was over twenty years old, a sturdy and beautiful young man, and when he left Berlin he had a pale beard on his lips, which had now been completely cleaned - King Louis XIV of France did not like beards because of his tendency to hide dirt and dirt, and everyone knew that beards grew around him. Frederick's coat was even the uniform of the Royal Military Academy of France, with a royal blue background, white buttons and a golden belt, and boots that could be pulled up to the knees, which made Frederick look energetic and handsome, and also made the Elector sigh.

"Would you like to go to rest, or do you want to talk to me now?" the father asked his son.

Frederick visibly grabbed a chair beside him, he was a little dazed at first, but then suddenly became more calm than before: "I'll talk to you now." ”

"I'll have people bring drinks. Said the Elector.

The two of them moved to the fireplace together, like the Duke of Orleans and the Grand Dure, Brandenburg was colder than Versailles, the flames in the fireplace cast a golden red light, making the whole room seem to be soaked in gold and blood, Frederick first drank a large sip of the heated Baden, which was also wine, because Baden was in the southernmost part of Brandenburg-Prussia, and the alcohol content of the wine was higher than that of the wines produced in other regions, and his body immediately warmed up after this sip. The empathetic servant also brought white sausages, yellow mustard and calf liver soup, and he picked up the sausages, skinned them, dipped them in the yellow mustard, and swallowed them in large gulps, and drank a large bowl of soup, and the Elector waited quietly for him to finish eating and drinking, and watched him rinse his mouth with wine, before signaling that he could begin to talk.

"I have heard that King Carlos II of Spain has arrived in Versailles. Said the Elector.

"Yes," said Frederick, "I have seen him." ”

"It is said that his physical condition has improved considerably," said the Elector, "as far as you can see, is it true?"

Frederick was silent for a moment: "He can walk, he can ride horses, he can hunt, one of his maids is said to be pregnant, and he seems to be in a clear mind and can speak to us in French." ”

The Elector stared at him for a moment and smiled with satisfaction: "I'm glad you didn't shame a king at will for your own selfish desires. "As his heir, Frederick must remain calm, no one cares if a king is ugly, old, deformed, Frederick said a few things that people care about, his body looks quite healthy, he can control his emotions and thoughts, and he can make a woman pregnant, and that is enough.

"But you are stronger than him, more handsome than him, and more learned than him," said the Grand Elector, "and the Grand Lord loves you more, and that is why you are in my presence." ”

"Yes, Father. Frederick said, "I have come to seek an opportunity." ”

"I am seeking an opportunity for you, for your descendants. The Elector said that he had not concealed his thoughts from Frederick: "You may be a king, or your son will be a king, but if it provokes the wrath of Leopold I against us, Hohenzollern may have to wait a hundred years." ”

"Father, the dowry of the Grand Princesses is a million livres, plus a fief in Friedland. ”

The Elector pursed his lips in surprise - as I said before, Brandenburg has always been Europa's "sand bottle", in order to revitalize the economy of the principality, the Elector has spent a lot of thought, and even imitated the King of France to use a wizard, but even a wizard, it is impossible to create something out of nothing, they need at least one direction - what makes the Elector more excited is a fief of Friedland - Frisland is located above North Holland, facing the Wadden Sea, surrounded by just a chain of archipelagos. Although it is not yet known where the dowry of the Grand Princesses is, the Elector is in a precarious position - he has always been striving for an outlet to the sea for Brandenburg-Prussia, rather than being stuck in Europa, as is the case now.

Even if there was no port in the domain of the Grand Princess, Friedland was much better than Brandenburg, which was 108,000 miles from the sea, and if he became an in-law to the King of France, it would not be a problem to lease a port in North Holland or elsewhere - now he could only swim around the Alster if he wanted to train his navy!

The Elector's fingers clenched involuntarily, but he also knew very well that Leopold I hated Louis XIV so badly, not that there was really any unsolvable enmity between them—it was pure jealousy, and many people could see that after all, they were of the same age, and they were worth the same, and they were still brothers-in-law—brother-in-law to hell! Leopold I boasted of being born a genius and single-mindedly became a real "emperor" , but always slow Louis XIV, not only marriage, but also the heir, and, as far as the Elector knows, it is said that Louis XIV once played Leopold I ruthlessly, probably on the issue of Flanders, after all, if he had not had secret negotiations with Leopold I first, how could Leopold I stand by while France attacked Flanders and the Spaniards were defeated?

The recent battle of the General Assembly directly irritated Leopold I, after all, he had to ask for help from his old enemy, and he owed a large amount of debt, and even the queen's jewels were mortgaged to pay off...... It was enough for Leopold I to replace the devil with the name of Louis XIV.

If Brandenburg-Prussia were to move closer to Louis XIV, Leopold I would have regarded the Hohenzollerns as enemies and rebels, whether for personal or public reasons, and it is not known how long the Elector's plan to upgrade the Duchy of Prussia to a kingdom would have to be delayed, but this would have to be recognized by the Holy Roman Emperor, and the King of France would not be able to help in this regard - unless Leopold I was suddenly inspired by God to go to heaven the next day, and the Electors had chosen Louis XIV... ... Forget it, I know that it is impossible to think about it with my toes, the princes of the Holy Roman Empire are now jealous and jealous of France, they chose Louis XIV as emperor, and Louis XIV dared to make this emperor worthy of his name, not to mention others, even the great elector would not vote for that guy.

"But," said Frederick, hesitantly, holding the cup, "what if His Majesty the Emperor would be pleased to see this result?"

"What?" the Elector had already guessed, but he also thought about it to see if Frederick would be able to think that far: "How do you think that His Majesty the Emperor would want us to marry Louis XIV?"

"There are several reasons," Frederick licked his lips, "first of all, father, the Grand Marsso is the daughter of the Duke of Orleans, and with such a rich dowry, it is unlikely that she will be married to a Frenchman, which is ...... Waste, so," he looked at his father's face: "She still has to marry a powerful king or an archduke after all, but the eldest princess is already married to King Karl XI of Sweden, and the crown princess is a princess of Portugal, so there are not many choices for the Sun King and the Duke of Orleans......"

"Not much, but not nothing, Savoy, Parma......" the Elector casually gave two examples.

"Yes, but if so, the King of France will be helped as well, and what difference is there between us and them?"

"The difference is that the elevation of Prussia from a duchy to a kingdom required the recognition of Leopold I, but he certainly wanted the Grand Duchess to be an archduchess, not a queen. ”

"But on the other hand, if the Grand Marsher had not become my wife, then she would have become the Queen of Spain. Frederick spread his hands: "Father, as far as I can see, the Duke of Orleans and Louis XIV doted on her - and France on Spain...... It will be done, once she marries Spain," he said with some difficulty, "she will conceive as quickly as possible, Carlos II seems to be healthy, but no one knows how long he will live, as the queen mother, the lord of the county will inevitably take the place of the regent of the son—she will definitely be in favor of France, not Austria or other countries, and by that time, the Habsburgs will also be equivalent to losing Spain." ”

"The Spaniards won't allow her to do that. Said the Elector. Let's read a book

"Orange. Frederick only said one word, but the Elector immediately understood, because William II of Orange had only one posthumous son, that is, when William III, William III was surrounded by a lot of fighting, first the Dutch, then Brandenburg - the Elector's wife was the daughter of William I, and then the English, why should they surround themselves around a child who didn't understand anything, and not because he was almost equal to the Netherlands?

Presumably the French would do the same, and if Spain were still the same Spain that was in full swing, the Spaniards would certainly be able to reject the French without fear, but by the time of Philip IV, Spain was so weakened that it could not afford to pay the dowry of Queen Theresa's five hundred thousand livres - after the accession of Carlos II, the Duke of Don Juan, the illegitimate son of Philip IV - Since he could not inherit the throne, he certainly did not care much about the country, and even more expropriated and excluded dissidents, and if he wanted to do something for Spain, he had to submit to the feet of an illegitimate son with humiliation, like Juan Patinho.

Not to mention the Queen Mother of Spain, she couldn't even deal with the Duke of Don Juan, and was even expelled, if it weren't for the fact that the ministers of the court saw Louis XIV's bold actions and decided to desperately ask the dark wizard to heal the king, so she needed someone to restrain the Duke of Don Juan, she wouldn't know where she was wandering.

"You're almost going to convince me. "The Elector took a sip of wine, which was already cold, but still hot in his stomach.

"I am not sure whether Leopold I was willing to hold on to his hatred and jealousy, or whether he was willing to get Spain in a few years' time. ”

"He may want everything," said the Elector, "and it is possible that he would be willing to see the Grand Princesses marry you, and then refuse our request." ”

"Then tell him that as long as the marriage is successful, we are willing to give half of the dowry of the lord of the county as a reward. Frederick said, "He owes Louis XIV one and a half million livres." ”

The Elector rubbed his glass repeatedly, "I don't know if we should take this risk." ”

"After all, the Holy Roman Empire was married to Spain. Frederick said: "The eldest princess of the Holy Roman Empire, Antonia, is also eight years old, and she is only a few years away from coming of age, and if the marriage between Spain and France is destroyed, it will be difficult for Carlos II to find another suitable princess or princess, so that perhaps in a few years ......"

"Would Louis XIV be willing?"

"I have seen in Versailles how Louis XIV got along with his children, and how he trusted his brother, and how the Duke of Orleans regarded his daughter as if he were a treasure," Frederick affirmed: "They will look for other ways to settle the matter, and sacrificing the Grand Marsal is not the only way." ”

"Let me think about it. ”

"Don't be too long, father," said Frederick, "I don't mean to rush you, but ...... If the matter were finally settled by the French, the Grand Duke, the Duke of Orleans, or even Louis XIV, whatever decision they made, would have been very disappointed in me. ”

"I'll think about it. The Elector said that he was in fact much more decisive than his son had imagined, and while Frederick was still anxious and could not sleep peacefully, a young envoy rode out of the Berlin Palace, carrying with him a letter from the Elector himself, in which the Elector was extremely humble, full of sycophancy, and at the same time trying to make a clear statement—as Frederick had said, Leopold I had to make a choice—whether he wanted Spain, or a momentary whim. Seriously, if Spain really married France, France would benefit, after all, the Bourbon blood remained in Spain, and the lord of the county was more likely to regent for his sick husband or young children.

So the tone of the Great Elector, although humble, did not come to ask for forgiveness, but to ask for reward, he said that he was willing to solve the problem for Leopold I, and if the Grand Princesse finally became the wife of his son, then the marriage between Princess Antonia and Carlos II would not change, and Spain would still belong to the Habsburgs, but to compete with Carlos II, the status of the heir of a principality would not be enough at all- Therefore, he came to ask the emperor for recognition and allowed the Duchy of Prussia to be promoted to a kingdom, and as a result, he was willing to pay 600,000 livres in return.

Leopold I must have been furious and angry when he read the letter, but the Elector felt that if he had calmed down, he would only weigh the benefits and disadvantages carefully, and finally make a wise choice.

The Elector's guess was correct, and when Leopold I read the letter, he immediately threw the Elector's envoy into prison, and vowed to hang the Hohenzollern's rebellion with him, but the young and brave envoy was released before he had eaten his third meal in prison, and after a second secret summons, he returned to the Berlin Palace unharmed, bringing back the news that Frederick and the Elector had hoped for.

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Duke Don Juan, the illegitimate son of Philip IV, was already a young man, but commensurate with the wrinkles that had accumulated at the end of his eyes and mouth was the charm of a prodigal, like bad wine accumulated at the bottom of a barrel, which had a special charm because of its turbidity, and he did not marry, and did not seem to want to marry, and he had been the regent of Carlos II for ten years, during which time he was known for his incompetence and greed.

Spain's originally shaky politics and economy were at the mercy of the regent, and they could not contain the downward momentum, and they were about to slide into the abyss. So, a group of ministers, led by Juan Patiño and the Archbishop of Toledo - with what little conscience and loyalty they had left, contacted the expelled Queen Mother Maria, hired dark wizards almost frantically, and managed to free their king Carlos II from his sickness and madness - and so on, and it is correct that what they had hoped for was only a shell capable of giving birth to a woman, after all, no one would have thought that Carlos II would have been as healthy and strong as ordinary people.

But to the delight of some and the frustration of others, Carlos II recovered not only physically, but also his sanity, and although at first he was as ignorant as a baby, it soon became clear that he had a great ability to learn, as if God had sent an angel to pour wisdom into his head, and he seemed to be able to become a king—not every king was as wise and shrewd as the Sun King, anyway.

Only Duke Don Juan did not feel that he always felt that Carlos II had an innumerable sense of disobedience, but he also knew that when he said this, others would only laugh at him, thinking that he was unwilling to be taken away from power by healthy kings, especially the Queen Mother and the Archbishop of Toledo.

"Look at it. He muttered—he had only known that the king had been quietly sent to Versailles to seek his previous marriage to the daughter of the Duke of Orleans, and of course, the niece of the King of France was more valuable than the daughter of Leopold I, after all, the marriage between the Habsburgs was a waste, and the eldest princess Antonia was too young, and since the king had been proven to be able to have sex with women, they could not wait for the king to have a legitimate heir— The Duke of Don Juan did not think it would be an easy matter, but the incident exposed the problem that his authority was not as strong as before, and that the group of people deceived him - he was invited to go hunting, and only returned to Madrid ten days later, when the king was long away from the palace.

"They're all dealing with me!" he said hatefully, and pulled the bell rope and told the servant to bring him a glass of wine, and who knew that he had just pulled the bell, and the servant hurried in, and he thought that the servant had a good idea with him, but when he saw him empty-handed, he said with a gray face, "My lord, the attendant of the Queen Mother, tell you to hurry to the palace of Aranjuez at once." ”

Duke Don Juan was stunned for a moment, and then immediately understood: "She's going to give birth?"

The Palace of Aranjuez is about a hundred miles from Madrid, where the lady-in-waiting and the Queen Mother, who had the good fortune to conceive the child of Carlos II, temporarily lived, and the Duke of Don Juan had maliciously speculated that Juan Patinho was also ashamed, after all, this lady-in-waiting was his relative, but the royal lady could not appear in public until the king was married, and the lady-in-waiting could only be moved to a place where people could not see it with her belly.

But after all, this is the king's child, just like Don Juan, his birth needs to be proved by credible witnesses, and the Duke of Don Juan can only rush to the palace of Aranjuez overnight - he rushed through the corridors almost trotting through the countless rooms under the guidance of his attendants, and when it was getting darker and hotter around him, he knew that it was coming, and the rooms outside were crowded with men and women, and people saluted him, and the duke ignored them, and went straight inside. As soon as he entered, he saw the mother, and two small blue and black feet exposed.

A priest was putting oil on the woman's head, her lips trembling, her face as if she had been powdered with lead, and before the Duke could say anything, her head hung down, and she died.

The ensuing confusion ensued, and the Queen Mother ordered the midwife to open the woman's belly and take out the baby - the Duke did not know if the midwife had listened to her, but he saw the baby in a few minutes and knew the cause of the mother's dystocia - the baby had two heads.