"Wonderful," said Henrietta, who looked at her brother and smiled suddenly, "you know what? I am the Duchess of Orleans of Bourbon, and the Princess of Stuart. ”

"I know, but sister, what do you want to tell me?"

"Let me persuade you to try to promote the alliance of France with Great Britain, even at the cost of making such a promise—to the Duke of York, it is His Majesty's meaning, I think you have guessed it. ”

"Yes, he is a devil and gives a temptation that I cannot refuse. ”

But Louis once said that a king who is not hated by his enemies is not a good king. ”

"What a pinpoint statement. Charles II said in a shrill voice: "Henry VIII also once said that the number of enemies you have often means how strong you are. ”

"So he will take advantage of it, and if my brother, the Duke of York, is canonized, then it will be the beginning of chaos after that, whether you have an heir or not. ”

"It's like drinking to quench your thirst, but sister, it was you who held my hand and signed my name. ”

"It's your greed, my brother, but it's not like there's no room for manoeuvre. ”

"If you meant that I should put the Duke of York to death, I wouldn't do that. Charles II said: "I have no heir, he is the first heir to the thrones of Scotland, Ireland and England, and although I hate him, I will not let Stuart orthodoxy be severed in my hands." ”

"But when things settle down, you'll have to fulfill your promise. Henrietta said, "Brother, I was the Duchess of Orleans, but from now on I am Henrietta." ”

"Dawn is coming, and we are running out of time. Sister, if there's anything, just say it. ”

"Then I said, Brother Wang, you and the Queen have no children, and you must have asked God and the saints, and now tell me, have you asked the Devil?"

"Oops!" said Charles II, who immediately jumped up from his chair, recalling Henrietta's words in his mind, and his expression became more and more horrified: "What nonsense are you talking about, Henrietta!

"It is a strange remark," said Henrietta calmly, "are there not wizards and witches hovering around you, and if they were not you, you would hardly be sure that our secrets would not be heard and seen by those keen ears and eyes." ”

"Yes, but it's not the same. Charles II tensed his forehead, and his head even buzzed a little: "Henrietta, the child born under witchcraft does not belong to the parents, nor to God, he belongs only to the sorcerer, and it is impossible for me to let such a child inherit my throne." He suddenly raised his head and stared at Henrietta, "You're not telling me that Louis's children came this way!" Speaking of which, Louis XIV's children were much easier than his father, Louis XIII, and the queen had children almost as soon as the wedding ceremony was over.

"Unfortunately, no. "But all you need is time," said Henrietta, "for a war will not end prematurely, and if your child is born within a year, and the Duke of York is still on the sea, someone will reject your will......"

"Ah, yes, it's not the first time. Charles II's gloomy face was covered with a dangerous gray: "But my ministers, those Protestants, they have long been secretly connected with the Duke of York. They will only cheerfully facilitate the completion of the matter. ”

"But in any case, you're a Protestant, not a Catholic. ”

This sentence made Charles II laugh: "The Duke of York too." ”

"You may make him not, his wife, and unfortunately, the daughter of the Earl of Clarendon seems to have died. ”

"Yes, may God bless her. ”

"They don't seem to have a good relationship as husband and wife. Princess Henrietta said that the average life expectancy at this time was short, but it was only for those in the lower middle class, the Duchess of York was only in her twenties, and she was married to the Duke of York for less than ten years, neither because of difficult childbirth, nor because of the plague, the Duke of York was a mercenary man, after getting the position of Minister of the Admiralty, for the man who first took the blame for the Dunkirk incident, and because of the public accusation of Charles II's lack of morality, and at the same time attracted the disgust of the king and the parliament, was used as a scapegoat for the defeat of the Second Anglo-Dutch War, and expelled the old man from EnglandHe did not care about his own wife for a long time, neither respecting nor loving, so that at a young age, the lady died because of the depression she had accumulated for a long time: "I have a good family affair to tell him here." ”

"Then tell me about it first. Charles II asked with interest.

"How is the daughter of Duke Monad?"

"Monad of Italy?" this candidate made Charles II can't help but flick his tongue: "That descendant of the illegitimate son of Alexander VI?" Speaking of that Cesare, it is really famous, until now, people are still talking about the scandal of him and his own sister, and even pull their father, then Pope Alexander VI, and he is the great-grandfather of the current Duke of Monad, although the reputation of the ancestors is not good, but the Duke of Monad is indeed one of the most famous and powerful princes in Italy, his daughter married to the Duke of York, for the Duke of York, it can be called a rainfall, in any case, his first wife is just the daughter of an earl, and the Duke of Monad's wealth is also well known, his dowry to his daughter must not be too simple。

Don't forget, the British royal family's use is in the hands of Parliament, Charles II is stretched, can the Duke of York be extravagant? Such a glittering bride, even Charles II can't help but be moved.

His daughter, Mary, is eleven years old, and next year she will start talking about marriage. ”

"Will Duke Monard be willing?"

"If the title of Duke of York is not enough, then add the title of Prince of Wales, and wouldn't he wish he had a daughter who is the Queen of England?"

"I almost thought you were a lobbyist for the Duke of York. Charles II sighed that if the marriage was successful, the Duke of York's position would be even more unshakable.

"But that must not be what your ministers and parliamentarians want to see. Princess Henrietta said, "You may not know that the Roman Church is also in contact with Louis XIV. ”

"Ah, yes, I heard that Alexander VII is dying. Charles II said without respect.

"They want not only peace with the King of France, but also with you. ”

Charles II's eyes widened, of course, in England, the Protestant vs. Catholic dispute has been going on for hundreds of years, through several kings, wars, massacres and exiles caused by faith are not inferior to the struggle between nations, but the Roman Church is willing to lower its profile and talk to their hated Protestant king first, which is really a rare thing.

"What's so strange about that, isn't that what Ms. Christina is?"

"So she's no longer the king of Sweden. Charles II said casually, and then he suddenly paused: "The Duke of Monard and his daughter are both Catholics, but will he also ask the Duke of York to convert?"

"It doesn't matter if he wants it or not," said Henrietta lazily, "we just need your ministers and parliamentarians to believe that the Duke of York has accepted a bribe from the Church of Rome and will become a Catholic with his wife." And then, brother, if the Queen reveals her belly, of course there will be opposition, or at least delay the canonization of the Duke of York, so that you will not break your promise, nor will you make the title of Prince of Wales aside. ”

"Duke of York......

"He was at sea at that time, and you just have to control his ears and eyes, and he will believe whatever his messenger says, and," said Henrietta, sighing, "I am not sure whether he will really convert to Catholicism for the sake of the Duke of Monad's daughter and her dowry." ”

"And this is what my ministers fear most. Charles II said that once the Duke of York obeyed the king's will and led the army to war, it would be a betrayal for these people, and once the news of his intention to convert to Catholicism spread, then those who supported him must be angry and frightened, yes, there was the bloody Queen Mary in front of her (the daughter of Henry VIII, after inheriting the English throne, not only converted to Catholicism, but also restored the Catholic faith in the country, setting off a massacre of Protestants), in just five years of her rule, countless Protestants were forced to go into exile and forced to convert, and more than 300 Protestants led by Archbishop Cranmer were burned at the stakeThe prisons in London were even more overcrowded - a tragedy that no Protestant would ever forget, and they would never continue to support the Duke of York.

The Duke of York may have seen through the plot, but at the time he was on the battlefield, the news was blocked, and Charles II assured that no one would explain to him - when he returned to London, the dust would settle, even if he got a wife of the daughter of the Duke of Monad - no, then the Protestants would only think that he had renounced his original faith, and of course, he could repent, but after losing the title of Prince of Wales, could he really abandon the support of the Duke of Monad? But the Duke of Monard was still a Catholic for a day, and even if the future wife of the Duke of York was converted, it would not help, because she was still the daughter of a "Catholic".

"Louis told me," said Charles II, after pondering the matter in his heart a few times, "faith is like a heavy double-edged sword, and kings are the ones who dance on the edge, and I am finally tasting it." ”

"Then this matter," said Princess Henrietta, "is up to you." ”

"How did Louis do that?" muttered Charles II, "he did not have the necessary way to deal with a group of devilish children. ”

"Maybe it's because Your Majesty never thought of these wizards as the heirs of the devil. Henrietta recalled: "To His Majesty, both wizards and witches are like his ministers and people, but they are not good at things. ”

"I wish he had such a fearless thought. "Charles II said that since King Arthur, there have been no less wizards in the court of kings, but they are all in secret, but to say that Louis XIV was the first person after King Arthur to let wizards hold such power......, is he not afraid?

——————

"Because wizards also bleed, they grow old, they die, and when they are alive, they also worry about food, clothing, shelter and transportation. Louis XIV said so.

"Before I go out again," he said to a lady of grace and femininity, "I want the bohemian witches to settle down quietly in Orleans." ”

"Definitely live up to your expectations. "Another Mancini, the Prince of Conti and his wife bowed to the king, the members of the Mancini family are rare beauties, and she is certainly no exception, and it is no wonder that the Prince of Conte married her only to meet Mr. Bishop Mazarin, but he never complained anything after that.

"What is the matter with the Huguenots?" said the king, to another man, Prince Conti, who had always been sorrowful, for he had been put to great use by the king for his two great tasks, which he had done well, but which had been so difficult for him to give him the task he had given him.

"Still ready to move, delusional. He said.

"It's not surprising. Louis said that the conflict between the Huguenots and Catholics continued after the events of 1562 in the town of Vassy, and after the massacre on St. Bartholomew's Day, the Huguenots formed a federal republic in the south of France, and this rebellion continued for twenty years, until Henry IV ascended the throne and issued the tolerant Edict of Nantes So far, the Huguenots were not satisfied, and the successive assassinations and curses of Henry III before Henry IV and then Louis XIII and Louis XIV were all shaken behind the scenes.

So Louis would not indulge the Protestants easily, even if he was fighting against the Dutch - he thought about it for a long time before deciding to put the Minister of War, the father of the Marquis de Lois, and Prince Conte in charge.

"How many Huguenots are there in France now?"

"About 350,000 people. The Prince of Conte replied, and then he could not resist asking: "If you hate them, why do you not repeal the Edict of Nantes, or expel them?" as the untamed Lorraine and Alsatians were expelled.

"If the Huguenots could be easily replaced like the Lorrainians or the Alsates. Louie said.