I Am Louis XIV

Since the 20th century, there has been a very simple but error-prone question in the French primary school history exam.

The question is - which day is France's Bastille Day?

If you want to ask students from any country, the National Day of their own country is always the best to remember. Even if you are in a deep house and never go out or watch TV, you can at least know when the National Day is from the holidays. There are always people who remember the title wrong.

But when the teacher couldn't help cursing, the student would actually feel aggrieved-of course, he knew that the French Bastille Day was the birthday of the Sun King Louis XIV, which was September 5th, but before that, there was still The birthday of Louis XV, the "King of Liberation" or "King of Independence" on February 15th, and the birthday of "King of Democracy" and "King of Mercy" Louis XVI on August 23rd, have celebration ceremonies and holidays.

The former was revered as a saint by both America and France because he signed the "American Declaration of Independence". Misunderstood, the French constitutional monarchy was actually mentioned by the king before anyone else. Although the enlightened and prosperous French academic circles at that time had affirmed that the monarchy was a backward system, but out of respect for the Bourbon family , people of insight all silently swear in their hearts that unless the king of the Bourbon family betrays the king and the people, or France-Bourbon becomes extinct, they will continue to support Bourbon's due inheritance of power.

Unexpectedly, on the day of Louis XVI's fiftieth birthday, he summoned all the ministers and scholars to the Palace of Versailles, kindly dropped a bomb-he asked them to form a cabinet.

Of course, the establishment of a constitutional monarchy requires many steps and procedures. When the British set up a constitutional system, there were several single bills, but the process of forming a parliament—the parliamentary selection of people to form a cabinet—and managing the country is not changeable. At this time France already has the upper and lower parliaments, and the upper and lower parliaments also have several powerful and talented leaders. It is only a matter of a few days to form a cabinet.

But once the cabinet is established, it means that Bourbon has completely withdrawn from the center of political power in France. Although Louis XVI has stopped interfering in the operation of the country after 30 years since his accession to the throne, his words still attracted a huge wave turmoil.

To put it simply, the people of Paris and Versailles alone were not ecstatic, but mournful when they heard that the king had decided to introduce a constitutional monarchy. Some radicals thought that the ministers had kidnapped the king, and even formed a "king army" to attack the city governments of Paris and Versailles. Some people also visited the ministers and judges overnight, asking them not to side with the "rebels" However, although some people did not dare to raise weapons, they dared to raise rotten eggs and rotten tomatoes and smash the windows of what they thought were "rebels" and "rebels"-the speaker of the upper and lower parliaments and the leaders of several parties bore the brunt.

There are also people who asked the Roman Church to call the Catholic country to quell the rebellion... For no reason, Louis XIV was canonized in the third year after his death. Shouldn't they protect the descendants of the saint?

Look for Polish, Italian and Spanish Bourbons, and even more American Bourbons... In short, all kinds of ironic chaos followed, ups and downs, until Louis XVI stood in the Louvre On the terrace on the balcony, just like when he came to the throne, wearing a crown and robes, he read a "Letter to the French People-France Deserves True Freedom", and the big turmoil finally subsided gradually. .

As the first Prime Minister of France said, this freedom is a gift from the Bourbon royal family to the French people. They should cherish this gift and pass it on for a long time.

And as the giver of this gift, even if some British people say sourly that Louis XVI has long been a puppet of the upper and lower parliaments, or that Louis XVI is a coward, he is afraid that his people will send him to the guillotine for the so-called freedom It's a stupid thing to say - the Bourbons are still more respected and loved than the House of Orange (later renamed the Winstons) in England.

Yes, after Queen Anne, the English still found an heir from William III of the Netherlands.

The descendants of William III of Orange, whether they are the descendants of the former tyrants of the Netherlands or the British monarchs, will definitely stand on the opposite side of France. The hatred between the British and the French has continued for hundreds of years. Accumulated, it is common for people of the two countries to dislike each other.

Their disputes are not limited to wars, but also extend to any occasion that requires comparison, such as sports events, entertainment, academics, etc. Even the royal families of the two countries are often compared.

What makes the British angry is that compared to Bourbon, the Winston dynasty... can't be said to be bad, but it is always slightly worse.

Take Louis XVI as an example. Why is this king called "King of Mercy"? You must know that by the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, few people would nickname the king, and the first two The monarch, Louis XIV and Louis XV are benevolent rulers - the reason is simple, that is, after he established the cabinet, he began to pursue philanthropy tirelessly, and this pursuit ran through the rest of his life, benefiting There are people all over the world—even in his biography, the writer half-jokingly, half-seriously said that the only thing that may not have received the favor of this benevolent king is the cockroach...

We must know that in the time when Louis XVI was alive, it was the late eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century (people in the Bourbon family lived long). Under the bewitching of human beings, they have fallen into extreme fanaticism, not to mention animals and nature, even human rights may not be guaranteed.

The philanthropy done by Louis XVI was not immune to criticism at the time. Some people thought he was too weak, and some thought he was in the way, but they all retreated under the interference of the French government. Is the king of a powerful country more powerful? Louis XVI's requirements for them were nothing compared to what he had mastered before.

Those laws and regulations that have been ridiculed, ridiculed and even resisted by people will not see the results until a hundred years later. The result is that when Britain and its colonies are dying of pollution and riots, France still maintains its independence from Louis The charm and cleanliness inherited from the fourteenth century.

In particular, when the French and some scholars from other places began to study the charitable behavior of Louis XVI, they were surprised to find that most of the money spent by Louis XVI in his charitable efforts was actually From Bourbon, not the French government.

His title of King of Mercy is fully deserved.

Incidentally, this is also one of the major issues that the British have been brooding about and members of the Winston dynasty have been wronged in every possible way.

The British government still has to pay a "king's appropriation" for the Winston dynasty. This money comes from the taxes paid by the British. In addition, the kings and queens also have their own private properties and investments. The former is often mentioned And questions - because the members of the French Bourbon dynasty next door rejected the appropriation from the very beginning, their people are still protected by Bourbon rather than exploited, and even from Louis XVI onwards, the philanthropy of the Bourbon family has been It is becoming more and more prosperous and has a wide range of influence.

But the members of the royal family of the Winston dynasty also have their own helplessness-yes, Bourbon does not need appropriation, because even infants have heard of the wealth of the Bourbon family.

From the beginning of Louis XIV, the people of the Bourbon family like to support scholars and craftsmen. They have no worries about food and clothing, are highly respected, and just concentrate on researching and inventing various things. Some are ridiculous, some are not practical, but some are good. After large-scale output and popularization, it brought countless wealth to Bourbon-glass, steel, ceramics, alternating current, telecommunications, elevators, engines, nylon...etc., etc., etc., are endless.

Not to mention, Paris has occupied the title of the city of fashion for three hundred years in a row. No matter how talented you are, how abundant your talent is, it is always a pity that you can't make a difference in Paris-no kidding, people say, praise One of the best words an actor, designer, dancer or singer can say is: "You should go to Paris."

There is also the strong yuwang of the Bourbon family on the land and the sea. Of course, everyone hopes to get more territories. When Louis XIV concentrated the kingship, Bourbon managed to acquire a large part of it from nobles and officials. Even if the Bourbon family returned some of the land to the French government later, more of it was still kept in Bourbon by the government and the people—for example, the Louvre in Paris is now the property of the Paris city government, but Versailles It is still Bourbon's private territory - even if it is open to everyone, but really, the descendants of Louis XVI can still refuse to visit and visit as they like, but this situation usually occurs when Bourbon members gather.

These real properties will bring Bourbon countless money every year in an endless stream.

But what does the Winston family have?

Although William III, the last member of the Orange family, was once a prince, grand duke, and duke, he had nothing when he suddenly disappeared. Even if the British insisted that they found William III's son, he certainly did not conclude a formal marriage contract at that time , how else would he have been invited to marry Queen Anne?

The legitimacy of the Winston family has been questioned so much that their claims against Utrecht and all of the House of Orange's domains, properties and titles cannot be entertained, that is to say, they came to London empty-handed, All the existing assets have been seized by them in the past two or three hundred years. It is not easy to maintain the dignity that the royal family deserves. They also have to reject the "royal appropriation" and use private property to do charity... Sorry, this is really not possible.

But people don't care about that.

Well, without further ado, we now turn to a poor woman who had the misfortune to have to face the wrath of her teacher for mistaking the French Bastille diary, especially when she chose October 1st as the French Bastille Day.

"But I'm only seven years old, let alone spend a third of my time in China." Yona said indignantly, "Furthermore, China's National Day is also a holiday in France. It's no surprise that I remember it wrong!"

"Who made our teacher an out-and-out royalist?" Her brother Boduin said, of course, royalist is just a joking adjective, because there are always some fanatical "Sun Kings" in Paris and Versailles Or the "Bourbon" believers. In their eyes, how could a Frenchman mistake Bastille Day? , mainly because it is also the birthday of Louis XIV.

"I was just being quick. The physical choice was wrong." Yona complained unwillingly, "I'll be a Chinese."

"You are French," said Baudouin.

"I can become a Chinese, like my mother." Yona said, "Where's Dad?"

"They all have something to do today," Bodu'an said, "It's just us. Let me help you with your homework. If you want to be a Chinese, you should be as diligent as the Chinese."

"It's a stereotype," Yona said. "You shouldn't say that."

"I was wrong," Boduan said, "but you still have to do your homework."

Although one wanted to supervise her sister's tutoring, the other was unwilling but still sat at the desk, but after a while, the sound of suona, gongs, drums and trombone involuntarily drew Yona to the terrace, and she held the railing and looked down. In the name of taking care of his sister, Boduan also ran to the terrace, "It should be a rehearsal of the National Day Parade." He said eagerly, "I remember there was an announcement in front of the apartment."

"I didn't notice," said Yona absent-mindedly, her attention completely drawn to the two lions dancing on the pole.

The white lion winked at her with golden eyes.

"It is said that these performances are free." Boduan said.

"There's a boy in my class," Jona said, "he just came from England, and he said he didn't understand how the French could be like the English..." She thought about the words: "It's good."

"I know that," Boduan said. He is a fourth-grade student, and of course he knows better than his younger sister who just entered school: "Zhongguo was once ruled by a cruel Tatar. To ensure that his rule will not be shaken, there are restrictions on study and occupation," he said half-heartedly: "But the Chinese like to read, and they seek every opportunity to study. It was probably at the end of the seventeenth century that the Sun King was in France. With the popularization of junior high school education and the strengthening of university education, some Chinese businessmen who do business with the French asked their friends for help, hoping that His Majesty would allow their children to study in France."

Yona watched with relish watching a group of actors in gorgeous plumage glide past the street, they looked as if they were flying, although she knew they were stepping on electric skateboards, but oh my god, those beautiful clothes and Their charming smiles make them look like angels descended into the world.

"and after?"

"Later..." Boduan said: "Those young Chinese were in Paris, in Versailles, in Nantes... In short, after graduating from several universities, they returned to their hometown. They ruled brutally against the Tartar Sultan Full of dissatisfaction and hatred, I wanted to overthrow them." He said intermittently: "It was a long process," he recalled the things his mother told him: "Maybe ten years, twenty years, three years. ten years……"

"You haven't said how we became friends with them..." Yona said.

"Some French gave them funding and teaching, and some French became their allies and even fought side by side with them." For example, the Marquis of Lafayette, of course, was not the Marquis of Lafayette, but the Marquis and the Indians. A descendant of the governor's daughter, he perfectly inherited his father's yearning for freedom and passion for freedom.

Baudouin's mother took him to see the monument to the Marquis of Lafayette standing in the far east - this young American nobleman finally died on a strange battlefield, he was with thousands of people who held his arms with him. A hero with the same firm belief and courage rests on a lofty mountain.

It was a sunny afternoon, under the gray statue were snow-white flowers and doves, which were deeply imprinted in Boduan's heart.

"Is it the same as the monument in Paris?" Yona asked.

"It's the same." Boduin said: "Under the monument in Zhongguo, there are friends from afar sleeping, and the monument in Paris is the same."

He knows this period of history better, because it is not far from the French. About 70 years ago, France also encountered an urgent crisis. He became a traitor, and then Britain and Austria suddenly declared an undeclared war against France in the middle of the night. The sudden blow caught the French government by surprise and made them dizzy. At that time, France had not experienced a war between countries for more than a hundred years. , not to mention that there are still three major provinces declaring independence without warning...

At that time, Poland and Sweden were in the vortex of war against Russia, most of Portugal had already fallen, and the king of Italy was assassinated in Greece...and so on... At that time, the British army was approaching Germany-en-Laye, and the people of Paris and Versailles had picked up Louis In the fourteenth period, muskets were ready to fight the enemy to the death—at that time, no one thought that the first reinforcements to arrive would be Zhongguo, thousands of miles away.

The Chinese people have not forgotten, and the Chinese people are not afraid. It can be traced back to the meager gift from the time of the Sun King Louis XIV, and finally brewed into a cup of sweet wine, which is dedicated to friends. Even at that time, China was just a sprout sprouting from an ancient and huge root pile, still very young and fragile, but when they made the decision to aid France, they did not hesitate at all.

The blood of the French and the blood of the Chinese flowed together, and since then, they have been bloodless brothers and the closest friends.

This friendship has continued until now. Two strong lions stand in the east and west at the same time, supporting each other and exchanging what they need, and finally established an unshakable position for each other.

Today, in the peaceful, stable and well-developed 21st century, the exchanges between the two countries have become more and more ordinary. Young people studying in France (zhongguo) are no different from studying in universities in other provinces. Both countries recognize unlimited visas, work or If you want to settle in the other country, you can apply for a long-term residence permit, which is almost the same as that of the people in your own country. Transnational marriages are even more common. Like the parents of Boduan and Yona, their mother is French and their father is Chinese. .

The two countries are like two giant trees whose roots are separated but whose branches and leaves are intertwined. They are... a gigantic giant that will never be shaken.

"France in Asia, China in Europe."

This is a poignant sarcasm from an English poet. He probably did not expect that this sentence would be proudly quoted by countless French and Chinese people in the not-too-distant future.

I wrote this chapter with mixed feelings.

It's National Day, and seeing my country soar into the sky like a winged lion, Asia has no rivals worthy of its attention. Even, given time, this giant may still shake the whole world...

But sometimes, there is still a little fantasy. It would be great if there were no hard and humiliating days...

Those heroes who are buried under the monument should also think so.

I really want them to see, look at China now, look at us now - let them wear warm and comfortable clothes, drink some good tea and milk (they should like it, how many young children are there) , eat some eggs, meat, cream cakes, play games, watch movies, soak in hot springs, visit shopping malls and amusement parks...

I can't write anymore...

Let me adjust the episode of "The Holy One" and update it tomorrow.