Chapter 64 What aristocrat does not have a few scumbags
France, when many people mention this country, they will immediately think of insulting the law and French military salutes. But in fact, France also had a strong period in European history. The most famous one is the rule of the Corsican Napoleon Bonaparte.
period.
Although Napoleon has a great reputation, the France he ruled was not the best in history. France's truly most powerful period was the Bourbon dynasty that began at the end of the 16th century.
In the past, Louis XIII defeated the Holy Roman Empire, and later, Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, conquered the entire Europe and became the undisputed European overlord at that time.
Almost all countries that were prosperous for a time will eventually prosper and decline, and the Bourbon dynasty was no exception. The great empire of Notre Dame built by Louis XIV was eventually defeated at the hands of Louis XVI.
The mediocre Louis XVI only cared about living and drinking all day long and had no regard for the life and death of the French people. This finally triggered the French Revolution that left a strong mark on history. Louis XVI also became the first person to be guillotined by his own people.
of king.
In the 15th century, France had just emerged from the Hundred Years' War between England and France. Louis XI worked hard to govern and almost completely recovered France's original territory within his own lifetime. However, this also angered the Habsburg family, which gradually took control of the Holy Roman Empire.
At this time, the Holy Roman Empire had turned from prosperity to decline. Fragmentation began to appear in various parts of the empire, and it was no longer as strong as it once was.
Maximilian I seemed to be the last remnant of the Holy Roman Empire before its decline. The Austrian army he led suppressed Louis XI's French army at Ginegate, and the situation of the war gradually became clear.
Lu Xiao headed west through Milan and Turin, entered France from the border of Savoy, and then went all the way north, arriving in the Paris region at the end of March 1478.
Paris is the capital of France, the largest city in the country, and the economic, political and cultural center of the entire country.
Paris Region, also known as Ile-de-France, is located in the middle of the Paris Basin and is densely populated.
However, perhaps due to the impact of the war, after Lu Xiao entered France, most of the well-dressed French nobles looked worried.
The person who came to greet Lu Xiao outside the city gate of Paris was a middle-aged man named Jean Martin. He was dressed in a relatively popular style and did not look like a wealthy businessman or aristocrat with a higher social status.
Jean Martin bowed politely to Lu Xiao and greeted him in fluent French: "Welcome, friend from the East, I am a member of the Paris Brotherhood, Jean Martin."
Lu Xiao also skillfully used the customary European etiquette of this era to return the favor: "Hello, Mr. Martin, I am Lu Xiao from Ming Dynasty."
…
War is raging on the border between France and the Holy Roman Empire, but Paris, the capital of France, still looks calm.
Unlike other regions in France, the nobles in Paris do not see much worry on their faces and are still enjoying their daily lives leisurely.
Jean Martin took Lu Xiao around the city of Paris, and finally came to a rather luxurious-looking mansion.
This mansion is located in the Louvre district in the center of Paris, not far from the world-famous Louvre. Judging from the building's floor space and the rather luxurious furnishings inside, the owner here should have a high income in Paris.
status.
Apart from introducing the local customs and customs of Paris to Lu Xiao along the way, Jean Martin never mentioned any information about the Brotherhood, as if he had been wary of something.
Through the enhanced sixth sense of the Eagle Eye, Lu Xiao could intuitively feel that the person Jean Martin was wary of was not an outsider like him, but some suspicious elements wandering the streets of Paris.
'Templars?'
In 1478, the Italian Renaissance trend had not yet spread widely in France. The churches in Paris still used the most famous Baroque spire architecture in the Middle Ages, and the people naturally followed suit.
Following Jean Martin into this typical medieval-style mansion, after sitting in the living room for a few minutes, a young man in gorgeous aristocratic clothing walked in, surrounded by a group of attendants.
Lu Xiao's first impression of this handsome young man was not very good. He was a little displeased by the arrogance he deliberately showed by holding his head high.
"Are you the Lu who left many legends in Florence and Venice?"
The arrogant young man nodded symbolically to Lu Xiao: "Philippe de Messier, nice to meet you."
Philip calmly walked to sit across from Lu Xiao, and the attendants lined up behind him. The other party seemed to think that this method could show his style.
"So, Lu..."
"cough!"
Suddenly, a suppressed angry cough came from outside the door. Philip, who had tried to maintain a arrogant posture before, trembled all over. His head, which was held high, dropped at a speed visible to the naked eye, and he was no longer as arrogant as before.
'oh?'
Lu Xiao looked at the majestic-looking middle-aged nobleman outside the door with interest.
Philip seemed to turn into a quail under the angry gaze of the middle-aged nobleman, shrinking his head and not daring to raise his head.
"Philippe, who asked you to receive my distinguished guests without authorization and act like a country noble meeting a peasant?"
"Uh...Father."
"Shut up!"
The riding crop in the middle-aged nobleman's hand made a loud noise in the air. Philip was like a duck shot by a gun. He sat up straight with trembling body, not daring to talk back.
Glancing at Phillip angrily, the middle-aged nobleman waved his hand angrily: "Get out of here! Let me see that you are ignorant and incompetent again..."
"Yes! Father."
Without waiting for the other party to finish speaking, Philip quickly left the living room with a group of dejected attendants.
"Huh~"
After taking a deep breath to adjust his emotions, the middle-aged nobleman dissipated his anger and returned to his usual elegant and easy-going attitude.
"Lu, nice to meet you."
The middle-aged nobleman bowed slightly to Lu Xiao and saluted. "I am the leader of the French Brotherhood, Vincent de Mercier. I hope you don't mind Philippe's...prank."
"Haha~ Of course not."
Lu Xiao smiled and replied: "I have also seen the dandy children of the Auditore family in Florence. Children from aristocratic families lack experience when they are young, and they will indeed behave... mavericks. As their experience increases, they will
Gradually becoming more sensible."
Vincent smiled bitterly and shook his head: "You are talking about Ezio, right? If Philip can turn back like a prodigal like Ezio in the future, I will be satisfied."
"Ahem~ That's enough small talk, let's get to the point."
Vincent's face returned to seriousness: "As the leader of the French Brotherhood, I don't want to admit my incompetence, but the current situation has indeed made it impossible for us Assassins and Templars to act. You came at the right time."
"The Assassin Brotherhood in France and the Knights Templar are almost equal in power. Once the two sides get into a situation where they are holding each other back, it will be difficult to decide the outcome in a short period of time. They usually need external help to break the situation."
"I have learned the purpose of your coming to France from Giovanni's letter. As long as you can help the Brotherhood obtain the Holy Sword of Eden, I guarantee as the leader of the French Brotherhood that I can temporarily hand over the Holy Sword to you.
and the Italian Brotherhood for safekeeping.”
Lu Xiao nodded calmly: "Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Vincent. So, where is the Holy Sword now?"
Vincent rubbed his eyebrows with a headache: "In the Louvre, the businessman who helped the pirates sell their stolen goods did not know from some source that we and the Templars secretly paid attention to the Holy Sword."
"In his eagerness to make a move, he 'donated' the Holy Sword to King Louis XI at a relatively low price, and it is now stored in the Louvre."
"Whether it is the Templars or our Assassin Brotherhood, it is not easy to invade the Louvre without alerting the king. Both sides will definitely try their best to create obstacles for the other."
"Your arrival gives us an extra trump card that we can use."
Vincent solemnly suggested: "Lu, the Paris Brotherhood will do its best to help you stop the Templars. You just used your unknown identity as an outsider to sneak into the Louvre and quietly 'take out' the Holy Sword.