It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

Li Cheng smiled slightly: "The person in the painting is Philip, the real deal, no fakes."

Chapter 359 Analysis of Louis XIV

Veronica paused for two seconds before re-examining the portrait in front of her.

The girl in the painting has long golden hair, moist and sparkling pale purple eyes, a small and high nose, and red and glossy lips. Apart from her slightly unfortunate figure, she admits that she can only match the other girl in terms of appearance, and dares not say that she is better.

Recalling Li Cheng's seemingly serious affirmation, and combined with the rumors that "His Highness Philip is handsome, reclusive, and not good at socializing," a bold idea gradually surfaced in Veronica's mind.

"Philip...is a woman?"

Veronie asked back, somewhat uncertainly.

Yes.

That explains everything.

While it's not common for women to dress as men, it's not entirely hard to understand why, occasionally, due to complex considerations such as inheritance rights, titles, and property, a woman might be forced to raise her only daughter as a boy from a young age. This is especially true considering that Li Cheng just mistakenly called Philip by a different name...

No, she is a man.

Li Cheng also regretfully rejected this suggestion.

?

You're telling me this is a man?

If her breasts were any bigger, she'd be more feminine than me, and you're telling me this is a man's?

Veronica wanted to punch someone after hearing that.

"Simply put, Philip himself is a cross-dresser." Li Cheng pointed to the portrait on the table and said sincerely, "Although it may be hard to believe, it is the truth, and I have no reason to lie to you about this. You will probably see him in the future."

"Ok."

Veronica gave up on delving deeper into the matter, but the portrait spread out on the table was indeed a bit of an eyesore, so she gestured for Li Cheng to put it away again, then sat back down in the chair next to her, revealing a subtle attitude of "you continue, I'll see what you're up to."

Honestly, she found it hard to imagine what Li Cheng had actually done in Paris.

"In short, the choice of her was based on a variety of considerations."

Li Cheng had already put the matter behind him and continued his report: "First, Philippe is Louis XIV's brother and has a certain status and influence in France; second, Philippe herself needs this opportunity, and after a little persuasion, she realized this, and we hit it off immediately; finally, this man is a cross-dresser and not very interested in women, so I feel more at ease."

Veronica listened quietly, then asked a question: "You mean he...or she also needs this opportunity?"

"That's a long story too."

Li Cheng paused for two seconds and said, “Simply put, I told Philip that as long as he agrees to become the marriage partner, he can personally participate in a war representing the interests of France in the future, as the undisputed representative of France, without having to worry about being replaced by someone else by Louis XIV.”

"what?"

Veronica didn't understand the logic at all, and with a lot of questions in her mind, she couldn't help but interrupt and ask.

This man's existence seemed designed to bring her surprises; in the short span of time, she had experienced a series of unexpected events, questions, and other emotions.

"Don't rush, take your time. I've said before, this is a long story."

Li Cheng revealed a pleased smile.

"Instead of talking about so-called marriage alliances, let's first talk about the current King of France, Louis XIV."

"First of all, Louis XIV was a very capable king. He ascended the throne in 1643, fled Paris during the Fronde, and has been ruling in his own right since 1661, a period of six years."

"He held absolute power, personally handling all matters and working more than eight hours a day, governing the country with unparalleled enthusiasm and spirit; in personnel matters, he tamed the French nobles and bishops, and made good use of the middle class with extraordinary talents to manage the increasingly specialized national affairs for him; in economic matters, he valued commerce, and the wealth of France today is evident to all."

"So, what was the purpose of Louis XIV's efforts?"

? !

Veronica was taken aback.

At first, Veronica was a little confused by what she heard, because it was completely different from what she knew. But when Li Cheng asked her a question at the end, she suddenly felt enlightened, as if a lost person had been shown a direction they had never realized before.

Unfortunately, it wasn't class time, so Li Cheng didn't give her a chance to continue thinking.

He said to himself:

"Effort should be rewarded, such as with wealth, power, or love... But as the king of a country, Louis XIV had all of these. So what kind of reward would he hope to receive?"

"It's not hard to see. What the French desire most is nothing more than to unify the European continent, to create the so-called new Roman Empire, and to achieve their natural territorial goals. In this respect, Louis XIV could not escape this fate either; his vision ultimately belonged only to this era."

Although Li Cheng sounded like he wasn't from this era, Veronica didn't interrupt his boasting but waited quietly.

She felt the real answer would soon be revealed.

Li Cheng continued, "So, under this premise, many things can be pushed forward along this line of thought."

"Louis XIV wanted a new Roman Empire, he wanted natural territories, but development alone was not enough to achieve these things; he could only rely on war, war of iron and blood."

"War requires sufficient national strength, sound diplomacy, and a pretext."

"With ample national strength, Louis XIV worked tirelessly, and the results were clearly visible. Today, France is truly the leading power in Europe."

"The excuse should be the simplest one. It doesn't matter if it's a little far-fetched. Even if a soldier on the border 'accidentally' goes missing, who can say for sure? But I'm more optimistic about Spain on this point. The old king of Spain just passed away two years ago, and the country is currently unstable. It's the perfect time for Louis XIV to find an excuse."

"So all that's left is diplomacy. No country can wage war against all of Europe at the same time, so diplomacy is essential."

"Among them, Britain is undoubtedly a key country that France cannot ignore. Louis XIV wanted to wage a war in peace, avoiding Britain, this troublemaker..."

Li Cheng suddenly noticed that when he casually uttered the words "troublemaker," the princess's expression seemed rather unfriendly.

So he quickly changed his tune, saying, "In order to avoid our country's morally just and just intervention, Louis XIV will inevitably have to engage in some degree of diplomacy with our country in advance."

"And that is why Louis XIV valued this marriage so much; it was almost impossible for him to give up such a golden opportunity that came knocking on his door."

Chapter 360 Using a Deadly Technique on the Princess

Li Cheng gave a long explanation in one breath, until his mouth was dry.

To be honest, Louis XIV's ambitions might not have been very obvious to Veronica, but as Louis XIV's brother and someone who was with him day and night, Philippe was clearly aware of his brother's intentions. Therefore, he did not explain it in such detail to that cross-dresser, but only touched on it briefly.

As for the British side, he didn't need to waste any more words; Her Highness the Princess knew perfectly well.

After listening to Li Cheng's analysis of Britain and France, Veronica began to deduce the plot.

“I think I understand what you’re thinking,” she said. “You believe that Louis XIV was so interested in this because he thought he could rely on the Anglo-French marriage and his support for Britain in the ongoing Anglo-Dutch War to ensure that Britain would stand by and do nothing when he launched his own war.”

"Yes."

Li Cheng showed an appreciative expression and continued, "But unfortunately, Edward VII will certainly not take this marriage alliance to heart. He is also an ambitious man and will not stand by and watch France expand its territory and become the only dominant power in Europe."

"Therefore, if France really launches a war, it will inevitably break its private agreement halfway through the war and join other European countries to send troops to disrupt the war."

Veronica continued, "Under normal circumstances, although Louis XIV would be extremely angry, he could only swallow his anger because he could not wage war against multiple countries at the same time."

"But Britain is not an impenetrable fortress."

Li Cheng slowly began, “Although there is currently a lack of evidence regarding Edward VII’s poisoning of Charles II, there are many suspicious aspects to his hasty actions in fear of exposure. Some nobles have also raised suspicions about him, but there is no way to bring charges against him. In addition, he has been busy dealing with the war against the Netherlands since taking the throne, leaving him little time to manage the political situation.”

There's no need to say anything more after that.

Taking advantage of the political instability and military weakness in Britain, this was a golden opportunity.

Veronica could then use this opportunity to revive old grievances, launch a military campaign and issue a call to arms against Edward VII's accusations of murdering Charles II.

Philip could then use Edward VII's treachery as an excuse, and his status as Veronique's nominal husband, as an irreplaceable force to participate, and even mobilize some of France's aid.

Win-win.

As for reliable evidence?

At that point, all that will be needed is a forged piece of evidence.

After all, no one is a fool. There are just too many suspicious points surrounding the death of Charles II—first, the ridiculous reason of having a tooth pulled, then the dentist's suicide out of guilt, and most surprisingly, the church where the body was temporarily stored unexpectedly caught fire.

Moreover, history is written by the victors, and there is plenty of reliable evidence after a victory.

......

The two continued the conversation, one after the other.

Excitement flushed Veronique's face, and the blush only faded as the conversation ended, allowing her to regain her composure and ask:

"It sounds perfect, but are you sure everything will go according to plan?"

The interconnectedness of the steps may sound very rigorous, but if any link goes wrong, the final result could be drastically different. For example, what if Louis XIV didn't plan to start a war for the time being and dragged it out for ten or eight years?

She looked at Li Cheng with a puzzled expression, at the man who seemed to be full of confidence at all times.

In fact, Li Cheng's confidence stemmed from two main reasons.

1. He was very knowledgeable about major historical events and the personalities of famous figures. Historically, Louis XIV was a monarch who was keen on waging wars, and his first act was to find a pretext to launch the War of Inheritance against Spain.

Britain also violated the secret agreement between Britain and France by joining forces with multiple countries to besiege France—and not just once. Each time, France would make a deal with Britain, but Britain would change its mind once the fighting started, which infuriated Louis XIV.

2. He could manufacture weapons ahead of their time, such as flintlock muskets, and even if they were slightly inferior, it wouldn't be a problem.

But can we just make up these two points?

Can I tell you? Can I tell you?

"Of course we can confirm it, but the reason will remain a secret for now."

Li Cheng could only reveal a strong sense of confidence, a confidence that belonged to someone who was hanging on the wall.

But then he glanced at what was in front of him, a malicious smile creeping onto his lips: "But it's not like we can't discuss it..."

Her Highness has a great figure.

Her full chest was heavy, and even through several layers of fabric, its full and round shape was clearly visible.

Although Li Cheng had actually played it once before, it was precisely because he had played it before, and because he was drunk that time and his memory was hazy, that he only remembered that it was an extremely unforgettable feeling.

As Mr. Lu X said, the Chinese people have such rich imaginations that when they see short sleeves, they think of white arms.

The same applies to Li Cheng.

Now, whenever he sees the princess, he is reminded of that lovely white rabbit from that day, and the rabbit's two bright red eyes.

When Veronica saw Li Cheng like this, although she felt a little embarrassed and annoyed, she couldn't pretend she hadn't seen it.

If it were someone else teasing her, she could ignore it.

But given Li Cheng's earlier example of Louis XIV, "effort is driven by a desire for reward," Veronica vaguely understood.

Today's almost complete confession, coupled with Li Cheng's efforts over the past two months in Paris, has made it almost clear that he is ambitious.

But despite her ambition, she was still a little dissatisfied that the gentleman had suddenly become so lecherous.