It was a bit strange that Louis XV invited them to the Louvre, not the Palace of Versailles.

Although the history of the Louvre is much earlier than that of the Palace of Versailles, the Louvre, built in 1204, was once the main palace of the kings of France throughout the ages, and dozens of French monarchs lived here.

But since Louis XIII established the Palace of Versailles, the main palace of the French kings has moved from the Louvre to the Palace of Versailles. Today, Louis XV invited Zhu Qingyan and his wife here, which looked unusual.

Louis XV's face was not very good today, and there was a hint of depression besides his sorrow. Could it be that Louis XV encountered something difficult to deal with? But even so, it should be discussed with his ministers rather than invited them.

Out of etiquette, Zhu Qingyan and his wife did not ask, but sat quietly, waited for the waiter to come to tea and thanked Louis XV, and found the topic to talk about this historic palace.

"My great-grandfather didn't like this place at that time. He was a person with a strong personality and loves freedom. In his opinion, the old Louvre represents the past of France. In this place, people will feel decayed and backward, and the vibrant Palace of Versailles is the future of France." Drinking tea, Louis XV said lightly, with an incomparable worship of his great-grandfather Louis XIV.

Indeed, France during the period of Louis XIV was extremely powerful, and it can be said to be the most powerful country in the world. Unfortunately, France is no longer as bright as the Sun King period. The long-term war greatly consumed France's power. Although France is still a powerful country in Europe and even the world, it inevitably entered a recession over time.

"His Majesty Louis XIV is not as powerful as an ordinary king. But His Majesty is not bad either. I remember that when His Majesty succeeded to the throne, France's finances were on the verge of bankruptcy. Over the years, His Majesty has worked hard to govern, and France has solved this problem. It won't take long to come. Your Majesty will definitely continue to lead France to glory." Dong Hua appropriately praised him according to Louis XV's words, but this flattery was not nonsense. From the facts, after Louis XV succeeded to the throne, a series of reforms did be carried out within France, especially in response to the huge debts owed by Louis XIV in the European War, which greatly improved France's financial situation in recent years.

This is also recognized by the European countries, including the French people. Compared with the militaristic Louis XIV, Louis XV's governance was much more relaxed, developing business, supporting science, promoting culture, and being good at listening to the sufferings of his subjects. The young Louis XV could be regarded as a qualified king in this regard. It is also because of this that the French people's support for Louis XV is obvious.

Louis XV smiled. Dong Hua's words made him a little happy, but his eyebrows were still a little tightened.

"This is what I should do as the king of France, but unfortunately I have not done enough." Louis XV said so, and then he suddenly asked: "Lord, madam, I want to ask you a question."

"Your Majesty, you don't have to be so polite, but just ask something and say it straightforwardly. We will know everything." Zhu Qingyan took over the words and said softly.

Louis XV changed to a more comfortable sitting position. He placed one hand on the armrest of the sofa, held his chin with his wrist, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Zhu Qingyan and his wife: "You two, can you tell me about your country's political system?"

Zhu Qingyan and his wife were stunned at the same time. Why did Louis XV suddenly mention this? Could it be that he had any intention?

For a moment, Zhu Qingyan and his wife didn't know how to answer this question because they didn't know the real purpose of Louis XV's asking this question.

"Your Majesty, this problem is too big. I really don't know how to start." Zhu Qingyan said, and asked Louis XV directly: "Did Your Majesty encounter any trouble? Or...?"

"That's right."

Louis XV sighed, and when he was young, he showed an expression different from his age, and said helplessly: "France is sick and is still very sick, but as the king of France, I don't know how to treat it. You are the nobles of the East. The prosperity and development of the Ming Empire are the most eye-catching in this era. Perhaps in the East, I can find a way to heal France. This is not a request from a king to scholars or nobles, but a communication between friends. As friends, I hope you can help with friends."

"Thank you for your frankness and for your trust." Zhu Qingyan and his wife subconsciously exchanged their eyes, understanding Louis XV's thoughts.

As a member of the Ming Dynasty's embassy in Paris, Zhu Qingyan and his wife knew something about France's situation, so when Louis XV said this, he also understood his helplessness.

Although France is still one of the most powerful countries in the world and is also the overlord of Europe. However, since the death of Louis XIV, France has inevitably embarked on the road to decline.

After Louis XV ascended the throne, although the contradictions and financial problems within France were alleviated, it could not solve the dilemma faced by France. Moreover, this dilemma was fundamentally due to the monarchy of France, which was a problem that could not be solved at all.

The French Empire was a monarchy, and France was high as the king, but at the same time, religious forces were still deeply rooted in France. Since the reign of Louis XIII, the Archbishop of the Cardinal as the Prime Minister of France greatly influenced France's political situation and was able to compete with the royal power.

This situation was not improved until the time of Louis XIV. Louis XIV was a strong man. He did not allow the power of religion to be higher than the power of the king. Therefore, Louis XIV began to attribute all rights to the king, and used powerful means to suppress religious forces and promote and win over traditional aristocratic forces.

From this point of view, Louis XIV succeeded. In the middle and late period of Louis XIV's reign, Louis XIV was the sun of France and the supreme existence of France. This is also the reason why Louis XIV calls himself the King of the Sun. It is precisely because of this that France during Louis XIV's period was extremely powerful, and its power could make the entire Europe and even the world tremble.

Unfortunately, due to the great consumption of the European war in the late period, France suffered various problems, and the finances were facing collapse. The people became strongly dissatisfied with the king, and religious forces began to counterattack. If Louis XIV could live for ten more years, perhaps he could suppress it again with his ability, but Louis XIV, a strong man, could not defeat the enemy of time and passed away.

Louis XV succeeded to the throne. He was an ignorant child when he ascended the throne. There was no powerful king in the center. The power suppressed by Louis XIV was inevitable. Therefore, the regents and ministers at that time took the decision to ease the conflicts and first resolved the financial and domestic conflicts. Although this greatly alleviated France's these issues and also won the hearts of the people, from the perspective of the king, Louis XV, who has now gradually grown up, began to find that his royal power had been suppressed, and the whole France had inevitably returned to the state of Louis XIII in the early days.

The differences in Eastern and Western cultures have created the differences between Eastern and Western polities. It is impossible to say that the polity is better. There is no eternal suitable polity in the world, both the East and the West.

Louis XV made this request to Zhu Qingyan and his wife, and I am afraid that the result would disappoint him. Compared with the West, the royal power of the East is more pure, which is caused by the different foundations of Eastern culture. Since Louis XV wants to know, Zhu Qingyan cannot say it, immediately Zhu Qingyan said that Dong Hua added on the side that the two talked about the core of Eastern politics and the structure of the court for Louis XV. Louis XV was very impressed. This was the first time he had heard the explanation of the Eastern political system by aristocrats from the East. He was still a little excited and expectant during the listening process.

But as the explanation process, Louis XV also discovered the differences between Eastern and Western cultures, including the foundation. He had to admit that the Eastern polity had unique features and was more advanced than the West. However, if it were placed in France, it was impossible to implement the rest. Not to mention the others, just as the emperor of the East was the emperor, this was unmatched by the Western kings. Louis XV could not help but feel a little disappointed.
Chapter completed!