Since the beginning of the Middle Ages, Christianity has had an enormous influence on marriage in the Western world. As the world's largest religion, with an ever-increasing number of missionaries, the Christian concept of marriage gradually permeated everyday life. According to Christian beliefs, the relationship between a husband and wife should be monogamous. Christianity views marriage as one of the most important aspects of life, a sacred and pure relationship established by God, and not to be defiled.
Moreover, Christianity included marriage in its sacramental doctrines as one of the seven sacraments. As a result, people's views on marital relationships in ancient Western civilizations were largely shaped by Christian teachings.
However, this did not mean that Westerners strictly adhered to these principles. History records numerous kings and nobles who had mistresses and illegitimate children. For example, the famous "John the Great" of Portugal was an illegitimate child of his father.
French King Louis XIV was also not particularly pious in his private life. If one were to compare, he was somewhat akin to Emperor Qianlong of China, who frequently toured the southern regions of his empire.
Just like the depictions in works of art, Louis XIV, known as the "Sun King," had mistresses all over the European continent. Historical records list at least eight official mistresses with titles, and the number of his illegitimate children is countless.
Unlike many other kings and nobles, Louis XIV's relationships with his mistresses were at least partially based on love, not just a means to satisfy physical needs. In the personal biographies of his mistresses, the phrase "fell in love" appears most frequently.
There are generally two possibilities for someone to be highly attractive in this way: either they possess exceptional physical appeal—tall, strong, and exceptionally good-looking, a biological standout—or they are particularly charming in conversation and behavior, dominating the realm of emotional intelligence.
In daily life, the former are often handsome men and beautiful women, with well-proportioned bodies that appear very healthy. The latter, however, cannot be discerned from appearance alone, but when you talk to them, you quickly feel as if you are bathed in a spring breeze.
Louis XIV stood 1.54 meters tall (which is why he invented high heels) and suffered from severe hair loss in middle age (he wore wigs to cover his baldness), so he clearly was not the former type.
Undoubtedly, his status as a king gave Louis XIV a significant advantage, but beyond that, his own emotional intelligence played a crucial role.
For instance, he was particularly skilled at reading and understanding the psychology of others. When he fell in love with Françoise d'Aubigné, a divorced woman, Louis XIV married her shortly after they began their relationship and granted her a territory.
Although the marriage had no legal effect, it provided Aubigné, who was scorned by high society due to her divorce, with a sense of security. The couple had seven children together.
Furthermore, Louis XIV was known for his long-lasting affection. Unlike other nobles who sought mistresses merely to satisfy physical desires, like a child playing with toys, Louis XIV maintained long-term relationships with his mistresses. His relationship with Louise de La Vallière, for example, lasted for six years, during which they had six children together.
He was also capable of being in love with several women at the same time and managing multiple relationships effortlessly, which speaks volumes about his high emotional intelligence and abundant energy.
Louis XIV was skilled at winning women's hearts and was long-lasting in his affections, but he never let lust cloud his judgment. Even when involved in multiple relationships, he remained rational.
For instance, when Françoise-Athénaïs, a mistress with whom he was very close, became too obsessed with Louis XIV and attempted to monopolize his love by conducting a black mass using an infant as a sacrificial offering, Louis XIV immediately ended the relationship upon discovering it.
However, when his ministers advised executing Françoise-Athénaïs, Louis XIV, out of old feelings, vetoed the proposal and instead ordered her to be reformed through religious means.
Unlike the Chinese, the French were very tolerant of men, especially powerful men, having mistresses. For example, a former French president had a mistress who, along with their daughter, appeared at his funeral alongside his wife and son—a scenario unimaginable in most other countries.
Thus, for the French, the mistresses of prominent figures were naturally subjects of public discussion and even served as sources of inspiration for perfume creators.
For instance, the perfume "Versailles Garden" created by Mr. Guerlain was inspired by such a story. This is why there is a slightly rebellious note amidst the grand fragrance.
"I believe that if you were to pursue a career in perfume blending, you would undoubtedly become a top perfumer in a very short time," Mr. Guerlain remarked after briefly explaining his design concept.
"Therefore, I now have even more faith that you will create a perfectly fitting packaging design for this perfume because experiencing the fragrance personally is quite different from hearing about it and then designing it."
"Thank you for the compliment, and thank you also for your trust in me," Liang En replied with a slight smile after Mr. Guerlain's praise.
At the same time, Liang En also believed that Mr. Guerlain's artistic skills were undoubtedly exceptional. If it were just the Palace of Versailles, a more ornate yet more solemn Baroque style would be appropriate.
But when it comes to the women of Versailles, the Rococo style that Liang En excelled at would be ideal, as this style is clearly more suitable for capturing the essence of this perfume.
Due to his extraordinary powers, Liang En's design approach was largely driven by inspiration. Therefore, after leaving Mr. Guerlain's booth, he quickly departed from the Grand Palais and headed to one of the core workshops of the Duris family in Paris.
In Liang En's view, the key to designing the perfume bottle this time was to capture a hint of freshness beneath the opulence, which was also the most challenging aspect of the entire design.
Fortunately, for Liang En, the fragrance he had just experienced had already provided him with some inspiration, so the upcoming work would not be too difficult. He just needed to follow the idea he had in mind.
Over the next few hours, a beautiful wax model of a bottle gradually took shape in Liang En's hands. It was a square glass bottle adorned with golden, silver, and Swarovski crystal floral patterns and cherubs.
The bottle itself was a thick, square glass container, with each of its four sides featuring a cherub, flowers, and a flower basket. The cherubs were highly three-dimensional, crafted using a technique similar to shallow relief.
Since this was a prototype, Liang En used 18K gold for the metal components in the design, and the bottle was made from top-grade gemstone glass, hand-cut to the desired shape.
As for the final version, it would not be made this way but would instead use a cast bottle with a silver frame plated with 24K gold to ensure a balance between cost and luxury.
"Very nice design." Just as Liang En completed his work and placed the wax model alongside the sketches for a final comparison, Marie's voice sounded from behind him. "If it were up to me, I would definitely be willing to pay for it."
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