[Henry VIII] Tudor Crown

Because Anne of Cleves wanted to have a private chat with Princess Juana, except for the personal maid brought by the two from their hometown, everyone was isolated by the fireplace outside the bedroom, doing needlework around Miss Elizabeth.

The Viscountess of Rocheford glanced at the closed door from time to time, really wanting to hear what Anne of Cleves was talking to Princess Juana, but when she glanced at the silent Miss Elizabeth, she was very angry. The thought was suppressed, so he had to sew a few random strokes on the stretched cloth, which almost destroyed the harmony of the whole embroidery.

"Miss Elizabeth, do you need me to bring you some snacks?" The disturbed Viscountess of Rocheford gave Miss Elizabeth a gentle smile, but it was a pity that she was not good at hiding her emotions when she was dressed as a widow, so when Miss Elizabeth looked up, she looked up. Saw a gloomy pale smiling face.

"Madam, thank you for your kindness, but I am a court maid with you, so you don't have to be so polite to me." Miss Elizabeth smiled quietly, then got up and said: "In terms of typesetting, I should be the one to get the drink I'll give you snacks, and I won't bother you."

Not to mention the parties involved, even some of the maids cast disapproving glances at the Viscountess Rocheford.

After all, everyone knows what the Viscountess of Rocheford is up to, and even among the maids present, there are no lack of nails sent by other forces to monitor the queen. However, everyone knows that the queen's confidants will not be English for the time being, so in this special During this period, they were afraid that the queen would find an excuse to drive them out.

However, if Viscountess Rocheford's eavesdropping is discovered, Anne of Cleves will have a ready-made excuse to remove some of the maids around her.

Presumably, Princess Juana also asked them to accompany Miss Elizabeth to do handwork by the fireplace out of this consideration.

After all, Miss Elizabeth is the chief maid of Princess Juana on the surface, but in fact, who dares to treat her as a maid?There are people serving in the palace, and she is the only maid who is taught?Even Princess Juana treated this sister-in-law with doubtful identity in a friendly manner, and even asked Henry VIII to improve Miss Elizabeth's treatment.

There was no guarantee that Miss Elizabeth would get a title before she married.

"Viscountess of Rocheford, we have to arrange the parade clothes for the queen today. If we put drinks and snacks here, we may stain the skirt." Another sister of the Seymour brothers, Elizabeth Seymour Taking advantage of the situation to smooth things over, the group of people lowered their heads to do needlework again, as if a board was pressed on their necks, making everyone feel tight in their chests and out of breath.

In the queen's bedroom, Princess Juana asked her maid to take out an English version of the "Bible" with "H&A" embroidered with gold thread, which was obviously specially ordered for Anne of Cleves.

"Your Majesty, I wish you all the best." Princess Juana could see that Anne of Cleves was not going well in her marriage, so she deliberately put aside the topic of marriage and only talked to her about the current situation in England: "Please forgive Wales The Prince cannot personally wish you well, but he has made a donation in Wales in your name and His Majesty's, so that God may keep you safe."

"I can understand the busyness of the Prince of Wales, and I am grateful for everything he has done for me and His Majesty the King." Anne of Cleves also intentionally distanced herself from the Prince of Wales, so she is very happy that her stepson can be so sensible: "With you in London, it is no different from the Prince of Wales here." This is what it means to be an alliance.

Princess Juana's smile was somewhat sincere, but she did not let down her vigilance, but tentatively said: "I heard that some of the kings are very worried that you will not be able to adapt to the life of the court in England, so I specially ask Viscount Rocheford to Your Ladyship and Lady Elizabeth Seymour attend you. They are old men who have served the first three queens, and know the English court far better than their maids."

"Dear Juana, although I am a Lutheran and you are a Calvinist, we are both foreign princesses married to England, so there is no need to be so unfamiliar." Anne of Cleves was half complaining, half complaining. He made an intimate joke, with a look of nostalgia on his face: "Mr. Luther once said that 'there are three people in the world who will bear the attack of the devil—me, Melanchthon and Calvin', I think this sentence It’s perfect for us.”

Princess Juana met the eyes of Anne of Cleves and found that the other party did not hide much.

"As you can see, I am not the kind of woman the king loves, so His Majesty the King has no intention of having sex with me, and I am afraid that he will not give me the chance to be a mother." Anne of Cleves suddenly showed weakness: " However, the main purpose of my coming to England is not to extend the Tudor lineage, but to ensure the alliance between German Protestantism and England, as well as the commercial cooperation between England, the Netherlands, and the Schmalkal Alliance.”

"Although the current Spanish emperor has accepted the agreement on religious equality, the conflict between Catholicism and Protestantism is beyond description. If the Spanish emperor negotiates peace with France one day, we will fall into crisis again "Anne of Cleves knows that the way to let Princess Juana relax her vigilance is to establish a common enemy: "The strength of the Protestant alliance is not enough to compete with the Catholic kingdom. The Ottoman Empire is the common enemy of the Christian world." Enemies. In the event of a major war, we still have to reconcile with Catholic countries.”

"Your Majesty, I know what you mean very well, but I still want to ask you a bold question." Princess Juana put away the smile on her face and said very seriously: "Your goal is to become Margaret of France (Edward I's queen) The second wife is 40 years younger than Edward I, but she has been acting as the coordinator of the relationship between the stepson and her husband during the marriage, and did not usurp the parent and child to seize the throne, and finally retired with honor), right?"

"Of course." Anne of Cleves said without concealment: "I also believe that the Prince of Wales is not Edward II, and I don't have a dowry land that can be used to reward people, so I have to ask the Prince of Wales to give me some insignificant allowances." .”

"These are easy to talk about." For Princess Juana, things that can be solved with money are not a big deal: "Please pay more attention to that Miss Catherine Howard, the Duke of Norfolk did not let her enter the palace to be a Little mistresses. And His Majesty the King is extremely tolerant of his beloved mistresses, and you must know the deeds of Miss Elizabeth Bronte and Anne Boleyn."

"Of course." Anne of Cleves also wanted Catherine Howard to stop Henry VIII, she didn't want to serve an old and fat tyrant: "Miss Catherine Howard can be the king's mistress, but only a mistress After all, you don't want the Duke of Norfolk to be queen, do you!"

Princess Juana did not answer Anne of Cleves' question, which made the latter a little guilty.

"Miss Catherine is an overly naive and romantic girl. This kind of girl is easy to like but also easy to be annoying." Princess Juana said casually: "She likes jewelry, so you give her jewelry; She danced with handsome nobles. You pampered her like a mother, whatever she liked."

"When a person's appetite is inflated by desire, even the king will have a thankless time." Princess Juana also hinted before leaving: "Catherine Howard is a member of the Duke of Norfolk."

"So the Duke of Norfolk has to bear all the risks for her, don't you think?"

Anne of Cleves, after bidding farewell to Princess Juana, specially gave each of the maids a piece of jewelry.And the one for Catherine Howard is particularly exquisite, even with a rare gem on it.

Facing the queen's sudden kindness, Catherine Howard was not surprised. On the contrary, Viscountess Rocheford frowned, realizing that things were not simple.

"What are you afraid of? The queen is not favored anyway, so rely on me more." Catherine Howard said disapprovingly: "Aren't there still royal mistresses in the French court? They wear the queen's clothes, and the allowance is higher than the queen."

"But this is England, and His Majesty the King is not Francois." The Viscountess of Rocheford warned, "Don't forget that royal mistresses are not under one person, but above ten thousand people. Cleves Anne is by no means a simple character, and besides, she has made good friends with Juana from Belgium. She is a ruthless person who dares to cross Europe on a pirate ship. She is a supporter of Calvinism and will never treat us well."

"Okay, no matter how powerful they are, they are just women, as long as His Majesty the King believes in me." Catherine Howard simply played a young lady's temper. Since she was appointed as Henry VIII's mistress by default, many members of the Howard family were against her. She obeyed, so much so that she forgot that this was Hampton Court Palace, not Howard's house: "I have to see His Majesty the King tonight, so don't talk to me, so as not to spoil my good mood."

After finishing speaking, Catherine Howard shook her head and left, not paying any attention to Viscountess Rocheford's face that was almost dripping with ink.

On the other hand, Princess Juana, who returned to St. James's Palace, received a letter from William Tudor, and after writing down the above content, she burned it on a candle.

"Your Highness, do you really believe that Her Majesty the Queen will side with the Prince of Wales?" Johanna, Princess Juana's chief maid, whispered in her ear: "I see that Her Majesty is in desperate need of an ally, and we should be in Han There's a friend at Putten House."

"You can only trust them three-point with this kind of friends. Maybe Anne of Cleves is just trying to reap the benefits of the fisherman." Princess Juana said disapprovingly: "Before she gave birth to the prince, we were still allies, but William We want to clean up the Duke of Norfolk, so we have to act too."

"Her Majesty will deal with Catherine Howard, you just need to reap the benefits."

"But Catherine Howard can't destroy the foundation of the Duke of Norfolk." Princess Juana shook her head, and the contents of William Tudor's letter emerged in her mind: "The petty fights among women can't rise to the level of His Majesty the King. To the point of wanting to eradicate the Duke of Norfolk. That old fox can escape being implicated by Anne Boleyn, and naturally it can also escape the court crisis of Catherine Howard."

"Maybe we should start with the Seymour brothers and the Earl of Derby." Princess Juana raised her chin at Johanna, signaling her to find Anne Hastings: "Didn't the Earl of Derby always want to express his loyalty to William? Is it? This is his chance."

"In addition, Sir Thomas Parr and Mr. Anthony Cheek once recommended a gentleman to William to find time for his wife to come over." Princess Juana helped William Tudor maintain the situation in London, so I hope There can be more Protestants around the husband, instead of letting the Cromwells and his sons and the Parr family, the Dudley family divide the world: "I remember that gentleman's father was once a confidant of His Majesty the King, presumably He is also very familiar with the people in the palace."

Speaking of this, Princess Juana remembered the warning of Anne of Cleves after the tournament, and her eyes narrowed slightly: "It is also time to beat Sir Peggy, lest he be fascinated by the Duke of Norfolk's gold." Know who your God is."