monarch

No sooner had the religious service been concluded than Guilford Dudley and Miss Jane Gray, the newlyweds, blissfully blissful, were eager to return to their love-nest, now, to confide in each other.I am afraid that they will not appear in front of the crowd again until the evening dance begins.

The ingenious Duchess of Suffolk prepared self-service meals for the guests attending the wedding. Exquisite food and drinks were placed under the pergola in the garden, and the guests were allowed to enjoy them in any corner of the garden they wanted .So it was like a garden party, and it didn't take long for the guests to disperse in small groups to every corner of the garden, like a group of colorful butterflies flying among the bushes and flower beds.

The king and Robert chose a pavilion with a small dome in the corner of the garden to settle down. This small pavilion is surrounded by a rose garden that has now dried up on three sides. Those dry branches will not bear new buds until next spring. .On the other side of the pavilion is a marble pool with a fountain. The clear water flowed out from the mouth of the marble Siren statue in the center of the pool, and fell into the pool to arouse balls of water splashes and bubbles. The fish in the pool were cautious. circling around the statue.

The king leaned on a pillar of the gazebo, using the crumbs of the cake in his hand to attract the colorful ornamental fish in the pool, "This manor is really beautiful." He watched the small fish struggling to grab the cake that fell into the water Debris, said casually, "Your brother is very lucky to be able to walk into the palace of marriage here... In my opinion, this place is much stronger than Westminster Abbey."

"He was very lucky indeed," replied Robert, "but I think it's not the place of marriage that matters, but the person holding hands." His voice was slightly hoarse, but not to the point where others could hear it.

"Indeed." The king nodded. "In a political marriage, how high is the probability of meeting the love of my life? It's really a perfect marriage, and everyone is satisfied with it."

"Not everyone," said Robert.

"You mean Bishop Gardiner?" the king laughed. "It's no wonder, as the old saying goes: 'Caesar laughs, Pompey cries', your father won such a great political victory, he naturally Taste it in your heart."

"What about you?" Robert asked suddenly, and he regretted it when he said this, but somehow, his tongue and lips were out of the control of his brain, and it was too late when he realized it.

The king's eyes widened in surprise, and he looked at Robert full of surprise and curiosity, as if he hadn't expected this question at all.To Robert's relief, there was no displeasure in those eyes.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty." He bowed deeply, "Please forgive my gaffe."

He waited for a long time, but Edward did not make any sound. After half a minute, Robert finally couldn't bear it anymore and raised his head.

Edward stood opposite him, but those eyes were staring at the school of fish in the pool—the piece of cake fell into the water in one piece, sinking and floating on the surface of the water, attracting countless small fishes to scramble frantically.

"Look at these fish." The king pointed to the splashes on the water, "Look at those people." He tapped his finger in the direction of the mansion again, "Do you think there is a difference between the two?" How much difference?"

"I don't know, Your Majesty." Robert shook his head.

"The only difference between the two," sighed the king, "is that these fish are much more civilized than these courtiers around me, and they compete for food by slapping each other with their tails, unlike these A schemer is a noble knight by comparison."

"I want you to believe that my father is not your enemy." Robert took a step forward, looking the king straight in the eye. "He is obsessed with the charm of power and is overwhelmed by everything it can bring, but he He is a calm person... He clearly knows that everything he has comes from you, without your support his power is just a huge iceberg, which looks majestic, but it is constantly melting, and it will not take long for even a trace of it to disappear Will not stay...he will not betray you, more importantly, he dare not."

"Friends and enemies in this world are not static. Caesar and Pompey were once good friends, and the latter even married the former's daughter. However, this friendship can only end with Pompey being held in front of Caesar's head." The King Slightly squinting his eyes, he lowered his head to avoid the other party's sight, "Life is like sailing in the torrent of fate, it's just going with the current, if one day the giant hand of fate puts me and your father on opposite ends of the balance, That's impossible." He sighed softly.

"I want you to promise that there will be no such day." Robert clenched his fists and said firmly.

"I have always found the composition of human society quite interesting," the king did not answer Robert's declaration, but went on to himself. "In the animal population, the leader must be the most powerful one, but in humans It's different in society, look at me, I'm not the strongest, someone like your father can break my neck with one hand; But in this country, my words are like the will of God, my smile is like the spring breeze, and my anger is like thunder, everyone lives on my breath... But the question is, why should they so?"

"I... don't quite understand what you mean." Robert said hesitantly.

"I mean, this thing we call a kingdom is like a house of cards, and I'm sitting on the roof, and this house exists only because of some belief in people's minds, They feel that they have to obey the orders of those who are higher than themselves, and few people think about why they need to do so. If one day, a farmer feels that he does not need to obey the request of the village chief, he asks him to clear the A pitchfork to the mayor of the trash in front of the door would lead to a criminal case and a crack in the foundation of this flimsy house; Obey me, even better than I am in this position, and there will be a rebellion, and the house will come crashing down."

"But the vast majority of people didn't do this. They lived according to the rules, so this structure can survive...Why? It's because of fear, fear of the consequences of disobedience, fear of the consequences of failure to rebel. This dynasty was built on Above one thought in the minds of his subjects is the fear of kingship."

"As you said... your father's loyalty to me is a combination of gratitude and fear, and gratitude is just a useless embellishment. The core of maintaining the loyalty of ministers is fear. However, when a powerful minister When his strength expands to a certain level, he may feel that the person sitting on the throne is just a mortal body... In the final analysis, the sense of fear is just a thought in a person's mind." The king sighed, " Your father was an ambitious man, perhaps your brother loved Jane Gray... But in your father's eyes, she is just a chain linking your family to the throne, and this is her only worth it."

Robert said nothing, the blood on his face had completely disappeared, his lips were trembling slightly, and he looked as if he had lost his soul.

The king couldn't bear to walk up to Robert, pulled the knight's sleeve, and pulled him like a sleepwalker to the table in the center of the pavilion, where there were two rattan light armchairs.

The two sat opposite each other, and the king stretched out his hand to hold Robert's cold hand: "You don't need to worry about anything. At present, I still trust your father. If your father wants to marry Elizabeth, I may feel sorry for him." Be vigilant, but in the final analysis, Jane Gray is only the third heir to the throne. Her family is in line with your family, and she and your brother are really a good couple... I will not doubt it because of this Your father or something." He paused for a moment, with a slight blush on his face, "not to mention doubting you, I never doubted you."

Robert's cold hands regained some warmth, and he forced a smile on his face, "Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty."

"You look a little tired." The king stood up. "Go back to sleep and don't think about these things." He said in a soothing tone, "There will be a dance tonight."

"If you allow me, I'm really a little tired." Robert also stood up, and when he stood up, he bumped into the corner of the table because of his panic, almost knocking over the thin small coffee table.

"Go back and sleep, and everything will be all right," said the king.

"I hope so." Robert's voice still sounded dull, he shook the king's hand, turned and stepped out of the pavilion.

He crossed the flowerbed in front of the pavilion, and went around behind a bush, so that the bush blocked the king's vision behind him.

The pace under his feet was getting faster and faster, and the boots rubbed against the gravel on the ground, making a rustling sound. He was breathing heavily, as if he was about to suffocate, everything in front of him became more and more hazy, as if covered with a thick layer It's foggy.

He saw a touch of blue in front of him, which seemed to be a person, but when his sanity came over, it was too late.

"Ouch!" The blue figure was knocked to the ground, and Robert suddenly realized that he bent down and stretched out his arms.

"I'm sorry! Ma'am." He helped the lady who fell on the ground to stand up. When the lady stood up, she and he finally saw the face clearly.

Robert jumped back in amazement, and immediately let go of the hand he was holding. "I'm really sorry, Your Royal Highness." He instantly became serious and bowed towards the other party.

Princess Elizabeth laughed amused by his surprised expression, "Don't worry, Earl." She patted the dust on her skirt nonchalantly, "I'm not a porcelain doll that will shatter when touched." She said She pouted playfully in the direction of the small building of the young couple.

After finishing speaking, she scanned Robert from head to toe with a sizing look, "You don't look very good, what's wrong with you, your face is so bad? You were so anxious just now, you looked like a rampaging bison, What happened?"

"It's nothing, Your Highness." Robert forced a smile, trying to hide his shortness of breath and extremely ugly expression.

"Men really lie all the time." The princess unfolded the folding fan in her hand to cover her mouth, and sneered slightly, "With all due respect, you look just like the Bishop Gardiner I met just now, just like you The two just attended a funeral."

Robert bowed his head and said nothing.

The princess glanced at Robert up and down, and looked at the direction he came from thoughtfully, "You are from my brother?" She put on a clear expression, "You two Was there a quarrel?"

"No, Your Highness." Robert replied bluntly.

"That's right." Princess Elizabeth's voice carried a hint of coquettishness, but it didn't sound sweet, just like a glass of honey water with just the right mix, making people feel the refreshing sweetness "Why are you willing to quarrel with him... If he gives you an order, you are willing to do anything, even if it means going to hell."

Robert finally raised his head, and he looked at the princess with guarded eyes.

Princess Elizabeth didn't seem to care about the other party's vigilance and vague hostility, "Do you think my brother and I look alike? Although our hair and eye colors are different, we have the same parents after all." Princess Elizabeth and King Edward inherited the face shape and facial features of his mother Anne Boleyn, but Elizabeth's father Henry VIII had stronger features than her younger brother, which also gave her beauty a bit of rigidity.

"I don't understand what you're talking about." Robert took a step back.

"I used to have a beautiful doll when I was a child." The princess took a step forward and looked into Robert's eyes. "That doll was made by Italian craftsmen out of Chinese silk and satin. The eyes were two Ceylons. The sapphire produced on the island, I regard it as my own child, and I have to hold it every day even when I sleep...but it was torn apart after a short time, you see, the exquisite objects in this world are like this, it looks It’s pretty, but it’s all so useless.”

"Naturally, I cried for several days because of this incident. My housekeeper was in a hurry and searched for the same dolls everywhere. However, such treasures are unique, so in the end she could only find me a pretty one. It is a similar imitation. I was not satisfied at first, but as time passed, I found that as long as I didn’t think about it, this doll was actually the same as the previous one. So in the end, it was not the beautiful doll that accompanied me throughout my childhood. It’s just a replica, but I still feel very satisfied, and I still have this doll.” She looked at Robert’s face, “Sometimes if you know you can’t get something, it’s better The next best thing, do you think I am right, Monsieur Count?"

Robert looked at Princess Elizabeth with shock in his eyes. This was the second time in a day that he was caught off guard by this woman. "I...don't understand what you mean, Your Highness." He stammered.

"Don't you really understand?" Princess Elizabeth pressed closer, and Robert felt the scent of her perfume enveloping him like tentacles, making it impossible for him to escape, "As I said, men like to lie, How many times have you lied to me?"

"If I guess right, what you say is impossible, and I cannot accept such a suggestion, nor do I think anyone would be pleased by such a thing."

"Who says no? Your father will undoubtedly be happy, and I will be too...and you will be, if you think it through." The princess answered calmly. "My brother may not be happy." Well, but who knows, maybe he'll feel like he's asking for a hassle so he can have the freedom to create an heir to the dynasty that everyone dreams of...that would make everyone ecstatic, of course Except my sister."

Robert looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He jerked off Princess Elizabeth's hand on his arm, bowed, and disappeared at the end of the path as if fleeing.

Seeing the other party's figure completely disappear, Princess Elizabeth yawned, "How long are you going to stay there?" Her voice was full of sarcasm.

There was a rustling sound from behind the nearby hedge, and not long after, the figure of the chief minister came out from the other side of the hedge, his face was ashen, as if someone had punched him in the face.

"I apologize to you on behalf of my son," said the duke.

"There is nothing to apologize for." The princess waved her hand, "But you have also seen that what you said will not work at all."

"He just didn't think it through." The Duke said, "Give him some more time, and he will figure it out."

"However, what I lack most is time." Princess Elizabeth looked a little impatient, "My sister's lessons learned are there. For me, youth is the most precious card in my hand, and I can't waste it. Waiting."

"I will talk to him, please rest assured, Your Highness." The Duke bowed again.

"You go and do what you should do, but please hurry up." The princess walked up to the chief minister and pressed the fan on his chin, "but please remember, you need me far more than me." I need you." She laughed a few more times, "After all, not everyone has the blood of the royal family, and it's time for me to exchange my inheritance rights for some benefits."

She lifted the hem of her skirt, raised her head and strode away. Her back looked like a swan about to fly.