monarch

On June [-]th, the high-profile royal summer parade began on time.Surrounded by princes, ministers and court nobles, His Majesty's royal driver left Hampton Court Palace and marched west along the Reading Road.

Walking with the king is the main force of the Praetorian Guard, with a total number of nearly 8000 people, including infantry, cavalry and supply troops.This also makes this parade not so much a celebration of the people, but more like a show of force, as the Latin saying goes-Exercitus facitimperatorem (Government grows out of the barrel of a gun).Today's political situation is turbulent, but His Majesty is still confident, and after an assassination, he still goes on tour as planned, and this is his trump card.

His Majesty arrived in Reading on June [-]th, took a rest and met with the local gentry, then continued westward the next day, and finally arrived in Bath on June [-]th, where the first stage of the tour will be staged. Big game.

Bath, known for its hot springs, is not only a health resort, but also the most elegant and prosperous town in Southwest England.As the de facto center of the Southwest, representatives of nobles and civilians from all counties in the Southwest have gathered here, waiting to be received by His Majesty.

When the king arrived in Bath, the local lord, the Marquess of Bath, presided over a welcome ceremony at the town hall on behalf of the local nobles.Although the whole ceremony was very grand, neither the Marquis nor the famous local families only issued some dry official rhetoric.Now the administrative officials sent by the king have begun to gradually take over the local government agencies in accordance with the spirit of the "Administrative Modernization Act", so the indifference of the local real power is not surprising.

On the evening of June [-]th, the first performance of this theater will be held at the newly inaugurated Theater Royal Bath.A number of well-known local actors will star in the first scene of "Agamemnon" in Aeschylus' famous triplet tragedy "Oresteia".The Marquess of Bath was the patron of the show, and His Majesty was, of course, the chief guest of honor for the show, but in addition, guests of the parade and local dignitaries were invited.

At [-] o'clock in the evening, there is still an hour before the opening, the stars are already shining in the sky, but the entrance of this modern theater built on the foundation of the ancient Roman theater site is full of people.The square in front of the theater was crowded with spectators, and the soldiers responsible for maintaining order stood in a human wall. The ash wood torches in their hands were burning like plankton glowing on the dark sea, turning the dark blue The sky is shining brightly.

The carriages of those gentlemen and ladies holding invitations flowed past the theater gate like a never-ending river. Those well-dressed celebrities, covered with jewels and medals, poured into the theater like countless Christmas trees. door.The doors of the lobby and boxes in the theater opened and closed, and those who knew each other greeted or talked and laughed. This fragrant crowd was like a sea with its own vitality, with never-ending waves.

With 15 minutes left before the opening, the hall was full, and those who received the invitation, regardless of their attitude towards the king, chose to accept the invitation.After all, in the social arena, getting this invitation is a status symbol, and besides that, what drives them to the theater is not the expectation of the performance, but some kind of desire to see what news will come out. Irresistible desire.

The nine o'clock bell had just struck, and amidst the sound of the horn, the door of the royal box was opened.The audience stood up one after another, and under their gaze, His Majesty the King walked into the box, and beside him was Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, wearing a black dress, like a bird circling a big tree. Sir Walsingham, the hovering crow-like spy.

The spectators saluted the king, but in the light of the chandeliers, the impassive expressions on many faces were clearly visible.

His Majesty obviously noticed the indifferent attitude of the audience, the expression on his face froze for a moment, and then he sat on the throne as if nothing had happened.

When the audience saw the king sit down, they also sat down.

The lights dimmed, the curtains opened, and the show began.

This famous ancient Greek tragedy is based on famous myths and legends: Prince Paris of Troy abducts Queen Helen of Sparta, the humiliated Greek city-states form an alliance, and the commander is the brave king of Mycenae. Agamemnon.For the smooth departure of the coalition forces, he sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to the goddess Artemis, in exchange for the smooth sailing of the fleet, and the hatred of his first wife Clytemnestra.Ten years later, the Greeks returned home triumphantly, but what awaited King Agamemnon in his hometown was the dagger murdered by his wife and adulterer.The conqueror of Troy finally died naked in the bathroom of his palace in a mess.

The scenery of this theater is undoubtedly first-class, and the performances of the actors are also commendable. However, for the audience in the audience, the never-ending drama on the political stage is far more attractive than the performances in this theater. many.And audiences who are used to the former, naturally seem a little uninterested in the latter.

The king looked at the actor who played King Agamemnon's herald, and emotionally shouted the joy of returning to his long-lost hometown. He turned to Robert who was sitting next to him, "Have you seen that a person in this room Most people are hostile to me."

Robert reached out and took the king's hand, "However, compared with the people outside who support you, they are just a drop in the ocean." He paused for a moment, and added, "There has never been a monarch in history who was supported by everyone. You will always have enemies."

"That's right, it's better to gather them under my nose than to let them hide in a certain castle and plot." The king nodded slightly.

Music began to play in the orchestra pit, and the actors on the stage began to sing in unison.

"Ah! Zeus, friendly night, enjoyer of splendid decorations! Thou hast cast a net over Troy, so that neither young nor old could escape the net of bondage, and that net has utterly ruined you!"

The king frowned slightly. Under the dim light, only Robert who was beside him noticed the change in His Majesty's expression, and he held Edward's hand even tighter comfortingly.

"A wise person only wants to have a harmless wealth, because if a person is too rich and kicks the big pedestal of the God of Justice away, he will have no security anymore!"

"These people should really listen to this passage." The king sneered.

"The angry words of the citizens are dangerous, and the curse of the public is now in effect. The gods are not indifferent to those who murder, and a man may get away with doing many injustices, but those Furies in black robes finally His fate will be reversed, and he will be tortured so that he becomes unknown, and once he is destroyed, there is no way to save him!"

Now it was Robert's turn to change his face, "It's really bad luck." He hammered the armrest of the chair violently.

"Guess, why did the paying patron choose this play?" The king leaned into Robert's ear, "Isn't it just for these few lines?"

"It's a provocation." Robert looked furious.

"Or a warning," said the king.

"Whatever it is, if they want to learn the plot of this play, let them try the sword in my hand." Robert put his hand on the hilt.

"It's just a play." Edward said in a soothing tone, "Because this kind of thing happens, it seems that we lack courage."

Robert seemed quite satisfied with the "we" that the king said, and he seemed much calmer, but he never let go of the left hand that was holding the king's right hand tightly.

Sir Walsingham, who was sitting on the side, was staring straight at the stage, as if he was immersed in the performance, and he didn't notice what was happening around him at all. Only his unnatural sitting posture revealed his embarrassment.

When the first act was finally over, Sir Walsingham heaved a sigh of relief.The lights came back on, and the guests rose to their feet and poured into the lounge and corridors.

The king moved the chair back and pointed to the drawn curtains. Robert quickly stood up and lowered the curtains to isolate the box from the curious eyes of the audience outside.

His Majesty glanced at Sir Walsingham who was trying his best to make himself transparent in the corner, "Are the nobles who are accompanying you safe these few days?"

"So far there is nothing wrong with it." Walsingham immediately sat up straight as if he was electrocuted, and pulled himself together, "There is no abnormal connection or collusion, and there is no information about the mobilization of troops. The same goes for the local nobles."

"Continue to monitor." The king nodded, and he moved the chair to Robert's side, leaning on the other's shoulder.

"I don't want to watch it anymore, I really want to go back to the palace." He said in a coquettish tone.

Robert raised his head and looked at the embarrassed Sir Walsingham with knife-like eyes. The other party quickly stood up, bowed to the king, and quickly slipped out of the box like a snake.

Edward was amused by this funny behavior, "It's okay if you let him stay, he can neither hear nor see what he shouldn't see or hear."

Robert pecked Edward's lips lightly, "You trust him that much?"

"The wealth and life of a person like him is in my mind, and he will betray me unless he is crazy." Edward suddenly seemed to realize something, he looked at Robert in disbelief, and grinned, "You always Don’t even eat his vinegar.”

Robert's face turned red all of a sudden, "There's no such thing." He said dully.

"Of course I trust you the most." Edward kissed the other party's lips again.

"I never doubted it." Robert stretched out his arms and wrapped the king in his arms.

The knock on the door sounded again inappropriately.

The king sighed, crawled out of Robert's arms, and moved the chair back to its place.

"Come in, please." There was a trace of unconcealable displeasure in his tone.

A servant opened the door a crack and poked his head in, "The Marquess of Bath is here to see His Majesty."

Robert's face turned livid, and the king gave him a comforting look, "It's just a courtesy visit. Even if the sponsor of the performance is the host of the event, it's natural that he will come and walk like this."

"In that case, please invite him in." He ordered towards the servant.

The servant bowed and exited, and after half a minute, the figure of the Marquis of Bath appeared at the door.He was in his early fifties, and in a green gown studded with pearls and blue velvet stockings, he looked like a grouse.His head doesn't look big, but in the eyes of phrenologists, it is obviously a symbol of lack of wisdom and has no research value.The gray hair on the top of his head has become thinner, but the same gray beard on his chin is much thicker than others.

He walked into the box and bowed to the king, "Your Majesty."

"Welcome, Marquis." The king also nodded towards him, and he pointed to a chair next to him, signaling him to sit down.

The Marquis of Bath bowed again and sat in the chair pointed by the king, looking indifferent.The Marquess of Bath is the largest landowner in the South West, and his family has enjoyed political and commercial privileges in the county and the Borough of Bath for generations, so there is no doubt that he has become the most ardent opponent of the Administrative Modernization Act.

"I hope Your Majesty enjoys the show," said the Marquis dryly.

The king nodded. "As of now, everything has been perfect and I would like to congratulate you. I am sure that for everyone here tonight it will be a pleasure to watch the show."

"However, in my opinion, drama is not just a kind of entertainment. If it is just regarded as boring entertainment, it would be a waste." Learned a lot.”

"So what did you learn from this play?" The king put on a mocking smile, "Doesn't it include avoiding greed?"

"What do you think caused the tragedy of King Agamemnon?" The muscles on the Marquis's face twitched slightly, and instead of answering the king's question, he asked instead.

"Gullulity in others." The king's voice was very cold.

"I think it's because of his pride, Your Majesty." The Marquis said, "He insisted on going his own way, sacrificing the lives of his relatives for his power as the commander of the coalition forces, and finally suffered backlash." He looked straight at the king, "even though No matter how powerful a monarch is, his power has its limits, doesn't it?"

The king smiled noncommittally, "It seems that you have learned a lot from this play."

"This is also the reason why I appreciate this play," the Marquis slightly bent over, "I dedicate it to Your Majesty, and hope that you can also gain something from it."

"Thank you for your kindness." The king yawned, "However, it is a pity that only the first part of this trilogy of tragedies will be performed tonight. Personally, I still like Oresteia to avenge her father , let those conspirators pay blood. I don’t know what you think?”

"I think Aeschylus has written this plot very badly," the Marquis retorted. "As for this plot, I still like the works of Euripides. He thinks that King Agamemnon deserved what he deserved."

The king shrugged, "It seems we can't agree on this topic."

"I regret that this play did not give you the shock it gave me." The Marquis stood up, "The second scene is about to begin. If Your Majesty has nothing else to do, I will take my leave first."

"You are welcome." The king turned his head away from him.

The Marquis opened the door on his own and walked out.

"How dare he talk like that." Robert gritted his teeth, glaring at the closed box door.

"But he didn't say anything, did he?" The king lazily leaned back on the seat back. "It's just discussing drama. I can't get angry because of an ancient Greek tragedy."

"But he's obviously being provocative." Robert sounded dissatisfied.

"Of course," replied the king. "It's some sort of ultimatum. He and his friends can't wait."

"And you just expressed your uncompromising attitude." Robert looked at the king's face, "So are you going to start?"

"Start?" The king laughed, "All this has never stopped."

The bell rang, heralding the beginning of the second act.

"Pull the curtain," said the king. "The show is about to begin."

Robert reluctantly opened the curtain that separated the box from the outside world, "I really hope this drama ends like this."

The curtain is drawn, and the next act begins.

Sir Walsingham crept back into the box again, and took his seat.

The handsome, middle-aged actor who played Agamemnon, who was well-known throughout the country, stepped onto the stage.

"I should first pay homage to Argos and the gods of this place, who helped me return home and punish Priam's city-state." He recited in his signature cadence.

"He's not bad at all," whispered the king.

Robert snorted coldly, "I don't see any difference."

The king smiled silently, then looked towards the stage.

The actor went on to recite his lines, and suddenly he raised his head and looked straight at the king like a beam of light from a lighthouse, and the eyes of the audience were also attracted by him, and all looked towards the royal box.

Edward obviously felt a little uncomfortable about this, and he frowned slightly.

"Those matters concerning the city-state and the gods, we shall hold a meeting and discuss among them. Those healthy institutions should be preserved forever; and those sores that need to be healed should be carefully burned or cut with fire to remove the harm of the disease. Drop!" The actor looked at the king, he held his head high, and looked a bit heroic under the light.

"That's right!" Someone in the audience shouted.

"That's right! 'We're going to have a meeting, let's discuss it'!" The crowd was like a powder keg being ignited, and quickly clamored.

Robert's complexion changed drastically, and the expression of the king beside him also became as solemn as frost.

"Down with the tyrant!" Someone shouted in the corner, but this statement was too much, so that no one echoed it.

Under the eyes of everyone, Edward squeezed out an ugly smile on his face. He clapped his hands slightly, and then looked at the stage without squinting, without any expression on his face.

The performance continued, but what was different from just now was that after the episode just now, the crowd became completely active, as if the king in the box upstairs did not exist at all.

"This is simply a blatant rebellion." Robert clenched his fist and slammed the railing in front of him.

The king didn't speak, just looked at the stage indifferently.

"This is an ungodly family." The actress who played Cassandra on the stage was singing in a mournful tone, "This family has countless killings and beheadings among relatives. This is a place for killing. The ground is full of blood!" Her eyes were also fixed on the king in the box.

Edward's lips trembled, "Look at the lessons the Marquis of Bath has prepared for me, and see what he wants me to learn."

"Alas, what is this? Is it the snare of death? No, it is the net of his bed, an accomplice to the murder, and let the god of contentious quarrels turn on the family, for the one who will cause stoning Let's kill and cheer!"

"I can't listen anymore." Robert stood up, opened the door of the box, and shouted to the servants outside, "Prepare the carriage, Your Majesty is leaving."

He walked up to Edward, "Let's go." He said softly in a soothing voice.

"This is simply humiliating," murmured the king, looking straight at the stage.

"They'll regret it one day," said Robert firmly. "Now let's go back and stop torturing ourselves."

Edward nodded slightly and stood up.

"You can't escape, guests, you can't escape no matter how long you delay!" Cassandra still sang the ominous ballad, "Once the day comes, it's useless to escape!"

There was a burst of laughter in the audience, and those who were brave enough even started booing towards the royal box.

Robert poked his head out from the box, and scanned the daring audience with his sinister eyes.

Edward tugged at his sleeve, "Let's go."

"The fate of mortals! In good times, a little shadow can cause huge changes; but once the luck is bad, you only need to wipe everything with a damp sponge." Cassandra's tone became more and more serious. Taller.

Robert turned, took the king's hand, and the two went out of the box together, Sir Walsingham following them, while the boos and laughter grew louder from the audience.

The violinists in the orchestra pit played sad music, and the singers on the stage sang lyrical songs in unison.

"No one is satisfied with luck, and no one says 'no more' to it."

"The gods made our king fall into Priam's city-state. He deserves to be looked after by heaven and come home."

"However, he should now pay the blood debt he owed to those who were killed earlier, and give his own life to those dead as the price of death."

"After hearing this story, my friends, what mortal can boast that he was born immune to bad luck?"