monarch

In the political arena, the tide turns in the blink of an eye.A person may have been blessed with auspicious stars just now, but in a blink of an eye, catastrophe is imminent.

The scene outside Hesden Manor was the first domino to fall.The chief minister was expected to gain the support of the counties through threats and blackmail, but Princess Mary's move to draw salary from the bottom turned the whole situation upside down.In just three days, a large number of local officials who had already succumbed to the chief minister changed their positions and joined Princess Mary's camp.

For the aristocracy, no matter who sat on the throne, as long as they can maintain their privileges and wealth, they can get their support.Since Princess Mary has claimed that she will maintain the policy of religious tolerance and will not forcibly restore Catholicism, she becomes less unbearable.For the common people, they have simple orthodox thinking. In their view, Princess Mary is the sister of King Edward, and Jane Gray is just Edward's niece.Now that her younger brother has passed away, it is only natural for Princess Mary to inherit the throne as the elder sister.

On the afternoon of July 5000th, Princess Mary and the Spanish reinforcements met in Sudbury near Cambridgeshire. At this time, the local army under Princess Mary had reached nearly 8000 people, plus [-] elite Spanish troops. Already has an army close to [-] people.Contrary to the estimates of the Chief Minister, the Spanish fleet did not venture deep into the English Channel, but turned north at the entrance of the Channel into the North Sea, landing at Ipswich, a small port in East Anglia, so now Princess Mary His large army was not to the south, as the First Secretary expected, but some sixty miles northeast of London.

The three thousand Spanish troops that landed in England all came from the elite Flanders army stationed in the Netherlands.This army consisted of 2000 two hundred pikemen and five hundred musketeers, with 300 men in charge of twenty artillery pieces.It is worth noting that the expensive cavalry was not included in this reinforcement, which clearly reflects the cautious attitude of Princess Marie's father-in-law, Emperor Charles V.For Spain, the most important thing now is to fight the French in Belgium and Italy, and at the same time suppress the Protestants in Germany, not to mention the Turks who are eyeing the Mediterranean.For England, this military adventure can be regarded as a matter of life and death for Princess Mary, but for the emperor, this is just a harmless gamble, and it is naturally best to win, even if the gamble loses, the loss will not be too great.

When the news that Princess Mary had joined the Spanish reinforcements and was marching towards the capital was sent to the chief minister who had moved into the Whitehall Palace, the chief minister, who had always been known for his calmness, couldn't help but put something on the table. Everything fell to the ground.

"If Nottingham is not a mole, he is the number one idiot in the world!" he yelled at the crowd in the room. "Five hundred men, armed in their hands, surrendered to three unarmed men. One of them is a pregnant woman, and the other is a disgusting fat pig!" He slammed the table, and the loud knocking sound echoed in the hall with a tall dome, "This is simply an anecdote through the ages!"

His face was a little pale with anger, but he quickly restrained himself so that people around him only noticed his anger, not the flash of anxiety.

Like an avalanche, the situation is getting worse and worse: this morning alone, there was news that three counties had sworn allegiance to Princess Mary, and now the entire East Anglia has been thrown into Princess Mary's arms. The Catholic forces in China are also ready to move.

On the other hand, the people sent by the Chief Minister to Hatfield Palace to arrest Princess Elizabeth also returned empty-handed. When they arrived at Hatfield Palace, the palace was already empty. Princess Elizabeth had died two days ago. Off to the castle of her supporter, Sir Wyatt, who has prepared for her an army of several thousand men.

The Chief Minister, who had regained his composure, walked back behind the desk, but instead of sitting down, he stood behind an armchair, leaning on the back of the chair with both hands.

"How many people are there in our army near the capital?" He looked at the Duchess of Suffolk, the mother of Queen Jane Grey, who was standing beside her. tight.

"About 6000 people." She frowned. "There are about 2000 people further south. They were supposed to be the vanguard to meet the Spanish army...but it's only a day's journey for them to return to London."

"Very good... so we have 8000 people, 8000 people vs. 9000 people, roughly equal, we have a chance to win." The chief minister bit his lip fiercely, "But hurry up , Our enemy's strength is growing every day, like a snowball... Today she has 9000 people under her command, tomorrow it will exceed 1 people, and a week later it will have 2 people."

"There is only one way now, and that is to quickly defeat the enemy in front of you, which will send a clear and clear signal to the whole country-they have no other choice but me... Yes, that's it."

The chief minister showed a conceited expression on his face. He turned his head to look at his son, Lord Guilford, and said in a commanding tone: "Your wife, hasn't Her Majesty the Queen always had a good relationship with Princess Elizabeth? Ask her to give Elizabeth, please write a letter. We are both Protestants, and we should be united in the face of the invasion of Rome and Spain... Also, let your wife talk about their feelings, friendship, etc... In short, it is to persuade Elizabeth to join us, and You might as well promise her something."

"She is not well," said Lord Guilford coldly.

"Then she will feel even more uncomfortable when she is lying on the guillotine." The chief minister glared at his son and said in a strange way.

Lord Guilford's eyes widened in shock: "How can you talk like that? She's just a frightened little girl. Are you going to threaten her with a guillotine?"

"I'm not threatening her." The Chief Minister raised his voice, "I'm asking you to tell her a fact: she has no way out. Now she and we are in the same boat, when Mary Tudor and her Spanish army into the city, I will not end well, but she is also dead. She has Tudor blood in her body, she was once declared Queen by Parliament, so as long as she lives, she It is the threat of the current monarch. Do you think Mary Tudor is a generous person? If you love your little wife, then advise her to stop acting like this!"

He slammed the table, "I put the crown on her head! She should thank me!"

"I believe Jane just can't figure it out for a while." The Duchess of Suffolk came out to smooth things over, "You know, my daughter's nerves have always been a little sensitive, and she has an artist's temper...Political things have never been her specialty .”

The chief minister snorted and looked at his son again, "Go now."

Lord Guilford's cheeks were pale, and his arms were hanging limply. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but the expression on the face of the Chief Minister clearly expressed the meaning of "don't open your mouth".So he could only sigh, turned and walked out of the hall.

The Chief Minister went back to the battle map hanging on one side of the wall. It was filled with red and blue flags. Red represented Princess Mary's faction, while blue represented his own faction.At present, it seems that the number of red and blue flags is about the same, but only two days ago, the whole map was covered with small blue flags, and the red was only a few scattered points, like the sea on the sea. A few insignificant rocks.

Under the order of the chief minister, the officer standing below the map used a long stick to move the small blue flags to the northeast of the capital, showing a confrontation with the densely packed red flags over there.

"Very well, let's deploy according to this plan." The chief minister stared at the map for a few minutes, and finally made a decision, "Tell the news to the commanders of the army immediately, but it must be fast, and it may be possible in a day now." The fate of this country is decided."

At this moment, the door of the hall opened again, and Lord Guilford re-entered the room, his head bowed, looking gloomy.

"Has she started writing?" The chief minister cast a questioning look at his son.

Lord Guilford shook his head slowly, "She doesn't want to write."

"What do you mean? What do you mean you don't want to write?" The chief minister was a little annoyed, "Have you explained the truth to her?"

"I repeated what you said to Jane, but she still didn't want to write. She said you've lost, and now you're just dying, and she doesn't want to be your puppet anymore, and she doesn't want to see any more People die in her name."

The chief minister laughed out of anger, and cast a gloomy look at the Duchess of Suffolk beside him, causing the latter to shiver in fright.

The Duchess forced an ugly smile on her face. "Please take it easy, my lord." She said in as soft a voice as possible. "I'm going to talk to my daughter now."

The chief minister shook his head, "No need, I'll go and talk to her in person." There was a heavy cloud over his face, obviously a storm was brewing.

As he spoke, he was about to walk out the door, but was stopped by his son.

"Father, why do you have to force her?" Lord Guilford's face was flushed with excitement, and the chief minister even thought he was going to cry in the next second, "She is very unstable, you must Make her write that damn letter now?"

"It's a need." The Chief Minister replied coldly, his beard trembling slightly.

"It's just your wishful thinking!" Lord Guilford summoned up the greatest courage in his life and shouted, "Elizabeth will not join forces with you just because of a letter. She does have a good relationship with Jane, but you also said that she Like the rest of her family, political monsters who don't recognize their relatives! She won't do anything because of her friendship with Jane, and you will only make yourself and my wife into a laughing stock!"

"I didn't intend to persuade her just by relying on emotional cards." The voice of the chief minister also raised, "I will give Elizabeth a corresponding reward. Now we are on the weak side compared with Mary. If Elizabeth wants to To get the most benefits, naturally you have to join forces with me, because the bid I made for her is something Mary Tudor would never be willing to offer!"

"What can you give her? All she wants is the throne, can you give her that?"

"Why not?" The Chief Minister shrugged his shoulders, "I'm going to give Ireland to her. If she thinks it's not enough, then Scotland and Wales are not impossible to talk about." There was a sinister smile on his face, as if he had made up his mind The idea is average, "Anyway, those are some backcountry areas, and they have been breeding grounds for rebellion for centuries. If she wants it, give it to her. I just need to stay in England. She can be her in Dublin or Edinburgh." Queen of Ireland and Scotland."

"You want to split the country in two?" Lord Guilford gasped in horror.

"It's better to get half the country than nothing," said the First Minister, "I believe Elizabeth thinks so too."

As he spoke, he bypassed his son and walked towards the door. Lord Guilford hesitated for a moment, and followed closely behind.

"You stay here." The chief minister stopped and said to his son, "I will go talk to His Majesty alone."

"But, I..."

"I won't eat her again." The chief minister laughed mockingly, "Do as I say." There was a hint of threat in his tone.

Lord Guilford had to stay where he was, reluctantly.

The Chief Minister hurried through the corridors of the Whitehall Palace and came to the bedroom where Jane Gray now lives.It is worth noting that after Queen Jane Gray moved into the Whitehall Palace, she did not live in the suite of the successive kings in York Square, but lived in the queen's bedroom, and the previous owner here was King Henry VIII Those unlucky queens.

The bedroom still retains the furnishings from the time of the two queens, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. There is a large bed in the center of the bedroom, and Jane Gray is lying on the bed with a dull expression, her back resting on two On the pillow, the expression on his face looked as if he had lost interest in everything around him.

"Your Majesty." The Chief Minister bowed to Jane Gray indifferently, "I heard that you are in a bad mood."

Jane Gray glanced at him lightly, "Are you here to make me happy? Are you going to play the role of court jester from now on?" She looked down at her pale hands, "Are you now anyway? I have already held quite a few positions, including ministers of six ministries, and I think it would be no harm to add one more."

The expression on the chief minister's face didn't change, but a closer look reveals the bulging veins on his temples, "I don't think this joke is funny, and it's not how a monarch should treat her ministers .”

"A monarch?" Jane Gray sneered, "You are more like the monarch of this country than I am... and I am just a puppet in front of the stage. This is something we all know, why should you How can you be so hypocritical?"

The chief minister stared at Jane Gray for a moment, then he walked to the coffee table by the window, pulled a chair over, and sat across from Jane Gray, "What you said is not unreasonable, but if you look further away, You will notice that I am already an old man, and you and Guildford are only teenagers... This kingdom will eventually be dominated by you and your children." He paused for a moment, "Only if we win This game, otherwise we will all go to the guillotine, do you understand?"

Jane Gray shook her head lightly, showing a sad smile, "We! Oh, my dear lord, you always say the word 'we', constantly reminding me that I am in the same boat as you. But this is Did I choose? Has anyone asked my opinion?"

She straightened her body, her hair loosened, and pointed to the chief minister, "No one has ever asked me if I would like to be a queen! All you do is to satisfy your own ambition, and I am just your pressure." The chips on the card table are like those slave girls that the Romans lost when they gambled! Now that you are going to lose, you have to drag me to be buried with your son. Do you still expect me to express my gratitude to you? ?”

"You have lost, my lord! Now you are facing an avalanche, which is the gravity of fate, and no one can stop it. You can't save yourself, and Elizabeth can't save you. Your struggle, It’s just wishful thinking! Please stop, don’t let more people lose their lives!”

The chief minister stood up abruptly, trembling all over, the corners of his mouth twisted with anger.

After a while, he calmed down, with a slightly exaggerated smile on his face.

"You're finally sounding like a politician now, and it looks like you've learned a lot during this time, and I want to congratulate you."

Jane Gray turned her head aside, making no effort to conceal her contempt.

The Chief Minister didn't seem to care, "In this case, I will talk to you in the way of a politician. Indeed, you are just a means to obtain the throne to me. I let Guildford and you Getting married is not so much letting him marry you, but letting him marry your right to inherit the throne. In other words, I bought a lottery ticket, and this lottery ticket has now drawn the first prize."

Jane Gray's pale face was flushed with shame and anger, "How shameless!"

"You are absolutely right, Your Majesty." The chief minister replied, "This is shameless. Now that you want to play politics in Brazil, this should be the first lesson you learn."

"What on earth are you trying to say?" Jane Gray was trembling from the Chief Minister's irrationality.

"What I want to say is that now I took this lottery ticket that offered the first prize to claim the prize, but someone preempted me. If I can't redeem the prize, then this lottery ticket is a piece of paper, you How do you think the waste paper will be disposed of?”

"Are you threatening me?" Jane Gray also sounded a little angry, "You have already mentioned the guillotine to me just now."

"Guillotine, yes, Your Majesty!" The chief minister laughed loudly, "I told you from the moment I came in, I'm just here to tell you a fact: If Mary Tudor becomes queen, every one of us Everyone will go to the guillotine."

"Guilford has already told me that." Jane Gray raised her head proudly, "I've had enough of all this, and so many people have died...I don't want to cooperate with you to continue this ugly drama Now, if Mary really wants to execute me, then I have nothing to say, but everyone will know that I am innocent."

"Ah, well, I applaud your courage," said the First Minister, "but Guilford must not have told you that his head would be lost then."

When Jane Gray heard this, her deer-like almond eyes widened, "What do you mean? Guildford has no right to inherit the throne, and he poses no threat to Mary!"

"But he is my son." The chief minister shrugged his shoulders, "Don't you think Mary is the kind of person who cuts grass and roots?"

Jane Gray looked as if the scene of Lord Guildford being dragged to the guillotine had already emerged before her eyes, and she shrank back slightly with a look of horror on her face.

"You mentioned the guillotine just now." The chief minister smiled even more happily, "You haven't seen the guillotine, have you?"

He pointed to this room with his finger, "Queen Catherine Howard lived in this room back then, and I was there when she went to the guillotine. I saw that beautiful head and body separated, donated blood from the swan Straight out from the neck like a fountain, blood is everywhere... I wonder if you can still say the word guillotine calmly after seeing this scene!"

Jane Gray huddled back, and she held out her hand as if to drive away the nightmare that had gathered before her.

"It seems that you have figured it out." The chief minister said, "You are cooperating with me now, not only to help the two of us, but also to save the one we love... The road to the throne is a road of no return, or you will die To wear the crown, or to die, and with all those around us. I admit that many people will die, but their death is better than our death, better than the death of our loved ones, isn't it?"

Jane Gray looked as if broken, she bowed her head, and sobbed soundlessly.

"I'll get someone to help you with this letter." The chief minister walked up to Jane Gray, knelt down, and patted her on the back, "You just need to copy it out, you can do it here, right?"

Jane Gray covered her face with her hands, and after a while, she finally nodded, and then limp and motionless on the bed as if all her strength had been drained from her body.

The chief minister stood up, bowed to her, walked out of the room, and closed the door gently behind him.