monarch

The carriage of the Prince of Wales passed through the quaint gate of the Dudley Family Manor. The black stone gate was built in the thirteenth century. After being exposed to the wind and sun, the patterns and characters on it were basically unclear.The road in the manor was a bit muddy, and the speed of the carriage slowed down.

Edward sat in the back seat of the carriage, playing with the tassels hanging from the curtains: "To be honest, Robert, your father must renovate this place after he becomes an earl. This place is really not worthy of an earl and an important member of the Privy Council."

Robert smiled slightly: "I think my father will pack up and move directly to one of Mr. Cromwell's houses. As far as I know, he has already taken a fancy to the house in Windsor." Mr. Cromwell Before the Windsor manor had belonged to the church, Mr. Cromwell's Reformation made it his own private residence, and spent a lot of money on remodeling.

"I believe that the Duke of Suffolk and the Duke of Norfolk will never begrudge a house, so I want to congratulate your father in advance on his housewarming." Edward said lazily, "It's a pity that I have always liked this place. There is no chance to come back."

"My father plans to give this place to me," Robert said, "I'm going to tell you that I plan to make some changes here, so we can often come here to rest from the palace." There was a hint of hope in his eyes.

"Thank you for inviting me, I won't miss it." Edward smiled, "I hope I won't trouble you too much."

Robert's hanging heart was relieved, but fortunately he accepted. "It's not troublesome at all. In fact, I planned it just for you." He said the truth.

Edward felt that his friend's words were a little weird, but at this time the carriage had already arrived at the gate of the house, so he didn't go into it.

Sir Dudley's family was already waiting at the door.Sir John Dudley was a serious, middle-aged man who, in fact, had become stern since his father was executed for treason.The vice admiral had been King Henry's right-hand man in establishing the navy for 20 years, so he gained the trust of the king and became his close assistant. However, what Sir Dudley wanted was far more than that. The goodwill of the Prince of Wales is undoubtedly a ladder to his future.His hair has turned gray, but his eyes are still full of ambition.

The carriage slowly stopped in front of the steps of the mansion, and the servant beside the imperial hand, wearing a uniform embroidered with the Welsh red dragon, jumped down, placed a footstool at the door of the carriage, and opened the door.

Robert Dudley was the first to lean out of the carriage. He stepped out of the carriage steadily, signaled the servant to get out of the way, stretched out his hand, and hugged the prince out of the carriage.Sir John Dudley hastened forward, and the prince's feet had just dropped to the ground when he reached the prince.

Sir John bowed deeply: "Welcome, Your Highness, your presence will make my family flourish."

Edward smiled: "Thank you, Sir, I hope I haven't caused you too much trouble."

"It is a great honor for us to welcome His Royal Highness." Sir laughed, and he led the prince towards his family.

Sir John's stepfather was slumped in a wheelchair. The illegitimate son of King Edward IV was too old to know what was going on outside. "Hello, my dear uncle," greeted Edward, whose grandmother was King Edward IV's daughter, Princess Elizabeth, half-sister of the poor old man, who died more than thirty years ago up.

The old man in the wheelchair didn't respond, his eyes were still staring straight ahead, as if he didn't hear anything.

"His condition has deteriorated considerably," said Sir John, but there was not much emotion in his voice.

"What a pity." Edward didn't delve into it, and then walked towards Mrs. Dudley.

Lady Dudley still looked ill, and she was bearing her husband's offspring at the rate of almost one a year, which was taking a great toll on her health.Her face was sallow, and the powder on it floated to the surface like icing on a cake, making her look even more haggard.She braced her body and curtseyed: "Welcome, Your Highness." Her voice was hoarse.

"Don't be too polite, ma'am," said Edward kindly.Out of the corner of his eye the prince caught sight of Robert, who had a sad look on his face.The prince felt sorry for his friend, but under such medical conditions, all the doctors were powerless, and Mrs. Dudley's body was doomed to remain weak.

The older Dudley children were absent, Robert's brother Guilford was a little older than Edward, and the rest were still babbling toddlers.After they all met the prince, Sir John led the prince and his party into the gate of Dudley Mansion.

The ancestral home of the Dudley family was first built in the [-]th century. Although it has been rebuilt many times, the lighting of the house is still criticized.The hall was a bit dim, even in broad daylight there were still a few candles lit in the corner. "Please take a rest in your room, Your Highness, dinner is set for seven o'clock, and we look forward to your arrival." Sir John Dudley said graciously.

"Thank you, sir," said Edward, turning to Robert again. "Let's go up together."

Robert glanced at his father, and he showed an affirmative look. "As you wish, Your Highness." He was also pleased.

The butler took the two children upstairs. Sir John stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked at their backs, showing a satisfied smile.

……

Sir John was busy all afternoon in his study, and he didn't come to the dining room until 10 minutes before dinner, waiting for the arrival of the prince.At seven o'clock in the evening, the gray-haired butler rang the gong for dinner on time.

The prince attended with Robert, and when he entered the dining room, he was somewhat surprised to find that there were only him, Robert and Sir John in the dining room.

"Won't Mrs. Dudley join us?" Edward was a little suspicious. It's really uncommon for the hostess to be absent.

"I'm feeling a little sick, and she asked me to convey my apologies to you." Sir Dudley said, and then he showed a secret smile, "And I think the conversation between me and His Highness will be heard by fewer people. The better."

Are we going to get down to business so soon?Edward wanted to laugh a little, this Sir really couldn't wait for a moment. "Begin, then, sir, when will our dear friend Mr. Cromwell take his leave of the stage?"

Sir John Dudley remembers his first meeting with the Prince of Wales, a kid who knew everything.Children in the court are always precocious, but the Prince of Wales' precocious puberty horrified him.He knows who is an ally and who is an enemy, who can be exploited and who must be suppressed, something that not many people a few rounds older than him can do.After that, although he was still in the Duke of Suffolk's party, he secretly jumped on board the Prince of Wales' ship.Now that the Duke and Prince of Suffolk are looking forward to Mr Cromwell's downfall, Sir John is working extra hard.

"The king has summoned several lawyers to study the loopholes in the marriage contract," Sir John reported, "It seems that the queen had an engagement with the Duke of Lorraine before, but after the marriage contract was broken, it seems that the queen's younger brother did not return the Duke of Lorraine's dowry in full Well, I have to say that's exactly what the duke would have done, but there's a loophole in his approach, and the engagement is, to some extent, unbroken. It's up to those who read the law explained."

"I think Mr. Cromwell's argument must be that this is just a small flaw, and it won't affect anything at all, right?" Edward leaned back in his chair lazily.

"Undoubtedly." Sir John Dudley showed a mocking smile, "but fortunately he is not the only legal expert in the court. Several other barristers hired by the king have different opinions. They insist The marriage contract is sacred, and the Duke of Cliffs' actions make the marriage contract between Princess Anne and the Duke of Lorraine still exist."

"The sanctity of the marriage contract?" Edward could hardly restrain his mocking tone. If the king really cared about the sanctity of the marriage contract, there wouldn't be any troubles in the past ten years.

"I am afraid that is so, my lord," said Sir John.

"It's a pity. I really like this queen. It's a pity that no one can change the king's plan." Anne will definitely be abandoned, and it's only a matter of time.Edward was powerless to change anything, and he had no interest in helping Mr. Cromwell pull the Queen. "But it may be a blessing in disguise for her." King Henry is not good enough for her, at least a divorce will save her life and even give her precious freedom.

"Yes, Your Highness, this is probably the best ending for everyone." Of course, Mr. Cromwell was not among them, but both of them knew it.

"Now about my cousin, Miss Catherine Howard. What is my uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, going to do?"

"The Duke of Suffolk seems to think that his old rival seems to be targeting the vacuum left at court by the Queen's departure."

"The Duke of Suffolk's wit is admirable." Edward sneered a little, "but it's not difficult to guess, isn't it. This is not the first time the Duke of Norfolk has played such a trick." Of course the first time was his Mother.

"What does the Duke plan to do? Is he going to watch his old opponent gain such a huge advantage?"

"In fact, it is true. The Duke of Suffolk intends to wait and see what happens." Sir John said, "The last time the Duke of Norfolk used this trick to run fast and not be implicated, this time he may not be so lucky. .”

"You seem sure that Miss Catherine will have a tragic fate?" Edward was a little suspicious.

"Yes, indeed," laughed Sir John. "The Duke of Suffolk has given me some interesting news..." His voice trailed off, and Edward's eyes widened when he finished.

"is this real?"

"It is absolutely true, Your Highness."

Edward shrugged his shoulders, and the Duke of Norfolk looked like he was about to go the way of Mr Cromwell.The Duke already has a crown prince who bleeds a quarter of Howard's blood. The Bolin family is dead. them.The only explanation for the duke's desperation now is that he was blinded by greed. "Since the Duke is going to seek his own death, let's just wait and see how it gets better." There was a trace of coldness in the prince's voice. Since the Howard family wanted to threaten their status, they were the enemies that had to be eradicated.

Sir Dudley shivered. It was not the first time the boy had made his scalp tingle.The prince always looks cute like Yuxue, just like the little angels painted on the stained glass of the church.Yet he knew that inside this deceitful body lay the soul of a true monarch. "As you wish, Your Highness." Sir John's voice sounded more respectful.

The movement of the servants to serve interrupted the conversation of the masters. "The products of our estate," Sir John Dudley said proudly, pointing to the grilled pheasant on a large silver plate, "are roasted with sesame oil and oriental spices." Spices such as pepper and cloves from the East are monopolized by the Portuguese, The price is expensive, and sometimes there is no market for it. Sir John really paid a lot of money to welcome the prince.

The roasted pheasant was very tender, and the three guests were very satisfied.Edward suddenly remembered something: "Sir John, I heard that you designed an improved Galen ship before?"

"Yes, Your Highness." Sir John was a little surprised that Edward would bring up this topic, "I have made some improvements to the traditional galleon to make it more suitable for ocean sailing."

"If I wished to send a ship to India and bring back pepper and Oriental silk and porcelain, would it be able to do that?"

"It is much superior to the ships that the Portuguese used to trade with India." Sir John's eyes had a strange light, "If you are willing to invest, I can let this expedition set off within half a year."

"I will trouble you with the details." Edward said, who could be more suitable than a vice admiral.Sir John is also very excited. If this business can be completed, he can also make a lot of money. After all, the Indian trade can be regarded as huge profits.

Dessert was Yorkshire pudding. Edward ate a raisin and turned to Sir John: "Let's go on, sir. I guess the Duke of Suffolk has decided to support your acquisition of the Earl of Essex? "

"Yes, Your Highness." Jazz couldn't hide his joy, "The Duke of Suffolk has clearly expressed his support to me."

"It's no wonder, after all, England can't find anyone more qualified than you." The prince said casually.It can be counted as noble birth, good grades, the trust of the king, and high-ranking friends. Who else is more qualified to obtain an Earl than Sir John who has all of the above?

"I will never forget your kindness to me. I have already made that proposal to the Duke of Suffolk, and he has agreed." Sir John expressed his loyalty to the prince. Although the Duke of Suffolk is high and powerful, after all He is an old man, and the future king is the basis for the future prosperity of the Dudley family.

Edward smiled noncommittally.

So the host and guest enjoyed themselves.