monarch

"Welcome, Your Excellency the Ambassador." The Queen Mother turned to the French Ambassador and said kindly, this time her welcome was obviously much more sincere.

The French ambassador, a dark-haired middle-aged man with long, well-groomed hair and a handsome beard, stood in stark contrast to the English ambassador who looked like an army officer next to him. "Your Majesty, I am ordered by His Majesty King Francois I to convey to you a proposal." He glanced at the English ambassador from the corner of his eye as he spoke, and found that the other party's face was already purple with anger.

"What day is it today? Your Majesties are here to care for our poor mother and daughter." The Queen Mother sneered, "We are really honored."

"It is indeed an honor for this country." Earl Allen's familiar voice came from the door, and the queen mother bit her lips. The earl walked into the room and gave the queen mother a comforting look.The Queen Mother didn't seem happy, but she didn't say anything either.

Earl Allen walked up to the queen mother, "I have already learned about the suggestion of His Majesty Henry VIII." He nodded slightly to the English ambassador, but the other party turned a blind eye. The earl raised his eyebrows slightly, and then turned to the French ambassador, "The queen mother and the French ambassador I am very much looking forward to the proposal of His Majesty the King of France."

"My master, His Majesty Francois I, hopes to marry His Majesty the Queen of Scots for his grandson, the future King Francois of France," said the French ambassador.

"Impossible!" roared the English ambassador. "Queen Mary has married our Crown Prince."

"The marriage contract can be torn up completely." The French ambassador smiled, "The king of your country has a lot of experience in this matter."

"It's an insult, Your Excellency!" The English Ambassador's eyes almost blazed.

"Please calm down, both of you." Earl Allen said. The English ambassador glared at the French ambassador, but in the end he didn't do anything, but walked aside.

"If I remember correctly, the eldest grandson of the king of your country is less than two years old now." Earl Allen said, "There are still more than ten years before he reaches adulthood. You should be able to understand that there will be many variables in this."

"That's true, Your Excellency the Earl." The ambassador bowed slightly, "That's why my king granted me full powers, and we will do everything possible to make your country feel at ease."

"What do you suggest?"

"Our king is willing to renew the obligations of the 'old alliance'."

There was silence in the room, and everyone was dumbfounded.After a long time, the English ambassador Sir Sadler's roar broke the dead silence, "This... this is a complete provocation! I protest!"

Earl Allen ignored the English ambassador's anger, "Is this what the king of your country means?" He tried his best to appear calm, but his trembling voice betrayed the excitement in his heart. After all, the news he had received before was only France was willing to win Queen Mary and provide her with asylum, but now the French are willing to restore the alliance. The "Old Alliance", the oldest surviving alliance treaty in the world, was signed in 1295 and has gone through more than 200 years. However, the reconciliation between King Louis XII and Henry VIII 30 years ago made this alliance exist in name only. Now France People extended an olive branch to their old partners again.

"Yes, indeed," said the ambassador, "the king of my country is willing to render all possible assistance to Scotland, including sending troops to assist Scotland in its defense. Three thousand soldiers are now in the port of Le Havre, and they will be able to Set sail, we are willing to do everything we can to help Scotland maintain its freedom and independence, and resist ambitious neighbors." He turned around and glanced at the English ambassador intentionally or unintentionally.

Sir Sadler stepped forward, he gave the French ambassador a fierce look, and then turned to the Queen Mother and Earl of Aaron who were sitting opposite, "If a French soldier sets foot on the land of the Kingdom of Scotland, England will regard him as a an act of war."

The face of the Queen Mother was a little pale. She looked at Earl Allen, who gave her an encouraging look. The Queen Mother calmed down slightly, "If your country withdraws its request for my daughter to go to London, then I am still willing to cooperate with you." The Kingdom of England remains friendly."

"That's impossible, Your Majesty." The ambassador flatly refused.

"Then we have nothing to say." Earl Allen said.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Earl, I suggest that you two think carefully." The English ambassador's voice was very cold, "The French are not capable of doing anything on the British Isles. Our fleet will cut off their supply lines. They can only provide a few thousand soldiers at most. Do you really think this will save your kingdom?"

"France has the most powerful army in Europe." The French ambassador pointedly said, "These soldiers have been battle-tested in Italy, and they are fully capable of safeguarding Scotland's interests."

"If you have nothing else to say, please go back." The queen mother said to the ambassador of England. "I will send someone to escort you and your staff back to England. You can go back and pack your luggage."

The English ambassador's face was flushed, and he looked at the Queen Mother, as if he was about to get angry, but in the end he just bowed, "I hope you don't regret it." He turned and walked out of the room.

"I think now we should have time to discuss the specific terms of the treaty." The queen mother turned to the French ambassador and said pleasantly.

……

London, Palace of Whitehall.

A lot of people were already crowded in the narrow corridor. It was still early in the morning, and these great nobles had already arrived here, squeezing desperately into this narrow corridor. The smell of sweat mixed with the smell of perfume made people breathless. Yet no one wants to quit.

At the end of the corridor is a wall, the bricks of which are still new, obviously the wall does not have a long history.Below the wall, the masons have been waiting for a long time with their tools.

There was a commotion at the end of the corridor, and then like Moses parting the Red Sea, the crowd automatically moved to both sides of the corridor, and in a blink of an eye a passage appeared in the middle of the corridor.A middle-aged lady led a group of maids and walked along this passage. The maids were holding toiletries, clothes and other things in their hands. They walked forward lightly, trying not to make any noise.

The middle-aged lady walked under the wall at the end of the corridor, and she looked around, showing an elegant smile on her wrinkled but still charming face. "My lords." She nodded to the people around her.

"Your Majesty." Everyone returned their salutes one after another, and Queen Catherine Parr of England and Ireland also responded with a smile.

"Madam." The indifferent and hostile voice broke the happy atmosphere. The smile on the Queen's face was a little stiff, but she quickly calmed down, "Bishop Gardiner." Her voice also became a little cold.

Bishop Gardiner bowed slightly and stopped answering.The energetic old man turned around, took a few steps to the other side, turned back, and looked at the queen indifferently. This gesture of distance was too obvious, as if the queen was the source of infectious diseases Same.The surrounding crowd were no strangers to such a scene. The Protestant Queen, who advocated religious reformation, spared no effort to whisper in the king's ears. The traditionalist Bishop Gardiner had already been at odds with her.

There was another commotion at the end of the corridor, and soon the middle passage was given up again.

Nine-year-old Prince Edward is much taller than he was three years ago. He has inherited his mother's soft French features and dark hair and father's blue eyes. There is no doubt that in a few years he will be extremely handsome. youth.Sir Robert Dudley is by his side, the prince's best companion is inseparable from him, the 13-year-old Robert Dudley is now taller than many fifteen or sixteen-year-old youths, so although he At a young age, he has become one of the favorite gentlemen of the court ladies, but he always stays around the crown prince, making it impossible for the ladies who want to strike up a conversation with him to take advantage of it.

Crown Prince Edward walked up to the queen, bowed slightly, and the queen also curtseyed.The relationship between the prince and his stepmother can be called harmonious, and the two sides maintain a polite and appropriate friendship, neither like Princess Elizabeth who is close to the new queen, nor like Lady Mary who is with her fifth stepmother for religious reasons And the situation is at odds.

"It's time, Your Majesty." The maid beside the queen came to her side and carefully reminded her.Catherine Parr turned around, "Let's get started, Your Highness, my lords." There was no objection from the surrounding crowd, so the queen raised her head and said to the mason who had been waiting for a long time: "Go, gentlemen."

The three masons saluted the queen, and began to tear down the wall before them.The wall was not strong when it was built, so that after only a few minutes, the gate of the king's chamber appeared behind the ruined wall.

Since last year, King Henry VIII's physical condition has deteriorated rapidly, and he has become more moody and suspicious.And the king's latest crazy behavior is to ask the gate of his palace to be sealed every night when he sleeps, and then torn down the next morning. The head of the palace is almost graying because of this matter.

The masons moved so quickly that in a blink of an eye the wall in front of the crowd was reduced to a mass of bricks on the ground.The queen nodded slightly to them, "Thank you, gentlemen." She lifted her skirt and walked through the ruins of the place, "Your Majesty?" She walked to the door and knocked on the door.

From the door came the humming of the king.

The queen opened the door and entered with her maid, while the others waited outside.Not long after, the king's low voice came from the door, accompanied by occasional moans of pain. It was obvious that his wound had opened again. Besides, there was the queen's soothing voice. I have to say that Catherine Parr Not so much the king's wife, but more like his nurse.

The voice inside the door finally quieted down, stretching out their ears trying to hear as much as possible. The nobles in the room stood up quickly, and the king would come out at any moment.

Sure enough, a moment later, the door of the room that had been closed since the queen entered opened, and the figure of King Henry VIII emerged from the darkness.The king was much fatter than three years ago, and the flesh on his face was squeezed into a ball, making his eyes look like water sources in the desert that were about to dry up.The king was leaning on a cane, and the queen was standing on the other side supporting him. The distorted expression on his face became more and more serious with each step. It was obvious that the wound on his leg was causing him endless pain.

The nobles hurriedly bent their waists very low, as if the king's head was the head of Medusa, who would turn into stone at a glance.The king turned a blind eye to them, he went straight to Edward, touched his head, "how is today, my child?"

"I'm fine, thank you, father." The prince raised his head and reached out to hold the king's hand. In any case, the king's love for his only male heir is unquestionable, maybe it was out of paternal love, maybe out of love For political considerations, who can say clearly?In any case, Edward is also willing to try his best to help his father relieve a little pain.

The king's right hand stretched out and held the prince's little hand.The king smiled a little, but looked even more menacing.He waved his hand and let the queen who was supporting him back down.The king held his son in one hand and leaned on a cane in the other, and walked forward with difficulty. The crowd bowed deeply beside them, not daring to look directly at their king.

……

At the breakfast table, the little crown prince sat on the left of the king, while his wife sat on the right. At this time, the queen was cutting the ham for the king and handing the king a glass of mulled wine, but she herself had no time to take care of her own plate. .On the long table opposite the king, the nobles who enjoyed the honor of dining with the king were cautious and did not dare to make a sound, for fear of being noticed by the king who was in a bad mood.

In such a quiet environment, the noise of the restaurant's door opening is particularly harsh.A messenger broke into the dining room, and under the eyes of everyone, he walked through the entire dining room and came to Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford.

"Your Excellency." He produced a letter. "Urgent letter from Scotland."

The Earl of Hertford, who had attracted everyone's attention, including the king, gave the reckless messenger a hard look. Couldn't he come later?However, the matter has come to this point, he can only open the sealed document.Seeing his unpredictable expression, all the onlookers began to whisper, guessing what happened.

The Earl of Hertford finally finished reading the letter, and his face looked a little pale.The count took the letter and went up to the king. "Your Majesty," he whispered, handing the letter before the King, "a despatch from Sir Sadler from Edinburgh."

The king gave him a cold look, and the count felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head.The king said nothing, took the letter, wiped his hands with a napkin, and took the letter.

His Majesty read it very slowly, and after a few minutes, he slowly put the letter on the table.Surprisingly, the king did not speak, but turned to his son, and put his hand over his head.

"Don't worry my dear son, you deserve the best."

The king turned again to the people who were bewildered by this statement. "Our ambassador to Scotland, Sir Sadler, has just received word that the Queen Regent of Scotland, that wicked Frenchwoman, Marie de Guise, has rejected my generous offer to send the Queen of Scots to London for her education." The King. There was a pause, waiting for everyone's attention to be on him. "Not only that," the anger in the king's voice was very obvious, "this queen mother also broke the marriage contract between her daughter and my son, and betrothed the little queen of Scotland to the grandson of the king of France!" The plates and cups on the table were swept to the ground, "How dare she!" The king breathed violently, making a sound similar to a roar like a bellows in a blacksmith's shop.The queen quickly stood up to please His Majesty. She held the king's hand and patted his back lightly, "Your Majesty, don't be angry, it's just a small disturbance."

"The queen is right." The king gave her an approving look. "Scotland is nothing but a clown. I intended to pet their queen as my own daughter, and she would bear me my future grandson, but They don't appreciate it." The king smiled coldly, "Mary de Guise thought that she could rest easy after being with the French, but she seemed to have forgotten that we are on an island, and I am the king of the sea!"

"My lord the Earl of Essex!" cried the King, and the Lord of the Admiralty, John Dudley, Earl of Essex, rose to his feet.Prince Edward glanced at Robert Dudley beside him, and saw that he too sat up straight, staring at his father.Edward stretched out his left hand from under the table and shook Robert's hand reassuringly.

"I want you to send all your fleet," roared the king, "and all ships under the French and Scottish flags will be detained or sunk, and not a single ship will be allowed to go to Scotland! Didn't the French send an army?" ?Let them starve to death in Scotland without a shipload of supplies."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The Secretary of the Navy bowed deeply, "The fleet is fully deployed in accordance with His Majesty's orders."

"We're at war, gentlemen!" The king slammed the table. "The Queen of Scots won't accept our invitation, so we'll bring her back from Edinburgh!"

"Long live the king!" It was the Earl of Hertford who responded the fastest again. He pulled out the saber at his side and held it up high.

"Long live the king!" The nobles followed suit one after another. The swords in their hands gleamed coldly, and they stood up one after another, like a forest.

The king touched his son's head again, "Don't worry, Edward, I will help you bring your fiancée back."

But I don't want to marry her at all, the prince slandered in his heart, he looked at Robert Dudley beside him, he still had a perfect palace smile on his face, and the prince suddenly felt agitated.He collected himself a little, turned to the king, and smiled the same way.

"Thank you, Father. I wish you the best of luck."