monarch

A carriage is driving on a dark path. There is no decoration or badge of nobility on the carriage. It has a black body, a black horse, a driver in a black cloak, and tightly drawn curtains on the windows. It looked like a funeral hearse.Thick bushes grew on both sides of the road, the moon was covered by thick clouds, and the ground was covered with thick snow, making this forest much quieter than usual.

The carriage turned right at an intersection and drove onto a wide driveway, with high hedges on both sides of the driveway. Although it had not been pruned for a long time, it could still be seen that it was of extraordinary style.In front of the driveway is a black wrought iron gate. The reliefs on the stone gateposts on both sides are already difficult to recognize, and the moss growing densely between the cracks of the stone pillars shows the ancientness of the gate.

The coachman stopped the carriage by the side of the road, took down a lantern hanging from the carriage, lit it, lifted it up, and shook it a few times.A moment later, from the shadows of the wood behind the gate, came a dark figure, also wearing a thick cloak, and a hood over his head so that his face was completely invisible.

"Ettu, Brute? (Is that you, Brutus?)" The man in the shadow uttered Caesar's last words in Latin.

"Sicsempertyrannis! (This is what a tyrant deserves!)" The coachman replied with Brutus' famous line after killing Caesar.

The black figure seemed to nod, and he walked to the gate and opened it.The coachman put out his lantern, hung it up again, and with a flick of his whip, the carriage continued down the drive.But the black shadow immediately closed the door and disappeared into the shadows, as if nothing had happened.

At the end of the driveway was a mansion that had once looked very respectable.Although its stone walls are now covered by creepers, and even the tower on one side has collapsed.The entrance appears to have been a small garden, and now all that remains are sparse shrubs and a dry marble pool, which appears to have once been a fountain.

The coachman parked the car in front of the gate, jumped down and opened the door for the passengers in the compartment.Getting out of the car was also a figure who wrapped himself in a cloak. He looked like a man. If you looked carefully, you could see a few strands of gray hair leaking from the hood. He was obviously old.He looked around the situation, hesitated for a few seconds, and then, as if he had made up his mind, he strode into the door.

The huge foyer was empty, and the stalls on the floor had been decayed and decayed. There were obviously many paintings hanging on the walls in the past. Although these paintings are no longer there, the traces left on the walls can be seen even under the dim light. Still clearly visible.

The mysterious gentleman stopped in front of a heavy wooden door. At the door stood several people who were also wearing cloaks. They wore long swords at their waists, and some of them held sabers in their hands.One of them came forward, "Good evening, sir. Your token?"

The mysterious man took something out of his pocket and stuffed it into the opponent's hand.The man took it to a candle and looked at it carefully. "Very good, sir." He came back and opened the door for the gentleman.The mysterious man walked into the room, and the door closed behind him with a heavy sound.

There were many lights in the room, and the new visitor felt a little dazzled for a moment. When he finally got used to the light in the room, he looked around and saw that there were about twenty people in the room, all sitting around Beside a long table, they all wore heavy cloaks, looking like some mysterious religious organization.

"Welcome, Your Excellency." The man at the end of the table said, "You are the last one, we are waiting for you." He stretched out his hand, pointing to the seat on his left, "Please sit down."

The man hesitated for a moment, then walked to the seat and sat down.

"Now that everyone's here, I think it's time we get rid of these offensive but necessary disguises," he said, taking off his cloak to reveal his trademark handsome face.

"Are you delayed on the road? Your Excellency the Speaker." The Earl of Surrey said to the newcomer on his left.

"I left a bit late." Speaker of the Scottish Parliament, Earl Lennox said.He looked around, and the people sitting at the table were all people he knew.Opposite him was the Earl of Eglinton, a highly respected member of Parliament who had expressed his indignation at the removal of Queen Mary by Parliament by leaving the floor during a previous vote in Parliament.Lady Elizabeth Holland, mistress of the Duke of Norfolk, was the only woman in the room.To the Earl's surprise, it wasn't just Scots in the room, in fact half of the twenty people were nobles from England.

"Sir, are you alone?" The Earl of Surrey said to a person across the long table, he still had a smile on his face, as if he was at a dinner table. "The fire is very hot in the house, and you will sweat if you don't take off your cloak, and we don't want you to catch a cold."

The man turned his head slowly and looked at the Earl of Surrey. After a while, he finally made up his mind and took off his cloak.

"Earl Allen!" Someone shouted in surprise.

Scotland's former Lord Regent looks a lot grayer than it did a few months ago. "As you wish, Earl." He nodded to the Earl of Surrey who was sitting in the main seat.

"Very well, then I think we can start." The Earl of Surrey said, "I think everyone knows a thing or two about the purpose of my inviting you here today."

"Frankly speaking, I don't know why I was honored to receive your invitation." Earl Eglinton said coldly, "I have always fought for the freedom and independence of Scotland, and I have dedicated my whole life to this kingdom. Having met your father on the battlefield, I find it hard to believe that your Howards would be interested in maintaining Scotland's independence."

"Indeed, I have no interest in it." The Earl of Surrey shrugged.

"And I have heard a little about your family's troubles. It seems that King Henry is tired of you. But frankly, I am not interested in it at all."

"So you say, what should we discuss?"

The Earl of Surrey looked at the old noble opposite, and after a while, he laughed. "You have a point, sir. You have your aims, I have mine, and indeed many at this table have their own. But I assure you that what I am about to propose, No matter for me or your goal, it is beneficial and harmless."

"I'm all ears." Earl Eglinton's tone was still mocking.

"We are facing a common obstacle, in fact, a common enemy." The Earl of Surrey looked at the crowd and confirmed that their attention was on him. "And this man is King Henry VIII."

Several people gasped, and Lord Eglinton laughed.

"I really didn't expect it." When he finally calmed down, the old noble looked at the Earl of Surrey and said, "One day I will reach a consensus with a Howard family."

"Thank you." The Earl of Surrey said politely, and he turned to everyone, "You don't have to do this, I think you can roughly guess what is going to happen when you know the password to enter the door." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice look.

"But what you said...it's impossible." A nobleman said, the viscount was accused of being a secret Catholic. Admire it so much that I can't wait to have the royal coat of arms on its gates.

"Ah, I don't agree, sir." The Earl of Surrey said gracefully, "I admit that these things, though unexpected, have always happened from time to time, since the time of Caesar. What is even more amazing is They always happen at the peak of the victim's complacency, so it's very dramatic, isn't it?" He picked up the flagon in his hand and took a small sip. "Caesar entered the Senate thinking he would be greeted with the emperor's diadem, but instead he received the dagger of his adopted son; Lorenzo de' Medici of Florence was consecrated by the Pope at the Easter service Although he himself narrowly escaped, his brother was murdered; Caesar Borgia and his father, Pope Alexander VI, already on the verge of uniting Italy, attended a harmless banquet where they They were all poisoned and fell on the bed, dying. Not to mention what happened a few years ago, the Duke of Tuscany thought that what he encountered was an affair, but he didn't expect it to be a sex trap." The count smiled, " So I think it might not be idle fantasy if we wished ourselves similar good luck, would it, gentlemen?"

The room fell silent, and after a long time, Earl Eglinton broke the silence, "I think you want to do more than just sit here and pray, don't you? After all, 'God helps those who help themselves'."

"Indeed, Your Excellency." The Earl of Surrey nodded.

"Then, with all due respect, this is a desperate fight." Earl Eglinton said disdainfully, "I don't think there will be much difference without King Henry at all, and his son will adopt the same policy. And you'd better think Thinking of what happened to Brutus, he killed Caesar, and Caesar’s heir, Octavian, avenged Caesar. Do you expect your cousin, the Prince of Wales, to cancel the previous matter with you after this?” He smiled maliciously, "After all, if you do this, your hands will not only be stained with the blood of his mother, grandfather and uncle."

"That's true." The Earl of Surrey didn't lose his temper as the other party expected, "But what if Brutus not only killed Caesar, but also killed all his friends and relatives?" His smile made Eglinton The count was a little uneasy, he had never felt this way on the battlefield. "Imagine Octavian, Antony, Lepidus, Cleopatra, Agrippa... They are all dead, and who else will avenge poor Caesar?"

"You...you mean..." The Earl of Lennox on the other side was already breaking out in a cold sweat. The reason he came was out of fear of the king, but he really couldn't tell the difference between the Earl of Surrey and the other side. Who is more terrifying than King Henry.

"The Tudor claim to the throne comes only from Margaret Beaufort's meager Plantagenet royal blood, and her ancestors are only the illegitimate sons of Henry IV." The Earl of Surrey went on. The paternal line is nothing more than Welsh squires, if Owen Tudor hadn’t climbed into the bed of Queen Mother Catherine, they are still staying in the mountains of Wales.” He looked at the crowd, their faces were different, but their eyes were fixed Staring at him, "They just got shit luck at the Battle of Bosworth. Isn't it fair that luck takes the crown they've worn for 60 years?"

"Then who do you want to replace the Tudors?" said the Earl of Eglinton. "Ah, let me guess, he doesn't happen to be named Howard." It really astonished me.”

"I'm afraid it depends on the situation." The Earl of Surrey was noncommittal, "But we have a lot of choices-the little girls of the Gray family, after getting rid of their parents, they will be puppets that anyone dreams of; Cardinal de Boer, if you want to restore relations with Rome, he is a perfect choice; of course, it may be some great nobleman, with a long history and a prominent family... But no matter who it is, all the English nobles present can Looking forward to great rewards for myself.”

"As for Scotland, after this chaos, England will not be able to interfere in your affairs for a long period of time, you can choose a deputy regent," he glanced at Earl Lennox, "Or declare independence and bring your little queen back from France." He looked at Earl Eglinton again. The latter looked very calm, but his rapid breathing exposed the turmoil in his heart.

"Well, even if you are right." After a long time, Earl Eglinton was the first to break the silence on behalf of the Scottish nobles present, "What means are you going to use to achieve what you said?" He paused Dun, "After all, killing one person is not the same as killing dozens of people. We don't have enough manpower and resources. It's completely impossible."

"On this point, I think Earl Allen has something to say."

Feeling everyone's eyes, Earl Allen said, "I have a plan."

"The king's coronation will be held on January 15th. On that day, everyone we hope to get rid of will be together, in the cathedral. That will be our golden opportunity."

"But there will be thousands of troops around! We don't have the manpower to storm the cathedral."

"Actually we have," Earl Allen said, "I have the support of His Majesty King Francis I of France. In fact, as we speak, four thousand French soldiers have embarked at Le Havre. Now the North Sea is It's a storm, and the English fleet is sheltering in port so no one will notice. They'll land directly at Edinburgh."

"But the French will also suffer huge losses!" Someone said.

"How can you win money without spending less money." Earl Allen said, "In fact, once the matter is resolved, the French king will immediately send an expeditionary force of 2 people to land in southern England. Rolled into London without bloodshed before anything happened."

"So you see, Earl, your accusations against me are not true." The Earl of Surrey laughed, "Who will be the future King of England will be decided by His Majesty Francois."

"Well, even so, how do you know that four thousand Frenchmen are enough to take Edinburgh?" Earl Eglinton did not dispel his doubts, "Not to mention that it is very likely that they will be left with only half or even less because of the storm."

"They are just spare parts," said Earl Allen. "In fact, they may not be needed at all."

"When the French army withdrew before, they didn't take away their luggage, which included dozens of barrels of gunpowder. The crypt of the cathedral is a good place to store them." Earl Allen smiled, "In fact, there is a secret passage leading from the crypt of the cathedral to a mansion in the city, which was the residence of the archbishop's lover hundreds of years ago."

"A few days ago, we secretly bought this mansion," said the Earl of Surrey. "I conducted some secret...archaeological work and made many meaningful discoveries."

"Like what?"

"For example...a secret door hidden behind a statue of the Virgin Mary."

"So, when the French land, they'll find everything in complete disarray. There may be a good number of English troops, but they're leaderless, and all their leaders are gone. You see, they can fight without bloodshed." The greatest French military victory since the Hundred Years' War."

Earl Eglinton looked stunned. "I must admit I was surprised tonight."

"You will be even more unexpected on the day of the coronation." The Earl of Surrey stood up, "So we have reached a consensus?"

Everyone looked at me, and I looked at you. In the end, Earl Eglinton nodded first, and then Earl Lennox also nodded, and soon everyone agreed one after another.

"Very well," said the Earl of Surrey, "and he glanced at the fire. "Then, gentlemen, ah, and you, of course, madam. ’ He turned to his father’s mistress and nodded, ‘Sicsempertyrannis, as the Latin says, (This is what a tyrant deserves!)’

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Sicsempertyrannis is the proclamation of Brutus after killing Caesar. When Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, the killer also shouted this sentence to the rest of the audience in Ford's Theater, but unfortunately no one understood :)