monarch

For the monarchs of the 16th century, the court was never confined to a single palace.On the contrary, in a year, the palace tours almost all the palaces and castles in the country, governors everywhere, and receives nobles from all over the country.However, unlike previous years, just two days after Christmas, the palace set off from Whitehall Palace again, and the purpose of this tour was also very special-the future queen, Princess Anne of Cliffs, had arrived in Dublin. Buddha, while the whole court was on her way to Richmond Palace to meet her on her way to London.

Another Queen Anne!No one at court could turn a blind eye to this ominous omen.The tragic end of the last Queen Anne was only three years ago, and most people in the court have witnessed the end of the previous three queens, so it seems that not many people are optimistic about the prospects of the new queen .It was snowing heavily on the road, and the whole team moved forward slowly. The atmosphere was quite depressing. It was more like going to a funeral than welcoming a relative.

Prince Edward and his companions in a large carriage.This carriage is not comfortable, although it is still bumpy with thick cushions, but the spring has not been invented until almost 100 years ago.Prince Edward was not in good health since he was a child, so several heaters were placed in the carriage to keep the carriage as warm as spring in the snow and ice.

The four "playmates" who were with the prince and had the honor to enjoy all this were the prince's four "playmates". The situation in the court was exactly the same at this time. Obviously, the balance of power must be maintained in front of the future king.Edward knew from day one that he could not be friends with any of the three, nor could he be hostile to any of them, because it would upset the balance, and when the balance is disturbed, before a new balance is achieved, Many heads will fall to the ground, such were the rules of the game at Henry Tudor's court.

The fourth place, however, is an exception.

Edward looked at the young man who was playing chess. He had the same black hair as himself, very handsome, but much stronger than himself. The sun shone through the window of the carriage, casting a golden glow on his face. halo.He seemed to be dazzled, and raised his head slightly, but his eyes just met Edward's. He was taken aback for a moment, and then burst into a beautiful smile.

Robert Dudley obviously cannot be compared with his three "colleagues" in origin. His father, Sir John Dudley, although he can be regarded as a prominent figure in the court, is still far inferior to those three He was a great nobleman, and it was purely a coincidence that his son was able to work beside the prince. He attended a palace banquet with his father a year ago, and accidentally caught Henry's eye.Robert Dudley has just turned eight years old this year, but he can already see his future demeanor. He deserves to be the man that Edward's sister, Queen Elizabeth, loved all his life. Edward looked at him thoughtfully.

Unlike the other three, the power behind Robert is negligible, so he is the most trusted by the Crown Prince, while his father, the famous careerist, is still struggling to climb the peak of power at this time, so The family is obviously the first choice for the future monarch to build his own power, isn't it?

Robert Dudley looked at the crown prince in a daze across the way. It was strange that this little ball wrapped up in a ball sometimes didn't look like a child who was only four years old.Robert suddenly felt sorry for him. His younger brother Guildford was one year older than him, but he was far more childlike and healthier than the little crown prince.The brothers of the Dudley family grew up together and have a very close relationship, but the little crown prince lives alone in the court, surrounded by ambitious courtiers and serious female officials, and the two sisters are unsmiling and have a subtle attitude towards him. the other is still a little girl who doesn't know much about the world, and is affected by her mother and is not considered favored.And as for King Henry...now there is that new queen, a German...I'm afraid there will be a lot of troubles in the future, and the crown prince is in the center of the storm, so he will definitely be affected.

Edward opened the window of the carriage to get some air, but a gust of cold wind blew by, and he sneezed uncontrollably.Several young attendants were a little nervous. The Prince of Wales had not been in good health since he was born. King Henry was always worried, for fear of losing this precious and sole heir.With sharp eyes and quick hands, Robert quickly closed the window, bent down again, and tightened the belt of the Crown Prince's cloak. "Your Highness, be careful of catching a cold." Over the past year, he has completely regarded the crown prince as his younger brother.The prince's face was a little pale because of his illness, and the delicate French features he inherited from Anne Boleyn made him even more adorable. It reminded him of his young brother Charles, who died young, who was also a beautiful child.I hope he grows up safely, Robert thought, but for children in the court, this may be a luxury.

"It's just a cold wind. I'm not that vulnerable, Robert." Edward smiled at the young man who cared about him.When he first got along with Robert Dudley, he was purely for the purpose of investing in the future Earl of Leicester. However, they have been friends for a year, maybe not pure friends, but still are friends.Maybe when Robert's father rebelled as in history, he can leave Robert a title?His father and the Duke of Suffolk were also good friends back then, but aren't they plotting against each other now?He thought a little self-deprecatingly. "I'm just a little curious. After all, the court has always stayed in Whitehall in winter in previous years. Starting the tour so early, I have the opportunity to see the scenery of the winter suburbs."

"It's all thanks to Mr. Cromwell," said Lord Henry Brandon, five years old, the only son and heir of the Duke of Suffolk, with some ecstasy.The future young duke made no effort to hide his disdain, "Ah, I am the Earl of Essex now, I made a mistake, Your Highness." The son of a country innkeeper became the king's most important minister, which is really shocking to say. People laugh out loud.It's just a dog raised by my father. Now that I'm the Minister of Seals, I dare to bark my teeth at the owner!Lord Brandon's statement aroused the approval of several other attendants. Although the three of them were not serious, they all looked down on the face of the upstart Cromwell. Such a topic was obviously the most able to narrow the distance between them.

"I heard that Cromwell gave Master Holbein a lot of money to paint this Princess Cliffs more beautifully." Thomas, the grandson of the Duke of Norfolk and the cousin of the little crown prince Howard said he was a few months older than the crown prince, but was born very thin, making him look smaller than his cousin.The crown prince didn't say anything after hearing this childish words, but just smiled. People like Hans Holbein, who value his art more than his life, would paint a distorted portrait for money?This cousin of mine usually likes to collect these gossips in the palace, which must be where he heard the rumors from.

"But I've heard that this princess is really plain-looking. After all, she's a German. We all know that they all look like cows." John Seymour said lazily. He was ten years old and he was one of the children The biggest, however, unlike the others, was that he came from only an offshoot of the Seymour family. "I heard that the king was supposed to marry Christina of Milan."

"Then why didn't it work?" Robert was a little curious.

"That Princess Christina made a request, and the king couldn't satisfy it." John Seymour smiled narrowly, "She said that if she had two heads, she would be happy to marry His Majesty the King." He lowered his voice Said.

There was silence in the carriage for a few seconds, and then a burst of suppressed laughter broke out.Several people understood this princess very well. Although the queen of England is an attractive position, the previous three queens did not have a good end. I am afraid that only a small country like Cliffs who wants to hug the thigh will consider taking it Marry your own princess to be the continuation of a 50-year-old man. "But of course Cromwell is happy to see it happen," John added. "After all, Christina is Catholic, and he wants to put a Protestant princess in the king's bed in his dreams." The idea of ​​finding a foreign power to be his own foreign aid is no secret in the court.

"Cliffs is a small country, how can it help." Robert was a little disapproving, "If the new queen is not favored, they will not have the slightest influence." Edward did not speak. In his memory, this It is true that the princess is not in favour, and it is true that Cliffs has no influence.It seems that the princess will not sit on the throne for more than half a year, and Mr. Cromwell will not be able to dance for a few days. He only needs to watch the theater.Maybe, who knows, he can still get something out of this big storm.

"Have you heard from your father, Robert?" asked Prince Edward.Lieutenant-General John Dudley had just been appointed Stable Master to Princess Anne, and he had traveled to Dover to meet the Princess a few days earlier.Robert smiled slightly, "It is said that this princess is very dignified." That is ugly, Edward felt a little sad for this princess, she couldn't stay here any longer.The conversation in the carriage came to an end, and the children began to ponder over when they would have the opportunity to tell their father and brother the news, and the atmosphere was a bit cold for a while.They haven't practiced well yet, Edward thought to himself. He turned to look at Robert Dudley and found that the other party was smiling at him. My lord." Anyway, he still had one friend, didn't he?

……

Richmond Palace is not too far from London, and at dusk the convoy was only a few miles away from the palace.After sitting in the carriage for a day, the children were a little bored, and when the carriage finally stopped, they all felt a sense of relief.Edward opened the car window, but the outside was not the courtyard of Richmond Palace, they were still about a mile away from the palace.

"Your Highness." Sir Peggy rode forward and bowed.

"Sir Peggy, why did we stop?" Edward was a little surprised.

"The King's order, Your Highness. It is said that His Majesty intends to change clothes," Sir Peggy explained.

Edward was a little speechless, couldn't his father calm down.Since he was young, King Henry liked to dress up as ordinary knights with his attendants and appear in front of unprepared ladies. He enjoyed the feeling that the ladies fell in love with him at first sight.It seemed that they were not close to him because of his status, but only because of his charm.This kind of trick is considered fun once or twice, but it is ridiculous to perform it for 30 consecutive years.The king may be personable, and he can be regarded as the dream lover of the ladies. Now this 50-year-old fat man is the only one who thinks that he can still make people fall in love with him by virtue of his "charm".Everyone at the court knew all this, every lady showed a kind of fascination with the fat masked man, but it was all just a show, everyone knew that.

Except King Henry.

……

In the king's carriage, Henry VIII is struggling to change into the uniform of a bodyguard.The old wound in his leg was starting to hurt again, and by the time he finally squeezed in, his servant was sweating from exhaustion.Henry looked at himself in the Venetian mirror with satisfaction, "It looks good, what do you think, Culpepper?" he asked.

The young attendant who was named showed a charming smile, "Very powerful, Your Majesty." This young man was very handsome, and many ladies in the palace would involuntarily blush when they saw him.Culpepper was deeply loved by Henry VIII, and is now the king's most trusted attendant. "You really look like a handsome knight, I bet all the ladies want to elope with you." Henry nodded with some satisfaction, "Indeed." However, he suddenly thought that if the princess fell in love with Didn't it mean that she has lost her morals because of the unidentified knight he played?The face of Anne Boleyn came back to him in all its splendor.Another Anne, perhaps as beautiful as her?Anne Boleyn was never accused of adultery, but the king never ceased to suspect that her small circle would gather to play the piano and sing together one day, who knows what they were doing?And her relationship with her brother George seems a bit too close... The king shook his head, trying to interrupt these meaningless thoughts, at least she gave birth to a son, didn't he?Maybe this Anne can do the same.If she can do it and be as beautiful as the last Annie, he doesn't mind forgiving her this time, after all, the person she fell in love with is himself, right?

Henry dressed neatly, got out of the carriage, stepped on the servant's body and got on his own horse.The king was in high spirits, perhaps because his one-man show finally had a new cast, making him as excited as a child with a new toy.He looked at Richmond Palace not far away. The palace was already lit. It was time for dinner, and he wanted to give Princess Anne an unforgettable surprise. "Let's go, Culpepper!" The king clamped his legs, and the steed under his crotch galloped forward, and the attendants behind him hurriedly followed. The group of people drove their horses away from the court's convoy, and galloped towards the palace not far away. and go.