monarch

Edward looked around at the citizens in tattered clothes.Those faces looked at him quietly with numb, angry or sad expressions, just like those stone statues in ancient Roman temples.

The guards moved several wooden boxes and set up a simple podium in front of the crowd.Someone found half a torn carpet from the entrance of the members of the Capitol and spread it on it.The king stepped onto the crude platform, and there was a creaking sound from the wooden box originally used to hold the oranges.

Hearing his heart thumping in his chest, the king took a deep breath, the air still smelled of last night's burning smoke.

"I am your king." He tried to keep his voice calm.

"I know the terrible tragedy that happened to you last night, and I have been up all night looking at the horizon of the East End lit up in the color of flames. I can see the great disaster and misfortune you have suffered."

There was a slight sobbing sound from the crowd, and big tears flowed from many people's eyes.

"I know what you are going to do in Parliament, and I understand the anger in your hearts."

"This august institution is supposed to be a sacred place to express public opinion, but in fact, her members have only cared about their own self-interest, turning this sacred temple into a dirty political arena. It is their responsibility to avoid such Tragedy has struck and they have failed you and the Crown's trust."

"Parliament can't represent us!" A roar suddenly came from the crowd.

Edward turned his head to look in the direction of the sound, and there was a tall young man standing there.People around looked at him with somewhat disapproving eyes, his face showed a little embarrassment, his face covered with blue and black stubble was flushed, and he looked like a ripe plum.

"What's your name, sir?" asked the King pleasantly.

"Alfred Ponsonby, sir... oh no... I mean... Your Majesty, please Your Majesty... forgive me, I shouldn't have interrupted...you are talking." The young man roared just now It was out of a moment of righteous indignation, but now I can't help but feel extremely embarrassed when I realize it, and I stuttered.

Everyone around laughed, and Ponsonby lowered his head in embarrassment and scratched his head.

Edward also smiled slightly, "Why do you say that?"

Mr. Ponsonby gritted his teeth, and collected himself. "What do the gentlemen of Parliament have to do with us? Those gentlemen in the House of Lords are in Parliament because of their titles, and the gentlemen in the House of Commons are purely because they have money. The MP from our district, William Mr. Britt, who has never been in this area, and he is a councilor here, just because the land in this area belongs to him! , we have to hand over half of our salary to him in order to have a tile to cover ourselves! Now I heard that he even wants us to pay for his loss!"

The crowd booed like mountains and seas.In the parliament building, the Mr. Britt who was called was frightened into a puddle of mud, and collapsed on his seat.

"Parliament is nothing more than a club for these dignitaries and nobles! These nobles and gentlemen only know how to suck the bones, and don't care about our lives!" Ponsonby suddenly knelt down on one knee, "Your Majesty! You are our only hope. I I'm a Catholic, and I've never done anything wrong. I've been to Scotland with the Lord Protector's army, and I've been wounded three times for this country...I just want justice!"

The Catholics cheered like thunder, while the Protestants were slightly silent, and many people showed disapproval on their faces.

"Your Majesty is the leader of the Anglican Church, how can you stand up for the Catholics..." Some Protestants muttered in a low voice.

"Whether they are Catholics or Protestants, they are all His Majesty's people!" Someone immediately retorted, "Isn't it the differences between us that give those ambitious people an opportunity to take advantage of!" His words caused a burst of excitement. Agreed, no one finds it unusual for a common man in the ghetto to have such a deep understanding.

Edward breathed a sigh of relief, the guard who ambushed in the crowd did an unexpected job.Religious clashes can only lead to fratricide, and it is better to direct the anger of both parties to a place chosen by the king, such as... Parliament.The power of the people is like Jupiter's thunder, and when Parliament casts it on the ground, it naturally belongs to him who picks it up.

"What do you do, Mr. Ponsonby?" The king turned again to the tall young man.

"My father used to be a farmer in Wiltshire, until one day a housekeeper sent an order from the Earl of Hertford to tell all the tenants to pack up and leave, because he wanted to use the land to raise sheep." Ponsonby was indignant He said unfairly, "We have no choice but to come to the city of London to try our luck, but the city is full of landless farmers like us. And the damn "Anti-vagrant Law", it will become a problem if you can't find a job for a period of time. Crime! We can only accept jobs that pay little wages."

"My parents went into a weaving mill, and my brother went to sea to try his luck. And the Earl of Hertford, Lord Protector now," he spat on the ground, "was about to go to Scotland, So I joined the army."

"Then the war in Scotland was over, and we were sent home for twenty silver pieces each. My mother was very ill by then, and the weaving workshops worked fourteen hours a day for the meager wages I earned. There is nothing left besides the rent, and I still owe a lot of debts...The money was used to pay off debts and medical treatment, but she still didn't survive last winter..." The burly man's eyes were a little red.

"Is there anyone left in your family?"

"My father was hit on the head by a falling beam yesterday...God bless him. As for my brother, he went to the New World by boat, and I don't know if he is alive or dead now."

"Mr. Ponsonby, I regret all this." The king stepped down from the stage, walked up to Ponsonby who was still half kneeling on the ground, and stretched out his hand to him.

There was a gasp of surprise all around.

Big tears fell from Ponsonby's eyes, and he wiped his hands on the clean spot of his sleeve, rubbing them red.He took the king's hand reverently, as if it were some rare treasure.He gently kissed His Majesty's hand, "Oh, Your Majesty... Your Majesty..." The strong man was already sobbing.

Robert, who was standing behind the king, frowned slightly.

"If you are willing, I would like to offer you a job." The king pulled him up, "Viscount Robert is training a guard for me, since you have experience in the army, I would like to ask Would you like to join in?"

There was a soft exclamation from the crowd, and many people looked at this lucky young man with envious eyes.

Ponsonby trembled all over, "Yes, Your Majesty, yes... My life is yours from now on..." His eyes were burning with enthusiasm, and he looked at the king as if he was looking at a ghost who came down to the world. Archangel in general.

The expression on Robert's face became more rigid, and he stepped forward, inadvertently standing between the king and Ponsonby.

The king looked at the crowd who looked at him with the same anticipation and reverence.

"Our country is one big family, and if the members of a family want to live in harmony, they must make compromises." The king said sincerely, "I can't guarantee everyone's satisfaction, but I assure you, I will try my best." Let the parliament reach a compromise as fair as possible... If you can accept it, please let us work together to bring peace and tranquility back to this land!"

The crowd was quiet for a moment, and suddenly burst into cheers like a tsunami, "Long live His Majesty the King!".

The glass windows of the parliament trembled amid the cheers, and the members of the parliament turned pale one by one.The king has tamed the furious tide, Jupiter's thunderbolt is in his hand, and the council is at the mercy of others. 400 years ago, the privileges that the nobles obtained when the royal power was weakened, have reached a precarious situation under the joint efforts of the king and the common people.

The Lord Protector sat on his chair with a livid face, looking at the huge portrait of King Henry VIII opposite. The king in the portrait stood solemnly, but in the eyes of the Protector, that expressionless face There seemed to be a hint of a smile, as if mocking him.Perhaps he had anticipated this day when he wrote his will?

From a certain point of view, there is not much difference between the arena of power and the casino.When a gambler wins a hand, he usually has good luck for some time afterwards.However, after he won more than a dozen hands, the tide suddenly turned, so he began to lose money, first in small hands, and finally lost more and more until he lost everything.

When did the tide start to turn?The Lord Protector couldn't tell either.All he knew was that he had already started losing money, and that if the bad luck continued it would soon be gone.Wolsey lost it, Cromwell lost it, and in this game you don't just lose property, titles or power, but your own head.

It can be seen from the windows of the parliament that the king is walking towards the gate of the parliament surrounded by crowds. The crowds he passes kneel on the ground as if worshiping the risen Christ.

"Long live His Majesty the King!" The voice echoed over the capital like a triumphant horn.

In front of the gate of the parliament, the injured captain of the guard limped up to the king and saluted His Majesty.

"Go back and rest, sir," said the king. "You need a doctor's help."

The captain of the guard glanced at the crowd, "It's too dangerous here, Your Majesty, both you and the council need to be defended."

"I am now among my loyal subjects. Is there any safer place in the world than here?" The king pointed to the crowd behind him.

His Majesty's words immediately aroused another round of approving cheers.

"Take your men back, they need rest and treatment." The king pointed to the soldiers of the guard again, many of them were covered with bruises.Someone couldn't hold it any longer and fell to the ground moaning.

The captain of the guard hesitated for a moment, and finally, he bowed to His Majesty, "I respect your order."

At the windows of the parliament, the members of parliament stared wide-eyed, watching the procession of guards leave the gate of the parliament.

"What are you doing, Your Majesty..." Bishop Gardner trembled all over, and said in a changed voice, "The guard is the only barrier between us and those thugs..."

"And now he has removed the barrier." The Duke Protector's voice could not discern emotion.

"This is really too dangerous." Some members of the council said disapprovingly.

The Duke Protector sneered again.The danger is only for the parliament, the king is safe.But now that His Majesty is standing outside the door, he only needs to say a word, and those mobs will rush into this building for him and completely destroy the parliament as an institution.

He glanced at the pale-faced Bishop Gardiner, wondering if this idiot had thought about today's situation when he started making trouble?Based on his intelligence level, 30% is not there.It's good now, the nobles have knelt at the feet of King Henry for [-] years, and now they are going to kneel at the feet of his son again, and this time, they may never get up again.

To the cheers of the crowd, the King entered the porch of Parliament.The king let out a long breath as the gate closed behind him. "It was really on the verge of breaking out just now."

Robert took the king's hand, took out a silk handkerchief, and wiped the place that Ponsonby had kissed several times. "How did you come up with the idea of ​​shaking that guy's hand? It's too dangerous... What if he wants to do you a disservice? What if he's hiding a dagger on his body?"

"But the effect is very good, isn't it?" Edward smiled, "People are the simplest existence. If you treat them with sincerity, they will repay you with loyalty. Isn't the essence of power is to make other people work for you? ?Either out of fear or out of love. My dad chose fear, and I wanted to try another way."

"If you want them to love you, you've succeeded." The cheers outside were still clearly audible through the walls.

"It looks like this at the moment." The king nodded and looked towards the door of the chamber at the end of the corridor. "Now that I have this power, what shall I do with it?" he whispered.

The king and his party came to the gate of the chamber, and the black gate was closed tightly.

Edward smiled coldly, "Knock on the door."

The herald with the black staff tapped hard on the gate three times.

The door remained motionless.

"Knock on," ordered the king.

The Herald slammed four times on the door, symbolizing the presence of the Sovereign in Parliament.The heavy knock on the door echoed in the corridor, and the place where it was knocked was already dented.

The door finally began to open reluctantly, the king straightened his collar, held his head up, and walked into the hall.