monarch

At 08:30 in the evening, the great hall of Hatfield Palace, the corridor with huge French windows and several other large living rooms on the same floor are crowded with well-dressed gentlemen and ladies, and the sultry air is full of their scented powder odor.

The marriage between the First Queen and the Duke Protector's younger brother was undoubtedly a grand event in the social world.The reason is naturally due to the sensitive identities of these two people. The fact that the widow of the former king married the younger brother of the regent always reminds people of some palace secrets, and it naturally becomes the source of gossip.Many people came here not so much out of flattery, but out of curiosity, anticipating what news would happen.

The two protagonists of the wedding did not disappoint everyone. The first queen inherited a large amount of property from her two dead husbands, and Sir Thomas, the younger brother of the Lord Protector, was also happy to show off his rising status, so The scale of this banquet can be said to be rare, and even reached a level that is indistinguishable from the celebrations in the palace.

The guests looked at the palace curiously. Since the first queen took over, the appearance here has been quite different from before.The walls of those gorgeous living rooms are pasted with silk and embroidered with gold threads. Under the light, they look like rivers of gold, flowing from the ceiling to the floor.The characters in the portraits hanging on the walls seemed to come alive, watching the bustling crowd curiously.

Looking out from the floor-to-ceiling windows, there are little lights hanging on the towering giant trees in the garden, like a starry sky.The ingenious and ingenious queen asked people to hang small lanterns on the thick branches of the tall and straight poplars and elegant linden trees, and put the fireflies that the servants just caught today during the day.The tiny dots of light are looming, and it looks like a dream.Under the pergola in the garden, the long table is covered with snow-white tablecloths, and there are arm-thick candles made of whale oil and blooming flowers on it. The rich dishes and fine wines are for the guests to take by themselves.

Unlike usual weddings, guests don't need to go through lengthy religious rituals.Since the queen was remarried for the second time, the newlyweds only held a private religious ceremony in the afternoon, and the real celebration was the wedding banquet and the signing ceremony of the marriage contract in the evening.

When the king's carriage arrived at the main courtyard of the palace, the lights in the courtyard illuminated the surroundings like daylight.Almost all exposed ground was covered with thick Persian carpets, and a servant in livery stood upright on each step, looking like a statue of a gatekeeper.

Even the king seemed taken aback by the pomp and circumstance. "It's really impressive," he murmured.

"A big show off." Robert shrugged slightly.

The corners of Edward's mouth twitched slightly. It seemed that the queen and Sir Thomas really couldn't wait to show off their new wealth and status to everyone.Just don't know if this is more of a wife, or husband's idea?

The king and Robert entered the hall, and several servants hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, taking the hat and gloves from the distinguished guest.

A huge Venetian chandelier hangs in the antechamber of the palace, and its intricate structure amazes every visitor.Around the front hall are beautiful Sevres tapestry, embroidered with Ares, the god of war, and Aphrodite, the god of beauty, who are having a tryst, but they are caught by Hephaestus, the husband of God of beauty, and use A net caught and raped the pair of wild mandarin ducks.

His Majesty passed through the bowing crowd, ascended the marble steps, and came to the door of the great drawing room on the second floor, where the queen's sister, Lady Herbert, was waiting. Recovering from the nightmare of being arrested by the former king, she looked radiant now.

Mrs. Herbert led His Majesty into the overcrowded living room. The people in the living room walked around as if they were in a market or an art exhibition, and they were not interested in the owner of the house. However, when His Majesty arrived, all the people Everyone looked at the door in unison, as if they were electrocuted.

His Majesty passed through this sea of ​​silks, pearls and precious stones, and walked straight to the queen and queen at the other end of the drawing room, and beside her was her stepdaughter Princess Elizabeth.And her new husband was standing at the other end of the living room, on the arm of a popular courtesan, talking about how he was going to arrange the huge fortune he had received from his wife.

The queen was wearing a gorgeous gold dress, talking and laughing with several young gentlemen, and standing beside her was Princess Elizabeth, who was wearing a plain white embroidered silk dress, with a flower on her black temples. Beautiful white roses, she didn't wear any jewelry other than that, but she still looked regal.

The king crossed the path that the crowd made way for him, walked straight up to the first queen, bowed slightly, and the first queen curtseyed back.

"I offer you my best wishes, madam. I wish you a happy life ahead." The king had a warm smile on his face, but everyone could see that he was speaking out of politeness.

"You are so kind, your arrival makes the humble house radiant." When the queen said the word "shabby house", she obviously emphasized her tone, "My husband and I are very honored to invite you to witness this happy hour."

Sir Thomas Seymour also squeezed over from the other side of the room at this time, "Your Majesty!" He saluted the king, "It is a great honor!" His smugness has made a lot of people uncomfortable.

The king nodded to Sir Thomas, "Congratulations, Your Honor the Admiral."

Then he turned to his sister, Princess Elizabeth, "Dear sister, I hope you are doing well in your life here."

Princess Elizabeth showed a sweet smile, which complemented the blooming rose on her head, "I really have nothing to complain about, Your Majesty. Lady Catherine is a perfect guardian and the most loving stepmother I have ever met. Now Sir Thomas has joined us, and now I not only have a mother, but also a father!" She looked at Sir Thomas standing aside with the girl's eyes like a clear spring, and the other party responded with a smile.

The king noticed the embarrassment flashing across the queen's face, and his eyes narrowed slightly, "I am relieved to see that you are all well." He nodded slightly towards Princess Elizabeth.

After completing these social tasks, the king turned around and looked at the surrounding decorations.The doors from this large drawing-room to the other drawing-rooms were wide open, and five drawing-rooms were united in one, with the hangings and tapestries hanging on the walls, and beneath them the wooden furniture painted with gold, which looked somewhat Vulgar, but indeed very rich on such an occasion.

On the other side of the large living room, above two large Chinese porcelain vases filled with various flower branches, hangs the famous Botticelli's "Spring", which once hung in the collection of the Medici family in Florence Now it has become the queen's collection.This painting was created by Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence for his nephew's wedding, and it seems appropriate that the queen chose to hang it here.

The characters in the painting are in a citrus grove, and the flower branches in the vase stretch out to the front of the painting, mixing with the forest trees in the painting, as if the reality and the painting are fused together.The goddess of love and beauty is in the center, with a peaceful and elegant expression, waiting to hold a grand ceremony for the coming of spring. Beside her, the three goddesses of grace are dancing.

Below the painting, the groom's brother, Lord Protector Edward Seymour, stood there quietly with his head up, as if admiring this masterpiece, but anyone could tell that he was clearly out of his mind.He held half a glass of Jerez wine in his hand, and the liquid in the glass hadn't diminished for a long time.

The political life of powerful ministers is like the sun in a day.When they first emerged, they were like the rising sun; and as their power grew, the light became more eye-catching; finally the sun rose to the highest point, and their power and status were also at the peak of the sky; And decline, after that, it will continue to slide until it completely sinks below the horizon.Although the current Duke Protector is still radiant, anyone can see that he has reached the end of the day.

For the Lord Protector, the past two years have been like a nightmare: first, he was stained with blood because of the rebellion in Scotland, and the throne of regent, which should have been at his fingertips, suddenly became uncertain; When he took the coveted title of regent, this title had become a target on his head by the previous king; a few days ago, the new king seized the opportunity and quickly disintegrated the only remaining authority of the regent position.Although he now bears the title of regent, his orders are nothing without the king's consent.

A powerful official is like a ship sailing in the dense fog, which appears extremely huge in the dense fog, but when the dense fog clears, what appears to people is just an ordinary ship.The essence of power is the ability to make others obey, and this ability largely comes from the impression left by the person in power on others, but now in the eyes of most people, the image of Duke Protector has been greatly reduced.So the crowd gathered in a circle around the king, but there was nothing around the Lord Protector, only a few loyal henchmen and some political speculators who tried to make a fuss gathered around him, but such people were more and more popular every day. The day before was less.

There was another commotion at the door, and the figure of Princess Mary appeared at the entrance of the hall. She raised her head proudly and walked forward without looking at the road, while the people in front of her also gave way wisely.

Princess Mary first curtseyed before the king, then she turned to the queen, said a few words of congratulations in a dry tone, and then she turned to her sister, Princess Elizabeth, and nodded slightly.

After doing this, she turned around without saying a word, and walked to the other side of the room, ignoring the embarrassment of the queen behind her.For Princess Mary, she promised the king that she would come to the wedding banquet, and she kept her promise.As for other people's opinions, she turned a deaf ear to them.

The great clock adorned with the Atlas holding up the sky on its pedestal struck nine, and the time for the marriage contract finally arrived.

The Queen and Sir Thomas Seymour's lawyer entered the hall.The servants brought in a handsome mahogany table, which was covered with a green velvet cloth embroidered with gold thread, and the lawyers placed the drafted marriage papers on the table.

The guests who participated in this ceremony had already taken their places without being guided by others. They stood in a circle around the table where they were about to sign, talking in low voices. They were indifferent to the king, Princess Mary’s honest words, and the queen’s liveliness. Princess Elizabeth's excitement and Sir Thomas' beaming commented.

The lawyer began to read out the marriage contract. When the amount of the dowry was read out, the crowd in the room let out a gasp, and when the marriage certificate was read out, the whole palace erupted like a beehive.This huge wealth accumulated by the first queen through two marriages aroused strong repercussions among the jealous and envious crowd.

Ladies are terribly jealous of such a big deal, but in the eyes of men, the charm of the first queen has increased several times compared to before.The magic power of money can turn the vicissitudes of life into mulberry fields, sprout new shoots from dead trees, and naturally can make people return to youth.Many gentlemen looked enviously at Sir Thomas, and for such a sum of money, many of them would have married a vulture, let alone a queen who still had his charm.Many are secretly expecting Sir Thomas to follow in the footsteps of the queen and her first two husbands, giving them a chance to become Catherine Parr's fourth husband.

Sir Thomas stepped forward, picked up a quill, and signed his name briskly.He had a pleasing smile on his face, and he couldn't help whistling softly when he finished the last stroke, which made some rigid gentlemen frown.

Queen Xian also raised the hem of her skirt and stepped forward. She picked up the quill, paused for a few seconds, then bent down and signed her name.

There was a burst of applause from the crowd.

The servants opened the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the garden, and the cool fresh air flooded into the room, sweeping away the stuffy heat in the room, causing a burst of cheers in a low voice, and the guests all happily breathed in the scent of flowers that poured in from the windows. breeze.

The sound of dance music began to echo in the room. "Thank you!" said the first queen, laughing. "Now let's dance!" She put out her hand, and took Sir Thomas's arm.

Sir Thomas seemed to hesitate for a moment, but he reacted immediately, looked at the first queen affectionately, and led her towards the ballroom.