monarch

A black carriage was driving along the streets of London, its wheels rolling on the ground, making a gloomy sound, which looked particularly ominous in the dead silence of the second half of the night.A group of knights wearing cloaks surrounded the carriage, and the cold light of the sword's edge flashed under the black cloak. Their eyes were fixed on the carriage - the windows of the carriage were nailed to death, and it looked like a Huge coffin.

The carriage drove along the Old Kent Road into Dover Street, turned right into Burrough Street, and crossed the Thames from London Bridge.Then, if the passengers in the carriage could see out, the end of the terrible journey would have appeared before him.

A gust of cold wind opened a small skylight in the thick dark clouds, and the bleak moonlight passed through the small gap, outlining the huge black figure of the Tower of London in front of us.Like a sleeping monster, it lies on the hill overlooking London, waiting for the latest sacrifice to be fed into its mouth.

The Warden of the Tower of London, Sir John Judge, stood at the entrance of the White Tower. He looked disheveled and had obviously been roused from his bed not long ago.He had an uneasy expression on his face. During his more than ten years as the governor of this castle, countless dignitaries and dignitaries reluctantly came to him as guests at the invitation of the king, and some of the lucky guests eventually left here. , while most guests stayed forever.However, in the past ten years, no guest can make him so uneasy as today.

The carriage circled the courtyard and stopped opposite Sir Gadge.A slightly stiff smile appeared on the warden's face, and he walked towards the car door with somewhat reluctant steps.

The door opened, and a heavily armed guard jumped out of the car first, followed by a tall middle-aged man. When he walked outside from the dark carriage, the light of the torch made him squint involuntarily. squint.

"Your Excellency." Sir Gadge bowed deeply to this distinguished guest, and his voice couldn't help showing a hint of caution, "Welcome to the Tower of London, and I will try my best to meet all your requests."

Duke Protector looked at the warden in front of him coldly, he didn't say a word, but let out a weak snort from his nostrils, indicating that he knew.

"If you have nothing else to ask, I'll take you to your quarters now?" The warden sounded like an attentive innkeeper greeting a discerning traveler.

Lord Huguo nodded, and the warden quickly walked a few steps to lead the way for Lord Huguo.

The two walked into the White Tower. Unlike the dungeons where ordinary prisoners were held, the rooms where the dignitaries were imprisoned were all located on high floors with good air circulation, and some rooms could enjoy the view of the Thames through the windows.

Sir Jage led the Lord Protector up the spiral staircase to the third floor, and came to a prison cell at the end of the corridor on the third floor. "This is the suite of His Majesty King Henry VI, sir, and it is the best room we have here." Henry VI, the last insane king of the Lancastrian dynasty, was imprisoned here after the three York brothers seized power , and died in this cell, where, according to legend, King Edward of York, with his two brothers, suffocated the poor old man with a pillow.

The Lord Protector was obviously also familiar with this period of history, his brows were slightly frowned, but he still didn't say anything after all, just nodded silently.

The door of the cell was pushed open, and what came into view was a luxurious suite: there were chandeliers hanging on the ceiling, the walls were decorated with fine wood panels, and several gouache paintings hung on it looked like It is not an authentic work by a famous artist, but it also looks quite elegant.The whole suite consists of a living room, a dining room, a study and a bedroom, and of course a dedicated washroom.The floor is covered with fluffy Persian wool carpets, the firewood in the fireplace is crackling, and the whole room is as warm as spring, and a bouquet of roses in a vase on the small coffee table is in full bloom.

"You can see the view of the Thames from the window." Sir Gadget said courteously, his fat face looked even more simple under the candlelight. If a traveler meets such an innkeeper, he must be very happy Will there be any doubts about the credibility of the hotel, "If you have no other orders, we will bring you brunch at 10:30 in the morning, snacks at [-] in the afternoon, and dinner at [-] in the evening. Our cook will try to make you Satisfied. Of course, if you have any other needs, you can always ring the bell, and we will try our best to satisfy you."

Duke Hu walked to the sofa in the room and sat down, his body sank deeply into the sofa cushions, his legs raised up, as relaxed and comfortable as if he was in his own mansion.

"If you have no other orders, I will take my leave first." Sir Gadge bowed and was about to leave.

"Is my brother with you?" Duke Protector finally spoke for the first time since he came here.

"Sir Thomas has not arrived yet, and they are said to be looking for him. We can inform you when he arrives, if you wish."

Lord Protector nodded and waved his hand, indicating that the warden can leave.

Ser Gadge bowed again, and walked backwards out of the room.

The door of the cell was closed, and there were a few metal rattles from the lock.

The Protector was sitting quietly on the sofa alone, and above the fireplace opposite him, the Venus in the reproduction of Titian's "Venus of Urbino" was playing with the playful and provocative eyes on him.

He sighed and sank deeper into the sofa.

……

Sir Thomas Seymour rolled profusely off the woman and lay on his back, gasping for breath, looking at the peeling paint on the ceiling.This rented house not far from Westminster was bought by Sir Thomas for a few hundred pounds a few years ago. After that, it became his so-called "love nest". Come here to have fun instead of sleeping on bedsheets infested with lice and bugs in a whorehouse.

However, although this house is quite decent compared to the second floor of the brothel, the improvement is limited after all.The wallpaper on the wall has peeled off, and the corners of the unpeeled ones are curled up, hanging listlessly on the wall, like a gecko lazily sticking to the wall in summer.On the wall opposite the bed was a landscape painting, with a rusty plaque beneath the frame reading "Views of Cornwall," which looked nothing more than blobs of green ink. It is not necessarily unreasonable to be hugging the right frog.There is a crucifix hanging above the bed, presumably the owner of the house wanted to add a little holy atmosphere to the house.The furniture in the room seemed to have lost its mind, and the patent leather on the legs of the tables or the doors of the cabinets had begun to peel.All in all, the whole room looked like a guest room in a run-down country inn.

Sir Thomas rolled out of bed, and the floor creaked as his bare feet landed.He walked to the opposite coffee table, picked up the jug on the table, and got two glasses of wine.

The woman on the bed crawled out of the quilt, her brown hair was draped over her shoulders, and her face was flushed after making out, "You are so amazing, my lord... I haven't seen you like this for a long time He is a fierce character." She said with a smile in a delicate voice.

Sir Thomas laughed twice, "I guess you would say the same thing to every one of your guests." He took the two glasses and walked back to the bed, handed the woman a glass of wine, and drained the liquid in his own glass. Drank it down.

"I'm an honest person." The woman smiled coquettishly again. She drank a few sips of wine, and the liquid flowed from her mouth and flowed down the curve of that graceful neck, revealing on her fair skin. Very obvious.She reached out to Sir Thomas, and pulled him back into bed. "It's only three o'clock in the morning, and we've got a long time to go."

Sir Thomas sighed contentedly, "How can I refuse such a lively invitation?" He propped up the bed with both hands, looked down at the woman, and was about to enjoy the meal like a beast that has thrown its prey down. A great meal.

When he was about to eat, there was a sudden rush of footsteps in the stairwell outside the door, and many feet stepped on the wooden boards of the stairs, which made the whole poor old house creak. They were awakened from their dreams, staring blankly at the thin walls.

There was a knock on Sir Thomas' door, and the heavy knock sent dust from the four corners of the house rolling down like a torrential rain.

Sir Thomas, who was in high spirits, naturally ignored the annoying interruption, and yelled in the direction of the gate: "Go away!"

What responded to him was a louder crash. After the loud bang, the poor wooden door was torn into pieces like a raft in a huge wave, and only a few pieces of wood were left pitifully hanging on the door frame. .

Sir Thomas was jerked off, tried to stand up, but slipped and fell on the bed.The woman screamed and tried to wrap herself in the sheet.

A tall man in guard uniform entered the room, holding a drawn sword in his hand, followed by a corporal and several heavily armed soldiers.They held torches in their hands, illuminating the room brightly.

The man in the uniform of a guard approached the bed, and said to Sir Thomas' distorted face of terror and exasperation, "Sir Thomas Seymour, I arrest you in the name of the King!"

The curse that Sir Thomas was about to utter was silenced, and the woman beside him was too frightened to cry out.Jazz looked at each other in astonishment, and recognized that this was a member of the palace guards. They had met three or four times. "Arrest me?" he turned pale. "What's the matter with you, George?"

The guard he called "George" seemed to have no room for accommodation, "Please get dressed and follow me."

"You must have made a mistake." Sir Thomas still forced himself to be calm, and even managed to force a stiff smile on his face, but his voice had already begun to tremble, "There must be some misunderstanding...why are you arresting me?" ?”

"I have come to arrest you by His Majesty's order, and I know nothing of the rest. The inquisitor will tell you when you are at the Tower of London."

Hearing the words "Tower of London", Sir Thomas' face instantly turned whiter than paper, "This is impossible... there must be a mistake... it must be, I want to see His Majesty, please arrange for me to go immediately See Your Majesty!" He sprang from the bed and looked for his boots by the light of the torch.

"It is impossible for His Majesty to see you at this time. Please be decent and come with us."

Sir Thomas retreated towards the corner of the room, his hands raised in the air, as if trying to hold back the approaching soldiers by some invisible force.

"Put the cloak on Sir Thomas." The guard pointed to the fur cloak draped over the back of the chair. A soldier quickly picked up the cloak and walked over to Sir Thomas to put it on him.

Sir Thomas didn't refuse. It seemed that he was about to resist violently for a moment, but he gave up resistance in a moment, and his whole body went limp, looking ten years older.

Two soldiers took his arms and pulled him through the door out of the room and down the stairs.

The guard walked to the door and pouted at the two soldiers who were still in the room, "Take this woman away too." He said and walked out the door.

The downstairs of this three-storey house was surrounded by soldiers, and a black carriage with two horses was parked among the soldiers, and the windows of the carriage were fenced.Residents across the street were awakened, watching the situation below in anxiety from their windows.

Two soldiers pulled Sir Thomas out through the door and pushed him into the carriage, and then the two soldiers and the guard got into the carriage after him.The door was closed from the outside, and the carriage drove towards the Thames surrounded by a group of cavalry.

It was not long before the carriage reached Westminster Pier, and a line of guards stood on the embankment, the tips of their spears gleaming in the light of torches.

The locked door was opened, and two soldiers led Sir Thomas out of the car. In front of them were two rows of soldiers, which lined up from the front of the carriage to the side of the pier, with a long passage in the middle.

The party went to the quayside and boarded a twelve-man longboat, with the soldiers sandwiching Sir Thomas.The guard was the last to board the boat, and with a wave of his hand, the twelve oarsmen raised their arms and rowed the boat downstream.

The cold wind on the river seemed to bring back Sir Thomas' sanity and courage. When the figure of the Tower of London appeared in front of him, he stood up abruptly and tried to jump into the icy river, but the strong hands of the soldiers were like iron tongs After holding him down, the guard picked up the hilt of his sword and gave him a blow.

Sir Thomas sat down on the planks, howling like a wild animal.

"We're almost there, please be decent, Your Excellency!" The guard gave him a disdainful look, then returned to his seat at the bow and sat down.

The water gate of the Tower of London was opened, the famous traitor's gate resembled the gate of hell depicted by Dante, and the dots of torches lit inside were like the fire of the nether world.

The boat sailed into the castle along the waterway and docked at the underground pier.

Compared with the Lord Protector, the team that came to meet Sir Thomas was much simpler. It was just a group of soldiers holding spears. They looked expressionless, and they seemed to be the embodiment of the power machine they represented. .

The soldiers dragged Sir Thomas ashore, staggering like a drunkard, and they climbed the stairs to the ground and into the wide castle courtyard.

They cross the courtyard diagonally and enter the opposite tower.They did not go up the stairs, but all the way down.The gloomy, humid air in the underground corridors made drops of water condense on the bare stone walls, which looked like tears shed by the prisoners who had been imprisoned here for hundreds of years.

An iron door at the end of the corridor was opened, and inside was a room with a vault. There were more than a dozen oil lamps hanging on the walls of the room. The strange smell from the burning oil in the lamps permeated the dungeon.

In the center of the room was a strange machine, which looked like a platform, with a rotating wheel on each end of the platform, and a rope was wrapped around it.

The soldiers set Sir Thomas up on the platform, and tied his hands and feet to the wheel with ropes.

The soldiers came out of the room, closed the door, and with a dull sound Sir Thomas was left alone in the dungeon.

Sir Thomas was lying on his back on the wooden frame, trembling all over. He tried to concentrate his mind and consider his current situation, but his mind was like a thick fog, and he was unable to think meaningfully.

Twenty minutes had passed, but to Sir Thomas it seemed as if twenty centuries had passed.

The door opened, and Bishop Gardner walked into the room. He had a sinister smile on his face, and he seemed to be wearing a funny clown mask under the dim light.

At the sight of this familiar hideous face, Sir Thomas struggled like a wild animal, spitting out vicious curses and insults, and his hands and feet were bleeding from the ropes as he struggled.

"Ah, please calm down, Your Excellency." Bishop Gardner walked up to the prisoner, his tone was very brisk, "You don't have to blame me, I am very sorry about the current situation."

"You hypocritical viper!" spat Sir Thomas. "You did it all. You framed me before the king. It was all yours!"

"You have wronged me, and I was really taken aback tonight." Bishop Gardner waved his hand, "It has nothing to do with me that you were invited here tonight."

"If it wasn't you, who else could it be?" Sir Thomas sneered, obviously not believing a word Bishop Gardiner said.

"It's your wife, Catherine Parr." Bishop Gardner paused. "Or should I say, dead wife?"

"Catherine? What's the matter with her?" Sir Thomas froze for a moment.

"She died this evening in labor," said Bishop Gardiner, watching Sir Thomas's reaction, "with her baby."

"What?" Sir Thomas' eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe it.

The blank expression on Sir Thomas' face made Bishop Gardner a little surprised. When did this guy's acting skills become so good? "Why should you be surprised? Aren't you the mastermind behind the show? Like the performer who pulls the strings of the puppeteers, you directed your wife's death by poisoning her and her The poison of the fetus in the womb was written by you."

"What nonsense!" said Sir Thomas, flushing. "Why should I do this? What nonsense."

"Because you are tired of your wife, because you have found a more valuable prey." Bishop Gardner was satisfied to find that Sir Thomas' eyes began to wander a little, "Compared with the previous queen, the young princess must be a A better marriage partner."

"But it's more than that... It wasn't just lust that drove you to commit this crime, it was more fear, and that would involve another crime you committed, poisoning yourself His wife is like child's play."

Sir Thomas began to tremble. "I... I don't know what you're talking about..."

"You know very well," Bishop Gardner said loudly, feeling that he had won the victory, with a creepy smile on his face, "how you and your brother, the Lord Protector, and the first queen Catherine Parker You conspired together to poison His Majesty the late King Henry VIII?"

Sir Thomas' body stiffened with horror, and for a moment he tried to stand up, but was bound firmly by the rope.Then, a wave of fear flooded his mind, and he couldn't help but collapsed on the wooden frame again.

"I...I don't understand!" he yelled hysterically, "I don't understand what you mean, you are making a mistake!"

"You can't deny it," Bishop Gardiner said more and more excitedly, "the first queen revealed the truth before she died, and the maid who was bought by you to poison your wife told everything in time before she was silenced by you. The poison has been exposed to the world...Your crime has been completely exposed, and now you admit that you can suffer less."

Sir Thomas was completely dizzy from fright, his hair was disheveled due to the previous struggle, foam was spitting out from the corner of his mouth, "I don't understand anything...I don't know anything..."

Bishop Gardner sighed, walked to the door of the room, and knocked on the door.

Two black-clothed torturers entered the room, took up positions near the wheels of the torture rack to which Sir Thomas was attached, and stood there grimly like two statues.

"I regret that you have chosen an irrational path, maybe these two gentlemen can calm you down a little?"

Sir Thomas struggled violently again, "You have no right to do this, I am His Majesty's minister!"

"Unfortunately, you have been deprived of all public offices and honorary titles." The bishop looked at the two interrogators, "Gentlemen, start when you are ready, I am not here to hinder your business." He hit a Yawn, "Besides, I can't bear this cruel scene."

"I'll be back in half an hour." Bishop Gardner looked at Sir Thomas again, and said calmly, not paying attention to the other's roar, "I hope you have changed your mind by the time I return."

Bishop Gardner stepped out of the dungeon, the door locked behind him.