monarch
Chapter 95 Calvary
The Lord Protector was sitting in front of the desk, holding a quill that had lost some fluff, and was writing vigorously on the paper, with the tip of the pen making a rapid rustling sound.The clear moonlight leaked through the iron bars on the window together with the crowing of the ravens outside the window.It is said that when the raven leaves the Tower of London, it is the time when the Kingdom of England will perish. Now the raven’s cheerful cry outside the window is undoubtedly very bitter to the Lord Protector: without him, the Kingdom of England is not only in danger of destruction, On the contrary, there is a sign of prosperity.The old power ministers stepped down from the stage, and the new power ministers appeared on the stage. No one is indispensable on this stage, only power is eternal.
The Lord Protector finished the last document and signed his name on it.He folded the paper a few times, put it in an envelope, and set it aside without bothering to seal it: whether it was sealed or not, every word he wrote was scrutinized, and the envelope was sealed with wax. It's just a mental arrangement.After finishing this, he stood up, moved his limbs that were a little stiff from sitting for a long time, and walked to the window to look out.
On the grass under the Green Tower, the workers who built the guillotine had finished their work and were packing up their tools, preparing to go to a nearby tavern to have a drink with the wages they had just received.The style of the guillotine must have been very familiar to Duke Protector: the wooden shelf set up on the flat ground was covered with planks, and the ground under the planks was covered with sand to absorb the blood seeping from the gaps in the planks.On the guillotine stood a piece of wood with a half-circle dug out in the middle, on which he would put his neck tomorrow.Under the bright moonlight, the dark shadow of the guillotine stood alone in the middle of the courtyard. Anyone who saw this scene, even a gentleman with a magnanimous heart, would inevitably be terrified of this scene.
The Duke Protector sat back on the chair again, and he looked at the candles on the table, the flames dancing in his eyes.He put one hand on the table and tapped the other hand on the armrest, thinking about how to spend his last night.The big clock in the clock tower had just struck ten, and the execution time was tomorrow at noon, which meant that he still had about fourteen hours to kill.
He sat blankly at the desk for 10 minutes, finally stood up, ready to go to bed.
The Lord Protector had just untied the collar on his chest, when there was a sudden sound of footsteps in the corridor outside the door, he looked towards the door with some doubts, and at the same time, he thought about risking the king's anger to come here on this last night. A list of those who last visited him.It took him less than five seconds in all, because there wasn't a single name on the list.
There was the sound of a key being inserted into the lock, and with a crisp "click", the door was pushed open from the outside.Under the astonished eyes of the Duke Protector, the figure of the king entered the room from outside the door.
The king walked to the middle of the room, raised his head slightly, and looked into the Lord Protector's eyes.Behind the king followed Robert and two guards. They all held sharp swords out of their bodies, and their eyes were fixed on the Lord Protector. The opponent's chest.
The two sides were in a stalemate for about half a minute, and the Duke Protector finally took half a step back, bent slightly, "Your Majesty." His voice was very cold, and his respect was even less respectful.
"Please pay attention to etiquette in front of your king." Robert looked at the Lord Protector as if he was already a corpse.
"I'm already dying." The Duke Protector sneered, "I won't have a king soon, and the only king who rules over me is in the sky." He pointed to the ceiling.
"I think it's probably down there." The king said with a sneer. "I don't know if there is heaven or hell, but if there is, I think you know where you will end up better than I do."
The Lord Protector's face turned blue slightly, "Your Majesty is here today to discuss these things with me, right? If I want to find a priest to talk about these things, I can invite Bishop Gardner to come here, he will definitely be happy with the invitation Passionate about it."
The king walked to the Lord Protector's desk, turned the armchair around, and sat down facing the Lord Protector, "I'm here to listen to you tonight, what else do you want to say to me?" ?"
The Duke Protector laughed, "What can I say to you? You won, I lost, everything has been settled, I really don't know what else to say."
"You don't want to excuse yourself?"
"Does it make sense?" He shrugged, "No matter what I say, you want me to die tomorrow. I fully understand this. It has nothing to do with personal likes and dislikes, let alone justice. It's just a need. You Need me to die, you are the winner, you have the power."
"You poisoned my father." The king's voice deepened.
"I don't think you miss him that much, do you?" The Lord Protector looked at the king carefully, his face turned slightly pale, "You are such a smart person, I must have seen that during the time before King Henry's death, he He has regarded the whole world as an enemy, and of course you are included. Fate made him suffer, so he wants to take revenge on the world, so everyone is glad that he is dead, and everyone feels that the shackles hanging around their necks have been removed ...Didn't I do you a favor? Didn't I do everyone a favor?" He waved his finger at the guillotine outside the window, "This is what I get in return!"
"It seems that you have not denied the charge of regicide."
The protector of the country pursed his lips, but did not answer.
"What about Catherine Parr's death? You don't intend to defend yourself, either?"
The Lord Protector shook his head, "What's the point?" He looked at the king suddenly with a sarcastic look, "No one cares whether she is dead or alive, I don't think you came here at this time because of her, Your Majesty. Mine? You suspect, suspect that behind all this there is an invisible hand moving all this, and all people are just pawns in his hand. You have always been a chess player, and this feeling is probably especially special. Not feeling well?"
The king didn't answer, he reached out to pick up the quill that the Lord Protector put on the table, a drop of residual ink fell on the king's finger, leaving a few black stains.
"I couldn't figure it out at first, but now I know clearly that I have fallen into a perfect trap." The Lord Protector did not wait for the king's answer, and said to himself, "I don't know if I am When did I fall in... I don't know who set up this trap, but when I realized it, I had already fallen to the bottom of the pit and was pierced by the sharp stakes inside. If there is a chance, I would I really want to find out who this brilliant hunter is."
"You say you have fallen into a trap," said the king, "but when the prey fall into the trap, after all, they are greedy for the deliciousness of the bait. If there is really a mastermind behind the scenes, and you follow his arrangements step by step, it is not because of your greed ?"
"Greed?" The Lord Protector waved his hand, "It's not greed, but fear, my dear majesty. A king will not understand this." He pointed to the guillotine outside the window, "like me That's where we belong, first Wolsey, then your grandfather, then Mr Cromwell...every one of the powerful came to a bad end. All I did was to delay that moment .I once compared this climbing road to a rugged one-way road, and the end of the road is an abyss. When you climb to the top, the only doomed ending is to fall. Behind you, countless people are Then climb up, I will squeeze you off the cliff and smash you to pieces! I want to have more power, nothing more than to resist the raging tide of people rushing towards me for a while, just to delay the inevitable It's just a fate to resist."
"Since you know it so well, you and your family still sent your sister to my mother as a maid. When my father became interested in your sister, you could have chosen to retreat, but it was the opposite , you chose to drag your sister’s skirt all the way up this one-way street you said. In the final analysis, all this is your own choice, why should you blame others now?”
The Lord Protector's breathing became heavier, his neck became thicker, and the veins on his temples looked like vines entangled in trees under the candlelight.
"Is that why Your Majesty came today to talk about this?" His voice was full of impatience.
"Am I that boring in your eyes?" The king sneered, "I'm here to give you a suggestion."
The Lord Protector didn't answer, but just looked at the king quietly to show that he was listening.
"I want you to tell me the truth about this matter, what you did and what you didn't do, I want to know clearly, in exchange, I will pardon your son, and when he comes of age, I will give him a Baron Or the title of Viscount, and your wife's dowry will also be left to him. He has the opportunity to start anew and restore your family's reputation that you have sullied."
"But how do you know what I'm telling you is the truth?"
"I don't know, but I believe you don't want to make things easier for the man who is behind the scenes, right?" The king shrugged, "You hate him more than me, that's enough for me."
The Lord Protector stared at the king for half a minute, "You are much stronger than your father, if I enter the political arena under you, maybe there will be different results." He sighed, "I accept your suggestion, but I have a condition." He glanced at Robert who was standing a few steps behind the king, "I don't want a third person present."
Robert's face turned blue all of a sudden, "Your Majesty, this is too dangerous, who knows what this insane regicide will do!" The urge to pin him to the wall behind.
"I have nothing to hide from Lord Robert," said the king. "I can let everyone else go except him."
"I insist that there is no third person present, especially Lord Robert." The Lord Protector looked at Robert with malice in his eyes.
The king looked at the two men and lowered his head thoughtfully.After a while, he raised his head, "Robert, wait outside first, I will call you if there is something to do."
"This is absolutely impossible, Your Majesty!" Robert said hastily, "I can't just watch you and him alone in the same room... At least let someone handcuff him to the bed!"
"That's not necessary." The king waved his hand, "Your Excellency the Protector is a rational person, I believe he will make the choice that is most beneficial to him."
"But..." Robert wanted to argue.
"Don't worry," the king shook his hand, "I'll take care of myself."
Robert sighed, and he gave the Lord Protector a vicious look, "I'm right at the door." He said warningly.
The Lord Protector returned a contemptuous smile.
Robert walked out of the room, took one last look at the king in the room, and closed the door.
"Your Majesty is truly courageous." The Lord Protector sounded eccentric.
"Your request has been fulfilled." The king sounded impatient, "Now it's time for you to fulfill your promise."
……
Robert waited anxiously outside the door. There were indistinct voices coming from the door. The rough voice came from the Lord Protector, while the thinner voice was from His Majesty the King.Five minutes have passed, but in Robert's view, these five minutes are as long as five centuries.
The voice inside the door stopped, and someone's footsteps were heard walking towards the door.
The door opened, and the king came out. Under the dim light, his face seemed to be covered with a layer of black veil, making it difficult to see the expression on his face.
When the king walked up to him, Robert finally saw the king's expression clearly, but to his surprise, apart from surprise and confusion, there was also a hint of bewilderment on the king's face.
"Your Majesty?" Robert whispered.
"What?" The king turned his head abruptly, as if he had just been awakened from a dream.
"What's the matter? You don't look very well? What did the Lord Protector say?"
The king bit his lips slightly, "I didn't say anything, I just swore that he didn't poison the first queen, nothing valuable."
After saying this, before Robert could answer, he walked towards the exit of the castle, as if he couldn't wait to end this topic.
Robert followed Edward silently. He noticed the slight movement of the king biting his lower lip. This movement usually indicates that the king is nervous. Why should Edward be nervous in front of him?
He shook his head, trying to dispel the haze that was gradually engulfing his mind, but the feeling of uneasiness could not go away, but instead gathered and became thicker, like the dark clouds emerging from the end of the horizon before a storm.
……
The Lord Protector was still in bed when Lord Judge of the Tower opened the door of the cell where the Lord Protector was imprisoned.Sir Jage walked to the bed in embarrassment, and gently pushed the Duke Protector's shoulder.
"Your Excellency, please wake up."
The Duke Protector yawned and opened his eyes.His eyes looked a little confused, and after about half a minute, his pupils finally brightened again, as if he finally remembered where he was.
"Ah, it's you, sir." The Lord Protector yawned again, "Why did you wake me up so early? Is it time?"
"It's almost eleven o'clock, please allow me to remind you that the execution time is noon." Sir Gadge bent down again.
"Ah, yes, you're right... I had an uninvited visitor last night, so I went to bed late."
Sir Jage seemed not to have heard the second part of the Lord Protector's words, "My servant is already waiting outside, ready to change your clothes."
"Ah, thank you very much for your kindness, then let him come in." Duke Protector nodded.
A middle-aged man in his forties walked in from the door. He lowered his head and held a tray in his hand. Inside the tray were tights, a hat and a ruffled collar.
"The tailor you asked for was finished last night." Sir Gadge nodded slightly.
The Duke Protector stood up, walked to the servant, and looked through it.
"Ah, yes, very good." He looked at Sir Gadge, "You might as well consider opening a hotel after you retire, I believe your guests will feel at home."
Sir Gadge obviously didn't think the joke was so funny, "If you have no other orders, I will take my leave first, and I will be back at 45:[-]." He bowed coldly and walked out of the room out.
The Duke Protector snorted through his nose, walked to the bedside, and took a deep breath of the humid air outside the window.The clear moonlight last night did not make the weather a good one today. On the contrary, the sky was overcast, and the sparse rain fell from the sky like cow hair.He stretched out his hand through the grille of the window to feel the coolness from his hand.
He stretched his hand back and looked down.Although there was still more than an hour before the execution, the courtyard was already full of aristocratic spectators, who excitedly huddled in front of the guillotine, whispering to each other, like a flock of vultures who heard the news.The noise of the crowd also came from the direction of the outer wall of the castle. It was obvious that the common people had surrounded the Tower of London outside, and they were about to start clapping and cheering just waiting for the news of their death to be announced.They once rejoiced for the destruction of the Boleyn family, and they also rejoiced for the death of Mr. Cromwell. What they rejoiced was not the fall of someone, but the event of death, just like the thousand and five hundred years The audience in the former Colosseum was as excited as the death of a gladiator they had never met.These powerful officials on the guillotine are nothing more than sacrifices held in a living sacrifice ceremony.After 500 years, the world has turned upside down, yet some things remain the same.
He turned around and looked at the servant with a low eyebrow and pleasing eyes, "Please change my clothes."
……
At eleven forty-five, Sir Gadge returned to his room punctually.When he entered the door, the Lord Protector was already fully dressed.He was wearing a black velvet dress, with a snow-white ruffled collar around his neck, and a white feather stuck in a hat on his head.
"It's time, sir, are you ready to go?"
The Duke Protector nodded, "Then let's go."
Sir Judge walked in front, followed by the Lord Protector, and behind them was a group of heavily armed soldiers and Sir Judge's servant. The group walked along the gloomy corridor to the exit of the tower.
The courtyard outside seemed to be wrapped in a cloud of water mist, and the white stone wall was stained with water, and the color became darker.Those water droplets flowed all the way from the wall, passed through the gaps between the creeper vines covering the wall, merged into a trickle, and finally poured into the grass in the courtyard.
When the Lord Protector's figure emerged from the dark gate, the noisy audience immediately became silent, much more disciplined than they were in the theater.
Numerous pairs of eyes watched Duke Protector pass through the courtyard and walk all the way to the guillotine. The breaths from the chests of hundreds of people mixed with the sound of the wind echoed in the air, like the sighs of ghosts who died here.
When the Lord Protector walked about half the distance, suddenly a shout came from the crowd: "Down with the traitor, long live His Majesty the King!" Instead of attracting the approval of the crowd, it attracted the glaring of the surrounding audience-just like in the theater, the audience should only cheer when they should cheer.
The Lord Protector didn't seem to be affected by this episode, he was still walking steadily towards the guillotine.The guillotine has thirteen wooden steps, he walked up eleven steps along the steps, and stepped up the last two steps in one step.
The planks of the guillotine were blackened by rain and blisters from the blood that Sir Thomas had shed fifteen minutes before.The clothes of the executioner and the priest waiting on the guillotine were also covered with suspicious expression spots, and it was hard to distinguish whether it was rain, mud or blood sprayed from Sir Thomas' neck.
The Lord Protector saw his brother's headless corpse in the corner. The clothes on the corpse were messy, and it was obvious that his death was not very dignified.Half an hour ago, the Lord Protector had witnessed Sir Thomas's struggle before his death from the window of his cell. Although his sanity had already been wiped out in the torture room of Bishop Gardiner, when he was about to die, The survival instinct still erupted from the depths of his mind.However, what the desperate struggle brought was nothing more than the roar of laughter from the audience, just like the warm-up activity before the official performance, it was just to pass the time for the boring crowd who had already started waiting.When his head fell into the basket, the audience below only let out a few sparse cheers, and then turned to the companions around him again, continuing the unfinished chat.
Seeing the Lord Protector stepping onto the guillotine, the priest who had been waiting for a long time came up.There was a streak of blood on his face, and the cuffs of his clothes were ripped open, obviously it was the masterpiece of Sir Thomas before.He still seemed to be in shock, his breathing was messy, his hands were trembling slightly, and he seemed to be unable to hold the Bible and the cross firmly.
Seeing that the Lord Protector looked normal, the priest involuntarily took a deep breath. He straightened his collar and calmed down his breathing. "Your Excellency, do you need dying prayers?"
The Lord Protector drew a cross on his chest, "Please pray for my soul, this is enough for me." He paused for a moment, and added, "If there is really heaven and hell, Even if the whole of England prayed for me, it wouldn't change anything."
The priest nodded knowingly, stepped aside, and began to pray.
The masked executioner raised the ax in his hand, "If you agree, sir, let's start now."
"If I agree?" The Lord Protector seemed to have heard a ridiculous joke, "Okay, I agree!" He said this as if he had approved someone's petition.
"Then please take off your cape and hat, and take off your collar."
The protector took a look at the servant who had just helped him put on this outfit not long ago, and the servant hurried forward, took off his hat and cape, and put them at the protector's feet.Then he walked around behind the Duke Protector, untied the complicated collar from behind, took it off and folded it up.After finishing all this, he picked up the pile of clothes that were still brand new, stepped aside, and bowed his head in silence.
The Duke Protector knelt down on one knee, lowered his head, and said something in a low voice, then he stood up again and looked at the executioner, "What's next? What do I need to do?"
"Have you anything else to say?" asked the executioner.
The Lord Protector looked at the crowd, their mouths were slightly opened, and their eyes were full of expectation. If they had long ears like rabbits, then those ears must be straight up and pointing to the sky at this time, like a flourishing forest. Oakwood, there is no doubt that everything he said will be the hottest topic in society tonight.He opened his mouth slightly, and everyone seemed to move forward, but in the eyes of the Duke Protector on the stage, the crowd below was like a reed, swaying slightly in the direction of the wind.He sneered disdainfully, turned around, and heard a disappointed murmur behind him.
"I have nothing more to say, I have said all I have to say."
The executioner nodded, "Then please lie down and put your neck on the stump.
Duke Protector got down on his body, glanced at the blood-stained log with some disgust, and finally put his neck on it.He felt an uncomfortably sticky feeling on his neck, drips of cold blood dripping into his clothes.
The executioner walked up to him, "When you spread your arms, I will drop the axe."
The Lord Protector nodded. He looked down at the grain of the wooden plank. What should a person think about before dying?He shook his head slightly, sighed softly, and said a short prayer.
When he finished reading that prayer, he took a final deep breath, spread his arms, and stretched his neck forward slightly. There was a slight coolness behind his neck, which was the feeling of rain falling on his skin.He heard a gust of wind behind his ears, and then the thin coolness was replaced by a bone-chilling cold, the light in front of his eyes disappeared, and the cold feeling spread from his neck to all directions, until his whole world became a bleak The cold desert.
Act IV Cloak and Dagger
The Lord Protector finished the last document and signed his name on it.He folded the paper a few times, put it in an envelope, and set it aside without bothering to seal it: whether it was sealed or not, every word he wrote was scrutinized, and the envelope was sealed with wax. It's just a mental arrangement.After finishing this, he stood up, moved his limbs that were a little stiff from sitting for a long time, and walked to the window to look out.
On the grass under the Green Tower, the workers who built the guillotine had finished their work and were packing up their tools, preparing to go to a nearby tavern to have a drink with the wages they had just received.The style of the guillotine must have been very familiar to Duke Protector: the wooden shelf set up on the flat ground was covered with planks, and the ground under the planks was covered with sand to absorb the blood seeping from the gaps in the planks.On the guillotine stood a piece of wood with a half-circle dug out in the middle, on which he would put his neck tomorrow.Under the bright moonlight, the dark shadow of the guillotine stood alone in the middle of the courtyard. Anyone who saw this scene, even a gentleman with a magnanimous heart, would inevitably be terrified of this scene.
The Duke Protector sat back on the chair again, and he looked at the candles on the table, the flames dancing in his eyes.He put one hand on the table and tapped the other hand on the armrest, thinking about how to spend his last night.The big clock in the clock tower had just struck ten, and the execution time was tomorrow at noon, which meant that he still had about fourteen hours to kill.
He sat blankly at the desk for 10 minutes, finally stood up, ready to go to bed.
The Lord Protector had just untied the collar on his chest, when there was a sudden sound of footsteps in the corridor outside the door, he looked towards the door with some doubts, and at the same time, he thought about risking the king's anger to come here on this last night. A list of those who last visited him.It took him less than five seconds in all, because there wasn't a single name on the list.
There was the sound of a key being inserted into the lock, and with a crisp "click", the door was pushed open from the outside.Under the astonished eyes of the Duke Protector, the figure of the king entered the room from outside the door.
The king walked to the middle of the room, raised his head slightly, and looked into the Lord Protector's eyes.Behind the king followed Robert and two guards. They all held sharp swords out of their bodies, and their eyes were fixed on the Lord Protector. The opponent's chest.
The two sides were in a stalemate for about half a minute, and the Duke Protector finally took half a step back, bent slightly, "Your Majesty." His voice was very cold, and his respect was even less respectful.
"Please pay attention to etiquette in front of your king." Robert looked at the Lord Protector as if he was already a corpse.
"I'm already dying." The Duke Protector sneered, "I won't have a king soon, and the only king who rules over me is in the sky." He pointed to the ceiling.
"I think it's probably down there." The king said with a sneer. "I don't know if there is heaven or hell, but if there is, I think you know where you will end up better than I do."
The Lord Protector's face turned blue slightly, "Your Majesty is here today to discuss these things with me, right? If I want to find a priest to talk about these things, I can invite Bishop Gardner to come here, he will definitely be happy with the invitation Passionate about it."
The king walked to the Lord Protector's desk, turned the armchair around, and sat down facing the Lord Protector, "I'm here to listen to you tonight, what else do you want to say to me?" ?"
The Duke Protector laughed, "What can I say to you? You won, I lost, everything has been settled, I really don't know what else to say."
"You don't want to excuse yourself?"
"Does it make sense?" He shrugged, "No matter what I say, you want me to die tomorrow. I fully understand this. It has nothing to do with personal likes and dislikes, let alone justice. It's just a need. You Need me to die, you are the winner, you have the power."
"You poisoned my father." The king's voice deepened.
"I don't think you miss him that much, do you?" The Lord Protector looked at the king carefully, his face turned slightly pale, "You are such a smart person, I must have seen that during the time before King Henry's death, he He has regarded the whole world as an enemy, and of course you are included. Fate made him suffer, so he wants to take revenge on the world, so everyone is glad that he is dead, and everyone feels that the shackles hanging around their necks have been removed ...Didn't I do you a favor? Didn't I do everyone a favor?" He waved his finger at the guillotine outside the window, "This is what I get in return!"
"It seems that you have not denied the charge of regicide."
The protector of the country pursed his lips, but did not answer.
"What about Catherine Parr's death? You don't intend to defend yourself, either?"
The Lord Protector shook his head, "What's the point?" He looked at the king suddenly with a sarcastic look, "No one cares whether she is dead or alive, I don't think you came here at this time because of her, Your Majesty. Mine? You suspect, suspect that behind all this there is an invisible hand moving all this, and all people are just pawns in his hand. You have always been a chess player, and this feeling is probably especially special. Not feeling well?"
The king didn't answer, he reached out to pick up the quill that the Lord Protector put on the table, a drop of residual ink fell on the king's finger, leaving a few black stains.
"I couldn't figure it out at first, but now I know clearly that I have fallen into a perfect trap." The Lord Protector did not wait for the king's answer, and said to himself, "I don't know if I am When did I fall in... I don't know who set up this trap, but when I realized it, I had already fallen to the bottom of the pit and was pierced by the sharp stakes inside. If there is a chance, I would I really want to find out who this brilliant hunter is."
"You say you have fallen into a trap," said the king, "but when the prey fall into the trap, after all, they are greedy for the deliciousness of the bait. If there is really a mastermind behind the scenes, and you follow his arrangements step by step, it is not because of your greed ?"
"Greed?" The Lord Protector waved his hand, "It's not greed, but fear, my dear majesty. A king will not understand this." He pointed to the guillotine outside the window, "like me That's where we belong, first Wolsey, then your grandfather, then Mr Cromwell...every one of the powerful came to a bad end. All I did was to delay that moment .I once compared this climbing road to a rugged one-way road, and the end of the road is an abyss. When you climb to the top, the only doomed ending is to fall. Behind you, countless people are Then climb up, I will squeeze you off the cliff and smash you to pieces! I want to have more power, nothing more than to resist the raging tide of people rushing towards me for a while, just to delay the inevitable It's just a fate to resist."
"Since you know it so well, you and your family still sent your sister to my mother as a maid. When my father became interested in your sister, you could have chosen to retreat, but it was the opposite , you chose to drag your sister’s skirt all the way up this one-way street you said. In the final analysis, all this is your own choice, why should you blame others now?”
The Lord Protector's breathing became heavier, his neck became thicker, and the veins on his temples looked like vines entangled in trees under the candlelight.
"Is that why Your Majesty came today to talk about this?" His voice was full of impatience.
"Am I that boring in your eyes?" The king sneered, "I'm here to give you a suggestion."
The Lord Protector didn't answer, but just looked at the king quietly to show that he was listening.
"I want you to tell me the truth about this matter, what you did and what you didn't do, I want to know clearly, in exchange, I will pardon your son, and when he comes of age, I will give him a Baron Or the title of Viscount, and your wife's dowry will also be left to him. He has the opportunity to start anew and restore your family's reputation that you have sullied."
"But how do you know what I'm telling you is the truth?"
"I don't know, but I believe you don't want to make things easier for the man who is behind the scenes, right?" The king shrugged, "You hate him more than me, that's enough for me."
The Lord Protector stared at the king for half a minute, "You are much stronger than your father, if I enter the political arena under you, maybe there will be different results." He sighed, "I accept your suggestion, but I have a condition." He glanced at Robert who was standing a few steps behind the king, "I don't want a third person present."
Robert's face turned blue all of a sudden, "Your Majesty, this is too dangerous, who knows what this insane regicide will do!" The urge to pin him to the wall behind.
"I have nothing to hide from Lord Robert," said the king. "I can let everyone else go except him."
"I insist that there is no third person present, especially Lord Robert." The Lord Protector looked at Robert with malice in his eyes.
The king looked at the two men and lowered his head thoughtfully.After a while, he raised his head, "Robert, wait outside first, I will call you if there is something to do."
"This is absolutely impossible, Your Majesty!" Robert said hastily, "I can't just watch you and him alone in the same room... At least let someone handcuff him to the bed!"
"That's not necessary." The king waved his hand, "Your Excellency the Protector is a rational person, I believe he will make the choice that is most beneficial to him."
"But..." Robert wanted to argue.
"Don't worry," the king shook his hand, "I'll take care of myself."
Robert sighed, and he gave the Lord Protector a vicious look, "I'm right at the door." He said warningly.
The Lord Protector returned a contemptuous smile.
Robert walked out of the room, took one last look at the king in the room, and closed the door.
"Your Majesty is truly courageous." The Lord Protector sounded eccentric.
"Your request has been fulfilled." The king sounded impatient, "Now it's time for you to fulfill your promise."
……
Robert waited anxiously outside the door. There were indistinct voices coming from the door. The rough voice came from the Lord Protector, while the thinner voice was from His Majesty the King.Five minutes have passed, but in Robert's view, these five minutes are as long as five centuries.
The voice inside the door stopped, and someone's footsteps were heard walking towards the door.
The door opened, and the king came out. Under the dim light, his face seemed to be covered with a layer of black veil, making it difficult to see the expression on his face.
When the king walked up to him, Robert finally saw the king's expression clearly, but to his surprise, apart from surprise and confusion, there was also a hint of bewilderment on the king's face.
"Your Majesty?" Robert whispered.
"What?" The king turned his head abruptly, as if he had just been awakened from a dream.
"What's the matter? You don't look very well? What did the Lord Protector say?"
The king bit his lips slightly, "I didn't say anything, I just swore that he didn't poison the first queen, nothing valuable."
After saying this, before Robert could answer, he walked towards the exit of the castle, as if he couldn't wait to end this topic.
Robert followed Edward silently. He noticed the slight movement of the king biting his lower lip. This movement usually indicates that the king is nervous. Why should Edward be nervous in front of him?
He shook his head, trying to dispel the haze that was gradually engulfing his mind, but the feeling of uneasiness could not go away, but instead gathered and became thicker, like the dark clouds emerging from the end of the horizon before a storm.
……
The Lord Protector was still in bed when Lord Judge of the Tower opened the door of the cell where the Lord Protector was imprisoned.Sir Jage walked to the bed in embarrassment, and gently pushed the Duke Protector's shoulder.
"Your Excellency, please wake up."
The Duke Protector yawned and opened his eyes.His eyes looked a little confused, and after about half a minute, his pupils finally brightened again, as if he finally remembered where he was.
"Ah, it's you, sir." The Lord Protector yawned again, "Why did you wake me up so early? Is it time?"
"It's almost eleven o'clock, please allow me to remind you that the execution time is noon." Sir Gadge bent down again.
"Ah, yes, you're right... I had an uninvited visitor last night, so I went to bed late."
Sir Jage seemed not to have heard the second part of the Lord Protector's words, "My servant is already waiting outside, ready to change your clothes."
"Ah, thank you very much for your kindness, then let him come in." Duke Protector nodded.
A middle-aged man in his forties walked in from the door. He lowered his head and held a tray in his hand. Inside the tray were tights, a hat and a ruffled collar.
"The tailor you asked for was finished last night." Sir Gadge nodded slightly.
The Duke Protector stood up, walked to the servant, and looked through it.
"Ah, yes, very good." He looked at Sir Gadge, "You might as well consider opening a hotel after you retire, I believe your guests will feel at home."
Sir Gadge obviously didn't think the joke was so funny, "If you have no other orders, I will take my leave first, and I will be back at 45:[-]." He bowed coldly and walked out of the room out.
The Duke Protector snorted through his nose, walked to the bedside, and took a deep breath of the humid air outside the window.The clear moonlight last night did not make the weather a good one today. On the contrary, the sky was overcast, and the sparse rain fell from the sky like cow hair.He stretched out his hand through the grille of the window to feel the coolness from his hand.
He stretched his hand back and looked down.Although there was still more than an hour before the execution, the courtyard was already full of aristocratic spectators, who excitedly huddled in front of the guillotine, whispering to each other, like a flock of vultures who heard the news.The noise of the crowd also came from the direction of the outer wall of the castle. It was obvious that the common people had surrounded the Tower of London outside, and they were about to start clapping and cheering just waiting for the news of their death to be announced.They once rejoiced for the destruction of the Boleyn family, and they also rejoiced for the death of Mr. Cromwell. What they rejoiced was not the fall of someone, but the event of death, just like the thousand and five hundred years The audience in the former Colosseum was as excited as the death of a gladiator they had never met.These powerful officials on the guillotine are nothing more than sacrifices held in a living sacrifice ceremony.After 500 years, the world has turned upside down, yet some things remain the same.
He turned around and looked at the servant with a low eyebrow and pleasing eyes, "Please change my clothes."
……
At eleven forty-five, Sir Gadge returned to his room punctually.When he entered the door, the Lord Protector was already fully dressed.He was wearing a black velvet dress, with a snow-white ruffled collar around his neck, and a white feather stuck in a hat on his head.
"It's time, sir, are you ready to go?"
The Duke Protector nodded, "Then let's go."
Sir Judge walked in front, followed by the Lord Protector, and behind them was a group of heavily armed soldiers and Sir Judge's servant. The group walked along the gloomy corridor to the exit of the tower.
The courtyard outside seemed to be wrapped in a cloud of water mist, and the white stone wall was stained with water, and the color became darker.Those water droplets flowed all the way from the wall, passed through the gaps between the creeper vines covering the wall, merged into a trickle, and finally poured into the grass in the courtyard.
When the Lord Protector's figure emerged from the dark gate, the noisy audience immediately became silent, much more disciplined than they were in the theater.
Numerous pairs of eyes watched Duke Protector pass through the courtyard and walk all the way to the guillotine. The breaths from the chests of hundreds of people mixed with the sound of the wind echoed in the air, like the sighs of ghosts who died here.
When the Lord Protector walked about half the distance, suddenly a shout came from the crowd: "Down with the traitor, long live His Majesty the King!" Instead of attracting the approval of the crowd, it attracted the glaring of the surrounding audience-just like in the theater, the audience should only cheer when they should cheer.
The Lord Protector didn't seem to be affected by this episode, he was still walking steadily towards the guillotine.The guillotine has thirteen wooden steps, he walked up eleven steps along the steps, and stepped up the last two steps in one step.
The planks of the guillotine were blackened by rain and blisters from the blood that Sir Thomas had shed fifteen minutes before.The clothes of the executioner and the priest waiting on the guillotine were also covered with suspicious expression spots, and it was hard to distinguish whether it was rain, mud or blood sprayed from Sir Thomas' neck.
The Lord Protector saw his brother's headless corpse in the corner. The clothes on the corpse were messy, and it was obvious that his death was not very dignified.Half an hour ago, the Lord Protector had witnessed Sir Thomas's struggle before his death from the window of his cell. Although his sanity had already been wiped out in the torture room of Bishop Gardiner, when he was about to die, The survival instinct still erupted from the depths of his mind.However, what the desperate struggle brought was nothing more than the roar of laughter from the audience, just like the warm-up activity before the official performance, it was just to pass the time for the boring crowd who had already started waiting.When his head fell into the basket, the audience below only let out a few sparse cheers, and then turned to the companions around him again, continuing the unfinished chat.
Seeing the Lord Protector stepping onto the guillotine, the priest who had been waiting for a long time came up.There was a streak of blood on his face, and the cuffs of his clothes were ripped open, obviously it was the masterpiece of Sir Thomas before.He still seemed to be in shock, his breathing was messy, his hands were trembling slightly, and he seemed to be unable to hold the Bible and the cross firmly.
Seeing that the Lord Protector looked normal, the priest involuntarily took a deep breath. He straightened his collar and calmed down his breathing. "Your Excellency, do you need dying prayers?"
The Lord Protector drew a cross on his chest, "Please pray for my soul, this is enough for me." He paused for a moment, and added, "If there is really heaven and hell, Even if the whole of England prayed for me, it wouldn't change anything."
The priest nodded knowingly, stepped aside, and began to pray.
The masked executioner raised the ax in his hand, "If you agree, sir, let's start now."
"If I agree?" The Lord Protector seemed to have heard a ridiculous joke, "Okay, I agree!" He said this as if he had approved someone's petition.
"Then please take off your cape and hat, and take off your collar."
The protector took a look at the servant who had just helped him put on this outfit not long ago, and the servant hurried forward, took off his hat and cape, and put them at the protector's feet.Then he walked around behind the Duke Protector, untied the complicated collar from behind, took it off and folded it up.After finishing all this, he picked up the pile of clothes that were still brand new, stepped aside, and bowed his head in silence.
The Duke Protector knelt down on one knee, lowered his head, and said something in a low voice, then he stood up again and looked at the executioner, "What's next? What do I need to do?"
"Have you anything else to say?" asked the executioner.
The Lord Protector looked at the crowd, their mouths were slightly opened, and their eyes were full of expectation. If they had long ears like rabbits, then those ears must be straight up and pointing to the sky at this time, like a flourishing forest. Oakwood, there is no doubt that everything he said will be the hottest topic in society tonight.He opened his mouth slightly, and everyone seemed to move forward, but in the eyes of the Duke Protector on the stage, the crowd below was like a reed, swaying slightly in the direction of the wind.He sneered disdainfully, turned around, and heard a disappointed murmur behind him.
"I have nothing more to say, I have said all I have to say."
The executioner nodded, "Then please lie down and put your neck on the stump.
Duke Protector got down on his body, glanced at the blood-stained log with some disgust, and finally put his neck on it.He felt an uncomfortably sticky feeling on his neck, drips of cold blood dripping into his clothes.
The executioner walked up to him, "When you spread your arms, I will drop the axe."
The Lord Protector nodded. He looked down at the grain of the wooden plank. What should a person think about before dying?He shook his head slightly, sighed softly, and said a short prayer.
When he finished reading that prayer, he took a final deep breath, spread his arms, and stretched his neck forward slightly. There was a slight coolness behind his neck, which was the feeling of rain falling on his skin.He heard a gust of wind behind his ears, and then the thin coolness was replaced by a bone-chilling cold, the light in front of his eyes disappeared, and the cold feeling spread from his neck to all directions, until his whole world became a bleak The cold desert.
Act IV Cloak and Dagger
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