monarch

After midnight, the king expressed his intention to return to the palace.So Robert naturally got up together, and the two left together in a carriage, while the atmosphere of the ball was still strong, and many guests even expressed that they would dance until dawn.

The carriage was galloping on the flat stone road, and there was only a slight swing under the wheels, which not only did not make people feel sore backs, but made the passengers in the carriage feel like they were sitting in rocking chairs.One of the focuses of King Edward VI's ambitious plans for the transformation of the capital was the upgrading of the city's roads.Today, the main roads in London have basically been paved with stone slabs, and deep drainage ditches have been excavated on both sides of the roads. The planned underground sewers in the future have also begun to be excavated experimentally in the Westminster area.During the long rainy season in the past, the city's roads were often covered by silt for several months. The silt was mixed with human and animal feces, making the whole city smelly, and it also became a breeding ground for the spread of diseases.Since the implementation of the transformation plan, the number of people who die each year in the City of London from infectious diseases such as plague and cholera has dropped by more than half.According to the king's plan, such roads will also be introduced to major cities outside of London, and the roads connecting each city will also undergo such upgrades.However, due to budget constraints, this plan is currently only on paper.

King Edward sank into the soft cushions of his carriage, his cheeks flushed a little - His Majesty drank a few extra glasses of wine at the dinner and a few more at the ball.He leaned on the backrest, stretched out his right hand, and idly played with the golden tassels hanging on the curtains of the carriage.

Robert sat on the seat opposite and watched the king's movements quietly. His face was hidden in the shadow of the curtain, so that the king could not see the expression on his face clearly.There were ice cubes in the compartment for cooling, but Robert still felt parched. He pursed his lips slightly and took a deep breath.

The king put down the somewhat deformed tassels he had rubbed, and yawned slightly.

"Finally it's over, it's such a tiring activity... I'm celebrating my birthday more as a duty than as a treat."

He turned his head and looked at Robert.

"I really enjoyed the time... so quiet, just the two of us, not having to put on a mask. Life at court is a show these days and I'm the main character and every movement is part of the show .At least the actors can go backstage to rest after the curtain goes down, and I can only catch my breath for a brief moment like this." He sighed.

"I also enjoy being alone with you," Robert whispered, pausing for a moment, his voice deepening, "It reminds me of our old days... when you were just the Crown Prince and I But the fifth son of a lord."

The king's eyes narrowed slightly, "We are no different now than we were then." He turned his head away from Robert's sight.

In a conversation, if something is said, it means that the topic should be stopped, and the king said such a sentence.

Robert shook the armrest of the seat, he knew he shouldn't speak anymore, but like sleepwalking, he felt that his lips were no longer under the control of his brain. "We were much closer back then than we are now." His voice was a little hoarse, "Now you are the king, and I am your minister...there are differences between monarchs and ministers, and different times, so you have other considerations, and I am completely understand."

The king looked back at Robert, and Robert looked up, and they looked into each other's eyes.

After about half a minute, the king lowered his eyes first.

"We did have some ridiculous ideas in the past." He also looked a little depressed, "but as you said, we are kings and ministers now, and our role determines that political needs come first... we You can never do what you want, this is the price of power, it turns people into stone statues without emotion." He shook his head slightly and closed his eyes.

"In order to play your role well, you are willing to sacrifice everything else, isn't that true?" Robert's eyes were firmly locked on the king's face, "King Edward defeated Edward Alexander Tudor, am I right? ?”

"What are you trying to say?" The king opened his eyes, with a hint of irritation in his tone.

"I mean," Robert leaned forward, his body in the moonlight streaming in through the window.The king noticed that Robert's face was also flushed, obviously he also drank a lot of wine, "You have worn this king's mask for too long, even if you want to take it off now, the mask and you are already connected by flesh and blood gone."

"I originally thought that we had a tacit understanding and let time slowly dilute all this until we found a suitable mode of getting along." The king sighed again, "It seems that I was too optimistic."

"I apologize for my gaffe tonight," Robert said bluntly, lowering his head, "I will not talk about this topic again in the future."

"Since we have reached this point tonight, let's take this opportunity to clarify this matter." Edward's eyes showed a little sadness and helplessness, "When I was not a king, I didn't understand The price to be paid to be a monarch. In politics, if you want something, you have to exchange it with the same bargaining chip. This basic rule is true for both the king and the small staff of the township office. My father was a tyrant, In the eyes of others, he does things according to his own will, which is not the case...every decision my father made, he paid for it. In order to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry my mother, he put to death Abandoned his old friends, reorganized the cabinet, turned against Rome, and used the wealth and land confiscated from the monastery to buy the nobles. After paying such a huge price, there are still countless troubles left, and even plague the country until now " He looked earnestly into Robert's eyes, "I know what you want, and that's what I want too... But I can't afford the price, at least not now."

"Now I can still use the reason of diplomatic balance to postpone my wedding date, but as long as I have no heir, the ambitious people in this country will not let go of those secret thoughts in their minds... A dynasty without an heir is like A sinking ship, everyone is busy finding a new master for themselves. If I really announce that I will not marry, then my two sisters will have a lot of momentum, because the future king must be from their children At that time, even the people who support me now will have other ideas, and they will also consider the future of their own family."

"And on your side, what will your father say about this? Although you are not the heir to his title, you are undoubtedly the leader of the Dudley family in the future... Your future is not just your business, It's also your family's business. If we really have a showdown with your father, do you think I can count on his loyalty?"

"So you see, in such shackles, we will never be truly free... Now that our reforms have been gradually implemented, those who oppose us are eyeing us, and we are both on the cusp. If we Doing whatever you want is tantamount to giving those people a handle on me, and we will all be smashed to pieces." The king's voice was filled with pleading, "I don't want to change anything, or tear up what I said back then... ...I just ask you to wait a little longer...and see what happens next..."

"Or wait until it all subsides naturally." Robert said expressionlessly.

The king did not answer, as if acquiescing to what the other party said.

"If you remember, I said before," Robert moved closer to the king, "You have full freedom to do what you want, and if you make a decision, I will never stop it... But I will never change my decision, and I will stay in this position forever until you don't need me anymore. I think at that time, I won't need anyone anymore."

The carriage fell into complete silence. After 5 minutes, Edward leaned back on the seat back, closed his eyes and fell asleep.And Robert sat opposite without saying a word, with a blank expression on his face. If the heavy breathing was not counted, he was almost no different from a stone statue.

The carriage passed through the heavy night and arrived at the garden entrance of Whitehall Palace.

Edward closed his eyes, feeling the carriage under him slowly stop.A gust of fresh wind blew on his face, dispelling the stuffy heat in the compartment, apparently the door was opened.He was about to open his eyes when he felt a strong arm hug his waist.

The king did not open his eyes in the end, but buried his head in the broad and hot chest as if he had fallen asleep.There were only a few thin layers of fabric between his ears and Robert's heart, and the heartbeat sounded like a drum clearly reached Edward's ears, and he felt his whole body become hot.

The servants watched Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester in amazement. He hugged His Majesty the King in his arms like a child, and walked slowly out of the carriage.Lord Robert hugged His Majesty all the way, and walked up the steep marble steps with light steps. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he didn't have the slightest intention to put His Majesty down.

Turning around a few times in the corridor as complicated as a spider web, Robert finally walked into the gate of the king's bedroom.He went straight to the four-poster bed, and gently placed His Majesty on the bed, as if Edward were some kind of fine porcelain, which would shatter into pieces with the slightest touch.

The servants came forward and tried to change the king's clothes.

"Go down, you have nothing to do here." Robert waved his hand.

"But Your Majesty hasn't changed his clothes yet, how can he go to bed?" A courageous servant summoned up his courage and questioned.

"I'm here to change your Majesty's clothes." Robert said, unbuttoning the king's coat, took off the gorgeous coat from the king, folded it a few times, and put it on an armchair beside him.

The servants looked at each other in blank dismay, but after all they did not dare to challenge the authority of a favorite minister, they all bowed and left the room, leaving only one servant standing where he was.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Robert's voice was very soft, but the power in his tone was not compromised in the slightest.

The servant reached out to wipe the sweat from his forehead, "Your Excellency," his voice was a little sharp because of the tension, Robert frowned displeasedly, and made a gesture in the direction of the king who seemed to be asleep. The servant immediately lowered his voice, "I am in charge of guarding the night for His Majesty tonight. According to the rules, there must be someone guarding the night in front of His Majesty's bed in case His Majesty needs anything at night. In addition, if there is an emergency, you can wake him up in time." Your Majesty." He pointed to the bed that had been made beside the king's bed.

"I'll keep watch tonight, you go back and rest."

The servant opened his mouth wide in surprise, "You do this kind of thing..."

"Please go." Robert's tone became even colder, and the unquestionable attitude in it was extremely obvious.

The servant had no choice but to bow, turned around and left, and closed the door behind him.

Edward lay on the bed, not sure whether to open his eyes, he felt his heart beating like a drum now.With all his might, he tried to keep his breathing steady.

Robert bent down, took one of the king's feet in his hands, and gently took off the upper boot, and then did the same with the other.He placed the boots neatly in front of the king's bed, stood up again, and untied the king's belt.

After that, he pulled down the king's stockings, and his fingertips, which had been worn out with a thin layer of calluses from practicing swords all the year round, brushed gently across the soles of the king's feet, causing the beautiful feet to bend slightly into an arc.

Then he unbuttoned the king's jacket, and as the fingertips continued to move down, the buttons were undone one by one, and the king felt his skin was exposed to the air.The fingertips touched His Majesty's fair skin from time to time, making Edward tremble slightly.

After doing all this, Robert stood up straight and stood silently, looking down at the king lying on the bed, with extremely complicated emotions in his eyes.

Edward was in a state of confusion. He didn't know whether he should open his eyes. If Robert wanted to go further, what should he do?To his surprise, not only did he not have much resistance to that possibility, but he seemed to have some vague expectations, and it was this expectation that made him feel a little uneasy.

However, his worries did not last long, and Robert quickly put on his pajamas.He heard the curtains on the four-poster bed being drawn down, and Robert was lying outside on the bunk.

In the darkness, the king opened his eyes. Although he was lying on the soft bed, he did not feel sleepy. The memories of the past flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.The scorching temperature in his chest seemed to still remain on his face, making him blush.

Edward listened to the sound of breathing coming from outside the curtain, and sighed softly, like the fog on the lake in the morning, it disappeared in an instant.