monarch

Edward tossed and turned in bed, and it was four o'clock in the morning when he finally fell asleep.

The king had a weird dream all night. When he woke up from the dream, he couldn't even tell whether everything around him was reality or a continuation of last night's dream.He shook his head, the memories of last night flooded into his mind like a tide, making him a little overwhelmed.

He lay on his back, and after about 5 minutes, he reached out and groped for the bell rope beside the pillow, and rang the bell.

Not long after, there was a sound of footsteps outside, the curtain of the bed was drawn, and the soft sunlight came in from the window, making the room warm.

The servants carried trays, some of which contained the clean water His Majesty used for washing, while others contained His Majesty's clothes.

The king sat up, and his first reaction was to look at his bed, where the place where the floor was paved yesterday was now empty.

"Where is the Earl of Leicester?" The king looked at the leading servant.

"The count left early in the morning, Your Majesty." The servant bowed. "You can see him after breakfast." It was difficult to restrain his curiosity after the scene, and he added:

"The count came back with you in his arms last night, and stayed here overnight."

However, to his disappointment, the king did not respond to this sentence.His Majesty just nodded slightly to show that he heard it.So he could only suppress his curiosity, and serve His Majesty to change his clothes as usual, as if he hadn't asked anything just now—a servant's moderate curiosity about his master's life can be tolerated, and once it exceeds a certain limit, he will Considered spying on privacy.

It took the servants twenty or ten minutes to help His Majesty get dressed for today.Since the Renaissance, the costumes of the upper class have become more and more varied.Under the late King Henry VIII, extravagance prevailed as the kingdom's economy gradually recovered from the devastation caused by the civil war.Nowadays, in the court, no matter how gorgeous a dress is, it can only be worn three times at most, otherwise it will lose face once it is seen by others.Therefore, even many famous nobles had to borrow money to pay for their clothes in order to continue to hang out in the court.

Although many people appealed to His Majesty and asked the king to pay attention to the intensification of this extravagance, the king was still happy to see it happen.England's textile industry was already the best in Europe, and now it is thriving under the stimulation of huge consumption. In the past five years, the tax revenue brought by the textile industry alone has doubled.And the lending business that the aristocrats used to maintain their luxurious life also benefited the fledgling local banking industry a lot.Although the bankers in London today are still difficult to compare with the Fugger family in Germany or their counterparts in Amsterdam, they are already on par.

In addition to this economic reason, His Majesty encourages the nobles to spend extravagantly, but more importantly, it is political considerations - it is better for the nobles to spend money on luxury enjoyment and mutual comparison than to keep money for private soldiers , Build a strong castle.Moreover, in order to maintain such a luxurious life, the nobles must live in the palace for a long time. Over time, the bond between them and the people in their territories will become weaker and weaker, and the nobles will degenerate from powerful lords to a group of A reptile that depends on the king's favor to survive.Therefore, His Majesty not only did not object, but took the lead in leading this trend. A large number of textile factories and banks have shares invested by the royal family, and the king's gorgeous dresses every day are more like advertising his own industry.

When the king had finished dressing, he arose, and through a secret door in the wall entered a small drawing room.The small living room has large floor-to-ceiling windows and brightly colored landscape paintings depicting rural England on the beige walls.The fireplace and shelves are full of fresh flowers, making the users of this living room feel that they are in the countryside, as if they have already smelled the fragrance of green grass at the tip of their noses, and the song of larks is about to ring in their ears.

In the center of the small living room is a quaint oak table, on which a hearty breakfast has been laid out: exquisite pastries, sliced ​​bacon and sausage, and an assortment of fruits.The most conspicuous of these are the golden oranges stacked in a pyramid in the shape of a harvest horn, these easy-to-preserve fruits imported from countries around the Mediterranean Sea and stored well for up to a year.

England's climate was ideal for livestock farming, yet its food production was hardly comparable to that of France or Germany.With the explosive growth of the kingdom's population, the land of the British Isles has been unable to meet the exponentially growing food demand. Therefore, the Kingdom of England is now the largest food importer in Europe.In view of this situation, on the one hand, the king encouraged the development and immigration of Ireland, on the other hand, he greatly expanded the import of grain and expanded the import channels.Three years ago, the king established the Kingdom Agricultural Products Import and Export Committee, which is responsible for the import and export negotiations of agricultural products throughout England.The manor and plantation owners in France and Spain suddenly discovered that what they were facing now was no longer individual importers, but a professional committee that monopolized the English market and was endorsed by the royal family.The average price of grain imported into England that year was half that of previous years, and the purchase contract became the most powerful economic weapon in the hands of the King of England—many manors in continental Europe relied on such huge orders to survive. England stopped importing, and the blow to these manor owners was devastating.

With the reduction of the import price of agricultural products, some fruits from abroad have also begun to enter the table of ordinary people, and among them are the citrus fruits that the king vigorously promoted.These fruits are easy to preserve and, according to His Majesty, "contribute to the health of the body".The King's insistence that sailors in the Royal Navy must eat at least one citrus fruit a day was initially considered by many to be a waste of money, but the voice of the Royal Navy died down just as completely when cases of scurvy nearly disappeared in the Navy It was replaced by the crazy worship of the king.In the Middle Ages, the common people rumored that the touch of the king could cure diseases. Louis IX of France is said to have cured thousands of leprosy patients through touch, and now the miracle has reappeared.Among the sailors, the king's status was almost saintly, and they even began to call the king "St. Edward".

Saints only exist in Catholicism. According to the king's order, the army should minimize the influence of religion, so this kind of statement is not particularly appropriate. However, the Secretary of the Navy wisely ignored this, and even contributed to it behind the scenes. Sir Sebastian Cabot, Lord of the Admiralty, was the son of the famous navigator John Cabot.He was born in Damascus, spent his childhood in the territory of the Arabs, and later sailed to America with his father, and then served three kings as a bureaucrat for nearly [-] years. Such a person knows when to enforce the law , when you should turn a blind eye and close one eye.

The king sat down at the table and began to eat breakfast.Sometimes His Majesty invites one or two favored ministers to breakfast, but usually there is only one guest at His Majesty's breakfast table - Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.It is not so accurate to say that it was a guest, because Robert did not need the king's invitation, he could come without invitation, and he did it most of the time.

Today, however, Robert, who usually waits for the king in the breakfast room, still did not show up when His Majesty had already started eating.The servants standing in the corner of the room quietly exchanged colors, and they looked more curiously at the king.The king, who was eating alone, seemed a little bit dispirited, but overall, he was not much different from usual.

Time passed by, and when the king had already started eating fruit, the door of the small living room finally opened.

When Robert entered the room, the expression on his face and the pace of his feet seemed a little unnatural.He went up to the king and saluted the king.

"Your Majesty." His voice was hoarse.

"Please sit down." The king pointed to an armchair next to him.

Robert sat down as promised, and also began to eat breakfast.Neither of them said a word, just concentrating on the food on the plate in front of them.

The king ate very slowly. He cut the fruit on the plate into small pieces and swallowed them slowly.From time to time, he quietly glanced at Robert's plate to see the progress of the other party - according to court etiquette, once the king puts down the knife and fork in his hand, other guests must stop together, no matter whether they are still eating or not.Therefore, His Majesty will always procrastinate when dining. After all, if it is at a banquet, when he has basically finished eating, the guests sitting at the end have just got their own meals-the order of serving dishes is according to their status. here.

When Robert ate the last of the muffins on his plate, the king finally put down his fork and gestured to the servants.A servant immediately went up to him and removed the plate, while another servant also removed the plate in front of Robert.

"Let us go." The king pushed back his chair and stood up.

Robert stood up as he said, and followed the king as usual.There was a self-deprecating smile on his lips: it looked as if the king had made up his mind to pretend that what happened last night didn't happen.

The two walked out through the small door leading to the outer corridor one after the other. The outer corridor was empty, only a few guards on duty saw the king appearing and stood at attention to salute.

After only a few dozen steps along the corridor, he entered the king's study.This small study with bright floor-to-ceiling windows was built during the reign of Richard III. It was once loved by Henry VII and Henry VIII because of its good lighting and quiet environment. Today's King Edward VI is still Set up his office here.

The king walked around a quaint oak table placed in front of the window. The material of this table is said to have come from a French warship that was sunk more than 100 years ago.He pulled out an armchair behind the desk, sat down, and pointed to a chair opposite, motioning for Robert to sit down.

There was a brass bell on the table, and he picked it up and shook it gently.

A secret door on the side of the room opened immediately, and a young man in black jumped out like a spring loaded toy.Five years hadn't brought much change to William Cecil. He looked no different from the previous cell in the Tower of London, except for a golden rose pin on the collar of his black clothes, That is the symbol of the Chief Secretary to the King.

Naturally, there are more than one secretary to the king. From the lowest level clerk who handles documents for His Majesty, to the confidential secretary who assists with state secret documents, to the private secretary who handles His Majesty's private affairs, the entire secretarial team is even more numerous than the bodyguards who personally protect His Majesty. There are more teams.

And Mr. William Cecil, who should be Sir William Cecil now, is the commander-in-chief of this army of secretaries. Compared with ordinary troops, the swords in their hands are the thin quills. Although the nib of the pen looks inconspicuous, in the eyes of many people, it is much sharper than the shining sword edge.

"Sit down, Cecil," said the king, "what's the matter today?"

Sir Cecil bowed to the king, pulled an armchair over Robert's side, facing the king, and opened the huge black folder he held under his arm.

"First of all, it is about the "Union Act" and "Administrative Modernization Act". Your Excellency the Chief Minister has just submitted his report." Mr. Cecil took out a few blank papers from the file folder and held them up to hand to the king, but The king did not take it, but waved his hand:

"What did the duke write?" he asked.

"According to what is known so far, the Act of Union has caused a huge debate in the Scottish Parliament. Supporters find the distribution of seats in the national parliament and the terms of the payment of Scotland's national debt attractive. They have realized that apart from accepting this This bill doesn't have much of an alternative."

The "Union Act" is called the king's "final solution" to the Scottish problem. According to the king's plan, the Kingdom of Scotland, the Kingdom of England, and the Kingdom of Ireland will merge into a unified United Kingdom.As a private property of the royal family, how to govern Ireland is nothing more than a matter of His Majesty's words, and this bill mainly targets the Kingdom of Scotland, which currently forms a Commonwealth of Monarchs with the Kingdom of England.The central government and Parliament of the Kingdom of Scotland will be abolished and their functions will be replaced by government agencies in London, while the London Parliament will be reshuffled, and Scotland and Ireland will each occupy [-] of the total of [-] representatives in the House of Commons and sixty seats, while the name of the kingdom will also be changed to "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" and the official title of the king will be changed to "King of the United Kingdom and of France".When formulating the title of the New Kingdom, there were many people who suggested that the king add the title of "emperor" to himself. However, in order to avoid too stimulating the nerves of Spain, the name "British Empire" was eventually rejected.

"However, in the eyes of some diehards, Scotland's reputation as an independent kingdom is more important than the benefits His Majesty generously gave." Cecil glanced at the king's face, and seeing that he looked normal, he continued, "They have already started They formed a group and conspired among the Scottish nobles to try to prevent the passage of the bill, but this is only a small group of people, and I think most Scottish MPs are still acting according to their own reason."

In return for the Scots voluntarily giving up their national independence, Edward gave the Scots generous terms.In the future parliament of the United Kingdom in London, Scotland got a parliamentary seat matching their population, and more importantly, the debts owed by the Kingdom of Scotland during the previous 20 years of chaos were all received by London-the money The amount has already completely exceeded the repayment ability of the Kingdom of Scotland.Economically and politically, Scotland has no choice but to slump down the bitter cup.

The king nodded, "So the MPs who currently support the bill can already secure a majority, right?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Cecil nodded, "However, the Duke also added that in addition to the Scottish side, some people in England also have complaints about this agreement. They think you have given too much to the Scots. ...But this is only the opinion of a small group of people, and most people still know the stakes." For the Kingdom of England, the peaceful annexation of Scotland is naturally a good deal, but for those who need to take out their own interests Personally speaking with Scotland, they would rather give Scotland to the French for nothing.

"Give them some preferential policies, and at the same time make it clear to them that they may suffer some losses now, but in the long run, their interests can be fully guaranteed."

Cecil quickly wrote down the king's order on a piece of paper, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"The Duke also mentioned the Administrative Modernization Act." Cecil put down the pen in his hand, and he glanced at the king's expression again, this time more cautiously than last time, "For this bill, the attitude of the parliament makes him very disturbed .”

When the king introduced the Administrative Modernization Act two months ago, the entire kingdom boiled like water.This bill, which the First Minister called "the most important document since Magna Carta", would completely overturn the political structure of the Kingdom of England once passed.

The current political structure of the Kingdom evolved from the medieval feudal system, which still contains a large number of ancient committees and official positions. The functions and powers of various departments overlap, which greatly affects the operational efficiency of the government.According to the king's conception, the central government in London will be composed of 21 ministries, and the ministers of each ministry will be appointed by the king. Together with the chief minister, they will form the king's cabinet, and the Privy Council will no longer exist.The kingdom's parliament still has legislative and supervisory powers, but it can only pass bills proposed by the government from now on, and cannot propose any bills itself, and the king can forcibly pass bills that the parliament refuses to pass through imperial decrees.Once this bill is passed, Parliament will be completely reduced to a rubber stamp. One MP described this situation as "the King is forcing Parliament to carry out a gorgeous political suicide".

The more radical reforms are at the local level: England and Wales are currently divided into 54 counties, Scotland is divided into 32 counties, and Ireland's 22 counties add up to [-] counties.According to ancient laws, each county has a certain autonomy, and if there are large cities in the county, these cities also have certain privileges.

The "Administrative Modernization Act" stipulates that these privileges will be revoked from then on, and the county councils will only perform supervisory functions, and all county officials will be appointed by the central government in London.At the same time, the 36 counties in the country will be organized into [-] provinces, and the governors of each province will also be directly responsible to London.

Such a concentration of power, which had not occurred in Western Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire, naturally triggered a violent backlash from the aristocracy, which had long been accustomed to sharing power with the king.However, for the emerging bureaucratic class, this bill is tantamount to a declaration, declaring that they will completely replace the hereditary nobles and become partners in the king's exercise of power.The king is just a loner, and he has to share power with a large group of people. Obviously, in the eyes of King Edward VI, the bureaucrats who rely on themselves are undoubtedly better partners than those rebellious nobles.

"With regard to this bill, the opinions of the members of the parliament... are very fierce." Cecil continued, "The Duke believes that if His Majesty insists on going his own way and forces the parliament to pass this bill, although it can be successful, it is likely to lead to heated discussions. The backlash...he asked His Majesty to consider whether it is possible to make certain amendments to the bill to make some of its provisions more...softer?"

"You mean a compromise? The duke wants me to reach some kind of compromise with the parliament?" The king casually picked up several documents on the table.

"If you say so, it is true." Cecil took out a document, "These are some suggestions made by the Duke. He has already discussed with some members of the parliament, and the members have also put forward some constructive proposals. Personally, I would advise His Majesty to accept some of these suggestions."

Edward didn't reach out to pick it up, he lowered his head as if thinking about something.After about half a minute, he raised his head and looked at Robert, "What do you think, Earl?"

Robert didn't seem to expect the king to ask him suddenly, like a student caught distracted by a teacher, he was silent for a few seconds, and finally said in a low voice: "I think my father and Sir Cecil's opinions... are not bad. You have pushed the nobles too hard, if this continues, I am worried..."

"Are you worried that they will rebel?" The king chuckled.

Robert said nothing, apparently acquiescing to what the king had said.

The king nodded, "I understand." He shook his head slightly, as if he suddenly remembered something, "I seem to have left my ring on the bedside table, can you help me get it back?"

Robert realized that he did not want him to hear what the king was about to say, so he got up reluctantly, and left the room.

When the sound of Robert's footsteps disappeared down the corridor, the king reached out, took the paper, and tore it to pieces without even looking at it.

"If they want to rebel, let them come... I have no interest in wasting time with them, if they want me to compromise, let them come to Whitehall with swords, if they can If so, they can make any kind of compromise they want." He stretched out his hand and threw the confetti on the carpet like winter snowflakes, "Please also tell the Duke that the chief minister's duty is to carry out the monarch's orders. He is the hand of the monarch, not the head, if the arm starts to think for itself, then even if I am very reluctant, I must cut off the arm with a sword." The look on his face made Cecil on the opposite side hit him A chill.

After that, he stretched out his hand and started to pick up the scraps of paper that were still floating in the air with great interest, as if he didn't notice Fang's face that was as white as a piece of paper.