In England, Mary is not afraid of any "crisis of faith"!

When she was in Scotland, she was wary of the Protestant lords.That's why she took the lead in reforming, using carrots and whips together, using the mode of luring and intimidating to make them stop their rebellion.

She wasn't really worried about the demons dancing in France—the sky was falling, and Henry II was holding it up.Francois is only the second-in-command, and she is just a princess, so it is useless to worry.

As for England under her regency, Mary would like to sincerely thank the series of operations since Henry VIII: from the wife-killer who broke with the Holy See, to Edward VI's forced Calvinism, to Bloody Mary's support of the old church, to burn people, Until Elizabeth resumed Protestantism... The people of England experienced round after round of persecution, and most of them were crushed and lost their temper.

Under Elizabeth, three-quarters of England's population remained Catholic.However, most of them have lost the strength to rise up.Historically, these moderate nationalist old believers, even when the Pope expelled Elizabeth in 1570, opposed Rome's interference in England's internal affairs-even though "conscience" made them only recognize the Pope as the only supreme leader of the church.

They don't want a country in turmoil.

Mary couldn't help thinking: Two years ago, if it weren't for the sabotage by enemies like Knox, the backing support of some nobles, and the intervention of Spanish foreign forces by the vanguard of the Catholic Church, they probably would rather just denounce a few words, and then continue to bury their heads in writing for His Majesty's petition.

In short, after many years of study, the overall temperament of Old Christians in England can be called weak.As long as Mary remains superficially polite to Rome and maintains basic decorum, she need not worry about any significant resistance.

The threat of the Regent comes from the Protestants.Some of them are genuinely religious, while others just want to use their power to make trouble.Compared with the large number of French lords with heavy armies, urban freemen with pockets, and poor veterans who retired from the battlefield...the Protestant forces in England are really nothing.

The largest Protestant leader in the country, Elizabeth, lost most of her power due to physical problems; the second person, Minister of State Cecil, is a nationalist politician who knows the current affairs; ;Parliament, the ruler's majesty, patriotism, and financial concessions can blow away a lot of discordant voices; looking further down, many London citizens who favor Protestantism come from foreign countries, especially France...

Apart from irreconcilable conflicts with Elizabeth, Mary felt that once Cecil was dealt with, the rest would naturally follow suit...

So she took time to talk to the Minister of State again.

"They say you're a 'Puritan.' I think that's a bit of an attack."

Ahem, "Puritans" was actually a new term of abuse at the time—especially referring to those Calvinists who were morally obsessed, had extreme thinking, were serious and demanding, and refused to compromise.

Seeing Cecil's complexion change slightly, Mary waved her hand to stop his rebuttal, saying:

"I heard that the so-called 'Puritans' have a harsh style of work and cannot tolerate any dissidents. They compare themselves to the jealous and vengeful Jehovah, and they wish to completely erase the loving and generous image of Jesus Christ from the church. As long as the Bible They opposed almost all rites that were not recorded in the scriptures; even the rule of a monarch by his priests and subjects was regarded as groundless. Their central idea was: 'Religion should control the state, not the state.'” 【Note [-]】

Mary shrugged and sighed. "This is exactly the opposite of what you are doing. I have always believed that you and I have the same philosophy: national sovereignty and interests are above all else; in addition to beliefs, the monarch should also protect secular rights instead of leading subjects to obey Foreign religious leaders, building a theocratic state under dogmatism."

Cecil was stunned for a moment, and that indescribable feeling came out of his chest again—it should be a good thing that his immediate superior shared his philosophy of governing the country; however, this immediate superior was a foreign and pagan religion he once resisted very much. ,Queen.

Moreover, she squeezed out his former boss, Elizabeth, whom he had been quite optimistic about.

However, she does appear to be superior, letting go where she should, rational and tolerant, quite the bearing of a great country's monarch.

The most annoying thing is that she also proved to him over and over again, coming to him from time to time and reminding him repeatedly: they should be in the same camp.

Cecil really felt discouraged. "Yes, in this sense, like you, I am wary of the 'Puritans'."

Mary nodded in satisfaction. "So, next, you need to pay more attention to the voices in this area—whether they come from nobles, priests, or commoners."

She was full of smiles, her brows were stretched, and she was radiant, as if she didn't have a trace of resentment. "Students from Cambridge, please take care of yourself."

Hearing the regent's words, the headmaster of Cambridge, William Cecil, had a headache.

But the things that bothered him were far more than this one.That evening, Elizabeth's lady-in-waiting sent him a piece of information: the Earl of Leicester had paid a routine visit to Her Majesty the Queen with Italian silk stockings as a gift from the Regent.

Tsk, that kid who flatters and flatters and shows off his superiors by seduction.Cecil's mind was almost muddled.This Mary Stuart was trying to win her over and use Dudley at the same time... What was she trying to do? !

Robert Dudley also wondered what Mary intended.However, he knew better that the gift she offered was something Elizabeth could not refuse——

Elizabeth has always loved this kind of stuff.When the Queen of England tried Italian silk stockings for the first time, she announced ecstatically that she would never wear other silk stockings in her life. 【Note [-]】

Don't just talk about silk stockings...Elizabeth can't put it down almost all the other fashionable things that the Queen of Scots has sent over the years.

Ever since the Queen of England went blind, the thrill of those shiny jewels has waned.However, the silky and delicate silk stockings are still her favorite.

Yes, it feels really good in the hand.Robert subconsciously licked his lips.

Alas, stockings, stockings, stockings, why is my mind full of this...

Elizabeth's "Plato lover" secretly spurned herself.Then, with a happy face, he walked towards Elizabeth's small living room.

Not long after, there was a cry of surprise from inside. "This is wonderful!"

********************************

Listening to Miss Beeton's vivid report on the "Secrets at Whitehall Palace", Mary couldn't help clapping her hands. "It's wonderful."

After she finished speaking, she squinted at Chatrial who raised her eyebrows slightly beside her. "Are these adjectives taught by you?"

Chatrier hurried over and said earnestly: "You really see everything, my lord."

Biton's cheeks flushed instantly.Miss Seton smiled and said, "Okay, it's time to tidy up, His Majesty the King is coming."

Seton winked. "His Majesty the King chatted with Li Qiao for a long time. Maybe there are other Italian products?"

Even Livingston was unwilling to be silent. "Li Qiao has racked his brains long ago...he only wished he hadn't been able to poach Michelangelo."

Mary is a little speechless——Michelangelo Buonarotti died in Rome earlier this year at the age of 88.

One cannot be too greedy.It is impossible for her to go to the Sistine Chapel and remove the "Genesis" from the ceiling, and she has no face to ask the Medici family for "David" (it is probably impossible to have a son and marry his daughter), so she hugged My own "Mona Lisa" is enough.

After a short while, Francois arrived at his wife's room.So a large group of people bowed out consciously, leaving only Livingston at the gate-the Queen of Scots always values ​​privacy; it is late at night, so please don't get in the way.

Cough cough, Francois clenched his fist and put it to his mouth.Actually, he hasn't... what he wants to say now is not a private topic!

"How do you... send the gift through the Earl of Leicester?" he asked.

Mary smiled like a flower, hooked his arm, and whispered: "I want to arouse her wariness."

The Queen of Scots glanced at Livingston, the last maid in the house—she was lowering her head slightly, as if she didn't care about anything, and her sense of existence was very thin.

"As far as governing is concerned, I am slowly reaching a balance with the Privy Council and Congress. But there is always a big uncertainty in my future, and that is Elizabeth's marriage."

"If she really insists on not marrying for life, I will definitely benefit in the end-however, even if it is possible from a character point of view, the current situation will affect her will."

"If the Queen of England marries a foreigner, it will easily arouse national opposition. Moreover, there are very few royal children who can match her well." [Note [-]]

"It's easier to get the support of the parliament if you commit yourself to a subject of your own country, and 'maybe' is expected to help her regain more power."

"If she really wants to marry, the Earl of Leicester is probably her best husband."

"The relationship between him and her is very similar to the love between men and women. She may count on Dudley, after the latter became the 'King of England' and pushed me out of the game, he will still be 'submissive' to her."

"But when it comes to the redistribution of power, the situation will be very delicate. Elizabeth lacks control and will definitely be more cautious."

"So, I want to take advantage of her suspiciousness and try to avoid this most threatening marriage."

Mary shook her head slightly. "Oh, such a cunning scheme..."

Francois hugged her comfortingly. "No, you are just for..."

Mary smiled sarcastically: "It's just for my own benefit. However, within a limited range, I will still try my best."

After all, she and Elizabeth are not at the point of life and death at this stage, and Mary doesn't want to push too hard.

At first she came to England, holding back her energy to rush to the throne.But since she has secured the regent position and started to keep herself busy according to her interests, the desire to monopolize the English crown has become less urgent.

This is thanks to Elizabeth, the Privy Council of England under the rule of the Virgin Queen. According to what Mary has seen so far, the nobles have Cecil as the core, and most of them are pragmatic and willing to work, regardless of their beliefs, and put state affairs first.

To engage in "development and construction" with such a group of people, the resistance and pressure are simply not worth mentioning.The regent is gradually satisfied with the current state, and is not eager to easily break the balance, especially unwilling to do too cruel things himself——

"The Duke of Norfolk and others are afraid that the queen will regain power, and the three bishops are also wary of the Protestant monarch. As for Cecil and some of her cronies, their attitudes towards Elizabeth's marriage are also very entangled."

"They are looking forward to her getting married and having children, but it's really hard to decide who to choose. With the lessons learned from Bloody Mary, they are indeed more inclined to the English aristocrats than foreign royal families. However, Dudley is far from the best in their hearts."

"After all, he relied almost purely on the Queen's nepotism, and his original background identity could not convince most people; his wife's accidental death is also like a stain. Moreover, for now, his influence on the Queen, his influence on state affairs The ambitions seem to be too obvious, and they don't seem to be magnanimous. If you become the king in the future, the rich and powerful will only have to flatter him to live a good life."

"The opponents have their own reasons. I am not suitable to intervene. I just need to give some guidance secretly."

"However, even if the ministers prevent Elizabeth from marrying, if the queen insists on going her own way, it will be difficult for them to really stop her.

"Elizabeth can't see her eyes now and has lost control of the political arena. Marriage is almost her last chance to regain power. Emotionally, she is already very dependent on Dudley, and she may be desperate to make him her sole agent."

"Elizabeth, however, was hesitant—or should we call it prudence—and somewhat rebellious. I encouraged their association, which was another way of reminding her that Dudley was a man, an ordinary man not only influenced by her. people; if he obtains the legal regent status, she may even be pushed into a further corner..."

"I gave her the gift she wanted, as if to please her, but it also seemed to please him and help promote the relationship between the two. With Elizabeth's character, she must think, why should I try to make friends with Dudley?"

"There is never a lack of doubt in her heart. I just want to use her concerns to prevent her from 'impulsive' and rushing to get married."

Mary hoped that Elizabeth in this time and space would continue to be her "Virgin Queen".Therefore, she has to put on an "unreasonable" appearance of expecting her to get married and have children, which makes her fall into doubts and prevents her from making a decision.Dear cousin, think about it, think about it, please think about it: a blind queen, immediately transfer power to her legal husband, and continue to tolerate a cousin who has not yet taken the crown prince as regency, the risk is even greater big?

Her delay is definitely beneficial to Mary who has no deep roots in England.

The regent needs to maintain balance, and wants more time to win over people's hearts and continue to build momentum for himself.

Mary squeezed her hands silently.Besides, even if they really plan to get married... Dudley still has a stain that is gradually being forgotten but cannot be erased, and that may be fatal—that is, the "accidental death" of his late wife Amy.

However, there is no need to bring this up for the time being.

At this moment, Marie patted François. "Dear Francois, thank you for your concern. Why don't you spare some time and help me visit Elizabeth once in a while?"

Francois was stunned for a moment, then stretched out his hand and pinched her narrow face.

"The task you arranged is a bit embarrassing."

He did not refuse.

Mary laughed even wider.She wags her finger at Livingston at the door. "Let's change clothes."

The nimble Livingston quickly stripped her mistress down to a thin layer.Then, Mary stopped her husband from calling the page. "I'll do it this time."

The bedroom door was closed tightly, and there was no third person in the room.Marie leaned into Francois' ear and exhaled softly.

"This time, well, just enjoy yourself."

The author has something to say: [Note [-]] [Note [-]] [Note [-]] all refer to and quote "The Biography of Elizabeth"

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