Mary Su Stuart

Boswell waited at the border, almost hopeless.

In the past three or four years, Scotland has been peaceful, thanks to his garrison in the later period.Hmph, civil servants are weak. Maitland's body looks only a little bit stronger than the Dauphine of France, how can he stand up to those barbaric lords with big waists.

The long-awaited royal carriage finally slowly entered his field of vision.Boswell was arrogant and high-spirited, walking in front of all the guards, trying to help the long-awaited queen get off the car.

No, she wasn't in the carriage, she rode past the carriage.Oh, and she rides a horse in trousers again; this unruly appearance is just like the Queen of Scots.In London, at those ceremonies, all the modesty and humility was for the old stubborns of the Privy Council and Parliament...

But Boswell still didn't take the job of picking up the hostess from the horse - Francois, who came with her, took the lead.The King of Scotland politely waited for Boswell to finish his salute, and Fang Wen said, "Thanks for your hard work."

The Queen's face was flushed with joy. "Long time no see, the most powerful and courageous Lord in Scotland."

Boswell was ecstatic about her adjective.He glanced at Francois: the French crown prince has returned a little bit, and the "spa" really worked.When this Majesty came to Scotland at the end of the year before last, he put on airs in front of the lords, making them stunned for a while, but in private he coughed and coughed endlessly, which was said to be an "relapse of asthma"; After being scolded by the queen's letter, he finally ran back to France...Leaving my lord to clean up the mess...

Well, it's not really a mess.Those lords thought that the king would go to France or Switzerland to move "reinforcements", but they were always quite honest.

Boswell was in a good mood, smiling all the way.The royal team has not yet arrived in Edinburgh, and he can't wait to report to the queen all the matters in the guard.

"The boys of the Linston and Seton families are finally looking good... Beeton and Lord Livingston have no other advantages except obedience. The Flemings are chasing their sisters, and they will go where they are good, But I’m willing to put in some effort after I’m full…” Boswell counted them one by one. "Hamilton and Douglas, since the king threatened to choose one from the Keith family to be regent, they have obviously stopped a lot."

In the past two years, in order to strengthen the control over the feudal territories, the king, in addition to decree to further relax the flow of rural population and weaken the attributes of their "landers", especially "encourage" the lords and nobles to come to the capital to join the Guards for training—— On the one hand, this is an emotional investment to win over, on the other hand, it also shows them the military strength of the royal family and acts as a deterrent.

As far as Marie learned from François and Boswell, the central authority was indeed strengthening.Along the way, she also noticed that the morale of the guards was quite high.After Mary changed her tricks and praised His Majesty the King and the Northern Commander-in-Chief, she was full of hope that she would have more conversations with the Maitlanders who stayed the longest.

The Chief Secretary and his wife have long been waiting for you at the Little Palace in Edinburgh, and he is well prepared for the Queen's inquiries.

"The lords everywhere seem to have been in peace, and Lord Boswell has contributed a lot." Maitland dared not deny the achievements of his colleagues, and praised him first.

Mary nodded.What she values ​​more... Maitland has a good sense of smell. He said that gentlemen should be safe when they are quiet.Well, as expected, it would be nice to suppress them; she never expected those lords to help build the country, and it would be a mistake not to hold her back.

"The textile factory's income is not bad, and it has gradually absorbed a group of skilled workers. However, it is difficult to expand the scale."

"From the perspective of market size, the urban population should have increased, but there is no detailed census data yet."

Alas, Scotland's foundation is weak, and there is no rush.Mary's promotion of local industry originally hoped to make more profits, increase taxes, and improve people's livelihood; unfortunately, the improvement has been limited so far.However, even if the development is slow, population and economic flows are somewhat more active.Farmers have more ways out, and they don't have to be tied to the land of the lord, which weakens the local feudal forces in disguise, and the central government can be more stable.

"The farm has a bumper crop in general. For those that were poor in some areas, after we verified them, we also gave them timely relief—used potatoes. Now, everyone's fear of this new crop has decreased. Near Edinburgh, a few farmers have also begun to eat..."

Mary was very happy to hear that. "Are they really willing to eat it?"

"The subordinate sent someone to inquire, and it is true."

After Mary's excitement was over, she felt a little doubtful. "In that case, I hope to go to the folks to see for myself."

Considering Maitland's nature, he is not a person who reports good news but not bad news... But Mary couldn't believe that success would come so easily, she had to verify it with her own eyes.

Well, she had seen a lot in her previous life about face-saving inspections. "Then let Boswell go with you."

With such a lonesome, simple and rude guy who doesn't need to give Maitland face, it should be difficult for the chief secretary to fake it.

Maitland bowed. "As you wish."

Seeing his down-to-earth attitude, Mary felt relieved for the most part.So, the Queen began to care about her former maid of honor. "It's great that mother and child are safe."

Mary Fleming is a little gaunter than she was two years ago, but she still looks great. "Thank you for your advice. The delivery went smoothly and the baby is very healthy."

She was particularly moved: "The cotton cloth that His Majesty rewarded is quite suitable for babies..."

Mary was a little embarrassed.Well, she was still thinking about how to import cotton from India instead of cotton cloth. By the way, she recalled how the all-cotton products in mother and baby stores became popular in later generations, so she asked someone to bring a batch to the former maid—of course the price is quite cheap.

Oh, and Fleming's baby is over a year old.It's been a long time since I got married, why is there no movement?

Ahem, since Francois first came to Edinburgh, it has been... four years.Although we have been together less and more apart in the past four years, I have worked hard for a few times...

What to do, infertility, a worldwide problem!

Mary was anxious for a moment, then relieved.According to historical inferences, the body of Mary Stuart is absolutely fertile; however, "François II" died young, and the situation is difficult to say.But now he doesn't seem to have obvious problems (cough cough), even if he asks a doctor to treat the man, medicine in this era is simply... just ignore it.Then let it go, there is no use in haste anyway.Worst of all, she is not afraid of being "forced" to divorce...

In the past, she was worried about her foothold in France.But now, Scotland has gradually become her backing, and Mary feels that it is not worth getting too nervous for the time being.

However, she suddenly remembered... In history, Louis XIII of the Bourbon dynasty had no heir for a long time, and Queen Anna, who was neglected by her husband, was rumored to have specially arranged a lover by Cardinal Richelieu—Massa, who later became the successor prime minister. Lin; even Louis XIV is suspected to be the product of this extramarital affair...

The operation of the French court is quite shameless.Or, what if, in the future, some bad guys force her husband to try to have a baby with another woman...

If this kind of thing really happened, it would be more disgusting than a direct divorce, it would be like swallowing flies!

Mary was restless again.

Still have to work hard!

So, that night, the King of Scotland felt the unusual enthusiasm of his wife.Unable to bear the temptation, he naturally had to respond positively.Unexpectedly, when both of them lay down exhausted, Mary's mind was full of: It's bad, she seems to have heard that the traditional posture is the most reliable?Why did I only care about %￥#@ when I got a fever just now...

********************************* In Boswell's view, the French crown prince is really weak.The commander-in-chief of Scotland's northern army and horses, it's no problem to sing and sing every night, and he still has a lot of energy when he gets out of bed; but Her Majesty's husband seems to be unable to bear it after staying up once or twice late.What a waste.

Boswell couldn't help touching his nose, and suddenly felt that his thoughts seemed a little out of line.Well, there is nothing in the king's guard house, so he accompanied the queen to pretend to go on a tour to see some farmers, and he could also appreciate her "real figure" under her refreshing dress.

His eyes were presumptuous, but he didn't dare to stay for too long.Well, Her Majesty Mary is still a little too thin, but she has good skin and looks comfortable as usual...

In Boswell's fancy, Mary's visit was over.She randomly inspected several sharecropper households, and found that they had no obvious psychological burden on eating boiled potatoes, and the storage method was also proper, so they were generally relieved.In the end, the queen gave each family a bag of beans and a bag of flour, and the poor were very grateful.

When Mary returned to the Petit Palais, Francois was reading Maitland's "Report on Public Conditions".Well, at the queen's request, the section on folk beliefs and superstitions, especially concerning the witch trials, was extraordinarily long and detailed.

"In the past year, a total of 13 people died 'unnaturally' after bearing the name of a witch."

"Because of your strong request, coupled with the strict control of the magistrate, many suspicious women were not really convicted, and their bodies were also protected. Of course, some people left their homes... Overall, it is safe and reasonable."

"The 13 people were sentenced as follows."

"In the first case, he was caught while stealing; the villagers found magic items when they searched the stolen goods, and their relatives also admitted that their behavior was treacherous. Because of His Majesty's decree, the review of witch charges was too strict, and in the end the punishment was not used. Gallows."

"The second case was found to be acting suspiciously. When locked at home, he set fire to the house and died."

"In the third case, he quarreled with her husband and was hacked to death with an axe. The husband accused him of often talking to the devil in the fire, and his neighbors also came forward to confirm, so he burned his body after death to ward off evil spirits."

"The fourth case, carrying evil spirit herbal medicine with him, resisted violently after being arrested, and fell into the river and died."

"In the fifth case, the family reported that he was full of nonsense and often made deals with Satan; the local priest and doctor found out that he was indeed cursed and irreversible, and he was executed by burning at the stake after being examined and approved by the lord."

"In the sixth case, the method was practiced in the field in midsummer, resulting in a large area of ​​crop failure; although it refused to admit it in court, it was beaten to death on the spot by angry villagers."

"The seventh case, suspected of witchcraft and murder of the neighbor's son, the review has not yet been completed, has been hanged in prison."

……

Francois couldn't bear to read any more.He once heard Mary talk about the ignorance of the villagers, or for their own self-interest, they did not conduct investigations, tortured to extract confessions, easily executed women, and then named them witches... Now it seems that such superstitions seem to be more terrifying than disputes between beliefs.

When old and new believers persecute each other, although there are also terror policies and violent oppression, it is rare to ignore human lives like this.And at this moment, the information presented to the monarch has even been under strict control for several years—there are still many absurd and cruel facts.

Recalling what Mary often said, incorrect methods and mutual cover-up by the lower levels will lead to under-reporting, under-reporting, and statistical deviations; Francois thought painfully: Is the actual situation worse?

And France, a country that claims to be civilized, does the same tragedy happen from time to time in those folk corners that are difficult for the royal family to observe?

Natural disasters may be a test given to the people by God; but are all these man-made disasters caused by Satan?

Francois's sentimentality did not last long.Mary looked at the documents in his hand, asked a few words about the reason for his ugly face, and then quickly changed the subject, trying to improve his depressed mood.

"Fleming told me that Flude was training the Edinburgh Physicians' Guild on the essentials of vaccinia cultivation, and everyone was eager to try it."

Sure enough, her husband perked up. "I have seen that death row prisoners in England have been tested; the data are complete, the thinking is clear, and the results have proved to be effective. Since doctors in England are gradually dispelling their doubts, of course they will also be willing to believe here... This will be universally beneficial. A feat of humanity!"

Mary sighed. "But it needs to be very careful when it is actually applied to the general population."

Seeing her serious expression, Francois was also taken aback. "yes."

Recalling the information on public conditions that he had just read, François was depressed for a while, a little worried. "Yes, to dispel the fear of ordinary people, beware of being associated with witchcraft and superstition...Even with the guarantee of the monarch, it is not easy to guide a new folk custom."

"It's difficult." Mary took his hand close to his face, looking him in the eyes. "However, I think that the strength of the monarch's guarantee and the monarch's support for new things can be more sufficient..."

"Huh?" he asked puzzled.

"Listen honey, I have an idea—"

The author has something to say: The issue of witches is always a bit worrying to talk about.

The famous Kepler (physics makes me despair... the theorem of planetary motion, do you remember), his mother was once accused of being a witch.Fortunately, her son helped her and cleared her stigma.