Mary Su Stuart

The new King of France, François II, is trying to sort out events from a mess of clues.

His father's death certainly brought him deep grief.However, the responsibility of taking on the responsibility of a kingdom and the obligation to comfort his mother forced him to temporarily put aside his grief and accept all the burdens with the attitude that a new king should have.

At this time, Lobitard told him a terrible news:

The Kingdom of France, when the old monarch was dying, seemed to have been balanced and disintegrated; now, it is heading for a deeper split-one of the factions is not afraid to discredit his queen.

Francois was very angry.

He is 23 years old this year, he has already left his childhood, and knows how to distinguish the sinister intentions behind the rumors.He knows that under the peaceful surface of the kingdom, there are many mixed and mottled forces hidden, such as the great nobles, the lords, the free people of the city, the old and the new sects, etc.; he is vigilant and tries to bridge the social conflicts.He has gradually understood the sharp contradictions in the court and tried to stabilize the turbulent situation.Now, he hated those who dragged Mary into the conspiracy.

The "regicide plot" was sensational enough; they even poured dirty water on her in the name of witchcraft!

It's like black and white, there is no right and wrong!He cried out inwardly.He had read folk reports and knew how cruel some witch-hunting "evidence" was obtained.And behind the ignorance or cruelty, there are often complex interests involved.

He will never tolerate anyone who slanders Mary like this—she is his wife who has been with him for nearly 20 years, the queen he has loved for many years, and an inseparable and vital part of himself!

But at this moment, Francois did not dare to see her immediately.

He had to force himself to calm down first.

Come to think of it, he at least has the absolute backing of the high court.The Cardinal of Lorraine and the Duke of Langeville are already on their way back.As for the Duke of Guise, although he is young, he can still mobilize the garrison with the help of his father's remaining prestige; and he can also win the help of the Duke of Nemours.

In the palace, although the head of the royal family is powerful and the Prince Kong Dai is aggressive, it seems that it was a temporary idea, so far he has not shown his cards directly.Things are still in their infancy, as long as he is ready to teach them to shut up; the rest of the Duke of Nevers and other fools, even the young Duke of Vendome, are not to be afraid.

So, the key lies in the Earl of Montgomery?

No, François shook his head.He found himself thinking about it.In the end, Montgomery was forgiven by his father himself, and there was no need to add more details to prove that the death of the late king was really an accident—whether the earl was more loyal to Mary or not.

What should be dealt with most carefully is actually the illusory and incendiary accusation of witchcraft.

Francois wiped his face, and said to the chief attendant, Earl Reis, "Now, let's go see the queen."

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

Mary almost fell asleep.

In fact, she didn't do anything, and she didn't see anyone else. It was just simple thinking and waiting, which seemed to consume her countless energy.

She listened to Beaton's many confessions - such as not getting too close to Chatelier, such as losing vigilance against French poets, such as not keeping the Queen's letter carefully - she was really tired.

In the final analysis, it was the queen herself who allowed Chatelier to go in and out of the court and seduce her maids.

She enjoyed the sweet romantic atmosphere, and she acquiesced in their "free love".

If you want to blame, you have to blame yourself.

Fortunately, although the mistake is irreversible, it is not hopeless-although it is a bit laborious to find a suitable countermeasure.

She leaned tiredly on the velvet seat, thinking in a daze: She still needs more information from the outside world...

Her eyelids drooped involuntarily.

Quiet room, faint yellow candles... Her legs were a little heavy, and there seemed to be a book on her knees.

The pages of the book rattled.

Like a biography, she flipped her fingers, all kinds of stupid things about Mary I, Queen of Scots.

1567 AD was an extremely important year in her life.

In that year, what treasonous mistake did the original Mary Stuart make to be deposed from the throne by her vassals and locked up in the castle on Lake Leven?

Because she was suspected of murdering a king.

Her second husband, her cousin Lord Darnley, Henry Stuart.

At that time, she was fascinated by Lord Boswell, unable to extricate herself.The doctrine made it impossible for her to divorce.She cheated and became pregnant, so she had to sympathize with her husband and conspired to trap and kill the titular King of Scotland.

Her accusers produced a jewelry box.The various letters in it reveal how the queen fell in love, surrendered herself, and made a heinous mistake; she was ashamed and powerless to refute...

Mary woke up suddenly, realizing that her back was getting soaked.

"Now..."

She remembered.Under the shell of the queen of Scotland is a soul from the afterlife.

Besides, she was not far away in Scotland; she remained in France, at the court of Valois.Also 1567.

Her umbrella, Henry II, did not escape the doomed catastrophe, and still died because of the contest with Earl Montgomery.

Is this the malice of fate?Or the inertia of history?

But now, she saw a person who had died long ago in the historical records, walking towards her in a very real way.

Marie was pleasantly surprised: "François!"

He walked quickly.He locked her tightly in his arms and murmured, "I'm sorry, Mary, for making you feel wronged."

"No need to apologize." Mary hugged him back. "If you are referring to rumors, you can rest assured that simple words will not hurt me."

Francois' tone was slightly frustrated. "However, the presence of such voices in the palace means that this place is no longer safe enough."

He said sullenly: "It is because of my lack of control that the Queen of France suffered such slander. Moreover, I clearly know that you are on guard against Lord Merry; but I suffer from lack of cronies, so I have to use him to strengthen the defense of the inner court... ..."

"I'm sorry, I can only consider it from the perspective of interests - he will never betray you at this time."

Mary felt relieved, and then said with a smile: "I understand, you sent Meri here for a reason. And, very fortunately, because of his arrival, I sort of figured out how the rumors started."

Francois was somewhat taken aback. "Merry and rumors... tell me, what's going on?"

Mary recounted what happened to Chatrier. "I don't know whether his refusal to show up now is voluntary. But I can be sure that if the letter in Meili's hand is published and used, at least it will cause some bad influence."

Francois was stunned for a moment, then frowned and said, "I see...but you must not accept the conditions he proposed."

"I really don't want to." Mary sighed slightly. "However, there is no need to rush to negotiate terms with him. The letter should be the biggest hole in Meri's hand, and he won't play it easily. Unless he insists on breaking with me, and promises to completely suppress me and not retaliate."

François squeezed Marie tighter, with resentment in his throat. "He dare not!"

Mary patted him and said softly: "Dear Francois, because of you, they...in fact, they didn't dare."

At least, I dare not act rashly; at least, so far, everything I have done is close to temptation.

"But there is one thing I must confess to you." Mary whispered in his ear.

Francois was startled, and his palms started to sweat.

He seemed to be able to guess what Mary was going to say.

"I, really, worried that your father might die unexpectedly."

"It's not a logical and rational inference, it's just a momentary intuition."

"Growing up in the French court, I always knew he was keen on jousting, and I always admired his invincibility."

"But, at first, at our wedding, when I became fully family with you, with him... I started to have a feeling that something was going on.

"This most chivalrous activity, which threatened to take his life."

"I panicked, I panicked, I wrote you once with unexplainable fear."

"The words at that time may be an understatement...but in fact, my heart..."

"However, time has been moving forward, and there is no sign of disaster. Therefore, I gradually relaxed my vigilance."

"Until the day—"

There was a burst of damp heat on the neck, and Mary couldn't help but pause.She did not expect that François burst into tears.

"Mary, this is God's will. You don't have to explain..."

He holds her shoulders. "I will never, never doubt you."

Mary couldn't help but clutch his shirt tightly.

She is clearly self-confident that she looks down on death, and she is obviously used to lying and pretending about this kind of thing... At this moment, countless sorrows and guilt overflowed from her chest.

"Sorry, because it involves people who are too close, because I can't be sure...I didn't tell you the truest feeling at that time."

"No," François sighed, "You have reminded me many times. As far as I can remember, there are many times. Perhaps God has delayed calling Father for several times..."

His voice was hoarse. "After all, there will be time to part."

Mary wrapped one arm around his waist and stroked his back with the other. "Francois..."

After a while, the young French king finally calmed down. "Now, my dear Mary, there is a way to put an end to the rumors they have created."

Mary was stunned for a moment before listening to him say:

"I firmly believe that no one can judge the queen of France for heresy-even if she is not officially crowned. Besides, you are the monarch of Scotland and the anointed queen. Now, those who dare to make crimes, Sowing dissension and tarnishing your reputation; the essence is nothing more than trying to create momentum for public opinion and fight for power."

"Actually, I would rather forcibly silence and punish the rumormongers, even if it will cause division. However, if the spiritual leaders at a higher level, such as the Holy See, are willing to speak out for this, it will be easier to ease the conflict..."

Mary thought for a while and said, "No, I don't agree."

"I am not in favor of immediately punishing those rumormongers at the top of the kingdom—although we are all angry about those rumors, but they have penetrated too deeply in the court, and the current timing is not right—I would rather write down this account and use it in the future Slowly liquidate. I am even less in favor of seeking help from the Holy See—Prince Condé and Coligny, they already have Protestant tendencies, and they will not respect the instructions from Rome at all."

Francois smiled wryly. "If the Holy See is willing to come forward, at least, it can better restore your reputation; it can deter old believers like Montmorency, including some centrists who are not firm. In any case, there are not many people in the court left by my father. Personally, dare to put Calvinism on the surface, let alone openly flout the Pope's decree."

Mary reminded him. "However, because of the alternation of the old and new monarchs, Prince Condé, who had been suppressed in the past, may simply tear their skin apart and launch an attack on the grounds of religion."

Francois pondered for a moment. "I overlooked...you are right. This move can win Montmorency, but it may not stop Coligny and Prince Condé. Behind the absurd and vicious remarks of 'witch curse', the essence is still a conflict of interests .Introducing the Holy See factor may quell some of the chaos, or it may suddenly intensify the conflict. This kind of risk has to be guarded against."

Mary thought: For many years, a mature and powerful king like Henry II has been in town, and some people certainly dare not make mistakes; you don’t know how far Coligny and Condé in another time and space can despise the central government—— Openly leading the Huguenots, blackmailing the royal family, launching civil wars, and violently fighting for power are all commonplace.

"Moreover, I heard that Pope Pius V, who is in his 60s, is very extreme on religious issues. He also particularly admired the Inquisition and spared no effort in killing Protestants. He may support us publicly, but please ask him for help. There must be a price to pay.”

Mary amply refuses. "If there is any other possibility, I absolutely don't want foreigners to interfere in France's internal affairs."

The foreigner's rhetoric touched Francois.Mary asked:

"Did Justice Lobitard also know about this, and what advice does he have?"

Francois shook his head slightly. "He suggested that I pretend to be ignorant, be careful of the palace ban, and wait for the movement. It would be best to delay the cardinal and the others back. But I think that after they come back, they will probably continue to confront each other, and you will come and go, making a lot of noise..."

He looked at Mary with a serious expression. "I can't stand the rumours, which are directed at you. I don't want your reputation to be mingled with factional struggles-whether it is a seemingly rational 'conspiracy', or a seemingly absurd 'witchcraft'. But Lorraine Red Bishop him, may not be able to control all of this..."

"That's why I hope that through the power of the Holy See—even if it's just a signal—at least make Montmorency sober. After all, he is currently serving as the head of the royal family and the commander of the royal family. Winning him can at least guarantee central stability."

Mary can understand.Counting from Francois I, Montmorency has been an important minister of the country for three dynasties, and he is still in important positions, with deep roots in both the court and the army.Now that the Duke of Guise is still young and it is not easy for the Cardinal of Lorraine to support his family, Montmorency is still the strongest force in the central government; moreover, he also has a certain influence on his nephew Coligny.

Therefore, Francois is-"If you ask the Holy See to assist in clarifying, it will give Montmorency a good motivation, or an excuse, to change his mind and change his position."

Mary sighed.

"Yes, dear Mary, you can always understand my mind." Francois bowed his head and kissed his wife's cheek. "However, now that...then, let's think about a more suitable method. Well, I asked the Duke of Guise to mobilize the garrison before. Before he comes back, Lord Merry can still use it. I have to work hard for you to be patient." .Well, mother's—”

Queen Catherine!In Mary's heart, a faint idea suddenly popped up: If she can help...

Francois also began to diverge his thinking. "By the way, my mother used to have a very reliable fortune teller..."

The author has something to say: François is enlightened~ He will be a black hearted little king in the future (no age is wrong)