Mary Su Stuart

In September 1567, Elizabeth Tudor, Queen of England and Ireland, held a grand wedding in London.

Numerous flower petals scattered into the air, drums and trumpets blared, and a large number of London citizens rushed to the streets to cheer for Her Majesty the Queen.

Unexpectedly, I could see the day when the Virgin Queen got married.Mary looked around frequently, feeling like witnessing a miracle.

In this era of patriarchy, women are often considered powerless to rule the country on their own.Therefore, Elizabeth I in history has been in office for more than 40 years and is still unmarried all her life. She is really unique and incredible.

And the marriage of the Queen of England today is also extremely abnormal.As a reigning monarch, she was married for the first time, but she did not marry other royal families. Instead, she married a subject who was not of noble blood; Was made an embarrassing duke.

Unprecedented... and the fact that the couple adopted a Protestant ritual gave their marriage a metaphor of being "illegitimate".

At least the regent and most of the Privy Council think so.

"Although it is against the rules of the Holy See, Queen Elizabeth herself insists on this. And the whole of England... well, at least the citizens of London agree." Francois, who was invited to watch the ceremony, commented. "This celebration, with a pleasant atmosphere, is what a wedding should look like."

His Majesty the King of France, who had just ascended the throne in Reims according to the tradition, hurriedly visited England to attend the wedding of the monarch of another country; the main reason was that his wife was regent in the country-in fact, the queen did not plan to take her husband with her at first, but when she traveled After turning back and staying in France for two more days, he couldn't help but make a decision - until now, François II's reputation as a loving wife has spread throughout Europe.

Mary, who was recently hailed as a beauty, was getting distracted after seeing enough of the parade: Elizabeth is 34 years old. In modern society, it is considered a late marriage...it's nothing; the same late marriage, François's aunt Princess Marguerite married Savoy, because the family territory recovered by the Duke belonged to her "dowry", she became a "queen" and gave birth to a son, and her life was quite happy... Hey, there is joy here, and there is a grand funeral in France ——The former chief mistress and once de facto queen Mrs. Valentinoy died suddenly, and the huge inheritance probably made the two sons-in-law laugh from ear to ear...

Francois gently took Marie's hand and rubbed it lightly on her palm to call her attention. "What are you thinking?"

"Oh, the security work here is very good, and the security is very comprehensive." Mary answered casually.As she said that, she thought of a very important person whom Li Qiao, the Italian secretary, paid attention to her during this period, but as an old believer, it was inconvenient for him to win over—Francis Walsingham.

This police expert and politician who has made great achievements under Elizabeth in history is an out-and-out Protestant.Not to mention his achievements in foreign affairs and domestic affairs; the original Mary Stuart was finally sentenced to death because of his entrapment trial and conviction-he manipulated everything and won a lot of approval in England, which shows that his The strength of the ability.

Because Mary, the transmigrated woman, changed the course of history, she became the regency of England as a Catholic; the "young man" Walsingham, who entered the legal profession in 1563, was somewhat affected in his official career.He was not elected as a member of parliament until 1565.

But a month ago, Walsingham was a little shaken by his adherence to Calvinism.

Ahem, somehow, the Queen of Scots, who was not bound by sectarian prejudices, found him "on a whim".And the one who met him was William Cecil, who had the same beliefs as him. According to the tone of the Secretary of State, it was Mary who had "smart eyes" and took the initiative to mention that he was quite talented, hoping to arrange him to enter the government. serve the country.

Within two days, Gresham, one of the regent's think tanks, also contacted him; he said that if he was unwilling to serve as a confidential secretary out of religious feelings, he could first arrange a position closer to the power circle of the Privy Council.

"No matter what sect you believe in, as long as you are loyal to the country, Her Majesty Mary will be satisfied." The Minister of Finance said sincerely. "All for England."

As a result, Walsingham, as Mary expected, seriously considered who he would seek refuge in the future.Her Majesty is the Protestant leader of her country, but her power is crippled by blindness; the Regent is a foreigner and a Protestant, with a heart for England and a lot of power.As for the marriage of two women, it can be said that there is no difference - Queen Mary Stuart of France put England at risk of being dominated by the other side of the channel; Elizabeth Tudor found a husband who was not very good. A little boy.

At the moment, Walsingham is looking critically.Watch the Duke of Clarence ride along the way.Gradually, he felt that it was not unreasonable for the queen to pick him.At least, Robert Dudley's equestrian skills are superb, his appearance is dignified, and his image and temperament can match the blind queen.

Not just him.Many former loyal supporters of Queen Elizabeth, such as Cecil, Bacon and other important members of the Privy Council, felt in a trance that if His Majesty got married, at least his personal happiness would be more guaranteed?

Next, the groom fights in the bride's honor at a tournament.He is heroic and skilled, which makes the viewers admire him very much.He also had the Queen on his arm, and danced twice in front of the crowd—Elizabeth was so well led by him that she gasped for joy, and it was almost forgettable that she was invisible.

A steady stream of beer and ale was served at the banquet, and many important members of the Privy Council were drunk.The palace lanterns are still bright, but the night is getting darker.Dudley, who was originally full of energy, also felt tired now.He looked at the bride with bright red cheeks, who seemed to have gotten her wish and was full of interest. He was led into the bedroom by the attendants, and for a moment he didn't know whether he was really happy.

Regardless of whether the newlyweds have complicated moods or not, the supreme couple of France and Scotland spent an hour in bed harmoniously before falling asleep.This...the amount of exercise was sufficient, and the two of them really had a good night's sleep.Waking up early in the morning, Mary looked radiant.At breakfast she joked with François:

"After several years of training... now the food in this palace finally satisfies you?"

Francois nodded, spooning up a piece of pudding. "Although the taste is still sweet, it's not as greasy as it used to be."

Mary raised an eyebrow. "I got them to improve it. Queen Elizabeth's fashion, food as sweet as possible, sugar is the most generous seasoning. Oh, she especially believes that sweets freshen breath, daily candy is not interrupted, under the teeth Problems have emerged..."

François picked a red cherry and put it in his mouth with a fork. "As you said before, 'too much is not enough.' No matter how good a thing is, too much can cause harm."

Mary watched him eat with a smile, and felt that his demeanor was elegant; she also looked at his clean and slender fingers, imitating the way he was picking fruit in her heart, and felt pleasing to the eye...but for some reason, she suddenly thought of him being picky and slow last night. Squeeze, blushing instantly.

"Mary?"

Facing her beautiful and delicious husband, Mary was a little embarrassed, and quickly brought up another topic: "Well, silver tableware is gradually popularized in England's upper class, and ordinary people usually only have wooden spoons in their homes, and more ordinary people are still accustomed to grabbing food with their hands. eat……"

François looked down at the silver plate containing the creamy white bread and sighed. "Eating with utensils should still be advocated, which is more hygienic and clean."

Mary spoke a little fast: "No, it's not just about eating healthy. Look, Chancellor Gresham and I talked about such a point the other day. You know, he was leaning towards Protestantism; but he said that many Catholics in the past The monastery has a big advantage - it collects a lot of silverware, reduces the precious metals circulating in the market, and achieves 'anti-inflation'. He believes that today Spain ships a large amount of silver from the Americas, and the risk of currency depreciation in the Western European market is not low, and it can be Consider encouraging the public to use and store silver tableware, saving in disguise and resisting inflation.” [Note [-]]

Francois was a little confused. "'inflation'?"

"Well, it's like this..." Mary tried her best to explain it in a simple and understandable way. "If you have time, you can summon Gresham, the chancellor of the exchequer. He has great insights and careful thinking in this regard, and he always hits the nail on the head."

Francois looked intently. "After listening to your introduction, it would be a pity if I couldn't meet this person for a while. However, it won't be long before I go back—"

Mary smiled and said, "Although he said he was busy with business, he was in London, so he was in time."

After saying this, Mary felt melancholy again, thinking that Francois would not be able to accompany her for a few days this time.

After nine years of marriage, the two of them gathered less and cared more; even if they didn't mention their relationship, the real problem had already surfaced: no children.

Two days ago, Biton comforted his hostess: In any case, the regent, who is nearly ten years younger, is expected to give birth to a child earlier than the elderly Queen of England.

Alas, how should I put it, François’s younger sister, the younger Queen Elizabeth of Spain, is about to give birth for the third time—although her twin daughters were not kept in the first round, Isabel, who was born the second time, is about to give birth. Princess Ra is said to be in excellent health.Moreover, there was at least one eldest son, Don Carlos, before Philip II.As for the issue of heirs, if you really don't compare, you will be heartbroken.

François happened to be talking about Spain too. "I heard that their army has temporarily controlled the situation in the Netherlands, and that it has entered a stable state of eliminating Protestants. I asked the Cardinal of Lorraine to wait and see for the time being and not to negotiate with any of them... It is said that Orange-Nassau William is lobbying the German Protestant princes to seek the help of Lutheran or Calvinist. The Huguenots represent Coligny and Prince Condé, and they are about to move again..."

As Marie listened, she felt a sudden headache recalling the troublesome figures in French politics who were difficult to deal with.It's just that, at present, the French king and queen mother have to worry about it, and they are beyond their reach anyway, so it's really useless to think too much.

"Well, trust the cardinal and the justice," Mary said.

There are only a few days left to get along with Francois this time, so it's better not to think too much, just to relax.

Mary thought about Chatrier, who had followed her for a long time and was driven back to her hometown, and Li Qiao, the secretary who rarely had time to sing again, and simply proposed:

"Today... How about we visit the Countess of Pembroke? She is not lacking in talent, and her mansion is a gathering place for artists. Although there may not be a great poet like Longsar there, many visitors are also good at talking, Quite literary."

Francois was stunned for a moment, and said happily: "Okay, everything is arranged by you."

As long as he was with her, even for a short time, he was always happy.

The author has something to say: I finally mentioned the issue of children...don't worry, there will be~

[Note 7] England's dining habits, refer to "Story of Civilization [-]"