Mary Su Stuart

If you ask who is the first unified monarch in the history of China, no one dares to question Zulong Ying's surname Zhao Zheng.He practiced "books with the same text, vehicles with the same track, and quantity with the same balance", which established the unified concept of Chinese civilization.It abolished aristocratic feudalism and improved the "prefecture and county system", which also became the basis of China's political system in the next 2000 years.Without him, it is very likely that there would be no unified Greater China.

Shouldn't he be the only traverser who tried to emulate this "eternal emperor"?Mary thought about it occasionally.Although according to geopolitics, Western Europe is not easy to unify - there are too many mountains and scattered plains; however, even if the Roman Empire is not mentioned, there are always many historical strongmen who want to create great things - such as Charles V. World, such as Napoleon, such as Hitler (vomit this counts as a sinner).So, Mary just wanted to unify Britain and France (plus Ireland), it doesn't seem too much.

What are two nations, two languages, and different currencies!Qin Shihuang swept Liuhe, and Sui Wendi went south, but not all of them got things done (of course, if the second generation dies, you must be vigilant).How bold a person is, how productive the land is; to live, one must not be afraid of tossing.

With a dream in her heart, Mary summoned Gresham.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has had his hands full of late.The college named after "Gresham" has finally been established in the center of London recently; it mainly offers law, geometry, astronomy, and other majors that are beneficial to business and industry.The booming "Wang's Exchange" provides financial support for the college.Gresham, as the first honorary principal, made inspections from time to time, and was really worried.

Mary first talked with him about weights and measures: "You once said that one inch, the 'bottom of the fingernail, the width of the thumb of an ordinary local man' as a unit of length, seems not very stable; then, the college has recently adopted a more stable base of measurement?"

"There is no better alternative yet." Gresham poured cold water on the Queen first. "Your Majesty suggested last time that the standard length be defined by geographic surveying and mapping, and then the standard length ruler be made of precious metals... Scholars have explored and discussed, and found that it is quite difficult, and it will be inconvenient to implement in the short term."

Listening to this kind of answer, Mary probably understands that English scholars are not interested and can't help it.Alas, it seems that the French universities are not making much progress either.In fact, she originally wanted to imitate the international unit "manufactured" by the French two centuries later - using 4000/[-] million of the total length of the meridian that runs through Paris, defined as the reference length "meter", and casting the corresponding reference device in platinum .It's a pity that the technological level of this era is limited...

"Okay." Mary nodded. "Then, the mercury thermometer used for approval, are scholars still used to it?"

Thanks to the French glass industry, the mercury thermometer that Marie envisioned and invented before Galileo took shape.Mary also happily stipulated that "on the surface of the earth, the mixture of ice and water is zero degrees, and the boiling water is measured at one hundred degrees."At that time, the French academies called the queen wise, but they didn't know how well this would be promoted in England.

The Minister of Finance nodded. "It is very practical, and scholars are full of praise."

Mary, who received positive feedback, raised her mouth. "Also, I talked with you last time, discussing the issue of new coins with the director of the French Royal Mint. How is it?"

Gresham grimaced. "Well, the current domestic reserves of precious metals are not abundant, and there are many restrictions in France. If it is the scale of commemorative gold coins, it is still feasible. Otherwise, it will be necessary to go to war and mobilize private wealth. Even then, the amount of gold may not be enough. need……"

Uh, this is called the gap between ideal and reality.At the beginning, Mary thought, "Newton invented the gold standard decades later, so I will try it earlier"; clinker, in this era, even Spain's gold reserves are not rich, let alone in the Americas. Britain and France, whose gold mines are even scarcer.So, "Then, continue to use the current gold and silver compound standard system, and re-study the new currency standard."

Seeing the Queen change her mind pragmatically, the Minister of Finance was relieved.But she also listened to her advice: "In recent years, Spain has mined a lot of silver in the Americas, and the sharp increase in silver in the international market will definitely cause a gradual depreciation. Therefore, the gold-silver ratio of the new currency, the treasury's reserves, and the British and French Market policies need to fully consider the impact of this matter.”

Gresham responded: "You are right. Now that the gold-silver ratio has dropped to 1:11-1:12 in the Western European trade market, we must be vigilant against its further decline, predict it in advance, and make early plans."

How to plan is nothing more than paying silver in foreign trade, and asking the other party to settle in gold as much as possible.Mary felt relieved looking at the gray-haired old fox Thomas Gresham in front of her.So, she doesn't have to worry about it, just let those who can do more work.

However, she remembered to remind: "However, in the Far East, such as the island country at the eastern end of the mainland, the value of silver has always been relatively high, and 1:6 is possible. You can find a way to make full use of it."

Gresham's eyes widened. "Your Majesty is well-informed and knowledgeable. You are truly a holy family of God. I heard this secret in Antwerp. It is strange that the Dutch like to do business there... Suppose you use six pounds of silver, which is relatively cheap in Europe, to go to Japan It can be exchanged for one pound of gold, and that gold can be turned into eleven pounds of silver after returning home..."

"So, how to encourage trade with there and extract gold is up to you and Cecil." Mary said with a smile.

Oh, just like in history, she has no burden at all to use the gold and silver exchange rate to catch Japan hard.

Gresham, made ambitious by the queen, left St. James's Palace in a magnificent carriage.However, he did not immediately consult with colleagues.On the one hand, the college was newly opened, and he was still thinking about the communication with the professors today.On the other hand, the Secretary of State was just behind him, waiting to go into the study and report to the Queen.

Cecil is here to discuss education with His Majesty. "This month, another grammar school has been added in Somerset, and it has been opened to the public. It admits boys and girls equally and ensures universal education for children."

In this era, there are already many institutions of higher learning in Europe, and they are still increasing.However, Mary knows that the improvement of the quality of the people cannot rely solely on higher education.Basic education, and even the improvement of literacy rates, are also crucial-this is something that the German states have done better than Britain and France.Therefore, when many monasteries in France can help popularize education, reformed Britain needs more junior schools.

So far, there are more than [-] grammar schools in England with sufficient financial support from the government and the private sector.For this reason, the whole country has sung praises to Her Majesty the Queen.

Mary put aside the information submitted by Cecil, but sighed: "If only all higher education institutions, such as public schools and universities, are not limited to recruiting male students. Look, the newly built University of Edinburgh, its public health The college has its first batch of female students. In the future, I believe, there will be more female pillars."

"Well, this...probably...needs a long-term plan." Cecil hesitated.

The issue of equality between men and women has always troubled him.From Bloody Mary to Elizabeth to Mary Stuart, he has served three queens. Obviously, their level of governance has been getting higher and higher from the beginning to the end, so high that many male monarchs need to look up to—and on the contrary Came here to support my husband.It is also difficult for him to go against his conscience and say that it is against ethics for a woman to be in power.Of course, he can comfort himself that the royal blood is extraordinary; however, the current queen seems to not only care about the nobles, but even wants to extend her women's rights protection policy to the common people, which makes Cecil a bit overwhelmed.

From the eyes of the Secretary of State, Mary read the words "overwhelmed with compassion".She couldn't help but complain in her head: Does this count as overflowing sympathy?If she is really the Holy Mother, at the meeting of the Privy Council two days ago, the overseas black slave trade in England should be banned. At present, she only asks the royal family to draw a line between the investment and the triangular trade and maintain their "reputation".Hmph, she also wants to introduce a "Civil Code" to ensure that adult women enjoy equal property and personal rights with men...

Forget it, Cecil is not stubborn for a day or two, just use what he can use.Mary wondered.She returned to the original topic: "The new school still focuses on English and French, and postpones Latin, no problem."

"Your Majesty, reducing the weight of Latin is actually in line with the needs of the nation." The Minister of State is actually eager to alienate the Holy See and all related cultures. "It's just that French is relatively difficult, and it's inefficient for the common people to use. Can it be moderately alleviated?"

Mary pretended to think for a moment, then shook her head. "Learn French well, and our trade with the European continent will be more convenient. Therefore, bilingualism is inevitable."

Mary knows that from the perspective of the nationalist Cecil, English is the most important, and it doesn't matter whether French is popular or not; It is obviously easier for Scots to adapt to French than it is for the relative majority of the French (500 million) to learn English.However, in order to take care of the national sentiment in England, it is reasonable to support them to continue to learn the native language (dialect).

However, the difficulty of French and English is really not of the same order.Since the Norman Conquest in 1066 AD, French has clearly permeated the entire English aristocracy, and was it not gradually regained its dominance by English in the end?It's not that top-down reforms won't work, it's a matter of facilitating communication.After all, the middle and lower classes who speak English are the main population of the island.The literacy rate of the middle and lower classes is very low, and they can't even write English, let alone learn to master a more complicated French-even if administrative intervention and coercion of the people are of no avail.

Therefore, Mary is particularly willing to spend money to support education.On the one hand, as praised by the members of the Privy Council, "it is beneficial to the country to give the common people the opportunity to produce more talents."On the other hand, there is selfishness in the hope that French, which is relatively rigorous (recognized by the United Nations) and more versatile (in continental Europe), will become the unified official language across the Taiwan Strait in the future.

However, before that, she may have to face a certain founder of English literature, a generation of great writers who made English develop better, have richer cultural heritage, and spread more widely in the world.

Bironza's Seven Star Poetry Society will be much more famous in French!

You may have guessed that he is William Shakespeare, who wrote good sonnets and is more famous for plays.

Let's go, let's go to the theater!

In view of Walsingham's strong guarantee and Mary's trust in the work of the Minister of Police, the Queen's luxury car drove onto the streets of London openly, causing many citizens to stop and watch.On the outside was a mixed guard of the Soviet Union, Britain and France, and inside the carriage was Mary's best friend group - Seton, Beaton and Livingston all accompanied the queen, talking and joyful all the way.

With the sound of the horn, Mary found that the flow of people on the street had changed significantly.Miss Beaton had collected information in advance, so she smiled and introduced to His Majesty:

"This trumpet blowing is a sign that the drama is about to begin."

"No wonder, those people are probably worried that they won't be able to catch up with the opening performance." Miss Livingston lowered the raised curtain and sighed. "It's about to run."

"Well, it's like a church bell calling people to worship." Mary commented.

A hint of embarrassment was added to Biton's smile. "Your Majesty is very observant. I have heard that some priests accuse the people of crowding into the theater in a different way on Sundays, not caring about sermons at all, and simply avoiding religious life..."

Mary was all smiles. "It's understandable that worldly life always seems happier."

Seton was thoughtful. "It seems that Lady Pembroke has entertained some fine actors. The Duke of Norfolk has also accepted a troupe..."

"Yes, yes." Beaton said. "I also heard that some Puritans ran to the theater door and yelled, accusing the troupe of performing sycophants, lies, and blasphemy all day long. They called... dirty, pornographic; Intrigues . . . Depravity is better than Italian intrigue."

Miss Beeton found it difficult to repeat those obscenities.Mary was a little startled when she heard that.Alas, literary and art workers have such a difficult life, why didn't she think of protecting them.What if the environment is so bad that Shakespeare, who has not yet made his mark, shrinks back to his hometown and quits writing? !

Yes, in 1579, there was no famous Globe Theater (GlobeTheatre, to which Shakespeare belonged) on the streets of London.The two currently larger ones are the permanent theater built in 1576 and the curtain theater opened in 1577.Right now, under the guidance of the manager of the theater, nodding and bowing, she was so honored that she almost fainted with happiness, and she sat down in the most luxurious box in the Curtain Theatre, which was exclusive to Mrs. Pembroke.

Seton pointed to the ring-shaped building below for the hostess, and asked the countess. "How spectacular, there must be thousands of people."

Mrs. Pembroke happily introduced: "This place can accommodate about 1000 spectators. Then, around the stage, those gaps can usually accommodate another [-] people. However, when His Majesty visited, the Minister of Police asked the manager to make some adjustments. It feels a little empty now."

Miss Beeton also nodded. "It's usually more noisy. However, it is said that if the carousing is overdone, there will be food residues and spilled bad wine everywhere, and some... the smell is not so pleasant."

Mary glanced at the maid.Bearing in mind that the hostess has higher requirements for the environment, Biton is considered to be growing up.At this moment, she heard Livingston say:

"Well, the audience is mixed with men and women, is it okay?"

"Uh..." Mrs. Pembroke didn't care much about this kind of issue before, but now she was a little at a loss for words.Still the clever Seton answered. "In London, there are assistant patrol officers in public places like this, and there shouldn't be any decency issues."

Mary's lips curled up. "Well, the work of the Minister of Police is always perfect. In this way, next time, you can also bring the two princesses to enjoy the folk drama."

Livingston was taken aback. "This, this..."

Well, there is always a reason for His Majesty's decision.Livingston kept his mouth shut.Well, instead of worrying about what is there and what is not, it is better to appreciate this lively stage.

It is probably because I have figured out the preferences of the king of a country. Today's performance is not a lingering love story, but a pair of humorous clowns and a flamboyant king.The English dialogue is slightly vulgar, but it makes the Queen laugh frequently.

Mary felt that she was making amends.Alas, there are not many jesters at court.Most of the people who chat with her are talking about business, she should try her best to stay sober, and be careful not to be praised too high-she rarely listens to people blowing brainless rainbow farts casually!In this way, substituting yourself into the fancy-dressed monarch on this stage can be regarded as a kind of decompression.

"Well, the lines of this play are well written. Let me bring back a copy of the script, and I will perform in the court next time." Mary said, taking a sip of honey and orange juice.

Seton took the drink glass handed by the queen, pursed his lips and said, "They must be flattered."

No wonder.Mrs. Pembroke smiled wryly, and the theater manager was sweating. "Well, in order to prevent being used or stolen by our opponents, our play has never been published, and there are not many copies. We must copy it as soon as possible, and send the finished copy to St. James's Palace as soon as possible..."

"Okay, as soon as possible." Beaton urged on behalf of the hostess. "Your Majesty has a tight schedule and will leave London in a few days..."

As she spoke, her voice suddenly dropped.Uh, this theater manager is an outsider, right... With the lessons learned from the assassination incident in Paris, the specific arrangements for the Queen's tour, should the news be locked as tightly as possible?

Mary didn't seem to care. "This national tour will indeed take some time. So, I think it will be very interesting to be accompanied by these fresh scripts along the way."

Got it, got it, got it.The "expected" theater manager bent even lower...

However, his sorrow disappeared after a few days.Because, England's first official publication, "United Weekly London Edition", in the name of the Queen, praised the theater a lot.This time, the crowd in the Curtain Theater became even more turbulent. Even the priests guarded the gate and scolded, but they couldn't stop the people who came to "worship".The manager, who had cramped hands counting money at night, decided that no matter what kind of new scripts he had in the future, he must present a copy to the palace—to have His Majesty as a signature, so happy!

The author has something to say: I really want to release Shakespeare, but he is too young...

For an introduction to weights and measures, refer to Du Niang Encyclopedia.

For the question of gold-silver ratio, refer to "Cambridge History of European Economics"

England's education layout and theater culture refer to "Story of Civilization 7"