Ha ha

Paris.

The bright sun in midsummer is like the enthusiasm of a lady, pouring vigorously and dying.The plants in the courtyard have luxuriant branches and leaves, full of freshly sprinkled water droplets, and the view from the window is picturesque.

This sprawling, well-kept and enviable courtyard, with its magnificent mansion surrounding it, was a gift from the Queen Mother to Cardinal Richelieu.The seemingly ambiguous bond between these two nobles has always been a topic of conversation that people can't chew.

The heels of the riding boots knocked on the floor with a clear echo, the wooden door of the study was slammed wide open, and a beautiful figure rushed in: "Uncle! You are back!"

Richelieu was standing in front of the desk arranging a large stack of documents, and when he heard the sound, he raised his head, and his eyes blurred, and the figure had already thrown himself into his arms.He staggered and took two steps back before standing still. He quickly supported the person with both hands, pulled her away, and said with a frown: "A girl dressed like this again, how decent is it for others to see? You should Learn to be a lady..."

"Stop, don't scold others as soon as you get home. I just finished riding the horse and heard that you are back, so I ran over without changing your clothes."

"Riding in this kind of clothes? The horses show less than you."

"You don't understand, it's called fashion."

Before the bishop could speak, the other party suddenly came over and covered his mouth shamelessly: "You have to learn to listen to my opinion!"

"Madelene—" Richelieu usually wore a sneering face, but at this moment, he couldn't laugh or cry.

The other party suddenly stopped and hugged him gently: "Uncle, I miss you very much."

"I miss you too." The bishop kissed her smooth forehead with tenderness.

This was the orphan of his deceased sister, the child he had watched grow up, and perhaps the closest person he had in the world.

Marie-Madelaine de Veniero has a more widely known name in later generations: Duchess of Egeron.She has bright eyes and white teeth, and is a well-known beauty.But it wasn't just her looks that made her famous.

Madeleine was a young widow and had been living in the house of her uncle Richelieu.Rumors circulated in the market about the lady and the bishop.As you can see, no matter the era, the more creative scandals of this kind, the better.

"What have you been doing all this time, and you haven't come back for so long?" Madeleine pulled Richelieu to sit down.

"I told you that I went to Beppu in Limur to recuperate."

She stared at him for a while: "I don't believe you."

Richelieu laughed out loud: "Then how can I convince you?"

"Tell me the truth. I've heard all sorts of things here, too, but I want to hear it from you."

The bishop pondered for a while with his eyes downcast: "Okay, let me tell you."

He tore a piece of parchment casually, dipped it in ink with a quill pen, and drew two small people in the center of the paper: "There is a couple..."

"I'm not a child anymore," Madeleine protested dissatisfied.

The bishop just smiled. "It's clearer. There was a couple who had a bad marriage. The wife fell in love with another man who happened to be the husband's enemy." In the corner of the parchment he drew Another man, "The couple discussed how to deal with the husband, and finally they came up with a plan. They conspired with the husband's younger brother," he drew another man next to the couple, "the younger brother took the Husband's rights and interests," he drew a big cross on the husband's villain, "so that they can be together as they wish.

"The wife thought that was all there was to the plan, but didn't know that her lover's ambitions were much more than that. He wanted everything that was her husband's. So he found other enemies of her husband's and made allies with them... "

Madeleine listened carefully, and as the plot of the story became more and more familiar, an ominous feeling gradually came up: "You mean, this couple is—"

The bishop didn't answer, but just drew a crown on the forked villain's head.

"My God," whispered Madeleine.

The bishop drew a large circle, enclosing the couple in the center; then he surrounded the lovers in the corner with a smaller circle.

France and Great Britain.

"Buckingham..." Madeleine murmured, "Are those rumors true? He really fell in love with Queen Anna?——Then who is he looking for as an ally?"

The bishop tapped a pen on the border of the circle symbolizing France: "Huguenots. Under the banner of religious disputes, they have been trying to get out independently, but unfortunately there are not enough troops. Buckingham promised to support them."

"So His Majesty Louis XIII not only has to deal with Yudi, but also prepares for a war with England? Can we win?" She asked worriedly.

"That's not something you need to worry about."

"What about you? Where is your location? This question can always be answered for me, right?"

"Me..." The bishop got up and lit a candle, and brought the parchment close to the candle.

"I'm here." He watched the paper in his hand being burned to ashes little by little, and said with a half-smile.