monarch

Sir Walsingham did not leave the king's chambers till midnight, while Robert escorted him downstairs.

The king got up very early the next morning, and at about six o'clock in the morning, he and Robert went out together to ride horses in the nearby fields.

The morning air, mixed with the moisture blowing from the coastline not far away, blows fresh and cool on people's faces.The grass grew luxuriantly on both sides of the road, and the breeze brought the fragrance of flowers and plants from the woods, and wrinkled the calm river that surrounded the castle on three sides.

With the King in front and Robert behind, the two rode their horses about a mile to the point where the forest meets the meadow, where they left the horses behind to graze at will.

The forest is quiet, and the stags that live in the woods, the grouse that wanders among the bushes, or the fox that hides in its caves are obviously still immersed in sleep, so the two guests who rushed into the forest rashly What can be heard in the ears is only the rustling of leaves and the occasional fluttering of swallows that draw graceful curves in the air.

Following the path stepped by the forest ranger, the two nimbly jumped over the roots and stones on the ground, and it didn't take long to come to the middle of the forest.

In the open space in the middle of the woods, stands a tall oak tree. The tall body of the oak tree and the rough and uneven lines on the bark like ditches all show its age.

Edward walked under the tree, stepped on a branch of the root of the tree, raised his head to look at the canopy covering the sky like the dome of a church, his eyes were mixed with admiration and admiration.

"What a big oak tree, what an ancient existence!" said the king. "The seeds of this tree must have broken out of the ground long before the foundation of the castle was laid. Think of what it has witnessed in these hundreds of years... maybe People in those castles back then came under this tree like us, and talked with each other from the bottom of their hearts, if this is the case, how many secrets this tree has heard.”

"Fortunately, this tree can't speak." Robert said with a smile. He walked to the edge of the big tree and found a flat piece of grass to sit down, with his back leaning against the trunk of the towering tree.He beckoned to Edward, motioning for him to sit beside him.

As soon as Edward sat down, Robert stretched out his arms and put him in his arms.

"It's hard to find a place to talk quietly." He sighed.

"Yes." Edward looked in the direction of the castle, "Under the gorgeous appearance of the palace, there are always conspiracy and lies hidden. Even if you use all the velvet, diamonds and pearls in the world to decorate, it can't cover those stained walls. The blood on the blood." He turned his head and looked at Robert with a mixture of confusion and anxiety, "Now it's going to bleed again, isn't it? Many people are going to bleed, for me, for my sisters, for you father, and when the blood of those men dries up, it will be our turn to bleed, manipulating people to their deaths."

Robert hugged Edward even tighter, "This is fate." He reached out and plucked a violet growing on the root of the oak tree in his hand, and crystal dew dripped from the broken stem and fell into the wet soil.

"Yes, you are quite right, this is destiny," murmured the king, "my father had many sons, but they died in the womb or in their infancy. ;When my mother conceived Elizabeth, my father was full of joy, thinking it would be a son, but it turned out to be his disappointment; when he lost faith in my mother and resolved to depose her, she bore him a son."

"So now, it's my turn to bear the burden that fate has imposed on me." His voice became a little low, "Fate is really unpredictable! Personal power is completely insignificant compared to its overwhelming power. "

A beautiful butterfly flew over from the flowers not far away, and its spread wings looked like a few leaves of a rose.The king held out a finger, and the curious elf circled around His Majesty's finger a few times, and finally landed on the king's fingertip.

"Now it's time to roll the dice again," said the king, observing the motionless butterfly on his finger. "We are rafting on the river of fate, with rapids ahead. Destruction of people, that is to say, the outcome will be seen in a week or two."

"Everything will be safe." Robert took one of the king's hands, brought it to his lips, and kissed it lightly, "You have a powerful army and huge funds, and you are loved by the people. It won't be long before everyone Everyone will know that you are the master of your destiny."

The king smiled faintly, "There is never anything that is foolproof in politics. When you feel that everything will not change, it means you are going to lose." The disturbing butterfly unhappily spreads its wings and heads for a clump of hydrangeas a few feet away.

"Have you spoken to your father lately?" asked the king.

The expression on Robert's face became a little stagnant for a moment, he pondered for a moment, and said in a low voice: "No, Your Majesty, in fact, I haven't seen him alone for a long time, and we haven't had much communication in public."

"You have never been home either," added the king.

"I think that as the commander of your Imperial Guard, I should avoid suspicion at this moment." Robert said firmly.

"Politics is terrible." The king sighed slightly. "The first thing it destroys is the family. For power, father and son turn against each other, brothers and sisters fight each other, and the crown for the ultimate winner is not so much a reward. Calling it a curse . . . is a terrible business."

"Yes, but as you said, this is fate." Robert gently stroked the soft black hair on the king's head, "Fate has thrown us here, and we can only go forward bravely until we hit the rocks The day I was shattered."

"You never asked how I would deal with your father if I won." The king's voice became much more serious, he sat up straight, his eyes closely followed Robert's, "Why?"

"This is His Majesty's decision, and I have no right to interfere." Robert met the king's gaze, "Besides, I don't think there is any need for me to ask. The conclusion is obvious...the loser has only one end." He lowered his head , slightly closed his eyes.

"I will not execute your father." Edward leaned on the other's shoulder.

Robert smiled self-deprecatingly, "It doesn't make any difference to him. In fact, after losing power and status, it doesn't make any difference whether he lives or dies... Based on what I know about him, I think he would rather die, Rather than living in the world as a tiger with its teeth pulled out, this is an unbearable torture for him."

This ominous prophecy ended the whole conversation, Edward leaned in Robert's arms, and Robert leaned on the trunk, the breeze gently blew through the trembling treetops, and the light of the rising sun was cut by the dense forest. A golden ribbon sprinkled evenly over this small glade.

After about 10 minutes, the king finally took a deep breath of the air with the scent of grass and trees in the forest, "Let's go." He said softly.

Robert nodded. He stood up, then turned around and helped the king up.

The two walked out of the forest along the way they came, found the two horses that were still strolling leisurely on the grass, and galloped back to the castle. When they arrived at the castle, it was not yet eight o'clock in the morning.

His Majesty finished breakfast with Robert, and then he went back to his bedroom, slept for half an hour, and then got up to review the official documents, and Robert stayed by his side throughout the process.

At 12:30 noon, His Majesty's servant informed the king that lunch was ready and His Majesty was invited to sit.

No matter in any era and in any country, it is considered a great honor to dine at the same table with the monarch.Since leaving London, His Majesty has rarely invited important ministers and nobles to dine with him. Instead, some of His Majesty's most trusted ministers and officers of the Imperial Guard accompanied him, and this lunch is the same, except Apart from the King and Robert, only Sir Walsingham and two officers of the Guards were present.

It was obviously the first time for the two officers to come to such an occasion, and they couldn't hide their excited expressions. When His Majesty entered the dining room, they jumped up like springs and bowed, even scaring Sir Walsingham who was sitting next to him. jumped.

The King greeted them kindly, asking their names and titles, and nodded to Sir Walsingham, and took his seat.Seeing His Majesty sitting down, the other guests also took their seats at the round table.

The door leading to the pantry on the left side of the dining room opened, and the figure of the king's butler appeared in the doorway, followed by eight servants. dishes.

The wine of Anjou taken from the cellars was placed in two carafes, the contents of which were to be poured into the king's cup, the contents of which had been tasted by a full-time squire, After confirming that there is no problem, it is delivered to His Majesty's table.

Serving the king was an honor that belonged to the highest ranking nobleman at the banquet.Naturally, Robert took the decanter, poured the king a glass, making sure that no residue from the bottom of the bottle spilled into the king's glass, and poured himself another glass.The attendant serving next to him used another glass bottle to pour wine for the remaining three guests.

The main course of lunch was fatty salmon fillet from the local area, served with fresh lemon juice and a little spice, which whetted the appetite of the guests present.The atmosphere at the dinner table was quite relaxed. The two officers who were chosen to have lunch with His Majesty were very good at invigorating the atmosphere. In addition, Sir Walsingham, who had already turned his observation of words into his instinct, made the whole scene The conversation all seemed very pleasant.

About halfway through lunch, a guard stuck his head through the door and whispered a few words to the caterer who was standing by the door.

His Majesty noticed the perplexed look on the face of the caterer, "What's the matter?" He asked as he picked up a thick slice of pink salmon on the plate with a fork.

"Your Excellency the Chief Minister wants His Majesty to meet him immediately. I think we should wait until His Majesty has finished eating." The chief catering manager had a flattering smile on his face.

The king put down his fork and exchanged glances with Robert, "Doesn't he know it's lunch time?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." The person who interrupted this time was the guard who brought the news, "His Excellency the Chief Minister apologized to His Majesty, but he insisted on an urgent matter to see His Majesty."

The king weighed it for a moment, and found that there was no reason to refuse the chief minister's request.

"Then invite him in," he nodded towards the butler, "please add another chair and a set of tableware, and tell the Chief Minister that he will honor us to have lunch with us."

The food manager hurriedly trotted all the way out of the restaurant. Not long after, he came back again, and the chief minister followed him into the restaurant.

The chief minister bowed to the king with a serious expression. He looked much older than a few months ago, the wrinkles around his eyes spread relentlessly, and his gray hair became thinner day by day.

"Please sit down, Your Excellency." With a stylized smile on his face, the king pointed to a chair that had just been added beside him. "It will be a great honor for us to join us for lunch."

The Chief Minister nodded again, and he sat down as ordered by the king. "I am honored to dine with His Majesty, but to my regret, what I am going to say next may not help His Majesty's appetite."

The king raised his eyebrows slightly, "Speak, sir, since you came here at lunchtime for this purpose, it means that what you want to say must be very important."

"Indeed, Your Majesty." The chief minister nodded. "There is news from Antwerp that a Spanish fleet has set sail. About [-] soldiers are accompanying the fleet. They are sailing towards the eastern entrance of the strait."

"When did this happen?" asked the king.

"Three days ago." The chief minister said, "according to the time calculation, they should have entered the strait by now."

The king shrugged. "They may be going back to Spain, or to Italy."

"Now the situation in the Netherlands is on the verge of breaking out, and Spain and France are at war on the border. At this time, instead of increasing troops, Spain has transferred the garrison of the Netherlands back to the mainland?"

"What do you want to say?" The king became impatient. "In the end, the Spaniards are free to do what they want with their troops, isn't it?"

"I think this Spanish army is coming to England to land," said the First Secretary, perhaps a little louder than secrecy required.

The eyes of those who were still standing in the room widened in surprise.

The king glanced at the chief minister with dissatisfaction, "You'd better wait until you have evidence for such a thing, and then say it in public." He picked up his glass and took a sip of wine, "Also, you may have forgotten that the relationship between us and Spain The world is now at peace."

"I have evidence, Your Majesty." The chief minister seemed to have not noticed the king's dissatisfaction at all, "Princess Mary met with the Spanish ambassador a week ago, and the ambassador's personal servant went to Antwerp the next day, and the servant arrived the next day. Today, the Spanish fleet anchored out of the port, is this all a coincidence?" His voice became louder and louder.

Robert looked at his father in amazement, and he was shocked by the other party's reckless performance.The two officers looked at each other, and Sir Walsingham opened his mouth comically.

The king drank the wine in the glass and raised his eyes. He looked at the chief minister very unfriendlyly, "How dare you spy on Princess Mary privately?"

He put the empty wine glass heavily on the table.

"For the benefit of the country." The chief minister looked at the king without flinching, and the king let out a hum that was not a smile.

Seeing that the king's wine glass was empty, Robert stood up to refill the king's wine, but was stopped by the eyes of the chief minister.

The chief minister stood up, adjusted the lace of his cuffs a few times, and stretched out his hand towards Robert, motioning for Robert to pass over the glass bottle containing the wine. According to court etiquette, the privilege of pouring wine for His Majesty has now been transferred to the highest ranking chief minister. The minister was there, so Robert could only obey, and reluctantly handed the glass bottle to his father.

The chief minister gently turned the ring on his hand to avoid the diamond on it from scratching the glass bottle.He took the king's goblet and poured a glass for his majesty.

The wine glass was placed in front of the king, but the king didn't mean to touch it at all.

The chief minister had a knowing smile on his face, he picked up his cup and poured himself a cup.

"Cheers to your health, Your Majesty." He tilted his neck and drank the wine in the glass, as if to say, "Now you should feel at ease."

Seeing this situation, the king had no choice but to pick up the glass, put it to his lips, and drank about half of the glass.

"So, what do you want me to do?" The king looked at the chief minister with a strange look.

"I want you to order the fleet to prevent the Spaniards from entering the Channel."

"You know that means a declaration of war?"

"At least let the fleet follow them to monitor." The chief minister persisted, "Once they do something wrong, stop it immediately."

"I can't understand your logic." The king's cheeks began to turn red, obviously because of drinking, and there was a trace of teasing in his tone, "It's only 3000 people, even if they landed, the Imperial Guards can Easy to solve, the Spaniards are not fools, why would they take such a senseless risk?"

The king's eyes looked much brighter than usual, and he spoke faster and faster, "You are really strange today, to be precise, a little suspicious, my dear lord? Do you have something to hide? ?”

"Me? Your Majesty." The chief minister shook his head, "I have nothing to hide from Your Majesty."

"Seriously, why do you care so much about these thousands of Spaniards? I really find it strange why you want to spy on Princess Mary for no reason." His Majesty asked like a cannonball, with a nervous smile on the corner of his mouth.

Robert looked at Edward with uneasy eyes. He leaned into the king's ear and said softly, "Your Majesty, what's the matter with you?"

But the king didn't answer, as if he didn't hear, his eyes were still fixed on the face of the Lord Protector.

An ominous premonition rose in Robert's heart, and he put his arm on Edward's arm, as if waking up from a sleep, the king turned his head suddenly.

"What's the matter?" The king seemed to be taken aback, his face turned red for a while, and turned as pale as paper for a while.

"Is Your Majesty feeling unwell?" Robert asked worriedly.

"Me?" the king said indifferently, "I'm fine, I'm just a little strange, why did your father come here today?" He looked at the chief minister again, "I'm waiting for your answer, sir .”

"I have already told His Majesty everything I know." The chief minister replied blankly.

"Okay, I have one last question." The king stood up abruptly. He seemed to be in a state of excitement. When he stood up, his legs dangled a few times like reeds in the wind. Looking as if he was about to faint, Robert quickly held him up.

"Let me help His Majesty go back to rest." Robert seemed to realize something, and his face became pale, "Call the imperial doctor over here immediately!" He shouted at the food steward standing at the door.

"It's okay, it's okay." The king patted Robert's arm reassuringly, "I'm just a little dizzy, this damn weather!" He looked at the chief minister again, "I still have one more question to ask."

A strange smile appeared on the chief minister's face, "Please, Your Majesty."

"Did you know the news that the Spaniards were coming?" the king said, his whole body convulsed, and Robert was horrified to see blue blood vessels appearing on every inch of the king's skin.

The chief minister did not speak, and the malicious element in the smile on his face became stronger and stronger.

The king fell stiffly in Robert's arms, his head thrown back, lying on Robert's shoulders, motionless.

From Robert's lips came a terrible cry, like the roar of a wounded lion seeing his pack slaughtered.

The servants in the room seemed to be overwhelmed by this terrible scene. After a few seconds, they rushed out of the dining room in a swarm, and ran to the corridor, shouting for help.

"Call the doctor! Call the doctor!" Robert looked at Edward's face that was losing color in horror. He stroked Edward's hand and found that it was as cold as ice, and he felt that his hair was about to stand on end .

The chief minister sat in his seat, leisurely eating the salmon on his plate.

Robert looked up at his father, the facial features on his face became distorted with anger and horror, and there was a gloomy and frightening fire in those eyes.

"Arrest Your Excellency the Minister." He ordered the two Guards officers who were sitting dumbfounded on their chairs in a tone more rigid than steel and bronze.

The chief minister put down the table knife in his hand, untied the saber hanging from his waist, and threw it into the distance.The saber slid on the oak floor, making a screeching sound.

He raised his hands in a signal of surrender, but the smile on that vicissitudes of life grew wider and wider.