monarch

The chief minister's carriage drove out of the gate of the castle in 10 minutes. Behind him, the iron gate of the gate had fallen, and the drawbridge was slowly rising. Cannons were pushed out from the firing holes. Gunpowder and shells were already loaded in the muzzle.The whole castle is like a frightened hedgehog, erecting its spikes in all directions.

The king's royal carriage traveled for more than half a month from the city of London to the westernmost point of Wales, but the chief minister's carriage only took a day and a night to cover the same distance.On the main road from Pembroke Castle to London, the servants of the chief minister have set up post stations every twenty miles. As soon as the minister's carriage arrives, the grooms who have been waiting there unload the running The panting shaft horse put the other two well-prepared horses on the carriage, and five minutes later, the carriage set off again, running towards the finish line at a speed of fifteen miles per hour without stopping.

The First Minister spent the night and the day in his coach, setting out on the afternoon of the [-]th of July, and at last in the early morning of the [-]th, he drove into the cobbled streets of the City of London.

This bustling city was noisy like a beehive during the day, but at this moment it turned into a dark ocean, and an ominous atmosphere enveloped the city.However, this calm is only temporary. When the sun rises the next day, the ocean will gather violent and all-consuming waves, pushing the lucky to the top and tearing the losers to pieces.

Amidst the flying dust and the sound of rolling wheels, the chief minister's carriage arrived at the gate of his mansion.The majestic Somerset House was originally a luxurious residence built by Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, who had long since passed away.When the Lord Protector suddenly fell, the majestic structure had only just finished its foundations.The new powerful minister took over the project, and the grand blueprint of Duke Protector was realized in the hands of the chief minister.

The big iron gate of the mansion was already opened when the carriage approached. The carriage drove briskly through the gate, turned half a circle in the square courtyard, and stopped in front of the steps at the entrance.

The chief minister opened the door and got out of the carriage without waiting for the servant to come over.There was a tired look on his face, but ambition was burning in his eyes.

The chunky Earl of Nottingham emerged from the gate like a seal. His nose, which was smashed by Ponsonby in Parliament before, has not fully recovered, and he looks extremely funny.He bounced off the steps in three steps and two steps, and faced the chief minister who was walking up the steps.

"How is it?" The Earl of Nottingham had a look of expectation on his face, and the fat on his face was jumping like waves.

The chief minister took out a few pieces of paper from his pocket and waved them at the other party.The Earl of Nottingham's face was flushed with ecstasy, and he clapped his hands violently, "That's great! We've won."

"It's still early." The Chief Minister said dryly, "Is your people ready?"

"Ready."

"Then let them go. Before dawn tomorrow, I hope that all government departments, the Tower of London and the Parliament, will be under our control." The two men walked into the gate while talking, and the servants in the hall were busy ordering Turn on the lights in the hall, "Especially the Ministry of the Interior, I want you to dig through those files in Walsingham, and find out for me all the clues he has collected."

"Okay, okay." The Earl of Nottingham nodded quickly, and he suddenly seemed to think of something, "What about the other nobles who went on a parade with you? Didn't they come back with you?"

"They are still in Wales." The chief minister showed a creepy smile, "From what I know about my son, when His Majesty dies, he will let those people be buried with His Majesty Edward VI. "

The Earl of Nottingham took a step back in horror, "What's going on? Why don't you..."

"Why don't you save them?" The chief minister chuckled, "Why should I care about their lives? It's just a bunch of useless reptiles." He leaned into the Earl of Nottingham's ear, "Furthermore, we want to reward the coup d'état A meritorious minister needs a lot of money."

The Earl of Nottingham suddenly understood what the other party meant: the chief minister wanted to use his son's hand to get rid of these cumbersome nobles, and use their property to buy off his supporters.He looked at the other party dumbfounded, "Are you crazy? They are from our side!"

"It's a burden on our side." The chief minister replied, "No matter who is in power, they can't feed these greedy beasts. Now there is such a good opportunity, why don't we take advantage of it? Wait until all the dust settles From now on, as long as a scapegoat is thrown out, no one can say anything anymore."

The Earl of Nottingham felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet, "Is the scapegoat you mentioned your son?" His voice began to tremble.

The First Minister didn't answer, but gave a sullen smile, but that smile made the Earl of Nottingham more horrified than any answer.Having known each other for so long, it seemed that he was only now beginning to understand what kind of dangerous person he was dealing with.

The chief minister didn't seem to notice the Earl of Nottingham's uneasiness, or even if he knew, he didn't care. He waved to the steward standing in the corner of the hall, and the man ran away like a pug seeing his master. come over.

"What are your orders?" he asked courteously.

"Where is Miss Jane Gray?" asked the First Minister, turning to him.

"Miss Jane Gray and Master Guilford are in bed."

"Wake them up, I'll wait for them in the blue living room," said the chief minister, and the steward was about to leave to carry out his order, when the chief minister stopped him again, "Wait a minute, I changed my mind, please send all Everybody wake up."

"Everyone, sir?"

"Yes, all the masters in this house, let them all come to the blue living room."

The steward looked surprised, but he didn't question his master's order.

"Let's go." The Chief Minister waved to the Earl of Nottingham.

The blue hall is the most luxurious large living room on the second floor. The walls of the living room are inlaid with blue silk upholstery, embroidered with the coat of arms of the Dudley family, and the furniture in the room are all made of exquisite wood. Furniture, richly painted with gold.In the living room, facing the main door, there is an altar-like stand, and on the wall behind it is a huge portrait of the real height of the chief minister.The chief minister in the painting is dressed in richly decorated armor, riding a bay red horse with the burning castle of Boulogne behind him, which is one of the most famous military exploits of his life.Under the horseshoes of the commander-in-chief was the blue iris flag of France covered in blood and dust, and the commander-in-chief in the portrait scanned every visitor who entered this hall with haughty eyes.

The lower right corner of the painting is signed in cursive script with the artist's name: Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1551.

The chief minister walked under his portrait and stood on the altar-shaped platform. The Earl of Nottingham stood on his left hand restlessly, looking a little absent-minded.

After about 10 minutes, the people who the chief minister was waiting for came one after another.

The first to arrive was the first minister's wife, a stooped duchess with white hair hanging over her sallow forehead.Although the Duchess is only 45 years old, she looks like a 70-year-old woman.

She walked tremblingly to an armchair and sat down.

"What do you want?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

The chief minister glanced at her, "Please wait a moment, when everyone comes, you will naturally know."

The Duchess sighed, "I'm not sure if I want to know." She raised her head and stared at her husband, "I smell blood on your body, what have you done?"

The chief minister gave her a cold look, "Do you have to talk like this?"

The Duchess leaned back on the chair weakly, closed her eyes, "It doesn't matter what I say, you won't listen anyway." She smiled softly, "You only listen to yourself."

The door opened again, and this time it was the family of the chief minister, the Duchess of Suffolk, who came in.The old face of the Duchess is now radiant with the nourishment of ambition, while her husband, the Marquis of Dorset, follows his wife like a follower, with his head bowed, muttering something incessantly .Their two youngest daughters, Catherine and Mary, followed, both yawning.

The Duchess quickly walked up to the Chief Minister and looked at him with inquiring eyes, and the latter nodded slightly.

The Duchess cried softly, "Thank God," she said, and crossed herself.

Guilford Dudley and Miss Jane Gray entered the room, the last group of visitors.The chief minister winked at the steward, and the door of the living room was immediately closed.

Miss Jane Gray, in a thin linen nightgown, looked uneasily at her father-in-law, then at her mother, whom the Duchess was staring at meaningfully, with ambition and desire in those familiar eyes The light made her shiver involuntarily.

She looked at her husband beside her for help, and Lord Guildford quickly took her hand, "Don't be afraid, I'm here." He said softly.

The chief minister looked around at everyone in the living room, and unfolded the precious document that he had been holding in his hand since just now.

"King Edward VI died yesterday afternoon at Pembroke Castle in Wales," he announced in a loud voice.

Miss Jane Gray trembled with terror, and Lord Guilford took her hastily in his arms.

"Before His Majesty died, he signed his legal will, and he designated my daughter-in-law, Lady Guilford, Jane Gray as his legal heir." He stretched out his arm and pointed to Jane Gray who was struck by lightning, "Please swear allegiance to Queen Jane."

Jane Gray uttered a sound that was part whimper and part sigh, and she fell backwards into Lord Guilford's arms.Lord Guilford took her hand hastily, and found it damp and cold.

The Chief Minister glanced dissatisfiedly at the unconscious Jane Gray, "Please give Her Majesty a smell of your smelling salt bottle, madam." He said to the Duchess of Suffolk.

"You frightened her, father!" exclaimed Lord Guilford disapprovingly.

The Duchess sneered, "Is this what you're thinking? What are you going crazy for?" She didn't know where the strength came from, and she jumped up from the armchair, "For your own ambition, you want Let our whole family be buried with you!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" the chief minister scolded dissatisfiedly.

However, the Duchess did not stop, "You said the king is dead, but what about my son? Where is Robert? Where is my son?" She took a step forward and grabbed the other party's collar, "My Where is the son, you speak!"

"He's still in Wales," replied the First Secretary deadpan.

"I understand..." The Duchess sneered, "The sudden death of the king must have something to do with you... That's why Robert didn't come back with you. You are really shameless to treat your son like this!"

The chief minister roughly pulled away his wife's hand that was holding him, and pushed her back violently. The Duchess fell to the ground on her back and moaned.

"Mother!" exclaimed Lord Guilford, looking up at the Chief Minister in disbelief. "Are you crazy?"

"He's not crazy, he's sober." The Duchess sat up, putting her hands on her waist. "He's always been like that, an insatiable beast! He's sacrificed a man to his ambition." My own son, and now I want to risk another son of my own, such a Cronus who devours his own children!"

She slumped on the carpet, sobbing softly.

At this time, under the action of acid smelling salts, Miss Jane Gray also slowly opened her eyes.She looked at her husband with fearful eyes, "My God, God." She murmured to herself in a low voice.

The Duchess of Suffolk gave her daughter a condescending look, "You are the queen now, please act like a monarch."

"I don't understand..." Miss Jane Gray looked completely stupefied, "Shouldn't His Majesty's heir be Princess Mary? After that, Princess Elizabeth, and then it will be my turn. What's going on? She rubbed her forehead, "What terrible thing happened?"

"In the will of His Majesty the former King Edward VI, they have been demoted as illegitimate daughters." The chief minister walked down from the stage, walked up to his daughter-in-law, and stretched out his hand to pull her up, "So now you are the British And the legal monarch of Ireland." He held the cold jade hand that was still trembling, brought it to his lips, and kissed it lightly, "Long live Queen Jane."

Jane Gray pulled her hand back as if bitten by a poisonous snake.

The chief minister smiled casually, and nodded towards the Duchess of Suffolk, "It's your turn, Frances."

The Duchess of Suffolk walks up to her daughter, a look of mixed joy and envy on her face - she was forced to renounce her claim to the throne as a condition of signing the marriage contract between Lord Guildford and Lady Jane Grey , and let her daughter inherit, although she has already accepted this point, deep down in her heart, she still has a grudge.

The Duchess slightly bent her knees and made a shallow curtsy, "Long live the Queen." She took her daughter's hand and kissed it perfunctorily.

Miss Jane Gray had a look of despair on her face, and she looked at her father-in-law with pleading eyes, "Please, I cannot accept this crown, please return it to someone who is qualified to accept it, before it is too late .”

"She's right," cried Lord Guilford to his father. "No one will support such a will, it's ridiculous... You're putting her on the scaffold if she accepts it." Crown, then no matter who comes to the throne in the end, she must die!"

"Enough." The First Minister gave Lord Guilford a savage look. "Your wife is the rightful queen of this country. There is no doubt about that! Now kneel down, kiss her hand, and offer her my respects." Take an oath of allegiance."

A sad smile appeared on Lord Guildford's face. She knelt in front of Jane Grey, looked into her tear-filled almond eyes, "I will always be loyal to her, whether she is queen or not."

Jane Gray stroked her husband's cheek, tears rolling silently from her eyes.

The Marquis of Dorset walked forward in silence. He looked at his daughter with complicated eyes, stretched out his hand to wipe the tears on her face, and sighed softly.

"Long live the Queen." He held Jane Gray's hand mechanically, bent down and kissed it quickly.

Miss Jane Gray's two younger sisters, aged 14 and nine, were already so stupefied by what happened tonight that their mother pushed them in front of her sister, who is now the Queen. Curtseyed on their shoulders.

After the Earl of Nottingham also swore allegiance to Queen Jane Grey, the Chief Minister turned to his wife who was still sitting on the ground, "Now it's your turn, ma'am."

The Duchess put her hands on the ground and stood up. She looked at her husband resolutely, "No, I won't have anything to do with this crazy thing." She pointed to her daughter-in-law, "You are here Didn't you taste blood in your mouth when you kissed her hand? You still have her blood on your mouth!"

She turned to the Duchess of Suffolk again, and the sharp look in her eyes made the guilty Duchess lower her head.

"And you, Frances Brandon, you are such a good mother... What is your daughter to you? A chip or a chess piece? If she is to die because of your ambition, will you be willing to guillotine her? What kind of mother are you? Are you worthy of being a mother?" The Duchess's voice was getting higher and higher. "This is really the most disgusting thing I have ever seen in my life. A group of people hide behind a little girl and use her to achieve Your ambition, a bunch of cowards!"

She spit at her husband's feet, rushed out of the living room without looking back, and closed the door heavily.

The muscles on the chief minister's face twitched a few times. He pretended to be nonchalant and looked at Jane Gray, who was curled up in her husband's arms. "Now I have two documents that need to be signed by His Majesty. One is an edict to canonize your husband as Duke of Clarence, and the other is to appoint me as the Lord Protector of the Kingdom and grant me all powers." He paused After a while, he added, "Please don't forget to sign 'JanetheQueen' when signing."

Jane Gray covered her face with her hands.

"Signing such a name may become evidence of treason in the future!" Guilford hugged his wife, "How can you let her sign such a thing?"

"After signing this, everyone is on the same boat. At this time, we should be in the same boat, shouldn't we?" The chief minister completely ignored his son's protest, "Now, Your Majesty, please go back to your room and rest. Leave the rest to me."

Jane Gray passed out again in her husband's arms.

"Poor child." The chief minister shrugged, "She is too excited tonight, take her back to her room to rest."

"But after she signs it," he added.

"Yeah, she is indeed too excited, thanks to you." Lord Guilford hugged his little wife tightly and glared at the chief minister.

"I really don't understand. When a person finds that the crown has fallen on his head, there are other emotions besides surprise." The chief minister curled his lips, "To me, you and your wife should both I am grateful for Dade."

Lord Guilford cast a contemptuous look at his father. The expression on his face was mixed with helplessness, anger and disgust, which was really indescribable.

"You'll ruin us all," he said coldly.

After speaking, he stood up, hugged his wife horizontally in his arms, and walked towards the door with a firm step that surprised even himself.