monarch

The scorching July sun scorched the land in southern England, and the sweltering heat was like a landslide, overwhelming the cities and villages, making everyone in them breathless.

Just a few hours after the First Minister delivered a speech in Parliament, several sweaty riders were driving their already panting horses with their spurs, and rushed into the hall of Princess Mary's manor in Heusdon. door.

Although the weather was uncomfortable, and the thick and hot air outdoors would make people's lungs unbearably uncomfortable just by taking a breath, but Princess Mary's manor still seemed to welcome many guests.The carriages parked in a circle around the fountain in the center of the courtyard, while the grooms and servants sat in the shade cast by the big trees on the edge of the flower bed next to the courtyard to enjoy the cool, watching the water flowing from the mouth of the mermaid statue in the center of the fountain Flowing lazily outward.The water in the pool was a bit dirty, some moss grew on the marble at the edge, and there were leaves and the corpses of a few bugs floating on the water surface, which looked a bit muddy.

The knights reined in their horses right in front of the fountain. They jumped off the horses, dropped the reins, left their mounts behind, and ran straight towards the entrance of the mansion.And those grooms and servants who were dozing lazily didn't even bother to lift their eyelids—there have been countless waves of such messengers since this morning.

Compared with the outside, the interior of the mansion is as cool as heaven. There are pots of melting ice cubes on both sides of the corridor, and the delicate wind wheels gently blow the cool air from them to the dusty travelers. Let them breathe involuntarily.

After passing through several rolled up curtains, one enters the large living room in the center of the house.This is a very large room. The walls of the room are filled with all kinds of bonsai flowers and trees, exuding the direction of plants and trees, like a huge greenhouse.Contrary to popular decorating styles, there are not many works of art in the room as decoration, the only exception is a portrait of Catherine of Aragon hanging above the mantelpiece, the mother of Princess Mary wearing the Queen's head with a haughty expression, scanning every visitor who walked into this living room.

Princess Mary Tudor lolls in an armchair with a blue velvet cushion, wearing a plain garnet red dress.Although her figure, which is about to give birth, changes almost every day, this dress fits her perfectly, as if her whole body was cast in a mold wrapped in the clothes.

There was a small coffee table next to Princess Mary, which was full of documents and letters, and new documents were sent to her in an endless stream. She lazily flipped through the papers, her face looked haggard, obviously Suffering from pregnancy.

Huddled in the drawing room with Princess Mary were the greats of her party: Cardinal Eugenard Pearl, Pope's envoy, Gardner, Bishop of Winchester, and the ambassador of Spain, all since yesterday. Gathered here.

A footman passed through the door that connected the drawing-room to the anteroom, another envelope in his hand.Under the gaze of everyone, he strode up to Princess Mary, bowed deeply, and put the letter on the small coffee table beside the princess.

Princess Mary yawned, picked up the letter, cut open the envelope with a letter cutter, and took out a thin white paper with a few lines written on it.She unfolded the paper and scanned it.

"The Legion of Flanders has landed in the south, and they are still two days away from here." She lazily put the paper back on the small coffee table, but everyone noticed that the light in her eyes was brighter than It just got brighter.

Hearing the princess's words, the people in the room all showed expressions of joy or relief.Bishop Gardiner clapped his hands lightly, while the Spanish ambassador crossed himself.

The temporary alliance between Princess Mary and the chief minister is just a temporary tacit understanding between the wolf and the lion. After all, there is only one St. Edward's crown, but there are three heads who want to wear it.As a result, Princess Mary's Spanish reinforcements set off half a month earlier than planned, and the chief minister, who had been prepared, had already taken control of the capital before everyone could react.Obviously, for both parties, an agreement on paper is nothing more than a scrap of paper when it is useless, let alone a tacit agreement reached only verbally.

"It's a pity that old fox Dudley predicted our move, otherwise the overall situation is settled now." The Spanish ambassador gritted his teeth and said in his English with a strong accent, "But it doesn't matter, it's up to him Win a week, the final outcome is doomed, after all, the [-] troops that Spain sent to you are the best elite in Europe, far from being comparable to the mob recruited by our opponents."

"It's a pity that they still need two days to get here." Bishop Gardner looked at Princess Mary. "In my opinion, two days at this time is as long as two centuries. Anything can happen."

Princess Mary noncommittally picked up a fan stuffed between the back of the chair and the cushion, and fanned it lightly, "Is there any news from London? What is Dudley going to do next?"

Bishop Gardner bowed slightly, "Dudley has issued a false edict to all counties across the country in the name of the false king Jane Gray, asking the sheriffs of each county to recruit local self-defense forces to assemble in London to resist the so-called Spanish invasion. .”

"How's the local response?"

"Many magistrates are unwilling to obey London's orders, and they prefer to wait until the situation is clear before placing their bets. However, it is said that Dudley has a handle on many of them, so that they have to obey his orders."

"Their secrets?" Princess Mary frowned slightly, "He has the secrets of so many people?"

"It is said to have been recovered from Sir Walsingham's archives at the Home Office."

Princess Mary sneered, "It seems that these collections of my brother's are still cheap for him in the end."

"This is one of the bonuses of controlling the capital." Bishop Gardner nodded, "In addition, he holds the entire parliament in his hands, which also makes his power look like the legal regime of England... ...It also underscores once again the need to recapture the capital as soon as possible."

"We can't wait that long." Princess Mary stood up and walked slowly. She looked at Bishop Gardiner, "Mr. Bishop, please write to the sheriffs and sheriffs of all counties in my name. Letter, tell them that as long as they are loyal to me, then those Sir Walsingham's files on them will be burned, and everything will be forgotten, and ask them to consider whether they are willing to write everything off under my rule, or Willing to be threatened for the rest of their lives under Queen Jane Gray's rule, I believe they are all smart people, and smart people will make the best choice for themselves."

She paused for a moment, biting her lip, as if there was some fierce struggle going on in her heart.

"Please tell them at the same time," she hesitated for about half a minute, and finally made up her mind, "I will support the policy of religious freedom. I myself believe in Catholicism, but I don't mind other people's Protestant beliefs, please." You tell them so."

She looked at the smiling Cardinal Pearl, "Your Majesty, I hope you can understand my difficulties. This is just a stopgap measure. One day, I want to see the light of the Roman Church shine again." Light up the kingdom."

The cardinal smiled and nodded, "I fully understand, and I would say that even if you didn't think of it yourself, I would suggest the same to you. This is a wonderful move, Your Highness."

"Oh, look at my memory." As soon as the cardinal finished speaking, he patted his forehead. "Now it should be His Majesty, the Queen of Britain and Ireland, Her Majesty Queen Mary I of Naples."

Princess Mary's eyes glowed with excitement, like cat's eyes shining in the dark night.

"Mary I, Queen of Britain and Ireland, Queen of Naples." She repeated the cardinal's words softly, as if the combination of these words became some kind of spell, and just repeating it once could make people's dreams come true.

She turned her head and looked at the portrait of Catherine of Aragon on the wall. The lines on the queen's face in this portrait were much stiffer than the actual one. This was modified according to Princess Mary's request. It was obviously her Some kind of projection from within. "I waited 20 years for this," she said softly. "Now I just have to wait two more days."

She had a knowing smile on her face, as if the crown of England were nothing more than a fruit hanging from the apple tree in her garden, which she could pick off with a flick of her hand on tiptoe.

"Please allow me to remind Your Majesty." Bishop Gardiner leaned forward with a flattering expression on his face, "From the moment King Edward VI passed away, you have been the legal queen of this country. What you are doing now is not to win the crown, you are just cutting down those rebels who are waiting for their arms. You don't need to fight for the throne, because you are already its master."

Princess Mary looked at Bishop Gardner, the gleam in her eyes was the kind of gaze unique to women that can see through each other's heart, "Thank you for your reminder, dear Bishop, please don't forget to give your message to everyone. This is mentioned in the letters of the county sheriffs."

Bishop Gardner bowed deeply to Princess Mary, "I am willing to serve Your Majesty."

He pronounced the word "Your Majesty" emphatically.

Princess Mary nodded proudly, and she looked at the Spanish ambassador again, "Your Excellency, what do you think of us letting the Spanish army turn directly to London? We can start from here and meet them halfway, which can save a lot of time. .”

The Spanish ambassador thought for a moment, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps outside the door and the sound of spurs across the floor.

A tall man covered in sweat broke into the room, and the hot air he brought in mixed with the smell of sweat made Princess Mary feel slightly sick.She suppressed the discomfort and looked at the other party, only to find that it was her personal guard captain who came in.

"What's the matter with you, sir?" There was a tinge of displeasure in her tone.

"I'm very sorry to disturb Your Highness." The captain's face was a little pale, and his forehead and hands were full of sweat. "An army is approaching the manor. It is the chief minister's troops. They should plan to take action against you."

"He was faster than we expected." Bishop Gardner stomped his feet on the ground fiercely, "Your Majesty must leave immediately, go and prepare a carriage for His Majesty."

"I'm afraid the carriage will be too late." The cardinal shook his head, "Is your majesty in good condition to ride a horse?"

"Of course not!" The Spanish ambassador stopped immediately, "Your Majesty is about to give birth, and at this time, even the bumping of the carriage must be avoided as much as possible, let alone riding a horse!"

Princess Mary stood there without saying a word, as if she was deaf to everything around her.She looked at her mother in the portrait, and the look on Catherine of Aragon's face seemed more serious than before.

"How many are there?" Princess Mary asked.

"About 500 people." The captain of the guard replied, "About 100 of them are cavalry, and the rest are infantry in carriages, and they are getting off now." He looked at Princess Mary with some hesitation, "If you plan to resist If so, I must remind you that we don't have much chance of winning. After all, your guards are only 50 people. Even if we distribute weapons to all the servants, grooms and doormen in the manor, we can gather up to 100 people. I suggest that we This is attracting firepower, you and your lords leave as soon as possible."

"Resistance?" A sarcastic smile appeared on Princess Mary's face, "Who told you that I was going to war with them?"

The captain of the guard looked at Princess Mary in confusion, "Then you plan to leave?"

"Why should I be afraid of my soldiers, since I am the legitimate queen of the country?" Princess Mary raised her head, looking like Queen Catherine walked out of the portrait on the wall, "They are my subjects, my soldiers Ladies, I want to go up to them and demand their allegiance to me. I want to see who dares to point the sword in their hands at their queen!"

Bishop Gardner and the Spanish ambassador looked at Princess Mary in amazement, their mouths gaping comically.The cardinal looked at Princess Mary in surprise, but there was also a hint of appreciation in it.

Princess Mary strode to a corner of the room, pulled the bell rope hanging there a few times, and summoned her maid to come in.

"Please go to my bedroom and take out the armor in the big box next to the dresser." She ordered.

"It was my mother's armor, which she wore on the battlefield and defeated the invading Scots and French, while I was in her womb." Princess Mary said awe-inspiringly, "I was born to be a warrior , my maternal grandmother, Isabella of Castile, personally went to the battlefield to face the heathen, and so did my mother. Although I am a woman, I can also hold a sword, and I will use my own hand sword to defend my birthright!"

She tore off the hood on her head, and threw the tiara on the ground. Those diamonds and pearls bounced on the ground, making a crisp and sweet sound.

The huge oak box was carried into the living room by two guards.They put the box on the ground and opened the heavy lid.

Inside the box were a pair of breastplates and a Spanish-style helmet, which looked quite old, but their surfaces were still bright enough to reflect the contours of the faces on the opposite side, obviously they had been carefully maintained over the years.

Princess Mary knelt on the ground on one knee, gently stroking these relics of her mother.She gently took the breastplate and helmet out of the box and placed them on the ground beside her.

There was still a sword under the box, with a blood-red ruby ​​inlaid on the hilt, staring at everyone in the room like a devil's eye.

Princess Mary picked up the sword and pulled it out of the scabbard. She looked at the cold light reflected on the blade with fascinated eyes.

"Pick up all these things, let's go next door and change." She gave an order to her maid.

Princess Mary disappeared behind the door with the maid, leaving several of her important officials to look at each other in the living room.

"This is madness," grumbled the Spanish ambassador, thinking only of the future prince or princess of Spain who now lay in Princess Marie's womb.A new member of the Habsburg family died in his mother's womb because he couldn't stop the mother's crazy actions. What would his majesty the emperor say?

The more the ambassador thought about it, the more frightened he became. Big beads of sweat flowed from his face all the way to his collar, "Why don't you stop her!" He shouted dissatisfiedly at the two bishops.

Bishop Gardiner sighed and shrugged his shoulders helplessly, "When she wants to do something, no one can stop her." The bishop made a cross on his chest. He is usually the most pious at this time.

"I think this might be a good idea." The cardinal, who had been sitting silently by the side, said leisurely.After he finished speaking, he lowered his head again and fell into his own contemplation, while the ambassador and Bishop Gardner looked at him as if they were looking at a lunatic.

Five minutes later, Princess Mary returned to the living room. She was dressed neatly and put on a garnet red riding outfit. On her chest was the armor of Catherine of Aragon. The feather on the top of the helmet followed her head. Swaying and jumping.The sharp sword hung at her waist, and the hilt was level with her womb.Her hair fell back from her helmet, and she held the hilt of her sword in one hand while she stroked her stomach tenderly with the other.If you don't take into account the obvious bulge of the abdomen, she looks like Diana, the goddess of the hunt.

"Prepare your horses, gentlemen." She raised her head proudly, and took the lead in walking towards the gate.