monarch

Every autumn, after the summer parade, the British royal family will return to Whitehall Palace in London to prepare for the annual Christmas ceremony.Whitehall Palace was built in the 300th century, and after 1500 years of expansion, it has become the largest palace in Europe with [-] rooms.Thousands of nobles and civil servants, squires, and even adventurers followed the king's footsteps like migratory birds for their own ambitions, power, and wealth. Now they also returned to the warm fortress of Whitehall Palace for the winter.

York Square, built in 1240, is the center of this palace city. Compared with the palaces built after the Renaissance, such as Hampton Palace or Richmond Palace, this medieval palace looks a bit gloomy.Although it has been remodeled and a few windows added, Prince Edward-Alexander is still dissatisfied with his gloomy bedroom. After all, for a man with 21st century memories, this palace looks like a tomb of the living dead.

In the world in Edward's memory, the Anne Boleyn in the history books did not have such good luck.On January 1536, 1, the child in her womb was not kept, and all the hopes of her and the Pauline family died with this child.And her destination was not to give birth to a prince and then die as a queen, but to be cut off by a long sword on the guillotine in the Tower of London.In the end, it was Queen Jane Seymour who gave birth to the prince for Henry. She was much luckier than Queen Jane in this world, but she also died three days after giving birth.However, other than that, it seems that he did not cause such a huge butterfly effect, and the whole of England continued to move forward according to the track in the history books.

The three-year-old Prince Edward is already fully dressed. Tonight is the annual Christmas dinner, which is also one of the most important festivals in the palace.As the heir to the English throne, Prince Edward will obviously be the focus of the audience.The prince has his own small court, and the housekeeper of the court, Baroness Margaret Bryan, is 72 years old this year and is still in good spirits.This venerable lady has served the royal family since the birth of the Tudor dynasty, and she presided over Henry VIII's three children.She wore a long black dress with a traditional English hood, a style that was popular in the previous dynasty of her girlhood, the Yorkist dynasty.She stood in the center of the room commanding an army of ladies, squires and valets.Seeing her giving orders, Edward was not surprised that the court gave her the nickname "Lionheart".Without this pin, the small court of the Prince of Wales would obviously not be as orderly as it is now.Below Mrs. Bryan, there is Mrs. Blanche Herbert, Sir Troy, who acts as "hostess". This middle-aged lady looks a little pale. She is religious, even to the point of fanaticism. , at this time she was supervising the attendants preparing the prince's guard of honor, and at the same time clutching the rosary tightly in her hand, she exerted so much force that the joints in her hands looked a little white.

"Sir Richard Page." The voice of the roll-caller at the door interrupted the bustle of the room.Sir Richard Page entered the room and gave the prince a deep salute.The steward to the Prince of Wales is in his late fifties, but still looks good.The Boleyn party member used to be in the Privy Council, but with the downfall of Queen Anne's party, he also lost his holy family.After a few months in the Tower of London, when everyone thought his career had come to an abrupt end, his stepdaughter married the new Queen's hot brother, Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, Pe Sir Gee also jumped into the big boat of Seymour's family immediately.However, when Queen Jane passed away in dystocia, he and Seymour's family became inseparable again.Now that he is in the position of the prince's general manager, it seems that he will inevitably follow the dragon's work in the future, which makes many of his colleagues in the past jealous.

"Your Highness, I am honored to inform you that it is time for you to attend." Sir Peggy has lived in the court for many years, and his etiquette is impeccable. He raised his head and looked at the prince with just the right eyes, both respectful and not Appears overly obsequious.Prince Edward was born superbly. He was a complete copy of his mother, inheriting Anne Boleyn's admirable French looks.His mother's son really, Sir Peggy thought.That was a long time ago, seems like ten years ago?He was not sure, probably when he first entered the Privy Council, the king's mistress Anne was the center of public opinion in the court.Many people like her, including him too.He played a role in Anne's series of plans, helping her bring down Cardinal Wolsey, who was in power for a while, and she also helped him rise to the top, but in the end... But one has to think for oneself, doesn't he?

The prince glanced at Sir Peggy, who was wearing a new black gown trimmed with gold, with the Peggy family crest - an elk - embroidered on the chest.Who is his allegiance to this man, even after a year in office?Edward's eyes were a little playful.Sir Peggy was a little dazed by the prince's eyes. Isn't this the eyes of a three-year-old child?This is not the time to be dreaming, he thought, trying to get the ignorance out of his head. "Your Highness, Princess Elizabeth has arrived, we should set off." The tone of respect remained unchanged.

Prince Edward nodded to him, "Let's go." Then the whole small palace became active like a stone was thrown into a pool of still water.Everyone bowed to the Prince and his party as they walked through the dark, narrow corridors of Whitehall Palace.

The state banquet hall where the banquet is held is still far inferior to the scale expanded by King James in the seventeenth century, but it is also one of the best in today's European courts.When Prince Edward arrived, the entire banquet hall was packed.According to the usual practice, the nobleman with the highest status appeared last, and Edward Alexander, as the heir to the throne, was only lower than the king and came in second to last.The Prince walked through the sea of ​​saluting crowds to the armchair embroidered with the Welsh red dragon by the king's throne, and turned around: "My lords and ladies, welcome to Whitehall Palace, I wish you a pleasant stay I wish everyone a merry Christmas." There was a burst of cheers in the venue: "Long live Your Royal Highness!"

After each nobleman arrived, it was time for an individual audience.Guests whose status is lower than His Royal Highness the Prince will come to see them in order of status. The first ones to come are naturally the two blood relatives of the Prince, Princess Elizabeth and Ms. Mary.Princess Elizabeth is only seven years old now. She has a look quite similar to her mother and younger brother, but she has red hair, which is completely different from the black hair of her mother and younger brother or the ginger hair of the king.Wearing a yellow dress, she curtseyed to her younger brother and smiled sweetly: "Merry Christmas, Your Highness." The beauty she was later praised for is now beginning to show.

"Merry Christmas, my sister." Prince Edward smiled back.Princess Elizabeth looked very happy. She pulled up the lace on her brother's sleeve and was about to say something when she was interrupted by a cough.The princess turned her head timidly, and saw Lady Mary Tudor looking at her seriously, with disapproval written in her eyes.

Ms. Mary is 24 years old now, but her unsmiling expression makes her look much older than her actual age.The king's only son from his first wife had been like this since his own mother's death.She wore a nondescript dark red dress embroidered all over with pomegranates, the emblem of the Spanish royal family from which her mother, Queen Catherine, was born.She wore a Spanish hood, somewhat bulky compared with the light and elegant French hoods introduced to court by Anne Boleyn.With rosary beads wrapped around her hands and a Catholic Madonna on her chest, she seemed unconcerned about offending the king who had parted ways with Rome.Her relationship with the king was completely broken when her mother was abandoned. When Queen Anne died, the king restored her inheritance and tried to repair the relationship with her. However, she was ungrateful, and the angry king refused. Reinstating her title of princess, she is still Lady Mary Tudor today, and she is second in line of succession to her half-brother and sister.She stepped forward and gave Elizabeth a stern look. Princess Elizabeth immediately stopped her disrespectful behavior and stepped back in embarrassment.

"Your Highness, I wish you a Merry Christmas and may you be healthy." Ms. Mary made a standard curtsy.Edward returned a standard smile: "Thank you, my sister, and I wish you a Merry Christmas." Edward has always been uncertain about Madam Mary's attitude towards him, and she naturally has reason to hate Anne Boleyn and her children. Take away everything from her, mother, honor, or the possible future throne.In front of them, Ms. Mary is always unsmiling, and in front of others, but she once wrote to care about the study life of her younger siblings.Humans are indeed complex animals, he thought.

After the members of the royal family, the great nobles in the court saluted.The first to bear the brunt were the leaders of the three factions in the court-Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, and Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford.The Duke of Suffolk is the king's childhood friend, and the king's most trusted minister has a detached position in the court.The Duke of Norfolk, the prince's great-uncle, hinted at the prince's kinship with his family in his speech as usual, as if his treachery four years ago never happened.The Earl of Hertford and the Seymour family behind him used to be the sworn enemies of the Boleyn family. However, after Anne and Queen Jane passed away one after another, the Seymour family seemed to pin their hopes on the rare and livable crown prince, "My dear My sister will be very happy to see His Highness look like this." The earl said with emotion, as if he was about to shed tears.If she was still alive, she would want to strangle me to death, Edward looked at the earl with a distorted expression, and thought sarcastically.

Next in line was Sir Thomas Cromwell, the chief director of Anne Boleyn's downfall.Mr. Cromwell would never take the initiative to meet Prince Edward, because the scene is too embarrassing, but there are always times like today that cannot be avoided.Mr Cromwell wore a black robe with the Privy Council badge on his chest.This minister from a humble background has no shortage of enemies in the court. It can even be said that there are not many of his friends in the hall. Almost everyone is gloating at his expression now.Now Mr. Cromwell is no longer as favored by the king as he was then, and many people think that the day of his downfall is not far away. "Merry Christmas, Your Highness." Mr. Cromwell bowed, his face expressionless. "Merry Christmas, Mr Cromwell," replied Prince Edward dryly.He didn't have any hatred for Mr. Cromwell, but no one would like a man who was likely to be a great threat to him, would he?Fortunately, Mr. Cromwell is already in decline. Although he made a last-ditch effort, it seems that this is not a coup in Edward's limited historical memory... But all this will be resolved in about a week. The princess arrived in Calais about a week ago...

The sound of the horn interrupted the prince's contemplation. Mr. Cromwell saluted again, and then walked back to the courtiers to meet him. Prince Henry also stood up.After a while, the ceremony officer at the door called loudly: "Your Majesty Henry VIII, blessed by God, King of England and France, Lord of Ireland, Leader of the Church of England and Ireland, Guardian of the Faith." Prince Edward looked at the king from the corner of his eye. Glancing at Ms. Mary, a mocking smile appeared on her face.

King Henry VIII is 48 years old, and compared with the handsome middle-aged man a few years ago, the king now looks like a mountain of meat-his waist has grown seventeen inches in three years.The hunting accident four years ago left him with a limp in his legs, and the often open wounds left him with a slight stench, which could not be completely covered up even with the finest spices from the East.The fat on his face has grown even more shocking, and his eyes are getting smaller and smaller day by day.Although it looked a little funny, no one dared to ignore him.Because Henry Tudor was clearly a tyrant, and a capable one at that, the entire court lived under his pressure, and all the nobles and ministers lived to please this fat man.

Henry VIII walked slowly to the throne. Edward bowed to him, trying his best to express the excitement of a child seeing his father: "Merry Christmas, Your Majesty." Henry VIII hugged his son and smiled.Whatever Anne Boleyn was, the fact that she had a son after all made it all worthwhile, Henry thought, "Merry Christmas, my son." In the past few years, Henry's moments of smiling have become less and less, and his performance today clearly shows his love for his only male heir.Ms. Elizabeth and Ms. Mary stepped forward to greet the king. The king seemed to be in a good mood. He hugged Princess Elizabeth and Prince Edward in his arms, and motioned for Ms. Mary to stand beside him.Lady Mary frowned, but finally obeyed.Henry looked around with some pride, "This is my family!" He said in French, and there was thunderous applause in the room.

Henry looked around, and finally found his target. In an instant, his somewhat old but still sharp eyes locked on the Countess of Salisbury.He stared at the lady for a long time, and then turned his head until the atmosphere in the room became a little cold, and the poor old woman was already in a cold sweat, and a circle of empty spaces formed around her, as if she had smallpox or cholera.For many years, the last descendant of the York dynasty has kept her own place. However, since the Pope pushed her second son, who became a cardinal, as the "legitimate king of England", she and her family have been pushed to the edge of the abyss .Fifty years have passed since the War of the Roses. Her father, younger brother, and uncle’s family all died badly. She looked at the Tudor roses painted on the ceiling. The white roses representing the York family were added with blue roses representing their sworn enemy. Red Custer roses, like blood, she thought.

King Henry's audience ceremony is no different from that of Prince Edward, and the ministers and nobles salute the king in order.Then it was the turn of the foreign ambassadors, and Henry received the Spanish ambassador in a friendly manner, but he did not pretend to be polite to the French ambassador.Apparently he was tired of the alliance with France and intended to rejoin Emperor Charles V's side.Under the rule of the Tudor dynasty, after decades of recuperation, England has got rid of the haze of the War of the Roses, and has firmly taken the chief position of the second European power.Although it is still inferior to the Habsburg dynasty that ruled Spain and Austria at the height of its power, France, which was facing each other in Italy and Habsburg under the rule of Knight King François, and Ottoman Turkey, which was eyeing the East, but the fourth in Europe A powerful country is enough to become a decisive weight in the balance, and King Henry has therefore become the target of all major European forces.

However, it is someone else who is getting the most attention today.Dr. Carl Hearst, the ambassador of the Principality of Cliffs, is more like a poor parish priest than a diplomat. His clothes are a bit shabby, and his hat was more popular more than ten years ago. style.He saluted the king awkwardly. King Henry looked a little unhappy, and the face of Mr. Cromwell beside him could only be described as gloomy.Maybe he made a mistake, Cromwell thought, and suddenly he was thrown into the ice cave, although he was in the warm court, but he seemed to be thrown into the snow-covered mountains of Wales in an instant.The ambassador of Cliffs is so ineffective, he really shouldn't have any expectations for these impoverished small principalities of Germany.His Reformation policies had unleashed riots in England, and the king seemed to be growing impatient with him.At this time, a princess from a Protestant country and her natal family can obviously be his great help, so he single-handedly facilitated the marriage between the king and Princess Anne of the Duchy of Cliffs in Germany, the king's fourth wife... However, what he saw today really made him a little disheartened, and he felt that it was difficult to have any expectations for this princess.And if women like the first three queens can't control the king, how long can this princess survive in this court?When she fell, could he, the creator of this marriage, be able to get away unscathed?The images of the enemies under his feet suddenly appeared in his mind, the Bishop of Wolsey, the Pauline family, Catherine and Queen Anne... The musicians began to play "Thanksgiving", and the celebration finally began, but he had long since disappeared. any interest.He has already received news that the princess has arrived in Dover, and there is no room for regret...

For the first time Thomas Cromwell felt as if he had made a bad move.