Human dimension reduction

The gas lamps on both sides of the street lit up continuously, and the night watchman turned the brass knob to control the outflow of gas. on the dial.

The grey-haired, oil-stained night watchman squinted his eyes, trying to put his ear against the rusty lamppost, trying to catch the chugging sound of the pipeline gas passing through the gate, and his calloused fingers turning nimbly The knob is used to adjust the opening and closing of the gate bit by bit, so as to avoid too little gas coming out and the lights not turning on, and too much gas coming out to cause waste.

——The monthly street lamp gas fee approved by the royal family is only so small. Once it exceeds too much, the night watchmen will have to pay the excess fee themselves, but how can they afford so much money.

If you really can't get it, you can only go to be a serf for the royal family.

The night watchman finally adjusted the brass knob, looked at the dial pointer, closed the control panel, locked the panel with a thick and precise lock, and carefully stuffed the key into the deepest part of the toolbox—this key also belongs to the royal family Yes, it will cost a fortune to re-equip once lost.

The old night watchman who finished his work leaned against the street lamp and sighed lowly. The gas bill approved this month has been reduced again. The street lamps near the suburbs have been extinguished for a long time, but the civilians there will not be in the middle of the night. Go out, while the nobles...

Humph, nobles, God knows if those nobles will survive until the lights come on again!

Since he was young, the Lancaster family and the York family have been at loggerheads, and the majesty on the throne has changed one after another. For a while, the red rose flag of the Lancaster family was flying in London, and for a while it was York. The white rose banner of the family, the heads fell off one after another on the guillotine outside the Tower of London, like endless wheat.

With great difficulty, His Majesty Edward has been stable for ten years after succeeding to the throne. Before the fields in the suburbs have been cultivated, the owner of the Palace of Westminster has changed.

The healthy old king passed away in his sleep for no reason, and the new king who succeeded him was only 12-year-old Prince Edward of Wales—of course, he should be named Edward V now.

12 years old!

The old night watchman remembered something, and his wrinkled face became even more wrinkled.

He didn't care about the future fate of the immature new king, he only hoped that during the period when the York family was in power, the treatment of the new sect would be better, although he also knew that this was unlikely.

One of the main sources of the struggle between Lancaster and York is the difference in attitude towards Protestantism and Old Church. The Lancaster family supports the Protestantism that develops new energy and focuses on art and pleasure, while the York family relies on the noble and ancient aristocratic tradition and insists on Adhere to the tradition of perseverance and simplicity, reject these new things "from the temptation of the devil", and serve the Lord with a "pious and pure heart".

These steam lamps, machinery and technology are all favored by Protestants.

Since most nobles have a soft spot for such novel and convenient tools, the Old Church did not reject all new technologies too strictly, but we can also find some clues from the share of the royal family's monthly appropriation.

At this moment, there was a sudden sound of horseshoes on the quiet street. The old night watchman, who had experienced chaotic wars, rushed to the dark corner of the house with agility that did not match his age, and saw the three horses flying like arrows. Galloping to the east, only the leading horse can be seen in a glimpse, fat and white, and the man on the horse is wearing a scarlet cloak and a bushy and shaggy beard.

This is already the Upper East Side where the aristocrats live, and further east is the Palace of Westminster, and there are only a few candidates who can gallop to the Palace of Westminster during this curfew time...

The old night watchman quickly realized who he saw, his shoulders trembled, and he turned around quietly and walked into the deeper darkness.

"Where's Edward?"

The sturdy and majestic middle-aged man got off the horse with agility, pulled off the cloak on his shoulders and threw it to the knight who followed him, and glanced at the head of the royal family who hurriedly heard the news and came to greet him.

"His Majesty the King has gone to bed, do you need to invite him to the study or the reception room?"

The royal steward didn't think there was anything wrong with pulling the sleeping king out of the quilt in the middle of the night, and asked the Duke of Gloucester who came uninvited in a respectful tone.

"Going to bed? Hmph... that kid Richard is here?"

The middle-aged man let out a brief sneer from his nose, and he was still indifferent when he called the king's younger brother by his name.

This was not a big deal for him. As the king's uncle and the only auxiliary Duke designated by the previous king, calling the king and his brothers by their names could only be regarded as one of his privileges.

"The Duke of York is indeed there..."

The Steward lowered his head and watched the Duke of Gloucester rush past him, followed by the two knights. None of them asked him to take off his sword. The Palace of Westminster was harmless. The ground opened for the Duke of Gloucester, as if welcoming his own master.

The Duke of Gloucester strode down the corridors. He has been to the magnificent Palace of Westminster countless times. After his elder brother Edward IV became king, he did not know how many times he walked in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the middle of the night. Enter this royal palace that symbolizes authority, participate in discussions and even formulate various command policies by yourself.

When his elder brother died, he would still walk in here in the morning, in the afternoon, and late at night, but the rush and tension had completely disappeared, and he walked here as if he had returned to his own palace. The throne is but a step away—

And within this step, there are his two nephews and the two sons entrusted to him by his elder brother.

The Duke of Gloucester stopped in his tracks. In front of him was the gorgeous and spacious double door of the king's bedroom. The sculptures of angels, the sun, and white roses covered the entire door, and crossed scepters and rose crowns symbolizing the king's rule could be seen everywhere.

There was already a slight movement in the bedroom. There were two knights guarding the king standing on the left and right of the door. The king's servant who should be guarding the small bedroom next door disappeared. It seemed that he had received the news and went in to wake up the king.

According to the etiquette, the Duke of Gloucester should wait patiently at the door, waiting for the king to hear him, but according to the etiquette, he should not even be standing here at this moment.

The Duke of Gloucester thought so, ignored the two knights who looked like clay sculptures and wood sculptures, pushed open the door of the bedroom with his hands, and stepped directly into the room covered with woolen blankets with his iron boots stained with dust.

The fireplace is lit in the king's bedroom, and the fresh and fragrant fragrance of flowers fills the nostrils. The maids will go to the garden in the morning to choose the freshest flowers, order the gardener to cut them off, and send them to the king's bedroom. Put on a new bouquet, and now the flowers on the table are a large bouquet of fragrant white roses.

The curtains of the four-poster bed staggered down to the ground, covering the scene on the big bed. The king's personal servant noticed the movement at the door, and was looking at him in astonishment and defense: "Your Excellency, Your Majesty hasn't tidied up—"

"It doesn't matter," the Duke of Gloucester gave him a cold look, "I don't mind."

It's not a question of whether you mind or not!But whether His Majesty the King minds!

The valet was dumbfounded by the arrogant words of the Duke of Gloucester, and was about to reprimand him, when a white and slender hand stretched out from the curtain, pressed the valet's wrist, and stopped his words.

"It's okay, Your Excellency the Duke is just a little impatient, bring me a cloak." From the bed curtain came a weak and soft voice belonging to a child, like the delicate singing of a young pigeon, clear and harmless.

For a king, such a voice obviously lacks sufficient deterrence.

Unable to resist the master's order, the male servant bowed his head in response, quickly fetched a large and gorgeous cloak, and draped it over the young master's immature shoulders.

"Hush...Richard, go to sleep, brother will be back soon." The little king pulled the corner of the quilt for the awakened brother beside him, stroked his soft light blond hair, and raised his hand to signal the manservant to cover the bed curtain , before walking in front of the uncle.

"Uncle, what is the reason for entering the palace so late?"

The young king stood in front of the Duke of Gloucester and asked neither humble nor humble.

The protector of the country who had been a soldier for a lifetime looked at his nephew standing in front of him. Even he had to admit that this nephew had inherited his mother's usual good looks from the Neville family. Elegant and beautiful like a noble white swan.

But...too thin, too young, too weak.

The scarlet cloak inlaid with gemstones and gold thread was pressed on his shoulders, like a heavy shackle around the neck of a white swan. The excessive luxury did not add to him the majesty of the king, but made him harmless. Delicacy is more pronounced.

As long as you want to, you can stretch out your hand and cut his neck now, not to mention the violent storms outside... The rebels and the plotters who tried to usurp the throne cursed the young king day after day, and this immature monarch didn't need it When it comes to protecting the country, he can't even protect himself.

That's right, he is only 12 years old after all, and he hasn't even opened his skeletal body.

The Duke of Gloucester looked at his nephew critically and sternly, and then said slowly: "In the north, George of Lancaster started to go up and down to try to restore it, and he even handed the letter to the Duke of Buckingham—you Do you know what that means?"

Edward's face turned pale in an instant, his eyebrows twitched nervously, and he was pressed hard by himself again, taking a deep breath: "But...uncle has already heard the news..."

"Yes," the Duke of Gloucester quickly interrupted the king, "so I come to ask you, what are you going to do?"

Edward was keenly aware of the unsatisfactory meaning in the Duke of Gloucester's words. This question was both a test and a temptation.

Answering too well would put the Duke of Gloucester on guard against him, but answering too badly would give him a reason to dethrone an incompetent king.

And if it's just a school test, is it necessary to break into the king's bedroom at night?

Edward's palms were slowly sweating. He pursed his lips, and after a few seconds, he smiled stiffly: "Uncle has worked hard all the way here. I heard from my father that my uncle lost a lot of money in the Battle of the Severn River in his early years." Severe leg disease, can't stand for a long time, why not drink a cup of tea first?"

The Duke of Gloucester glanced at him sharply, and raised the corner of his mouth, as if touched by the former king he brought out. After all, he turned his head and walked out without saying anything.

After the war broke out between the two royal families, the king’s bedroom was equipped with meeting functions due to emergency avoidance or transfer needs. Edward often saw his father discussing state affairs with ministers in the bedroom. To put it bluntly, Gross There's nothing wrong with T's refusal to go out.

However, the cold and tough Duke retreated once in a while, and Edward didn't intend to push forward, so he followed him silently.

The manservant frowned and glanced at the four-poster bed, and found that the little duke was still sleeping unconsciously on the bed, so he immediately followed behind the little master - no matter what, he couldn't let the wolf-ambitious Lord Protector stay with His Majesty the King room!

Not long after they all left, the Duke of York, who seemed to be asleep, suddenly opened his eyes.

He has a pair of emerald pupils that are exactly the same as his brother's. This kind of green is naturally pure and clear, and it is as clear as crystal. It is inlaid on the face with baby fat, like two precious emeralds.

"Come out, I see you." He sat up, his body sunken between the soft and rich down and silk, his pale golden hair scattered on his shoulders, and the snow-white silk pajamas drooped loosely on his shoulders, as sweet as an angel.

But an angel would never have such a cold and vigilant tone and eyes.

After his words fell, the bedroom was still silent, only the sound of his own breathing could be heard. The young Duke clutched the quilt tightly, thinking nervously, and slowly asked: "Are you here to kill us?"

Still silent.

Not answering is sometimes an answer. Richard relaxed a little instead. He lowered his eyes and thought for a while, hesitated for a while, and said softly: "I... I saw that you have become another person, and I want to make a deal with you ..."

This time, there was finally movement outside the curtain. A tall man slowly emerged from the void. He was wearing a strange robe, holding a light blue lamp in his hand, with black hair and black eyes. The facial features have a special sense of beauty.

He stared at himself for a long time, seeing that Richard's whole body was tense, and he began to tremble unconsciously, so he shifted his gaze and asked lightly, "What deal?"

After falling into the Indian Ocean, he accidentally fell into the Mediterranean Sea, and managed to find the right direction to sneak into the black hole of London. Qiao Zhou, the first thing he did after landing was to find a place to change his clothes. Common people in this era don’t have many clothes to wear, so He can only seek alms for aristocratic families, and the largest aristocratic mansion in the Upper East Side is the Palace of Westminster.

Qiao Zhou moved into the palace in twos and twos, turned east and west to find the locker room, and later found that it was too troublesome to use the mad doctor's movement skills to find things, so he simply changed to Lan Yin's Yin Yin—in a world without Huangquan Yinsi, this This skill has become a purely invisible figure, he is like a pure invisible ghost, he can go anywhere with a lamp.

——But when he switched identities, he clearly paid attention to the surrounding area, how could he be discovered by this little bastard?