Human dimension reduction

After Gloucester left the palace, the king's guards began to dress up. These good boys of noble birth armed themselves with long spears with white roses and double swords branded on the handles, and wore light armor on their bodies. They made beautiful saddles, and many people also braided the long manes of the horses into beautiful braids.

The king and his brother should be equipped with enough guards for their trips, but then the fun of visiting the market would be lost, so Edward left most of the guards and only allowed 30 people to follow the carriage.

After finishing a lunch with mushroom cream soup, lamb and grilled fish as the main meal, the little king took Richard into the carriage, which originally belonged to the former king Edward IV. The main frame is decorated with silver, gold, lace ribbons, satin lace, and a small trumpeting angel stands on the top. It looks gorgeous, but it is already the most simple and simple carriage among all the king's carriages.

The coachman drove the reins to make the carriage move, and the two three-year-old horses spurted a puff of air from their noses, and moved their hooves to drag the heavy thing with difficulty.

Richard looked out through the car window. The ground of the Palace of Westminster was paved with gravel and stones. The green eyes with a joyful smile suddenly sank, threw away the lace curtain, and sat there with a gloomy face, motionless.

Edward gave him a suspicious look, but he soon understood what was going on.

"His Majesty."

The low-pitched and smiling voice of the North Gaul consul resounded from the car window. Edward turned his head and opened the car window, and saw a man on a horse walking towards this side against the light.

William Stuart dismounted, even if he was going to accompany the king, he still dressed simply, and he didn't seem to like to decorate himself with those heavy short coats studded with jewels. At this moment, he was still wearing a graphite black loose long coat, shirt The vest, trousers and scarf, and the loose lace and ruffled cuffs covered half of his fingers, but he could see several different gemstone rings on his hands.

"Your Majesty, do I have the honor to ride with you?"

The elders of Stuart asked Edward with a smile. His long curly black hair fell behind his shoulders, and he had a gentle and elegant look.

"Of course, please come up." Edward nodded at him, and the young consul threw back the whip, waiting for the stone statue-like attendant to take it, and quickly led the master's horse back.

Richard's face became even uglier. Before Stuart came up, Edward raised his hand and pinched Richard's chin, turning his head to face him, and stared at him with lowered eyelids and a smile for two seconds. Zha's expression was a little loose, and after a while, he reluctantly showed a polite smile to Stuart who had just stepped into the carriage.

Thirty attendants surrounded the king's carriage. A group of people came out of the Palace of Westminster and walked westward. Stuart pointed to some buildings and began to explain in a low voice. Richard, who was deeply hostile, couldn't help pricking up his ears.

There are several large and small markets in London. The one chosen by Stuart is the closest to the Upper East Side. It is called "White Rose Market". The origin of its name is the two bushes of white roses planted near the street. It is a symbol of the York family, and it is sometimes ridiculed as the "Royal Fair".

At the entrance of the market, the stalls on both sides could not accommodate the carriage. Stuart got out of the carriage first, and raised his hand to help the little king and his younger brother. Thirty followers got off their horses one after another and followed several next to the big man.

The market is next to small buildings with an average height of two floors. Brass screws and curved pipes open up small compartments. The roofs are covered with straw and sackcloth. There are jewelry shops and silk shops worth seeing on the streets. There are also copperware workshops, bakery workshops, and shops that sell imitated North Gaul specialties. In the corner, there is a wooden sign for repairing steam machinery. The square is full of vegetable stalls and livestock dealers. At the end near the Thames River is a large Fish Market - Vendors dump fish guts and all sorts of filth directly into the river, giving the wide river a suffocating smell.

Richard held Edward's hand in one hand, and looked around curiously. Anyone could tell that their identities were unusual, but the passers-by and even the vendors on the street remained strangely silent, proceeding as usual. buy and sell.

Edward felt that this could probably be called one of the great prestige projects in medieval London.

But it is obviously impossible for the king to allow ordinary people to approach him casually, so it is justifiable to invite such rehearsed actors to come. Edward did not intend to dismantle Stuart's arrangement, so he ignored Stuart's expression changed briefly.

Richard was very interested in the things in the antique shop, so Edward asked Aiden to follow him to have a look. Richard turned his head and looked at him when he heard this: "Aren't you with me?"

The little king in a dark blue cloak smiled at him, took his hand from him, twirled the king's power ring on his thumb, and said to him gently and unquestionably: "Go, I want to marry Si Duke Tuart, take a walk."

His words made Richard realize something, his eyes lingered between him and Stuart, nodded, and said with something in his words: "Then you should be careful."

Stuart watched the steward of the king accompany the young Duke of York into a shop, lowered his head and asked the little king beside him: "Is Your Majesty deliberately trying to dismiss the Duke of York? Do you have something to say to me?"

The little blond-haired king sighed: "I've never seen a person who is as shameless as you and who is good at hitting back. Isn't it you who have something to say?"

The young consul pursed his lips and smiled: "Your harsh accusation really makes me sad."

Edward looked at a strangely shaped vase in the window for two seconds, and replied casually: "Severe...but it's not fabricated out of thin air, is it?"

Stuart curled up his lips and smiled strangely. He had no intention of refuting the king's rhetorical question, and even vaguely admitted: "In northern Gaul...your evaluation of me like this would still be considered a So kind and gentle."

The consul of northern Gaul is a harsh and cruel devil, a paranoid who deserves to go to hell, and he must be delivered by a pus-faced witch. He put on a soul that only the devil has.

—This is what people in northern Gaul say when they gather in taverns to curse privately, but William himself thinks he is more tolerant than what is described in the words, at least he did not hear these words through the eyes and ears of spies Hang those people in front of City Hall.

"Well, let's talk frankly, my lord duke."

The little king bypassed this somewhat dangerous topic, stroking the emerald on the ring with his fingertips: "What do you want from me? Or, what can I exchange for your support for the king?"

Stuart feigned surprise and opened his eyes wide, his dark blue pupils enlarged slightly, revealing a kind of gentleness shimmering on the sea: "Ah, how do you say that, as a wolfhound guarding northern Gaul for the king? , I admire Your Majesty with all my heart!"

"However," Stuart noticed the slight boredom in the king's eyebrows and eyes, and immediately took a turn, "I don't mind adding the title of Prince of Gaul to my title. What do you think, my lord?"

Edward stopped rubbing his face: "You want the whole of Gaul? Then half of the territory does not belong to us."

Stuart smiled: "That's my business...if you are willing to bestow such an honor on me."

The little king squinted his eyes and pondered for a long time, and during his thinking, Stuart looked at the young His Majesty the king with unscrupulous eyes, from the light golden curly hair to the rosy cheeks, and the slightly Thin chin—life in the Palace of Westminster must have put a lot of pressure on the little king, and he didn't have any soft fat that a boy of his age should have. A statue in the bedroom of the Palace of Fontainebleau in Northern Gaul.

Works written by the sculptor Roland, based on the famous beautiful boy Ganimodes in history, this handsome prince wears a crown made of olive branches and bay leaves, and the simple robe slips from the shoulders to the ankles. The fabric piled up with folds full of design sense behind him. He closed his eyes as if he was meditating. The sculptor deliberately shortened his age and kept him in his indistinguishable youth, so that fragile beauty was infinitely magnified It is like the purity of the first ray of morning light, which makes people full of protective desire.

Everyone who saw the work marveled at the sculptor's skill and felt affection for the doomed young prince, but definitely not its owner.

Stuart just wanted to destroy him.

Fragile, beautiful, harmless, incapable of self-protection but surrounded by coveted beauty... Every time I see this sculpture, Stuart can't help ridiculing, what a useless person he is , Will you try to pin your fate on the pity and sympathy of others?

Now, looking at the silent king, there was a ruthless gleam in his eyes, as well as the cunning and sharpness of a hunter playing tricks on his prey.

Whether to exchange Gaul for Stuart's support, Edward V may have hesitated for a long time, but it is really a no-brainer choice for Qiao Zhou, this is a world that moves forward along the plot, He didn't feel bad about giving Gaul to Stuart, anyway, he will enter the Tower of London according to the plot in two months...

No, wait a minute, if Stuart had backed him, he might not have been defeated in the fight with Gloucester, and he might not have been thrown into the Tower of London...

So logically speaking, he will still sit on the throne of Westminster and will not be murdered to death, which seriously deviates from the plot.

Will the world collapse by then?

If it doesn't collapse, does it mean that there is actually more room for flexibility in the interpretation of the "plot" than he thought, as long as things develop logically?

Although he thought so, Qiao Zhou felt that the latter possibility should be unlikely, otherwise there should be more aborigines who could survive.

Anyway, it's always okay to try.

In Stuart's eyes, it was the little king who had been contemplating for a long time suddenly looked up and took off a ruby ​​ring on his left ring finger.

"This was a gift from my great-grandfather from his mother. It was originally an ornament inlaid in the crown of St. John. It was later changed into a gemstone brooch by the queen, and then changed into a ring by my great-grandfather. His mother took it. The first gemstone was named 'Heart of Rose' - at that time, the Lancaster family and the York family had not yet fought to the death, and the red rose was also one of the symbols of the royal family."

The little king held up this historic gemstone ring, turned the ring, and let the sun reflect through the ruby ​​​​into deep and fascinating reds.

Then, he turned his head sideways, picked up Stuart's right hand hanging by his side quite naturally, made a gesture, and put the ring with a special name on Stuart's little finger.

"Okay, now this rose is yours, my lord duke, I hope you can cherish it."

said the little king briskly.

Stuart stared at the newly acquired ruby ​​ring, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. He had seen such flattery and concessions too much, but a greedy devil would never yield to honey and sweet words .

Just as he was about to say something, the young king looked straight over and met his gaze: "If you don't like roses...of course it is possible. And I always have a way to change the title of Consul of Northern Gaul. Wearing it alone, such as my uncle would be happy to accept such a gift."

"At that time, you should think about where the future of the Stuart family lies."

The words with the crisp youthful voice were extremely gentle, and Stuart twitched his eyes. He looked at the king, but was surprised to find that the king's emerald eyes contained a blade that was even harder and colder than his own.

This is not a lamb who can only please, give in, and beg for mercy, but a hunter who wields a whip and a carrot.

Realizing that he had lost his sight, Stuart opened his eyes slightly. After a brief pause, facing such a merciless threat, he actually laughed.

This smile is not refined and elegant at all, but like a wild beast showing its fangs before hunting, monsters in the dark night cheering for the death of their own kind, devils rejoicing in the magma of fire and sulfur, all the most primitive malicious things that people fear You can see silhouettes in it.

It's horribly twisted, but...real enough.

The elder of Stuart showed his cold and evil soul to the king for a moment, as if asking maliciously: Do you dare to trust such a devil and make a deal with him?

The little king, who witnessed the sudden change of face of the gentle nobleman, stood still, put his hands together, and said briefly: "Only those who have committed crimes can wear the king's crown, and pure saints will only die under the cross."

Stuart seemed to want to restrain his smile, but he also seemed to be unable to restrain himself from laughing more joyously, so that his expression was a little ferocious and distorted: "This is dancing cheek to cheek with the devil."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and put his lips on the cold ruby ​​ring of his little finger, swearing his surrender: "Be careful, my majesty the king."

Regarding his vicious warning, the little king didn't take it to heart at all. He was about to go further when a hand with a slender bony knuckle pressed his shoulder: "Please stop, Your Majesty."

Stuart winked at Edward with a smile: "It's dangerous here, it's not suitable for you to go any further."

He seemed to have undergone some major changes in such a short few seconds just now, and his whole person became intimate and kind.

Edward turned his gaze to the normal street in front of him, and frowned: "...dangerous? I thought you had made all the arrangements."

Stuarta let out a long "hmm" and sighed as if he couldn't suppress his laughter: "It's not that I'm fully prepared, it's just a coincidence."

Crazy William disliked being used the most. Of course he had no good intentions in inviting the king out. It would be a good choice to teach the king a lesson that would not hurt his life, but he noticed something unusual when he stepped into this street.

Edward could see that these pedestrians and merchants were all arranged. Could it be that a consul with rich experience in assassination would not be able to see it?

Stuart soon realized who these well-trained assassins were targeting, and he even roughly guessed who their employers were - Gloucester would not use such a stupid method to live in exile in various towns Lancaster, who is about to run out of ammunition and food, will jump over the wall in a hurry.

... But he saw it, so what?

The death of the king was not a bad thing for him, and while Gloucester was busy seizing the kingship, he could just go back to Northern Gaul and claim a crown for himself.

But now he has changed his mind.

His majesty the king cannot die in the hands of these inexplicable garbage.

"Didn't you arrange these people?" Edward quickly understood what Stuart meant, his whole body tensed up, and he followed William's strength to retreat without hesitation, surrounded by the guards.

Their actions obviously made the assassins aware that the matter had been revealed. They originally planned to wait for the king to go deeper into the streets before taking action, but they couldn't wait for so long now.

The merchants drew their sharp swords from the piles of fruits and vegetables, the pedestrians drew their daggers and short knives from under their clothes, and nearly 20 people rushed towards the king from all directions.

The guards quickly mingled with the assassins, and Stuart even had the time to introduce these sudden assassins to His Majesty the King: "Well... good at using daggers and daggers, outstanding personal combat skills... these should be The assassins from Sardinia are more wild than the Lombards who prefer poison and assassination, but the escape rate of their victims is lower-after all, no one deliberately pays attention to the passers-by around them.”

"According to last year's price, the price of hiring a Sardinian assassin has reached [-] pounds, and you have to spend nearly [-] pounds in one breath... Maybe Lancaster is already selling the crown jewel to the accompanying merchants. gone."

Surrounded by the guards, Stuart happily taught the king about his secrets. A cold sharp light shot out from the side like lightning, and cut straight at the king's tender throat. Stuart seemed to have opened his back With the same eyes, he opened his arms and pulled the king into his arms, covered him with a large cloak, and drew out his saber with his backhand to meet the assassin who broke through the encirclement of the guards.

The king's face was pressed against the Duke's waist, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the heroic and extraordinary assassin. The other party had a handsome face that was not suitable for an assassin, and his facial features were three-dimensional and sharp like sculptures. His amber eyes and curly black hair gave him The romantic and sentimental unique to the seaside youth, even looking at his assassination target, he is as charming as looking at the lover who has spent his whole life with him.

The swords of the two collided and separated frantically. The smile on Stuart's face faded a little. After forcibly parrying the opponent's short sword again, the Duke took a step back and looked at the figure with uncertain eyes. A tall and straight man—even in the linen robe wrapped in a merchant's ugly sack, you can still see his undulating and smooth body lines, which can make noble ladies scream: "Who are you?"

Without waiting for the assassin to answer, Stuart quickly picked up a name: "Lorenzo Patch?"

The person whose name was called stretched his arms and showed a candid smile: "Greetings, Your Excellency the Duke."

Stuart quickly grabbed Edward's shoulders and backed away, most of his calmness disappeared: "Lancaster hired you?! It seems that they still have a lot of wealth that I don't know about..."

The leader of the assassins in Sardinia shook his head, and said frankly: "I don't think so, after all, there are many scattered pearls and gems in the commission paid to me, which added a lot of follow-up work to me, I can only say that they are right Your king really hates it."

As he said that, he took a sword flower and blinked his right eye tenderly and affectionately at Edward: "This time it's for real, Your Majesty."