The cold wind of late September penetrated the long corridor.
The Duke of Buckingham walked alone through the gorgeous oil paintings on both sides of the corridor, and he remembered the content of each oil painting here, because he and his brother spent a long childhood here.
Here is Metzl Castle, but it has another name as the royal palace of the capital of Legrand:
Rose Palace.
In Legrand, the king owns many lands and castles. Many of these castles are used as palaces. But this castle is different. It is named "Rose", which is the heart of the entire Legrand Empire. The owner of it can only be the emperor of Legrand.
When he went to the Moon River Fort to negotiate, the king handed over the Rose Palace to the Duke of Buckingham, which meant that he once again handed over the regent to his uncle.
The Duke of Buckingham was not worthy of the king's trust. Except for holding a royal meeting in the color room of the Rose Palace to handle political affairs, he did not set foot in any part of the castle that belonged to the king. He didn't even live in the room that the king had arranged for him in the palace.
But today is different.
The place where the Duke of Buckingham is going today is the color room of the Rose Palace - where urgent and important meetings are held.
"Good day, Mr. Duke."
Another group of people approached, and the two sides met face-to-face in the glorious corridor. The leader, dressed in dark black brocade and wearing a white rose on his chest, smiled and greeted the Duke of Buckingham. The people behind him were also all dressed in black, with white roses of mourning.
"I'm so glad you're as tough as ever."
He is Archduke Grace.
In a way, he was also the king's uncle, as he was the Duke of Buckingham's half-brother - he was the mother of William III and the remarried son of the late Queen Isabel.
Unlike the Duke and King of Buckingham, Archduke Grace did not inherit the iconic silver hair and blue eyes of the Rose family. He has brilliant blonde hair and light green eyes that always seem to be smiling.
He looked suspiciously at the Duke of Buckingham: "Have you forgotten something?"
"The king doesn't need that."
said the Duke of Buckingham coldly, his eyes swept over the faces of those who wore white roses.
Those people subconsciously lowered their heads to avoid the eyes of the old duke. This made Grand Duke Glace faintly annoyed.
"Please don't say that, Mr. Duke," said Archduke Grace, with a touch of grief that was just right. "It's for my poor nephew."
"I'm so sorry."
The Duke of Buckingham was tall and thin, and the cold wind made his cloak flutter, and he looked as if he was surrounded by scarlet blood, and at such a close distance, anyone confronting him could almost smell the blood. taste.
"At the port of Betna, that sword was stopped by William."
Grand Duke Grace's face changed suddenly, and the smile disappeared from his face.
He stared deadly at the expressionless Duke of Buckingham.
Few people know that the Duke of Buckingham and the Archduke Glace had an armed conflict when they were young. The young Duke of Buckingham threw his half-brother from the ship, grabbed his sword and jumped down, and when he was in the air, the Duke drew the sword out.
After a lapse of many years, the murderous aura on the sword edge made a comeback.
"Go away."
Grand Duke Grace subconsciously stepped aside, and the people in black robes behind him also dispersed. The aloof and arrogant old duke walked past.
"I would like to know."
Grand Duke Grace suddenly laughed coldly.
"After so many years, whose sword came faster."
The Duke of Buckingham did not answer, his scarlet robe was rolled up, and from a distance it looked like a fiercely unfurled battle flag.
The bell of the Metzl Cathedral was rung.
The strong, low, solemn and solemn bells echoed for a long time above the castle of the entire Rose Palace. Everyone in the heart of the empire could feel the restless, tug-of-war in the air.
Parliament convened.
…
Color room.
The room is richly decorated on every side, with frescoes telling the stories of the scriptures. The angels, who symbolize judgment and justice, look down on the crowd from the dome, which has special political significance because it requires everyone in the meeting to be responsible for the choices they make, or God will punish them.
The members of the Imperial Council, the justices, the nobles of the upper council who can arrive, the archbishop... These important political roles of the king gather here, and around them are countless candles lit, candlelights lined up, people in the cold megalithic building Sit in rows.
All but the duke wore dark robes with white roses of mourning on their chests.
Arguments soon began.
Purland I was very young and unmarried, let alone talking about descendants. So the heir to the throne can only be chosen from among the relatives of the king.
Archduke Grace prepared for this for a long time, but the most important part of it went wrong some time ago - the king arrived in time to save the Duke of Buckingham. This was the last thing he wanted to see. But now that it happened, Grand Duke Grace could only try to reverse this defeat.
He retreats into advance.
At the cue of Archduke Glace, the Lord Chancellor of Wallingshire turned the argument to the silent Duke of Buckingham.
He asked sharply, what is the view of the Duke, who is the first in the line of succession to the throne, on this matter? Do you think he should take over the throne of his nephew
Killing hearts.
In the entire Legrand Empire, who doesn't know that the only person who can't peep at that crown is the Duke of Buckingham? This kind of questioning is simply the greatest insult to the Duke.
Everyone by default sent the Duke of Buckingham out of the competition, but at the same time, everyone could not avoid the existence of the Duke of Buckingham.
As soon as these words came out, the quarrel-like conference room fell silent.
"My opinion?"
The Duke of Buckingham raised his head slowly, and everyone was startled.
The old duke's eyes were so cold and sharp, like the ice covering the river in winter.
The Lord Chancellor of Wallin County was a young man. When he was born, the Duke of Buckingham had already withdrawn his minions. He had never seen the old man walking through a mountain of corpses and blood on the battlefield. He was so conceited and ignorant that he thought he could provoke a lion!
But soon, he knew.
This old lion can willingly put away his claws, bow his head to receive the butcher's knife from the king, or show his bloody fangs for the king.
The lion is not old!
The scarlet cloak was suddenly lifted, and the two rows of candles lit in the conference room flickered in an instant. As cold as an eagle suddenly spread its wings and soared into the sky, the sound of the sword sounded in everyone's ears, and a long sword slammed through the hard rock table.
Under the light of the candlelight, half of the sword nailed to the table was exposed, and the half of the sword was like snow!
At that moment, everyone felt an ice cold pouring down from the top of their heads, creating an illusion that the sword was not nailed into the long table but their own head! No one could see clearly when the old duke drew his sword, and no one thought that the old duke who had been silent for so many years would suddenly explode one day.
The old Duke of Buckingham put his hands on the hilt of the sword, he slowly raised his head, and his eyes swept over coldly: "This is my opinion."
Forest cold, evil spirits, bloody.
Some people were shocked by this sword and sat in their positions, while others showed complicated expressions. As for Grand Duke Grace, his face was extremely ugly.
The Duke of Buckingham is a lunatic.
He wears an ornate cloak, but under the cloak he wears the sharpest sword.
He didn't come to the parliament at all, he came to fight everyone.
Perhaps in the turbulent times two hundred years ago, the nobles would have been ready to splash the ground with blood, wear breastplates under their cloaks, and wear swords. But that was by no means now, and none of them thought that the old duke would be so crazy.
No one dared to speak out.
The sword of the Duke of Buckingham has already shown that in this conference room, he can draw his sword and kill anyone at any time - he is fully capable of doing it. No one wants to use their own blood to make that sword test stone.
"That's how you keep your pledge of allegiance?"
In the huge conference room, only the old duke's voice was low and depressed.
Archduke Grace knew that he had to stand up, and he confronted the Duke of Buckingham from a distance: "But the king is dead."
"Have you seen the king's body?" The Duke's eyes swept over suddenly.
"He was sacrificed in the forest, who can be sure that the king's bones are still alive. If he can't find it, will Legrand be without a king?" Grand Duke Grace sneered, "Why, do you want to cut it off? Will everyone's heads be buried with the king? Do you dare?"
"The king is alive, and I pledge my life and honor."
The Duke of Buckingham was loud.
It's not that people get agitated.
They had already accepted the fact that "the king is dead", but the Duke of Buckingham's reputation for supporting Legrand's empire for decades made his words stronger, and some people began to waver.
"You want everyone to go mad with you?" Archduke Grace looked around. "You want to go mad with him? Gentlemen! Blasey's expedition is not gone! We need a king! Thirty-six states may rebel at any time. , do you want to see Legrand torn apart?"
The commotion turned into whispers.
"Everyone, I guarantee my life, my honor, and my wealth that the king is still alive and well in this world, and he will return soon." The Duke of Buckingham was majestic and cold, "At the time, my brother, He gave you the land, and you made a promise to him of your loyalty."
"Now, it's your time to make a choice."
The Duke of Buckingham gave a high five.
More than a dozen knights filed in, holding delicate trays in their hands. On those trays were the badges of the iron roses. The crowd quieted down.
The Duke of Buckingham put his hands on the hilt of his sword again, and he looked at everyone calmly.
"Either wear the glory of Qiangwei and protect your promise." He raised his eyebrows, "Or, betray your oath and become an enemy of the Qiangwei family!"
"Please!"
The knights, also in bloody robes, spread out with trays, and they were silent as iron. The nobles recognized them—they were the survivors who accompanied William III to the battlefield. Now, they put the scarlet cloak back on for William III's son.
Dead silence, terrible dead silence.
Finally, someone took off the white rose on his chest and picked up the Iron Rose badge.
One, one, another.
Then the man wearing the Iron Rose stood up automatically, on the side of the long table where the Duke of Buckingham was. The person wearing the white rose got up and sat on the side of Grand Duke Grace. In a short period of time, a choice and division was staged in the conference hall.
In the end, the white rose and the iron rose have clear boundaries and are in stark opposition.
In terms of number of people, the side wearing iron roses is obviously less than that of white roses. But each of them was as silent as a steel knife—the vast majority of them were men who had followed William III and the Duke of Buckingham into battle. Now, they have chosen to re-trust their former general, the Duke of Buckingham.
The two sides confronted.
Murderous, as if the voice of a golden iron horse rang in everyone's ears.
Grand Duke Grace was pale with anger.
It took him nearly ten years to plan the current situation, but the Duke of Buckingham single-handedly made it into a standoff between the two sides.
The fantasy of successfully taking the throne has come to nothing.
"it is good."
Grand Duke Grace sneered through gritted teeth.
"Wait and see!"
He got up angrily and left with those who chose him.
The Duke of Buckingham stared at his sword.
He had killed a lot of people in order to make his nephew safe on the throne. Now, in order to keep the throne for his nephew, he never cares about killing more people!
"Now, gentlemen, do you smell the blood from the throne?"
He muttered to himself.
…
In 1432, winter was approaching.
With the assassination of the king, the long-simmering unrest broke out. The Duke of Buckingham staked his life and honour on the table, and the Duke of Glace staked his fortune and future glory. In the stalemate, both sides dispatched their own men to search for the king. The difference is that one party is to welcome the king, and the other is to witness the king's corpse.
With "Iron Rose" and "White Rose" as symbols, the Royalist Party and the New King Party split into two factions. One side vowed to protect the throne to the death, and the other side vowed to take it away.
At this time, the king himself, whether he is alive or dead, becomes a sword.
A sword that can decide the whole situation.
Countless people have a question in their hearts: what about the king? Where is he
In fact, the king was also on the battlefield.
The author has something to say: Come on, make a choice—
Iron rose or white rose
To explain a little bit:
Medieval succession systems were complex.
Take the United Kingdom as an example. It does not have strict written rules for heirs. Members of the royal family can become kings by means of military conquest, legal provisions, and parliamentary elections. The royal families and nobles often maintain an intricate relationship of blood and marriage, which constitutes a huge and complicated inheritance network. From the Norman Dynasty to the present, 41 monarchs in 10 dynasties have been passed down from one generation to the next, and they all have different degrees of blood relationship before and after.
I won't go into too much discussion here, just briefly introduce why the Queen Mother's marriage is so important.
For this, read the history of the Tudor dynasty. At the time, the marriage of the widowed queen was very important. Britain even made a series of stringent demands to stop Henry VI's mother from remarrying. She eventually remarried, though, with Owen Tudor. After she remarried, the king's new brother posed a serious threat to the king.
"...if the Queen Mother married an English noble, then her new husband would have a position of immense value..."
"...In the autumn of 1427, the British Parliament issued a decree expressly prohibiting the Queen Mother from remarrying without the "special permission" of the adult king. The purpose of the decree was to "protect the honor of the Queen of England's highest position", but the actual purpose was to prevent Catherine from marrying for at least ten years. Marriage in England. According to the requirements of the text of the statute, it is obvious that the financial cost of marrying the Queen Mother is extremely high, and it is tantamount to seeking bankruptcy.
… If the child's father has independent political status and ambitions, then his child, as the king's half-brother, will be a threat to the king. "
- Quote [British] Dan Jones, "War of the Roses and the Rise of the Tudors" p68-p70.
In history, the children born after Catherine's remarriage did become an important political weight at the time. This is related to the marriage system at that time, from the princes to the nobles, a strict monogamy system was implemented.
In addition, there are many factors involved in the succession of the throne.
For example, in the time of Henry III, Henry III tried to plan the Sicilian throne with the Pope for his son Edward - although it failed in the end.
In addition to the Queen Mother's weight [Key Point], Grand Duke Grace also has the reason for the Queen Mother's remarriage to marry [Key Point].
To prevent disputes from being introduced in advance, there will be continued explanations later.