Chapter 21

The cold wind at the end of September penetrated the long corridor.

The Duke of Buckingham passed by the gorgeous paintings on both sides of the corridor alone. He remembered the contents of every painting here, because he and his brother spent a long childhood here.

This is METZL castle, but as the Royal Palace in the capital of Legrand, it has another name:

Rose Palace.

In Legrand, the king had many territories and castles. Many of them are used as palaces. But this castle is different. It is named "Rose". It is the heart of the whole Legrand empire. The owner of it can only be the emperor of Legrand.

When he went to Yuehe fortress for negotiation, the king handed over the Rose Palace to the Duke of Buckingham, which means that he once again handed over the right of Regency to his uncle.

The Duke of Buckingham didn't feel ashamed of his trust in the king. He didn't set foot in any part of the castle that belonged to the king except for holding a pre imperial meeting in the color room of the Rose Palace to deal with political affairs. He didn't even live in the room that the king of China arranged for him in the palace.

But today is different.

Today the Duke of Buckingham is going to the color room of the Rose Palace - the place for an urgent and important meeting.

"Good day, Mr. Duke."

Another group of people came face to face, and the two sides met face to face in the glorious corridor. The leader in black brocade and white rose on his chest said hello to the Duke of Buckingham with a smile. The people behind him were all dressed in black and wore white roses to express their mourning.

"I'm so glad you're as strong as ever."

He's Lord Grice.

In a way, he was also the king's uncle, because he was the half brother of the Duke of Buckingham - the mother of William III and the son of Queen Isabel, who had died and remarried.

Unlike the Duke and king of Buckingham, grand duke Grice did not inherit the silver hair and blue eyes of the rose family. He had brilliant blonde hair and green eyes that seemed to smile all the time.

He looked at the Duke of Buckingham suspiciously: "have you forgotten something?"

"The king doesn't need that."

Said the Duke of Buckingham coldly, his eyes sweeping over the faces of the white roses.

Subconsciously, the men bowed their heads to avoid the old Duke's eyes. This made Archduke Glasgow a little annoyed.

"Please don't say that, Mr. Duke." Grand Duke Glasgow showed a trace of perfect sadness. "It's for my poor nephew."

"I'm so sorry."

The Duke of Buckingham was tall and thin. The cold wind made his cloak flutter. He looked like he was surrounded by scarlet blood. In such a close distance, the people who faced him could almost smell the blood.

"That sword was stopped by William at the port of bettena."

Lord Grice's face suddenly changed, and the smile suddenly disappeared from his face.

He looked at the expressionless Duke of Buckingham with an iron face.

Few people know that there was an armed conflict between the Duke of Buckingham and the Duke of grace when they were young. As a young man, the Duke of Buckingham threw his half brother down from the boat and jumped down with his sword. When he was in the air, the Duke pulled out his sword.

After many years, the murderous spirit of the sword made a comeback.

"Get out of here."

Archduke glas subconsciously stepped aside, and the people in black robes behind him also dispersed. The old Baron walked straight by.

"I'd like to know."

Archduke Grice suddenly gave a cold smile.

"After all these years, whose sword came faster."

The Duke of Buckingham didn't answer. His scarlet robe rolled up and looked like a battle flag from a distance.

The bell of METZL cathedral was rung.

The strong, deep, solemn bell reverberated over the castle of the Rose Palace for a long time. Everyone in the heart of this empire can feel the restlessness and the impetuous atmosphere in the air.

The parliament convened.

…………

Color room.

Each side of the room was ornately decorated with murals telling the story of the Scriptures. The angel, a symbol of judgment and justice, looks down on people from the dome, which has special political significance because it requires everyone to be responsible for their own choices, otherwise God will punish them.

Members of the Council, magistrates, nobles of the Council, archbishops These important political roles of Kings gather here. Beside them, there are countless lighted candles, and people sit in separate rows in the cool stone buildings.

All but the Duke were dressed in dark robes and mourning white roses on their chests.

The argument soon began.

Pullan I was very young and not married, let alone having children. So the heir to the throne can only be chosen from the king's relatives.Lord Grice had been preparing 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 is the last thing he wants to see. But now that it happened, Lord Grice could only try his best to reverse the defeat.

He made progress by retreating.

At the suggestion of Lord Grice, the warringshire magistrate turned the focus of the dispute to the silent Duke of Buckingham.

He asked sharply what the Duchess, the first in line of succession, thought of the matter? Do you think he should take over the throne of nephew?

Killing people is killing the heart.

Who doesn't know that the only one who can't peep at that crown is the Duke of Buckingham? This kind of inquiry is the greatest insult to the Duke.

Everyone acquiesced to send the Duke of Buckingham out of the competition team, but at the same time, everyone could not bypass the existence of the Duke of Buckingham.

This sentence, such as the quarrel in the meeting room of the market quiet down.

"My opinion?"

The Duke of Buckingham raised his head slowly, and everyone was startled.

The old Baron's eyes were so cold and sharp, just like the ice covering the river in winter.

Walling county magistrate is a young man. When he was born, the Duke of Buckingham had already restrained himself. He had never seen the old man walk on the battlefield. He is so conceited and ignorant that he thinks he can challenge a lion!

But soon, he knew.

This old lion can willingly put away his claws and teeth, bow down to accept the butcher's knife from the king, or expose his bloody tusks for the king.

The lion is not old!

The scarlet cloak suddenly lifted, and the two rows of candles lit in the conference room swayed in an instant. It's as cold as an eagle's sudden soaring wings. The sword sounds in everyone's ears. A long sword runs through the hard rock table heavily.

In the light of the candle, half of the sword nailed on the table is exposed, half of the sword body is like snow!

At that moment, everyone felt a chill pouring down from the top of his head, which led to the illusion that the sword was not nailed into the long table, but into his own head! No one could see clearly when the old Duke drew his sword. 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 looked up slowly and looked coldly. "That's my opinion."

Morihan, evil spirit, blood.

Some sat in their seats, trembling with the sword, while others showed complicated expressions. As for Lord Grice, his face was very ugly.

The Duke of Buckingham is a lunatic.

He wore a splendid cloak, but under it he wore the sharpest sword.

He didn't come to Parliament at all. He came to fight everyone.

Perhaps in the turbulent times 200 years ago, the nobles would be ready to splash blood on the ground, wear breastplates under their cloaks, and wear swords. But that's not now. None of them thought the old Duke would be so crazy.

No one dares to speak out.

The sword that the Duke of Buckingham has just made clear that in this conference room, he can draw his sword and kill anyone at any time - he is fully capable of it. No one wants to use their own blood to do the sword stone.

"Is that how you keep your promise of loyalty?"

In the huge conference room, only the old Baron's voice was low and depressed.

Lord Grice understood that he had to stand up. He confronted the Duke of Buckingham from a distance: "but the king is dead."

"You saw the king's body?" The Duke's eyes swept abruptly.

"He died in the forest. Who can be sure that the king's bones still exist? If he can't find them one day, will Legrand have no king one day?" Lord Grice sneered. "Why, do you want to cut off all the heads to bury the king? Do you dare? "

"The king is still alive, and I pledge my life and honor."

The Duke of Buckingham has a voice.

It's not the people who make a fuss.

They had already accepted the fact that "the king is dead", but the Duke of Buckingham's reputation of supporting the Legrand empire for decades strengthened his words, and some people began to waver.

"You want everyone to go crazy with you?" Grand Duke Glasgow looked around. "Are you going to go crazy with him? Gentlemen! The brachy expedition is not going! We need a king! Thirty six states may rebel at any time. Do you want to see Legrand fall apart? "

The commotion turned into a whisper.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I pledge with my life, my honor and my wealth that the king still lives in good health in this world, and he will return soon." The Duke of Buckingham was dignified and cold. "At the beginning, my brother, he enfeoffed the land to you. You offered him the promise of loyalty."

"Now, it's time for you to make a choice."The Duke of Buckingham slapped.

More than a dozen Knights came in with delicate trays in their hands. On those pallets were emblems of iron roses. The crowd was quiet.

The Duke of Buckingham put his hands on the hilt again. He looked at everyone calmly.

"Or wear the glory of the rose, protect your promise." He raised his eyebrows, "or, betray your oath, and the rose family enemy!"

"Please

Knights in the same bloody robes spread out with trays, silent as iron. The nobles recognized them - they were the survivors who accompanied William III on the battlefield. Now, they have put on their scarlet cloak for William III's son.

Dead silence, terrible dead silence.

Finally, someone picked off the white rose on his chest and picked up the iron rose badge.

One, one, another.

Then the man with the iron rose stood up automatically, on the side of the long table where the Duke of Buckingham was. And the man with the White Rose Rose got up and sat down on the side of Lord Grice. In a short period of time, there was a choice and division in the conference hall.

Finally, the white rose and the iron Rose had a clear distinction and stood in opposition.

In terms of number, the side wearing iron rose is obviously less than that of white rose. But each of them was as silent as a steel knife - most of them had followed William III and the Duke of Buckingham to the battlefield. Now, they choose to re trust their former general, the Duke of Buckingham.

There was a confrontation between the two sides.

Murderous, as if the voice of the Golden Horse sounded in everyone's ears.

Lord Grice was livid with anger.

It took him nearly ten years to plan the situation, but the Duke of Buckingham made it a stalemate.

The dream of successfully winning the throne came to nothing.

"Good."

Lord Grice grinned.

"We'll see!"

He got up angrily and left with the people who chose him.

The Duke of Buckingham watched his sword.

In order to make his nephew ascend the throne safely, he once killed many people. 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 turmoil broke out. The Duke of Buckingham bet his life and honor on the table, and the Duke of Glasgow gambled on wealth and future glory. In the impasse, each side sent its own men to search for the king. The difference is that one side is to welcome back the king, the other is to witness the king's remains.

Marked by "iron rose" and "white rose", the royalist party and the new royalist party split into two groups. One side vowed to defend the throne to the death, the other side vowed to take the throne.

At this time, the king himself, whether he was alive or dead, became a sword.

A sword that can determine the whole situation.

There is a question in the hearts of countless people: what about the king? Where is he?

In fact, the king was also on the battlefield.

The author has something to say: let's make a choice -

iron rose or white rose?

A little explanation:

the inheritance system in the Middle Ages was very complicated.

Take Britain as an example, it does not have strict written regulations on heirs. Members of the royal family can become king by means of military conquest, legal provisions, parliamentary elections and other methods. Between the royal family, between the aristocrats often maintain a complex relationship of blood and marriage, which constitutes a huge and complex inheritance network. From the Norman dynasty to the present, 41 monarchs in 10 dynasties have been handed down from generation to generation, and they have different degrees of consanguinity before and after.

Here is just a brief introduction to why the marriage of Empress Dowager Wang is of great significance.

This can be seen in the history of Tudor Dynasty. At that time, the marriage of widowed queen was very important. Britain even put forward a series of strict demands to prevent Henry VI's mother from remarrying. But she finally remarried with Owen Tudor. After her remarriage, the king's new brother posed a serious threat to him.

“…… If the Empress Dowager marries an English nobleman, her new husband will have an invaluable position... "

“…… In the autumn of 1427, the British Parliament issued a decree explicitly forbidding the queen mother to remarry without the "special permission" of the adult king. The purpose of the decree is to "protect the honor of the queen of England's highest status", but the actual purpose is to prevent Catherine from marrying England for at least ten years. According to the requirements of the statute text, it is obvious that the economic cost of marrying the Empress Dowager is very high, which is tantamount to seeking bankruptcy.

…… If the father of the child has independent political status and ambition, then his child, as the king's half brother, will pose a threat to the king. "

The war of the roses and the rise of the Tudors by Dan Jones, p68-p70.In history, the children born after Catherine remarried became an important political weight at that time. This was related to the marriage system at that time, from princes to nobles, strict monogamy was practiced.

In addition, the succession to the throne involves many factors.

For example, in the period of Henry III, Henry III tried to plan the Sicilian throne for his son Edward together with the Pope - though in the end he failed.

In addition to the weight of the empress dowager, there are also the reasons why the Empress Dowager remarried.

To prevent disputes, we will introduce them in advance and continue to explain them later.