sea

Chapter 209
The leader of the guards couldn't help being speechless. At that time, Xianbi had already got on his horse and followed Elizabeth's left side. It seemed to be accompanying, but in fact it meant to protect.Elizabeth said again: "Walsingham, you go to the castle and get enough horses for my Chinese guests to ride. I want to invite them to the palace as guests." Walsingham agreed and led them around. Back to the castle, brought many horses.The good intentions were hard to come by, and everyone mounted their horses one after another. Elizabeth suddenly waved to Lu Jian and said, "Great warrior, please come to my right side. With you, danger will be far away."

After listening to Lan You's report, Lu Jian was a little surprised, but the other party was a noble person, so it was inconvenient to refuse, so he and Yao Qing rode to the right of Elizabeth.Elizabeth whistled, and a black shadow fell from the sky and landed on the holster of her left arm. It turned out to be a black and white falcon, not big in build, but extremely powerful.Elizabeth smiled and said, "This eagle is very powerful. Thanks to it, I caught seven foxes this time."

Xian Bi said, "Does Your Majesty like hunting?" Elizabeth said, "Yes, my father taught me how to archery. Today, this bow saved my life." She smiled at Lu Jian, " Naturally, thanks to this brave man, when I saw him pulling the horse away, I thought to myself, God, who is this man, is it Manoah's son Samson?" Xianbi couldn't help smiling.After listening to the interpreter, Yao Qing asked curiously: "Who is Samson?" Xianbi smiled and said: "That is a mythical warrior with great strength, who killed 3000 people by himself." Elizabeth asked the two He said seriously: "What happened today is not a myth, dear cousin, I can tell that your friends are all extraordinary people."

Xianbi smiled and said: "Your Majesty, you were assassinated just now. I hope you don't ride a horse, it's better to take a carriage." Elizabeth shook her head and said loudly: "I ride a horse to tell them that I am not afraid of them "Xianbi pondered: "Is this a religious dispute?" Elizabeth said: "No, that is only one side of the matter, and the other side is power. Mary of Scotland has France as her backing, and she covets my throne , Philip wants to control England, but unfortunately, I am not as obedient as my sister Queen Mary."

The guards were encouraged by the Queen's abandonment of the chariot and horseback riding, and surrounded her with high spirits.After walking for a while, a group of people rushed forward, but the courtiers heard the news and came to greet him one after another.Eliza is very active during the day, she doesn't like to stay in the deep palace in London, but likes to visit the manors around.During her life, very few people knew where she would spend the night in the next week, which caused a lot of trouble for the courtiers.

The courtiers were all relieved to see that the queen was safe, and they were even more surprised when they saw so many foreigners.But the British were reserved, and their emotions and anger were not displayed. Without Elizabeth's permission, the ministers did not ask more questions, but talked about state affairs one after another. One minister named Parker talked about the influence of the Puritans, and the other named Cecil. His ministers worried about the emptiness of the treasury, and Roger Asham spoke of war with Scotland and the haughty ambassadors of Spain.While listening, Elizabeth answered casually, not only talking about ingenious strategies, but also not forgetting to encourage the officials, and joked with Xianbi and Lu Jian intermittently.Xianbi had a smile on his face, but he was surprised in his heart: "This queen is shrewd and capable, which is rare in the world, and this group of ministers are not idle people. Unexpectedly, there is such a person in this small western country!"

During the conversation, a red fox jumped out of the woods beside the road. With sharp eyesight, Elizabeth drew up her longbow and shot an arrow.At this time, there was also a sound of "咻" beside him, and a feathered arrow was fired at the same time, and the two arrows merged into one in the air, and both shot the flying fox.

Elizabeth turned her head, just as she saw the blond knight retracting her longbow. Elizabeth's eyes were blurred, and she couldn't help calling out: "Robert Dudley." The red fox came to the queen, got off the horse, held up the prey, and said happily: "Respected queen, I have seen your heroic appearance today, and my affection for you has been strengthened. These two arrows hit the same fox, which shows that we are so happy. There is a heart-to-heart connection, and with great enthusiasm, I long to be your husband-in-law, and put my blood and life into your hands."

The words of courtship were sonorous, like poetry, and Elizabeth's thin cheeks blushed, and she stared at the man in front of the horse before she was about to speak, but Cecil suddenly stepped forward and said loudly: "Your Majesty, if you agree to this A marriage for which England will bleed."

Elizabeth was taken aback when she heard the words, but Robert jumped up with an angry face, holding the hilt of his sword in his hand, and shouted: "Cecil, are you cursing me?" Cecil sighed: "I will not curse anyone on purpose, but The thing is clear, you are the son of the Duke of Northumberland, and if you marry the Queen, the balance of power will be in favor of your family, so what will the other dukes and earls think? The noble families in the country will not use joy They will only be jealous, reviled and even rebellious. Every time the queen makes a decision, she has to take responsibility for Northumberland. People will speculate whether it is the queen's decision or Robert Dudley's behind-the-scenes instigation. The Queen's authority will be weakened, nobles' rivalries will rise, and all the situations will be out of control."

Robert's face was flushed, and the veins on his forehead were throbbing, but the hilt in his hand was getting tighter and tighter.Elizabeth was dazed for a while, then sighed softly: "Robert, Cecil is right." Robert was startled, his face suddenly turned pale, he jumped onto the steed without saying a word, whipped the horse, and a stream of smoke gone.Elizabeth stared blankly at his back, with infinite confusion in her eyes.Seeing this, Xianbi couldn't help sighing slightly.

"Cecil," Elizabeth asked suddenly, "Who do you think I should marry?" Cecil thought for a while, and said, "Kings can only marry kings." Elizabeth blushed suddenly, and stared at him After a while, he hit the horse's butt with a longbow and galloped away.

After walking like this for half a day, they arrived at the palace of the King of England.Elizabeth hosted a banquet for everyone, Gu Zhen drank two glasses of wine, but felt that the taste of the wine was weak and not very satisfying, turned his head to look around, Mo Yi's eyes were dazed, and he was staring into the distance.Following his gaze, it was a map in the northwest corner.Gu Zhen was curious, and asked: "Mr. Mo Da, what are you looking at?" Mo Yi suddenly realized, and said: "Master Gu, this picture is the whole map of the big island we are in. I have seen the 'Map of All Nations' before." ’, but the rough outline is far less detailed than this map, so I calculated it according to this map, and found something wrong.” Gu Zhen’s heart sank, and he hurriedly said: “What’s wrong?” Mo Yi said: “I said It can be reached in three days, and we are talking about land, but judging from this map, the place we are going to is far away in the sea." Gu Zhen said: "So, we are going to sea again?" Mo Yi nodded silently with a sad face .

Suddenly, the music stopped, and Elizabeth was talking to Xianbi. She raised her head and called, "What's the matter?" A minister stepped forward quickly and said respectfully, "The Spanish ambassador must meet the queen. Otherwise, he will Immediately set off to return to China, and all the consequences caused by this will be fully borne by us."

Elizabeth frowned and said nothing, Xianbi observed the situation, saw the clue, and asked: "Your Majesty, is it difficult?" Elizabeth sighed, and said: "Cousin, I wanted to delay this matter for a while, but this time I can't. Already." So he waved to the minister, "Please come in with the Spanish envoy."

The minister secretly glanced at everyone present, and Elizabeth said: "These are all my relatives and friends, I don't need to avoid them." The minister saluted and retreated silently.

After a while, a courtier led a black-haired and bearded man in. The man's neck was stiff, his eyes were unfocused, and his steps were heavy. Every time he took a step, the beard around his mouth trembled.He walked straight to Elizabeth's seat, stood still, bowed, bowed, and said coldly, "Your Majesty the Queen."

Elizabeth nodded slightly, and asked, "What's your business?" The ambassador said, "I'm ordered by the honorable King Philip, to ask the equally honorable Her Majesty the Queen for two things." Stared at the man coldly.

The ambassador was stared at by this stare, showing a little embarrassment. He tried his best to calm down and said: "First thing, King Philip sincerely proposes to Her Majesty the Queen. He thinks this is an enviable good marriage, the strongest on land and sea. The combination of a great monarch and a wise queen will definitely shake the world." At this point, he paused, and added with some satisfaction, "As the wife of the Spanish king, our country will also allow England to share some rights in the vast sea .”

Elizabeth rested her chin on one hand and held the armrest of the throne with the other. After a long silence, she slowly said: "Philip has married my sister Mary. In fact, he is my brother-in-law." The ambassador smiled and said: "For this King Philip doesn't care about this matter." Elizabeth trembled slightly, her face turned pale, and said in a harsh voice: "If I marry Philip, must I believe in Catholicism like him?" The ambassador said: "Of course. , the Catholic Church is the only church recognized by God." Elizabeth said: "Then the enemy of Spain will become the enemy of England?" The ambassador said: "Yes." Elizabeth said: "Then the friend of Spain will also become the enemy of England. My friend?" The ambassador said, "Your Majesty is wise." Elizabeth sneered slightly, and said loudly, "Including Mary Stuart from Scotland?" The ambassador was taken aback, nodded and said, "Your Majesty's friends will also become friends of Spain. "

Elizabeth snorted and said, "In this way, because of my marriage, the British people will be loyal to Philip, and the British Protestants will be loyal to the Pope?" The ambassador said: "Your Majesty hopes so." Elizabeth waved Sleeve, stood up slowly, with a cold and decisive voice: "I want to tell you clearly my decision. I love my people deeply, and I don't want them to carry the burden of Spain for me, and I don't want to change my beliefs. This is my decision. The most precious thing left to me by my father Henry VIII. Besides this, there is a personal reason, which is the most important of all reasons. I, Elizabeth, have decided to dedicate myself to Almighty God and to set foot in the world no longer marriage, I shall remain alone in my boudoir until the end of my life."

After saying this, there was silence in the palace. The Spanish ambassador opened his mouth wide, looked at the queen, rubbed his left foot to his right rashly, then took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead, collected himself, and said: "Then ...Then the second thing is about His Majesty's people going to sea."

Elizabeth kept her composure and said oh.The ambassador said: "According to the decree promulgated by Pope Alexander VI in [-], our country and Portugal signed the "Treaty of Tordesillas" in [-]. According to the decree and treaty, Azov The seas of the world are divided between my own country and Portugal's. In Spanish waters, no vessel can pass without our permission. However, as far as I know, some of Her Majesty's subjects have violated the Pope's It is a serious violation of the rights of Spain. On behalf of King Philip, I would like to protest to Her Majesty the Queen, and hope that your country will restrain its subjects and not provoke the will of God."

"God's will?" There was a hint of sarcasm in Elizabeth's eyes. "Are you referring to the Pope's teaching?" The ambassador said, "Yes, the Pope is God's messenger in the world, and his teachings are divine revelations."

Elizabeth smiled, took a deep breath, and said word by word: "I believe that God is just and selfless. The Pope has no right to divide the world on behalf of God, nor does he have the right to give the land to people he likes."

In an instant, the ambassador's face turned purple, he stared at the queen, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, forgive me, your words not only insulted the Holy See, but also insulted my country. Are you saying , did Spain collude with the Pope and divide the world privately?"

At this time, Elizabeth's stern expression disappeared. She sat down slowly, resting her chin with one hand, and gently tapping the armrest with the other. Looking at her furious opponent, she smiled and said slowly: "Mr. Ambassador, you must have misunderstood me." I mean, I'll just say that God is just and that He should treat Spain as well as England."

The Spanish ambassador was silent for a while, then laughed twice, and proudly said: "Then, I will stop here. No matter what Her Majesty thinks about it, our country will strictly abide by the treaty of [-] and exercise our rights in our waters. If the ships of our country enter rashly, all the consequences will be borne by England itself." At this point, he clenched his fists and waved them vigorously, before turning around and striding out of the palace gate without waiting for the Queen's answer.

The officials in England were in an uproar, and shouted: "This is too rude...It's an insult at all. I would rather go to war with Philip than give in!" I was a little tired during the war." After finishing speaking, he stood up, turned his gaze, and looked at Lu Jiandao, "Great warrior, you saved my life, what kind of reward do you hope to get?"

Lu Jian was indifferent to fame and fortune, and was about to decline, when Gu Zhen whispered in his ear: "Ask her for a sea boat, the bigger the better." Lu Jianda frowned, and Gu Zhen urged, "Hurry up. "Lu Jian had no choice but to bite the bullet and say: "Your Majesty, I want a big sea boat."

Elizabeth was slightly surprised, and asked, "What do you want the ship for?" Lu Jian listened to Gu Zhen's whisper, and said, "I have something very urgent. I have to go on a long voyage in the next two days." Elizabeth pondered for a moment, sighed Said: "Unfortunately, I could give you the best boat in the past, but the current situation is very bad. I just rejected Philip's marriage proposal and questioned his sea rights. If I send a boat to sea again, it is tantamount to asking him War is declared. My treasury is too empty to support a day's war. Please forgive me, dear warrior, but I can give you other things besides ships."

Lu Jian sighed, and said with a wry smile: "In this case, I don't want anything, so we're leaving now." Elizabeth looked at him, hesitated to speak, and finally sighed, and said: "Then Cecil, what are you doing?" I congratulate these honored guests."

Xianbi also got up to say goodbye, Elizabeth took her hand, very reluctant, took off the necklace on her neck and handed it to her, saying: "Cousin, I hope you will come to see me again." Then asked Xianbi to greet Wendy, Xu Xu Again and again, just leave.

Everyone went out of the palace gate, leaving Cecil alone, Gu Zhen explained the reason for going to sea, Xianbi frowned and said, "It's really not a good time to go to sea." Yao Qing said angrily, "Who the hell is going to take the world's sea? Isn’t it crazy to divide it into two halves and give it to two countries? Just for this one, we have to go to sea to show him.”

Gu Zhen pondered for a while, when he suddenly saw a knight wearing a cloak walking in the distance, and when he came closer to take a closer look, it was Robert Dudley. Everyone, if you want to go out to sea by boat, there is another way."

Everyone was overjoyed, and Xianbi asked: "What is the way?" Robert said: "Going to sea in the name of the queen will definitely anger Spain. But if you take a private smuggling merchant ship, it is purely the personal behavior of the subjects. But in this way, you There will be no protection from the Crown of England, and Spanish warships will tear you apart like wolves. Her Majesty does not want you to take that risk."

Gu Zhen said: "Our matter is imminent, and we just need to tell you where there is a large ship that can go to sea." After listening to the interpreter, Robert looked at Gu Zhen. , said: "You have made up your mind, I can take you to meet a man, this man has a very bad reputation, he is a cloth smuggler, a slave trader, and is a real villain. However, he has two things that are worthy of praise, One is audacity, and the other is that he has the fastest boat in England."

(End of this chapter)