Chapter 39

This is absolutely terrible news!

Inside Holyrood Palace, the previously harmonious atmosphere was instantly shattered by the cold glint of guns and spears. The celebration for the investiture of the duke had to be abruptly canceled as the guests were thrown into panic. Some astute guests had already begun to sneak into the stables, hoping to escape in the chaos.

Amidst the chaos, the Queen of Scots's composure in the face of danger stood out remarkably.

Faced with this sudden rebellion, the young woman wearing a crown remained calm and composed, as if dealing with her daily duties.

Queen Mary first ordered the brave guard to be taken away to be treated by a doctor. Then she summoned two of her trusted military confidants, the Earl of Boswell and the Italian Albert, and instructed one of them to immediately organize the army to launch a counterattack, while the other called the Scottish Guard to protect the palace.

After both men had left to carry out their orders, Queen Mary sent men to Edinburgh to ring the church bells, then ordered the garrison commander to organize the citizens to provide effective logistical support for the army, and to spread news of the Earl of Morley's despicable and shameless rebellion throughout Scotland, so that people everywhere would serve the Queen and arrest the rebels.

As the orders were issued in an orderly manner, the nobles gradually calmed down. Under the Queen's command, they stayed together in the council hall, monitoring each other, and no one was allowed to leave without permission.

The reason for doing this was to prevent Count Morley from having an inside man among these many nobles who might secretly pass on messages for him.

“I bestowed upon the Earl of Morrie unparalleled wealth and honor upon him, yet he still chose to betray me, plotting to seize the entire country. Such a despicable and shameless man deserves a severe blow!…” Standing in the center of the crowd, the Queen of Scots spoke coldly, calmly, and firmly: “…He, and those despicable and shameless men who follow him, I will give them the punishment they deserve, and send them to hell in agony!”

Some of the nobles who were seen by the Queen remained fearless, while others quietly lowered their heads and avoided eye contact.

It was clear that some of the nobles present were completely unaware of the situation, while others had noticed Count Morley's confusion but pretended nothing was amiss to avoid getting themselves into trouble.

...

The army was mobilized faster than most people expected, as if it had been planned in advance. Under the Queen's firm command, Albert brought a horse to the palace gate and asked the Queen to lead the army to quell the rebellion!

"This is too dangerous!..." Lord Darnley almost screamed, raising his voice involuntarily, "...How could you send Her Majesty the Queen to do something so dangerous? Where is the army? Where are the officers? Are you all dead? How could you send the Queen of Scotland to put herself in such danger!"

Albert glanced at Lord Darnley's handsome, pale face, which was as expressionless as a marble sculpture, and said bluntly, "I am merely following Her Majesty's orders."

“And I have resolved to stand with my people against these despicable men,” Mary said.

"...Let's wait here, Mary. Holyrood Palace is safer, or we could have these guards escort us to Edinburgh, where the defenses are better. That would be the wise choice. Going to the battlefield is too dangerous," Lord Darnley said to the Queen.

“It is precisely because of the danger that I must face it together with them. I cannot let them risk their lives for me while I hide in the safe and wait for the outcome!” Mary said resolutely.

After the Queen of Scots finished speaking, the hall was quiet for a moment, followed by a burst of crisp applause.

Earl Allen clapped his hands as he stood up, bowed, and said, “Please allow me to pledge my loyalty to you, Your Majesty. I am willing to ride alongside you into battle and to conscript my private army to serve you.”

Once there's a first one, there's bound to be a second.

Several Scottish nobles stood up and clearly sided with the Queen, helping her quell the rebellion. The remaining nobles, citing old age or the distance of their territories, cowardly chose to back down, but were showered with praise without any cost.

Lord Darnley stood beside the Queen, feeling that every word praising her courage was a silent mockery of his own cowardice. His face flushed, and he said in a strained voice, "There was no need for this, Mary. It is the duty of these soldiers to fight the enemy for you. We should not put ourselves in danger."

“You don’t need to take any risks, Henry. It’s safe here. You can stay in the council hall. I will also leave some guards behind to protect you,” Mary said.

Queen of Scots stepped out of the palace, mounted her horse, her sash fastened tightly to her waist, and, accompanied by several nobles and Albert, went to confront the rebel army led by Earl Morley head-on!

Lord Darnley left the council hall, and several men chased after him to the palace gates. They watched the Queen ride away on horseback, their faces turning pale and then red. After a while, they retreated back inside.

"Never mind," Lord Darnley thought. "They ran so fast, and he only hesitated for a moment. So even if he ran out now, he wouldn't be able to catch up with the Queen of Scots, and there was no need to face such a dangerous situation."

...

The Earl of Morley, who had been secretly planning for a long time, joined forces with other nobles and organized an army of about three thousand men, which was no small number for Scotland!

The Earl of Maurice chose his timing perfectly. He wanted to catch the Queen of Scots off guard, taking advantage of the festive atmosphere when everyone was immersed in the celebration of bestowing the title of Duke upon that young Englishman, and launching a surprise attack that would terrify the Queen of Scots!

In addition, he also had covert support from England.

Queen Elizabeth had promised him in a secret letter that she would support him as the rightful King of Scotland after defeating Mary, citing the fact that his mother had a secret marriage with the previous king as the reason.

—In a Protestant way!

In England, they would arrange his parents' marriage certificate and even his Protestant pastor, making everything seem seamless.

This is what he deserves. His mother was the only true love of the previous king and rightfully became the queen. It was only because of her less privileged background that he unfortunately became an illegitimate child!

He was deprived of his rightful place by a six-day-old baby and burdened with the pitiful stigma of being an illegitimate child, a mistake that lasted for more than twenty years!

He had intended to be patient and maintain a harmonious relationship with her, but that woman was gradually stripping him of all his rights and status, so it was time to change things!

He had put up with that arrogant half-sister for far too long; it was time to bring Mary down from her pedestal as well…

Count Maurice, riding at breakneck speed, was imagining how Mary would weep and beg for mercy after everything went smoothly. He was so excited that he almost wanted to get to Holyrood Palace in the next second!

All these fantasies were cruelly torn to shreds by reality.

On his way, he was surrounded by two armies led by the Earl of Boswell and Albert Dest respectively. Under the commander's orders, gunpowder and bullets were poured down on his army as if they were free!

This is something no one expected!

The soldiers, who were urgently summoned by Count Morley for the purpose of secrecy, had no idea what they were doing. They were simply blindly following their superiors' orders. When the sudden attack occurred, they barely maintained their formation for a moment before scattering in all directions to save their lives!

What's going on?

Were they ambushed?

Count Morley's face turned deathly pale. He couldn't believe what had happened and began shouting loudly on the chaotic battlefield, trying to organize a counterattack and find out who had framed him. He quickly realized that his defeat was unavoidable and could only try to organize the remaining men to retreat in a certain direction without food or supplies.

"Bang--!"

Amidst the loud gunshot, Count Morley, who was fleeing towards a hilly area, felt a sharp pain in his calf and immediately fell off his horse, hitting his head and bleeding profusely. He then saw who had shot him in the leg!

It's Mary Stuart!

The Queen of Scots, dressed in riding attire, did not risk her life. Instead, she stayed at the rear of the army, surrounded and protected by twenty or thirty mounted knights. Standing on the hillside, she looked down at the Earl of Morrie, who had fallen into a swamp.

Missing her first shot, the Queen of Scots handed the gun to Albert beside her, then took another gunpowder-filled gun from him, lit the fuse, and aimed it again at the Earl of Morrie!

"Bang--!"

And then, without hesitation, the sound of a musket firing rang out again!

Count Morrie's pupils contracted sharply. Ignoring the excruciating pain and bleeding wound on his leg, he had no courage to resist after dodging the bullet and began to flee in a panic!

...

Scotland has no flat terrain, only rolling hills and marshes, with dark green moss lurking on the ground like a trap set by the devil himself. Sometimes, if you step into the wrong place, you will sink in.

Experienced Scotsmen would not take this path, but the Earl of Morley could no longer follow the honorable road. This farcical rebellion was crushed almost in a day, and his ambitions vanished like bubbles.

The Queen of Scots had already announced her rebellion to all the Scottish people with lightning speed, and then led her pursuers in hot pursuit.

Maurice led the few remaining followers through the dense forest, working day and night without rest, fleeing towards the English border.

Mary Stuart's army could not enter England's territory unless they fled there, otherwise it would be considered an offense against England and a declaration of war.

Only Queen Elizabeth might be willing to protect him now.