Chapter 89
While Paris was a cacophony of screams and bloodshed, like a boiling cauldron, the Louvre was as silent and cold as a tomb. In its magnificent yet icy halls, only the roars of King Charles IX of France echoed.
"Is this the result you wanted? Is this the situation you wanted to see! Look how foolish you've become, my dear mother! Didn't you say before that as long as the leader was killed, you could quickly control the other Protestants and bring everything to a peaceful end?! Now why are you silent?! God, all of Paris is in chaos, there are dead bodies everywhere! Has the Duke of Guise gone mad?! And those soldiers, they were ordered to quell the unrest and maintain order, and there's been no news at all! A bunch of useless fools! The French treasury's money is being wasted on them! I'm going to cut off his head! Speak up, why is everyone silent...?"
No one dared to answer the enraged Charles IX. The remaining members of the Valois family and some distant royal relatives huddled in a corner of the room, trembling with fear, not daring to utter a single syllable, praying to God that they would survive this calamity and not become innocent victims of this storm like the corpses in the Seine.
Outside the Louvre, countless rioters were gathered in a chaotic mob. Some were demanding an explanation from the king, some were asking for a pardon, and some fanatical Catholics were urging the king to exterminate the Huguenots... If not handled properly, they could storm in at any moment.
Queen Catherine sat stiffly in a chair in front of the fireplace.
Things had developed to this point, and she was equally frustrated. She hadn't wanted to speak, but after hearing Charles IX's endless complaints, she couldn't help but snap at him, "Shut up! What else can you do besides complain!"
Frankly, Queen Mother Catherine did not expect things to turn out this way.
In France, the Huguenots wielded too much power!
Especially in recent years, Admiral Colliny dared to incite Charles to launch a coup in order to legitimize the Huguenots and seize power from his mother. Of course, she had to strike first and nip the danger in the bud!
In her original plan, she only wanted to assassinate the Huguenot leaders to give the remaining followers a strong shock and make them understand why they had to oppose the royal family.
She simply hadn't expected the conflict between the Guise family and the Huguenots to have reached such a serious level. The old Duke of Guise hadn't forgotten the old grudge of Admiral Collini's assassination attempt on him, which nearly cost him his life. The young Duke of Guise was even more resentful of the new hatred caused by King Navarre, a Huguenot, "taking away" Margot. Not content with killing Collini and other high-ranking Huguenots, they even incited Catholics in Paris to "spontaneously" begin massacring other Huguenots!
This massacre was too horrific to be reversed!
At this point, Queen Catherine the Queen Mother took a deep breath, stood up, and led Charles IX into the inner bedroom. She said coldly, "Listen, no matter how dissatisfied you are, things have come to this point. The Huguenots and the Valois dynasty have no room for maneuver. We have no choice but to continue to stand on the Catholic side!"
Charles IX shook off Queen Catherine the Queen Mother's hand and frowned, saying, "I don't understand what you mean!"
“Now that the Huguenots gathered in Paris are all dead, the heretics in other places should be purged even more. You go and write to the Catholic bishops in other places immediately, telling them to massacre the Huguenots in other places: Toulouse-Bordeaux, Lyon, Rouen, Orléans…” Queen Mother Catherine pointed to each region where the Huguenots had a strong presence, her eyes flashing with a chillingly cold light, “…especially these places, don’t let a single one go!”
Charles IX stared in disbelief at Queen Mother Catherine's chest heaving violently. After a long while, he suddenly raised his hand and slapped Queen Mother Catherine, his own mother, across the face!
“You’re insane! You’re possessed by a demon!” said Charles IX.
Queen Catherine raised her hand and slapped her son hard across the face, gritting her teeth as she said, "Now is not the time to be soft-hearted. If you don't want our whole family to lose our lives, do as I say right now! And that King Henry IV of Navarre, send guards to kill him immediately!"
“He just married Margot!” said Charles IX.
"So what? We can just cancel the marriage later on the grounds that he and Margot are close relatives and such a union is not blessed by God," Queen Catherine said impatiently.
A fierce argument erupted in the small bedroom, but after some debate, Queen Mother Catherine successfully persuaded her son, Charles IX, to agree to eradicate the Huguenots to avoid greater retribution.
Just then, a rapid knocking on the door caught the attention of the mother and son.
"Didn't I say that no one is allowed to disturb us?!" the enraged Charles IX roared at the door.
"I apologize for disturbing you, Your Majesty, but news has come from the border that the British have suddenly intensified their offensive, dispatching an army of approximately 30,000 men via the Netherlands, led by the Duke of Somerset, and are marching towards France," the messenger outside the door said anxiously.
The small bedroom fell completely silent.
...
The internal turmoil in France was a godsend for Britain.
Upon hearing that the massacre would unfold just like in her previous life, Marie Antoinette, despite her deep regret and sorrow, immediately convened parliament and passed a resolution to march on France.
Orders to prepare military supplies, collect food, and organize warships to cross the sea were issued in an orderly manner. Finally, the commander of the army was to be determined. After several deliberations, Mary gave up Boswell and chose Albert instead.
The Duke of Somerset today is no longer the destitute and penniless Italian he once was.
From the Scottish civil war to the Irish rebellion, the struggle for the throne, and the great victory against Spain in the Netherlands... one brilliant victory after another brought him unparalleled prestige.
Today, the Duke of Somerset holds a position in Britain much like the Duke of Alba in Spain or the Duke of Guise in France: an indispensable military pillar and a powerful deterrent to other countries.
While France was in turmoil, news came from Amsterdam in the Netherlands that a small-scale Lutheran rebellion had broken out. In order to prevent any accidents at this critical moment of the decisive battle with France, Mary decided to go to Amsterdam herself.
Mary and Albert met on the deck of the ship, which was traveling at a fast pace.
"Good night, Your Majesty," Albert greeted.
Now in his thirties, Albert remains handsome, but he is no longer like he was in his youth, flaunting his charm like a peacock and attracting the hearts of many court ladies. Instead, he is composed and maintains a polite distance from all women.
“I heard that your wedding with Miss Howard was set for August, but it has been postponed again because of the war with France,” Mary said.
Albert chuckled and said, "It's nothing. I've gotten used to unexpected things happening around the time of my wedding these past few years."
"..." Mary was a little unsure of what to say. They hadn't spoken for several years since that unpleasant conversation, so she made small talk: "...This should be the last major war. You won't have to fight on the battlefield anymore, and you can live the life you want. I have a feeling that after this war with France, there won't be any war in Britain for the next ten to several decades."
"Because after this war, no country in Europe will be able to rival England, and you will become the most powerful queen on this continent, standing at the pinnacle of glory that no one can climb," Albert said with a smile.
This isn't even flattery; it's simply pointing out a fact that everyone is about to see.
Thirty years ago, the little queen was born carrying her father's unfortunate prophecy and lament, but now she will defy fate and possess a scepter that no one can match.
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