Chapter 10
Holyrood Palace is a small but complete royal palace, complete with chapels, galleries, ballrooms, a royal library, and suites for the nobles. It even had a small zoo built to cater to the tastes of the previous King James IV, where lions and civets were kept.
To the south of this palace lies the private chapel reserved for the Scottish royal family.
The Queen, still in mourning for her husband, wore only a black dress, completely plain without any jewelry, and sat on a pew in the first row of the church, listening attentively to the priest's sermon with a serene expression.
Soon, this peace was shattered.
Hundreds of civilians left Edinburgh and stormed into the chapel in anger. With Mary’s deliberate indulgence, the few guards at the door did not stop them, allowing these Protestants to rush into the chapel!
"Oh my god, throw away all these damned holy artifacts!"
"Drive that idolatrous priest out of Scotland... No, make that priest get the punishment he deserves, throw him on a pyre and burn him!"
"This is not a real Mass at all... it's a black Mass from Satan!"
People shouted and yelled, rushing onto the pulpit without restraint, throwing all sorts of things on the ground with a series of crisp cracking sounds, and breaking all the precious beeswax candles in two and smashing them on the ground!
The chapel originally displayed images of the Passion of Christ and the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, meticulously crafted by an Italian sculptor. Whether made of wood or marble, the sculptures shimmered with a warm luster and were draped in fine silk and jewels, bringing the compassionate expressions of Christ and the Virgin Mary to life. However, this unexpectedly became yet another piece of evidence of sin in the eyes of the Protestants.
Pastor Knox told them to live a devout and simple life, to wear sack clothes and fast, and not to have any worldly luxuries so that they could go to heaven after death. But this heretical idol is so extravagant. Isn't this a sin of greed, one of the seven deadly sins?
With a loud crash, the two statues were pushed to the ground by the Protestants! The cross split open, the body of Christ was instantly split in two, and the white head and body of the Virgin Mary were also torn apart, her glory gone.
The band playing hymns in the corner had long since stopped and hid by the wall with the Catholic priest preaching, not daring to step forward to stop them. The four Marys were also trembling with fear, surrounded and protected by several guards, and the Queen was at a loss.
Mary had wisely moved away from the center of the chapel as soon as the footsteps sounded, avoiding a direct confrontation with the Protestants. After witnessing the chapel being smashed into ruins by the Protestants and ensuring that these people were unforgivable and could not be excused by any pretext, she immediately gestured to Earl Boswell beside her.
—Let the guards in to arrest these Protestants!
Earl Boswell's eyes lit up, and he immediately accepted the order and left.
Because they were prepared, the guards entered quickly. Since all the Protestants rushed into the chapel, they could easily catch them at the gate. They caused almost no casualties, tied the Protestants' hands, and drove them one by one to the lawn outside Holyrood Palace, making them kneel down.
These most fanatical Protestants, who were like fierce lions when they were enraged and wantonly smashing the chapel, were as weak as lambs when the soldiers arrived with their weapons.
Kneeling on the lawn where new green shoots had just sprouted, the cool, damp wind of early spring felt like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads, which were burning with anger and faith. It brought these Protestants back to their senses, making them belatedly realize how foolish they had been, and they began to tremble with fear.
Good heavens, they actually stormed the palace and offended the Queen! This is a crime punishable by death!
Why were they so reckless today?!
"Your Majesty, a total of one hundred and three rioters who have offended your majesty are kneeling outside the palace awaiting your judgment," Earl Boswell said as he entered the church.
“Well done, Earl,” Mary said.
Mary, surrounded by maids and guards, walked out of the church and came before the Protestants.
“Tell me, what has made you so audacious as to offend the King’s majesty!” Mary shouted.
"Your Majesty, please have mercy and forgive us..."
"There must have been a devil whispering in my ear that made me make a mistake."
"Pastor Knox said there was a Catholic mass going on, and we were so angry that we lost our minds."
...
The crowd chattered and spoke at once.
Mary listened silently, and upon hearing the name John Knox, she decisively walked up to the commoner who had been mentioned.
"So, Reverend John Knox told you that Catholic sacraments are being held here?" Mary interrupted him, asking decisively.
"Yes, yes, Reverend Knox said that idol worship is taking place here," the man said fearfully, not daring to mention that Reverend Knox had also said that Queen Mary was a witch and that countless disasters had been brought about by her.
"So, was it Pastor Knox who ordered you to storm the palace and vandalize the chapel?" Mary asked again.
"..."
The man pursed his lips tightly, his face was pale and sweating, and he remained silent.
“If not, then you are no longer accomplices, but masterminds, who have come to offend me—your king and sovereign—on your own initiative and in a meaningful way! Accomplices can be forgiven, but masterminds cannot, and this is a crime punishable by hanging. Now tell me, did you come on your own, or did Knox instruct you to come?” Mary raised her voice again, speaking authoritatively.
Upon hearing the word "hanging," the man's knees buckled, and he almost collapsed to the ground.
"...Of course, it was Pastor Knox who sent us, Your Majesty. This was by no means my own idea." After a long while, the man said in a low voice.
The lawn was quiet, with only the chirping of insects and the sound of breathing. Most of the kneeling Protestants glared angrily at the man, seemingly condemning him for betraying his faith and Pastor Knox, while others hesitated, their eyes darting around as if about to speak.
Gradually, sporadic voices began to emerge, claiming that Knoxmu had instigated them to storm the palace, and that they were merely temporarily blinded by anger, begging the Queen to forgive these foolish commoners.
Mary stepped back a few paces, raised her eyebrows slightly, and said in a voice that everyone could hear, "Reverend John Knox, although I have never met him, I have heard of his reputation. Everyone says that he is an extremely devout, simple, and wise monk. Even though he is a Protestant, I have great respect for him. I never expected that he would incite innocent civilians to attack my palace. This really surprises me."
“Perhaps there’s some misunderstanding?” Earl Boswell remarked at the opportune moment.
Mary nodded and said, "You're right, Earl. Then let's go to Edinburgh and invite this priest over. I want to ask him in person."
Earl Boswell accepted the order and left. The maids went to the palace and brought out the long table and chairs used for hunting picnics, inviting the Queen to sit down and wait a few minutes.
...
When John Knox was summoned by the Queen and strode into Holyrood Palace, the old man with the hooked nose did not look fearful or uneasy, but rather excited and confident.
He was a servant of God, and spent his life fighting to save the corrupt Papacy. Nothing could frighten him except God, not even the so-called Queen of Scotland whom he was about to face.
This is both a danger and an opportunity. If he can win the Queen's religious debate, he will surely become famous in Scotland and completely establish the authority of Calvinism!
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty,” John Knox said with a slight bow, glancing at the devout believers out of the corner of his eye.
This was somewhat unexpected for Knox.
Even though Holyrood Palace wasn't heavily guarded, if hundreds of people rushed into the small chapel outside, even if a dozen or so were unfortunately arrested, most of them should have been able to run back to Edinburgh immediately.
How could they all be captured now?
While waiting for the priest, Count Morrie rushed over after hearing the commotion. When Mary saw her brother arrive, she immediately sent for Maitland and offered them both seats, placing them on either side of her.
Mary knew from her past life how eloquent this Protestant pastor was, so she didn't give him time to react and immediately showered him with praise.
“Pastor Knox, there is an accusation against you that has truly shocked me. You know, these rioters who stormed my palace today are saying that you ordered them to do it. Are you intentionally rebelling against my rule?” Mary said coldly.
This is an unexpected slander!
Knox, who had been prepared with a long speech about religious debate, was speechless for a moment before blurting out, "Absolutely not!"
“Look at the people behind you. The mob kneeling here is saying the same thing. Are they slandering you?” Mary asked.
John Knox remained silent for a few seconds, feeling the hundreds of gazes following him closely behind, and a surge of anger welled up in his heart.
If he were to admit it, he would be immediately imprisoned for openly defying a monarch, or even beheaded.
If they oppose it, then these people who have dedicated themselves to God and Him will be greatly disappointed and may not be willing to work for Him again.
After a long while, John Knox said, “Your Majesty, have you ever heard of Jezebel, the Queen of Israel, that self-proclaimed noble woman who worshipped temples of other gods, persecuted devout monks of God, and even the prophet Elijah did not escape her clutches, who sought to kill him! This arrogant and wicked queen thought that because she possessed the wealth of an earthly kingdom, she could disregard the true God in heaven, and in the end, she was thrown out of a window and died. Such a deed should serve as a warning to all our descendants!”
"Who are you comparing Queen Jezebel to, me? One is a pagan queen, the other is a monarch who is favored by God and ruled Scotland by God's will. Are you trying to compare the two?" Mary asked calmly.
“I had no such intention. I merely wanted to recount the stories from the Bible to the world so that they might learn from them and avoid making the same mistakes,” Knox said slyly.
"Now that I and everyone here have heard the story, let's get back to the main point: did you instigate them to storm my palace and rebel against my rule?" Mary continued to ask.
“I certainly didn’t mean that, but if parents go mad and want to kill their children, then their children have the right to rebel against their parents, tie their hands and feet, and take away their weapons. Similarly, if royalty and nobility persecute God’s devout believers, then believers like us also have the right to rebel against these royalty and nobility,” Knox said.
“You make a good point, Reverend Knox…” Mary nodded in agreement, but before Knox could show any joy, she changed the subject, saying, “...But I recently declared freedom of religion in Scotland, so there is absolutely no religious element in what is happening today. Jesus once said, ‘Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.’ Since you are also a Scotsman, you should obey my orders and follow my rule. Now I need to ask you a question, and you only need to give me a yes or no answer, instead of being vague. That will only make me, the Earl of Morley, and Maitland think you have a guilty conscience.”
"Now, tell me clearly, did you instigate or incite their actions?"
Mary gave Earl Boswell a wink, and the next second, the brave and strong man immediately drew his musket and aimed it at the head of Reverend Knox, who was wearing a little red hat!
“Your Majesty, in my experience, if someone avoids answering questions three times in a row, then that person is undoubtedly guilty,” Maitland said from the side.
Absolutely no religious elements involved!
Ha! What a blatant lie! Utterly shameless!
Faced with death threats and relentless questioning, John Knox's anger surged. He bit his lip so hard it almost bled, and the pain stopped him from uttering any harsh words.
He clutched the crucifix in his hand, wishing for a divine miracle to descend immediately, to punish the arrogant young woman before him with sulfur and heavenly fire, yet he was also terrified of the musket almost pressed against his head.
After several minutes of silence, John Knox finally made his decision, painfully sacrificing the devout followers behind him.
“…I, of course I never ordered them to do that,” Knox said.
Knox could hear a sudden burst of whispers behind him, a mixture of angry words and desperate cries, but he couldn't care less about that now.
This temporary sacrifice is for the future spread of Protestantism, for a greater future!
Mary stood up, walked over to Knox and the Protestants on the ground, making sure they could hear her, and then asked, "So, they did it all on their own?"
“Yes, it was all these sinners’ own doing,” John Knox said.
Mary gave a cryptic laugh, then nodded to John Knox and said, "It seems you really are a virtuous monk, just as the rumors say... Since it was all their doing, you are naturally innocent. Please leave."
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