Shortly after Londoners learned of the assassination of the Duke of Guise, the news that shook the whole of France reached Paris, the most populous city on the European continent.

"What? François is dead? "The Ducal Palace in Paris, Archbishop Charles of Reims. Morality. When Guise heard the news dictated by the messenger, he was so shocked that even the composure he had maintained for so long disappeared.

"Tell me, what's going on? Leave one thing out and you know the consequences! ”

Cardinal Charlie stared at the kneeling man tightly, his gaze cold and merciless.

The messenger in front of him is the son of the Guise family and the personal guard of the Duke of Guise, and his most important mission is to protect the Duke.

At this moment, Archbishop Charles heard that his brother had been assassinated for no reason, and although he was extremely angry, he still asked calmly.

In this regard, the guard who sent the letter had already been mentally prepared in the face of the smartest person in the family, calmed down, and said one by one.

After the narration, there was a moment of silence in the room, and the messenger kneeling on the floor felt this different atmosphere, and his heart was immediately flustered, like a thorn in his back, and his eyes were erratic.

Although Archbishop Charles kept staring at the son of the serf family in front of him, his brain was thinking at great speed.

"What is the Duke's wound? What does a deadly secret weapon look like? ”

The cold voice of the archbishop immediately sounded in the empty room, and the son of the serf, who was kneeling on the ground, was suddenly startled in his heart, and then replied hurriedly:

"I don't know the exact situation behind that. But at that time, the Duke was injured in the neck, and he was shot with a thin arrow as long as a finger, like a long needle, and it was also coated with poison, so that the Duke died before he could be rescued! ”

Looking at his flustered performance, the archbishop didn't care, and he also knew that his image in the entire Guise family was even more terrifying than that of Duke Guise.

After all, His Excellency the Duke was busy fighting, and the entire family affairs were handled by him, and the terrifying image was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

"Tiny poison needles? There are still forces in the whole of Europe that use this secret weapon! Huguenots? England? Or the Duke of Vendôme, the Duke of Montmorency and General Saint-André are all suspected! ”

The Duke of Guise was assassinated, and the suspects behind it were not only the Huguenots, but also the Duke of Vendôme beside him, as well as the Duke of Montmorency, the Catholic triumvirate in Paris, and General Saint-André.

Even, the English people across the sea!

There were so many clues that even the always wise Bishop Charles was a little irritated.

"It seems that we can only start with that needle-like hidden weapon!"

Frowning, Archbishop Charles thought helplessly.

Meanwhile, in the royal palace in Paris, young Charles IX and Queen Catherine sat on the throne, staring blankly ahead, without saying a word.

At the conference table, the Duke of Montmorency, Marshal Saint-André, and other royal clansmen and nobles sat at the conference table, thinking about the news they had just received.

The death of Guise really shook Paris.

However, under the high pressure of Duke Guise, many nobles had a hint of joy and unspeakable sadness.

Sadly, the departure of Duke Guise is no less than the loss of a pillar of the entire Catholic aristocratic alliance and its power plummeting.

Happily, Paris, under high pressure, finally began to relax a little.

"Ladies and gentlemen, although His Excellency the Duke is gone, it is a great loss to France!"

The Duke of Montmorency was the former head of the royal family and the most trusted minister of Henry II, and he was the best natural leader after the departure of the Duke of Guise.

Others don't know, but the Duke of Montmorency himself thinks so.

"Now, the Duke of Vendôme in front reports that the city of Orleans is back in the hands of the Huguenots, and he has reorganized his troops and is stationed in Saint-Jean-Leblanc, confronting the Huguenots heresy!"

After the assassination of the Duke of Guise, the Duke of Vendôme withdrew from the city of Orleans with an army of more than 8,000 people, and stationed in the nearby city of Saint-Jean-Leblanc around Orleans to repair and soothe the morale of the army.

Of course, it is also possible that they are in control of the army.

The Duke of Montmorency made such a rightful statement as the first minister that the other nobles were a little uncomfortable, but in view of his prestige for so many years, he did not dare to openly oppose it.

"What is past has passed after all, just like a meteor in the sky

For the sake of the present day, it is necessary to reorganize the army, destroy the Huguenots, and let the light of our Lord shine again on the whole of France! ”

In the end, Montmorency had already begun to imagine that he would pacify the heresy and control the whole of France, and become the first family under the royal family.

"No, the war has divided the whole of France, with many dead and wounded, and the English have occupied Normandy and Brittany, and the war can no longer continue!"

On the side, the Duke of Longueville immediately stood up and objected in a loud voice, his eyes blazing as bright as two lightning bolts.

In middle age, he has long wavy black hair, and has always been one of the great nobles of the royal family.

He lifted his chin haughtily, and the pride in his eyes was too much to look at.

The Duke of Longueville bowed to His Majesty the King and the Queen Mother, glanced at the nobles sitting with pride, and was not afraid to speak out against it.

"After the siege of Orleans, the Huguenots have suffered huge losses, and it is our best choice to negotiate peace at this time!"

"I am willing to convince the Prince of Condé and General Colligny to make the whole of France one again!"

Bang Bang Bang –

As soon as the words fell, there was a round of applause.

Most of the clan nobles present had an expression of approval on their faces.

The aristocracy in fact agreed to the peace talks because they wanted to end the war at a relatively small cost, thus limiting the Huguenots to a certain limit.

Over the course of the year, the civil war between the Huguenots and the Catholic League had not only brought the kingdom's finances to the brink of bankruptcy, but also caused them a great loss to the nobles.

The continuation of the religious civil war caused the rebels to wreak havoc in the country, causing heavy losses to their estates and the flight of their people.

More importantly, the war confrontation constantly consumed the nobles' private soldiers, resulting in the reduction of the aristocratic power.

Nobles who have read some books can easily come up with analogous conjectures: Isn't this a copy of the War of the Roses in England?

How can they continue this kind of cheap royal thing?

"Your Excellency, this is ridiculous! We have always been devout in our faith in the Lord.

That is why we want to restore the glory of God and drive those heretics out of France to hell! ”

The Duke of Montmorency was naturally very angry with the Duke of Longueville, who had opposed him, and when he had finished speaking, he immediately objected.

"Think about it, at some point in the future, when we die at the prayer of a priest, and meet the kind and omnipotent God, who asks us why there are still heresies in the big guys, and what can we explain!"

As soon as God was mentioned, the nobles present immediately became serious, and some even drew crosses on their chests and muttered in their mouths.

Even Charles IX and Queen Catherine, who sat on the throne, prayed with devout faces.

Seeing that the attitudes of many nobles began to sway again, Duke Longerville immediately became nervous in his heart and hurriedly objected.

"The war cannot go on any longer......"

"For the glory of our Lord, the war must go on......"

Not only in Paris, but also in Orleans, the issues of war and peace were discussed in the Catholic League and the Huguenots.