In the gloomy sky, a sudden sound of "Wow... Wow... Wow......" and hoarse screams. The cry of the raven, which is usually annoying, makes people feel even more desolate and sad at this time. This is a sight unique to the Tower of London, which validates the saying that where there is death, there are ravens (ravens are often found on the battlefield because of their scavenging properties, in the company of corpses, and in the company of death). In the history of mankind, they have often been called the birds of death, symbolizing ominous doom)?!

Of course, the ravens (big ravens) of the Tower of London at this time were not as famous as later generations. It wasn't until the time of the English Civil War that an ancient legend emerged: as long as there were ravens in the Tower of London, England would survive and not be defeated by invaders; On the contrary, they faced the desperate situation of the fall of the Tower of London and the collapse of the dynasty.

And because the Tower of London is regarded as a witness to the rise and fall of the British royal family for hundreds of years, the raven has been regarded as a "sacred bird" related to the fortune of the country until now. Today, the British government still follows the old legend that some ravens are carefully bred in the Tower of London by the most special profession in the United Kingdom, the raven officer. At regular intervals, the crows are also cut off their wings so that they cannot fly away from the Tower of London.

The Earl of Surrey stood in front of the iron bar, smiled and looked at the ravens flying through the sky, and whispered, "Your Highness, the cries of these great blackbirds (Karl Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy, named them ravens in 1758) tell me that death is coming?" ”

The Duke of Richmond, who was standing opposite the Earl of Surrey, had a gloomy look on his face, and as he fixed his eyes on the Earl, he said, "Henry, you must defend yourself to Your Majesty and to the court, and your new coat of arms must not be considered to be treasonous. ”

"Well, treason? Your Highness, if you were a king, would you like to be surrounded by a group of newcomers to the court who want power and wealth, or descendants of the royal family who could threaten your throne at any moment? ”

"What do you mean?"

"I think that's what Your Majesty thinks."

While the Earl of Surrey and the Duke of Richmond stood in front of the small window of the cell and whispered to each other, Isabel Walton, the Lady of Ripley, accompanied the grief-stricken Mrs. Surrey in a corner of the cell. The baroness looked around the inside of the cell, the limestone walls looked very old, but they showed an impregnable castle defense (the Tower of London was built by William I in 1087 to suppress the locals and defend the city, and it took 20 years to call it a classic castle in the English Middle Ages).

Inside the cell, there is a Gothic bench with a long backrest and a Gothic stand table. There was a candlestick on the table, and there was a small piece of candle left on the candlestick. In addition, there was some paper, a small jar of ink, and a regular quill. It appears that this was specially prepared for the Earl of Surrey by the supervisors of the Tower of London, in order for him to write his own confession of treason.

Mrs. Surrey, who was sitting on a bench, stared at her husband, who was standing in front of the window, and she didn't know what to say. Isabel, who was beside her, lowered her head and looked at Lady Surrey, and said softly: "Madam, let me accompany you out of here, this place is not suitable for a lady like you." ”

Madame Surrey shook her head, looked up at the Baroness, "Isabel, I am grateful to you. Only, if Henry had died, I would no longer have been Lady Surrey. ”

"Don't worry, everything will be fine." Isabel whispered that she was going to personally go and ask the Earl of Surrey about the real reason for her arrest.

The Duke of Richmond, after listening to a bunch of "grumblings" from his childhood friend, silently turned his gaze to Lady Ripley, who was on the other side of the cell, and nodded. Isabel said a few more words to Lady Surrey, and then came to the two male nobles. After glancing at the expressions of the two of them, he looked squarely at the Earl of Surrey, "Your Excellency, can you tell me what is the reason for His Majesty's arrest of you and your father?" ”

The Earl of Surrey looked at her and chuckled softly, "Lord Ripley, you will understand after I tell you about the Duke of Buckingham." ”

After the overthrow of Richard III by Henry VII in 1485, Edward Stafford (1478-1521) regained his ducal title and title as Duke III of Buckingham. After the accession of Henry VIII, the Duke of Buckingham began to play an important role in court politics. In 1509, he held the crown for King Henry VIII at his coronation. In November of the same year, he assumed the position of privy councillor, becoming the most powerful man in the court at the time, and was considered a possible successor to the throne on more than one occasion. Of course, rumours inside and outside the court about the Duke of Buckingham's possible succession to the throne finally aroused the suspicion of Henry VIII, who executed him for treason in 1521.

"Your Excellency, now you understand why Your Majesty arrested me and the Duke, right?" After the Earl of Surrey finished speaking, there seemed to be a sense of relief in his heart.

"It seems that Henry VIII did not hesitate to kill any threatening descendant of the royal family in order for Prince Edward to succeed him." Isabel's brows were furrowed, thinking about the death of Duke III of Buckingham that the other party had talked about, and when her eyes were always fixed on the Earl of Surrey, she said softly, "Your Excellency, do you think you will get the same result as the Duke of Buckingham?" ”

The Earl of Surrey certainly did not want to be the next nobleman to lose his life in the struggle for power. However, in the past, he often flaunted his royal blood in front of other nobles and court ministers, wasn't it precisely to prove that he could inherit the throne? Now thinking back to all his pride, conceited words and deeds, the Earl of Surrey suddenly felt very stupid.

Now, Henry VIII has finally made a move on his father and him. But he and his father had no way to defend themselves or appeal (at this time, the Earl of Surrey did not know that his father, the Duke of Norfolk, intended to save his life by means of grievances) to defend themselves or appeal, and they could not even find a reason to defend themselves.

After being silent for a long time, he just shook his head slightly, "No." However, this is the only result. ”

The Duke of Richmond, who had been silent, suddenly said, "Isabel, if Your Majesty really thinks so, I should also be arrested and imprisoned in this disgusting castle." ”

"No, Your Highness, your legal status is not the same as that of Lord Surrey." Isabel swallowed the second half of her words, she had intended to say that the Duke of Richmond was an illegitimate child and would never inherit the throne.

"Henry, perhaps our last meeting, it's time to say goodbye to your good companion." The words of the Earl of Surrey made people feel as if his heart was also dead.