At the beginning of December 1546, the Duke of Richmond, having temporarily handed over the affairs of the Northern Council to the Earl of Westmoreland, the Earl of Cumberland and the Baron of Walton, packed up his belongings and led his retinue with Lady Ripley to leave Yorkshire and sail south. Along the way, the Duke of Richmond and Baroness Ripley talked about the King's illness, "Isabel, I think you already know that Your Majesty's illness will not be cured, do you?" ”

According to the analysis of some historians of later generations, the wound on Henry VIII's thigh was probably caused by the syphilis virus. If Henry VIII contracted syphilis because of his penchant for flowers and willows, this seems untenable. Overweight in his later years, and suffering injuries from a horseback ride, Henry VIII's range of action was limited to Whitehall and the royal gardens.

Before Henry VIII married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, the wound on his thigh had begun to fester. This suggests that Henry VIII was most likely infected with the syphilis virus for some unknown reason. Regardless of how the king was infected with the virus, the mere mere treatment of the virus was a completely impossible affair in itself.

The state of the art was extremely backward, with few drugs for the prevention, treatment and diagnosis of diseases, coupled with the characteristics of the diet of the European aristocracy in the 16th century (the nobles rarely ate fresh, vitamin-rich vegetables). Eating a lot of greasy meats and spicy foods, drinking alcohol instead of water), if Henry VIII did not die, it only means that he is indeed the representative of Jesus Christ in the world, living in this world like God.

Six years ago, Isabelle Walton had the privilege of meeting the King and the young Queen at the Duke of Richmond's castle. When she met Henry VIII himself, she was sensitive to the usual unpleasant smell emanating from the vicinity of Henry VIII's body. Moreover, this smell is only produced when you are seriously ill or if your skin or muscles are decaying. After the king and queen left the north, she learned from casual conversations with the Duke of Richmond that Henry VIII's illness was caused by an ulcerative wound on his thigh.

What kind of disease can make a wound linger for a long time, so that the skin or mucosal surface tissue is limited to defects and ulceration. The first situation that Isabel could think of, with limited medical knowledge, was a bacterial disease. In addition, viral diseases, parasitic diseases, sexually transmitted diseases and autoimmune diseases can cause wound ulcers.

If Henry VIII's wounds had been treated without the use of chemical drugs, no one would have been able to cure him of his serious illness. Therefore, Isabel, who is not a naval medical major, can only choose to be silent. Even with a large number of medicinal plants that can prevent and treat diseases in front of her, I am afraid she does not even know any of them.

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Lady Ripley, who was riding slowly on a horse, looked very heavy, and nodded slightly when she looked at the Duke of Richmond, who was riding next to her, "Your Highness, I don't know if Your Majesty's illness will be cured. I just think that His Majesty is suffering from a terrible disease. ”

The Duke of Richmond could tell from her expression and eyes that she was not lying, and said with a wry smile as he looked ahead again, "I think so too." My Lord, it is a mercy to His Majesty to keep him alive until now. ”

"Your Highness, if you go to London City this time, you may not be able to return to the north for a long time." Isabel didn't want to grieve the Duke of Richmond too much, so she had to turn the conversation to something else.

"Well, I know. After His Majesty's death, all affairs will be handled in accordance with his will, and the Regency Council will assist Prince Edward to inherit the throne. ”

"Your Highness, you... Know the list of members of the Regency Council? As soon as Isabel finished speaking, she immediately felt that this sentence might cause misunderstanding by others, and hurriedly added: "Your Highness, I mean you are also on the list of members of the Regency Council, right?" ”

The Duke of Richmond nodded and smiled helplessly, "Isabel, I'm just an illegitimate son of Your Majesty. Perhaps the future court will be decided by Prince Edward's favorite court ministers. ”

Isabel also knew that what he said was true, she just didn't want to see the Duke of Richmond expelled from the court, so she blinked and whispered: "Your Highness, if you admit that you love power and court affairs, you must face up to who your opponent is. I think, you know who I'm referring to. ”

"Viscount Lyle? The Earl of Hertfordshire of the Seymour family? The Duke of Richmond's mind suddenly conjured up the faces of these two military nobles. In his contact with John Dudley, Viscount of Lyle, he could sense that the nobleman was talented and politically ambitious. And he is just a prospective prince with a privileged life, can he defeat this rising newcomer to court politics?

The Duke of Richmond was unconfident that he would be able to defeat Viscount Lyle in court politics. Still, he had some ideas about the two male members of Seymour's family. After all, Prince Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, and his younger brother, Sir Thomas Seymour, were the biggest supporters.

After a long period of silent thought, the Duke of Richmond suddenly said, "Isabel, what do you think of the two male members of the Seymour family?" ”

Isabel gazed calmly at the Duke's face and nodded, "Your Highness, if Lord Hertford gains more power and higher status after Prince Edward succeeds to the throne, it is in line with the royal family's precedent. You know, the Lord is the prince's uncle. ”

"Well, what about Sir Thomas, the Lord's brother?"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but at the moment I can't see some problems between the two members of the Seymour family. For example, in order to gain power and status, they use conspiracies against their own relatives. ”

"Well, these things can be dealt with a little longer."

About four days later, the two men led a procession of attendants to the city of London. Two days later, the Duke of Richmond and Dame Ripley, respectively, entered Whitehall to meet Her Majesty Henry VIII and Queen Catherine, who were dying. On 12 December, Duke III of Norfolk and his eldest son and heir, the Earl of Surrey, were abruptly arrested in their respective residences outside London. Faced with the fate of his childhood friend, the Duke of Richmond was helpless.

On the morning of the 12th, while a large number of armed attendants who had arrested the Earl of Surrey were hurrying to the Earl's residence, the Duke of Richmond, who remained in the King's bedroom, begged Henry VIII not to do so. Lying on the bed, Henry VIII struggled to prop up his upper body and raised his right hand weakly. Stretching out his index finger, he pointed at the duke, "Henry, my son, leave my business alone... Remember who you are! ”