It was a night full of dark clouds and freezing cold.
The nine-year-old prince William, the future heir to the Principality of Normandy, was looking at the surrounding environment. He felt that tonight was particularly unusual. There was an atmosphere of terror everywhere, and a sense of uneasiness lingered in his heart.
Although he is the most noble person in the castle and the future heir of the entire principality, William has no power to give orders either in the country or in the castle. All power is held by his uncle, the red archbishop of the Normandy diocese.
Prince William's father, the Duke of the Duchy of Normandy, led the army to participate in the Crusades when William was young. All power in the country, including William's custody, fell into the hands of the archbishop.
"Dr. Andersen, why did you come to my room in the middle of the night?"
There was a knock on the door, and William opened the door and saw Mr. Andersen, a dusty tutor. There was a solemn look on his face, which was shockingly different from the joking look before.
"Shh!" Andersen was preoccupied. He saw William quickly closing the door and whispering, "My child, believe me, quickly put on your light clothes and leave here with me. Your life journey is about to set sail."
"Wherever I go, I can go. I am a prince and the heir to the country." William was surprised by the words of his tutor. Andersen was a member of his team of tutors.
According to the tradition of the royal family, William received the education of a prince and had to conduct formal studies. He had to know the structure of the universe, rhetoric, and heraldry, as well as history, astronomy, alchemy, and physics. There are archery, hunting, fencing, horse riding and so on.
William is surrounded by a lot of outstanding talents, educating William in all kinds of knowledge. These are the educational plans formulated by his father. It can be seen that the former Duke had high hopes for his only child. It was only two years ago that , his poor father had already passed away. It was his guards who carried him back from distant Jerusalem and held a grand burial.
Although William felt that Teacher Andersen's words were a bit strange, he still followed his words according to inertia.
Although William has a luxurious team of tutors, even if he is smart at a young age, he has only scratched the surface of what he has learned.
After his father's death, his tutors seemed to have frequent accidents and died outside, so that the originally large team of teachers fell apart. As the guardian, Archbishop Robert had no idea of recruiting people to supplement the tutors. He personally took over William's Education said, "All knowledge in this world comes from the Bible. There is no knowledge comparable to the Bible. All truths are in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Learning other things is simply a matter of It’s just a waste of time. If there are still deficiencies, you can properly study the gospels left by the saints. As long as you believe in God devoutly and can lead troops to fight, it doesn’t matter even if you are illiterate. Anyway, the king has his own team of advisors. They can Just reading the paperwork is enough.”
Therefore, although Dr. Andersen's status as tutor has not been lifted, it is different from the previous situation where he met almost every day. William rarely sees him.
"Let's go, let's go, Your Highness, there is no place for you in this palace. Take your luggage, leave this palace, and find your way out."
Dr. Andersen took out a baggage, which contained dry food, a dagger, and a gold coin.
"Why Dr. Andersen!" Prince William looked at the package that had already been packed in surprise, and looked at the teacher with tears in his eyes. Even at the age of nine, he vaguely understood something.
He is the only heir to the duke, a prince, and the heir to the country. In the past, he had a large number of servants who served him and tutors who provided him with elite education. Although the image of his father has become blurred, he understands that his father is A great hero, and he also strives to be a good prince.
Everything had changed two years ago when his father's body was returned to Normandy by the accompanying knights and held a funeral.
His uncle, who was originally regent, became archbishop.
He moved into the castle where his father lived. At the same time, his respected tutors frequently died in accidents. In order to protect himself and the archbishop, the senators who were loyal to his father were sent to other places to perform tasks, and then they never came back. After that, the attitude of the servants towards him changed dramatically.
Even a child like William has deeply felt this sudden gap.
"Why, there is no reason, because you are the future heir of the Duke of Normandy. You are your father's son. When your father's body is returned to Normandy, you should be the Duke of Normandy, but you are not a duke because your uncle Archbishop Robert has emptied all your power. He gives orders as your protector, attacks the tutors around you, has the ability to resist him, and is loyal to your loyal ministers, the knights who clashed with him for you, but But he was exiled in your name."
Dr. Andersen told William about his predicament. Seeing the sluggish look on his face, he took a deep breath and said, "Originally, under your father's arrangement, your tutor was either a knowledgeable person or a heroic knight. Even if you were young, You have upright and loyal ministers by your side, and with the help of Archbishop Robert in the church, your position is rock solid. But now that your loyal cronies have been killed and the knights have been exiled, no one can do anything for you. You have spoken, and all the nobles have become loyal to him."
"But why does uncle want to kill me?" William was confused. "If uncle wants the position of duke, then it is enough for him to usurp the throne directly. I will not pose any hindrance to him. You must know that I am his nephew after all. We It’s a family.”
"That's right. This is exactly your father's arrangement. After he leaves the country, as long as he doesn't die, he will lead the army without any change. There is no more outstanding general than him, but your father dies. No matter how bad your uncle is, he can only keep the royal power for you. He will not tolerate people at home and abroad to challenge your position. He must safeguard the interests of the entire family. Even if he usurps the throne, he will eventually hand over the throne. Give it to you, but now you have violated his interests and hindered him.
Dr. Andersen pointed to a high tower in front of the castle, where the archbishop and his wife lived. "Did you see it? Just now, a baby was born. The archbishop's wife gave birth to a child for him. That is you. 's younger brother."
"You are the legitimate heir of the Duke. Because your uncle is a clergyman, he cannot usurp the throne. The king will not agree, and neither will the Pope. He can only keep it for you. But now he has a son, who is on the throne. In terms of inheritance, you are ahead of him in the order of inheritance. As long as you are eliminated, that child will be the first in line of succession."
Prince William was speechless. At this time, he finally realized the problem. There were only three members of the Normandy royal family: his father, his uncle, and himself. After his father passed away, as long as he and his uncle, no matter whether his uncle liked him or hated him, he would It is impossible to give up the Duke's throne to anyone except him. Even if he usurps the throne and takes over all the power, he will protect himself as a ruler and eliminate all enemies.
But now that the uncle had a son of his own, his first and greatest enemy was William himself.
