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If such an extreme fanatic were to gain access to gunpowder and explosives, all the calamities faced by the distant Eastern empires might also befall them.
"We need to immediately control trade with Spain and France, and also monitor immigration and emigration," Leonardo said as he stood up. "The Queen is still resting, but we’ll prepare the plan first and then discuss it with her."
The West was spiraling out of control.
Niccolo immediately stood up, following him out the door to gather more high-ranking officials.
As the door opened, Dechio appeared in front of them, nearly colliding with Niccolo.
"Ah?" She rubbed her forehead, pulling out a letter. "The Queen is still asleep, so I thought I’d bring this letter to you first."
"Where is it from?" Leonardo took the letter, noticing the signature was unfamiliar.
"From England," Dechio replied slowly. "Their ambassador is waiting downstairs, and he's quite cordial—he even brought several crates of gifts."
"This letter is personally written by Henry VII," she continued. "I’ve heard it contains warm and sincere gestures of goodwill towards Italy, with elegant language."
Leonardo paused for a moment, turning the envelope under the light.
The wax seal bore the red and white Tudor rose, which glowed faintly in his eyes.
——
When Leonardo walked into the bedroom holding a letter, Hedy was sleepily singing a lullaby to the children.
Since her ascension to the throne, she had retained her precious gentleness and patience. Whether with friends or children, she always managed to keep her work emotions at bay, just as she had years ago.
It was said that after working hard at the "company," she would still come home late every day, yet manage to care for and educate her children, and she did so very successfully.
No matter the era, being a mother is always a challenging task.
On one hand, Hedy had to deal with the complexities of court affairs and visitors during the day; on the other hand, she inevitably had to get up at night to feed the baby—her children's crying would frequently interrupt her sleep.
Because of this, Leonardo always tried to help her with the state affairs and do everything he could for her.
Even in the late hours, when he couldn’t help her feed the children, he would quietly bring her a cup of hot milk or gently knead her sore shoulders and arms while she softly coaxed the children back to sleep.
He was not only a passionate and meticulous father but also a loving husband.
When Leonardo entered the bedroom, the children were tugging at her loose strands of hair.
"Leonardo?" The beautiful woman leaned against the bedside and gestured for the maid to move the children aside. "Did everything go smoothly today?"
"I just had a meeting," he sat beside her and skillfully intertwined their fingers. "There are some matters we need to discuss before meeting with the British ambassador."
"The British ambassador?" She lowered her gaze and smiled. "He really came."
Before his marriage, Leonardo spent most of his time in the church, theater, and study.
He had once excelled in art design, stage prop making, oil painting, and mechanics, but politics was never his forte.
However, due to her sudden change in status—from a mercenary leader to a lord, and then from a lord to a queen—he found himself constantly keeping up with her steps and doing more in unfamiliar fields, and doing it exceptionally well, even surpassing anyone else in similar roles.
Before coming to find her, the man had already held three hours of meetings and had attended to and settled the ambassadors, returning only once everything was in order.
The three-hour meeting, in his words, could be explained in three minutes—its core elements were laid out very clearly.
"Spain..." Hedy leaned against the soft pillow, after a long pause, she said, "I almost forgot about her."
