Chapter 187: Audience with Theodosius II (Part 2)

From morning to noon, Luga and his party finally passed through the streets that were as dense as a spider web and arrived at the foot of the royal palace.

"Caesar, they are coming!" The guard pointed to the steps below and signaled to Theodosius. Theodosius turned around and looked down, and also saw the group of people being blocked outside by the guards.

Luka looked up and saw dozens of steps. They were so high that he couldn't see the scenery above the steps. The only thing he could see was the tall walls and the sculptures on them. Although Luka had seen buildings two or three times taller than this one, it was really not easy to build such a magnificent building with stones layer by layer in such a backward era, and every part was carved vividly.

At the bottom of the steps, five guards were standing guard. They could be easily identified by the large iron horn helmets with imitation horse stalks on their heads. Their right hands were tightly on the hilts of their swords, and their eyes were fixed on us. Because no one dared to stay in front of the palace, let alone those who carried weapons on their waists.

"We are the people chosen by Augustus of the Western Empire. We come here specifically to serve as the close guards of Augustus of the Eastern Empire. This is our proof." An attendant guard beside Luca stepped forward and handed over a parchment letter to the guard standing in the middle.

The guard took the parchment, but he did not open the letter to read the contents to confirm the authenticity of the letter. Instead, he pinched the parchment with two fingers and rubbed it carefully, as if he was feeling the texture of the parchment. It might be that the parchment of the royal family was different from that of the common people, but this advanced method really opened Luca's eyes.

"Well, it seems that they are distinguished guests from the Western Empire! My waiting here is worth it!" The guard said indifferently. He had no expression on his face and his words were equally cold. It seemed that he had known that we would come, so he waited here on purpose, but why didn't he go to the city gate to greet them? This was Luka's inner doubt and resentment, but here, Luka did not question it. The guard handed the parchment back to the guard standing in the front, stepped aside to make way, and the other four guards also relaxed and took their hands off the hilts. The guard who made way then walked up the steps and turned back to say to Luka and his group: "Then follow me on the way down!"

"Walk!"

Luca took the lead, and led Andrew and the guards behind him up the white steps. As they went up one step at a time, the scenery under the palace came into their sight. The first thing they saw was a row of Roman columns carved out of marble, and then there was a garden with a small but very delicate fountain in the middle of the garden, which sprayed water day and night.

"Tsk tsk, this is where people live!" Andrew's eyes widened, his mouth almost opened wide. He admired and praised. "As expected of Augustus, I haven't even seen him in person, but just by looking at this palace, I can see his majesty from the side."

A stone road leads directly to the fountain, and then around the fountain is the main entrance of the palace. However, in the middle of the road twenty meters in front of the fountain, there stands a marble statue of a man in a robe holding a shield in his left hand and a torch in his right hand.

"This is our Augustus, Theodosius II." Seeing that Luca and his party were attracted by the statue, the guards explained to them: "This is to commemorate the peace agreement reached between Augustus and the Huns, which brought long-term peace to the Eastern Empire. This is inseparable from the efforts of our Augustus." The guards explained vividly, making Luca blush. It is true that such words can only deceive the ignorant visitors, but deceiving Luca is simply a fantasy. Everyone in the future knows how many despicable things Theodosius II did for the so-called peace. If it were China, it would definitely be tied to the Song Dynasty as described by the public intellectuals today. After all, in the eyes of future generations, great empires are not maintained by humility.

The trees in the garden were trimmed by slaves, and there were guards wearing full-body mail, iron helmets and long-handled axes, most of them were Slavs from the north. They were loyal, fanatical, and would rather die than surrender, which was why Augustus of the Eastern Empire could trust them and make them palace guards.

They lined up in groups of three or five, patrolling aimlessly in the garden, or sitting on the marble platform and laughing loudly. They all seemed very easygoing, but our arrival made them alert. However, anyone who could go up the steps and be led by the guards must not be an ordinary person. Until we passed the statues and fountains and arrived at the gate of the palace.

"Please disarm yourselves before entering the palace!" When they reached the last checkpoint, the soldiers guarding the gate blocked Luga's way and asked him and his men to hand over the weapons they were wearing.

After all, they are going to meet the emperor of the empire, and they cannot be treated like any other minor official. Handing over weapons is the rule and a necessity, and Luga and others need to obey unconditionally.

After removing the iron sword from their waist, they were searched by the guards who did not trust them. Personal privacy was a false proposition that did not exist in this era. They searched very carefully, and only grabbed a piece of the man's life three inches below the belly button to confirm that it was indeed a man's life and not a dagger.

Each person searched for at least five minutes before the guards let them enter the palace. As soon as they entered the gate, they heard a dull question: "Are you a close guard of the Western Empire?" The voice was like thunder, echoing in the hall for a long time.

The hall was brightly lit with many burning candles, making the inside of the house as bright as the midday sun outside.

Luka stopped and the door behind him closed. Luka looked up and saw a large group of soldiers wearing black scale armor and black horned helmets. They were divided into two teams and neatly lined up behind the candlesticks on both sides of a huge wooden table in the middle. They turned their heads and looked at Luka and the others.

What? A Hongmen Banquet? Such a grand ceremony made Luca feel very depressed. Of course, Andrew and others behind Luca did not understand what Theodosius II intended.

"Luka, what does this mean?" Andrew didn't dare to get angry at this time. After all, we were facing the real emperor of the Eastern Empire and a whole team of guards. They were even more powerful than the famous Hercules Camp of the Western Empire. Such a huge pressure made our hearts beat fast. We were already drenched in sweat after staying in the room which was not hot for a long time.

"Come to the table!" The tone became deep and calm again, obviously not from one person. Luca looked up and saw the man sitting across the table, with more than a dozen officials standing behind him. That's right, that man was Augustus of the Eastern Roman Empire, Theodosius II.

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"Take your seats, you are the distinguished guests of the Western Empire!" Theodosius II waved to them. Luca and Andrew obeyed and sat opposite Theodosius.

"Now that we are here, we have to fulfill our duties as a host." Theodosius said solemnly. He turned around and nodded to a retainer, who understood and turned into another room.

(End of this chapter)