Chapter 39 Jadeite Gemstone (10)▓
◎Mother and daughter talk◎
Amenla leaned back in a satin-covered lounge chair, letting the sunlight shine through the glass dome onto her face, making her honey-colored skin and her misty blue eyelids sparkle with a pearly, lustrous glow.
The round high table next to the recliner was cluttered with ink bottles, parchment, and teacups with a slight hint of steam. When Sang Xia walked in, holding up her skirt, she saw her mother sleeping tiredly, with the golden eagle pendant box that she never left on her chest pressed under her sleeves that were spread out like lotus leaves.
It was a rare sight. The queen of Assyria always seemed full of energy. She steered the helm of the empire with extraordinary acumen and more terrifying perseverance than men. She would not reveal her feminine softness on any occasion - unless it would help her gain more benefits. Even the Roman nobles sometimes forgot that she was a woman.
Sang Xia rarely saw this side of her mother. She was holding a letter from Florence in her hand. What was written on it made her unbelievable but she had to believe it. She wanted to ask her mother, but after seeing this scene, she suddenly felt that perhaps there was no need to ask.
The ladies-in-waiting sat far away in the corridor, keeping a distance that allowed them to see this side and provide services to the hostess in time, but not to overhear the private conversations between the queen and the princess, reading or chatting. The queen was very tolerant of the ladies-in-waiting around her, and the noble ladies were scrambling to serve the queen - of course, even if the queen was violent and cruel, they would still want to do so.
Who would refuse to be near a monarch?
Sang Xia was wearing a rose-red riding suit without a complicated and cumbersome crinoline. Pearls and gems were inlaid on the hem of her skirt. As she walked, the sun shone brightly like waves. The long golden brown hair and sapphire eyes inherited from her mother made her uniquely pretty. The young princess was as light as a deer in the woods. She ran to her mother's side, stared at the queen's sleeping face for a while, and then sat down casually on the ground, leaning against the queen's legs waiting for her to wake up.
Her mother did not keep her waiting long.
Amenla woke up from a short and sweet dream. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the head with long golden brown hair nestled beside her knees. The originally smooth long hair was a little messy because of riding, and was scattered on the queen's golden red dress. Amenla's expression still had a bit of hazy tenderness as if she had not yet emerged from the dream. She raised one hand and gently placed it on the long hair, combing it for Sangxia bit by bit.
"Mother?" Sang Xia moved her neck and changed to a more comfortable leaning position on the queen's legs. She put her head on the queen's thigh, hugged the queen's waist with one hand, and squinted her eyes comfortably.
"My little angel." Amenla's voice was hoarse like fine wine, and it sounded sweet in people's ears. Sangxia closed her eyes and smiled. She hadn't heard this name for many years. When she was a toddler, Amenla was in a difficult situation in the palace. In order to protect her daughter, the queen almost never left the child's side.
She fed her daughter with her own hands, sang wild and long Assyrian folk songs to coax her daughter to sleep, told her every detail about that distant country - her hometown, and when her daughter was drowsy, she softly called her "my little angel" and gave her two goodnight kisses on her forehead.
Why two goodnight kisses?
Young Sangxia asked her mother in a baby voice.
The queen, who was wearing a corset, a crinoline and a long, elaborate dress according to Roman court rules, smiled slightly, her forehead against her daughter's.
, as if telling a secret that only each other can know, speaking in a voice softer than that of a child, because two goodnight kisses mean double love from mother, my little angel.
Rav XI did not love his wife, even though she brought an Assyrian crown to marry into Roman Empire.
This arrogant man did not love his and Amenla's only daughter. For a long time, there was almost no trace of this father in Sangxia's childhood memories, but she still grew up to be as lively and proud as she is now. This was because Amenla worked hard to fill the gaps left by her father and raised her with real love.
However, after Sangxia grew up a few years older, this intimate and sweet name did not appear often. Yamenla began to devote more energy to politics. She became strict in teaching Sangxia, and even personally asked about what fonts she was learning and polished them stroke by stroke. Such days were not bad, but Sangxia sometimes still missed the mother who gently put her hand on her forehead, gave her a double goodnight kiss, and called her "my little angel."
Sangxia tilted her face coquettishly and put her cheek against Amenra's hand. As a princess, queen, and queen, Amenra's hands were not as soft and smooth as those of ordinary noble women. There were rough calluses on her palms and her knuckles were rough. Despite careful maintenance, those marks could not be removed. It was these marks that reminded people from time to time that she also had the title of "Warrior Queen". She was best at using the Assyrian long sword to chop off the enemy's heads on the back of a galloping horse, letting her blood soak the soil.
Yamenla gently stroked her daughter's face, and her eyes regained clarity. The haziness and confusion from being immersed in a dream faded from her face like water. She lowered her head and asked softly, "My little sun, are you happy today?"
Sanxia's name means sun in Roman language. She was obviously more accustomed to this nickname that had accompanied her for a long time. She rubbed her mother's hand with her side face with a smile, not caring about the rough texture at all. After thinking for a while, she said, "I received a reply from Florence today."
Yamenla's hand that was stroking her cheek stopped.
Of course, it was impossible for the Queen to hide the correspondence between Sanxia and the Pope. Even the messenger between Roman and Florence was arranged by the Queen for her.
Sang Xia heard her mother's extremely gentle voice: "Really? What did he say to you?"
Sang Xia hesitated for a moment, but still took out the letter: "What he said is similar to what you told me. He is obviously about the same age as me, but he has incomparable wisdom. However, he mentioned one thing in the letter, and I am not sure..."
Yamenla took the letter and stared at it for a long time before reading it word by word. After reading the letter, she couldn't help but understand and patted her daughter's head: "Are you asking about the marriage negotiation with Calais?"
Sang Xia nodded hesitantly.
Yamenla looked at her and calmly admitted: "I do have this idea, what do you think?"
Sanxia answered the moment she finished speaking: "I am willing to marry Emperor Calais, but... as Raphael said, this marriage involves the three countries of Assyria, Roman and Calais. Will it touch some people's nerves?"
Her decisive answer made Yamenla feel relieved. She smiled but also felt a little sad. However, she quickly suppressed this complex emotion: "This is inevitable, but we don't need to care about what they think."
The queen's eyes fell on the parchment in her hand. She looked at the long and stretched words on it and said, "Assyria needs a strong ally. The alliance with Roman was a failed attempt. My father failed to restore Assyria to its former peace, and it also caused me to be bound in the Roman court. Although I have the crown of Assyria, my throne always stays in Roman. This is a regret that I cannot let go of, and it is also a shame for Assyria."
The displacement of the throne may be an indirect cause of Assyria's repeated civil wars and divisions. How can the people live here peacefully when even their monarch is not in this land?
But Amenra had no choice.
Her marriage back then was a naked exchange of interests. The weak Assyrian state could not give her more help, so the Romans promised to send troops to help Assyria quell the rebellion - which they did, and their requirement was that before the death of the Assyrian emperor, Amenra needed to stay in the Roman court as the Roman queen.
In this way, Assyria's only heir came to Rome. In name, she was the queen of Rome and the mother of the people, but in terms of her own situation, she was more like a hostage of Assyria in Rome.
The loveless marriage was mixed with too many interests, betrayal, shame and hatred. Lav XI held extravagant banquets in the palace day and night. He brought his lover to the king's suite which was only separated from the queen's suite by a corridor. The women in the king's bed changed like a revolving lantern, and the queen was not allowed to have any opinions.
She was a silent lamp, wearing the queen's crown and sitting on the throne as a "symbol of friendship" between Assyria and Roman.
It was not until Lav XI fell seriously ill that the jackals who were ready to make a move saw the ruthless and decisive means under the skin of this paper queen. They belatedly remembered that before coming to Rome, she was a warrior princess who wielded a long sword, rode a fierce horse, and led the troops on the Assyrian plains.
But a series of turmoil finally held back Amenra. For various reasons, she needed to control the Roman land for her daughter. The illegitimate children of Lav XI were as numerous as lice on a bald head. No matter how hard Amenra tried, it was impossible to completely get rid of all those who were eyeing the throne. The Roman Noble Parliament would never agree to "an Assyrian woman" wearing the Roman crown, so she could only suppress them here for a long time as the queen and regent, and bargain with the parliament until they passed a decree allowing female heirs to inherit the throne, and Sancha could successfully take over the Roman crown from her.
For this reason, she had to allow Assyria to fall into chaos again. Obviously, a large part of this chaos was caused by the Roman nobles. In order to maintain the purity of the Roman throne, they were trying to drive this foreign queen back to her turbulent homeland, along with her daughter.
"I will announce the convening of the Grand Council again in the second half of the year, and Florence will also express its position. This time I will promote the amendment of the succession bill at all costs. I will then invite Emperor Calais to come. If Calais is put on the scale, those stubborn and stupid nobles may change their minds. As long as you and Emperor Calais give birth to a child, the child with the royal blood of the three countries will undoubtedly become the only monarch of the world's largest empire. No one can resist such temptation." Amenla said in a firm tone.
Listening to these arrangements about her marriage and even future children, the young Sangxia looked accustomed to it. Love, sex, and marriage were not something to be avoided or embarrassed about in the palace. Unmarried girls were very familiar with talking about these things. The souls living in the palace were accustomed to viewing love and marriage separately, and distinguishing between the body and the soul. Sangxia was no exception. After seeing the marriage of Amenra and Raf XI, she was even more sober than most people.
"But they may not be willing to see Roman being merged--" Sanxia thought for a while and raised the question.
Yamenla raised the corner of his mouth sarcastically: "That's a matter for the future. Their greedy brains are not enough to help them struggle out of this vortex. If this empire is really formed, can you imagine how huge the benefits will be? Titles, wealth, land, power... everything will be reshuffled. They will go crazy for this, and then you will see that there is actually no difference between humans and beasts."
"After all, the only people who would refuse this kind of shuffling are those who are not qualified to sit at the table. Those who sit at the table holding the cards... can't wait to join the new gambling game."
The queen's full red lips curved into a very ironic smile.
Sanxia skipped this question: "Then, the other question Raphael mentioned, will you go to the front line in person?"
There was real sorrow in the princess' eyes, which made her bright and beautiful face look more fragile like dew. The queen stroked her hair and did not answer the question. She just folded the letter in her hand carefully and said, "Have you written your reply? What trouble has he encountered?"
"Oh," Sang Xia saw that her mother was avoiding her question, and her heart began to sink slowly, but she knew that she could never shake her mother's decision, so she put this question aside for the time being. After all, there was still more than half a year before her mother went to war, and she would never leave here when the Roman country was unstable. "There is an epidemic in Florence, and it seems to be related to some people who oppose Raphael. The epidemic has stabilized, and he is tracking down those people."
When Amenla heard the word "epidemic", his pupils suddenly shrank, and his face turned terribly cold in an instant. Sangxia did not notice this change and continued to talk to herself. Amenla quickly restrained his emotions, but his eyes were still cold: "Using the epidemic? What a scum! Even the carrion-eating jackals on the grassland are more noble and pure than them."
"It seems that we have to care about our allies," Yamenla smiled at her daughter, "He... Raphael seems to be a good person. It is difficult to have a friend. My little sun, you must learn to take care of your friends."
The queen with long golden brown hair raised her face, leaned back in the recliner and was silent for a while, then said, "I heard... he seems to have an old injury on his leg due to some experience in his early years. You can send him some suitable spices and herbs. The painkillers sent by Assyria have not been moved in the warehouse. Your friend may need them."
Sang Xia opened her eyes wide in surprise: "Old injury? I didn't see it at all! I haven't heard anyone mention it..."
Yamenla looked at her helplessly and said, "How could such a thing be known to everyone? One of the major requirements for being a pope is good health. I also learned about it through some channels."
She glossed over the subject.
Sang Xia kept this matter in mind and began to prepare gifts and reply letters to be sent to Florence.
At the same time as Roman's warm moment, there was a panic in Florence.
As Ferrante's investigation deepened, more and more lords began to become frightened. They hid in their mansions, wandering around anxiously all day long, cursing in their hearts the damn Raphael - this mad pope! He actually dared to go deep into the epidemic area and stay with those untouchables! No normal person would do this! The madman's actions completely shattered their wishful thinking. Not only did they fail to take the opportunity to escape from Florence, but they were also watched closely. They could almost hear the footsteps of death approaching.
They didn't dare to utter these curses aloud because they didn't even know which servant around them might be the eyes and ears of Emperor Sistine I!
That madman, who knew where he got a wolfhound from, used despicable means to dig out information from servants, attendants and even laundresses. How could they ever take these people seriously? But it is these people who do not exist in their eyes who actually know so many things!
The lords were filled with hatred, but they could only struggle like cornered beasts. Ferrante's intelligence was still steadily delivered to Raphael's desk every day. As time passed, strange rumors began to ring in the ears of the lords. More and more people could not sit still. The carriages drove out of the mansion in a low-key manner and came to the side door of the Pope's Palace. They were led in by the black-robed monks waiting there and poured out all their secrets in an attempt to exchange them for their own survival.
The Pope behind the table listened silently with a smile. The lord, who was lying on the ground, was trembling all over, his face covered with snot and tears. He betrayed all his accomplices tremblingly and swore to the heavens and the earth that he was innocent and helpless because of being coerced.
Saint Sistine I, who looked like the Son of God in oil paintings, finally smiled.
This different reaction gave the lord a little hope: "I am willing to point out their evil deeds for you!"
"Then what are you willing to give in exchange for your precious life?" Saint Sistine I asked gently.
“No need
Answer now. "The Pope raised his hand, and a monk with black curly hair walked out from the shadows behind him. The boy had an overly beautiful face, but was as cold as a knife drawn out in the cold night. He threw a stack of papers and ink in front of the lord.
"Please leave a price sufficient for God to forgive your evil deeds," said the Pope with a smile.
"This is a one-time opportunity. Please consider it carefully. This is not a negotiation or a business deal. You must know that God is always watching us. He sees our piety as well as our sins."
The young Pope left these meaningful words, stood up and left the reception room, leaving the lord trembling in front of the blank paper.
"Which one is it?" After walking out the door, Rafael asked Ferrante beside him.
“The fifth,” Ferrante replied.
Raphael smiled unchanged: "Then wait a few more days, until they can no longer sit still, until... they are more terrified, panicked, and eager to survive than ever before."
Ferrante leaned forward: "I will continue to spread the news."
Raphael looked at him and gently stroked his hair with his hand, and the "wolfhound" rubbed against his hand docilely.
"Good boy."
Raphael said softly.
The author has something to say:
Sistine I's Diary: Watch how I squeeze this scum dry.
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