Chapter 60: Golden Ouroboros (X)
◎Discussing marriage◎
Princess Sancha of Roman was awarded the title of Princess of Bern.
Prince of Beligo is the title of the Roman Crown Prince. This ancient title does not have any actual fiefdom - according to the rule that the title is the fiefdom, Beligo is the crown prince's fiefdom, but no matter what, the capital city cannot really belong to someone other than the king, so this title is just a symbol, proving that the person holding it will be the future Roman monarch.
This news quickly spread to the capitals of various countries like wings. The battle for the throne of the vast Roman Empire finally came to an end, and the winner was not so unexpected.
Julius was in the theater when he received the news. The extensive intelligence network of the Portia family would transmit countless redundant information here every day. After a rough screening, it would be summarized again, and the most important ones would be submitted directly to the head of the family. It was related to the Roman throne, and the Duke of Rhine was sitting in a separate box on the upper floor of the theater with them. After listening to the report from the servant, he nodded without any expression and turned his attention back to the stage.
He seemed not to care about this matter. In fact, how Roman's throne changed had nothing to do with the Portia family far away in Florence. No matter who succeeded to the throne, they had to rely on the ubiquitous Portia Bank for trade. Julius didn't care who sat on the throne, even if it was a dog.
At this moment, the Roman throne was not as important to him as the drama that was about to begin.
Julius relaxed his body, leaning back on the soft cushions, and waited patiently for the stage curtain to open.
The play performed by the Florence Opera House today is "The Birth of Bacchus", an adaptation of the traditional Roman thanksgiving drama. Since most members of the Portia family love art, many art masters have worked for the Portia family for a long or short period of time, and the birth of many art treasures is inseparable from the name of this family.
For example, the famous oil painting "Three Goddesses of Spring" is a portrait of the three daughters of Portia painted by the master Schellint. The famous painting "Winter Feast" shows the family dinner scene of the Portia family in a certain year. The prototype of the sculpture "Sleeper" is a Portia who likes sports...
In short, the Portia family is a financial sponsor that produces many artists. Julius has no obsession with art. Adhering to the family tradition, he will regularly order works from some artists to support the development of young artists. In return, they will also present wonderful works to this generous and kind patron.
"The Birth of Bacchus" was the work presented to Julius by a rising star playwright. He made drastic changes to the work and made new creations. Everyone who had seen excerpts of it praised it highly, but he insisted that the debut of this work should be performed in front of Julius to thank Lord Portia for his support.
Julius had no objection to this, but he still took some time to sit in the opera house, which he hadn't been to for a long time.
Soothing wind instruments sounded, and a joyful female voice sang lovingly: "In the garden of the gods, a rose was born."
In the Garden of the Gods,
A rose was born,
This category that has never been heard of or seen before,
Scarlet velvet wrapped around the egg-shaped flower bud,
The dark green branches are covered with hook-like barbs.
"How can there be such a cruel flower! It is born to hurt!" The gods and goddesses on the sacred mountain whispered around this flower they had never seen before. After the water goddess was pricked by its thorns, they exclaimed in astonishment.
"It has such beautiful petals, red like the coagulated blood of God. Only when the love of lovers in the world is burning like a raging fire can they produce such bright red blood. Could it be that this is the careless relic of the God of Love?"
"It heard the name of the god of love but never opened its eyes. It wanted the light of reason to shine on its petals. Every inch of its lines is the crystallization of wisdom. Reason and the constancy of all things allowed it to sprout. Who created it? Is there any need to think too much about it?"
The gods argued endlessly over who had created this most gorgeous flower, and the goddess of discord sowed fruit among them, stirring up their anger.
The plot of the play is tortuous, the rhythm is very sophisticated, and the language is elegant. It is completely unlike the work of a newcomer. However, after reading the third act, Julius still didn't understand where the Dionysus in the title was.
The young playwright seemed determined to stage something completely new, blending Roman and Greek cultures together to create an unprecedented cultural background. Julius found the play quite interesting, but unfortunately he had a lot of things to do and did not have time to watch the last few scenes.
The patriarch of Portia stood up and walked out while tying the laces of his cloak. As he passed the servant guarding the door, he casually said, "Go find the playwright and ask for a complete copy of the play and put it on my desk."
The Duke in a cloak left the theater in a low-key manner from the side. On the stage behind him, the actress was singing the monologue of the sun god who quietly came to the garden under the moonlight in a mellow and high-pitched voice.
"The moonlight is so quiet,
Shhh,
Get out of the way of my sister's silver sky carriage,
Look,
Her beautiful laurel bow was hanging on the treetops,
Why am I wandering here?
Like a lover in the mortal world who knocks on the door and then backs off,
Reason dominates my thinking,
Order determines my direction,
Under the sunlight, I can see the truth of how the world works.
But why am I here?
Full of confusion and yet happy for no reason? ”
Julius strode into the carriage waiting at the entrance of the opera house and tapped the ground with his cane. The coachman understood and pulled the reins, and the carriage quickly rushed towards the Portia Palace.
After His Majesty went to Rome, the affairs of the Papal States fell on the Secretary-General alone. In order to save time, Julius lived in the Papal Palace most of the time, except for the very few times when the Portia family held internal meetings - such as today.
The carriage drove smoothly into the huge square atrium of the Portia Palace. The carefully manicured maze garden next to it looked magnificent and stunning during the day, but at night, there was only a creepy and gloomy atmosphere.
The carriage moved along the spacious road in the atrium and stopped at the foot of the steps. The prototype of the Portia Palace was the Roman Senate. Eighteen huge circular columns were used to support the heavy foyer and palace, and to match it were the magnificent steps that gave a sense of oppression. This building was gorgeous, luxurious, majestic and solemn, but it did not look like a home.
The servants had already been waiting at the bottom of the steps. As soon as the carriage stopped, they stepped forward skillfully, opened the door, and placed the footstool. Julius pushed away the hand that wanted to support him and looked up at the brilliant lights in the hallway: "Is everyone here?"
"Yes, sir, the elders are all here." The one who answered was the old butler who had served Portia all his life. His hair was already gray, but his back was still straight, his clothes were ironed without a wrinkle, and the chain of his gold pocket watch hung on his chest.
Julius felt a little tired. He had been working non-stop for many days. The newborn Papal States was like a hungry chick, and he had to hold the bird up to prevent it from falling, and push it to make it fly faster.
Thinking about what he would face next, he inevitably felt a little annoyed.
But he hid this annoyance very well and no one noticed.
The old butler stepped aside and watched the gentleman, wrapped in the cold wind, walk up the steps and into the hall like a fully armed warrior. The oak door closed after he entered. It was unknown how long this secret family meeting would last.
The first words Julius faced when he entered the meeting room were accusations.
Julius was mentally prepared for this.
The Portia family was not a monolithic entity, and many people complained about his tough tactics. Since he had done nothing wrong, they could not find a reason to attack him. But Julius was not a very qualified family leader. He was young and domineering. He did not like to listen to other people's opinions and hated idiots who were just sitting there doing nothing. This deprived many people of the opportunity to fish in troubled waters.
Those old people who had dedicated their entire lives to the Portia family, looked back when they were old, and found that they could no longer seek benefits for their descendants. Naturally, they became more and more dissatisfied with Julius.
Moreover, Julius had never been married and had no children. He only had a nephew, Rederic, by his side. Many people tried to get him to accept a marriage, but they were all ruthlessly rejected, which also made them full of doubts.
They couldn't see through Julius, even though this man had indeed led Portia to a better future over the years, but that did not dispel their doubts.
Such suspicions reached their peak after the Papal States were completely unified under Lesherte.
Portia has always stood on the same side as the twelve lords. They all draw nourishment from the huge body of the Papal States. The "Council of Thirteen" formed by this group prospers and suffers together. Of course, this does not mean that they really regard the lords as their companions. In fact, after the death of the twelve lords, the most excited ones were the members of the Portia family.
With the Pope's tacit approval, they frantically seized the manors, properties and wealth left behind by other lords. Those things that could not be stored in the warehouses of the Pope's Palace and that had no time to be collected and counted were basically swallowed up by the Portia family. Not to mention, in order to liquidate such huge assets, they could not do without the help of the Portia Bank.
The Portia Bank is best at playing tricks between the account books to make profits.
Raphael also knew that Portia had definitely made unimaginable profits in this silent financial war, but this was a necessary price to pay. He couldn't take all the benefits by himself. Only when there was enough benefit could Portia willingly stand on his side.
Indeed, the wealth that Portia had plundered was enough to make them shut up about all the Pope's actions. They ruthlessly dismembered their former allies and used their remains to enhance Portia's glory.
Then they realized something was wrong.
The Pope formed an army, wiped out the entire Papal States, and unified authority returned to Florence - this was not what they wanted to see.
In a unified country and with a powerful monarch, how could powerful ministers want to see this scene?
They wanted to be free vassals, and only a fragmented Papal State was more in line with their interests. When one group of lords died, there could be another group, but there could not be a pope who had everything. Everything Raphael had now made these old men feel threatened. Now that all the lords were dead, who would be the next?
Not to mention, Raphael is of the Portia family, but he doesn't seem to care about the Portia family at all.
"Our pope is still very young and inexperienced. He doesn't know what is most important. The elders around him should teach him these things. If he can't learn, then it's the failure of the instructor."
Everyone knows that when the Pope was studying at the Florence Seminary, St. Vitalian III chose Julius as his teacher. This statement is an explicit and implicit accusation against Julius.
"Your Majesty is the incarnation of God, born with wisdom. Who dares to say that he can teach him?" Julius dismissed the question lightly.
"Quibbling! You were the one who pushed him onto the throne of Saint Leah against all odds! How much money did we pay for his crown!" an old man said angrily.
“And he has repaid you a hundredfold. If I remember correctly, the new assets your family acquired after June can provide you with at least 200,000 gold florins of income every year. This is just your gains in real estate, plus the jewelry, livestock, shops and population…” Julius stroked the smooth gemstone surface of the ring, his tone cold.
The old man shut his mouth quickly, looking a little embarrassed.
"We are not discussing this issue," the other old man said slowly. He was smarter than the previous one, with a gentler tone and even a kind look. "Look, Eula, no one can exist without a family. Raphael is still young, and he doesn't understand that everyone needs a family and a backer. Portia helped him succeed, proving that we love all children with Portia blood equally. Raphael should also come home often to visit. After he succeeded, he never returned to the Portia Palace. Although the Pope's Palace is gorgeous and extravagant, it is his home. No one understands this principle better than you."
Julius pursed his lips.
"If you really want him, you should let him get closer to Portia," said another. "He is our child, and we love him as much as we love Redrick."
Julius's eyes flashed with boredom, but he still replied calmly: "Yes, I understand."
"I hope you really understand that we don't need him," a cold voice said, "We secretly executed Kane to express our support for him, but this does not mean that there is no better candidate for Portia besides Kane."
"Well, Yura has always been very smart. He knows how to communicate with Raphael." Finally, a voice came out to smooth things over, and at the same time tentatively asked, "Redrick followed Raphael to Roman. There are no children of the right age around Yura, right?"
Hearing this, Julius stood up, put one hand on the back of the chair, and said quickly: "There is still a lot of work to do in the Papal Palace. Let's meet again next time, gentlemen."
He left without waiting for anyone else to answer. The elders who were left behind looked at each other in bewilderment. Someone sighed and said vaguely, "Young man..."
At the same time, the delegation from Calais finally arrived in Berico after a long journey. Naturally, they did not miss the news that Princess Sancha was named Princess of Berico, so the original terms of the marriage contract were all overturned and urgently redrafted - marrying a princess is completely different from marrying a crown prince. Although they had a vague premonition of this before they set off, they were still inevitably thrown into disarray when the time came.
After more than a dozen urgent letters were submitted to Calais, new terms of proposal were delivered to the desks of Queen Amenra and Princess Berico.
"Land, title, wealth..." Yamenla pressed the thick proposal book with her fingertips, and listed in detail Calais' generous betrothal gifts in small font. In order to marry Sangxia, they obviously spent a lot of money. The land given to Sangxia would not be taken back after Sangxia's death, and everything including jewelry would be Sangxia's personal property.
"Of course, they also sent a portrait of the little emperor." Yamenla raised her hand, and the maids pulled down the cloth covering the one-person-high frame.
Under the curtain is a life-size portrait of Emperor François of Calais. The young and handsome emperor has thick brown curly hair that falls down his back, a slender and agile figure, and the youthful vitality unique to young people. There is a faint blush on his cheeks, his skin is white, and there is a strange innocence in his eyes. Although he is wearing a gorgeous and solemn emperor's uniform and his body is decorated with a ribbon inlaid with jewels and badges, he does not look like a majestic emperor, but more like a beautiful dancing doll held in a glass music box.
An emperor without the aura of an emperor.
He was the same age as Raphael, and by today's standards, he was still a child who had just reached adulthood. Sancha stood in front of the portrait and looked carefully at her fiancé. She searched for the scene of meeting Duke François from her not-so-distant memories, and after comparing them, she found that the uncle and nephew looked very similar: "His hair is like the Golden Fleece, if the color is lighter."
Yamenla laughed and said, "Then you can come and see whether what he paid to marry you is worth the price of the Golden Fleece."
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