Chapter 68 New Year Celebration (Part 2)
◎Modern au◎
"In fact, today's live broadcast is just a small attempt by the Papal Palace. As we all know, the Vatican must keep pace with the times. The seminary opened a new course last year, which is about the transformation direction of the Vatican in the new era. Someone's graduation thesis even wrote about electronic prayer and online baptism. Although this thesis was not approved, it also provides good ideas... It happens that these two days are the Chinese New Year. Your Majesty has approved the Spring Festival Gala in Florence Chinatown. The Papal Palace will also hold a Spring Festival New Year's Eve celebration tonight, and it will still be live broadcast at that time."
The road from the garden to the training ground was a bit far, and there were no other attractions nearby, so the young monk chattered on and on about some inside information of the Papal Palace, and the audience listened with great interest.
"And this ceremony will be held in the Piazza della Signoria. After World War II, apart from the coronation ceremonies of Pope Ryan VI and the current Pope Sistine I, there has been no large-scale celebration in the Piazza della Signoria. But before the Middle Ages, most large-scale events in Florence were held here. At that time, the Papal Palace was the political and economic center of Florence, and the City Hall often only served to receive orders from the Papal Palace. The entire Papal State operated with the Papal Palace as the center."
"At that time, Your Majesties would often participate in activities on that famous terrace. It was equipped with a sound amplification device left over from the ancient Roman period, which could transmit Your Majesty's voice to every corner of the Plaza de Divine Grace. There were also dozens of long tables on the square, filled with bread, barbecue and other delicacies for the people of Florence to enjoy at will. This celebration cost about 5,000 gold florins, and the annual income of a middle-class family at that time was only 120 gold florins."
"There are many paintings of this kind in the storerooms of the Great Gallery, most of which focus on the pope on the terrace, but also on ordinary people participating in the celebrations, showing that the Papal Palace was undoubtedly the center of Florence at that time."
"The Secretariat of the Papal Palace is already making relevant preparations. I guess His Majesty will give a speech on the large terrace during tonight's celebration. According to ancient tradition, a grand banquet will be held in the square to entertain guests from all directions. If you have friends in Florence now, you can also come and participate in the celebration. The Vatican sincerely welcomes every friend who comes from afar - ah, we have arrived at our destination."
The young monk raised the camera high, and the entire picture was captured of the lush trees and a row of simple bungalows behind them. These houses were so plain and shabby that they looked like square boxes lying on the ground. Behind the bungalows was a wide training ground where a group of guards in neat uniforms were practicing marching in formation with chrome-plated rifles.
"First, let's talk about this row of houses. This is where the members of the Knights Templar lived in the Middle Ages. The exterior is simple, and the facilities inside are also very simple. There is nothing else except chairs and beds, and a table for placing holy images. The Knights Templar adhered to poverty, chastity, integrity, and rejected desire, so they stayed away from all comforts and pleasures. Including the leader, they also had to feed their own horses and bathe them. Compared with some noble armies at the time that even needed servants to help lead horses, the Knights Templar had unparalleled combat effectiveness, which is why they were able to plant the flag of the Church all over the world."
"Until now, the Guards, formerly the Knights Templar, still adhere to the principles of their predecessors, stick to poverty, and sacrifice their lives to defend the honor of the Holy See. During World War II, the Guards paid a painful price to protect Florence and the Papal Palace from looting, but no one fled during the battle. The current Knight Commander was born into a famous Florentine family. In order to join the Guards, he voluntarily gave up his family name and announced that he would dedicate his life to the Holy Lord. He - ah, he is there!"
The young monk waved vigorously at a figure from behind. It was obvious that he had a very good impression of the Knight Commander: "Sir Leshert!"
The man who was standing in front of the line and watching his subordinates training turned around when he heard the sound. His eyes, like a forest and green sea, were faithfully magnified by the camera and directly struck the hearts of all the audience.
He is like the most loyal knight in all fairy tales, possessing all the virtues in the world. Even his enemies would feel honored to be able to fight him. He has blond hair and blue eyes, and a figure as tall as trees. The crisp suit on him outlines every smooth muscle and line. The silver-plated leather belt shows off his thin waist, which is full of restrained power.
[Military uniform, men’s sexiness.] 】
[Wow, I finally know what a knight looks like. This is fantasy coming into reality! I used to like the blackened yandere knight, but when these words are applied to him... it feels extremely blasphemous, and I'm going to reflect on this. 】
[…The one above, it sounds so fragrant, what’s going on…]
[Knight Commander!] The legendary Knight Commander! Is the Imperial Guard still short of people? What are the admission requirements! 】
[Can members of the Royal Guard get married? There is a handsome guy behind him! 】
[Every one of the following ones is very handsome. Although none of them are as impactful as the Knight Commander, they all have their own merits. 】
[Do the staff of the Papal Palace live in such a happy environment every day... I'm so jealous... There is such a His Majesty, such a captain of the guard, and such a knight commander...]
The knight named Lesherte has a noble appearance, but a very good temper.
"Yes, sir, I am showing the audience around the Papal Palace. They are all very interested in the training of the Guards." The young monk bowed slightly to the other party and then answered happily.
"Really? I'm sorry." The Knight Commander smiled, a hint of apology flashing in his green and gentle eyes. "We are about to finish. We have received an order from the Secretariat that the Royal Guards need to deploy at the Grace Square to protect His Majesty's carriage."
A string of exclamation marks flashed across the barrage, and they all caught the Knight Commander's last words.
The mysterious and beautiful Pope will appear in the Plaza de Divine Grace tonight!
"But as an apology, I can take you to the secretariat. I'm going there to hand over my work. There might be something you want to see there." The Knight Commander's smile was still so bright that it seemed to shine.
In the following section, the camera kept following the Knight Commander's overly handsome face diligently. The other party did not mind such gaze. He obviously knew every tree and blade of grass in the Pope's Palace better than the young monk who had just graduated. There was an interesting story in the few words he said casually.
"...This albizzia tree was planted by Your Majesty yourself when you were a child. The Pope at that time was Saint Vitalian III, and Your Majesty was raised in the Papal Palace. As a child, you always have some privileges." The Knight Commander said, pointing to a albizzia tree.
"His Majesty was very smart when he was young, but because he was too smart, he was not very interested in studying. His teacher was very troubled by this, so Vitalian III replaced him with a new teacher when he was twelve years old. After that, His Majesty became much more obedient."
The Knight Commander simply glossed over some of the details, causing a lot of question marks in the comments.
Wait, did I miss something? 】
[This jump is too fast! What on earth did that new teacher do! 】
[What can’t I, a senior member, hear? 】
"Your Majesty's teacher..." The Knight Commander did not speak. The young monk seemed to remember something. "Ah, are you talking about——"
[Say it out!] ! ! ! ! 】
The shouts in the barrage suddenly became one.
This was no secret. The young monk introduced honestly, "Your Majesty's teacher is currently working in the Secretariat of the Pope's Palace as the Pope's Secretary General. He is a very charismatic gentleman and very knowledgeable. He also has a very, very ancient surname—"
At this point, he suddenly pondered for a moment: "Didn't you just meet him?"
There are question marks in the barrage again. The live broadcast has only been
How many people showed up? Where has anyone who looks like the Pope's teacher appeared?
But soon someone smart enough reacted and started typing away on the keyboard.
[The one at the beginning!] ! The beginning of the live broadcast! That voiceover! 】
Everyone was shocked. Shouldn’t the Pope’s teacher be an old man with a long beard and a kind smile? ! Or is it that he has taken such good care of himself that even his voice doesn't sound old?
"Uh... everyone seems to have misunderstood something. That gentleman is only less than ten years older than Your Majesty..." The young monk came out to clarify awkwardly, with cold sweat on his back.
Although Lord Portia is not someone who cares about such strange rumors and never loses his temper with them, no matter what, putting the "old man with white beard" together with that handsome gentleman always makes people feel a chill down their spine!
"Your Highness would walk by the fountain in the garden every afternoon from 2 to 2:30. Come and see this," the Knight Commander continued to follow his own pace. He raised his hand and pointed at some tiny scratches on the base of the fountain. "Your Highness carved them when he was eight years old. At that time, he was trying to read Caesar's Gallic Wars and was deeply impressed by this famous quote of the author."
VENI VIDI VICI
I came, I saw, I conquered.
The marble base was extremely hard, and it must have taken a great deal of effort for the child to carve that sentence.
[I didn’t expect His Majesty to also have a period of Chuunibyou…]
Someone sighed quietly.
[Suddenly I felt that the mysterious image went to a strange place and never returned. 】
[Isn’t anyone curious about how an eight-year-old child can reach such a high place? 】
The shape of the fountain was a very classic saint holding a kettle. The saint stood in the flowers, and she was one person tall. The flowers below were several dozen centimeters high, and the foundation stone under the flowers was nearly half a meter high. There were also pillars under the foundation stone. The line of inscription was nearly one and a half meters from the ground. It was impossible for an eight-year-old child to carve seriously at that height for so long.
"Oh, that's strange. Did he move a stool? Or use a ladder? Or was there someone helping him?" The young monk also fell into thought, muttering to himself, and did not notice that the knight commander beside him suddenly had a wandering look and walked away from the fountain as if nothing had happened.
The two of them walked slowly along the path through the garden and entered the palace again from another door. This time, what they saw was no longer a solemn and quiet place, but a crowd of people hurrying around.
Men and women in modern business suits mingled with monks and nuns in traditional costumes, busily moving around the wide and high-ceilinged golden hall, holding folders or scrolls in their hands.
Such a scene is full of magical meaning, with classic and modern elements intertwined, and time is wonderfully confused here, like a strange fantasy painting.
There is a row of brass bells hanging on the wall. Sometimes one of them will be shaken and make a crisp sound, and immediately a staff member will stand up and respond.
The audience in the barrage were fascinated by this scene and exclaimed in amazement.
"Logistics has delivered the food to the square. Has the person who is handing it over gone?" A nun stood beside the phone and emphasized solemnly, "Count them clearly! Whether it's potatoes or bacon - I don't want to ask Monsignor Portia to transfer 500 kilograms of potatoes from their farm warehouse. Do you know how humiliating that is? We were even standing on the terrace! And I was talking about potatoes with Monsignor!"
The young monk carefully walked around the angry woman and followed the Knight Commander who was striding forward to the private office area on the second floor. He walked into the archway, which was still a large public living room. There were several rooms distributed around the circular living room, one side of which was facing the railing, from which he could see the grand occasion on the first floor.
The doors were not closed at this time, but that was not important. As soon as the audience entered the archway, they heard the familiar, deep, magnetic voice coming from the common living room that they had heard not long ago.
"...I suggest that this route is to pass by the entrance of the Florentine Court and go down the river. I still keep my previous suggestion, take a boat down the river and then return by boat. The Portia family is always ready to provide you with a boat. In fact, the boat has been parked in the warehouse for almost a year. If no one takes it, it will be such a waste."
The man's voice was filled with laughter. Along with the sound of tea sliding into the porcelain cup, the Knight Commander walked in with an unchanged expression and began to refute: "Taking a boat is not conducive to safety protection. The cruise route has already been determined. Thank you for your concern, Lord Portia."
[Portia...is that the Portia I was thinking of? 】
[That Portia Bank?] 】
[That Portia Winery? 】
[That Florentine Portia?] The one that sparked the Renaissance? 】
[If you are talking about the last name of the Secretary General of the Papal Palace, then I have to tell you, yes, it is that Portia. 】
The man holding the teapot beside the sofa raised his head and looked over. His iron-gray hair was neatly combed behind his head. His deep purple eyes were smiling. He was wearing a tight three-piece suit, looking like a classic gentleman. "Ah, it turns out to be our dedicated Knight Commander Lesherte, and... Oh, Your Majesty, please allow me to introduce you. This is the chief graduate of the Florence Seminary this year, and the live broadcaster of the Florence New Year's Eve Party today, our brother Matthew."
The camera began to shake, and the person holding it was obviously so emotional that he had no mood to pay attention to the various comments that were pouring down like a waterfall on the barrage.
"Please come here, Brother Matthew."
A voice that had never appeared before was very gentle, like the arrival of holy sound, and a slender white hand stretched out under the camera in an inviting gesture.
The shaky camera moved crookedly, finally capturing the face of the person on the sofa in the picture, and then the chaotic screen fell into a long silence again.
[Dreams become reality.] 】
[I thought the portrait was beautified... I didn't expect Your Majesty himself to be so unphotogenic! ! ! ! ! ! 】
All kinds of incoherent screams came up again. The young Pope with a godly appearance smiled slightly, talked to the young monk in a low voice, and invited him to go to the parade venue together.
"When the time comes, you can stand next to me. The view there will definitely be the best." The young Pope smiled and winked at him. I don't know how many similar exclamations of awsl were uttered in the barrage in an instant.
"Of course! I'm honored! Your Majesty!" The monk blushed and didn't even know what he said.
"Then, my loyal Knight Commander and my dear Secretary General, may I have the honor to invite you to participate in this grand event with me?"
The Pope tilted his head and asked in a light tone.
"As you wish." The Secretary General bowed politely and smiled reservedly.
"Of course, my Lord." The Knight Commander saluted neatly and made way for the gate.
The Pope walked out surrounded by the crowd. Matthew walked out of the archway first, so he missed the brief look back of His Majesty.
"I almost forgot about you. Come on, to use Eastern words, you should be my... Huaidao? Although I prefer them to call you the Pope's wolfhound, the point is 'mine'." The Pope stretched out his hand towards the empty room, and in the dark corner where no one was paying attention, the man with black curly hair walked out with a calm expression.
"You can call me anything you want, I live for you."
The Piazza della Signoria in Florence was flooded with warm cheers that day. Red lanterns of the Oriental China were hung on ropes, forming a red festive ocean above the square. The business-minded Chinese people in Chinatown launched Chinese specialties in the square. No one could leave here with their wallet intact - including the Pope.
Raphael, who had changed into casual clothes, was holding a string of candied haws in his mouth, and his eyes were fixed on a steaming stall. Julius on his left shook his head helplessly and took out his wallet for the umpteenth time.
Leshert caught up with him from behind, holding a handful of hot lamb skewers in his hand, and held it in front of Raphael: "Add spicy sauce, but only today. The day after tomorrow is the day for Dr. Polly's routine physical examination."
"I know." The Pope happily took the lamb skewers and suddenly felt that the surroundings were a bit crowded.
"Is that the Secretary General of the Pope's Office? I saw him in the live broadcast this afternoon!"
Similar whispers were heard one after another, and people began to look over here. Raphael's heart suddenly started to alarm. He quickly glanced left and right, and before people noticed him, he grabbed Leshert and walked in the opposite direction, burying his head deeply.
As for Julius... I'm sorry, Mr. Secretary General, the time has come for you to devote yourself to the Holy See. The Pope will remember your sacrifice!
After reaching the safe area, both of them breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. The position that belonged to Julius was taken by Ferrante who appeared silently at some point. The young man was holding a newly bought rabbit lantern in his hand, and the flowers on it were still rotating regularly.
"It has a nice shape," the Pope never hesitated to praise. A child who grew up in love has a love wider than the ocean, and is always willing to give it to others generously. "You can hang it on the wall lamp."
Clusters of fireworks exploded in the sky, and sparks splashed like rain. The entire sky turned into brilliant colors. Overwhelming cheers surged in, accompanied by smiles and blessings, completely drowning Raphael who was in the middle of it.
"Happy New Year! Happy New Year!"
Congratulations echoed throughout the square. Raphael looked at the brilliant fireworks in the sky and smiled. ●
"Happy New Year, Your Majesty."
Someone leaned close to his ear, gave him sincere congratulations with warm breath and a smile.
"Happy New Year." Raphael shook the lantern handed to him by Ferrante and responded with a smile.
What a wonderful year it is! All the suffering and misfortunes are over. I hope that all people living in this world can be healthy and get what they want.
The author has something to say:
Happy New Year’s Eve everyone! ! !
The old year ends tonight, and the new year comes tomorrow. I wish that from now on for the next eight thousand years, we will be as happy and peaceful as this year!
Once again, I wish you all a happy new year! May the new year bring you good fortune and health, the God of Wealth come to your doorstep, everything goes well, your family is harmonious, your career is successful, your pets are fat and healthy, and your relatives and friends are happy and safe!
I'm going to have New Year's Eve dinner! ! !
See you all in a few days!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
