Chapter 453 Nine Hundred Years of Secrets
Xiao Peng's exclamation was not without reason. This book was at least half the size of a ping-pong table and nearly a meter thick. The cover was made of wood covered in cowhide. It would take several adults to carry such a "book"!
He was even more shocked after he opened the cover: he thought that the text in such a big book should also be very large, but it was filled with densely packed tiny handwriting. When he took a closer look at the content, he was surprised that Xiao Peng knew all the letters, but when they were put together, he was completely confused!
This is Latin!
The "English letters" we usually learn are actually Latin letters, except that there are no lowercase Latin letters. In the early years, there were 24 Latin letters in total, and later it became 26.
Latin was originally a small dialect in central Italy. Since the rise of the Roman Empire, this language has also become the official language of the Roman Empire.
But it's a really hard language to learn! It has a complex system of inflection. Word endings often require suffixes. Learning Latin requires memorizing a lot of rules from the very beginning.
The German poet Heine once complained about how difficult it was to learn Latin. His original words were: If the Romans had to learn Latin first, they probably wouldn't have had time to conquer the world.
Because Latin is so difficult to learn, it's now essentially a "dead language," meaning few people use it. However, it remains the official language of the Catholic Church, spoken at the Vatican. When Pope Benedict XVI announced his abdication at a press conference, becoming the first pope to do so while still alive, nearly all the reporters at the press conference didn't understand Latin. Only one female reporter, who knew a bit of Latin and understood his words, grabbed headlines.
Heidi then added, "This is classical Latin."
"Puff!" Xiao Peng almost spit out blood after hearing this.
Classical Latin is the oldest form of Latin.
If we use the most straightforward way to describe the difference between classical Latin and demotic Latin, it is equivalent to the difference between "The Book of Songs" and "Three Hundred Tang and Song Poems" in the eyes of Chinese people.
"What on earth is this?" Xiao Peng asked the question that confused him the most.
Heidi explained, "In 1185, Frederick III became Count of Nuremberg-Solln as his son-in-law and changed his name to Frederick I. At that time, the Solln family became the Hohenzollern family. From then on, Frederick I had historians record everything that happened in the family. In 1200, the Hohenzollern family split into two branches, and what you see now is the royal history of the Franconian branch. This lasted until the overthrow of William II. This was recorded by generations of historians. Most noble families in Europe did the same."
Xiao Peng nodded in understanding. After all, ancient Chinese emperors would also ask historians to record something similar to "daily records." No wonder it was filled with densely packed tiny characters.
"Wait!" Xiao Peng suddenly remembered something and pointed at the thick book. "Are you saying that Frederick I prepared such a thick book nine hundred years ago for future generations to record?"
Heidi shook her head. "It's re-edited every once in a while. The one you're reading now was copied over several years by William II's last historian, Andros Tanis."
After hearing this, Xiao Peng blew on his mask and said, "Oh my god, these historians know a lot of royal secrets!"
Heidi nodded. "So, those historians didn't end up well."
At this time, Father Suboka said a few words, and Xiao Peng looked at Heidi in confusion.
Heidi explained, "Father Suboka said he had received a call from Mr. Friedrich and asked you to review the information."
Xiao Peng asked in confusion, "How could such an important thing be in Cologne Cathedral?"
Heidi smiled and said, "Mr. Xiao, after all, the Cologne Cathedral was a link between the royal family and the church back then. It's not surprising to see something here, right?"
Xiao Peng suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "Father Saboca should know Latin, right? Can you ask him to translate this for me?"
Heidi shook her head after hearing this: "This is basically impossible, but I can ask for you."
When she asked Father Suboka, he shook his head vigorously, then thought for a while and found a few books from the bookshelf and handed them to Xiao Peng.
Xiao Peng took the book and took a look: the German version of "Whellock Latin Course", "Learning to Read Latin", "Learning Latin", "Latin Dictionary"... Is this guy planning to teach himself?
Heidi explained with a smile, "I heard that Mr. Xiao has an excellent talent for languages. Looking up Latin shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"
Xiao Peng said helplessly, "Father Saboca obviously knows Latin, why didn't he translate for me?"
Heidi explained, "He can't read the contents because of the spirit of the contract. The Hohenzollern family sent this book here out of trust in them. They value their ability to keep their promise. After all, there are many contents in it that may cause unnecessary influence. In fact, I haven't even read this book. To read this book, you need Prince Hedinger's authorization, and even the Hohenzollern prince's authorization is useless. But Mr. Friedrich thinks you can read this book."
Xiao Peng suddenly realized: "It's the so-called 'don't air your dirty laundry in public'? Then why are you willing to show it to me?"
Heidi smiled and said, "You are Friedrich's partner, aren't you? Of course there is another reason."
"What's the reason?" Xiao Peng asked.
Heidi explained, "According to the regulations of Cologne Cathedral, the books here can only be viewed for three days. If you want to read them again, you have to get Mr. Friedrich's permission again. I think with Mr. Xiao's language talent, three days is enough to find the information you need, right? After all, this incident happened just after William I's coronation, so you don't need to read it from beginning to end."
"So that's how it is." Xiao Peng smiled and said, "Mr. Friedrich is really thoughtful. Okay, Fabian, Walter, you guys go to the hotel and wait for me. You can go out and find somewhere to play on your own."
Walter joked: "Boss, why do I feel like you are destined to study wherever you go?"
Xiao Peng was also helpless after hearing this: "How should I know? Okay, see you in three days!"
Friedrich was very thoughtful. For someone who had never known Latin, it would not be easy to look through such a long passage of information even with a dictionary.
But is Xiao Peng just an ordinary person? It's time to show you his true skills! Let you know what learning ability is!
Nine hundred years of imperial secrets? Xiao Peng is now full of gossip!
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