The hunt went smoothly. In addition to the wild boar that Julian shot, Count Wolfe and his son also gained a lot - they killed a strong stag together.
The nobles enjoyed the hunting process and happily returned to Tonisburg when it was getting dark.
The servants who came back with the hunting party carried the prey into the kitchen and threw it into the pen. Count Lange's cooks got busy, processing ingredients under the dim stove light, and the servants in the castle were no exception. They arranged tablecloths and tableware, and filled silver wine glasses with fresh food. of wine.
When the last plate was placed on the long trellis dining table, the nobles had already changed out of their dirty clothes that smelled of earth, put on clean and decent attire, and sat down one after another.
Simon and Baron Winter walked into the Lord's Hall while chatting. The past few days of getting along with each other made them inseparable, like a pair of close friends who met each other late. And their plan went very smoothly. Baron Karl, who had originally had a grudge, changed his mind and joined them, and convinced the wavering Baron Shigerburg.
Of course, all this did not go as seamlessly as Simon imagined. Unlike Count Wolfe, Count Lange seemed to be vaguely aware of what his brother Simon was doing. This was all due to the experience he received in Count Berg's court. edification.
So, on the way back to Tonysburg, Lange began to think about all the worst possible scenarios in his mind, until in the end, he couldn't help but laugh at Simon with disdain-the relationship between himself and Count Wolfe The number of troops is superior. Unless a weakling is allowed to direct the battle, Simon's poor alliance for warmth has no chance of winning.
Of course, if the Duke intervenes, that's a different story.
Thinking of this, Langer's face gradually darkened. He thought that the Duke went to Dresden to meet Prince Otto without any dignity at the most important moment in his life, which was enough to show his true attitude - his blessing for the marriage was only lip service. That's all.
In Langer's view, Otto is just a prince. His brothers Tankmar and Henry are both strong contenders for the throne. It is not certain who will wear the crown of the Kingdom of Germany in the end. As for him and Earl Wolfe's family, as the two most prominent families in the dukedom besides the duke family, it is unreasonable for him to despise such a marriage.
Food was served one after another, everyone said a solemn prayer before the meal, and then began to eat with their own evil intentions.
The large piece of roasted deer leg was chopped into pieces by the chef with a cleaver, then put on a large plate and placed in the middle of the dining table by the servant. There is a silver knife beside the dinner plate. If anyone wants to eat meat, he will pick up the silver knife and cut a piece directly into his mouth.
Simon picked up the silver knife. The remaining oil stains on the handle and the black marks left by the guy who went to the table to eat without washing his hands made Simon frown. An idea gradually came to his mind.
In this dark and barbaric era, no matter whether they were nobles or commoners, although they ate very different foods, the tableware they used to eat were all different - with their hands or wooden spoons. If there is meat on the table, just put a knife on the plate next to the meat.
At this time, people were still continuing the Roman tradition of eating with their fingers, and distinguished themselves according to the number of fingers used when eating.
Commoners are not so particular. They use five fingers together, whichever is more convenient. However, nobles have a little more trouble. They only use three fingers to be regarded as elegant and have table manners. Their ring finger and little finger are not Will touch food.
The cutlery and cutlery used in modern Western food first appeared in Italy a century later. When it became popular throughout the European continent, it was already in the Renaissance.
Simon had had enough of what he considered to be an artificial and unhygienic way of eating, and he thought that when he returned to the territory, it was time to ask his blacksmith to build himself a set of cutlery and cutlery.
Although this would be opposed by the church clergy - those bald guys who firmly believed that people can only touch the food given by God with their hands, Simon had made up his mind.
Gulong
People here don’t know that bacteria exist, and they don’t understand that diseases come from the mouth. Once someone gets sick, devout people will think it is a punishment from God, and doctors will think it is the result of an imbalance of body fluids. If you can eat with a knife and fork and avoid touching food directly with your hands, at least a large part of gastrointestinal diseases can be avoided.
Simon washed his hands with cider before dining.
Tonysburg is not near a river, so people here use wine to stay hydrated. Residents with average conditions drink low-quality beer, while poor people who cannot afford wine drink vinegar mixed with water. Therefore, Simon, who could not find clean water to wash his hands, had to resort to the luxury of using wine to wash his hands.
After dinner, Julian put on a plain linen shirt and an inconspicuous black hooded cloak, and walked out of the castle as little as possible to attract attention.
As a vassal of Count Lange, he always wore gorgeous clothes and rode a tall horse through the village outside the castle. The local residents knew him, so Julian buried his head, pulled up his hood, and covered his face as much as possible. Cover your face.
He came to the tavern on the edge of the village, opened the door, passed through a group of farmers who were singing and dancing, and smelled bad, and found the school officer Heraldt at the table in the corner.
"Good day, Lord Julian, do you want to buy me a drink?" Heralt shook the empty wooden wine glass, and his straight eyes made Julian feel uncomfortable.
Julian ordered two beers, sat across from Heiralt, and said straight to the point: "Maybe you have to find another way to support you and your brothers."
"What do you mean?" Heralt, who had just raised his wine glass, raised his eyebrows and put the wine glass back on the table.
"I thought about it carefully. Now all the eyes in the principality are focused on my monarch. If he can influence the whole body, if he kills Simon now, it is difficult not to be suspected. This will bring us huge trouble. . In addition, Simon’s sword skills are superb. Killing him like a robber on the road is too likely to cause an accident.” Julian said the words he had thought of in advance. There is no need for a third person to know that Simon saved his life, because this will definitely become the thing he is most afraid of.
Heralt's hand left the oak wine glass, and his eyes were full of doubts and confusion, which soon turned into disappointment. He was silent for a while and said, "As you wish."
"I don't have to pursue your plunder of my territory, but as a condition, you must leave the Kempen Valley territory as far as possible, and forget about me. You can take your brothers to the south, where The land is filled with wealthy merchants and villages rich in products.”
"I understand. I will set off with my men tomorrow, and you will never see me again." Heralt nodded helplessly, picked up the wine glass again, drank it all, and then stood up and left his seat. , walked out of the tavern.
There is nothing in this land worthy of nostalgia for Heralt. Since there is no more work to do, he just needs to leave. The southern territory will be richer than this land that has been ravaged by war. This is a fact, and it is exactly what Heralt yearns for.
Julian didn't touch his glass of beer, and he was still a little confused now.
He would never kill his savior, but at the same time he did not want to betray the monarch who single-handedly promoted him. He felt like he was walking on a single-plank bridge. He neither wanted to fall into the abyss on the left nor the abyss on the right. He could only try his best to find the balance point in the middle.
Letting Heralt leave now was the balance point he chose. When Heralt walks away a few days later, he will tell Lange that this shameful bandit leader escaped privately with his people, so that he can interrupt the progress of murdering Simon and push the blame to this point, which he will never do. The people he met again did not violate the fundamental interests of his monarch.
"God, what should I do? I beg for your mercy and forgiveness, and point me to the right path!" Sir Julian rubbed his sore temples, clasped his hands, closed his eyes and prayed, here It seemed out of place in the cheerful atmosphere of the tavern.
You are a genius, remember in one second: Red Oasis:
