The Fall of the Golden Empire (Novel) (Volume 1) "Bloody Sunset" by Zhang Baotong
This morning, the local bishop, Father Vicente de Valverde, came to invite Francisco Pizarro to attend mass in the church. Pizarro readily agreed and said to the bishop, "I heard that the church has been renovated, but I haven't had time to go and see it. There is a mass in the church today. I think since we want the Inca King to convert to Christ, we must give him edification. Instruction, let him see more of our churches and believers, and also go to Mass with us. There is a saying in Spain: If you want to conquer others, you must first conquer their hearts. So, I think we should take Atta Valpa and his princes went to the church to say mass."
Then, he said to Hernando Pizarro, "Now take some people to decorate the church, and then notify the soldiers who are not on duty to put on solemn and neat suits and arrive on time at ten o'clock in the morning. Mass is held in the church, and since we are going to take King Inca there, we must make the activities and ceremonies solemn and grand." After that, he took his secretary Robert and translator Martin to the Temple of the Sun God to visit and invite Inca The king attended mass in the church.
After the Inca King signed the agreement with Pizarro in exchange for freedom in gold, Atahualpa was moved from the military camp cell to the Temple of the Sun behind the Plaza de Armas. The temple is not far from the military camp next to the square, so the three of them rode a few steps to the door of the temple. The temple is under a towering old tree. The front door is not spacious, with only a small small door. In front of the door stood the duty officer, Second Lieutenant Petya, and six Spanish soldiers with loaded guns. Seeing the commander coming, they immediately saluted, then came over and tied the horses next to the tree.
Pizarro, led by Peter, entered the temple. This temple is not very big, with a house built in the middle. Moreover, as soon as they entered the small courtyard, there were six armed Spaniards standing guard, and the open spaces and corners around the small courtyard were closely guarded by sentries walking back and forth. There are several neat houses in the middle of the small courtyard. Facing the main entrance of the small courtyard is a relatively large house. It was originally a hall for priests to worship, but now it is a conference room where Atahualpa summoned princes and ministers. Other houses were occupied by his concubines and children.
There are two princes guarding the door of the main room of the small courtyard. Seeing the Marquis of Spain coming with someone, the prince guarding the door saluted and blocked the visitor, saying that the Inca King was attending the morning meeting and asked them to wait outside the door. Pizarro usually required the soldiers guarding him to abide by and respect the living habits of the Inca king, so he also had to take the lead. So, the three of them sat on the stone bench in the open space of the small courtyard and waited for the Inca King to retire.
After a while, a little tabby cat ran out of a small house in the courtyard. A girl about four years old chased out of the house and caught the little tabby cat. The girl was very lively and cute, playing with the little cat. Robert liked the girl very much, so he walked over and talked to the girl. Although the girl didn't understand what he said, she seemed to be very fond of Robert and let him play with the little cat with her. When Robert saw that the girl was very cute, he couldn't help but hold the girl in his arms, took out a colored pen and a piece of paper from his pocket, and taught the girl to draw. Because the Incas did not have writing, they were very curious about colored pens and paper. But the girl was smart and quick, and she quickly used a paintbrush to draw a little cat according to Robert's teachings.
At this time, a young woman came out of the hut just now, calling "Kaya" and walking towards the girl. Robert raised his head and looked at the woman who came over. This glance made him instantly out of his mind and stunned. He had never seen such a beautiful woman. Her body was light and her walk was ethereal, as if she were walking from fairyland. Her appearance is so beautiful, and her beauty is so dignified and mysterious, conveying the charm of a young woman that makes people yearn for and be fascinated by her.
Although she was only wearing an ordinary light red cloth, I don't know whether it was her clothes that made her look so attractive, or whether it was the clothes that made her so wonderful. Perhaps, a young and beautiful woman like her would look very graceful and lovely no matter what kind of clothes she wears. However, her beautiful, lake-like eyes revealed a deep melancholy.
He kept staring and looking up at her with this kind of frightened and desolate eyes, and she was also shocked by his direct and burning eyes. The two looked at each other for a very brief moment, but the woman immediately realized that she was a little embarrassed, so she stopped in front of Robert, bowed to him, smiled with a red face, and then said to the girl , "Kaya, let's go back to the house."
However, the girl raised the painting in her hand in the air and said, "Mom, look."
But the woman didn't look at it at all, and said in a commanding tone, "Let's go back."
Robert wanted to introduce himself to the woman, but when she saw that she had no intention of getting to know him, he handed the girl from his arms and said, "You are such a cute kid."
The woman just nodded to him and led the child back to the house. Originally, Robert wanted to wait for the woman to turn towards him when entering the room so that he could take another look at her, but the woman did not give him such a chance at all.
While Robert was in a daze, Pizarro teased from the side, "Why, have you lost your soul?"
Robert blushed in embarrassment and said, "This woman is so beautiful. With this woman by my side in this life, I will be happy even if I am locked up here every day. Alas, Atahualpa is so beautiful." So blessed.”
Pizarro asked Robert, "Do you know who this woman is?"
Robert shook his head and said, "Isn't she Atahualpa's concubine?"
The second lieutenant Petya on duty said, "She is the queen of the Inca king."
Martin on the side immediately interjected, "She is the most beloved daughter of the late King Huayna Capac, Queen Ana Maya, who is called the goddess of wisdom by the Incas."
Robert suddenly realized it and said, "No wonder it is so beautiful."
Everyone waited for a long time, but the Inca king's morning dynasty had not yet ended. Pizarro couldn't help but become a little anxious, because the mass in the church was about to begin. So, he walked to the big house and asked the gatekeeper, "How long do we have to wait?"
The gatekeepers understood what he meant, but they still signaled that he had not finished his morning service and asked him to continue waiting. Pizarro was annoyed, pushed the gatekeeper aside, and broke in with his secretary, translator and bailiff.
(Please pay attention to Zhang Baotong's signed work "Poetic Emotions", which includes short prose, life essays and short stories. Today's release is the story "Chain of Love")
