The monk and his companion thanked everyone elegantly and without losing their dignity, and then they also left the stage.
And then, just like the end of the previous stage play, the members of the troupe came on stage to collect the bounty.
At this time, the people below also dispersed, and it seemed that there would be no show next.
The prince became very interested in Nestor. He did not expect that his recorder would actually be a puppeteer on weekdays.
Curiosity prompted the prince to go to the back of the high platform. He pushed open the door that only members of the troupe could open. The guard could not stop the prince in time because the guards accompanying the prince had already pushed him away.
The prince who walked in rashly naturally attracted the attention of the actors and staff who were moving props and taking a rest. They were baffled by the sudden intrusion of such a person.
The troupe leader came over immediately. He was a short, fat, middle-aged Greek who had lived in Novotown. Because he had rehearsed miracle plays in the imperial capital, the prince made him the troupe leader.
The troupe leader came and wanted to chase people away, but when he saw the face under the cloak clearly, he couldn't help but tremble, how could he not recognize the big boss's face?
"Your Majesty, why are you here without notifying me first?"
The troupe leader paid respectful tribute to the prince, and the others also responded and immediately paid tribute to the prince.
It can be said that everyone here was trained by Rostislav, and the leader naturally recognized the prince.
"May I ask what brought you here?"
The leader said cautiously that his attitude towards Rostislav was even more respectful than when he was rehearsing the play.
After all, Rostislav's merits and achievements are no longer the same as those of that time. His current power is like the red sun shining on Northeast Russia. If nothing goes wrong, his descendants will always rule this land.
"Don't be nervous, my friend. I'm not here to prosecute, and don't announce that I'm here. I'm just here to meet my recorder, Nestor, and your companions. Come and talk to me. Captain
, is there a place for us to talk?”
"Of course, of course, you can use my office as you wish."
The leader quickly pointed to his office, which was an independent wooden house, and the prince and his entourage walked directly over.
Nestor, who had a bitter look on his face since the prince appeared, hesitated a little, but still followed with his companions.
"Maharaja, I, I, I, I can accept my behavior."
As soon as the door closed, Nestor hurriedly explained that he was afraid that the prince would punish him for affecting the glory of the palace, because the status of performers was not high, and they were often associated with wizards and the like.
equal sign.
The recording officer was very upset now. Even though he had taken all the precautions, he only took off his mask for a short time when thanking the customer, but he was still discovered.
"Sir, this was all my idea. If you want to blame, blame me. I am willing to bear any punishment."
The moment Nestor finished speaking, another voice spoke up, that of a handsome blond young man. Previously, the prince's attention was all on Nestor and he did not notice this young man at all.
"Did I tell you what your crime was? I'm just curious."
The prince sat on the chair covered with wolf skin, glanced at the two people, and answered casually, and his answer made the two of them stunned.
"This is the Lord's troupe. As long as they don't perform anything blasphemous and obscene, it will not harm the glory of the palace."
Of course Rostislav knew what he, the recorder, was thinking, and he answered casually, but the next words were what he cared about.
"I'm just here out of curiosity. Tell me, what's going on? How did you become a puppeteer? I remember you don't seem like someone who likes to appear in public."
"It's because of me, my lord."
But what surprised Rostislav was that it was not Nestor who spoke first, but the handsome young man.
The prince did not speak, but motioned him to continue with his eyes.
"My name is Alexei, prince. I am a puppeteer, but I am also an actor, and I also write some scripts. Nestor and I are good friends. We once studied in the monastery together, but I did not choose to enter the monastery.
On the road to being a waiter... Later I joined a theater troupe. My script director didn't like it very much, and it was not my turn to act on stage. I could only perform puppet shows. Sometimes I would let Ness make the show interesting.
Thor came to help me and the two of us performed a puppet show, so..."
"I see, young man, I would rather read your script."
The logic of Alexei's language was very clear. After understanding the cause and effect, the prince became interested in the script. This was the first time he heard someone write a script.
The young man was obviously very excited. He immediately ran out of the room and soon brought a stack of thin birch bark pieces strung together with iron rings to form a booklet.
This is a low-cost booklet, and many ordinary citizens use it to write on it, or even fill it with words as a literacy textbook.
Alexei handed over his script with great respect, and Rostislav began to read it. At first, the prince was quite casual, but then he became more serious.
In his hands is a story about betrayal. A meritorious warrior was bewitched by a witch and killed the monarch and usurped the throne. However, seizing the throne did not bring him happiness. Instead, the brave warrior prepared for the potential traitor.
Ridan was frightened and his body became thinner day by day. Soon after, another warrior who was bewitched by a witch killed him and took the throne, and then started another reincarnation.
There are many sermons from a Catholic perspective, and the author cleverly disperses the sermons throughout the play, often just one or two sentences, to prevent the audience from being overly disgusted.
From Rostislav's perspective, the script is very green, the story is old-fashioned, and it contains many bloody and erotic scenes. The poems in it are obviously imitating heroic songs, and the logic of the writing is obviously imitating Homer.
The prince also understood why the troupe leader didn't like his script, and how could the Miracle Troupe perform such a thing.
However, it can no longer be performed by the Miracle Theater Company, but it can be performed in other places. The prince has realized what kind of treasure is in front of him, and being able to write such a thing has shown his ability.
"Prince, Alexey's things are a little...some..."
Nestor carefully paid attention to the prince's expression. When he saw the prince frowning, he couldn't help but said immediately, wanting to explain something to his friend.
But he has also read those scripts, how to say this kind of thing...
"I think it's very good and well written."
Just when the script writer began to feel sad and was about to be scolded, he heard the prince say this, which made both of them wonder if they had heard wrongly.
"ah?"
————————
Finally, I recommend the book "Purple Double Eagle Banner" by a friend who helped me a lot when I first started the book. It mainly writes about Byzantium in the late 12th century.