The dock was very lively in the morning, full of groups of sailors, wandering prostitutes and fisherwomen selling their catch. The fisherwomen had the best business and were crowded with citizens buying fresh catch.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Make way for Prince Rurik!"
The soldiers pushed away the crowd with spear poles and cleared a path in the crowd. Rostislav tried his best not to pay attention to the mutterings and curses. The soldiers behind him were about to explode, but they were stopped by the prince. There was no point in being serious with the citizens and he offended others.
.
Scanning his eyes across the crowd, Rostislav saw a scene that made him quite excited. It was a small theater of miracle plays, and actors from the city of Novo were performing biblical plays.
It seems that he is quite familiar with the actors. After all, they conceived their scripts themselves. He has written all the scripts in the past few months since he came to Kiev, and then the troupe happened to come, so it was natural that there would be more like this on the streets of Kiev.
's repertoire.
These actors are all natives of Nuo City, and are true Christians selected by the Bishop of Lucca. In the opinion of his teacher, the worst performances that reproduce the Bible must be performed by Christians, otherwise it will be a great blasphemy.
Many citizens gathered under the stage. For many people, this kind of play was very novel. It was obviously different from non-comedy plays performed by Baixi artists. Moreover, they said that the performance was still about the life of Christ, which made many people more interested.
It’s thicker.
Although seeing the smooth development of his career made Rostislav feel a lot better, the prince became irritable again when he thought of what was going to happen next. His grandfather insisted that he pick up the Greek bride who had come all the way, and he
I would rather spend my time training and writing.
After all, this is just a designated marriage. What's the point of knowing what the bride looks like? Even if the bride is an old and ugly old woman, she still has to marry.
The royal port has been cleared in advance, the Grand Duke of Kiev's personal troops have spread here, and the heavily armed northern warriors have made way for the prince's team.
Tika, the captain of the Grand Duke's bodyguard, was in charge of the scene. When he saw the prince coming, he nodded to Rostislav, and Rostislav returned the favor.
"It seems we came at the right time."
Rostislav dismounted his red war horse with a vigorous posture, and in front of him, two galleys from the Southern Empire were slowly approaching the shore under the guidance of the pilot.
The soldiers lined up neatly behind the prince, acting as a guard of honor, while Rostislav simply straightened his clothes and waited for the Greeks to disembark.
When the galley was firmly anchored on the trestle, the servants immediately set up the planks and waited for the distinguished guests to disembark.
The first people to step off were dozens of guards with peaked helmets, their faces shrouded behind chain veils, quite oriental in style. These soldiers lined up in two lines in an orderly manner, waiting for the Greek nobles to disembark.
Rostislav couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. These soldiers surprised him. He thought the ones who came down first would be Greek civil servants, just like the ones in his grandfather's court.
And then, a beautiful figure appeared in front of everyone. Behind her were civil servants, soldiers and servants.
From time to time, the eyes of these people showed contempt for Kiev. After all, although Kiev is an unparalleled giant city in the north, it is difficult to compare with the magnificent imperial capital.
Zoe Kalafatis stepped off the boat in an extremely dignified manner. She was wearing a long white dress with a purple ribbon symbolizing the Purple Chamber on her shoulders. The skirt was embroidered with exquisite lace and decorated with gold pendants.
On the skirt, tulle is draped over the hair, held down by a small gold crown, and a belt of different shapes and shining with different gem colors is tied around the waist, adding a touch of luxury.
For Zoe's age, this costume is a bit inappropriate for her age, but although Zoe is young, her mature temperament cultivated by a good tutor allows her to control the costume without showing any dissonance.
"Your Highness Zoe, welcome to Kiev. I am Rostislav Vladimirovich. This voyage is really hard. I think it is an Odyssey for you in the south."
Rostislav was amazed when he saw Zoe at first sight. Originally, he thought that Zoe was just a woman with mediocre abilities and appearance. After all, the record of Michael V’s daughter has not been handed down, but now it seems that he is really
What a huge mistake.
"Thank you very much for welcoming me, Lord Rostislav, or should I say, my fiancé?"
Zoe showed a sweet smile. She was very satisfied with Rostislav's first impression. Prince Ross took care of himself neatly, which could not be equated with the image of a vulgar barbarian in Zoe's impression.
The most important thing is that this Russian mentioned the Odyssey when he opened his mouth, and the way he used words made it clear that this person was well-read in the Bible. She always thought that her Russian husband would be a barbarian who did not understand the beauty of writing.
Thinking of this, Zoe's smile became sweeter. She didn't have high requirements for her husband, but now Rostislav's performance has greatly exceeded her standards. Isn't that happy?
Faced with Zoe's joking words, Rostislav responded with a smile and then moved out of the way. Behind him was a gorgeously decorated carriage.
"Miss, why don't you let us go up and talk? And Grand Duke Ross is still waiting for us."
Zoe smiled brightly and immediately boarded the carriage, and Rostislav followed suit. With an order, the carriage started to move towards the palace of the Grand Duke of Kiev. The Greeks and Russians hurriedly followed behind.
"It seems like the newlyweds are happy with their partners."
At the port, Leo said to Ji Ka that the two of them did not follow, and there was still room to clean up here.
Leo's words were also filled with relief. Although he had utilitarian thoughts when he adopted Zoe, how could he have some feelings similar to family affection when he was raised at such a young age? Now that he sees this adopted daughter has a good husband, he still feels relieved.
heart.
"This way I don't have to worry about anything. I'll just let nature take its course."
"What about you? Leo, you will return to Constantinople after taking the dowry?"
Jika looked at the galley and said.
"Ha, I do want to go back, but if I could go back, why would I bring so many people to the north?"
Leo's words were full of helplessness. If there was no other way, why would he have returned to Ross?
"It seems that it was influenced by the things you committed when you were young. That time you almost lost your nose. After so long, those people are not going to let you go?"
Jika said in a familiar tone, as if the two had known each other for a long time. Leo just waved his hand, his face full of exhaustion.
"I have been hiding for so long, and I really can't hide anymore. My coming to Ross is a compromise with those people. I chose self-exile and they won't do anything to me."
Jika looked at this old friend with sympathetic eyes. How could that high-spirited man become like this now? All of them thought he would become a high-ranking official in the imperial capital, but now, alas, it can only be said that things are unpredictable.
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I updated it in advance this afternoon. I will post it at 9 o'clock in the future.