When the bishop had completed the last rites, the noble prince and his wife's coffin were immediately carried into the niche of the church, which faced the city gate of Novgorod.
This is the tradition of Russia. After the death of the prince, he will be sent to the church built by him.
Although the construction of Saint Sophia Cathedral in Nuovo City came from my grandfather's order, it was my father, the prince of Nuovo City, who implemented it.
After silently mourning for his son, the wise man put his face together and stood up to leave. The huge government affairs that had accumulated in Nuo City during this period still needed to be handled by him. Everyone also dispersed. The ceremony had been completed and the Grand Duke had left. There was no need to stay.
Already.
The crowd in the church dispersed quickly, and soon the Lord's hall became deserted. Only a few people stayed and had some unknown private conversations.
“I really don’t know who the next Prince of Novgorod will be.”
In the corner of the church, an old nobleman with a high position in the city expressed quietly that although this nobleman had a gray beard and a fat body, he still showed the majesty of a military nobleman in his movements.
"Father, be careful what you say."
His son, Visatta, who had blond hair and shawl hair, was very uneasy. He looked around nervously. Now the Russian nobles were like boats in the dark, heaving in the waves.
Even as a high-ranking member of Novgorod and a descendant of the Grand Duke of Kiev, he must be cautious, otherwise the future of his family's ruin will no longer be so illusory.
"Don't be too paranoid. After all, it still depends on what our Grand Duke thinks. As for your worries, hum, I'm not afraid. Those people are just a group of squealing brats. They scream loudly but it's useless.
."
The old noble is as stubborn as an old cow. When he was young, he was a man of the same era as the wise man. During the civil war, he dared to burn the wise man's ship when he wanted to flee north (note 1). The old noble was not afraid of those people.
Junior. Now he is more concerned about what his son thinks now.
"Compared with these, I would rather know what you think, should you be loyal to Vladimir's child, or should you choose another master?"
Her father's words reminded Vishata of her friend Vladimir's words before his death, "Although I lament my fate, my lament is not my own, but my son's fate."
When a man dies, it is self-evident what fate will happen to the children left behind.
Visatta couldn't help but feel a little ironic. In this sacred church, the only ones who really cared about the fate of this child were their father, son and the Grand Duke.
He thought of Rostislav at the funeral. Although the fourteen-year-old child was the protagonist of the funeral, everyone only regarded it as a noble guard of honor.
Veshata felt an inexplicable sadness. He was a good friend of Vladimir. The two of them had gone on an expedition to the imperial capital in the south (note 2), but unfortunately encountered a storm and were forced to fight the imperial capital's army on the shore.
The two relied on each other in the shield wall of the soldiers, fought side by side, and formed a deep friendship. The friendship of the robes closely linked them together.
Later, due to the division of troops, Visatta was unfortunately captured by the army of the Imperial Lord. He stayed in the Imperial Lord's dungeon for three years, and his eyes were almost gouged out at one point.
However, with Vladimir's efforts, he was able to leave the big city smoothly and returned to Rus with his companions who were not lucky enough and had their eyes gouged out.
Now seeing the passing of his comrades and the plight of their descendants in such a miserable situation, Visatta was naturally extremely sad. Those magnificent and powerful scenes in the past were now gone like gravel in the wind, as if they had never existed.
After reminiscing about the past, Vishata met her father's eyes.
"Vladimir is my comrade-in-arms, then his son will also be my comrade-in-arms, and I will fight for him until the last moment."
"Really? Yes, you are right. We cannot betray our friends, nor can we abandon our descendants when they need them most. Every sword added to the shield wall will make us stronger. Our efforts today will make us stronger."
Will pay off tomorrow."
A heartfelt smile appeared on the old noble's face, which was a recognition of his son. He originally thought that his son would directly change his family, but his son still chose a son who was loyal to his comrades. This is what the old noble agreed with and what he hoped.
What a son can be.
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"Teacher, why do you think grandfather came here?"
At the same time, in the inner room of the church, Rostislav stood in front of an old man, and this old man was Rostislav's teacher, Bishop Luca Zhigata of Novo.
The bishop's chin is covered with a thick white beard, and he wears a bishop's cassock with small crosses embroidered on the edges, making him full of the temperament of a wise man.
For Rostislav, this old man has a different meaning. Now that his parents have passed away, the only elder he can trust is Bishop Luca, his teacher and his father's lifelong friend.
"I think you already know that."
The bishop sitting in front of the copy desk covered the heavy book without looking back or answering his questions.
Bishop Luca knew this student very well. It was normal for someone of his age not to know these things, but it was impossible for him not to be able to figure it out.
He spent a lot of energy on this student and taught him everything he knew, but even so, it was not enough for Rostislav to learn.
The bishop regarded all this as a gift from heaven. He was very sorry that this student had no intention of God. If he could devote himself to God, his future achievements would be limitless. However, he was not discouraged. Training an excellent ruler was also a great achievement.
pieces?
"Yeah...but I didn't expect it to come so soon."
Rostislav sat down next to the teacher, with bitterness in his expression. He knew very well that when his grandfather came to the north, one more thing was to see him and see how good his grandson was.
And this is related to his future.
"However, no matter how far we have reached..." Bishop Luca put his hand on the cross and looked straight at his disciple.
"...it should still proceed as usual."
Rostislav was stunned for a moment, and then subconsciously said the next sentence in the Bible. As a Rurik noble, the study of the Bible was also an important part of his education.
"Philippians 3:16." The bishop stood up and patted his disciple on the shoulder, "I've already done so much, but isn't it ridiculous to be afraid on the spot?"
"I see."
Rostislav also stood up, and the wavering on his face had disappeared, as if it had never existed.
He bowed to express his gratitude to Bishop Luca, and then left the church chamber. When he walked out, his steps were firm and there was no hesitation as before.
In response, Bishop Luca smiled at Rostislav's leaving figure. This student was never a coward, he just needed a little help sometimes.
As a teacher, he had to do something to help this student, not only for him, but also for himself. It was time to contact his colleagues in Kiev.
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Note 1: In 1018, Yaroslav was defeated by Boleslaw I, his brother and rival "villain" who invited him to Poland. After his defeat, he wanted to go directly to Northern Europe, but he was afraid of losing Novgo, who led the battle and protected him.
Rhodes burned Yaroslav's ships, leaving Yaroslav to stay and continue fighting.
Note 2: Refers to Rus's expedition to Byzantium in 1043. This expedition was first forced ashore by a storm, and then was defeated by the Byzantine army.