While political relations in the outside world were undergoing drastic changes, life in Constantinople was still as usual, and people were immersed in the busyness of this largest city in the entire Christian world.
Now that Emperor Alexios has achieved a series of brilliant achievements in the East, the empire's revival has become unstoppable, so life in Constantinople has become more comfortable, and the scene has returned to its former glory.
The victory of the Crusaders also excited the citizens of the imperial capital for a while, but these excitements were soon attracted by the continuous new hot spots in the imperial capital. The mood of the citizens of the city was changing rapidly, and even the most powerful scholars could not figure out what people liked.
What.
For the citizens of Constantinople, the biggest hot spot right now is the wedding in Hagia Sophia. In this Orthodox palace of miracles, a couple will be married, and the most important thing for them is that afterwards
The emperor will distribute free food to the whole city.
In the magnificent hall of the great Hagia Sophia, countless people gathered here. Among them were imperial nobles, business tycoons, and foreign ambassadors... The dignitaries of Constantinople all gathered here.
Witnessing the wedding of Yuri Rurikevich Rurik and Anna Komnenos also witnessed the alliance between the Rurik family and the Komnenos family, as well as the alliance between Kievan Rus and the Eastern Empire.
In fact, everyone has known about the alliance between the two countries, and their cooperation has long been reflected in front of everyone, but if you want to consolidate the alliance, you still have to rely on marriage.
Therefore, the scale of this wedding was very large. Ross was an important ally of the Eastern Empire, and the scale of the wedding was even larger than that of Alexios himself.
The Orthodox Patriarch and the bishops were waiting at the altar made of gold and silver. They were wearing their most gorgeous robes and Orthodox black hats. The black robes were covered with gold and silver threads, and around their necks
Hanging are exquisite black silk strips embroidered with exquisite Orthodox crosses.
Behind them hung curtains of silk, gold and silver, on which were exquisite portraits of the monarchs of the Eastern Empire receiving blessings from Christ and Mary.
And above the heads of everyone in the hall, the tall circular vault shimmers charmingly with the gorgeous mosaic inlay pattern and the densely packed circle of window holes at the bottom of the vault shining through the light, soft arcs.
The lines extend from darkness to light, giving people a sacred and solemn visual enjoyment.
With the sound of the choir singing, the protagonist of this wedding walked towards the magnificent and sacred altar.
Prince Yuri is wearing a blue silk robe with golden vines on the collar. His tallness fully shows the excellence of this outfit. However, these pale in comparison to the decorations on the bride, which is engraved with
The round necklace with Christian prayers and images of the Virgin Mary, the gray and white dress made of the highest quality oriental silk - not Koslin silk - all reflect the noble status of the owner.
The bride is not tall, and the groom is half a body taller than her. The bride looks like a child. It is difficult to tell that Anna is one year younger than the groom.
No one thought it was because Anna was too short, but because Yuri was too tall. Many people in Constantinople have met Rostislav and his children and grandchildren. Their biggest feature is that everyone is very tall.
.
Even wearing a blue robe, it is difficult to conceal the tallness and strength of Prince Yuri, and Yuri has a temperament that fascinates girls. It is a disciplined manner - this comes from Rostov.
Slavic teachings.
Princess Anna's gray and white dress was dotted with roses. This dress made her look very elegant. She controlled this dress with ease, covering up her immaturity that was difficult to detect.
This newlywed couple seems to be a match made in heaven. Their temperaments are so noble and indifferent, full of royal style.
However, it is difficult for anyone to imagine what the actual relationship between these two people is like. Yuri and Anna are noisy in their daily lives, but once they come to public places, they will appear to be a perfect match.
Anna had some problems in the first few times because of her nervousness, but Yuri had no problems at all.
From this aspect, this couple is really a perfect match.
Before the couple arrived at the Universal Patriarch, the Patriarch first greeted the distinguished couple, and then the ceremony began.
Under the gaze of countless pairs of eyes, a long-awaited bishop presented a beautiful gold bracelet on a tray, and then the patriarch came to the two newlyweds holding the Bible in his hand.
According to a long tradition, the Patriarch asked the guests present three times if they had any objections to the marriage. After confirming that there were no objections, the Patriarch picked up the gold bracelet from the tray and put the gold bracelet on it.
Dip into the basin of holy water in the hands of the priest beside you. Then gently sprinkle the holy water on the newlyweds with both hands.
Next, the Emperor Alexios Komnenos, who was invited as a witness, took the gold bracelet just taken out of the holy water basin from the Patriarch's hand, and slowly tied it around the two people's hands.
On the wrist - at this point, the marriage was declared, and everyone cheered for the newlyweds.
While the newlyweds were enjoying all this, Alexios just looked at his daughter and son-in-law silently. Even for a cold political machine like him, seeing this scene was very touching. When his daughter got married,
The emotion that occurs in every father also appeared in his heart.
But this sad emotion was suppressed almost as soon as he thought about it. Alexios showed his impeccable smile again. He could not take off the mask, and it was impossible to take off the mask.
The deafening, continuous shouts first started from the mouths of the dignitaries in the hall, and then spread like a tide, spreading crazily outward, from the Hagia Sophia Cathedral to the square outside the church, and countless cheers resounded through the sky.
.
Next, the wedding came to an end. The nobles present watched the newlyweds leave and went to the side hall to rest.
But no one left, no matter the dignitaries of Hagia Sophia or the people in the church square, because they knew that according to tradition, there would be a grand banquet tonight.
Outside the cathedral, although it was already dark, people lit piles of red bonfires in the square in front of Hagia Sophia, and a large number of candles and lights were also lit together, turning the night of Constantinople into darkness.
It shines like daylight.
Amid the excited cheers of the people, barrels of wine and beer were rolled out from a smoking tent next to the square, followed by rounds of cheese and roasted chicken, duck, and fish.
They were all placed on large tables set up in advance in the square.
The citizens excitedly raised their glasses and drank heavily from the newly opened wine barrels. Golden and crispy chicken, duck, and fish meat were continuously fed into their mouths, as well as the city's most popular fish whites.
.
Although the citizens of Constantinople were among the top leaders in the Christian world, it was still very rare for them to enjoy such a feast with open stomachs.
While the citizens were eating, their mouths were full of oil, and then they drank the wine in their hands and washed down the food. At the same time, they praised the emperor's generosity inarticulately and murmured blessings for the newlyweds. The musicians hired by the city hall played cheerful music.
The music added to the joyful atmosphere of the scene.
Within the palace, the imperial dignitaries and foreign guests enjoyed better treatment.
For example, what is served now is veal slices sliced so thin that they are transparent with excellent knife skills, and small flounder sprinkled with saffron and salt foam. This is something that even the nobles of the empire cannot eat every day.
In addition, there are whole roasted suckling pigs with apples stuffed in their mouths, roasted chickens stuffed inside, grilled fish brushed with bees and spices...each dish is filling.
The appetite was reduced and everyone present was very satisfied.
As for Princess Anna, she sat next to Yuri and ate dignifiedly. However, if anyone paid attention, they would find that the princess, who had always seemed very indifferent, was now a little absent-minded, eating everything at once, while Yuri next to her
However, he looked calm and kept instructing his attendants to deliver the delicious food in front of him.
Anna couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. Why was this guy still here like a normal person, still eating here with such interest, but she was still here nervous. It was so irritating that people were more popular than others. She almost didn't perform well on the stage before.
And tonight... this damn guy isn't nervous at all?
Then Yuri felt a sharp pain in his waist. Needless to say, he knew it was Anna. The eldest princess's actions made Yuri smile bitterly, but his expression calmed down in an instant.
To be honest, he didn't expect much from his wedding night with Anna. Anna was very cute and attractive when she was quiet, but when Anna started to make a fuss and showed her fiery nature, well, Yuri immediately lost interest.
Yes, that’s the image of Anna in my mind.
But if she doesn’t deal with it now, Anna will definitely have to continue, so she still needs to be comforted. To be honest, whenever this kind of thing happens, Yuri feels that he is teasing the cat, but if the cat starts to show its teeth and claws, then
It's very headache-inducing.
"Don't think too much, just do whatever you have to do when the time comes. I'm ready, what about you?"
Yuri naturally said in Anna's ear, and then half of Anna's face turned red in an instant, and then stopped talking, which made Yuri look a little stunned, because as he said, when Anna became quiet
It's also very cute.
Anna blushed and lowered her head. The shyness that she had tried so hard to suppress suddenly burst out. All she could do was lower her head and maintain her posture. This look was really not something anyone could see. It was really
It's so embarrassing.
And just when Anna was immersed in such emotions, Yuri, her husband, took her hand, which made Anna stunned, and then she realized that the time was up.