Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Banquet Makes Waves
After Duke Borot had taken Lecles to the feast, Kagan and Adrian waited for some time before Albert got out of bed, until he was able to sleep again.
On this night, the imperial capital of Sysar was extremely heavily guarded. The attempted assassination in the arena at noon had touched the Imperial authorities enough that they did not dare to take any more risks, preferring to keep the jubilation down rather than let His Majesty the Emperor go wrong. What's more, this banquet was originally a matter for the nobles, and it had little to do with the common people, so the Imperial Guard, together with the City Defense Headquarters of Xiza City, posted a notice, and then sent people to check from house to house, so that those people stayed at home this evening and did not go out.
The arena duel in the afternoon was a time for the emperor to rejoice with the people, and now the celebration banquet is a time for discussing state affairs with the nobles.
The dukes, counts, and even viscounts and barons were all dressed up, and almost all of them dragged their families with them, making this celebration banquet show a trace of warmth.
Duke Borot is one of the Electors, and he has made many contributions in the Northern Expedition, so it is particularly noteworthy. People rushed to greet him, and they all wanted to get a dip.
Old Bao Na did not refuse to come, he had seen a lot of this kind of social scene, and he always had a proper and not tiring smile on his face. Lecles straightened up and followed closely behind, a rough man who didn't have much interest in drink, unlike Cagun. His task today was to make people forget themselves, because if the unfortunate time was to be noticed, it would be the Duke who was in great danger.
Emperor Deliot's father-in-law, Duke Loyle, also took the initiative to talk and laugh with Duke Borot today. It was an open secret that the two of them did not agree politically. Loyle advocated that the emperor should consider Annai first even if the external Desserts were pressing. Borot, on the other hand, did not agree with this point of view, although he could not tolerate the division of the Tamborance Empire, but if the northern heretics wanted to go south, Lao Bao thought that they should be defeated first, after all, the other party was not our race, and they should be attacked first at the critical moment.
These two old fellows are both important ministers of the empire, so although they have different opinions from each other, on the surface, they do not make people see that they have reached the point of saber rattling.
Seeing that Borot did not bring his family, Loyle deliberately mocked a few words, but Lao Bao did not care, but simply explained the reason, he had already sent people to pass the emperor's anger before, and the emperor himself did not blame him, but was ready to send the imperial doctor to check Albert's condition.
The exploits of the reconquest of the holy city of Roma are indeed worthy of special mention. In order to make the banquet more grand and lively, the emperor specially put together 8864 tables, each of which can accommodate four people, which is more than 250 people in total. In addition to the prominent dukes, earls and other dignitaries with titles, he also invited those famous squires and landlords in the empire one by one. They are really rich lords, but they lack honor and status, so they are particularly concerned, and some even rushed to the imperial capital of Xiza City a month in advance, just for themselves to be in a good state.
Diliot himself, who was also red today, did not seem to have been affected by the midday assassination at all. Isabella, the daughter of Duke Loyle and Queen of the Tamborance Empire, took her husband's arm and drank from table to table. This empress's face is not outstanding, but she looks very dignified, when she married Del Elliot, the other party was not yet the emperor, but the Duke of Loyle had a good eye and fell in love with that little person at once. At that time, although the Duke of Deliot was a duke, the country in which he lived was very poor, and even some of the earls could not compare.
Deliot's own intimidation for women was rumored throughout the empire. Empress Isabella has never been pregnant for so many years, and the emperor himself is not like the previous ones, having three wives and four concubines. He is pure-hearted and ignorant of the affairs of men and women, which makes all kinds of unbelievable rumors circulate in the market.
The prime minister, Carignan, Deliot's teacher in his youth, once bluntly asked the emperor about raising the next generation, but Del Liot was noncommittal.
The Duke of Loyle, as one of the old father-in-law and one of the electors, also risked angering the holy will on several occasions, knocking on the side to inquire about the reason, but the result was always unsuccessful.
Queen Isabella's face is always smiling, but it is quite relatable. Her husband never looked at her in private, but she still had a lot of respect for her. It was a gentle woman's affection for her lover, and she felt that Deliot was overwhelmed with state affairs, so she neglected family life. She tried her best to maintain this husband and wife relationship in public, so as not to let others have any tricks to handle. She has no regrets about the marriage arranged by her father. She could sacrifice everything for Diviot. If you don't have children, you won't have children, and if you don't have a husband and wife, you won't have a husband and wife. It doesn't matter, as long as her husband can achieve his ambitions, she is willing to make these sacrifices.
Emperor Deliot was always concerned with his own national affairs, and he never thought to care about his wife. He slept late, got up early, and hardly stayed long in the queen's room. If he encounters a particularly difficult or annoying business, he will fortunately not go back for a few days, and just take a break in the office. He is not like the kind of arrogant and lascivious emperor, but more like a liberal ascetic. The monks who did not practice in churches and monasteries, in order to comprehend the true meaning of the heavens, were willing to roam the vast continent of Bodi, and they lived almost barefoot, relying on game and alms. These people are not a mainstream of Christianity, and the Holy See has never expressed an official opinion on their actions, and they are a forgotten group of people in history.
The emperor was somewhat similar to these people in some ways. He's ambitious, he's got a lot of energy, and he's completely selfless and unsettling, without thinking about anything else.
Sixty-four tables, one by one, walked by, and even if he drank as much as the dwarf Kegun, I am afraid that he would immediately lie down on the ground. Emperor Deliot himself was not good at drinking, and Empress Isabella offered to help him share the burden. She only took a small sip at a time, but after accumulating dozens of tables, this amount was really a lot.
Her steps grew heavier, and her vision became a little blurry, but she still showed the proper manners of an empress. She used to hold her husband's arm, but now she doesn't have the strength to do it anymore. The pattern of their toasting is like this, from low to high, from small to large, the higher the title and the greater the credit, the more people are put behind.
Duke Borot was a man of great merit, and was naturally one of the last people to enjoy this honor. Seeing that Isabella was overwhelmed, he motioned to Duke Loyle to take care of his daughter. But the emperor's father-in-law didn't want to do this, he didn't want to disturb His Majesty's interest, and would rather his daughter suffer a little.
When Deliot came to Old Bao, probably considering that the queen really couldn't drink anymore, he took the initiative to signal Old Bao and Duke Loyle to dry the cup in their hands together. Now it was his turn to walk with the queen in his arms, and although he hadn't drunk much, the red glow on his face became more and more obvious, as if he was very excited about the good things that were about to happen.
After a round of toasting, the atmosphere of the banquet became extraordinarily warm, and the mood of everyone was raised to a high level. The ensuing variety of singing, dancing and juggling made everyone feel extremely comfortable.
Del T.L. spoke loudly about the fruitful results of the war in the north over the past year. Not only did he succeed in recovering the holy city of Roma, but he also caused a split within the Dessert. The conflict between Marshal Cripp, nicknamed the Northern Eagle, and the Black-robed Mage Guild had severely weakened the strength of the infidels, who were now going to have to take care of themselves for a long time now.
When the nobles attending the banquet heard the news, they immediately shouted long live, just like the people in the arena.
Emperor Deliot praised Duke Loyle, Duke Borot and others by name, and he did not hesitate to praise the two great heroes. Everyone looked at these two high-ranking Electors with great admiration.
Of course, Duke Loyle would not miss this good opportunity to slap his horse, and immediately stood up and praised loudly: "This is thanks to your superb strategic vision, Your Majesty, our Tamborance Empire first suppressed and then promoted, and used a holy city of Roma to make the other party feel dissatisfied. His Majesty is not in a hurry and is not influenced by certain people who are good at great deeds. Sticking to their own principles, step by step, they finally achieved the fruitful results they have achieved today. Duke Borot and I have only made a small effort, and our credit is not worth mentioning at all compared to your majesty's hard work!"
Everyone responded with applause and friendly laughter. The Emperor nodded with satisfaction, he looked around at everyone, and said quietly but with some sternness: "Our Tamborance Empire is rich in products and vast territory, occupying more than two-thirds of the territory of the Bodi Continent, why can the Deserts in the bitter cold land in the north easily gather 100,000 elite soldiers, while our side often faces the dilemma of having no soldiers available? Duke Borot and Duke Loyle have done a very good job, but what about the rest of you? Where are your soldiers, or have they been delayed on the road?" In a year's time, you have climbed to the bottom of the city of Roma! What are you all going to eat!"
The Emperor's sudden anger suddenly made the originally happy atmosphere suddenly tense, and the big and small lords and the squires and nobles all put down the wine and meat on their plates, and fell on the ground and begged His Majesty for forgiveness.
"You!you!and you!" said the Emperor, pointing to the counts, "it should not be difficult for each of you to gather 10,000 men in the country! When I was in command at Luther's House, you all claimed that you had led your troops north, but what was the result? Have your soldiers been eaten by dogs? Do you all want to see my Demotheon's jokes! Now that I have returned triumphantly, you have shamelessly come to the banquet in vain to share this glory, which is really something inferior to pigs and dogs!"
As he spoke, the Emperor clapped his hands, and suddenly a group of Imperial Guards who had already been ambushed came up from all directions, their bright weapons and armor very incongruous with the golden banquet hall. The unlucky earls immediately became a punch and were directly dismissed and imprisoned.
The Duke of Loyle led the way in shouting hooray, and demanded that His Majesty the Emperor severely punish the knights who did not move.
Emperor Delviot suddenly burst out laughing when he saw those people trembling one by one, and he said in a slightly soothing tone than just now: "The Tambolance Empire is so big, and people say that I want to be alone, and this kind of argument is unrealistic as long as it is a person with a bright head. No matter how ambitious I am, I am not a three-headed and six-armed person, and I can't manage so many trivial matters. All of you are rulers of a nation, and all of you are an inseparable and important part of the Tamborance Empire. As long as everyone is united, don't say anything about the northern infidels, even if the Orint Empire, which stood side by side with the Venn Empire back then, we don't have to be afraid at all. Those people just now are a lesson, they are closer to the northern Roma City, but none of them made a move, you are lucky, I will spare you this time, but I will not make an example!"
The nobles and knights fell to the ground, secretly congratulating themselves on the fact that they had escaped the catastrophe.
At this time, outside the banquet hall, a heavily armored general strode inward, Duke Borot only raised his eyes, and there was an ominous premonition in his heart, that person was the duke's old subordinate General Iros, he was now the emperor's subordinate, and Duke Loyle was very close.
This person has a beard and a face full of vicissitudes, and at first glance he is a master who is good at drilling camps and planning. He came to the emperor and whispered a few words, only to see an elusive smile on Deliot's face, and then reverted to his anger.
General Iros glanced at the audience, and finally fixed his gaze on Duke Borot.
Find out what's going to happen, and keep up with it next time.