"Brother......

"Brother......

Sophia did grow up with John, and knew that John had the same love for books as she did. But apparently, John is now in a state of near-madness.

"Brother, why don't you take a rest first?"

At this moment, John remembered the college entrance examination that year, stepping on the corpse of a student of his same level, step by step into the gate of the history department of Qingbei.

It's a memorable time. Even if the content recorded in the history books I read back then is very different from the situation I am facing now.

"Yustina, bring me lunch first."

"Yes, Your Highness Princess."

Sophia sighed, "What are you doing in such a hurry...... It is not our turn to intervene in dealing with internal affairs at this time. Your Majesty is already a surprise that he can listen to those suggestions from you. ”

It's already the third day. John never left the Slou Garden, and Manuel's collection or an older collection was piled together to bury almost his entire body.

"Small scenes, I've experienced more tragic three months, this intensity is nothing." John casually took a bowl of sweet porridge with honey from the delicate plate and drank two sips, "Do you also bury yourself in the stack of books every day?" ”

"I'm not to the point where I don't think about it, and these things are quite delicious." Sophia snatched a copy of the Roman Law Examination in John's hand directly, "What's the use of just reading books to learn the skills of internal affairs?" Most of the things in these books can't be used in practice, so you might as well consult that Oriental person in person."

"It's better than nothing. As for...... If it weren't for the Imperial Council, you wouldn't have found him at all. However, it is understandable that, in addition to the financial work of Constantinople, his father also made him deal with the silk trade in the Greater Greek region, which was already so busy that it was not good to disturb others. ”

After the book was confiscated by Sophia, John had no choice but to swallow the lunch first. However, he became increasingly obsessed with the culture left behind by the Eastern Romans, and he would not be satisfied.

"Sophia, shall we go to the Royal Library?"

"Should I really ask the Patriarch to come and exorcise evil spirits for you......"

……

The Royal Library is located not far from the Slou Gardens, and the former Library of Celsus was the predecessor of the Royal Library. With a collection of tens of thousands of volumes, it became the heart of imperial culture. Moreover, during the Fourth Crusade, heavily armed Crusader knights stormed Constantinople without plundering or destroying it.

For Sophia, this is a path she has walked countless times.

The entire Royal Library is a very typical Eastern Romanesque building. After several renovations and expansions, it is now an independent building in Constantinople after the Palace of Constantine and the Hagia Sophia.

Unlike the glittering royal palaces, the Royal Library has a solemn atmosphere. Countless huge vertical bookcases hold books from different regions, different directions and even different religious cultures.

Most books don't do much to help John with what he is currently obsessed with. The Royal Library's collection of books was too large and complex, and what he needed was the most crucial thing.

"Let's go straight to Justinian's Hall...... You could never finish reading the books here. ”

Justinian Hall, built during the second reign of Justinian II, the surviving books in it were only for the royal family. After Alexios I founded the Komnenian dynasty, only purple-clothed nobles were allowed to enter and leave the Justinian Hall.

Sophia and John are not purple-clothed nobles in the strict sense, but the guards of the hall will not stop them, and Sophia has not been in and out of here once or twice, Constantine XI knew it, but he did not blame it.

But it was the first time John had witnessed the Hall of Justinian.

In fact, it wasn't a hall at all, with only a narrow aisle leading to a spotlessly well kept desk. On both sides of the aisle, there are a large number of books accumulated by the previous dynasties, including historical materials, statecraft, diplomatic means, analysis of the international situation, etc., which are things that ordinary people are not qualified to touch at all.

The classification of the books, also according to the chronology of the empire, is not clearly and in detail. However, it retains the cultural heritage of the various royal families from Justinian II to the Fourth Crusader for nearly a thousand years.

After the Palaiologos expelled the Latins and regained the Eastern Roman Empire, the collection of books in Justinian's Hall began to slowly increase again.

"What a paradise ......"

"If my brother doesn't die of exhaustion in the stacks of books, maybe."

Each book is specially treated with a protective film similar to wax to keep the texts from being destroyed by time. It will not be eroded by dust.

"Don't take out too many books, it will cause unnecessary trouble." Sophia stood at the door of the hall and looked at John with a longing face. When he was brought here by Constantine XI, he should not have been so ashamed.

"Wait......"

John's quest for knowledge suddenly stopped.

"Sophia, come over for a moment......"

"What's wrong?"

If I had to say a shortcoming, the height of the bookcase design in Justinian's Hall was really full of malice for a twelve-year-old. If John hadn't looked up by chance, he wouldn't have noticed the untreated paper scattered on the top of the bookcase in front of him, next to the various thick collections.

The papers have been yellowed, and the bookcase in which they are kept, from the time of Alexios I, is supposed to be from the Komnenos dynasty, if it is correctly classified.

"Sophia, you step on my shoulder and take the paper off."

In fact, Sophia was also intrigued by these papers. Justinian's Hall preserves only the most precious royal books, and it is surprising that such a thing appeared.

"Stand up straight...... A little higher...... Heck, I really don't know what you say every day to exercise and what's the use...... Okay, okay, got it! ”

Sophia leaped forward and landed firmly on the ground.

After identifying the papers by the candlelight, Sophia and John suddenly felt suffocated.

It was what they were most familiar with—an ordinary manuscript.

But this manuscript has a very different meaning.

"Anna...... Komenina? John laboriously read the inscription at the end of the manuscript, and then froze in place, "The manuscript of the eldest princess? ”

That's really ...... Found something amazing.