"Your Majesty."

Purbrius was accompanied by two monks, holding a statue of the Virgin and Child, and entered John's chamber accompanied by Gregory III. Although he is old, his spirit is still strong.

"Publius, it seems that when I get this delicate body in good shape, you will have to come with me to Epirus." John was helped by Sophia and leaned against the head of the bed. Jewish doctors would come to check on John's condition about every half hour, causing him to lose his sleepiness.

It's just that John looked at the statue of the Virgin and the Son, and his eyes were still a little strange. The high status of icons had been affirmed by Constantine XI a few years earlier when he enacted the Religious Statute, but the Slou Gardens did not display religious decorations or frescoes due to Sophia's special request. Now that the third king of Egrius III has brought people in with holy icons, John is really a little puzzled.

He glanced at Sophia, but Sophia looked calm and undisgusted, which made John even more strange.

"What's going on? Which of you explains. ”

"Your Majesty, this should have happened when you were still unconscious." Gregory III instructed the monks to place the icon on the window side of the room, and then to add shrines and curtains to the icon. It's going to be a few hours busy inside and out.

It seems that the addition of a shrine in the garden of Slou would be a great honor for Gregory III. His pretentious gesture made John find it a little funny.

"So what the hell is going on?" John tried his best to cooperate with the old patriarch's performance, and said with a reverent face, "Please tell the Patriarch." ”

"Her Royal Highness the Princess has visited Hagia Sophia more than once during your coma to pray for your safety. Heavenly Father has heard her prayers, and Her Royal Highness will fulfill her promise. Until you are fully healed, Her Royal Highness will be a devout believer in the Orthodox Church. and acknowledge the correctness of the doctrine of the Church. ”

This can also be considered big news among the upper class aristocracy of Constantinople. Princess Sophia's unruliness is a well-known thing in the whole country, and it is a rare scenery to see Sophia praying with peace of mind in her lifetime.

"Sophia, this is really hard for you."

Sophia sighed and didn't say anything more. Now that she has made a promise, she will not break her vow either. The previous remarks about the "frivolity" of the church are not easy to express in public.

After a few monks worked in front of the icon for a long time, Gregory III left the Slou Gardens satisfied.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry...... Athens...... It was entirely because of my negligence and miscalculation of the battle situation that you were the way you are now, and the city of Athens was seriously damaged...... "It can be seen that Publius is indeed quite self-reproachful. After leaving the barracks, he lost a lot of weight. However, John did not want Publius to be decadent.

"General Publius. It's war! As long as there is a war, there will be victory and defeat. Whether or not you can achieve the ultimate victory depends on who actually makes fewer mistakes. John tried to reach out and pat Publius on the shoulder, but finally gave up on the foolish idea, "We can achieve such a huge advantage from the Balkans before this time, and drive the Ottomans out of our homeland completely." Your contribution is something we cannot ignore. I don't think His Majesty Father ousted you from your position as commander of the Holy See Guard. After all, if a talented general is discarded because of a defeat in a war, how can the empire gain the allegiance of others? ”

Publius looked up and waited silently for John's next words.

Constantine XI did not fail to appease Publius, but the words that came out of John's mouth obviously made Publius even more excited.

"As Valleologo's successor, my father has given me the authority to govern the emperor together, so I can also form my own council. By freeing you from the comforts of the Holy See, your father actually wants you, a promising young general, to give everything to the Empire. Epirus also had an army to be led by, but not as glamorous as the commander of the Holy Guard. ”

Publius smiled: "Your Majesty, when I was an ordinary city guard in Constantinople, I wanted to be able to give everything to the Empire. General Giovanni was able to pull me up by the hand, and I was more grateful than for any decency or beauty. It doesn't make any sense. In fact, His Majesty Constantine is quite in favor of my arrangement. I also hope to be able to learn more time with General Giovanni and not make the same mistakes again in the future. ”

"Humility is quite a fine virtue, but it's a pity that I can't celebrate it now."

John smiled, "General Publius, we just talked about the issue related to the Holy Guard, and there are certain things that need to be referred to for your opinion. ”

"Your Majesty, please speak."

"You should know best about the vacant post of commander of the Holy See. Many of the new nobles and the generals of the Holy See were also vying for this position. I'd like to hear your opinion. As the former commander of the Holy See, to whom will you give your position? ”

Publius closed his eyes. After a long period of thought, he slowly spat out a name: "Angelo Alfonso Tocco." ”

"Toco?"

The Toco family was definitely not a famous family in the former Constantinople. It was not until Constantine XI, who was still ruling Morea at the time, married Madeleine Tocco through a series of means, that the Tocco family gradually stood out from the old nobility.

It's just that Toko's decline is also quite rapid, especially now that the empire is sparing no effort to suppress the old aristocracy, the Toko family is also looking for a new way out. It's just that Angelo Alfonso Tocco is a person that John hasn't heard much about. After all, the Holy See Guard was not his descendant, and he would not remember the names of each general so clearly.

"Why him."

"Angelo's leadership is just one of the reasons. What's more, the Tocco family has little influence in Constantinople today, but is still quite loyal to Valleologo. Even if the old aristocracy declines, I believe that Your Majesty needs a family to step up and set an example. Judging from the current situation, the big families of Komnenos and Ducasse are not suitable, and Tocco is a better choice. ”