Ibrahim doesn't think so, but others don't.

Ibrahim never mentioned it, but the squires who had been left behind with him to die had not forgotten what they had said—death was so close that they couldn't help but go mad, and they cursed Madame El Shek, Prince Suleiman and Sultan Selim, and even the long-dead Bayezid II, and they used a vicious and obscene word, even if it was not their noble master, but a slave who, if he heard it, might jump up in anger. Fight them to the death.

At that time, the doors of the house were closed, and only they could hear and see each other, but there was one of them who never said a blasphemous word, and that was Ibrahim.

After they escaped from the plague, they began to tremble, because they were afraid that Ibrahim would go to the informant, even if they agreed that if Ibrahim did so, they would also prove that he was the first to curse the Sultan, but Ibrahim was never allowed to return to Prince Suleiman, and they gradually reassured themselves, because the chief eunuch told them that they might all be sent to the Janissaries army, because those with damaged faces were not qualified to serve the prince.

But Prince Suleiman didn't seem to mind so much, and he asked Ibrahim to serve him, and for the whole afternoon, Ibrahim didn't come out of the prince's tent, and their hearts also panicked, would Ibrahim say something? They knew that Ibrahim, unlike the other attendants, loved Prince Suleiman and would not hesitate to give his life for him—and had scolded them for their curses before.

They waited nervously, for the chief eunuch to lead the soldiers to arrest them and put them to death, but they waited a long time, and when Ibrahim left the prince's tent and returned to their common dwelling, they did not notice the slightest sign of foreboding.

"Didn't Ibrahim say something?" One of the attendants asked in fear.

"Who knows!? Maybe he's just trying to see our jokes!" Said another squire.

"He may have had other considerations," said the third man, "and it is said that now that Prince Suleiman has a new attendant, whom he is very fond of, it is difficult to say that he did not want to take advantage of this opportunity to do something." ”

"Whatever he has to do," said the last man, "since he hasn't had time to speak, we ought to silence him forever." ”

The room—a charred ruin, to be precise, fell into a brief silence.

"He's right," said the first attendant, "now is the right time, Prince Suleiman has a new attendant, and he doesn't value Ibrahim so much, even if Ibrahim is dead......"

"So let's do it." The other chimed in, and the others nodded.

They took advantage of Ibrahim's lack of return, and devised what they thought was an ingenious plan—one of them, who had had an affair with Madame Ayshe's maid, took advantage of the opportunity to get some wine, which had been used to reduce the high fever in Suleiman, and which was consumed in large quantities every day, and the maid secretly hid some of it without anyone knowing, and they took the wine, mixed it with tea, and tricked Ibrahim into drinking it.

When the moon rose high in the sky, Ibrahim seemed to be asleep wrapped in sheepskin, and they brought stones to try to stone him to death.

But before the first man could lift the stone, Ibrahim opened his eyes, and he took the prince's bounty—a sharp scimitar, which disembowels the daring fool from the bottom up, and then gently turns his wrist and turns his body to slit the throat of the man behind him—he is confronted by four men, but he has weapons, and the weapons of the other attendants have been confiscated when they are infected with the plague, and have not been returned for the time being, and he has been rewarded with enough food and water from the prince Suleiman, so that he is full of strength and spirit.

He almost calmly killed the third man, and the last one tried to escape, but he chased him from behind and killed him with a knife.

The whole process took only four or five minutes, and it took much longer to get the place clean, but Ibrahim managed to get a short sleep before dawn, and tomorrow he had to go to serve his master.

He was very peaceful, even if these people did not kill him, he would not allow these people to live, and the reason why he did not tell the whistle was because he did not want to repeat the words full of blasphemy and insults, and he did not want Prince Suleiman to know that his attendants had betrayed him so shamelessly—even if they faced the plague and death, they were still a vile and shameless group of villains in Ibrahim's heart.

Unbeknownst to Ibrahim, a man hiding in the shadows had seen what was happening here from the time the lowly squires began to plot to kill him, and when he had actually fallen asleep, and when his breathing had gradually become steady and long, the man raised his head and sniffed the bloody breath that had rapidly become faint in the bitter sea breeze, smiled, and turned away.

————

That man was Madame Esher's personal eunuch, and he had been serving Madame Aisher since she was only one of the many concubines around Prince Selim, and he had always been loyal to her, and he reported the matter to Madame Aisher with a smile on his face, and although Ibrahim had not had time to say anything, how could they not know anything about it?

"A good slave." Madame Aychet said approvingly, "In that case, I will let Suleiman leave with him, my prince, and he cannot be left alone." ”

"Do you have to die...... "The eunuch asked, "Prince Suleiman will be very sad." ”

"It was destined to be this way from the moment I left Topkapi Palace," said Madame Aychet with a smile, not in the slightest sign that death was so close to her: "If Suleiman died, then there was no point in my life, and now, Suleiman was alive, then I had to die, my son would be the future Sultan, and he could not have a disgraceful mother......"

"If you pray to the Sultan...... He might allow you to go back to Topkapi Palace. ”

"But then, who will guarantee my chastity? I can't let the Sultan remember that he had an impure mother as soon as he saw Suleiman, and even if he could confirm that Suleiman was his bloodline, but I was gone, or I had no power, and I was no longer trusted and favored by the Sultan, I would not be able to prevent the slave girl in the harem from giving birth to a prince, and in this case, wouldn't the Sultan's eyes fall on the other son? Even if Suleiman, my son, is so brave and so intelligent, as long as there is a choice, it means that he is in danger. ”

At this point, Mrs. Eyshe's eyes shone with determination: "Since Mehmed II, the Sultan of Ottoman Turkey has been destined to have only one, without brothers and uncles, and I will never see my son fall to the point of being slaughtered like a chicken or a dog - I will give everything for it - and so will my life, he will return to Istanbul, to his father, and his mother will remain here forever as a faithful wife and mother." ”

She looked at the eunuch beside her and stretched out her hand to him, "It's just that you are going to die with me, are you willing?" ”

"Yes," said the eunuch, "yes, ma'am. As he spoke, he bowed his knees respectfully and made a solemn salute.

——————————

Suleiman rode on his horse, and when he looked back, he could only see Yedikul rising again with boundless flames.

He hadn't cried since he was three years old, but the night before he had fallen on his mother's knees and wept bitterly for hours, though he knew it was inevitable, even if he pleaded with his father, the Sultan of Selim – according to Ottoman Turkish tradition that a prince could take his mother with him when he was given a feudal title elsewhere to be a governor, but if he did, he would most likely be excluded from the heir by the Sultan of Selim – and he would have many younger brothers, as his mother had saidIf he chooses a prince other than Suleiman, then Suleiman is doomed to die, if he dies, his mother Aishe, his concubines and his children and grandchildren will not be able to continue to live, then, Madame Aisheh will definitely not exchange the final total destruction for these short years, at most ten years.

Madame Aisher watched them leave, and when Suleiman's party had disappeared from sight, she ordered her attendants, eunuchs, and slave girls to begin to prepare their belongings and make them appear to return to Topkapi Palace to paralyze them, and when it was time to dine in the evening, in the name of celebrating the departure of the plague, the chief eunuch of Madame Aisher made them drink, and when they were drunk, he killed them one by one with some of his most loyal eunuchs, and then he hanged Madame Aisher with his own hands and lit a fire.

Suleiman and the others walked for another day and night before a column of Sipahi cavalry rode up to join him—they made sure that no one had left Yedikule.

At the second dawn, they were finally allowed to enter Istanbul, and to Suleiman's surprise, this time there was no need to wait, as soon as the Sultan of Selim heard that they had returned, he summoned Suleiman, and his only son was now with him.

The Sultan of Selim was in the Third Courtyard, his sleeping palace was waiting for Suleiman, it was April, Topkapi Palace was finally showing a hint of greenery symbolizing new life, lilacs, daffodils and roses were poking out their little buds, and the harem slave girls were becoming thinner and more attractive—they had bought reliable news with their money, that the hateful devil, the first lady Aishe, who had once made them almost despair, had died in Yedikule, and had not even left any bones to enter the mausoleum, What a joy it was, that they did not dare to show their pride in front of the sorrowful Sultan, but gathered together in secret and celebrated quietly during the bathing and tea parties.

As Madame Aysher had predicted, they were ready to bear more princes to the Sultan of Selim. And Selim Sultan, although he was also quite fond of the first lady of Eksah, did not stop pampering the slave girl when she was still in Topkapi Palace, and not now, but for physical reasons, in Julio. At Medici's suggestion, he had not yet begun another journey on the bed.

Selim Sultan sat on his throne, and the black-haired, golden-eyed wise man was allowed to sit first on the left side of the lower - both of them were waiting for their sons.

The thick milky white mist of the morning was pushed away, and the tall black eunuch appeared in the sight of the Sultan and Julio, followed by Prince Suleiman and Cosimo the Younger. Medici.

Selim Sultan can be said to be staring at his son intently, at that time, as soon as the signs of smallpox appeared on Suleiman's body, he was immediately sent out of Topkapi Palace, and left Istanbul in a hurry with a semi-expulsion, of course, Selim Sultan could not see him covered in rashes, so in Selim's heart, his son was still the same healthy as before-it seems to be the case, Prince Suleiman received extremely delicate treatment and care, and others also watched over him not to scratch the itchy skin, after the scab fell off, There were only scars in some less conspicuous places, such as the back, armpits, and ears, and most notably the corners of the eyes and the tip of the nose, but here he followed Madame Escher's instructions and covered them with a woman's powder, lest the Sultan of Selim become jealous and defensive, even though he knew that he would no longer be infected with smallpox.

Prince Suleiman stopped fifty paces from the Sultan of Selim, prostrated himself on the ground, and saluted the Sultan.

Cosimo Jr. The Medici only bowed deeply, and then his bright eyes immediately fixed on the father of the Sultan's head, and he looked around, and without being hindered, turned to Giulio. The Medici ran, threw herself into his arms in a gesture that could almost be called childish, hugged him tightly, and hid her face in her father's arms.

Julio. The Medici could scarcely contain his thoughts, and the growing worries that were impossible for him not to worry, and even though the Sultan of Selim promised not to anger his heir even if the misfortune of Prince Suleiman befell him—the heart of a father and a king is always difficult to guess.

At that time, sent Cosimo Jr. The Medici seemed to be the only choice, after all, even Machiavelli or Duarte did not have the medical skills and courage of Cosimo Jr.

Selim Sultan looked at the father and son, who had almost become a bunch of "elis" (a mixture of butter and flour, brushed, mixed with chopped nuts, twisted into thick strips soaked in honey), and a look of disgust appeared on his face - to ask him to say that there was nothing wrong with this golden-eyed wise man, except that he was sometimes too kind and soft, and this was what a father should do to his son.

But then his expression became complicated, because his son Suleiman had also lost his mother, and Selim Sultan had no objection to Mrs. Aisher's choice, and he recognized her steadfastness and love, and sprouted some pity for Suleiman.

So Sultan Selim did something that surprised him, and he opened his arms to Suleiman.

At first Suleiman was incredulous, but as soon as Sultan Selim nodded to him, he immediately ran over and knelt down in front of his father, his forehead pressed tightly against his feet, and his robe was soaked with tears.

。 m.