"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but when people get older, they talk a lot, don't mind, Count Roger." Duke Richard waved his hand and said apologetically.

The Duke of Richard was already seventy-six years old, and it was unlikely that he would be able to take care of his own Duchy of Ulster, the Count of Blat, and the newly-acquired Kingdom of Saruzob, which were largely handed over to his eldest son, William. Morality. Vassi was in charge of the care, while he himself spent his old age living in a mansion on the banks of the Seine in Paris, which William had given him.

This expedition to Rome was also his last expedition and his last brilliant record, so he always liked to talk to the nobles around him, reminisce about the past, and talk about his life experience.

"Where, Lord Richard, what you said really gave me a lot, and I want to learn from you on my side." Count Roger said with a humble attitude.

Count Roger is actually not young, at the age of about fifty, he is considered an older generation figure among the younger Norman nobles, but in front of the more qualified Duke Richard, he abides by his duties and has a very modest attitude.

"Count Roger, you have made great achievements on the battlefield of Barcelona this time, and after the triumphal ceremony is over, Your Majesty will carry out a new round of canonization again.

You might as well tell me first, you want that fiefdom, and my side can communicate with His Majesty's side. The Duke of Richard was pleasantly surprised to see Roger so humble and submissive.

"I dare not ask for anything, and whatever your majesty is willing to give me, I will gladly accept it.

Of course, it's better to be an Italian fiefdom, even if it's a city. Count Roger shook his head slightly and said modestly.

"Haha, as the leader of the army to resist the army of the Duke of Savoy and force the Count of Furkier, how can you also get a larger territory, maybe if you are lucky, it may be an earl."

Compared with the generally barren land and backward cities of the European continent, Italy's fertile and productive arable land, the cities it endows, the developed commerce and the constant tax revenues are indeed many times better than the fiefdoms of Western Europe.

In some cases, the Duke of Richard even wanted to exchange his Duchy of Ulster for an Italian fiefdom, even if it was only for an earl or city-state.

That being said, however, the two of them did not have much to expect from this, because only Duke Rodrigo had acquired the Count of Brescia and Thrichard had acquired Saluzzo of the large number of territories that William had acquired so far, and none of the rest had been divided.

The aristocracy could not help but speculate whether William would make rich Italy a direct domain of the crown and give other domains, such as Provence or elsewhere, to the meritorious nobles.

They did guess right, William did have some opinions on the distribution of Italian territories, and he intended to regard Italy as a crown domain and the most important source of income.

You must know that 400 years later, when the Age of Discovery began, the total tax revenue of Italy at that time was 3 million gold marks, which was three times higher than the royal income of Spain, which occupied the whole of America at that time, that is, Italy at that time was equivalent to three Americas.

Such a big piece of fat, except for distributing part of the territory to his cronies, William naturally would not share it easily.

As for the territories that were used as a reward for his soldiers, William intended to give them some of the newly occupied territories of the Duchy of Provence and part of the Duchy of Barcelona.

......

The triumphal ceremony and the celebratory banquet were held as usual, but because of the large number of participants, it was impossible to end it for a while, so William said goodbye to everyone after passing through the triumphal arch and returned to the Palace of the Dities with his eldest son, Richard.

Surrounded by attendants and maids, the two went to the classroom where the princes of the palace were educated.

"Your Majesty!" When Uraka saw William coming, he hurriedly lifted his long skirt and walked out to greet him.

"Uraka, you've worked hard this year." William smiled and picked up Urakar and said softly, "What about the children? ”

"Father Enrico is teaching rhetoric to Friedrich and Robert, and Mama Margaret is teaching Constance how to sew, and the masters are complimenting our children on how studious they are!" Uraka said with a proud smile.

One of the most famous scholars of the Norman kingdom, Father Enrico from Italy was the most learned of them all, and was quite skilled in rhetoric and jurisprudence, and William was pleased with Urraca's arrangement.

"Constance is only five years old, Uraka, is that too her?

After all, compared to boys, girls can be a little more relaxed in learning, and sewing skills can wait until she is older to learn. William shook his head slightly and opened his mouth to discuss.

Uraka, however, took a different view, insisting that "girls don't need to fight on horseback like knights, but at least they have to learn how to run a house, and sewing is an essential skill."

Now the aristocratic girls of all countries don't know at least two trades, and Constance must at least learn how to sew the royal coat of arms on handkerchiefs!

In the future, she will have to learn poetry and songs, understand singing and dancing music, and will not let others look down on her when she participates in various gatherings and salons in the future. ”

"My daughter, who would look down on them? It's better to let Constance rest and learn some prose to cultivate her sentiments, and these skills will not be too late for her to learn when she grows up. William patted her on the back and said softly.

"Well, Your Majesty, I'll listen to you." Uraka finally chose to follow William's advice, and indeed after William said this, she also felt that she was too strict with her daughter, and after William's repeated persuasion, she was naturally happy to borrow a donkey to go downhill.

"By the way, Uraka, do you have any thoughts on the children's marriage?" William looked at the two children who were studying with Father Enrico not far away, and spoke.

"Your Majesty, this matter should be decided by you, but if you want to choose a future wife for your children, it is better not to choose the daughter of a big nobleman at home, or choose a princess abroad!" Uraka opened his mouth to suggest.

"Well, it makes sense, letting the children marry the big nobles in the country will indeed cause the country to split, and I have seen a lot of such things." William listened to Uraka's suggestion, nodded in praise, and then said his thoughts: "Uraka, how about letting Friedrich and Robert marry a purple princess of the Byzantine royal family Ducasse respectively?"

I'm here with two candidates, not to mention nine-year-old Anna. Ducasse and four-year-old Theodora. Ducasse, these two princesses and Friedrich are not much different in age, and they are the jewels of the Ducasse family, which is just in line with our Normandy royal status. ”