Why do I miss waking up from my sleep at Herusbeck Castle so much?

The sunlight peeked in obliquely through the cracks in the curtains, like a cautious and gentle maiden, leaving traces of delicate feet on the stone floor, and outside the window there were unknown birds chirping with joy, flapping their wings and chasing the first bug of the morning with their companions.

I sniffed at the enchanting scent of the pillows, which was the little freshness of the-clothed ladies washing in the clear river water.

I stretched and sat up, the day had just begun, but I felt very comfortable back home wherever I was.

But the mornings were still the same, and it seemed that the chef had not reinvented his recipes and was too lazy to use his brain, perhaps since his grandfather's generation, and as a descendant to keep the fine traditions of his ancestors alive, the Flemish chef could obviously throw Nijmegen a few streets away.

I quickly dipped the soup with bread, ate the last bite, and stroked my stomach with satisfaction, although the food tasted enough to make me complain until the end of the world, but it had the taste of home, the clear soup was watery, and I tasted it well.

"Lord Leonardo, they have been waiting for a long time."

Rollo helped me remove the used plates and whispered to remind me of the next step in my trip, he understood who was the most influential person in the Earl's court, so he replaced the names of the others with Leonardo.

After the little guy went to Antwerp with me, he seemed to become more foreign, and began to pay attention to his dress, no longer as casual as before, and always blushing inexplicably, all kinds of signs that he was in love.

The other party is Princess Serena's entourage of the female officer, although the background is not high, but it is indeed a noble blood, five generations ago was canonized as a baron, basically the Wangcai family that has just barely reached the upper class.

I only had a cursory glance at this female officer outside the princess's room, and her appearance was quite thoughtful, but she was tall and athletic, especially the cute red curly hair, which added a playful and agile girlish temperament.

"If you have time, go learn to write with Kohler, at least some basic words."

I held the cup and gave advice to beginners in love, although I was a rookie in my past and present life.

"Nijmegen will soon open a postal route to Flanders, so that people from both places, especially merchants, can communicate with each other, and you can also take the opportunity to write something for your sweetheart, or borrow a book of Greek poetry to copy some short poems, in short, you have to do something, otherwise the goddess will never fall in love with the dumb wooden man, understand?"

Rollo's face instantly turned red to the base of his neck, and even his hair was about to boil and explode, like a cute red tomato, and he didn't know what to answer, and he stood in place whimsically and uneasily.

"Shy young man."

I smiled and shook my head, drank the last drop of malt from my glass, licked my lips and stood up and walked towards the hall of the lords.

The chair was still so uncomfortable, probably because the back of the chair was too far forward, so I twisted around to find the most comfortable position, buried myself in it, and then looked up at the few henchmen sitting in front of me, ready to start my daily routine.

"The investment in the construction of the castle is too large, and there are too many materials to be mobilized, and I can't turn around here, and it will take time for the follow-up funds to be transferred here."

Now Leonardo is already the head of the crowd, everyone agreed to let him be the first to report, the old guy is so good to say, always drag the agenda until the sun, he slapped the ledger as thick as a brick in front of me, pointed to the dense numbers on it and complained to me:

"Do you want to see if you can use locally produced stucco in the outer city? In this way, whether it is cost or transportation, you can save a lot of money, just to make up for the huge cost of the wedding, as the money to buy silk wedding dresses. ”

"No, you can't!"

I vetoed Leonardo with a big wave of my hand, ignoring the old guy's rolled eyes.

"The inner and outer cities must be built to the same construction standards, no corners must be cut, and I will build an impenetrable castle to maintain my rule, and it must be strong enough to withstand the relentless tempering of time and war. Not only will the project not be able to reduce costs, but it will also require more investment, and the supporting facilities will be built strictly according to the plan, and it will be the heart of Nijmegen in the future. ”

Leonardo frowned, bitterly re-examining every income and expenditure record, hoping to find a way to tear down the east wall and make up the west wall, it is not an easy task to serve a demanding master like me, during the short time he has been working, the heavy number game has made his hair appear Mediterranean trend, the wrinkles on his face are increasing almost every day, even if the mall has been crawling all his life, it is difficult to be comfortable in the position of chief dispatcher.

Because some things cannot be solved with money alone, sometimes gold coins cannot buy workers, nor can they buy food, and in the Middle Ages, when the circulation of goods was extremely scarce, people cared more about getting the real bread in their hands, although gold coins seemed to reflect an attractive luster, but they could not be used to fill the stomach.

After dealing with large and small affairs, the sun has slowly climbed into the air, and the farmers in the territory have long carried tools and successively tended to their own vegetable gardens, and there is a peaceful scene of men and women weaving everywhere.

Standing on the roof of the castle with satisfaction, while sipping the wine presented by the Count of Baudouin, while admiring the green fields with wheat waves in the distance, Leonardo quietly came behind me, took the flask and filled the empty glass for me, and then stood beside him.

"Your wedding will greatly enhance the strength of Nijmegen, and from now on, you will become a powerful presence that no one can ignore, and it is not impossible to strengthen your relationship with the royal family and the Holy See, and to be promoted to duke."

The old man stared ahead, the warm breeze blowing the white hair of his sideburns messy, and he looked a lot like the white-robed Gandalf of The Lord of the Rings, full of visionary insight.

"The land is fertile and rich, the people are industrious and simple, the warriors are loyal, and it seems that God is helping you realize the dream of Enides for thousands of years."

"But in the eyes of most people, I am still an unpopular aristocrat who hugs my thighs and eats soft rice, a clown dancing on the tip of a knife, who may fall from the peak to the bottom at any time and fall to pieces."

I put my glass on the steps and sighed self-deprecatingly, and the river at the end of my vision was like a silver belt, clinging to the green fields beneath the city of Herusbeck.

"It's just a matter of time, in this era, whoever has the big fist has the right to speak."

Leonardo's eyes narrowed, and the wrinkles on his face became even more visible.

"The Duke of Charles of Lower Lorraine, although his head is not bright, but his bloodline is extremely noble, he is the youngest son of Charlemagne, a direct descendant of Louis the Pious, the only remaining male of the Carolingian dynasty, the heir to the kingdom of West Francia, and the legitimate king of France."

"A reliable insider in the duke's court told me that the old duke has not been able to produce another son after his eldest son was killed in battle, and his illegitimate son is not recognized by the vassals, and the principality, with a prominent family background, is likely to be extinct and in danger of being divided and annexed."

Hearing this, my eyebrows were twisted together, and the old guy always kept half and half in secret, and refused to explain one thing clearly, so that people guessed until they went crazy, an absolute psychopath:

"I don't really understand what you mean, I'm not familiar with Duke Shire, but I have met a few times in the camp of His Majesty the Emperor, and I can't even talk about ordinary friendship, maybe I can't get into the eyes of Lord Duke at all."

"That's not the point, now you need a sister, a healthy woman who can give birth to a strong offspring for the old duke."

Leonardo leaned closer and said to me face to face: "Uniting with Flender is just the first step, having an heir nephew who can cause trouble for the Capet family at any time is the key to opening the road to heaven, your family background has a gap for a while, find some nerds who ponder words and spend a lot of money, it is easy to get involved with some famous dead people who are useful, anyway, no one really spends a lot of time to devote themselves to the case to consult the family tree, and find a long-lost sister, Stories can be made more touching and heartfelt, and they can also make your family relationship fuller. ”

"How can you guarantee that this woman will definitely be able to give birth to a son to the old duke, he has tried for so many years without success, and at this age, he may have lost his fertility." When planning intrigues, it always makes me feel a chill down my spine, so I subconsciously pulled my robe to warm myself up.

"Because she is pregnant, I have verified with the midwife, it is 100% a son, but don't worry, few people know the truth of the matter, we just need to send this beauty with a secret knot to the old duke's arms, and the rest will be done."

Leonardo grinned, full of self-confidence after years of wear, and the ups and downs of the business sea have trained his meticulous thinking and watertight work efficiency.

"There is a secret medicine from the Middle East that can delay the due date of a pregnant woman, conceive a child in October, and everything is under control, and God does not know it, and the wisdom of King Solomon cannot find a flaw."

With a subtle smile, I finally understood why Liu Bei was chased and killed everywhere before Zhuge Liang, and it was called a miserable, sometimes, a far-sighted think tank was worth five hundred knights in full armor.

"Will the Duke of Charles agree to this marriage? After all, Nijmegen is not strong enough to choose a marriage partner at will, and other nobles with women of the right age must be busy sending their daughters to the old duke's bed, so you are so confident that you will win? ”

Leonardo raised his eyebrows, as if he was very angry and doubted his ability to do things, and deliberately replied word by word in his voice: "There is always room for flexibility in everything, just like a business negotiated by competitors, as long as you choose the right entry point, so that the partner can earn more than doing business with your competitors, and the things that are sure can still be pulled out and restarted." ”

"I believe you, take these things down and plan slowly, and you will be solely responsible."

I nodded and decided to give Leonardo the power to plan his own ideas independently, so as not to be disrupted by his own involvement.

"The priority is to make the upcoming wedding a world-renowned event and take the opportunity to raise the profile of Nijmegen."

"I think it's time for you to write a letter to His Holiness the Pope and His Majesty the Emperor, a caravan I have organized will be on its way to Rome in two days."

Leonardo helped me fill the wine glass again and handed it over: "To be more detailed, you might as well reveal some behind-the-scenes deals about the marriage, both of them will love to see Robert's in France, who is uncomfortable, not to mention the unruly Low Countries may be reunited to the Empire." ”

(End of chapter)