At the bottom of the wall of the Brachna Palace, a deep trench was dug, and it was connected to the outside world by a stone bridge, and on the open space next to the bridge, hundreds of emperor's guards who were on duty at their posts were majestically lined up in a strict team, all of them were Varyag warriors, holding Viking swords, moth heads, axes, heavy armor covered with iron scales, and crimson cloaks, forming the outermost barrier of the emperor, so that all those who came to the palace to meet him, whether they were foreign envoys or domestic nobles, I can't help but be frightened when I have nothing to do.

But Eudosiah and Idorus, who were evidently familiar with the road, stood calmly in front of the guards and the city gates after they had stepped off their shoulders and mounts, and the warlord Theognes was also very excited, and trotted behind the imam and the noblewoman, and kept arranging his shabby armor, hoping to make a slightly better impression on the beloved emperor at future meetings.

Soon, a fat, red-bearded and red-pimpled-looking Varyag warrior trotted over, first hugging and kissing Yudohya, and then half-kneeling down to kiss the ring of Idorus and the icon pendant on his chest, "This must be the brother that Yudosia is talking about, the commander of the Emperor's Guard, the one named Yagfi. Nestas's, genetically created is truly magical, standard Beauty and the Beast. ”

Then Eudosia stretched out his hand very gracefully, and Peter, the captor, and Gawain went up one by one, and met with General Yagfi in turn, and when Gawain arrived, Eudosia also made a special introduction, "This is a pilgrim nobleman with affection and righteousness, what do you think of him entering your barracks?" ”

Yagfei is a younger sister who can say whatever she wants, and even a head taller than Gawain, he pressed the giant's palms on Gawain's shoulders at the same time, "This is simply the best soldier, join the guard, give me three years, I guarantee that you can receive three salaries in front of Your Majesty!" ”

"Thank you very much, but he is the squire who will escort me back to the land of the Franks, and in the future I will introduce him to the castle of the most honorable lord, to serve as a knight, and his future attainments and fame will not be comparable to that of a mercenary." Peter hurriedly stretched out his jujube cane to separate Agafi from Gawain, protesting in a disgruntled tone.

"Your squire is very special, I think he will become an excellent guard and general when he enters the barracks, and he will become the most effective monk to serve the Lord when he enters the monastery." Yudoshia smiled and gathered up her shawl, and then she jokingly led the way across the stone bridge, and continued to ask Imam Idorus next to her, "Do you think Gawain has such potential?" ”

Idorus smiled kindly, noncommittal, and soon they came to the inside of the wall, where flowers, colonnades, and walls cleverly formed a passage leading to the palace at the foot of the hill, flanked by tall buildings, on which were garrisoned warriors, "You just go up directly, Your Majesty has decreed, you don't have to pay too much attention to etiquette in the Brachna Palace, be casual, and Your Majesty will receive you in the hall of the river." When Yagfi had given these instructions, he stood still, for his mandate had come to an end.

The group followed the general's instructions and climbed the stairs, and then in front of a garden on the middle floor, they saw a group of craftsmen kneeling dressed in costumes, and a supervisor in a brocade robe in front of them had a sad face, "You are now rejecting the emperor's newly minted coins, which makes me extremely embarrassed. ”

The white-bearded craftsman who took the lead raised the coin in his hand with some excitement, "We all have eyes, and the gold and silver in this coin are all in poor condition, two to three percent less than in the past." ”

The overseer hesitated twice, and then explained impatiently, "Even if this is in good condition, isn't it still the same as the coins of the past?" ”

"However, when all of us were paying our taxes, the tax collectors demanded that we pay with the coins that had been in good condition in the past, and we lost too much by this coming-and-going!" The white-bearded craftsman shook his head, as if he wanted to persevere to the end.

"Okay, okay, I'll pass on your appeal to the emperor's grand treasurer, but you guys settle the bill now and leave first, you have to know that refusing the emperor's new currency is to be executed." The overseer waved his hand anxiously, telling them to leave as soon as possible, so as not to harm themselves.

As a result, the group of craftsmen became even more noisy, and Yudohia, who was at the front of the procession, could not hold it back, and was about to come forward to help drive it away, but at this time, an old man in a flowery silk robe and a high hat suddenly turned out of the corner of the garden, and when he saw this scene, he quickly said in a hoarse voice, "What is going on here?" ”

As soon as the overseer saw the old man, he was so frightened that he fell to his knees, and did not dare to say a word, while Yudohia and his party, including Idorus, stood by with their hands down and remained silent, "Is this His Majesty the Emperor?" Peter whispered to the captor and Gawain, but even Theognes could not give him a definite answer, "It should not be Your Majesty, but Your Majesty must have worn a purple crown and a purple robe and purple boots, the purple purple that I recognize—on my letter of appointment, the Emperor's purple ink was personally signed." ”

"In other words, even you haven't seen the emperor?" Peter was greatly disappointed, and the captor became dejected as if he had been poked in the middle.

"Are you qualified to arbitrate this horrible and unfair reward?" The white-bearded craftsman who took the lead said to the noble old man.

The old man smiled secretly and said, "I am a eunuch. ”

It turned out to be a eunuch, and the craftsman was immediately discouraged, and the group remained where they were, holding the coins and refusing to leave.

Then no one dared to get up and say anything, so the white-bearded craftsman looked at the expression of the overseer, and then at the expressions of the noblewomen, patriarchs, and soldiers, and felt that the atmosphere was very eerie, so he turned his head again to the thin old man, "Are you really just a eunuch?" ”

"Hey, but at the same time, he is also the head of the Imperial Property Department, the head of the palace, the head of the royal wardrobe, and the head of the orphanage. Vattarsky is me. The old man said with a certain coldness and the arrogance of these official positions.

The head of the Imperial Property Department, who was the head of the Emperor's private treasury; The Grand Governor of the Imperial Court is the person who presides over the entire order of the Imperial Palace; The head of the royal wardrobe, who is the closest person to the emperor, manages the clothes for the emperor, and sleeps on the bed next to the emperor; The general manager of the orphanage is in charge of the entire imperial capital orphanage and nursing home.

In short, this old man was the shadow of the emperor, even if he was a eunuch, but this did not affect his prestige and power in the slightest, and the white-bearded craftsman, and the other troublemakers, suddenly lay on the ground tremblingly, cold sweat flowing, and teeth were fighting, and then Nikdemia gently took a new coin, looked at it and exclaimed, "What a good coin, beautifully molded, light and portable—as for taxes, you must also be considerate of me, and you must not always let the old coins continue to pass, I say so, do you understand?" ”