In front of the monastery "Mary of Mongolia", the Queen Mother is bidding farewell to her guests.

One of them has white hair, wears a simple dark monk's robe, and holds a Zen staff in his hand, and he is the Daoyan monk who has been seeing the head and tail of the dragon recently, so that Zhu Wenkui can't find it every day. The other is a Granada lobbyist who has visited here several times, "Old Sea Urchin" Mohammed.

Today happened to be the monastery's fasting day, and the Queen Mother was also eating fasting and chanting, so she invited them to join them and leave after dinner. The three of them were well-informed people, chatting and eating fasting until dark.

After walking out of the gate politely with each other, the old sea urchin saw the crowded street and was quite emotional.

"When I was a child, my hometown was so prosperous. The bazaar was open until night, and my dad would take me out to buy cheap sugar that merchants had smuggled in and sold at night. It's a pity that now, this kind of scene is no longer seen. ”

"It's okay, our side has only prospered over the years. Once the country is on the right track, recovery is quick. Queen Elizabeth comforted.

"When I first got married, the city was not more than one-fifth of what it is now, and although it was nominally the capital, most of the city walls were still wasteland and shacks. The estates and the inhabitants above them were largely controlled by the Greek aristocracy. At most, the Khan's court could manage only one-fifth of these populations. ”

"I grew up listening to my grandfather and father tell stories about Constantinople. Both of them went out to fight, sometimes for the Latins, sometimes for the Turks, and once even for the Italians. I couldn't figure out who we were and who we were loyal to. But no matter which expedition returns, there are always some background terms that often appear in the stories brought back - Constantinople, is one of them. ”

"Later, Basil went to my hometown to chase the bandits - they were bandits, but many of them were relatives and friends of my family, and I don't know when they didn't look long and provoked others. However, my father used to be a mercenary under the 'chivalrous' Guo Yuanting, and he also made military exploits, so I got to know them. Relying on this affection, he managed to mediate the misunderstanding between the two sides, so that all our folks from all over the country joined the ranks of the Romans. ”

Speaking of the past, the Queen Mother also chattered.

"At that banquet, my father drank too much and asked me to perform the sword dance. After that, every day they got together, I had to show up once. In fact, this is not a new craft, and the mountain people have always had this tradition of hospitality. So, they rested and feasted for a few days in a row, and I went to perform for a few days. ”

As a result, Basil probably drank too much, and he actually took a fancy to me in a daze. He was Baseryus, after all, and quickly convinced my dad to let me marry him. ”

"I have heard that the first Khan Basil has always been calm and intelligent. The successive kings of the Roman Khanate, there were many people who were keen on alcohol, but he was different and had almost no deeds in this regard. Monk Daoyan commented: "In this way, this person actually had emotional moments back then. It's an interesting comparison. ”

"Hey, it's still a great monk, you are careful. It's only been a few days, and you've been able to understand so many of our stories here, and we've seen these details. The Queen Mother also sighed: "That's right." Later, I thought so. ”

"So what did you think at the time? Going to Constantinople? Dao Yan just smiled and continued to take over the topic kindly.

"Yes. I was like a fool at that time, and every day I knew that I was practicing martial arts with the elders in the family, or I was going out to fight with other children. The Queen Mother also smiled: "We get married, and it's very simple." ”

"When my father woke up, he brought his mother to me and told me, do you remember the young man who sat with me yesterday and drank?"

"I said, which one? So many people. Could it be the giggle? ”

"My dad was drinking too much at the time, and he was giggling there at the time, how could he remember who was who? But my mother saved the scene in time, and yes, it was him. He's Barcelus. ”

"I said, oh."

"Dad wasn't very happy with my attitude. But I think he's making a big fuss. We are a small place in the mountains, but we have seen a lot of the world, from the Sultan, to the Tsar, to the Governor, and there is an uncle who fought for the Pope. Barcelus, isn't that the title of lord of the Greeks? Not to mention that compared with the emperor and kings, is he as big as the Sultan? ”

"My father's history is not very good, so of course he couldn't answer me at that time. But my father probably couldn't talk about me, and he was a little anxious, so he said directly, people are not ordinary Barcelus, they are Barcelus of Constantinople, and Barcelus of Mongolia. If you can take a fancy to me, it is because our family has won the favor of Heavenly Father, don't take people seriously. ”

"And Barcelus in general?" Monk Daoyan was a little surprised.

"Yes." The Queen Mother nodded: "Since Rome was destroyed by the Latins two hundred years ago, their court has fallen into a lasting division. In various places, quite a few snake snakes who call themselves Barcelus have appeared. The royal family itself is also fighting every day, vying for the seat. This Barcelus, also one on the left and one on the right, is really not uncommon. ”

"...... like this" Even if Daoyan monk is well-informed and knowledgeable, he has also made up for the relevant knowledge, and he is still inevitably shocked.

"That's right." The Queen Mother continued: "At that time, we couldn't distinguish so many concepts. The monks of Belgrade probably can tell the difference, right? But we are in the mountains, and we can't figure out what the difference is between the Romans and the Greeks. ”

"As for the Mongolian ......," she thought for a moment, "back then, after the kelp soldiers plundered Serbia, our side used Mongolia as a word to scare children. Legend has it that when the Khan of Mongolia went on an expedition, Satan led his horse, Baal carried his banner, and his palace was a huge tent with pillars piled up with human heads, and a big red dragon with three heads pulled a cart for him. In short, it's a very scary concept. ”

The old sea urchin listened attentively and seemed to be very interested in this kind of folk tale. On the contrary, it was the Daoyan monk who had always been light-hearted, and he couldn't help laughing.

"What's wrong?" The old sea urchin hurriedly asked.

"No, no, I just think this story is very interesting." Monk Daoyan hurriedly said: "Everyone is really imaginative. ”

"Actually, it's just a simple pile." The Queen Mother felt that it didn't matter: "I just heard people say that." In fact, only children believe it. ”

"And how did you answer that?" Monk Daoyan asked with a smile.

"What else can I say? I'll just keep 'oh'. The Queen Mother herself couldn't help but laugh and said.

(End of chapter)