Seeing that Odosia's response was not very positive, Joanna had no choice but to end the topic in a huff. This time, however, Odosia took the initiative to speak.

"Your advice is valuable. I'm going to leave tonight, and I'm going to take shelter. She said, "However, I still have to take the initiative to go to Li Lang and tell him everything I need to say." ”

"It's really bad to say goodbye." Joanna thought for a moment, "Have you figured out what to say?" ”

"Say some love words first, and then decide what to do next depending on the situation. It's hard to predict how to say it directly. Odosia calmly analyzed: "I can see that he really has a heart for me, and it would be a pity if this opportunity was given up." ”

"I had to look for an opportunity to make it clear to him that I accepted his affection." She told Joanna, "I can't predict exactly how long I'll have to be gone. So, I have to give him hope. ”

"The situation of the Li family is not quite the same as the nobles you have seen before. Probably because of the legacy of their ancestors, their family was quite strict in controlling and educating their children. ”

"For other noble children, being sought after by women and being famous in Fengyue Field is something to brag about, which can prove their financial resources and charm - of course, if they can be surrounded by many women, of course, it will be even better."

"But for their family, it's not a good job. Far from being a boastful deed, it is a wary omen. A woman like me who has a relationship with drama is not a serious person, so she must stay away. ”

Joanna also calmed down and thought for a moment.

"Their family, since the establishment of the Roman Khanate, has indeed suffered more than one crisis. Two generations before and after have suffered major setbacks and then risen again. She thought for a moment:

"The grandfather of their current head of the family established a lot of military exploits back then, but because he was addicted to drama, he slackened at a critical time, which led to huge losses, and he died young soon after. The father of the head of the family also made great achievements, but because of conflicts with the queen mother, he was also forced to flee and lived in exile for a long time. ”

"The Purple Horde has not been established for too long. Such frequent encounters are indeed rare. "And, for the current head of the family's generation, the last time they suffered a disaster was when they were children," she speculated. It is not surprising that this experience had a great impact on their family. ”

"Yes, Li Lang's generation grew up in such an environment. Especially himself, as the eldest son, bears the greatest responsibilities and expectations. Eudosia told her, "Therefore, he is indeed different from ordinary noble children, and is not even very familiar with romance." I guess his parents probably thought it was a good idea, and when he showed his talents, they would arrange a suitable wife for him, and it would be done. ”

"You haven't had much contact with him, but I know him well. Not only is this guy not able to handle women with ease, but he is even a little too jerky. She said: "The average noble child always thinks very highly of himself, especially in the Fengyue field; But because he is too inexperienced, he often underestimates his ability and charisma. ”

"If I don't give him enough hope that he will be able to keep his convictions and be willing to wait for this time, he will quickly fall into self-doubt because of the suspicion of someone important to deny him. The man in this situation is very fragile - so fragile that as long as there is another woman to comfort him, affirm him, and satisfy his instinctive expectations in this regard, he is likely to run away with them. So, I had to at least convince him that it wasn't his business. ”

Joanna thought for a moment.

"You're serious." She finally sighed: "I have to learn from Ling." ”

"Because you are entitled to make a choice, to choose which direction you are serious about and which direction you can ignore for the time being." "But for me, there was no other choice. ”

"I come from a terrible background, and to be honest, I am not as good as many civilians in Constantinople. My father was gone a long time ago, and the only reason my second mother raised me was because she was too confident in herself, so much so that she felt that her daughter must be beautiful and would definitely be a good bargaining chip in the future. ”

"When I was very young, she started thinking about how to sell me for a good price. My uncles wanted me to work for nothing, and they wanted to guard against me from being too powerful and joined forces with my mother against them. You know these things, too. She looked back on the past, shook her head and sighed: "If there is no accident, when I have more and more will and ideas of my own, they will quickly change from dispute to cooperation, quickly sell me, and when the profit is divided, the next round of fighting will begin." ”

"My acquaintance with Li Lang is the turning point of all this, and his favor for me gives me extra value, so that I don't go to the worst ending."

"After Li Lang and I met occasionally, my mother found out about it and began to ask me to take the initiative to get close to him, find opportunities to meet him, and continue to make friends with him. He is relatively simple-minded, and the family who protects him is also a simple person, and under the guidance of my mother, I quickly got acquainted with him. ”

"I'm probably also a talented actor, so I've been getting along with him very well for so many years. This is indeed my ability to live and save my life. So, I have to take this relationship seriously. Or, more accurately, I'm not qualified not to be serious. ”

"That's right......" Joanna really didn't seem to think about it so much, and didn't know what to say for a while, and fell silent again.

"Not only Li Lang, many people of their generation are not very 'noble'. Look at Guo Gongzi, isn't it very different from ordinary aristocratic children? Eudosia reminded her: "Both in terms of the family's experience and the way in which they acquired power, these people belong to a completely different situation from the great nobles of Italy and all of Europe." ”

"The power of the Li family almost all comes from the military exploits of expanding the territory and suppressing the rebellion, and they have quantifiable merit standards to measure these merits. Compared with their European aristocratic counterparts, these new military leaders, although they also strengthened their families through diplomacy and marriage, the benefits and influence in this regard were much smaller. ”

"And what about Guo Gongzi? He didn't even go to inherit the family's military power. I think this operation is more like an attempt by him to organize his own team. If he succeeds, then he is not only not an ordinary nobleman, or even an ordinary heir to military honors, but has already become a pioneer of the 'first generation'. When you treat him, it is better to evaluate him as a self-made man rather than a noble child. ”

"He does have a lot of thoughts, and I can't even understand them." Joanna admitted: "This time, it really happened to me unexpectedly, and even my plans were completely interrupted. I don't know what he thinks, is it worth the risk? ”

"I think he sees farther than you, and he is thoughtful enough about the current situation." After Odosia finished speaking softly, she paused, and asked in turn, "Have you noticed anything special about the social environment in this city?" ”

"Every city is different." Joanna said, "Which part do you mean?" ”

"Have you noticed that there is something missing here compared to other cities under the control of the royal power?" Odosia continued to ask.

"What's missing......" Joanna thought.

"That's right—that's what other cities will have more or less; Or at least in a certain era, there will definitely be a community. Aren't they your old adversaries? Odosia reminded.

"That's right." Joanna suddenly realized: "It's the Italian Chamber of Commerce again, and it's the Ross Chamber of Commerce, but it makes me forget the most common people." Why is there no Jewish territory in this city? ”

(End of chapter)