Although Virgil, as foreign secretary and also a ceremonial officer, wanted to make a lot of flowers at such a very special moment, the reality was so pale and extraordinarily backbone.

Rome's finances were indeed beyond their means—and there was no way to hide it, and when six or seven out of ten of the treasury resources were to be prepared for war and armaments, no amount of gold and supplies could fill the unacceptable holes one after another.

If it had been according to Virgil's original idea, the coronation and the wedding should not have taken place on the same day, or that Caesar and His Royal Highness Helena should have ridden the city three times in a float, but when he saw the look in the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Antonio, who hated to kill him, he wisely cut out all these grumblings.

However, as the foreign minister of Rome, Virgil still has a way to get a lot of gold - first from the Roman merchants to extract a large amount of money to pay for the next expenses, it can be described as coercion and inducement, Virgil has countless spies in his hands have the handle of these people to evade taxes, or do some illegal evidence, since you usually eat and drink spicy, then don't blame me for plucking the goose.

In addition, the nobles and lords from all over the country who came to watch the ceremony naturally brought some gifts and the like, naturally there could not be too much, and most of them were the kind of native products that could not be discounted, similar to the swords of the ancestors or the specimens of rare prey that they had caught - more importantly, these were given to the two Majesties themselves, Virgil was a Roman senator, not Theodore's servant. Nor did he have the privilege of using Theodore's small treasury privately.

The dukes, however, were generous, and Adil of Marions offered hundreds of carriages of fine leather as celebratory gifts, and Salald and Bran were more direct, bringing large sums of gold from their towns, and even Aaron, who was not so wealthy, brought a great deal of cattle and sheep and cattle from the people of Mistermeto, as well as timber from the north. Excluding Adil and Bran's overtures and special reasons, the reason why Salald and Aaron did this was probably because they guessed that their friend might really have no money, and since it was a new empire, they naturally had to help a little bit.

Of course. Even if you are really shy. What should be done still has to be done. Almost as soon as the wedding was announced, barrels of dark red and creamy yellow wine, neatly piled up of black bread, carried by wagons, were delivered to all corners of Caesarea town!

Sweet drinks, fluffy bread, poetic speeches and plays full of Roman passion, and a carnival that lasts all night. For the Romans. That's life!

A grand ceremony. The celebration of the festival is the only way that the Romans can truly feel and have the honor to share this precious joy. Even if it's a newcomer. Or the travelers and merchants from other places were also infected by these Romans, who seemed to be forever alive, sharing the sweet wine and food, and laughing happily.

When they heard that the whole celebration would last for fifteen days, even the most peaceful street festivals and the students in the academy raised their arms and cheered: "Long live the emperor——! long live the empress——!

Soon they heard the exciting news that His Majesty Theodore Julian had decided to hold the tournament again, and it would continue until the end of the festivities!

There is no Roman who does not love to watch competitive games, and when they love this activity, even foreigners will become Romans - real sword fighting, riding competitions, bow and arrow shooting...... It even simulates the war scenes that have taken place in the past, and the fierce racing competition. The thought of these exciting competitive competitions makes even the dying old man cheer loudly and dance with excitement.

Rome's civilization, pride, wealth, pride, all of these things are expressed in the arena – it is not the marble floor of the Senate that builds the foundations of Rome, but the sand of the arena!

For Theodore, it was the best way for him to show his authority to all the northern nobles. Intimidate them, then woo them. Let all northerners see the cohesion and civilization of the Romans, make them yearn for this life, and then completely bow down in front of the Roman civilization - Theodore, the culture of the Pander Empire, is not excluded, if it can be integrated naturally, it is better, but it does not mean that he will let the Roman civilization cede sovereignty, it is absolutely impossible.

He wanted to turn this first city of the Romans, the city south of Lake Valen, into the heart of a new vitality and a new civilization for the whole North!

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Although the whole ceremony did not seem to match their importance, by the evening the Caesarea Castle had a grand dinner.

Spiced wines, mead, limoncello, and pure, tempting cold beers were served in glass and clay jugs of various colors, and servants stood in the banquet with flasks waiting for the orders of an adult;

Round, square, triangular shapes...... Creamy and delicious white bread of various shapes was stuffed with chestnut filling, garnished with hawthorn and nuts, and served as a staple on a silver plate, and Theodore's Egyptian cook took the trouble to fill the long table with a variety of delicacies - crab pie, spiced pumpkin, creamy quail, roasted bison leg with leeks, pears boiled in strong wine, fried fish with boiling salt, chicken stew with onions and mushrooms, spiced duck, peppered wild boar, roast goose, grilled chicken skewers, pigeon skewers, barley beef stew, frozen fruit soup, eel pie, honey sauce ham, Butter carrots, white bean bacon, foie gras, roasted hare...... The vanity of the Roman nobles was immediately fully satisfied when they saw the stunned faces of the little nobles from all over the north.

There were even many Roman aristocrats who were well versed in gastronomy, or who had seen a line and a half in the library of the academy, and enthusiastically explained to the surrounding guests which chapter of the "On Cooking" these gastronomic practices were classified (the work of the ancient Roman Abyquius, who recorded the essence of Roman cuisine one by one, and the dishes of Roman cuisine at that time in the book provided a good standard for later Western chefs). ）

It was obvious that Roman knives and forks had become quite popular among the northern nobility at this time, at least Elendil noticed that a certain Roman senator next to him had a flash of regret in his eyes when he saw several of his Knights of the Dawn brothers skillfully using knives and forks.

When the main course of the whole banquet was served, the huge movement caused everyone to have to look sideways - the roast cows, which had been placed on a huge oval plate and could only be pushed by a cart, had a mouth-watering aroma from its golden crispy skin, and almost everyone couldn't help but raise their knives and forks, ready to enjoy this luxurious delicacy to the extreme.

"I have to say, this chef of Theodore is really a genius!" Salald took a sip of the ale, smacking the cold taste in his mouth, and skillfully slice the wild boar intestines on the plate: "If I ask him now, will he give it to me?"

"You should call him Your Majesty, you only swore allegiance to him a few hours ago, didn't you?" The little Duke of Bran on the side happily enjoyed the mango cake in front of him while "kindly reminding", carefully inserted the bright red cherry on it with a silver fork, wrapped a circle of cream in his mouth, closed his eyes and tasted it slowly: "Hmm~, it's better than what the chef in Laria does." ”

"We knew each other before you. Salald glanced at him disdainfully: "What kind of person is Theodore Julian, how can you know better than me?"

"No matter what kind of person he is, he is the emperor, and the emperor of all. Bran whispered, "Who do you think is the same as the Emperor in this world? He was first the Emperor of the Empire, and then Theodore Julian—a title, often a status and a responsibility." ”

"The last advice, don't think about calling him a brother and brother, no matter how awkward you are, you must talk to him with the etiquette and attitude of a courtier serving the emperor. Bran chuckled and took a sip from the glass in front of him, the sensation of irritation that instantly reached his mouth made him put it down with difficulty, glaring at Sir Ludwig Ahart, who was still healed from his mortal injuries behind him—the wine had been replaced with lemonade.

"You're too young, and if you drink too much alcohol at this late hour, it's bad for your physical development. Ludwig smiled fearlessly and bowed slightly to his master: "I'll go get you some candy, sir." With that, he walked away from his seat.

"You're still so young...... I mean, you seem to be just twelve, aren't you?" Salald looked at the little duke with a little consternation for a moment, and then turned his face as if he were some old-fashioned old nobleman, "Who taught you this, your father?"

"He's not in the mood to raise a useless little son. Bran said with some self-deprecation, glancing at Adil, who was chatting happily with a few young ladies on the side.

"No matter how much prejudice you have against the Elfwan family, Salald, I'm going to tell you. Bran's voice was low, "We should be a group, especially in the presence of the Gatu of Marions." These savage and cunning guys are the ones you, the golden lion, will do with all your might!"

"If I have time, and I'm in a good mood, I'll tell you how I spent those nightmarish years in the Emerald Meadows. Bran leaned back in his chair and said in a quiet voice: "As for today, let's enjoy this banquet!" (To be continued......)