"Your Majesty, this is your favorite painting, are you sure?"
A one-meter-square canvas depicts a calm sea surface, a golden rising sun, and fishing boats out to sea. This painting seems to have magic power, allowing the viewer to gain a moment of tranquility and serenity.
Queen Mary's hands holding the paintings trembled slightly, her eyes full of reluctance and melancholy. After a long time, she put down the frame and said to the maid beside her: "Cathy, find someone to wrap these paintings. It's time to find them."
A new owner..."
The maid glanced at the empty wall and said to the queen carefully: "Your Majesty, maybe we can keep a few of them? Don't we have to sell them all?"
"No... you don't understand. At this time, not a single painting can be left behind." The queen waved her hand and whispered: "Okay, go out, I want to be alone."
Cathy glanced at the queen, followed the instructions and exited the corridor, closing the door.
Queen Mary fell down on the armchair at the end of the corridor in frustration. Looking at the sunlight outside the window shining on the empty wall, she bent her straight spine, used her arms as a pillow, and buried her face in the
In his arms, his body rose and fell slightly, trying his best to suppress himself from making any sound.
Outside the door, Cathy put one hand on the handle and pressed her forehead against the door panel, her face full of sadness and intolerance.
With one step and three turns, the maid left the corridor.
Outside the main entrance of the palace collection hall, several guards knights and guards stood quietly at their posts.
Cathy's appearance caused everyone at the door to divert their attention.
The leading knight stepped forward to greet the maid, nodded slightly to the maid and asked, "Is Her Majesty the Queen still in there?"
The man in front of her was no more than twenty-five years old, with a dignified appearance and bright eyes. Cathy's face turned red, she bowed and said: "Knight Commander Hermann, Her Majesty the Queen is still in the gallery, saying she wishes to be alone for a while.
.”
The man nodded, and just as he was about to speak, the guards behind him were standing still, attracting his attention.
An old man wearing chain mail and carrying a sword at his waist came towards him, with an angry look on his face and an unkind look on his face.
Herman was stunned for a moment, then stood up straight and straightened his chest: "Baron Cumberland..."
Before he could say anything else, the old man kicked the knight hard on the butt, almost knocking the knight to the ground.
Herman's face turned red, he looked at the old man with shame and anger, and protested loudly: "Baron, it's insulting for you to do this..."
Cumberland didn't intend to give him a chance to speak. He bent his knees and accurately hit the knight's butt with his second kick.
The knights and guards around him snickered quietly when they saw the commander's embarrassment.
Hermann covered his hips with his hands, walked around behind the pillar, and shouted: "Oh my God! Father, stop it!"
Cumberland stopped, smoothed the silver hair hanging from his forehead, and sneered: "I didn't expect that you actually recognized me as your father. Let me ask you! Why didn't you go to the ball held by Viscount Cologne?!"
Herman raised his head and said, "Dance? I don't have time to attend that boring party. As the captain of the Guards Knight, I have my responsibilities."
"You bastard! I told you a long time ago that you must come! Do you know how much face I lost just now?!"
Seeing his father raise his leg again, Herman quickly took two steps back and said: "I know, you want me to meet the viscount's youngest daughter, right? I have already said that I have no idea about marriage.
Any interest!”
The old man was trembling with anger and pointed his finger at his son: "If it weren't for the sake of your deceased mother, I would tie you to a tree today and beat your elm head to pieces with a riding crop!"
Baron Cumberland glanced at the knights and guards standing nearby, took a few steps closer to Herman, hit his forehead with a headache, and whispered: "Listen, bastard! I'm going to transfer you to
Go east!"
Hermann's eyes widened: "You have no right to do that!"
"No, I can do that. And you don't understand, I do it for your own good."
The knight clenched his fist tightly and said word by word through gritted teeth: "If you insist on doing this, I don't mind being a deserter!"
"Bastard thing!"
The furious old man raised his fists above his head, but what he saw was a pair of resolute eyes that would not give in at all.
The father and son were in a stalemate for a long time, and the father finally put down his fist.
Cumberland glanced at Herman, then at the direction of the royal gallery, sighed dejectedly, and left the place under the gaze of everyone.
At the same time, in another corner of Silver Ring City, another father and son were having a conversation.
Viscount Kennard threw a grape into his mouth, crossed his legs and said to his father, Earl Narr: "The king withdrew his tax reform plan for the nobles, and we won."
The pudgy earl read the documents on the table and frowned when he saw his eldest son looking like a villain: "In order to avoid intensifying conflicts, withdrawing the tax reform plan at this time is the king's only choice. Otherwise, he will offend someone."
There are a lot of people, and they have to face the anger of the people and the nobles at the same time. By the way, those rumors against the queen can stop."
Viscount Kennard sat up straight with a look of reluctance: "Huh? Why? Every time I see that woman, she is always aloof and annoying. I want to see her panicked look more."
The earl put the document aside, knocked on the table with his knuckles, and said in a deep voice: "Don't mess around! At this time, you should just stop it when it's good. The purpose of spreading rumors is to beat the king. If you continue to make trouble, it will only be self-defeating!"
Viscount Kennard tilted his head back and said regretfully: "What a pity. I heard that she sold all the paintings today. If the quarrel continues for a few days, she might lose all the jewelry..."
"Wait a minute!" The count raised his head in surprise and shouted, "What did you just say?!"
Kennard looked at his father inexplicably and said slowly: "The queen sold all the paintings she collected, saying she wanted to support the king..."
The count stood up from his seat and walked around the room with his hands behind his back, looking uneasy and nervous.
His son opened his mouth, looked at his father's abnormal behavior, and asked doubtfully: "Um, what's wrong with the queen selling paintings? Dad, do you want to buy them all?"
"Fart! You idiot!" The Earl shook his head, with a look of hatred on his face, and walked back and forth a few more steps. He said to himself: "I seem to have underestimated that woman..."
He thought for a while, turned to Viscount Kennard and said: "Listen, the rumors continue, our plans need to change!"
——————————————
San Sidro Monastery, Superior Monks' Chamber.
"Masters, thank you very much for your willingness to meet me despite your busy schedule."
Todd, who took off his priest's robe and put on his monk's robe again, saluted the five respected monks in front of him.
The eldest monk in the middle smiled and returned the salute: "Brother Todd, we are very happy to see you again. I wonder why you came to the monastery?"
Todd glanced at the five kind old monks in front of him and understood that they were so polite. On the one hand, he had studied in the monastery, and on the other hand, he had left the silver refining method to him before leaving.
other side.
Thinking of this, Todd did not rush to make his request, but first asked a question: "Excuse me, have all of you masters ever worked as scribes?"
The so-called scribe is an extremely boring but very important profession in the monastery. These people sit in a small, dark room all day long, with only wooden tables, scriptures, white paper and ink in front of them. They need to be careful, one stroke
In one stroke, the contents of a scripture or manuscript are copied onto white paper and compiled into a book.
This job not only requires enduring the sweltering heat and cold, but also requires concentration at every moment. If any word is written incorrectly, it may mean that half a day's hard work has been wasted. In addition, there are also rats, snakes, insects, and lead and ink.
, myopia and other injuries...
Moreover, this is a job that almost every monk has done.
Seeing the five old monks nodding in confusion, Todd asked the second question: "Excuse me, how long does it take to copy and complete a Bible?"
The eldest monk touched his beard, thought about it and said: "If it is a skilled copyist and there are no mistakes in the copying process, it will take about a year at the earliest."
Todd took out a piece of paper from his arms, with 24 lines of scripture neatly printed on it, and handed it to the monks: "Masters, this is the first page of the Bible. Please judge it.
.”
The old monk took the paper, looked at it again and again, and expressed his heartfelt admiration: "The font is straight, the lines are even, and the calligraphy is smooth. The most difficult thing is that the same letters can be written exactly the same! It takes at least three hours to write like this.
time. In my opinion, this scribe is a senior and serious expert."
The monks circulated the paper, and they all expressed their praises and agreed with the old monk's judgment.
"What if I said that it only takes a week to write such a perfect Bible?"
Todd's words immediately made everyone stunned in their seats and forgot to speak.
After a while, some of the monks shook their heads and questioned, and some even laughed.
Todd leaned forward with a smile on his face: "Masters, why don't you let us cooperate?"
The monks stopped talking and laughing, waiting for each other's next words.
"I hope to recruit fifty monks in the monastery to convey the true knowledge of Heavenly Father to the people in Muxi Town; in addition, I also hope to borrow 50 books from the monastery library every week." Todd said to the monks
He raised a finger: "In return, I will give the monastery a beautifully copied Bible every week."
Todd's tone was sincere and pious: "Masters, please think about what a wonderful and fair cooperation this will be!"