In the Middle Ages, people drew cards to be promoted to nobility.

The long-lasting and costly competition has come to an end.

The soldiers of the Eagle Banner Brigade, with the fine silks from the Peloponnese peninsula hung around their necks, walked proudly among the crowds and cheers of the people of Constantinople.

After this battle, every soldier in the Eagle Banner Brigade became a wealthy man with a lot of money. If he used the money to buy more land and hire a group of tenant farmers, apart from not having the title of knight, they would be better than ordinary people. The knight was much richer.

This is the charm of Constantinople. Otherwise, there would not be so many Varangians who would rather leave their homes and come to Constantinople to join the Varangian Guards.

As for the much-talked-about protagonist, Lothar from the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

He has become a rising star in Constantinople. Everyone knows that this new military general is highly regarded by Her Majesty the Queen and Princess Anna and will soon rise to the top.

In Constantinople, the authority of the emperors, however declining, was far greater than that of their counterparts in the Western empire.

They could even appoint eunuchs as archbishops or even patriarchs.

Calculated, it is equivalent to Henry Caesar asking the eunuch raised in his court to be the pope. This is even more outrageous than the French king who created the Prison of Avignon in a parallel world.

When Lothar walked out of the arena, Anna was sitting on the back of a snow-white horse without a trace of color, looking at him with a smile.

Constantinople, I hail you today.

She pointed to the crowd around the arena who were still watching Lothar and waving to him: You should stay inside for a while and enjoy your own applause and cheers.

I'm afraid I'll get lost in the sugar bowl.

Anna said helplessly: You are also a powerful spell caster after all. Do you need to be so cautious? Who can force you to do anything?

Shouldn't I say this to you?

Lothar rolled her eyes: When it comes to caution, you are much more cautious than me.

But you are different from me. If you were a reclusive person, I would not help His Majesty recruit you. Since you value worldly power, where else would be more suitable for you than Constantinople?

Lothar was silent for a moment, feeling that what Anna said was not unreasonable.

At the very least, if I could get the title of co-ruling emperor and directly promote the system of titles from marquis, duke, and king to emperor, it would be considered a step to the sky.

Moreover, judging from the appearance of Her Majesty the Queen, this soft meal seems to be quite delicious.

Oops, you woman, you actually broke my Taoist heart!

Lothar raised her eyebrows and was about to speak when the corners of Anna's mouth, which was wearing a beaded veil, slightly raised: Okay, I understand. We still have to follow our original agreement - an equal exchange. It just so happens that His Majesty also did not give up. The habit of ordering people around.”

Let's go, let's go to the palace banquet. In His Majesty's palace, there is a hall that can accommodate three hundred guests dining at the same time. His Majesty's chariot has already set off.

Why don't you just send someone to inform me about such a small matter?

Originally, His Majesty wanted Andronikos to summon you, but I refused. After all, you are a member of our Levant Wizards Association. When you come to the headquarters of the association, how can I not do it as a landlord?

Who is Andronikos?

His Majesty's food taster, a eunuch, has mastered such a negligible amount of extraordinary power, and can be regarded as half a spell caster.

As soon as Anna finished speaking, she added: Don't worry, His Majesty sent the eunuch to invite you. Not only is it not a sign of neglect, but it is a sign of respect for you.

Lothar nodded slightly: I know that in the Eastern Empire, there are already precedents of eunuchs serving as patriarchs, so there is nothing to look down on these people. Moreover, many small sects believe that self-castration is a model of chastity and purity. , the second sons of some big Greek families would even choose to be castrated in order to enter the court.

I thought you couldn't understand this kind of thing.

Lothar shrugged: What's so hard to understand about this? Eunuchs don't have heirs, so they naturally pose no threat to the throne, and they won't cause any royal scandals. It's normal for them to gain the emperor's respect.

There is nothing new under the sun. In that country in the east, eunuchs once controlled the government.

That's right.

Anna frowned. Although the empire had a long tradition of using eunuchs, and the queen, as regent, needed the help of eunuchs to stabilize the government, she still didn't think that reusing eunuchs was a good thing for the empire.

Perhaps, the few martial virtues left in the empire were destroyed by these eunuchs.

Thinking like this in her heart, Anna did not show it on her lips. She just smiled and reminded: You are not married yet. During this period, the noble ladies of the empire will definitely have thoughts about you. If you meet some uninhibited nobles, If a woman proposes a pillow mat, you must remind your girls to keep their hands.

Lothar chuckled and said: Am I just a Frankish barbarian? How can I attract people wherever I go?

After today, anyone will think that you will rise rapidly in the empire.

Anna said profoundly: They don't know that you are a fanatical believer who wants to run back to the desert of Jerusalem to serve your little king.

Lothar smiled and said nothing more.

Although the prospect of development in Constantinople was attractive, he still did not forget his original intention.

Did you get any results from your discussions with Margrave Leopold?

Not yet, but thanks to your kindness, we now have the upper hand - after a while, after the counter-rebellion is successful, our cooperation should be settled. This time, maybe the empire can really take back Sicily.

Sicily, Rhodes, Cyprus, these are the keys to mastering the Mediterranean routes.

Their importance cannot be measured by the size of their territory.

Anna pointed to the carriage behind her: Get in the carriage. There are too many people who want to see you up close now. You appearing on the street like this will only make it difficult for us to move forward.

I have to pick up Fulin and Chelinina.

Don't worry, Fulin and I are old friends. I have arrangements for your two little girls. Do you want me to help you arrange your soldiers?

Lothar shook his head and said: No need, I gave them a short vacation. They will probably get the reward and have a nice stroll in the city.

The group got into the carriage and drove towards the palace.

The banquet was held in the Golden Palace, which had sixteen windows on its circular dome. Compared to the dark and cramped architectural styles of Western Europe, the lighting here was frighteningly good.

The niches on the wall are painted with images of the Virgin and Jesus.

After everyone sat down, the eunuchs opened the silver door of the alcove, and the queen, dressed in purple clothes and wearing a triple crown, walked out from here.

Under the sunlight, the Queen's expression was solemn, and her beautiful appearance, embellished with a crown and various pearls and gems, looked even more sacred, as if the Holy Spirit from heaven had descended upon the mortal world.

After entering the main hall, the queen went straight to the shrine on the east side of the Golden Palace and prayed respectfully to the statue inside. This was probably to demonstrate her divine right of kingship.

Because in the Eastern Empire, the emperor was the incarnation of God, not a secular person. Even the capital of Daimu could be held by the emperor's trusted eunuchs, let alone being coronated by the pope.

Lothar was placed behind the Sasanian envoys.

Fringilla muttered with some confusion: Aren't the Persians the mortal enemies of the Eastern Empire? Why do they still put us behind them?

Lothar explained: It is precisely because they have been mortal enemies for thousands of years that they should be given honor. What's more, as the Eastern Empire has lost a lot of territory and is not even bordering Sassanid, it is naturally not immortal. Endless rivals.”

As for the Turkic tribes entrenched on the Asia Minor Peninsula, although they were nominally subordinate to the Sasanian King of Kings, they were far from being loyal subjects.

Many Turkic tribes often clashed with the Persians on their way westward, and a lot of conflicts accumulated between the two.

The Sassanid Dynasty supported these Turks before just to cause trouble for the Eastern Empire, its old enemy. Now, their energy is no longer in the west.

The same goes for Germania.

The Austrian Border Territory is the territory closest to the Eastern Empire in Germania. The two countries are still separated by the vast territory of the Kingdom of Hungary. Their disputes on the Apennine Peninsula can only be said to be minor disputes.

According to the information Lothar learned from passing caravans, although the Tatars have risen on the eastern grasslands, they are far from being taken seriously by the Persians who claim to be noble.

On the contrary, the Western Liao Kingdom founded by Yelu Dashi was so famous that it once occupied the wealthy Hezhong area, threatened the Silk Road, and was regarded as a serious problem by the Sassanid Dynasty.

Soon, the party began.

The main course of the banquet was three roasted peacocks, which were very popular in Constantinople.

Many knights like to use peacock feathers as decorations, and even specialized peacock breeders have spawned.

Servants used small carts to push golden dinner plates filled with various dishes, passing by the guests' tables and placing the dishes one after another in front of the guests.

Lobster, tuna, all kinds of shellfish, everything, and even crystal clear orange and black caviar.

Feta cheese from Crete, paired with a vegetable salad mixed with olive oil, has a sweet taste without being too sticky.

Greek people are very particular about eating. I originally thought that in this era, being able to eat barbecue with enough spices would be considered a luxury for the top nobles.

Lothar couldn't help but sigh.

It is said that many nobles in the Middle Ages lived worse than ordinary people in later generations. The nobles here definitely do not include the emperor of the Eastern Empire.

Jeanne took a big sip of wine, her face suddenly turned red, and she couldn't help but cough.

Oh my God, what did these Greeks put in their wine?

Lothar picked up the wine bottle, brought it up to her nose and sniffed it, with a look of disgust on her face: Who knows, rosemary, cardamom, pepper, celery juice, fennel, star anise... it's all possible.

Even if you want to show off your wealth, you shouldn't waste things like this, right?

Jeanne said with a pity look on her face.

Wine is good wine, and spices are precious things like gold, but they are mixed together.

Fringilla speculated maliciously: Perhaps the taste of Greeks is so unique.

Lothar disagreed with this: It's all a mouth and a tongue. There's no reason why something with such a weird taste should be regarded as a delicacy. It's probably the same as eating beef wrapped in gold foil in our time. .”

After all, spices are regarded as expensive supplements by many people in this era, similar to ginseng in the eyes of Easterners.

The desserts after the meal were equally rich, including sweet biscuits mixed with nuts, pudding topped with jam, and various candied fruits.

In addition, Lothar also drank the long-awaited millet porridge, with a thick layer of rice oil floating on it, which was finally able to relieve the greasiness of the big fish and meat in the past two days.

It is worth mentioning that Lothar also saw the other princesses of the Eastern Empire at the banquet.

It's just that the princesses of the Comnenos family are obviously not as popular as the princesses of the Ducas family.

Moreover, neither Comnenus nor the princess of the Ducasse family is qualified to wear purple like Anna.

This is probably a unique honor.

Lothar also served as an envoy sent by the Kingdom of Jerusalem and accepted toasts from envoys from all parties in the main hall.

The Kingdom of Jerusalem may be small, but no one will underestimate the King of Jerusalem.

Regardless of the sanctity of the title Lord of the Holy Land, the Kingdom of Jerusalem controls the most elite areas along the eastern Mediterranean coast.

Coupled with the continuous support of fanatical pilgrims and crusaders coming from the west.

The strength of the Kingdom of Jerusalem is not weak, at least not as weak as the seemingly narrow territory.