Chapter 9 Chapter nine

be seen in the crowd A woman is graceful and luxurious, with extraordinary spirit, In grace and beauty shall be their queen. Her beauty is enough to overwhelm the crowd, Her clothes are beautiful and dignified, and she is outstanding; On her head was a crown of red gold, Majestic but not gorgeous, noble but not pompous, A chaste tree is held aloft in her hand, This is a symbol of her power. "Flowers and Leaves" [Note: A long poem in ancient England. 】 The first to congratulate the winners were the two guard inspectors William.Wywell and Stephen.Martival, and at the same time they asked him to take off his helmet, and at least pull up his visor a little, that they might take him to Prince John for the prize of the day's tournament.The disinherited knight expressed his thanks in accordance with the etiquette of knights, but rejected their request, claiming that it was not convenient for him to reveal his face at present, because he had already explained to the ceremonial officer when he entered the arena.The Inspector of Guards was completely satisfied with this answer, because in the age of knights, knights often made all kinds of incredible vows to restrict their actions. Commonplace.Thus the two inspectors of the guard, no longer asking the disinherited knight for his secrets, reported directly to Prince John, and the victor, on condition of anonymity, asked that he should be admitted to his royal highness in this way, in order to receive a reward for his bravery.

The strange behavior of the stranger aroused the prince's curiosity; the result of the contest, which had already displeased him, and several challengers whom he valued, were defeated one after another by an unknown boy, who had a great respect for the inspector of guards. The answer was so haughty again, that he said: I swear by the aura of the Virgin's head, if this knight refuses to lift his visor before us, he will not only lose his inheritance, but also lose the courtesy he deserves.Then he turned around and said to the people around him: My lords, tell me, this young man is so self-important, who is he?

I can't guess, replied De Blasey, and I don't think there is a knight in the British Isles who can defeat these five knights in succession in a single day's tournament.Honestly, I'll never forget the force with which he charged Viponte.The poor Knight Physician couldn't sit still on his horse, and fell to the ground like a stone from a catapult. Don't exaggerate, said one of the Knights of the Medical Corps present, your Templars may not be much better.I saw your brave warrior, Bois-Guilbert, roll three times on the ground, each time grabbing his hands full of loess.

De Blasey has always been partial to the Templars, and was about to answer, but was stopped by Prince John, be quiet, gentlemen!What's the point of this debate, he said? The victor is still waiting for His Highness to summon him.Wywell said. Then tell him to wait, John replied, at least until some of us guessed his name and identity.It doesn't matter even if he has to wait until dark, he should take a rest after being tired all day. Your Highness, Waldemar.It would be unfair to the victor if you insisted him wait, said Fitersey, for what we don't know is impossible to guess, at least I can't, unless, say, it's with King Richard. One of the few highly skilled warriors in Palestine, who are now returning home from the Holy Land.

Then it could be the Earl of Salisbury, said de Blasey, who is about the same size. Still like Thomas the Knight of Gillesland.Melton, Fisersey said, Salisbury had bigger bones.At this time, someone in the suite was talking softly, but it was not certain who said such a sentence: Maybe this is King Richard the Lionheart himself! This is simply ridiculous!said Prince John, turning, turning deathly pale, as if startled by a sudden flash of lightning, Waldemar!De Blasey!Brave knights and gentlemen, do not forget your promises, and stand faithfully by my side! There is no such danger at present, Waldemar.Fizesi replied, Don't you know how big your father's son's limbs are, so that you think that the suit of armor can accommodate his body?The best thing you can do for the prince now, Wywell and Martival, is to bring the victor to him at once, and stop making wild guesses and making him uneasy.Take a good look at him, he went on to the Prince, and you will see that he is three inches shorter than King Richard, and six inches narrower at the shoulders.The horse he was riding couldn't carry King Richard, not even for a lap.

Before he had finished speaking, the Inspector of Guards had led the disinherited knight beneath Prince John's throne, and stood before the wooden steps leading to the grandstand.The Prince was still disturbed at this moment, and could not be at peace at the thought of his elder brother, who had done him so much, and whom he had avenged, suddenly returned to his country, and the features Fizzy pointed out could not completely dispel his misgivings; Confused, he managed to say a few words of praise to the knight, and then ordered to bring him a steed that he had rewarded, but he was still anxious, lest the voice from behind the visor would finally prove that it was the lion's heart Richard Wang's deep and terrifying voice.

But the disinherited knight, hearing the prince's praise, did not answer a word, but thanked him with a deep bow. The horse was led to the middle of the arena by two well-dressed grooms, and the animal was equipped with the most luxurious combat equipment; however, in the eyes of those who really know horses, this equipment is still insignificant compared with the value of the horse itself.The disinherited knight put one hand on the front of the saddle, and leapt onto the horse's back without using the pedals; he swung his lance on his horse, and rode twice round the field, with the skill of a rider. Skill, showing the horse's heroic posture and gait.

This performance could have been ridiculed as an outpouring of vanity, but the horse was a gift from the prince, and its virtues were fully demonstrated to be in accordance with the etiquette and beyond reproach, so the hall was full of joy and congratulations to the knight again. Taking this opportunity, the abbot of Jurvaux quickly whispered in Prince John's ear, reminding him that now the winner must show his superb judgment, not his martial arts, and he should choose one of the beauties in the stands Miss, queen of love and beauty, presents the prizes for tomorrow's contest.In this way, when the knight ran the second lap on the field and passed in front of the prince, he raised his scepter to signal him to stop.The knight galloped at once to the Prince, pointing his lance downward, and when it was less than a foot from the ground he stood motionless, as if awaiting his order; In the excitement, he stopped suddenly, turning into a statue-like skillful riding skill, which won the admiration of all the people on the field.

Disinherited knight, said Prince John, as you have no other name, that is what we must call you.It is now your duty, and at the same time your prerogative, to appoint a beautiful young lady to be the queen of love and beauty, to preside over tomorrow's grand tourney.If you are a foreigner in our land and need someone to help you make a choice, all we can say is: Our gallant knight Waldemar.Alicia, the daughter of Fizesi, has a long-standing reputation in our court in terms of beauty and status, and is recognized as second to none.But you can give this crown to whoever you like. This is your inalienable right. The lady you choose will be the queen of tomorrow who has been formally elected.Raise your guns.

The knight raised his gun, and Prince John hung a emerald green satin crown on the spear point. There was a ring of gold on the edge of the crown. Like the ball. Prince John for Waldemar.Fizzy's daughter made a definite reminder that it was not one motive, but each of which was the product of reckless self-importance combined with base artifice and cunning.His joke about the Jew Rebecca had seemed too vulgar to be acceptable, and he now wished to remove its influence from the minds of the knights around him.He has always been a little afraid of Alicia's father, Waldemar, who expressed his dissatisfaction with him many times in the arena that day, and now he wants to take this opportunity to win his favor; he also hopes to get that The favor of the lady, because John was not only ambitious, but at least also keen on pleasure.In addition to all this, he also has a strong dissatisfaction with the disinherited knights, and now he is trying to stir up Waldemar.Fizesi's hatred for him, because Alicia is likely to lose the election, and if she loses the election, the minister will naturally have a deep hatred with the knight because of her shame.

And it turns out that's true.Miss Alicia sat on the stand next to the prince, looking very proud, as if the title of queen belonged to her, but the disinherited knight walked past the stand, although he was riding quite slowly now, unlike just now. The speeding around the arena is very different, as if exercising the right of censorship, carefully looking at the countless beautiful faces dotted around the arena. In the process of being censored, the performances of the beauties are really varied and worth watching.Some blushed; some pretended to be reserved and dignified; some stared ahead as if they didn't know what was going on; Some of them tried to calm down and smiled; there were also two or three people who just laughed out loud as if nothing had happened.A few others lowered their veils so that no one could see their faces, but according to the Vaudur Manuscripts, these were beauties of old age, and it is conceivable that they had known such names for more than ten years. Experience, now I have to be willing to stop competing for beauty and give up the opportunity to the rising star. Finally, the samurai stopped under a stand, and Miss Rowena was on it, and the hearts of the audience finally reached their peak of excitement. It must be admitted that this part of the stand reacted most strongly when the disinherited knights were victorious, and if it appealed to him, it would not be surprising that he had a preference for it and stayed there.Cedric the Saxon was overjoyed by the embarrassing end of the Knights Templar, but he was even more excited by the defeat of his two neighbors, General Bullface and Malvorsin, who had ulterior motives, and stretched half of his body out of the stands; In every confrontation he did not fix his eyes on the victor, but threw his whole heart on him.Miss Rowena followed the progress of the tournament with the same attention, though she did not openly express her nervousness.Even Athelstan, who was never excited, appeared to be in high spirits, no longer indifferent, and had him given a large glass of muscat, which he drank in a gulp, in congratulations to the disinherited knight. Beneath the stands occupied by the Saxons, there was another group that showed no less interest in the outcome of the day's tournament. O our father Abraham!Isaac of York was in the first round of the Templars vs. Disinheritance Knights, so to speak, these Gentiles are pretty darn good on horses!Alas, such a fine horse was brought all the way from Berberry. ], he did not take it seriously, as if it were a young wild ass cub; the expensive armor, the armorer Joseph at Milan.In Pereira's eyes, it must be priceless, and he can get 70% profit if he sells it, but he doesn't care, as if he picked it up on the road! How can you expect him to take care of his horse and armor, said Rebecca, when he risked his life and body in such a dreadful fight? child!Isaac replied, a little fidgety, you don't understand what you're talking about.His life and body are his own, but his horse and armor belong to O holy Jacob!How did I almost say it!But then again, this is a good young man.Look, Rebecca!See, he's going to fight the Philistines again. ] A duel!Pray, my boy, for the safety of this fine young man, for this gallant horse, and for this precious armor.O God of our ancestors!Again he cried, he was victorious, and the uncircumcised Philistines fell before his spears like Og king of Bashan, or Sihon king of the Amorites. , and was conquered by the Israelites. ], fell under the sword of our ancestors!He will take their gold and silver, their horses, their armor of bronze and steel, and make a fortune for him! The shrewd Jew looked at each round with equal enthusiasm, not forgetting to mentally calculate the value of horses and armor the warrior could forfeit from each new victory.In this way, the people in the part of the field in front of the disinherited knight have all shown great interest in his victory. I don't know whether it was due to indecision, or other motives of hesitation, today's hero stood in front of the stands for more than a minute, and the silent audience all focused their eyes on his actions; then, he calmly and calmly and lowered the point of the spear a little, and placed the crown on the point of the spear at the feet of the fair Rowena.The trumpet sounded immediately, and the ceremonial officer announced that Miss Rowena was elected as the Queen of Love and Beauty for the next day, and anyone who disobeyed her authority would be punished accordingly.Then they shouted again: Reward money. , Cedric was overjoyed, and immediately dropped a large bounty, and although Athelstan was a step late, he also dropped the same amount. There was a buzzing murmur among the Norman women that honor was never given to a Saxon beauty, and they could no more bear it than the Norman nobles could bear to lose miserably at a martial arts competition they had introduced themselves.But these voices of discontent were drowned in the cheers of the crowd, who cried: Long live Miss Rowena, duly elected Queen of Love and Beauty!Many in the field below also shouted: Long live the Saxon princess!Long live the immortal royal family of Alfred! In spite of these cries, however unacceptable Prince John and those around him, seeing that he was obliged to grant the winner's nomination, he ordered the horses to be saddled, left his seat, mounted his Spanish horse, and, surrounded by the crowd, , into the arena again.In front of Miss Alicia's stand, the Prince paused to pay her respects, and said to those around him: "God knows, my lords!"If the warrior's martial arts showed how well-developed his limbs and muscles were, his choices showed how poor his vision was. In this act of John, as in the rest of his life, it was seen that his misfortune lay in his inability to comprehend deeply the characters of those whom he hoped to win over.Waldemar.Fizzy heard that the prince exaggerated the contempt his daughter received in such a big way, but felt angry, not happy. All I know, he says, is that the most impartial and inviolable rule of chivalry is that a knight has the right to choose his lady according to his own judgment.My daughter does not want to be distinguished by any man's gift, and she will never be without the honor which is fully due to her character and position. Prince John made no answer, but kicked the horse, as if to vent his annoyance, and let the horse gallop straight ahead to the front of Rowena's stand, with the crown still at her feet. Fair lady, he said, wear the emblem of the Queen, which entitles you to the Anjou family. Grandson) succession, known as Henry II, is the beginning of the Plantagenet Dynasty. ] John of the heartfelt respect.If you wish, please join us tonight with your family and friends at today's banquet at Ashby Castle so that we can get to know the Queen we will serve tomorrow a little better. Rowena was silent, and Cedric answered her in Saxon. Miss Rowena does not understand your language, he said, so she cannot answer your courtesy, nor attend your banquet.So do I and the venerable Athelstan of Fort Conings, we speak only the language of our ancestors, and behave in the manner of our ancestors.Therefore, we thank Your Highness for your kind invitation, but we have to decline to attend the banquet.Tomorrow Miss Rowena will perform her duties according to the honor bestowed upon her by the free choice of the victorious knight and confirmed by the cheers of the people. Having said this, he lifted the diadem and placed it on Rowena's head, signifying her acceptance of the temporary powers bestowed on her. What is he saying?Prince John said that he pretended not to understand Saxon, but he understood it perfectly.The main content of Cedric's speech had to be repeated to him in French, well, he said, tomorrow I will personally take the silent queen to her throne.Mr. Knight, he turned to the winners who were still in the stands, at least you will come to our banquet? The knight opened his mouth for the first time, apologizing in a low, very fast voice, because he was too tired and needed to rest and prepare for tomorrow's game. Well, replied the Prince haughtily, the refusal is unnatural, but we shall make the best of the feast, even if the most successful warrior and his chosen queen refuse to do so. Having thus said, he was about to leave the tourney with his rich entourage; turning his horse, he signaled that the assembly was closed and that it was time to leave. However, the wounded self-esteem will always seek revenge, especially when he thinks that he did not deserve it, so John has not taken three steps before turning around, staring angry eyes, and shouting at the yeoman who has offended him this morning. He gave a fierce glance, and then ordered the guard standing near him to say: Be careful, don't let that guy slip away. In front of the prince's angry gaze, the villagers showed no fear, and still maintained their original calm demeanor.Smiling slightly, he said: I don't plan to leave Ashby until the day after tomorrow.I'll see how good the archers are in Staffordshire and Leicestershire; those who grow up in Needwood and Chatswood Forest should be good at it. I have to see how he shoots his own arrows. Prince John didn't answer him directly, but said to his entourage, unless his arrows prove that his arrogance has some reason, otherwise I will not spare him lightly! These pompous farmers were so presumptuous, De Blasey said, that one or two should be punished. Waldemar.Fizzy probably felt that his master didn't know how to win people's hearts and missed this great opportunity, so he shrugged his shoulders and remained silent.Prince John again walked out of the arena, where the crowd was leaving. They came from different regions, and now they followed different routes, divided into many groups, and left the plain in groups.The greatest stream of people went to Ashby, where some of the leading figures lodged in the castle, and the rest lived in the town.Most of them are knights, some have already appeared in today's martial arts tournament, and some are preparing to sacrifice themselves the next day.As they rode slowly, chatting about the day's event as they went, they were loudly cheered by the crowd.Prince John was also the target of such cheers, however it was less admiration than admiration for the opulent attire of him and his entourage. The cheering of the day's winners was more sincere and more common, and he deserved it; and finally, in order to escape and avoid the attention of the audience, he had to accept the kindness of the inspectors of the security and climb into the room they had provided him. A tent, which is located at the northern end of the field.In this way, in order to see him and try to figure out his origin, many people who lingered in the arena watched him enter the tent to rest, and then left one after another. In this way, the noisy and boiling crowd that had gathered in one place not long ago, competing to watch the same scene, finally gradually dispersed and turned into a flow of people going their separate ways, and the noisy speech gradually disappeared and turned into a distant buzzing , and then quickly fell silent.Now there is no sound except the occasional word from a few servants, who are busily clearing up the cushions and hangings on the stands so that they may pass the night unharmed, or vying with each other for the Unfinished wine and leftover pastries peddled by the audience. Several iron furnaces appeared around the arena, and they blazed brightly in the dim night, announcing to people that the armorers were working all night, repairing or modifying sets of armor for tomorrow's use. Squads of valiant guards were distributed around the arena, changing shifts every two hours and keeping watch throughout the night.