Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 559 The end and a new beginning

After discussing this, Tuohuan ordered the nuns to come in and prepare to move her away. Guo Kang picked up the temporary note she wrote and promised to have a good talk with these people to see if he could ask anything else.

Then they took Eudocia outside. At the corner leading to the ground, Luo Guanzhong was waiting here with a pile of documents. In the next room, there were also several nuns resting.

Tuo Huan asked them to bring the keys and informed Luo Guanzhong of the decision. Luo Guanzhong took out two manuscript papers from the file and handed them to him. Tuo Huan glanced twice, nodded with some surprise, then picked up the pen and ink on the table in the room and signed.

The leading nun took the key, squatted down, and unlocked Eudocia's shackles.

"I finally feel a little more relaxed." Eudosia sighed with emotion: "The chain is really tight. Even if I run away once, I don't need to be so exaggerated. I see that the serious criminals on the road are not so alert."

"How can a serious criminal compare with you? You, a woman, are as dangerous as a tiger. How dare you not tighten up a little bit?" Tuo Huan finished signing and shook his head with a smile.

Luo Guanzhong raised his head, glanced at Eudocia, shook his head regretfully, then stood up straight and looked at Guo Kang, as if waiting for him to do something. However, Guo Kang didn't understand what he meant, and felt that there was nothing he needed to do, so he looked back with a blank expression, wanting to wait for his reminder. Tuo Huan didn't notice their reactions at all. He dropped his pen and led everyone away.

Luo Guanzhong hesitated to speak, and finally scratched his head, bowed to Guo Kang, and followed quickly with the documents.

"Are there any procedures left now?" Shi Ke was asking others.

"The government had too many things to take care of, and they didn't have time to check. When I went to check, their camp was almost burned down, and the people were either killed or fled. I don't know how many are left, and I don't know where the survivors went. ”

"Actually, it's nothing." Cao Jian replied: "Places like this have always had a close relationship with those gangs. When we arrested the traitors before, we had already killed most of their sponsors and thugs who supported them. These places were originally the same. It’s going to end.”

"So, if you really love beauty, you should try your best to make the people richer. When they have money, their children can grow well, and they have time to dress up, so that people can become beautiful. The more beauties there are, the more Choice. This is a good thing for everyone.”

"They have been separated now and have not been found yet." Luo Guanzhong said: "During the previous triumphal ceremony, they got the opportunity and were hired by the court to perform at the carnival after the ceremony. Therefore, they just received not only There was less money. Many people knew this. As a result, during the chaos that night, the citizens knew that there was more money there, so they all went to rob it. "

"Understood. I will take care of it now." Luo Guanzhong nodded, seeming to have an idea in his mind.

"I heard that the ancestor of the god Romulus once told the people around him that the greatest joy in life is to defeat the enemy, hunt down the enemy, seize their city-states, rob their wealth, and seize their wives and daughters as slaves. Seeing the people closest to them shed tears - I don't know if this is true or if it was echoed by later generations, but it is indeed in line with the style of the Romans at that time."

"The most basic requirement is definitely to improve the living standards. Otherwise, other things can't be taken care of." He said: "We don't need to make big moves. A little effort like this is enough to change a lot of things. Even if you want more beauties, you can profit from it. It can be seen that our goals are the same. What can't be convinced?"

"It won't be her turn." Luo Guanzhong reminded: "Everyone knows about this matter. On weekdays, there may be time to move, and there are the forces and gang thugs behind it to support. But suddenly encountering such a thing, it would have been violent Those who support them will either be involved in the fighting or disintegrate in the chaos. With the kind of security in the city, something will happen. It can only be blamed on bad luck. "

"That's not the case." Tuohuan shook his head and told him: "At that time, it was not a big deal because there were too many wars. Looking at many men, I actually don't know if they can make up for the consumption of the war. Moreover, If you win, you can also replenish the women from the spoils.”

"Then we still have to prepare." Tuo Huan explained: "Although this is a special case, we will probably have to arrest people later, and we will definitely have to deal with the Ministry of Punishment - and they will probably dig out the same prisoners. . We’d better make it clear in advance what we’re going to do and deal with the officials in charge.”

"When we countered the rebellion, we killed a lot of people like this. Even if we didn't target those brothels and theater troupes, they would definitely be affected. I estimate that a large number of them will close down during this period."

"I still have to go and talk to the Ministry of Justice, but it's probably just a formality." Luo Guanzhong replied.

"I haven't seen these data. This is probably more exaggerated than what we have now. Will the extra people cause trouble?" Shi Ke asked.

"So, they must know more about people in the market than we do. However, later on, they all had other things to do, so they didn't have the free time and energy they had when they were young. Uncle Guo seemed to be particularly busy, and he didn't spend much time with them later. I went out to Goulan to drink and listen to music, so I didn’t tell you much..."

"Yes. If I were to listen to those words, I would be very happy." Tuo Huan helped: "Besides, the citizens will not resist anything, but will benefit from it. As long as you can make everyone live a better life. Okay, who cares how many women you find."

"When I was a child, I felt that the atmosphere at home was too unfriendly and I often ran around outside. Well, I didn't meet my childhood sweetheart like Brother Li did..." Cao Jian said with some embarrassment: "However, I haven't met these people from all walks of life. few."

"What's more, in some places, belonging to the nobility is not enough, and it can't improve the bloodline. If you look at the nobility in Europe, they look even meaner." He spread his hands: "Look for a village girl from a rich family in the countryside, I think They are all more upright than them..."

Guo Kang always felt that he had misremembered the person he quoted. But that’s what it means anyway, as long as everyone understands it. So, he didn't say anything...

"Yes, who doesn't love beauty?" Guo Kang also understood and nodded.

"Actually, if you ask the elders, they should understand." He thought for a moment and said, "They have richer social experience than us, and this is also true among the people. I heard that at that time, your father, my father, and Uncle Gao and Uncle Li They all like to have fat horses and light fur coats, and roam freely in the market. "

"Okay, let's find an opportunity. There will be a banquet in a few days and they will be happy, so I will take the opportunity to say this." Shi Ke nodded: "Brother, you can see through it. I guess this will make them laugh a lot. , there will be no conflict.”

"Also, in terms of quantity, there should be an improvement." Guo Kang continued: "Before, everyone was too poor, so we couldn't afford to feed so many children. In this case, only male babies will be retained. "

"Actually, it's okay to be romantic. Mencius once said that lust is not a problem for those in power, as long as they know what they need to do." He explained: "We should also explain this truth when the time comes. one time."

"You see, Alexander, the bandit leader who specializes in defrauding people from the Ross area to do work, doesn't choose men or women at all. Men go to work, and women who are strong can also work. If not, they can become low-level prostitutes. Anyway, no matter what In this way, he can find a way to get his money back.”

"At that time, your father was still their leader. My father has always said that the most chivalrous person is your father." Cao Jian told Guo Kang: "When he sees an injustice, he will take action; when he meets a friend he likes, he will take action." Make friends with them. If you admire someone, you will spend a lot of money on it; if you do something disgusting, you will even destroy your own property. This is probably the case with heroes in ancient times. "

"We may have to make more preparations." He said, and then called for Luo Guanzhong, who was following behind, and asked: "How are Miss Eudocia's mother and the people in the troupe doing now?"

Cao Jian, Shi Ke and others all agreed and felt that this was very reasonable.

"He didn't even tell me so much." Guo Kang muttered: "He really drove away the Guo family..."

"So that's it..." Guo Kang didn't even know that Alexander and his gang were still doing this kind of business: "I thought they only fought and ran cults."

"Theoretically speaking, although beauty is related to bloodline, it is also very random, especially for the top beauties. So Xishi comes from a fisherman's family, Zhaojun and Lvzhu come from the countryside. The so-called four beauties of the Song Dynasty include only Ban Jieyu is a noble person. Because there are too few noble people, there are much more common people. Even if the probability of appearance is different, the difference in base numbers will have no impact. "

"I have been to the slums before and inspected the place where they imprisoned people. To be honest, there are no beauties there. Even if they collect women who want to sell them for money, they will not be very beautiful. Because of beauty and morality Likewise, it is also supported by material conditions.”

Seeing this, Tuo Huan said nothing more. After waiting for a moment, the nuns put Eudocia into a carriage and closed the thick door. And he gathered the crowd together.

"In the Law of the Twelve Tables, some infanticides are allowed. According to the law, a family should feed all the boys and the eldest daughter. The rest is ignored. The Greeks, regarding infanticide The behavior is also tacitly approved and even encouraged, because under extremely limited conditions, priority must be given to retaining boys who can fight, otherwise there will be nothing.”

"It's nothing." Guo Kang said quickly.

"The person in charge of the Criminal Department this time is Uncle Gao San. Like your father and the others, he likes to visit these places with fireworks and willow alleys." Shi Ke said helplessly to Cao Jian: "If this continues, how many people in the government will be implicated? You know, these venues are probably going to be demolished by us, but I don’t know what they think.”

"Due to strong pressure and this custom, the ratio of men to women in the societies of ancient Greeks and Romans was very exaggerated. The ratio of men to women in Rome can reach 131:100, while in Greece, Asia Minor and other places, it can reach 140 :100.

"Could it be that she did it on purpose?" Shi Ke muttered in a low voice.

"Ah?" Cao Jian didn't understand.

"But now, the times are different after all. When the city-state was small, there were no problems. When the country is big, if you continue to rob it, you will not be able to make up for the shortfall. Instead, the problems will accumulate. The ancient Romans could conquer the world, but Not good at governing the world. We have to think about how to avoid their past problems."

However, Theodora kept staring at him. As a result, he did not dare to brag with Tuohuan and the others, so he could only deal with it a few words.

"When the Romans started, the city was full of men and there were few women. But they quickly kidnapped the Sabine women. It can be seen that as long as they can win the battle, these gender ratios are not a problem."

Shi Ke thought for a while and nodded.

"That's it. If the final decision is to leave her alone, then we have to arrange a new identity for her." Tuo Huan said, "Do you have any ideas?"

"I have an idea." Cao Jian thought for a moment: "I know a few people before... How about we try it tomorrow."

******
The next day, at Kaspiros' house.

The large room was now empty. Kaspiros and Vlahos were sitting in front of the balcony. There was only a young servant next to them, pouring tea for them.

"How are you doing over there?" Kaspiros, who was still wearing a bandage on his head, asked proactively: "Is there any news?"

"Not yet." Vlahos replied shortly.

"Holinas received an invitation from the Queen yesterday." Kaspilos put down his cup: "This is the third banquet."

"Yes, I knew it at the time." Vlahos nodded: "He was so happy that he wanted to run naked on the street. The whole street could hear him cheering like crazy..."

"Xiotis was really crazy. I heard that when he received the invitation, he suddenly shouted, 'Oh, I got it, I got it!' and everyone was shocked. Kaspiros imitated the guy's expression and said with an exaggerated expression: "The Varyag who delivered the message slapped him several times before he woke up."

"Okay." Vlahos interrupted him dissatisfied: "What time is it? You are still performing. Move your stupid face away. Do you know? Your expression just now was like a comedian's mask. Just as funny."

"That's Chiotis's expression, not mine. I was just imitating it." Kaspilos corrected: "And - if I hadn't been injured, I would have swollen your face as well. , you idiot."

However, he was covered in bandages, and his words were in no way a deterrent.

Sure enough, Vlahos just shrugged and didn't care at all.

"It's better to forget you are like this. But having said that, you are lucky. This is the first time I have seen someone slapped by a bear and still survive. I think you should be satisfied." He said : "And, your servant..."

Vlahos pointed around: "Let's all break up. Where's the boxer you hired? He should have run away too, right. Then you can't fight now."

"How can you say they ran away? It was a special situation, so I fired them all temporarily!" Kaspiros quickly denied.

"Pull it down, this house is almost empty. Not only did they run away, I'm afraid they also took away a lot of your things." Vlahos mocked
"Well, that's what I left for them on purpose." Kaspiros felt a little guilty, but still managed to say: "It's always embarrassing to fire people suddenly and kick them out. So, I let them each pick something. , take it away.”

"You think you are raising Varyag..." Vlahos was speechless.

According to the tradition of the past hundreds of years, the Varyags employed by the emperor, in addition to receiving high salaries, were also able to go to the royal treasury in Constantinople and pick any treasure to take away when they retired. This extremely high treatment made many nobles in the north flock here, allowing the Varyag team to maintain a high combat effectiveness for a long time. This tradition still exists to this day.

Of course Kaspiros also knew that the other party was acting strangely. He immediately mocked: "Isn't your family's situation similar? Oh, did your wife run away too?"

"Hmph, that stupid woman." Vlahos glared: "I have long disliked her, but her brother is still here, so I can't say anything. Isn't it a good thing that she got out?"

Kaspiros spread his hands and laughed jokingly.

"Then your loss is probably greater than mine. That woman must know what your home is worth." He said cheerfully: "My side. In fact, it is placed on the shelf and decorated, and it looks very luxurious. Let them snatch it... None of the things taken away are valuable."

"Look over there." He pointed at the corner: "Did you see that dark bottle?"

"That's..." Vlahos had sharp eyes and a serious expression. He walked forward, took a glance, and immediately identified it: "Ah, it should be something from the classical period. When was it put here?"

"This vase was once placed on the altar of the Kitchen God in the city-state of Corinth." Kaspiros said proudly: "This is the most valuable treasure in my hand. After the accident, I replaced the vase here. , take it out of the warehouse and throw it here. "Sure enough, those idiots only go to the warehouse and display shelves to get things, and no one cares about it. In fact, this bottle is worth more than all the other treasures combined." They are all precious. You see, if you don’t have culture, you can’t even do this kind of thing well,” he said with a shrug.

"Tsk, you insidious guy." Vlahos shook his head, cursed in a low voice, and returned to his seat.

"The only one left on my side is John." Kaspiros pointed to the young man pouring water next to him: "However, only after this kind of thing can we see who is more loyal. On your side, not even one person No more."

"I am living comfortably by myself. Those stupid servants were so clumsy that they almost smashed my statue of Pergamon. They will only get in the way." Vlahos emphasized.

Kaspiros curled his lips and ignored him.

"Well, boss. I'm so loyal, can you pay off this half-year's salary?" John quickly bent down and whispered to Kaspiros.

"Take it yourself. This old guy usually just bluffs. Who would listen to him just because he has some gold coins?" Vlahos, sitting opposite, said angrily: "Don't you understand yet? , but the court strongly maintains this order and declares that those with gold coins have power, so that he can pretend to be powerful. Once there is an accident and the court cannot take care of it, or he commits a crime and the court does not protect him, then he will still have the money. Any functions?"

"I know, Boss Vlahos." John replied honestly: "It's just that there is not a single copper in the boss's house now, and it has been taken away by other servants and citizens who took advantage of the situation. I came late that day, so The gang left me nothing..."

"Hahaha……"

Vlahos couldn't help but laugh. Kaspiros was furious, but there was nothing he could do. John was also at a loss.

But at this moment, at the corner of the street, a row of soldiers suddenly walked out, with a few people in the middle.

Vlahos jumped up immediately. Kaspiros was not as flexible as him and struggled to get up. In the mansion opposite them, some people hurriedly ran out and slammed the windows. The whole street almost fell silent.

The group of people ignored what was going on and walked straight towards Kaspiros' house. Their armor shone golden in the sun, making Vlahos and the others unable to look directly at them.

"No, you're not here to send an invitation, are you?" Kaspiros said in panic.

"I'm still comforting myself. How can there be so many people sending invitations." Vlahos turned around and ran away: "This is obviously looking for you. I'll leave first. You can handle it."

"Don't, I can't get up like this. Why don't you help me open the door and welcome them in?" Kaspilos said quickly: "If they are coming for me, they won't hinder you in any way, right?"

"Pull it down, there are no guests to help, you can open it yourself." Vlahos said, put on his robe, and trotted all the way to the back balcony, trying to escape over the wall.

However, when I went to the place, I saw that there were still some soldiers who had blocked the back door. Vlahos was also frightened and ran back quickly, urging Kaspilos, who was still limping, to rush to greet the people.

"John, go ahead." Kaspiros quickly replaced someone and urged him: "I'm sure they're not arresting you anyway."

"No, boss, I didn't even pay you any wages..."

"..."

Kaspiros had no choice but to bite the bullet, use crutches, go down the stairs, and wait at the door.

Not long after, Tuo Huan, Guo Kang and Cao Jian came to the door with Eudocia.

Kaspiros seemed to recognize Tu Huan, and was even more shocked when he saw him. He nodded and bowed repeatedly, trying hard to force out a smile that was uglier than crying, and greeted: "Hello, Taiji. May I ask if you have any instructions for me to come to my humble home?"

"Oh, you are the president of the Jewelry Guild, Kaspiros, right?" Tuohuan looked at the note in his hand and asked.

"That's right." Kaspiros replied with a completely sad face now.

"We're looking for Vlahos. It's the Vlahos who runs real estate and transport fleets." Tuohuan said, "Is he here with you?"

"Ah?" Kaspiros felt his head tremble and was stunned on the spot.

"Hello?" Guo Kang stepped forward and waved his hand: "Hey? How did you do this?"

"We just went to Vlahos' house, and there was no one in his house. The neighbors said that he came to your place as a guest." Cao Jian also said, "Have you seen him?"

"Oh!" Kaspiros reacted immediately, and suddenly showed an ecstatic expression: "He is here! Vlahos is upstairs! Come with me quickly, don't let him run away!"

"what?"

Cao Jian didn't react, and saw Kaspiros swooping out and running up the stairs. He turned back around the corner and said, "Come on, adults, this way!"

"Is his injury real? It's the first time I've seen someone with an injured leg run so fast..." Guo Kang said in surprise and followed him first. Others filed in too.

On the second floor, they saw Vlahos—he and Kaspiros were grabbing each other's collars. Tu Huan asked them all to sit down, and then they let go reluctantly.

Kaspiros limped over to a chair and asked Tuohuan to sit down, but Tuohuan waved his hand and said no.

"It's a simple matter this time." He said in a deep voice: "Vlahos, someone reported that your transport fleet helped the criminal Alexander to smuggle people from the Ross area. Later, they also used your real estate for resettlement And transfer. Now that the gangs have collapsed, many prisoners have confessed to us, and some of your men have surrendered. Do you know what the crime will be? "

Vlahos sat down on the ground, unable to even utter a word of defense. After a while, he reluctantly said: "They are all Slavic slaves. I think the government is also in luck..."

"What the government obtained from the war is legal. What you smuggled in yourself is illegal. Do I need to say this specifically?" Tuohuan shook his head: "Do you have anything else to defend?"

Vlahos turned pale and could not answer at all.

"You are all decent people, well-educated. Logically speaking, with such sufficient material conditions..." He looked back and forth and found that Kaspiros' house looked like it was bare. He was very surprised for a moment. He was also stunned for a moment: "...the sufficient material conditions in the past should be enough to satisfy you."

"I don't want to make things too big, but I also want to give you face." He said and asked Eudocia to come over: "This is my friend's... friend. He came from the country and wanted to move here, but he lacked An opportunity to enter. In this way, if you adopt her as your daughter, give her part of the property, and donate the rest to charity, we will only pursue the person who actually handled it, and no longer pursue you and several other shareholders. responsibility."

"Then..." Vlahos quickly got up: "Can I explain more! Can you leave me some property? I know some of their other crimes! I will do the same for the rest!"

"It's useless for you to say it now, they have already finished explaining each other." Tuohuan shook his head and said.

"Ah?" Vlahos was shocked: "Then, where will I go after that?"

"Anyway, your family and servants have run away." Guo Kang said from the side: "Your house is empty, and there is nowhere to go now. Otherwise, why do you have to come here to visit him? The relationship between you two is not the same. Calculate it."

"..." Vlahos couldn't answer for the moment.

"If you agree, I can arrange a way out for you." Guo Kang said: "There is our archaeological team on Crete. If you are willing, go there. At least the food, clothing, housing and transportation are provided by us. The archaeological team I contacted Constantine University and established it together. If you perform well, you will be given a scholar's subsidy in the future. "

Vlahos looked struggling, but Kaspiros couldn't stand it anymore: "What are you still trying to do? You don't want your life. Just agree."

Vlahos had no choice but to nod and comply.

Cao Jian asked an attendant to take out documents and sign them for him. Vlahos sat on the ground, took the pen tremblingly, and signed several documents hastily.

"There are still some follow-up procedures, including your work arrangements - so you have to come with us." Cao Jian said, "Oh, by the way, you have to participate in social activities to complete the whole thing."

"Oh, yes." Tuohuan took out an invitation and handed it to him: "Here, it's for my mother's next banquet. There are more than a thousand people attending. When the time comes, remember to bring your 'daughter' there."

Finally, he got the invitation he had been waiting for, but Vlahos was not very happy. He nodded with a sad face.

Next to him, Kaspiros almost burst out laughing, but the pressure from the visitor was too strong, so he couldn't hold back his voice.

At this time, Tuohuan picked up the list again: "You are Kaspiros. Many people have confessed that your guild has provided funds to gangs for a long time, allowing them to fight against foreign competitors, and even rob people who are not yours." The certified materials. Italian businessmen were harmed, and she compiled all the evidence for me. There were also incidents of fighting with the French during the turmoil..."

"Oh, but you're okay, it's not as serious as him." He put the note away and said to Kaspilos, who had his mouth open and said nothing, "However, you can't escape these punishments. Otherwise , you should also go archaeologically."

Kaspiros couldn't answer for a long time, but they were not in a hurry to have sex.

"Donate all the jewelry and jewelry raw materials in your shop and warehouse to the church. When you register, tell them that you want to donate it specifically to the project that the princess recently hosted-that is, to give to poor families and help weave textiles. Tuohuan also left an invitation to him: "If you do this, the church people will take you to the banquet."

After saying that, he left with everyone.

Vlahos and Kaspiros both sat on the ground, and it took a while before they regained their composure.

"Hey..." Vlahos sighed: "Now there is nothing."

"Me too..." Kaspiros just started, but suddenly remembered something: "No, he only said to hand over the jewelry and jewelry raw materials. There is no requirement for my cultural relics."

Vlahos was also stunned for a moment, and said with some reluctance: "Then how much do you have left?"

"There's a little bit left, more than you." Kaspilos suddenly became happy again and smiled at him: "You were known as the richest man in the city before, but now, I can surpass you. ”

Vlahos curled his lips unwillingly, turned his head, and stopped looking at him.

Kaspiros was happy for a while and was about to say something when he noticed that Vlahos had been staring at the foot of the wall.

"What are you doing? Thinking about philosophy?" he joked.

"No..." Vlahos pointed and said, "Didn't you find anything unusual?"

"What's unusual." Kaspiros put the invitation into his pocket: "My house was specially designed by a Syrian designer. It's not our traditional style, nor is it the mix-and-match Romanian style. Those wall decorations "

"Besides, what time is it now, and I'm still studying architecture. Although my house is almost empty, the house itself can still be saved. You should think about your own house." He said sarcastically. .

"Not architecture," Vlahos corrected. "Your Corinthian vase is missing!"

As he said that, he stood up and looked around: "That John is gone too."

"what--!!!"

From the small building, Kaspiros's screams were heard.

(End of this chapter)