Chapter 5: The Father Who Got Conned, The Kid Who Got Cheated

  To the east of Constantinople, the Great Palace of Constantinople, symbolizing imperial sovereignty, and the Augustaion, the center that kept this ancient and vast empire running, were located here. Constantinople was the heart of the Empire, and the Eastern District was the center of this heart.

  On the north side of Augusta Square, between the Hippodrome and Hagia Sophia, on the site where the Great Palace of Constantinople once stood, a group of marble buildings bathed in the glow of sunset formed the essence of the entire empire, while not far away, an even more magnificent building was the newly built Palace of Constantinople.

  As we came along, the green trees shaded us, and Alexander and I and our guards stopped in front of a colonnaded courtyard surrounded by pillars, which was our home in this city.

  In the mouths of outsiders, this place is called the residence of Seofano's royal family, but some people who are not very friendly to this family call it a wolf's den because of its owner. When I first knew about this interesting phenomenon, I always had an inexplicable urge to return to the German headquarters. But no matter what others call this place, I like to call the master living in this palace "cheap old dad".

  My father and Alexander's are not bad people, just a bit eccentric. This can be seen from the names they gave us. However, anyone who saw my cheap old man for the first time would not categorize him as a patient with intermittent neuroendocrine disorder who needs electroconvulsive therapy.

  The Greeks have distinctive black hair, facial features are very clear, and the lines are very charming. The only thing that makes the whole person look more elegant is the deep-colored pupils in his eyes and the eight-character mustache on his mouth, which even has a bit of a weak and noble atmosphere.

  He's very deceptive, but anyone familiar with him knows that he can wield a thirty-pound battle-axe with one hand and swing it effortlessly for half a day. A year ago, his favorite thing to do was take out a rapier and, using the ** step method, jump around in the courtyard, challenging Alexander and me. Our swordsmanship is pretty bad, so we always end up getting beaten by him until we're left searching for our teeth on the ground.

  Sometimes I think, it always feels like he's doing it on purpose. Because he never hits us, in this era of the twenty-first century still hundreds of years away, there are very few fathers who don't beat their sons. But he just doesn't hit, at most just practicing sword with us, and the weapons we use to fight him depend on our mood. When I was a kid, Alexander provoked him, and he actually picked up a thirty-pound battle axe, while poor Alexander only had a dagger as thick as his thumb, I will never forget Alexander's expression that day, almost peeing in fear amidst flying sand and flashing axes.

  As we entered the palace and tied up our horses in the stable, a servant came over to tell us that dinner time was approaching.

  After lunch, I left the West Point Military Academy in Constantinople. There were still several hours before dusk, but as soon as I arrived home, I had dinner and felt quite depressed.

  In ancient times, transportation was not convenient. Even if you rode a precious horse and shifted into fourth gear, the speed would not exceed 170 kilometers per hour, at most it would be 100, and that's just a short burst of acceleration. Moreover, there were no traffic lights on the road, which made me often envy those who traveled to super high-tech planets.

  While eating, Lao Tzu took the opportunity to ask us about our progress in raising funds while giving each of us a piece of roasted lamb leg.

  I'm a bit stunned, a large part of the funds we plan to use for recruitment in the future comes from the cheap old man's monthly free allocation. As a provider, he is not stupid and can guess roughly as long as he moves his brain slightly.

  Alexander chewed on his lamb leg and asked if anything was inconvenient.

  "Nikes!"

  I put down the crystal glass in my hand, swallowed a mouthful of food, and glanced sideways, and that cheap old man was calling me.

  "I have something for you to do, it's a private matter, but also an official one!"

  The old man's expression was very serious and solemn, even Alexander was temporarily distracted from his troubles by the matter.

  "It's my pleasure to serve you, Caesar!"

  Here is the translation:

  In our country, if someone is crowned as Caesar, in many cases, no matter what identity and title that person has, out of respect and solemnity, traditionally we must address him as Caesar, even if he is a father.

  "If you do well, I can help fill the funding gap for you." The old man smiled, but he often smiled like this when there was no good news. He stretched out his hand and tapped the table, "You all know that our family has always wanted to expand trade channels with those western countries."

  Alexander and I nodded in unison, this is a historical legacy problem.

  "Now I've found one."

  My gaze wandered strangely between the cheap old man and Alexander, I asked: "Are you going to contact that person? But why not let Alexander do it? He is the eldest son of the Seofano family, isn't it better for him to take charge?"

  "Is it because that person's status is not enough to let the eldest son of the Seofano family show up? Or is his status not to be exposed, and can only be contacted secretly?"

  "It's none of those." The old man raised his eyelids, and a mysterious smile flickered in his eyes. "Because it was a woman."

  "Oh."

  She is a twenty-five-year-old woman.

  "Oh..."

  "a twenty-five-year-old widow who has been married but unfortunately lost her husband recently..."

  The old man's smile in his eyes grew bigger and bigger, while I felt a surge of embarrassment rising up from the depths of my heart...

  "I hope you can marry her."

  I clearly felt the flesh on both sides of my face twitch. Is this retribution? Just an hour ago, I was laughing at someone else's blind date, and now it's my turn so soon? And the object is a 25-year-old adult, worse than others' door-to-door comparison! Looking at the cheap old man's appearance, it seems that he really wants me to marry her. My god, when I'm 40 years old and in my prime, won't I be facing an old lady? You know, there's no botulinum toxin in this civilized era!

  The sound of a knife falling from Alexander's hand. Apparently, he also realized the severity of it.

  "Caesar, I think I just heard you say that I'm to marry a twenty-five year old widow. But I'm only seventeen this year, right?" I swallowed hard to confirm.

  "Father, that woman is 25 years old and my brother is not even 17 yet. The age difference is almost ten years, isn't that a bit too much? And what's more, if he marries her, what will happen in the future?"

  "The age thing is your problem, it's none of my business." Old Cheap kicked the ball back to us with a flick of his finger.

  "Come on, Caesar! This isn't about age anymore!"

  Older brother, it feels great to have you as a backing! I nodded vigorously, this is a matter that concerns lifelong happiness after all!

  Alexander sprang to his feet, his attitude extremely intense: "I don't want my brother to show off his talent to the world and become a waste because of his infatuation with women! Compared to an intermediary who has trade channels in the west, I need a Nikiforos who is not a waste!"

  Wait, this damn brotherly love opening method seems wrong!

  "This is for the sake of the family!"

  Alright, even the whole family is out, it seems like there's really no backing down now.

  "And besides, I know you, Alexis. Don't worry, if a man doesn't truly like a woman, he won't become infatuated and turn into a useless person." The old master said with confidence.

  Alexander had a disappointing expression of "oh, it's just that, I'm relieved". I closed my eyes and really wanted to faint, what the hell is wrong with you? How ugly does she have to be for you to be so confident?!

  The impact of this marriage thing is huge, and after eating this dinner in a daze, I was told to go to the cheap old man's room later, and I don't even know how I walked into the huge bathtub on one side of the mansion.

  In the center of the huge bathtub, a large white marble statue of Poseidon riding a horse spouts warm water, creating a gentle gurgling sound. The humid heat makes the surrounding area slightly hazy. After pouring a basin of cold water over my head, I hold onto the handrail and step down into the pool, then lie back against the edge, looking up at the ceiling above. It is decorated with Byzantine mosaics made from small stones, depicting God creating the world in five colors.

  I've been a human being for two lifetimes, and after saying it for several years, my total age is about to reach forty. But don't mention the current state of this body that doesn't even have fully grown hair, it's still at the stage where I was just shyly holding hands with girls in my previous life. And yet, as a foolish young man like me, just ten or so minutes ago, my father told me he hopes I'll go marry a woman who is almost ten years older than me!

  Person, don't know.

  Appearance is unclear, but estimated to be quite terrifying...

  The background is even more obscure, and what's worse, I still don't know the name of the woman I may marry!

  The magnitude spanned so greatly, as if just the previous moment was the initial stage of socialism, and in the blink of an eye, we were suddenly informed that we had already been living in communism.

  Is this the retribution for gloating over others' misfortunes?

  Tears streaming down his face!

  What a pity!

  But compared to this saying of retribution, I believe that this is the so-called wheel of fate! Unfortunately, I was rolled over by the wheel, but fortunately, because the wheel was moving vertically, my eggs were pressed down.

  It hurts!

  But then, looking at this luxurious bathroom again, it's not a place that ordinary people can afford to enjoy. So, my disgust for this marriage has reached an all-time low. Yes, I'm lucky to have come to the Seofano family, they've given us food, clothes, everything, and even gave me wealth and glory that I never had before. With high horses and servants surrounding me, I don't need to pin my hopes of success on reading like I did in my previous life, dreaming of one day making a name for myself through hard work. Now, with all this, they just want me to marry an older widow.

  Just get married then, if it really doesn't work out, no big deal, I'll just find a mistress later.

  After a long silence, Alexander suddenly said: "Brother, I've wronged you."

  I've figured it out, and I'm not so depressed anymore. I laughed and said, "This isn't a big deal, at worst, in the future, my brother will find me and have something to do, and he'll come to your place to spend the night. And also, older brother, when it comes to marriage, I think today's me might be tomorrow's you, and you'll be even more miserable than me."

  "How is that possible!" Alexander clearly didn't believe my ominous warning.

  "How could it be impossible? Think about it, looking at the entire empire, which family can combine with our Seofano family to make us stronger? I think the answer is none. Father wants to get more external support, basically won't look within the country for a search, unless he gets kicked in the head by a donkey one day and thinks of letting you marry the daughter of our arch-nemesis. But I think that's impossible."

  "Intermarrying with foreign kingdoms would give those barbarian bloodlines a high chance of being absorbed into the Seoaphano family, is that what you're saying?" Now it was Alexander's turn to stare at the ceiling, his brow furrowed.

  "It's all right, but that's not the point." I splashed hot water on myself and laughed, making Alexander's hair stand on end. "You also know what those Westerners are like. Lust is nothing to be ashamed of, who let them eat their fill, besides making love there's nothing else they can do. Only, their lust is one thing, but their bodies are extremely dirty. Let me think, how many of the noble kings of the West have died from that disease, and how many nobles have contracted it? One, two, three, four..."

  Alexander's cheeks kept trembling.

  I continued: "That's also true, you know how low the quality of those Western aristocrats is. The king sleeps with his subordinates' wives, and his own wife and mistresses are slept with by his subordinates. This disease spreads from one to another, who knows if their princesses have been infected? Even just kissing hands can lead to infection. It's a disaster. If you don't sleep with them, those people are so promiscuous that they'll definitely go out and cheat, and you'll end up wearing a green hat... If you decide to sleep with them, there's still a high chance of getting that bad disease... But because they're so promiscuous, even if you sleep with them, she might still make you wear a green hat... Either way, you'll still end up wearing a green hat..."

  All I saw was Alexander's face turning black, his eyes dimly saying: "Alright, don't say it anymore, sympathizing with you is my biggest mistake! Ah, God above, now my greatest wish is that if I really have to get married, let me marry a clean Roman woman!"

  "I just hope that clean woman isn't so ugly."

  Ask for help from an old mother?

  In TV series, whenever something happens, they find mom to tame dad?

  We also thought that, given Cheap Dad's feelings for me and Alexander's mother, he might change his mind. Only there was a technical problem: Alexander's mother had died in childbirth with their third child when we were still pretty young.

  Leaving the bath, I put on a refreshing ancient Roman-style silk cloak and a pair of cool Roman sandals. Alexander and I came to his favorite evening haunt, the rooftop mansion, through the circular corridor that separated the bathroom and courtyard, nodding slightly to two guards as we passed by. Under the old columns wrapped in ivy, the old man was holding a glass of wine from his own estate on Crete, seemingly gazing at the lights of Constantinople under the night sky, intoxicated with the glory of this country. Hearing footsteps, he turned around and waved us over to join him in admiring the city under his rule.

  "I suppose you know why I've called you here, don't you?" He signaled the waiter to bring each of them a glass of fine wine, and asked as he swirled his own glass.

  I nodded.

  "First of all, this woman is not an imperial person, does not have Roman blood, she is a foreigner."

  "Pfft... Hahaha..." Alexander spat out the wine he had just drunk.

  My eyelids twitched again and again. No need to turn around, I could imagine how delighted Alexander's face was...

  Dad, you're kidding me!

  I was heartbroken that night.

  Alexander asked with a smile: "In a few more days it will be the day you two meet, what are you going to do?"

  "What can be done! Where there is oppression, there will be resistance. I, Nikiforov, will not be a man defeated by so-called fate? No! So, I will stand up, standing in front of the storm, straightening my spine with the dignity of a future crown prince of an empire, the pride of an imperial soldier and the conviction of being ready to sacrifice for the country, bravely fighting against fate!"

  "Speak plainly."

  "In short, I want to take revenge on society."