Many things have been happening in Moscow recently.
First, a large number of mercenaries suddenly left the city in a hurry, heading east, led by a short, sturdy man.
It was said that this mercenary had the nickname "Hammer" and was quite famous on the battlefield. Apparently, some lords had even hired him to fight, and he had achieved great victories.
Then, the long-awaited decision regarding the Moscow Camp's officer, a topic of constant chatter among Muscovites, was finally announced: a young man from the East had become the commander of this elite force.
Initially, people had strong opinions about it. How could a young man from the East suddenly become the commander of a unit named after the city of Moscow? However, when news spread that this was a direct order from the Prince, no one said anything more. Everyone knew that their Prince was often truly arbitrary.
Next, someone openly sold Bibles in the market, and even church officials stood by the sale, vouching for the Bible's reliability and the church's approval. Most importantly, the selling price was exactly half of what it was in the church.
Moreover, these Bibles were copied very neatly, with every letter looking identical. Such neatly copied Bibles were truly rare.
In fact, even without this half-price reduction, it wouldn't have affected sales. Due to the speed of copying, books had always been available for a price but not for sale; even if you had money, you couldn't buy books—that's how realistic the situation was.
So, these dozens of books were quickly bought up, mostly by more affluent, educated Moscow citizens.
A small number also flowed into the villages near Moscow; these Christ villages were happy to spend their savings to buy Bibles.
However, what they didn't know was that another group of priests had embarked on a missionary journey, and all of them carried Bibles.
Some quick-thinking and well-traveled merchants realized that something must have happened in Moscow to produce such neatly copied Bibles. Their experience told them that one or two such neat copies might be possible, but if all of them were that neat, then there must be something unusual.
Unfortunately, their attempts to probe yielded no results. The sellers were tight-lipped, and they only saw them enter the Red City as they departed.
And this made it even more hopeless; the Red City was not a place they could easily enter.
Meanwhile, as these events unfolded, the lives of Moscow residents continued as usual.
After all, these matters didn't really affect the lives of ordinary Moscow residents. Their days remained the same: toiling for a living, and living to toil.
However, one event captured everyone's attention: Master Alexei, who had returned from Kiev, announced that he would stage a grand theatrical performance at the theater named after him, showcasing all the classic plays he had created over the years.
In Moscow, whether poor or rich, everyone's admiration for Master Alexei was the same. And after his performances in Kiev were well-received, his popularity rose even further.
Because his plays could bring a glimmer of joy to their monotonous lives, allowing people to temporarily forget the hardships of life and immerse themselves in the beautiful stories constructed by this playwright.
Moreover, because Alexei was very handsome, many people wanted him as their son-in-law, and many young women longed to marry him, which repeatedly boosted his popularity.
Therefore, on the opening day of the Alexei Troupe, the entire theater was quickly filled. The open space in front of the stage was packed with people; supporters of this playwright were everywhere.
The second and third floors surrounding the stage were filled with wealthy merchants and nobles, who sat leisurely and composedly in their private boxes, with small plates filled with various snacks beside them.
However, what these wealthy merchants and nobles didn't know was that there were also people sitting on the roof above their heads. A few fearless youngsters had directly climbed up, enjoying the best viewing spots.
Everyone pretended not to notice this, after all, even if you did see them, would shouting at these kids make them come down? That would only make you look a bit foolish.
"Viona, hurry up, it's about to start! There are so many people today, even Lord Rostislav has come."
Alexei slightly lifted the curtain behind the stage and saw Rostislav talking happily with the handsome young man beside him. He also knew that person; it was Adam Dulü.
The playwright himself didn't notice that his words held more tension than usual.
Alexei hadn't expected such a huge reaction after being away from Moscow for a while. The sheer number of people this time truly made him a little scared.
"I'm coming, I'm coming! I didn't expect so many people this time. Maybe my brother is here too."
A clear, strong voice sounded, and a young woman in elaborate attire walked over. There was a small scar on her face, but it was so tiny that it didn't affect her appearance and even added a unique charm.
This beautiful woman was Domnal's sister, Viona Pence. She was only nineteen years old this year, but she had been fighting on battlefields since she was thirteen.
Viona came to Northeast Rus a few years ago at the invitation of her brother, Domnal. Both siblings were mercenaries, though Viona mostly operated in the forests of Ireland.
Upon arriving in Northeast Rus and seeing the performance of the Alexei Troupe, Viona decided to join the troupe's performances. She longed to stand on stage and be the center of attention.
Her face and voice added greatly to her appeal, so it wasn't long before she became the troupe's star.
"Speaking of your brother, I heard that Rostislav plans to have us tour the countryside after a while. I guess your brother will be our escort then. You can have a good chat with him then."
Alexei's gaze was entirely on the Moscow Prince, while he spoke of other matters.
"Ha, my old brother, I just hope he doesn't get us killed. He's so reckless, I don't know how many mistakes he's made."
Viona's tone was full of disdain for her brother, but Alexei didn't continue the topic because the bell had rung, which meant the performance had begun!
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In the royal box on the third floor, Rostislav leisurely watched the actress below showcase her singing, which was a mournful elegy:
The woman's son killed a distant enemy, but he did not know that the one whose head he impaled on his spear was his own father. The woman lamented her son becoming a kinslayer, for all knew that those who committed kinslaying would suffer supreme punishment; no god would forgive such a person.
The actress's voice was very beautiful, and her singing skill was clearly excellent, which greatly pleased the Moscow Prince. And Rostislav knew that actress; she was Domnal's sister.
Rostislav found the relationship between these siblings very interesting; they were like a pair of playful adversaries. He still remembered how Viona had turned the Red City upside down.
Interestingly, the tolerance Rostislav showed because he found it amusing was completely misunderstood by Zoe. Zoe became furiously jealous at the time and constantly bickered with him.
Fortunately, such issues were easy to handle. Rostislav worked hard that night, satisfying Zoe, and his Greek wife then returned to her obedient and gentle self, never causing trouble again.
Beside Rostislav, the young Adam was somewhat restless.
He knew that the play before them was used by Rostislav to mock his uncle's kinslaying, so what was the Moscow Prince trying to convey?
He also knew that the program for this performance was arranged by the Prince. Now that the Prince had arranged this and called him here, it was hard not to believe that the Prince intended to imply something.
For example, was the military expedition to Bulgar approaching? It was widely rumored in Moscow that an invasion was only a matter of time, which made Adam look forward to it.
So, Adam appeared very composed, but in reality, he was scared to death because he had no idea what Rostislav was plotting.
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