The Royal Palace of Palermo still looks majestic from a distance, but if you get closer, you will find that it is somewhat different from before.

The gate of the palace is new, and the original gate has been destroyed by artillery in the bloody night, but although it has been replaced with two new gates, it seems so incompatible with the palace wall with a sense of vicissitudes around it.

The palace has also been restored to its original appearance as much as possible, and some places have been simply painted, while others have been covered and put up on shelves, as if they are about to be repaired.

Everything doesn't seem to have changed much, but if you look closely, you can still see that there are many things that are different from before.

Somewhere the sculpture was missing, the door of a house had been sealed with a wooden strip, the large number of brightly colored Sicilian roses that had been planted in the flower beds had been reduced to bare soil, and the houses of the palace near the south-west corner of the bastion were completely in ruins.

In the midst of the riots, the southwest corner of the palace was the most damaged, and the small independent palace connected to the main palace was completely burned down, where it was originally a Saracen-style octagonal pavilion, although it was not large, but it was unusually cool because of the eight large openwork carved windows with a large ceiling, and it was very popular as a summer palace.

But now all that remained of the house was a few blackened pillars that had been burned down, and it looked ugly and hideous from afar.

Alexander stood in the corridor outside the door of the palace chamber, there was a long scarlet carpet in this corridor, and people walked on it silently and softly, now he could only step on the bare marble floor, and when he saw someone approaching, he nodded slightly, and then continued to wait quietly,

"Why is it so slow, what are those masters doing?" Next to him, a man with the same bare and shiny head said impatiently, he was wearing a luxurious-looking half-knee long sword, originally to show the courage of the dagger diagonally inserted in the wide belt, but because of those too cumbersome pattern folds can only reveal a small half of the hilt, he is wearing a tight trouser of the same color as the dark green top, and a bow on the calf is set with gems that sparkle with his movement, which is very eye-catching.

Now that Mr. Sandruk Bochum has not only made a windfall, but will soon become the captain of the city defense army of Palermo, he will inevitably be full of ambition and high spirits.

"Be patient, it shouldn't be too long," Alexander looked at the mercenary who was half a head taller than himself, Bochum was tall for most people, but what really caught his attention was the bald head that didn't grow a single crop, "There are so many things for the consuls to solve." ”

Indeed, the price of hastily establishing a noble council in order to prevent Alfonso's power from expanding was that almost no one knew what he was supposed to do.

From the initial disorganized and even chaotic to the simple enactment of some regulations on the noble council, it took one night, and then the first three councils elected according to the statute began the provisional rule of Sicily, or more precisely the city of Palermo.

According to the provisional regulations of the Noble Council, the term of office of each of the three consuls is one month, and they are re-elected after the expiration, and the previous consul cannot seek re-election, but can automatically become a member of the Senate of the Council and continue to participate in the implementation of the policies of the Council, while the three consuls have the power to adjudicate everything, and in the event of a disagreement, they do not reject the opinion of the minority in a two-to-one manner, but submit the differences to the entire Council and vote for approval.

This hodgepodge, with the shadow of the early Roman republican system and some traces of the late imperial style, made the Sicilian aristocratic council a bloated and inefficient monster from the beginning.

This was clearly not in the style of Mr. Sandruk Bochum, the hero of the Bloody Night, who liked to go straight with a little cunning, for example, when he saw a concave figure peculiar to a woman, the mercenary touched his beard, which had been smeared with fish oil before going out in the morning, and was ready to go up and strike up a few words with the lady. 、

"It's Mrs. Gongxiang." Alexander reminded in a low voice, watching the palace lady slowly approach, accompanied by a maid he had never met, he couldn't help but think back to the other maid beside her that night, the woman was snatched away by a gangster in the chaos and then disappeared, and it is estimated that this lady did not inquire about her whereabouts at all.

Madame Gong Xiang walked up to Alexander and stopped, looked the young man in front of her up and down as if curious, and then said, "It seems that you are ready." ”

For Madame's clueless words, Alexander understood.

Before he came, Osborne had already revealed to him that although everything in Sicily was now nominally decided by the Council, the Lady of the Palace had a great influence on the Council, and even the appointment of Monsieur de Bochum and Alexander's future future in Sicily were deeply influenced by this lady.

"Yes, ma'am, we're ready." Alexander bowed slightly, no matter what he thought in his heart, he needed to be respectful to this lady at this time, but he reminded himself again in his heart that this woman was not simple.

"Then please come in, heroes." Madame Lady herself opened the two closed doors, and then she stood at the door and raised her voice to announce inside, "Honorable members of the Sicilian noble council, honorable senators, honorable Sicilian consuls, allow me to introduce you to the heroes of the bloody night!" ”

There was loud applause in the council hall, and as he slowly walked in, Alexander saw nearly a hundred nobles sitting around the council hall, and three people sitting side by side in the middle.

"Before" I had been to this chamber, but then I was just a passer-by and a bystander, and I only listened to descriptions of the historical events that had taken place in this room.

And now, standing in this huge room with a circular dome, Alexander is a participant.

"Maybe one day my image will be inscribed in the murals and rosters in this room, but I don't know if I will be honored or have my head cut off." In the middle of the room, which seemed to be full of seriousness, Alexander suddenly whispered to himself, and then a smile crossed his lips that no one noticed.

Camus was an old nobleman with gray hair and more wrinkles than dried oranges, and if there was one reason why he could be one of the three consuls, it would probably be "old".

Camus is the oldest in the Sicilian aristocracy, and it is remarkable that he can live to be 70 years old in this era, and Camus is about to celebrate his 80th birthday this year.

What is even more rare is that this old nobleman, who fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France in his youth, and also participated in the early war against the Moors in Granada, is still very strong today, and some people even say that he is likely to be the longest-living man in Sicilian history.

Seeing that old Camus, although a little trembling, still pressed the tip of his long sword on the shoulder of Bochum, who was kneeling on the ground, Alexander felt a little ironic.

Bochum was undoubtedly one of the few big winners of the Bloody Night, and it was funny to think that he had not only gained a lot of money on this night, but also won many honors, and it was funny to think that a ruffian who took advantage of the fire to make a fortune was respected by countless people, and even ended up becoming the city guard of the city he had ransacked, which made Alexander a little suspicious of the way people thought in this era.

However, if you think about it carefully, you can understand that for the people of this era, it is not only not a shameful act to loot and plunder in times of turmoil, but even the more you rob, the more you prove the bravery of this person, and bravery is a respectable virtue at all times.

"This is a sword that protects the city, and its two edges will remind you at all times that your duty is to protect the honor of God and the safety of the people of Palermo." Camus's old but unambiguous voice echoed in the chamber, and the people around him listened quietly, none of them had been robbed by Bochum, but at this time everyone looked at the new city defense officer with expectant eyes.

Seeing Camus pick up the shield on the table next to him with some difficulty and begin to state the oath of granting, Alexander looked to the side with a little boredom.

Madame Court stood not far from the three consuls, and Alexander noticed that she was the only woman in the room, and that there was something peculiar about the position in which she stood.

She is standing in the open space between the rulers and the parliamentarians, and although she is slightly back in the back, she is conspicuous, and at first glance, it even gives the impression that she is actually the regent of the council.

Sensing Alexander's attention, the palace minister's eyes shifted, and the two eyes met in the air, and then each smiled at each other with deep meaning.

With Camus finally putting a cape of responsibility on Bochum, Sandruk Bochum officially became the captain of the Palermo City Defense.

Then all eyes fell on Alexander.

Without a sword or shield, or a dazzling cloak or gold belt, Camus handed Alexander a book and a lantern that looked old and shabby.

Then he looked around at all the people around him, and after receiving a nod in response, Camus said in a low, slightly hoarse voice: "With the glory that God has bestowed upon Palermo, and with the power conferred upon me by the Council of Nobles established to protect the Kingdom of Sicily, I confer upon you the title of 'Pharus custodes vestibuli.'" ”

A title?

Alexander looked blankly at the orange peel and age spots in front of him.

Alfonso became bishop.

Orleans caused problems for Ferdinand II.

Although the palace minister's wife died, her husband took the opportunity to walk from the harem to the front.

And Osborne was blessed by misfortune and hugged the big white leg of the palace minister's wife.

Even Bochum made a lot of money, and then he also got a city defense captain.

But what did you get?

A broken book, an oil lamp, and an inexplicable title.

Is this the reward of hard work?

Wait, Alexander's heart suddenly moved.

Pharus custodes vestibuli？！

The quirky name reminded Alexander of the origin of the allusion to the Kingdom of Sicily.

The so-called Kingdom of Sicily is actually two, one in Sicily, and the other in Sicily, across the sea from the peninsula with Naples as its capital.

Many years ago, the French and the Aragonese divided Sicily into two distinct kingdoms, the north and the south, and the boundary between the two Sicilian kingdoms was a lighthouse that stood between Naples and the Strait of Sicily.

Therefore, the Kingdom of Sicily is also known as the Southern Kingdom that surpasses the lighthouse.

Pharus custodes vestibuli, which means keeper of the lighthouse.

Whether such a title is worth it, Alexander really felt a little too much for a while.

"Keeper of the Lighthouse," said Camus, raising his hand, refused the hot milk offered to him by his servant, and even in the hot months of May, the long-lived old man was still accustomed to drinking a glass of hot milk with cooked olive oil and several fried nut powders every day, a title that suited the young man, after all, he had saved many people, especially the bishops. ”

In the room where Camus worked on the right side of the palace, the elderly consul was discussing the morning appointment ceremony with his guests.

The palace minister's wife, who was sitting opposite Camus, listened to the ruling words with a calm face, and then nodded slightly, as if to ask Camus to continue.

"That Bochum is a mercenary, and his performance proves that this man is fit to be the captain of Palermo, and we can all rest assured that he will not be another Sforza, and Sicily will not be another Milan, but that Cambrai," Camury tapped on the mahogany table with his long, thin fingers, "he can get honor, but not power, after all, it is too risky." ”

"Because he's Alfonso's personal treasurer?" Mrs. Gong Xiang asked curiously.

"Of course you know that this is not the only reason, Madame," said the princess, who seemed to be a little unhappy with the princess's pretense of confusion, but the consul continued, "and of course this is also the reason, we must not let the hands in the church stretch too long, not even the Sicilians. In addition, he saved the bishops, which made him too close to the church, but this is not the most important thing," Camusry's already slightly cloudy eyes flashed with a keen light that did not match his age, "I can see that Cambrai is young and energetic, and has a strong ambition, or rather ambition, and such a man cannot be given power unless he becomes our own, which is not good for everyone." ”

"But doesn't the title of Lighthouse Keeper give him a greater chance?"

Mrs. Gong Xiang asked with a little puzzlement.

"If you don't worry about him, you can give him a good reward to make him a rich man, instead of having more opportunities to get close to the Sicilian magnates."

"There's no need to worry, the title is just a name," Camus smiled, "Also, since he is a guardian, he has a duty to guard his lighthouse." ”

The palace minister's wife pondered for a while, and then her face appeared, she already understood the meaning of the ruling word.

"Young people always like to make achievements, let us also wish young Alexander success," Camusi said, holding up the hot milk and saluting in the direction of his imagination as if he were raising a glass, "I believe he will soon like the errand we are looking for him." ”