In the evening a week later, Agape received an invitation from Charles I and Isabella to have dinner with them. In addition to him, there were Bishop Juan, the emperor's exclusive chaplain, Prime Minister Gatinara, Baron Chevre, the Holy See Ambassador Castimone and several other palace favorites. Together they formed this secretive and prosperous small court, influencing the rulers of the empire overtly or covertly, and indirectly radiating their influence to the entire country.
Among them, Agape is undoubtedly the most powerful and weak one. But he was modest and gentle-tempered, and never paid attention to the struggle for power. He only focused on the spice fields and his little daughter. Perhaps the empress appreciated him more than the emperor who really needed the plantation. However, there is no doubt that in the current Spanish court, whoever wins the favor of Queen Isabella will truly stand out and be so popular.
They had been married for more than a month, and Charles I and his wife were still inseparable. As long as they were in the same room, they could no longer see anyone else in their eyes. Although everyone in the huge palace was secretly staring at the two of them, trying to figure out the couple's thoughts, they just lowered their voices, looked into each other's eyes, laughed in each other's ears, and said things that no one could hear. Whisper. Soon, someone in the parliament complained, "His Majesty the Emperor is no longer diligent in governing. The whole morning has passed, but he can't do anything."
At the moment, Isabella picked up the wine glass and spoke to the minister next to her: "...Unfortunately, Mr. Ambassador was accidentally shot by a crossbow while hunting. I'm afraid he can only recuperate during this period. There is nothing he can do." My son has not attended any banquet."
"Poor ambassador!" Charles I took over his wife's words. However, he had no good impression of the unfathomable and frightening Scott, but he was just greedy for the huge amount of money he promised. Lorraine's words inevitably revealed a bit of schadenfreude, "I hope he didn't get hit by a wild boar after being hit by an arrow." Hearing
the key words "crossbow" and "arrow", Juan Fonce Ka raised his eyebrows and glanced at Agape without any trace, and saw him lowering his eyes and chewing a small quail expressionlessly. The crisp crunching sound came from between the teeth.
Good boy, the bishop whispered in his mind, good boy.
"Ha!" Baron Chevre smelled the emperor's subtle intention and immediately joked with a sarcastic attitude, "Why, was shot by an arrow? I thought the ambassador didn't ride a horse or walk, he only flew in the sky. But Then again, birds, no matter what kind of bird, must be afraid of weapons like bows and arrows."
His words caused a burst of light laughter, and the Prime Minister warned half-heartedly: "Be careful, my lord, be careful. The ambassador of Portugal is not an easy person to get along with. If what you said today reaches his ears, there will inevitably be a storm." "
What are you afraid of?" The baron showed a crooked smile and suddenly turned to Agape.
"When that black crow really comes to my door, my lord, you have to vouch for me! After all, your little daughter is loved by everyone, and even such a gloomy and terrifying person gives her generous gifts."
Agape Wiping the sauce from the corner of his mouth, he smiled politely.
"No matter what," he said, "I hope Mr. Ambassador can recover soon."
Isabella raised her glass for his defense of her country's ministers, while the old bishop lowered his voice and joked: "Boy, lies are harmful to God. "It's disrespectful."
"...Looking at it this way, there are too many people who are disrespectful to God," Agape replied, "I'm probably not the only one." "
That's true."
A month passed after that. Two months have passed, and Agape is not only running the plantation without any distractions, he has also started writing a teaching book that details spice planting techniques. He re-enrolled students and taught these people his gardening experience by words and deeds. Taking a lesson from the past, he added an additional criterion to the selection criteria for apprentices: people with black hair and black eyes were prohibited from participating.
Sherman Scott is still on the run. No one knows where he is hiding or whether he has returned to the Moluccas. The only Scots left in the palace remained behind closed doors, and the black crow disappeared for so long that in October, when winter was about to begin, a political rumor began to spread among the crowd, that is, the Portuguese ambassador, Manuel Your favorite minister has died in the Spanish court. Only in order not to cause conflicts between the two countries and destroy the hard-won harmonious relationship, the news of his death was kept tightly hidden.
In fact, in the past few months, Gerrard, besides recuperating from his injuries, was just thinking.
It has to be said that his luck saved him again. Gerrard was seriously injured and lost a lot of blood, but the four arrows shot by Agape in extreme anger did not hit his vitals. As winter approached, the climate was not as hot as summer, which was more conducive to the recovery of the injury.
Even so, there were moments when he felt despair and wanted to commit suicide.
When I think of Agape's tears, I think of his decisive look when he said "your confession, your gratitude, your love are all worthless". He said goodbye twice, once to Gerald Scott and once to Black Crow... He was going to walk out of his life completely and never look back, never return.
What's the point of my life? What's the point of continuing to persevere and carrying out my own revenge?
Time has passed and Gerrard's highest goal in life has changed. The name "Agape" is like an insurmountable mountain, overwhelmingly replacing all his desires. Jane Scott's figure is fading away, and the blood feud of betrayal and obsession with the Molucca have all faded to a level that can be tolerated and ignored.
Previously, Gerald lived for revenge, and hatred constituted his flesh, blood, and bones, supporting him as he climbed forward in this world. At this moment, Gerald has deeply understood a force more powerful than hatred. This force shattered his soul and shaped him into a completely different person, a brand new person.
In other words, the reborn Gerald Scott will not regard revenge as the focus of his life. He will only obey Agape's will. On the surface, he is still the same Gerald he was before, cold-blooded and cruel, like a terrifying storm walking in the world, but in his soul - ah, in his soul, he is a tree. Cuscuta, painfully entangled around Agape's pure white soul, desperately trying to suck out a trace of tenderness and compassion from it.
Although the nature of this dodder plant is cruel and vicious, which makes others run away, it is still a parasitic plant. If you don't rely on it, you can't live.
In the end, the depressed spirit of seeking suicide was defeated by another greedy will.
Nature is hard to change, especially Gerald Scott. This man is insatiable and greedy. If he cannot be forgiven by Agape and cannot see even the faintest hope of starting over, he will not be able to give in and rest in peace even if he dies.
In this regard, Gerrard braced himself and made thorough plans. He would never let Agape leave his life without looking back. Instead of doing this, it would be better to arouse his anger, hatred, even negative emotions. , it is also hundreds of times stronger than cutting it in two.
To accomplish this, as soon as he was well enough to get out of bed, he sent a messenger to the emperor to inform him that their bargain was still valid.
The emperor quickly wrote back, saying that he believed in Black Crow's determination and just hoped that he would take good care of himself so that their deal would not be abandoned halfway.
After receiving the news from the emperor, Gerald calmed down a little. After another month, he was able to travel, so he immediately set off to meet with Charles I.
"Two hundred and fifty thousand florins," Gerald said straight to the point, "pay half in advance, and after the event is completed, I will deliver the remaining two hundred and fifty thousand to your majesty's plantation. It is written in black and white, absolutely no lies. "
Charles I stared at him inexplicably, as if a madman had just broken into his drawing room and talked nonsense.
"But you have to explain clearly what it is first!" The emperor shouted, "You can't ask me to make a big promise without any preconditions. This is really..." "A dinner
." Gerald said Stop him and say it word for word.
"I pay half a million florins. For this reason, I only ask for a dinner with Agape, Your Majesty."
The room was silent, and Charles I stared at him dumbfounded, as if he had seen a magic that only appeared in legends. biology.
Gerald took out the agreement with his private seal and signature, which would be impeccable in any country, and placed it in front of Charles I. At the same time, he handed over a key to a ship carrying gold worth 250,000 florins moored at the port of Seville. This key was the key to the ship's private vault.
Charles I looked at him, then at the agreement and the key. He asked in disbelief: "You...what are you going to do? Are you asking for my permission to buy the Viscount's life?" "
God, no!" Gerald whispered bitterly, "I I will never hurt him, never again."
The emperor stared at him, and at this moment, a feeling of enlightenment penetrated him, and Charles I seemed to understand the real reason.
In this era, same-sex love was common, but it was usually done in private and rarely brought to the attention of the emperor. Charles I was a pious monarch, but for the sake of the abundance of the national treasury and for the repayment of the national debt as soon as possible, what else could he say?
"Then, as ruler of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, master of Castile and Aragon," said the emperor solemnly, "I grant your request and agree to the premise of this exchange: Viscount Agape will You are having dinner together. Time and place?"
"At seven o'clock in the evening, the place will be in the small banquet hall by the garden, Your Majesty."
"Very good," the emperor nodded, "And, I will also ask, in accordance with standard procedures, This meal should last no less than two hours. Is that okay?"
"That's the best, Your Majesty."
Agape
was speechless and stared at the row of gowns in front of him.
A few months later, his mood had calmed down a bit, but unexpectedly, he still couldn't escape the ghost of Gerald Scott. He insisted on rejecting the emperor's proposal, but Charles I was very cunning. He sent his wife, Isabella, as a lobbyist, and also asked the bishop to participate in the persuasion to eliminate Agape's resistance.
The bishop was an out-and-out pragmatist, and he was unwilling to suffer the loss of the son he recognized in his heart. Before convincing Agape, he first bargained with the emperor. His point of view was that since Agape was the top priority in this negotiation, Agape's share of the 500,000 florins must also be non-negotiable.
"By the Holy Spirit, you are simply an iron rooster who has nothing to lose!" Charles I shouted in collapse. "Even if an angel flies over the Trade Bureau, you will pluck out a feather from it!" "
As you said," Bishop He said slowly and calmly, "Then I should 'pluck only a penny' instead of 'pluck not a penny.'"
In the end, Charles I had to cough up 50,000 florins and put it into Agape's private savings. With this guarantee, the bishop was willing to set out to soften Agape's attitude.
Well, Agape only regrets that he failed to kill Gerald Scott in one fell swoop and allowed this scourge to remain for thousands of years. With a heart full of boredom and a cold feeling, he changed his clothes casually, settled Lily and the housekeeper's wife, and set off for his destination.
Agape pretended not to notice the exquisite arrangements and dreamy decorations along the way. He had tiredly rehearsed all of Gerald's performances in his heart, such as how he would cry and repent, kneeling on the ground to perform, confusing right and wrong to himself, showing off his eloquent tongue...
However, he did not expect that. , the first thing Gerald said to him was:
"You're here! Since you agreed to my request, does this mean that you are willing to let the Moluccas go?"
What?
Agape opened her eyes wide and looked at him unexpectedly.
Spare the Moluccas? You told me to let go... Molucca?
"...What did you say?"
Gerald shrugged nonchalantly: "I admit that you are a strong enemy. When I was Black Crow, I lost my memory, and the spice knowledge I imparted to you was incomplete. But you still relied on your own efforts to perfectly reproduce every step... I have to say that you are a rare opponent. It is difficult for ordinary people to achieve this step with love, isn't it?" ——I
love you.
"However, today's situation is too unfavorable for you. As you can see, the money I paid can already fill the vacancies in the Spanish treasury, and the emperor does not need the proceeds from the plantation. Therefore, let's negotiate and you will give up How about this plan to also let the Moluccas go?"
- I love you... I really love you.
In an instant, Agape was so angry that he was dizzy. He swung his hand and threw the wine glass on Gerald's face. The hateful face immediately turned away, and a bruise quickly appeared on his cheekbones. green.
"Let the Moluccas go? Unless I die, this will never happen!" Agape said sternly, "I will never give up my career. If the emperor does not allow it, I will go to other countries. God If not allowed, I will go to heaven to show my determination! What I have achieved today is all due to my own sweat and hard work. It makes me know that there can still be fair things in this world, as long as people If you work hard, you can achieve your own results. It is not something that a hypocritical person like you can understand! On the contrary, you should be afraid of it, and you should be afraid of me, because the truth I have can already destroy all your hypocrisy. Broken!"
- Yes, you are right, you are so vivid and real in this world, you can break my whole heart and soul to pieces. I am willing to be crushed, as long as I can be at your feet, no matter what.
"You are very serious, but the truth is not what you want." Gerald said, "As long as I am here, I will still be the master of the Molucca. Jane Scott is just an opportunistic traitor. She His minions are even more useless. But you, you are a real enemy. I admit that once the spice cultivation method is widely spread, it will cause a devastating blow to the Molucca. Fortunately, I still have Money, I can buy the emperor's favor. Money, you don't know its power, right?"
- How many times do you have to say it to fully express your feelings? I guess it will never live up to my requirements, so I will still say, I love you, I love you, over and over again.
"Of course I know how powerful you and your dirty money can be together." Agape said decisively, "But I have gone from a slave who was insulted by you to where I am today. How can you underestimate me?" My determination? You want to compete with me, don't you? Well, let's fight to see if you can pick up your Molucca from the garbage heap of history. I'm not afraid of you a long time ago, Gerald Scott."
- God, I love you...I would spend the rest of my life saying just this, I love you.
"Oh, why do you speak so despicably of me?" Gerald pretended to cover his heart, "Don't forget, Black Crow is also another side of me. You once regarded Black Crow as your closest friend, and that Why did you turn a blind eye to some of his cruel and bad behaviors? Or is this prejudice only against the Scott people?"
Agape took a short, trembling breath, and his expression changed. Faced with this questioning, he was speechless for a moment.
Gerald was not aware of his abnormal attitude and said to himself: "You once loved me, but before that, how wary you were of Gerald Scott! In comparison, Next, I really want to make a private judgment, that is, you have fallen in love..."
The silence on the table finally caught his attention. When Gerald looked up, he only saw Agape's lips tightly closed, stunned. The earth does not speak.
There was never a moment when the cruel facts were like a roaring horse, slamming into Gerald's head, defeating him, destroying him, and turning him into a fragmented ruin.
——In the past, I was loved because of my perfect appearance, because of my immense wealth and power, and because of my cunning tongue and shameless acting skills. If one day I become ugly, humble, poor, disabled, worthless, cynical, and consumed by hatred, will anyone still love me?
I gain everything, and then lose everything, who am I?
Now that the day has come, Agape told him the answer in silence.
"...You love him." Gerald said hoarsely, "You have fallen in love with Black Crow."