Chapter 7 Chapter VII

In the monastery, everyone was assigned a penance as a way to immortality of the soul, and it was the job of writing the story that fell on me, very, very hard.Outside the house, the summer sun is like fire, and only the sound of the mountains and water can be heard. My room is upstairs, and I can see a small river bend from the window. Young farmers are busy swimming naked. A little further away, Behind a clump of willows, the girls also took off their clothes and started swimming in the river.When a young man dived from the bottom of the water, he came out of the water to peek at them. When they realized it, they cried out in surprise.I could have been there, too, with the company of young men my own age, with the maids and valets, laughing and laughing.But our divine vocation demands that the fleeting pleasures of the world be placed after something other than it, and something other than it... And then there is this book, and all our benevolent activities, which we all do With a heart as cold as ashes, and a heart that's not ashamed... just pales in comparison to the flirts in the creek.The teasing and teasing between men and women continued to expand around like ripples on the surface of the water... Rack your brains to write, a whole hour has passed, the pen is full of black ink, but there is nothing alive at the bottom of the pen .Life is outside, outside the window, outside you, and you can no longer seem to hide yourself between the lines you write, but you are powerless to open a new world, you cannot jump out.Perhaps it would be better, if you could write with pleasure, neither because of God's miracles in you, nor because of God's grace, but because of sin, madness, and pride, then I now get rid of them Entangled yet?No, I didn't become a perfect person through writing, I just used it to kill some melancholy youth.What will this page of unsatisfactory manuscript be for me?One book, one vow, but it will not exceed your own value.Saving the soul through writing, not so.You write, you write, your soul is out of your body.

Then, you will say, I should go to the superintendent Jing Jing and ask her to change my job.Send me to dig wells, spin twine, and peel beans!impossible.I will continue to write, fulfilling the duties of a clerical nun as best I can.Now I shall describe the Feast of the Guards. Charlemagne violated the royal rules clearly stated, when the other diners at the same table had not yet arrived, he was seated early.Once he was seated, he began to taste bread, cheese, olives, peppers, in short, everything that was already laid out on the table.Not only is it eaten all over, but it is also grabbed by hand.The supreme power often makes even the most self-restraining monarch lose his restraint and become arrogant and willful.

The guards came in twos and threes. They wore brocade and lace military uniforms, and they did not forget to reveal part of the iron mesh of the tight chain mail. The breastplate she wore was polished like a mirror, but if you picked it with a short sword, it would shatter into pieces.At first Orlando sat on the right seat of his uncle the Emperor, then Rinaldo of Mondaupan, Astolfo, Angiolino of Bayonne, Licard of Normandy much and others. At the other end of the table sat Atilulfo, still in his immaculate pin armor.He has no appetite, no stomach for food, no mouth through which to drive a fork, no throat into which to pour the wine from Burgundy, what does he do sitting at the table?Nevertheless, he never misses the opportunity to attend these hours-long feasts—he knows how to make the most of these hours to fulfill his duties.Moreover, he was as entitled to a seat at the emperor's table as anyone else.He was to occupy the seat, and to attend the feast with the same scrupulousness which he displayed in the other ceremonies of the day.

The dishes were the usual ones eaten in the army: stuffed turkey, goose kebabs, beef jerky, suckling pig, eel, and fish.Before the messenger delivered the tableware, the guards pounced on it, took it with their hands, and tore it up, making the breastplate stained with oil and the sauce splashing everywhere.This scene is even more chaotic than the battlefield.The soup bowl is overturned, the roast chicken takes off, and when the waiter is about to remove a certain dish, a glutton will catch up and collect all the leftovers into his own plate. On the other hand, at the corner of the table where Agilulfo was, everything was going on cleanly, calmly, and in order, but he, who did not eat or drink, needed more attention from the waiters than the rest of the table.The first thing—when the tables were littered with dirty dishes, and the waiters were too busy serving the dishes to change them, everyone started to eat, some even put the food on the tablecloth—Ajilulfo went on and on Ask the passers-by to change their napkins and cutlery in front of him: large plates, small plates, dishes, cups of all shapes and sizes, forks, spoons, spoons and knives. If a demanding person finds a spot on a cup or a piece of tableware that is not clean, he will return it.Secondly, he eats everything, and takes only a little bit of everything, but he eats, and he does not skip a single dish.For example, he cuts off a small piece of roasted wild boar, puts it on a plate, puts sauce on a plate, then cuts the piece of meat with a knife into many thin strips, and puts the meat one by one. In the other plate he stirred with a sauce meter until the meter was soaked; he put the strips of meat on a new plate; Take away the plate you just used and replace it with a clean one.He tossed about half an hour on a dish like this.Let's not talk about how he eats chickens, pheasants, and pigeons, he has to deal with it hour after hour.He would not do it unless he was presented with some special knife which he had ordered; and several times he had it replaced in order to strip the last tiny sliver of flesh from the last small bone.He also drank, pouring continuously, dividing the various wines into the many goblets and shot glasses in front of him, mixing the two wines in silver cups, and passing the cups to the waiter from time to time to let him Take it away and replace it with a new cup.He used up a lot of bread: he kept rolling the crumbs into small balls of the same size, and arranged them in neat rows on the tablecloth; pyramid.Until he gets tired of playing, he won't ask Juyue frl to clean the tablecloth with a broom.After sweeping, he started again.

While he was doing these things, he never missed any topic of conversation at the dinner table, always interjecting just in time. What did the guards say at the banquet?As always, brag about yourself. "I tell you," said Orlando, "the battle of Mount Aspro did not begin well, that is, before I met King Agorante, defeated him, and took his sword of Durindana. When I cut off his right arm with a single blow, his palm was still firmly gripped on the hilt of Durindana, rubbing so tightly that I had to pull it off with pliers." Ajilulfo said: "I don't want to hurt your face, but it should be accurate to say that at the armistice negotiations held on the fifth day after the battle of Aspuro Hill, the enemy handed over the Durindana sword. It included in the list of small arms which the enemy is required to surrender under the terms of the armistice."

Rinaldo said: "In any case it can't be compared with the battle of Fusbel Tower. When I crossed the Pyrenees, I met the dragon and I cut it in two. You know, Dragon Pibi Diamond is still hard." Ajilulfo interrupted: "Well, let's sort out the order of things. It is April when we pass through the Pyrenees. Everyone knows that in April, the dragon molts and becomes as soft and delicate as a newborn baby." The guards said: "But, was it that day or another day, it was either there or in another place, anyway, there was such a thing, don't pick bones in the egg..."

They are annoying.That Ajilulfo always remembers everything clearly, and he can say everything with good evidence. Even when people can speak clearly from the beginning to the end, he wants to simplify it into an ordinary routine, as boring as what is written in the daily journal of the regiment headquarters.From ancient times to the present, there has always been a certain gap between the real events that happened in wars and the legends of later people, and in a soldier's life, whether certain things happened or not is irrelevant.With your character, your strength, and your consistent actions, you can guarantee that if things are not exactly like this, but they can be done like this, and you may have a similar experience .And a person like Ajilulfo, no matter what the facts are, he himself has nothing to guarantee his actions. What he does exists in the daily records and files, and he himself is A void of nothingness, a mass of horrific blackness.He wanted to do the same with his colleagues, to squeeze their boasting like water out of a sponge.They are good storytellers, they make designs for the past, never imagine what the present should be, and after they make up legends for this and that, they always find a part they want to play.

Sometimes Charlemagne was called in as a witness.But the emperor had fought in countless wars, and he always confused many wars with each other, and he couldn't even remember which one he was fighting.His mission is to fight, and fighting is more important than thinking and what happens after the war.The battle is over, and as for people's legends, historians and storytellers naturally know that they should discard the false and preserve the true.Wouldn't it be too troublesome if the emperor should follow the people's ass to make amendments.Only when there are some disputes affecting the establishment of the army, promotion, titles and land grants, should the emperor speak out.His opinion was merely rhetoric, and it was understood that Charlemagne's personal will was of little importance.Findings must be considered and judgments based on the evidence available and in conformity with law and custom.So when someone questioned him, he shrugged his shoulders, said in general terms, and sometimes he wanted to get rid of someone by saying, "No! Who knows! There's a lot of misinformation in wartime." gone.

Ajilulf's hands kept rubbing bread, and his mouth kept denying the incidents mentioned by others. Although some people's statements were not accurate, these were the things that the Frankish army was proud of.Charlemagne would have given the knight of Guer du Verny some hard work, but he was told that the hardest work was the test of devotion that a knight craves, so he would not feel it was a hard job. . "I don't understand why you take the minutiae so seriously, Ajilulfo," Ulivieri said, "Our cause is always exaggerated in the folklore, it's true. 0 sincere praise , the knighthoods and military ranks we have won are all based on this."

"That's not the case with me!" Ajilulfo retorted, "My military rank and title are all based on military exploits, and my meritorious deeds have been strictly verified, and there are impeccable written materials to prove it!" "There is a discount," said a voice. "Whoever said that, please explain the reason!" Ajilulf said and stood up abruptly. "Calm down, don't get excited." The person next to him said to him, "You always criticize other people's affairs, and you can't prevent others from being critical of your affairs..."

"I don't want to offend anyone, I'm just talking about the facts, I just want to find out when and where it happened, and the evidence is solid!" "I said it just now. I also want to be more specific." A young warrior stood up, and his face was pale. "Torismondo, I'd like to see what you can find in my resume that can be denied," Agilulfo said to the youth.That was Torismondo di Cornovaglia. "For instance, perhaps you wish to deny the reason I was knighted, precisely because fifteen years ago I saved the virgin Sophronia, the daughter of the King of Scotland, from the murder of two bandits. Rape. Right?" "No, I deny it. Sophronia, the daughter of the King of Scotland, was not a virgin fifteen years ago." A burst of shouting and chatter sounded along the four sides of the dining table.The code of the chivalry system implemented at that time stipulated that those who saved a noble girl from danger and preserved her virginity would be awarded the title of knight immediately; while those who rescued a lady who was no longer a virgin from being raped would only be nominated once Praise and three-month Shuangjiong. "How can you think so? This is an insult not only to the dignity of my knight, but to a lady whom I guard under my sword." "I stick to my guns." "Where is the evidence?" "Sofronia is my mother!" Shouts of exclamation came from the mouths of the guards present.So the young man Torrismondo is not the son of the Duke of Cornovalia? "Yes, I was born to Sofronia twenty years ago, when she was thirteen." Torrismondo explained, "This is the coat of arms of the Scottish royal family." Seal hanging on a gold chain. Charlemagne had been resting his face and beard on a plate of river prawns until now, and he felt that the time had come to raise his head. "Young knight," he said, with the majesty of the emperor in his voice, "do you realize the seriousness of your words?" "To be fully aware," Torrismondo said, "is more important to me than anyone else." There was silence all around.Torrismondo denied his bloodliness from the Ducal House of Cornovalia, and it was as a descendant of this family that he received the title of knight.Claiming to be an illegitimate child, though of a royal princess, he would also be expelled from the army. However, for Ajiluerfo, it was nothing less than throwing the biggest bet.Before he met Sophronia, who was injured by bandits, and drew his sword to help and protect her chastity, he was a martial artist in armor, wandering around, without a name or a title.It was better to be an empty white armor with no guards inside (he had already understood this).He was qualified as a knight because of his meritorious service in protecting Sophronia.At that time, the position of Knight of Upper Selympia was vacant, so he received this title.His joining the army and all his subsequent identities, ranks, and titles followed this accidental event.If it proves that the Sophronia he saved is not a virgin, his knighthood will disappear, all his subsequent actions will be denied, all will be invalid, and all titles and titles will be annulled.Any authority of his would thus cease to exist, as would he himself. "My mother was a little girl when she conceived me," Torrismondo recounts, "and, fearing her parents would be angry when they learned of it, she escaped from the castles of the Royal Scots Palace and wandered on the Highlands. She was born in the wilderness. Carried me and carried me wandering about the fields and woods of England until I was five. These early memories of a life are the best of my life, interrupted by foreign disturbances. I remember the day when my mother asked me to guard the cave where we lived while she went out as usual to steal fruit from the estate. On the way she met two bandits who wanted to rape her. Maybe there might be a friendship between them: I My mother often complained of her loneliness. But the arrival of this blank armor seeking fortune repelled the bandits. My mother's royal parentage was recognized, and he took her under his protection, sending her into a nearby in one of the castles of Cornovalia, that is, the castle of Cornovalia, and entrusted her to the duke's house. In due time my mother told the duke the whereabouts of her son whom she had forced to abandon. The servants were found and brought into the castle. In the interests of the honor of the Scottish Crown, which was related to the Cornovalias, I was adopted and made heir by the Duke and Duchess. Like the fate of all sons of noble families, I My life became dull and heavy with many imposed restrictions. They did not allow me to see my mother again, who was living in a remote monastery. The illusion kept pressing down on me like a mountain, distorting the meaning of my life. A natural progression. Now I'm finally speaking the truth. I feel that whatever the consequences will be, it will be stronger than where I am now." At this time, the dessert was served on the table, a Spanish-style colorful layered bread.But people were horrified by this series of unexpected events. No one raised a fork to touch the dessert, and no one opened his mouth to speak. "And you, do you have anything to say about this story?" Charlemagne asked Agilulfo.Those present heard that he did not call him a knight. "Pure rumor. Sophronia is a maiden. She is the pure flower upon which I entrust my name and my name." "Can you prove it?" "I will look for Sophronia." "Do you think the girl you find after fifteen years will be the same as before?" Astolfo said maliciously, "Our iron-clad aluminum armor can't last that long either." "As soon as I entrusted her to that devout family, she put on the nun's veil." "In the past fifteen years, the world has experienced ups and downs. Christian monasteries have been robbed repeatedly, and people have been scattered and exiled. No place has been spared. The chances of nuns returning to secular life and practicing again are at least 40% to 50%..." "In any case, there must be a perpetrator who violates virginity. I want to find him and let him prove the day before Sophronia can be considered a virgin." "If you wish, I permit you to go at once," said the emperor. "I suppose you have nothing in your mind at this moment but the denial of your name and the right to bear arms. If this young man is telling the truth , I can’t keep you in the army, and I can’t think about you in anything anymore, even if you are in debt, I can’t even ask you for the debt.” Charlemagne couldn’t help showing it clearly in his words. The self-satisfied mood seemed to say: "Look, haven't we found a way to get rid of this annoying guy?" The white pin armor stepped forward now, looking for a moment more empty than ever.His voice was barely audible: "Yes, Your Majesty, I'll be leaving right away." "What about you?" Charlemagne turned to Torismondo, "after stating that you were born out of wedlock, you will no longer be able to receive the title originally conferred on you by your birth. Have you considered it? You at least know who you are father? Do you wish him to acknowledge you?" "I will never be recognized by him..." "You can't say that. Everyone, when they get older, wants to pay off the debts of their life. I also admit that all the children born to mistresses, there are quite a few of them, of course, some of them may not be mine." "My father is not alone." "Isn't anyone? Satan?" "No, Your Majesty." Torrismondo said calmly. "So, who is he?" Torrismondo walked to the center of the hall, knelt down on one knee, looked up at the sky, and said, "It's the Holy Grail Knights①." A murmur passed over the table.Some guards cross themselves on their chests. "My mother was once a bold girl," Torrismondo explained, "and she used to run into the depths of the forest around the castle. One day, in the dense forest, she met the Grail Knights, who renounced the world and There, she lived and slept in the open, to sharpen her spirit. The girl began to associate with these warriors. From that day on, as long as she escaped the surveillance of her family, she went to their camp. I'm pregnant." Charlemagne thought for a moment, and then said: "The knights who defend the Holy Grail have all made vows of abstinence, and none of them can recognize you as a son." "I don't want that either," Torrismondo said. "My mother never spoke to me about a knight in particular, but taught me to respect the entire Order as I did my father." 'Then,' interjected Charlemagne, 'the Order as a whole has nothing to do with such vows, and therefore there is no precept that forbids the Order from acknowledging itself as someone's father.If you can go to the Knights of the Holy Grail and have them collectively recognize you as a son of their regiment, all the rights you have in the army, due to the privileges of the Holy Order, will be no different from those you enjoyed when you were a nobleman. Those ones. " "I will definitely go," Torrismondo said. In the Frankish barracks, that night became the night of parting.Ajilulfo carefully prepared his weapons and horses, and Guldulu, the groom, randomly stuffed horse brushes, bedding, pots and bowls into his luggage, and bundled the things into a large package, which hindered him from seeing the road when he was walking. He walked behind his master, and his mount dropped things as it ran. Except for some poor servants, little mags, and blacksmiths, there were no guards to see Ajilulfo off, but they were not so snobbish. more unfortunate people.The guards did not show up on the pretext that they had not been told the time of departure; it could also be said that it was not an excuse, since Agilulfo had not spoken to anyone since he left the banquet.No one talked about his departure.His duties were shared without leaving any vacancy, as if out of mutual understanding, everyone kept silent about the departure of the nonexistent knight. The only one who seemed agitated, even distraught, was Bradamante.She ran back to her tent. "Quick!" she called to the housekeeper, the scullery, and the maid, "quickly, she tossed clothes, breastplates, weapons, and harnesses," and fast she threw them not in the same way as when undressing or losing her temper, but for Tidy up, she wants to clean up all the items and get out of here. "You put everything in order for me, I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I don't want to stay here for another minute, he's gone, he's the only one who gives meaning to armor, he's the only one who can give meaning to my life and my battles , now there are only a group of drunkards and thugs, including me, whose life is rolling between beds and alcohol, only he knows the mysterious geometry, order, and the law of cause and effect!" She said, one by one Put on the battle armor and the lavender cloak.She was soon fully clothed and in the saddle, and she was manly, except for that majestic haughtiness that only a true woman possesses.She swung her whip and urged the horse, galloped away, trampled down the fence, broke the ropes of the tent, kicked over the weapon shelf, and quickly disappeared in a cloud of flying dust. Only the swirling dust saw Rambaldo chasing her on foot and calling out to her: "Bradamante, where are you going? I came here for you and you leave me!" Cry out stubbornly with the anger unique to lovers.He wants to say: "Here I am, young and passionate, why doesn't she like my feelings, what does this person who ignores me and doesn't love me need? Does she need more than what I feel I can and should give to her?" More?" He lost his mind in the rage, and in a way he loved her as much as he loved himself, and himself and the prospect that they might be together and they weren't.He wanted to burn and run back to his tent, ready his horse, his weapons, his knapsack, and he set off, for he could fight well only where there was a woman's lips in the intertwine of spears , everything, the wound, the dust, the breath of the horse, do not have the fragrance that the smile has. Torrismondo also set out that night, full of sorrow and hope.He wanted to find that forest again, to find his childhood: the damp and dark forest, his mother, the sun and the moon in the cave, the simple brotherhood of fathers deep in the forest, all armed and white, guarding the gates of the secret camp. Beside the yellow fire, there was silence.In the thickest part of the forest, where the low branches almost touched the helmet, the fertile ground grew mushrooms that had never seen the sun. After Emperor Charlemagne heard the news of their sudden departure, he stood up from the dining table with inflexible legs and walked towards the camp. He thought of Astolfo, Rinaldo, Guido, and Selva. Jiao and Orlando went on an expedition, which was later compiled into knightly narrative poetry by poets, and now there is no way to dispatch those veterans, unless there is an urgent military matter. "It's all young people's business to go far and fly high to create a great career." Emperor Charlemagne sighed.He was thinking with the habit of a man of action that walking is always a good thing, but this idea already carried the bitterness of the old man who lost the old things of the past and could not enjoy the new things of the future.