Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 244 The most useful episode

It is not a bad thing for a girl in her twenties to marry a young man. When Vespa adopted Orville as his adopted son, many people had anticipated this result, so it was not surprising when you look into it. The common people had a good impression of both Orville and Tia, and there were even significantly more people who blessed them than those who opposed them.

After all, Orville was adopted later, and he is not Tia's biological brother, so it does not violate human ethics. Although Tia believes in Minerva (Athena), she has never used the virgin goddess Athena to promote herself, saying that she is Minerva incarnate, etc. The Romans were not so mentally obsessed as to demand that those in power could not even get married.

Unlike the lively and even excited attitude of the common people, the attitude of the elders was silent. They pretended to be stupid for a while, wondering what Vespa's intention was.

Judging from his series of actions, he obviously did not want Orville to inherit the throne, otherwise it should have been Orville instead of Tia who rode in the triumphal parade in the chariot, and it should also be Orville instead of Tia who is the commander of the Royal Guard now.

Therefore, it seemed clear that Vespa wanted to choose his own daughter as emperor, and Orville was there as an assistant. Many people in the Senate thought so from the beginning, but they did not expect Vespa to choose to announce the news of his marriage at such a mediocre time.

In any case, they would not give up the opportunity that was before them. There were many people in the Senate who did not like Vespa, an emperor who was born from the mud. They would not take action against Vespa due to the reality of the environment, but that did not mean they could accept Vespa passing the throne from generation to generation, especially since Vespa's only options now were to pass the throne to a foreigner or a woman.

Obviously, neither of these options was acceptable to the Roman senators of that era.

As a result, as soon as the news of the prince and princess's marriage came out, many secondary rumors were generated, such as Orvel plotting to become the emperor, Orvel using slander to deceive Vespa, Orvel forcing Tia to marry her, etc.
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After reading the report Orvel gave her, Tia's expression was a bit complicated, with obvious apology and guilt: "I'm sorry, I didn't expect the result to be like this."

Orville didn't care much about these rumors. Instead, he waved his hand at Tia and said, "It doesn't matter. I just helped you attract firepower. Rumors will eventually stop at the wise sooner or later. I don't care at all. These are all self-defeating words."

If you look closely, it seems that 70% to 80% of the rumors are directed at Orville. It is estimated that the people who spread the rumors behind the scenes are afraid of really angering the emperor on the throne. The Royal Guards are still in the emperor's hands, so they use such harmless words to test him.

Of course, this "not painful" is for others. It must be more or less hurtful to Orville. He is not exhausted by public opinion, he is just a little depressed.

He has asked Ptolemy and others to take the time to investigate the source of the rumors. Once the real culprit is found, he will definitely put the other party in a notebook. A gentleman's revenge is never too late. He has plenty of time to settle accounts with the other party. If possible, he will punish the other party by making him run a marathon naked around Rome.

Thinking of this, he added, "Actually, the situation is not that bad. Many civilians can tell right from wrong. There are also some writers who are speaking for us. For example, Ovid has some influence in Rome. He wrote several rebuttal articles for us, which played a significant role."

Although what he wrote was very informal, before he started writing "Metamorphoses", Ovid's famous works were either love guides, love poems, or even erotic novels, but he was actually a grateful person, and his moral level in this respect was not low.

Orville helped him publish his works casually, but he remembered this help. Not long after, when Orville encountered difficulties and needed help, he also helped him in time. This writer claimed to be a love mentor for Roman youth, and in fact, many people believed him. In addition, the emperor during the Nero period liked his works very much. He was actually well-known in Rome, especially among young people. With him speaking out for Orville, the public opinion environment was indeed more favorable to Orville.

Unexpectedly, when Tia heard the name "Ovid", she immediately frowned: "When did you get involved with that guy?"

"I'm in the publishing business recently. He won the first prize in a contest, so I gave him a lot of benefits according to the rules. Maybe he's just returning the favor."

Tia's frown relaxed a little now: "That's fine, at least try not to associate with these questionable people."

Ovid and Dia probably had conflicting natures. The latter basically adhered to the traditional Roman virtues - restraint, simplicity, and bravery. The former not only wrote about large-scale restricted scenes in his works, but also used words to directly lament that his time in bed was too short.

It would be strange if these two people could create any sparks. The most likely possibility is that they are tired of each other. If the historical development trajectory of this world basically coincides with the history of the original world, it is estimated that after Tia comes to power and becomes emperor, the poet Ovid will have to be corrected by the world line and thrown into the Black Sea to watch the barbarians fight.

Orville understood this very well and did not try to explain anything to him: "By the way, do we still have any old-style javelins left in our armory?"

Changing the subject was Orville's last respect for him, and Tia was not interested in chasing after him and scolding him. When she heard Orville talking about serious matters, she subconsciously replied, "Yes, it's better to say that the new javelin is a rare commodity because it hasn't been fully replaced yet."

The so-called old-style javelins are the old heavy javelins used before Orville donated the equipment. They are still the main equipment of most troops in the empire. Only the Eastern Legion and other legions that need to fight against a large number of cavalry and have money have basically equipped all their members with new javelins.

"Can I exchange an equal number of new javelins for the old javelins in the Royal Guards' armory?"

Diya nodded and agreed to the other party's request: "You don't have to look for me. The current guards prefer to use the new lightweight javelin. What's more, you are the inventor of this javelin. They have a good impression of you. As long as the equipment itself has no quality problems, exchanging equipment is not a big deal at all."

"Then I'll find some time to go to the Royal Guards' armory to exchange equipment. I'll probably need to exchange for six or seven thousand heavy javelins, which I can use when I go to Egypt."

PS. I'm going to visit my relatives. I'm afraid I'll get drunk. So I'll post it first.

(End of this chapter)