Walking on the avenue, Sophia pointed curiously to the building on the other side.
Hilde looked over and said helplessly:
"The Temple of Apollo in Corinth."
"Apollo."
"Well... the Temple of Apollo in Corinth is very famous. It is a very large temple with exquisite workmanship. However, it is a pity that it is dedicated to Apollo. If people knew how disgusting Apollo is, they would probably want to tear down the temple directly."
Hearing Hilde say this, Sophia also smiled and nodded.
"Indeed."
"Just leave it like this."
Apollo is dead anyway.
Letting people continue to worship him won't affect anything.
After arriving at the Acropolis of Corinth, Hilde and her group stopped. The speaker of the Noble Council, along with all the nobles of Corinth, were already waiting here, and Aristocles, the Archon, was already standing in the front row with a smile, watching Hilde coming over. In fact, this was the first time that Aristocles saw Hilde so closely, and when she rode a white warhorse in armor and slowly came towards him, Aristocles felt that his heart was about to stop beating.
It is a beauty that cannot be described in words.
The long silver hair looks like the Milky Way in the sky.
Her face was so exquisite and flawless that even the most exquisite goddess statue in the temple could not be compared with Hilde.
This kind of beauty that transcends the mortal world is hard to describe in words. I have long heard that Hilde is the most beautiful girl in Athens, but I didn't expect that the girl who was exiled from Athens would be so beautiful. Now, Aristocles couldn't help but think that the Athenians at that time were really stupid. If there was such a beauty in Corinth, I'm afraid she would be well worshipped.
Her beauty could make all the socialites in Corinth pale in comparison.
At this time, Hilde had already arrived in front of him on horseback.
Only then did he realize his mistake, and he quickly bowed and said, "Ah, your majesty's beauty has made me a little distracted. I'm really sorry."
"It doesn't matter."
Hilde rolled off the horse, put her hands in front of her abdomen, and walked gracefully in front of Aristocles.
"Are you Aristocles?"
"Yes, your Majesty, Basilius."
"very good."
Hilde smiled and nodded.
Aristocles immediately knelt on the ground, his hands raised high. It was a tray with a map of Corinth and a dagger representing the power of Corinth. This kind of surrender ceremony was also what Aristocles thought of. He referred to the surrender ceremony of Eastern countries and found out that in Persia, it was popular to offer maps and treasures as proof of surrender. So Aristocles took out a dagger from his collection and presented it to Hilde.
To be able to dedicate it to such a beauty.
He didn't feel sorry.
"On behalf of all the citizens of Corinth, I welcome His Majesty Basilius."
"Then I'll take it."
Hilde grabbed the dagger and the map and held them high.
When the surrounding Corinthians saw this, they all cheered.
"From today on, Corinth becomes part of the Greek Empire! All Corinthians are my people!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Aristocles was very respectful.
However, some of the nobles standing behind him were quite uncomfortable. Although they were also shocked by Hilde's beauty, they felt very uncomfortable being ruled by a female king. After all, women in Corinth had a low status, and rich men preferred to have fun in taverns or brothels full of beautiful women, and really did not take women seriously.
And now she is actually a female emperor.
Hilde didn't care much about these people's attitudes.
She just smiled.
"In that case, let's have a good chat."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Aristocles stood up and pointed to the Acropolis of Corinth not far away.
"Your Majesty, please move."
"very good."
Although he knew that the other party was flattering him, there was nothing wrong with Aristocles' attitude. Perhaps he really found a Persian slave and learned the Eastern etiquette. However, Aristocles did not know that although Hilde was from the East, the Byzantine Kingdom was a typical Greek country, and almost all of them were Greek etiquette. Persian etiquette was not accepted in Byzantium.
But the other party's heart.
Hilde still understood.
So, Hilde took Sophia and the others to the Acropolis.
The army brought by Hilde was temporarily stationed in Corinth, and Tomyris was responsible for reorganizing Corinth's own army. After all, it was still a war, and the Spartans might attack at any time. If you let your guard down at this time, you might cause unnecessary trouble.
In order to welcome their new ruler, the Corinthians had prepared a very sumptuous dinner in the Acropolis, waiting for Hilde and her party to come. In this dinner, ordinary nobles had no qualifications to enter. Only the 300 nobles in the council had the opportunity to have a meal and chat with Hilde and her party. For this reason, the Corinthians did their best to bring out the best things in the city, especially many delicacies from Italy and Iberia, which Hilde had rarely seen.
At this time, Aristocles came over and asked enthusiastically:
"Your Majesty, I wonder if these are to your taste?"
"Very good, thank you."
Hilde gently picked up the wine glass and said with a smile:
"Your enthusiasm makes me feel like I'm back in Byzantium."
"Ah, Corinth is also part of the empire. Returning to Corinth means returning to my hometown, doesn't it?"
Aristocles' metaphor made Hilde smile.
"Indeed."
"After the war, I wonder if I will have the opportunity to visit Byzantium and pay my respects to the great city that gave birth to the Greek Empire."
"Of course, as long as you really have the ability."
Hilde understood the hidden meaning of Aristocles' words.
So, she deliberately left a little suspense.
Aristocles naturally understood and just smiled and nodded.
Tune 6, Verse 9: The Feast of the Corinthians
It has to be said that when it comes to luxury, the Athenians are not as good as the Corinthians.
The banquet in the Acropolis was more exquisite than any banquet Hilde had seen in Athens in all those years. In order to save money, Byzantium would not hold such a banquet that could accommodate hundreds of people, not to mention that the delicious food on the table was all top-notch. For example, white truffles from Illyria and northern Italy were something that was basically not available in Byzantium.
The maids around were playing flutes and lyres, filling the entire hall with beautiful music that sounded refreshing. The maids around were also walking around without hesitation, delivering all kinds of delicacies to every guest. The red wine in Hilde's hand was naturally filled by a maid herself. This kind of thoughtful service was indeed good.
"Sissi."
Sophia walked over quickly, holding a plate in her hand.
“This is delicious.”
"Oh, as long as you like it."
Hilde glanced.
It is a dessert made from goat cheese, similar to cookies.
It’s amazing, are there cookies in this era?
"Excuse me, who is this?"
"I forgot to introduce you." Hilde said to Aristocles with a smile, "This is Basilisa of the Empire."
Basilisa is the feminine name of Basilius, generally used to refer to the wife of a ruler. There is nothing wrong with using it as the title of imperial concubine here. However, when Hilde said this title, Sophia herself was stunned. After all, Basilisa, to some extent, represents the only wife of His Majesty Basilius, or the highest wife. Most of the ancient Greek regions were monogamous, and concubines and the like were more likely to come from the Persian region. When Hilde said this, it was equivalent to confirming that Sophia was his only legal wife.
Although, Hilde herself is a woman.
"Ah, it's Her Highness Barcelissa."
"Are you Aristocles?"
Sophia blinked curiously.
"Yes."
"Rumor has it that you are very smart."
"If facilitating Corinth's submission to the Empire is a smart move, then I will accept this title that sounds good."
Aristocles did not refuse, but accepted the compliment with a smile.
And Hilde glanced.
When she was talking to Aristocles, the nobles around her looked over here from time to time, and some of them approached here, as if they were trying to eavesdrop on what the two were talking about. Although they didn't say anything shameful, Hilde didn't like this kind of sneaky behavior, so Hilde simply said, "Ah, speaking of which, I haven't talked to the Speaker and the nobles of Corinth yet. As Basileus, I seem to be a little derelict in my duty. By the way, do you mind if I announce the preferential policy of the empire here directly?"
"Of course I don't mind."
Aristocles turned around immediately.
He walked up to the Speaker and spoke a few words in a low voice.
The Speaker immediately clapped his hands, signaling all the nobles to be quiet.
At this time, the nobles who were discussing just now stopped talking and turned to look at Hilde. Hilde stood in front of everyone, gently holding up the wine glass, and said with a smile: "Ladies and gentlemen, I like the banquet you carefully prepared very much. In fact, I have come all the way from Byzantium to here. Due to misunderstandings or provocations, I rarely receive such love from people. But Corinth is different. Since I entered the city of Corinth, the cheers of the citizens have made me feel like spring breeze. Coming here is like returning to my home."
"The city of Corinth has already surrendered to the Empire, and I will certainly make you realize how wise your choice today is. When I entered the city of Corinth, I was deeply attracted by the city that was like a work of art. How could I bear to see such a city destroyed by war? Therefore, I, Hilde, Basileus of the Greek Empire, assure you that the war will never affect the city of Corinth. Even if the Spartans come now, I will lead my army out of the city to fight."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty!"
The nobles raised their glasses and gave a heartfelt salute.
These nobles were flattered that they were able to ensure peace and were praised by Hilde.
"Everyone, please remember that from today on, you are a member of the Greek Empire. You are not only a citizen of Corinth, but also a citizen of the Greek Empire, enjoying all the rights of the citizens of the Empire. You can continue to do what you want, as long as it does not violate the laws of the Greek Empire, the Empire will not interfere with your legal operations. The Corinthians can go to every land of the Greek Empire to find what you want, wealth, fame, and glory!"
Hilde said.
Then he took a sip of red wine.
"Cheers to the Empire."
"cheers!"
Although Hilde's motives are still disturbing.
But with such a beauty in front of him, holding a glass of wine and saying this, who could refuse?
Sophia also smiled at Hilde. She had not yet recovered from the name Barcelissa. Before, Hilde had told Sophia that she would give Sophia a "special" title. But Sophia did not expect that it would be "Barcelissa"... and it was said in front of so many Corinthians. Sophia was a little nervous and excited, her heart was pounding, but after all, there were so many people here, and she was the imperial concubine... no, now Barcelissa, she had to calm down to be worthy of Hilde.
Sophia shook her head.
Fortunately, there was a hood on his head.
Sophia's face was covered so that no one could see her expression.
"I wish you all a good time."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
----------
The banquet lasted until the night before it ended.
Hilde had warm exchanges with many of the celebrities from Corinth.
No matter what these nobles thought, at least they did not dare to show too much hostility in front of Hilde. Everyone wanted Hilde to know them. The great nobles thought that they would definitely be able to let His Majesty Basilius know them, so as to obtain some desired rewards. The small nobles also hoped that this exchange would be an opportunity for them to turn things around. No matter what their previous stance was, now that Hilde was standing here, this was an opportunity to change their fate.
The Corinthian Courtesan
This is actually no different from Athens.
After Hilde occupied Athens, the people of Athens did the same thing. However, those people of Athens were probably the masterminds behind Hilde's exile. When Hilde returned, they acted particularly friendly to her, which was really disgusting.
However, there are still many differences between Athens and Corinth.
Corinth is a very traditional city-state. This tradition is different from Sparta and is related to its social composition. Today's banquet is attended by celebrities from Corinth, and all of them are aristocrats. This is in sharp contrast to Athens, where the common people and aristocrats are evenly matched. And in fact, the power of the Citizens' Assembly in Corinth is very limited, and the main power is concentrated in the hands of the House of Aristocrats. The House of Aristocrats is similar to the Areopagus Hill Council in Athens, but with greater power.
