A long time ago, after the end of the monarchy era, Athens also maintained this state. At that time, the political system of Athens should be called "aristocratic republic", that is, the power of the country was in the hands of the nobles of the city-state, and the highest authority was the Areopagus Council. Later, after the tyrant era and the efforts of the three Athenian archons, the power of the common people was improved, and gradually the power was transferred from the Areopagus Council to the Citizens' Assembly, and Athens established a true republic.
Corinth, on the other hand, was still an ancient aristocratic republic.
And the rich are almost all aristocrats.
This also led to a wide gap between the rich and the poor in Corinth.
Corinth was an extremely luxurious city, which Hilde could feel after entering the city. At the same time, the civilians in the city did not live well. Although they did not have to starve and could live a good life thanks to the prosperity of Corinth, compared with the luxury of the nobles, their lives seemed too shabby. Similarly, because of the huge gap between the rich and the poor, Corinth was dubbed the city of pottery jars and prostitutes.
In the process of commercial circulation, pottery jars are very important. They are used to hold things like red wine. If ordinary civilians want to make a living, making pottery jars and selling them to merchants is the best choice, so the pottery handicraft industry in Corinth is very developed. As for another aspect, the only choice for women in Corinth to have a good life is to become socialites.
A socialite, Het lover.
In essence, it refers to high-class prostitutes.
A person who uses her talent, beauty and eloquence to win the favor of a man in exchange for money or even the opportunity to become his wife.
There were so many courtesans in Corinth that everyone in Greece knew about it and the men in Corinth were proud of it. The nobles in Corinth would compare who slept with which courtesan today and how much money they had spent to win her favor. Even now, Hilde heard some nobles discussing things related to Hetra, and she didn't need to guess why they talked about this.
Because of Hilde's mother, Aspasia.
Just a socialite.
She is also an extremely famous socialite.
I guess someone mentioned this, so I took the opportunity to start the topic.
This was not a taboo topic. Aspasia's identity was known to the Athenians, but it just sounded uncomfortable. Hilde didn't care about that. She was quite interested in the Corinthian courtesans. A group of Corinthian female citizens chose to engage in such a profession for wealth and a better future. Not only were they not ashamed of it, but they were proud of it. The Corinthians also took the opportunity to turn their courtesans into the city's business card. This also reflects the attitude of the Greeks towards this profession and this matter.
Even the Greeks said so.
——What socialites bring us is happiness, what we give them day after day is our bodies, and our wives are the guardians who reproduce our offspring and protect our families.
Being able to compare wives and prostitutes.
This also reflects the attitude of the Greeks, especially the Corinthians.
Even after living here for so many years.
Hilde couldn't stand it.
But for the Greeks, especially Greek women, Greek women were not qualified to enter social places. Socialites were the few women who could show their faces in public. However, they had received higher education and could even enter seminars. The opinions they expressed were sometimes recognized by men. Therefore, their social status was higher than that of ordinary women.
This is really interesting.
Maybe I should look among these socialites to see if there are any outstanding talents?
"Aristocles."
"What's the matter, Your Majesty?"
Aristocles followed Hilde, who was heading to the temporary palace arranged for her in Corinth.
"I heard your socialite is very famous?"
"Of course, they are eloquent, knowledgeable, and charming. If Your Majesty is interested, I will ask Iris, the most famous goddess in the Temple of Aphrodite, to come and serve you tomorrow. You see..."
"No need."
Hilde suddenly stopped.
"I have an interesting question."
"Your Majesty, please speak."
"Are the socialites in Corinth more talented than these nobles?"
Hilde's sudden question made Aristocles a little confused, but he soon came to his senses and couldn't help laughing out loud.
"Hahahaha, Your Majesty, your question is very interesting."
"Hmm? Any questions?"
"No, no... In fact, I think so too. Although they are women, they are knowledgeable and wise, and are indeed much better than these nobles who are good-for-nothings. Especially now that I have seen Your Majesty, I have deeply realized how foolish my previous superficial understanding of women was."
"fine."
Hilde continued walking forward.
"But the Greek Empire has a system. Do you know about it?"
"What system?"
"The Greek Empire had equal rights for both men and women. Women who enjoyed citizenship also had the opportunity to become bureaucrats and receive education. This was different from Corinth and Athens. If Corinth became part of the Greek Empire, some outstanding women might emerge from its institutions and become rulers or bureaucrats. The socialites you mentioned might become one of them."
"I feel good."
Aristocles smiled and nodded.
"The existence of His Majesty Basilius tells everyone that even women can become excellent rulers. Therefore, even fools who are prejudiced against women will not directly oppose such a policy."
The seventh tune: Hield's distrust in the first quarter
“It’s great to think so.”
Hilde also smiled.
But she also thought that it was a good thing that she was born in ancient Greece.
In ancient Greece, the control over women's power was not very strict, and there were still many queens.
If it appeared in an era where women had almost no power and were completely dependent on men, it is estimated that Hilde would hardly have achieved such success no matter how much she jumped. It is said that such a situation occurred in the Persian Empire. Although Xerxes was an empress, the bureaucracy of the empire was all men, and the inheritance law only stipulated that men could inherit. The reason why Xerxes was able to ascend to the throne was that there was no male heir.
"Your Majesty, this is the place arranged for you."
Aristocles with Hilde.
We arrived at a very luxurious mansion.
"here it is?"
"This is a house dedicated to you by a nobleman."
"Then please thank him for me."
Aristocles does not mention the name.
Hilde didn't care either.
She wouldn't live in Corinth long anyway.
However, now is a good opportunity to chat. Hilde is not sleeping anyway, and the oracle named Aristocles seems to have a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Obviously, he is waiting for something. So Hilde invited him: "Come in with me. I heard Tomyris say that you want a better opportunity. I just want to know what you need."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
As soon as he heard this, he understood that this was basically a sure thing.
So he quickly followed Hilde into the mansion.
After lighting candles and torches, the originally dim hall became bright. The whole mansion was cleaned and equipped with maids. However, Hilde did not let the maids arranged by others take care of her life. After she dismissed the maids, she asked Sophia to come over and pour her some juice. After resting for a while, Hilde walked calmly to Aristocleus and sat down.
"Okay, it's time to talk about your thoughts."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Aristocles was a little nervous.
Although he had been looking forward to it for a long time, he was now obviously at a loss.
"I heard that you want a brighter future?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
In front of Hilde.
Aristocles acted very awkward and nervous.
Perhaps it was because of Hilde's strong aura, or perhaps it was because he was too nervous and worried, Aristocles, the confident consul, was actually shaking with nervousness in front of a woman younger than himself. Aristocles also cursed himself inwardly, and he took a deep breath, and then he gradually controlled his unstable emotions.
"Huh, huh..."
Hilde also found it amusing.
"Are you okay? Do you want to go back and rest first?"
"It's all right, Your Majesty."
Aristocles shook his head hastily.
"Well, since you're alright, tell me what kind of future you want."
"Today, you have seen that although Corinth is one of the largest city-states, it is actually just that. The people in this city-state are content with such a wealthy life, but they do not have the courage and determination to explore the future. They are confined by the nobles of Corinth. Even if I want to do something, I will be stopped by the nobles. I originally thought that I could only go on like this, but your appearance, Your Majesty, has illuminated my future and made me see that there are many things a person can do and many things that can be achieved."
"Yeah, indeed."
It’s hard for Hield to disagree.
"It's really a waste of your talent to stay in Corinth."
"So, I want to work with Your Majesty to achieve great things."
"That's it..."
Although this statement is quite simple.
But it's enough to explain his motivation.
Whether it is for power, money, or anything else, it can be replaced by making achievements. The idealistic people in ancient Greece naturally hoped to become heroes in epics. This also existed among many Byzantine nobles. They joined the Guards under Hilde and had such an idea. Therefore, when Hilde saw Aristocles' serious expression, she roughly understood what this person was thinking.
"can."
Hilde agreed immediately.
"Really?"
"You have made great contributions to the Collins incident."
"Then, Your Majesty..."
"The war will continue. If you want to prove yourself, why don't you start with... well, with the Spartans?"
"Yes, I understand."
Aristocles did not hesitate.
Because it is inevitable.
The current enemy is the Spartans. If they want to show their loyalty, the Spartans are the best choice.
So Aristocles directly agreed to Hilde's request.
"Okay, in that case, we will stay in Corinth for a few days and then attack the Spartans. I will arrange a team for you and you will be the main commander." Hilde looked around and said, "I welcome any Greek with ideals. Of course, I hope you can achieve brilliant results in the end."
"Yes, I understand."
Aristocles quickly knelt down to show his loyalty.
"Get up."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"It's getting late, you should go and rest first."
"So, Your Majesty, regarding the nobles in the city..."
"Don't worry, I know what's going on."
Hilde knew what Aristocles meant before he finished speaking.
Perhaps he was in a state of revenge, or perhaps he was simply considering Hilde and offering a favor to her. The fact that Aristocles was so concerned about the nobles of Corinth also explained the situation. After receiving Hilde's affirmative answer, Aristocles smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, and then left.
"What a hard-working person."
Sophia couldn't help but say:
"Perhaps, there really is someone who can be compared with Alcibiades?"
"Let's see how he performs later."
Hilde's words revealed her distrust.
There was no other way. Aristocles was an ambitious man and an oracle, which made him a greater threat than Alcibiades. Therefore, it was reasonable for Hilde to be on guard. However, even so, Hilde could not cause any trouble. Under the absolute power, any personal ambition would be easily crushed.
The seventh tune, the second section, the grand ceremony of enthronement
