Chapter 250: Golden Crown
After the sage of Nalessa returned to his city, he called his student to find Lego and have him come to the Synagogue of Isaac.
If a person from Bethlehem or an old friend who had known Lego for a long time were standing here, they would certainly be greatly shocked by his current change. Lego had originally been short and fat, just like a plump and juicy fruit. But after being driven out of Bethlehem, or perhaps because of a high fever, he rapidly lost weight—this process was so short that his skin did not tighten with the disappearance of his fat. He now looked like a loose and baggy leather pouch, as if a devil had used a straw to suck out all the oil from his body. But what was admirable was that he not only did not become despondent, but instead became even more competitive.
It must be known that what ultimately allowed him to escape was the soap he had previously been forced to buy from the merchants of Acre. Although he had found a good buyer for that soap, the money obtained was still a drop in the bucket for restarting a business, not to mention that their whole family had moved to Nalessa, which meant he had to repurchase or rent shops and residences.
Although according to the doctrine of the Isaacites, they should help each other, and indeed two Isaacites were willing to lend him some startup funds—no matter what he did, he still had two chances to fail—but Lego did not accept their kindness. Instead, he used the proceeds from the soap to form a small caravan and went without hesitation to Syria, which had become a vortex of death.
Not to mention his companions, his clansmen, his daughter and son-in-law also repeatedly advised him not to take this risk, even though he once had passes issued to him by the Grand Vizier and the Sultan. But now the people who had issued him those passes were all dead, and no one knew if the documents they issued were still valid.
Moreover, from Damascus to Acre, every place was at war. The lucky victors could occupy cities and villages, while the failures could only become bandits. Now on those crisscrossing ancient roads, bloodthirsty jackals were probably more numerous than the lambs they were about to hunt.
Lego did not heed anyone’s advice. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fist, and gambled everything by investing his last bit of funds into this extremely dangerous trading venture.
He was gone for several months and did not return. People thought he was already dead. Unexpectedly, one morning he came back—not empty-handed and in a sorry state—or rather, somewhat disheveled but in high spirits. He brought several camels, and their backs were piled high with goods like small mountains.
Guess what that was?
Acre’s most famous perfumed soap.
At this time, because Syria was plunged into war, whether in Ayyarasa Road, Acre, Cyprus, or even Alexandria and Constantinople, this fragrantly scented, lightly colored perfumed soap that could nourish the skin was nowhere to be found. This thing was not like the everyday essentials such as spices, sugar, salt… Some big merchants might have also noticed that this commodity was in short supply, but they always hesitated, unsure whether to hire soldiers to escort them to acquire it.
After all, soap was not like other goods; after production, it needed to be stored for a period of time to fully complete saponification. In the current information blackout, no one knew how much stock the makers in Acre still had.
If they spent a large amount of money on road expenses, or even risked their lives, only to end up with a few dozen cases of perfumed soap, that would truly be a joke fit for the end of the world.
And Lego seized this opportunity that an ordinary peddler could not achieve and a big merchant disdained to pursue. Although the caravan went through several hardships from Nalessa to Acre, he was very clever. He promised to bring the Saracen officials, generals, or Sultan what they wanted—after more than a year of fighting, not only did the Christians need Saracen goods, but the Saracens also needed Christian goods.
The makers of perfumed soap were also troubled. Soap was not bread; in times of unrest, such expensive luxuries were worthless, and if the finished perfumed soap was not sold quickly, it might spoil due to inability to meet storage requirements.
At this moment, Lego arrived. The price he offered was not even too low, almost the same as before Nur al-Din’s death—but he also made a demand, requiring the merchants of Acre to obtain a pass for him from the Empress Dowager and the current Sultan.
Of course, if this pass fell into the hands of a crucial figure, it probably would not have much persuasive power. But Lego was just a merchant. Even for the sake of the late Nur al-Din—”Light of Faith”—those people, although they also tried blackmail and extortion, guaranteed Lego’s life and the integrity of his goods.
The perfumed soap he brought back sold out on the first day. Lego used this money to acquire the things the Saracens needed, and then almost without stopping, went back to Acre. Such courage was truly admirable. Even Christians believed that Lego’s ability to reestablish himself in Nalessa had its reasons.
However, when the sage of Nalessa summoned Lego, he was still worried whether he would be dissatisfied with his clansmen because of what happened in Bethlehem.
Although the Isaacites of Bethlehem had pushed all the blame onto Lego, in fact, Lego had only made a suggestion. The ultimate decision was made by the sage, and the participants were voluntary. It was just that they could not tolerate their property being lost or their lives threatened, so they found Lego as the scapegoat.
They divided up Lego’s assets in Bethlehem, occupied his residence, and swallowed his shops and connections. It could be said that even without the decree from the Prince and Caesar, Lego could not have continued to survive in Bethlehem.
Fortunately, Lego’s attitude was still quite respectful. He came in, bowed deeply, then stood silently to the side, waiting for the sage to state his request.
This was right, the sage thought to himself. No matter what, Lego was still an Isaacite. No matter how well he did or how pious he appeared, even if he converted, the Christians would not trust him. His clansmen, even if they devoured his property, at least ensured his life was safe. Moreover, when he came to Nalessa, it was the Isaacites and the Synagogue of Isaac that took him in.
The task he assigned to Lego was indeed somewhat unreasonable—and he shouldn’t have sent Lego. Was there no one in Nalessa who could speak to Princess Sibylla? Of course not.
Princess Sibylla might be so arrogant as to ignore any Isaacite, but her husband Abigail was easy to approach, as long as there was wine, a gambling table, and women.
Lego accepted the order and returned quickly, but the demand he brought was also headache-inducing. He said that Princess Sibylla was willing to test the King’s intentions for them. But as a deposit, she wanted a golden crown, and this crown could not be inferior in weight, size, or style to the one the Isaacites of Cyprus had offered to that Venetian woman.
“I have never seen such a greedy witch! What does she think she is?” an Isaacite could not help but curse. The reason the Isaacites of Cyprus offered a crown inlaid with rubies at the outset was that they wanted the tax farming rights for the entire island in the future.
It could be said that if they could become Caesar’s tax collectors, they could recover all costs in just one year, perhaps even with a surplus. But Princess Sibylla held no real power, nor did she have the King’s favor, though she herself did not think so. The Isaacites only wanted to see if there was any room for salvation, and she quoted such a price.
“So can we not give it?” another person said mockingly.
The sage opened his mouth, then fell silent.
If they had known about Princess Sibylla’s greed before Lego went to test the waters, they might have pretended nothing had happened. But now they had made the request, and the other side had responded. This golden crown had to be given no matter what.
“Lego…” a merchant called out hintingly. Lego was not here—his meaning was obvious; he wanted to push the blame onto Lego like those merchants in Bethlehem, making Lego pay for making the golden crown. But the sage just waved his hand. “This is also our lack of consideration.” To be honest, Lego’s current appearance always made him feel somewhat worried. “Let him bear half. He will be responsible for the gold base. We will be responsible for finding better gemstones.”
Although the sage seemed quite fair in wording, the few people present had already laughed in their hearts. What kind of fairness was this? There were at least fifty merchants sitting in the synagogue, while Lego was only one person. The value of the gemstones was approximately equal to that of the gold base.
This was equivalent to saying that on the two ends of the scales—one end sat fifty people, the other end only Lego.
But thinking that the two Isaacite merchants who had been willing to lend money to Lego were precisely this sage’s students, they immediately understood. It seemed like a warning to Lego.
————
“You met that Isaacite?”
“Why not meet him? He brought me a golden flower crown, heavier and more expensive than the one they brought to that Venetian woman.”
Princess Sibylla said happily. Abigail could not help but look over. Although his love for Princess Sibylla and their marriage had not stopped him from seeking pleasure outside, how could those roadside flowers compare even slightly to the gemstones on a crown? The reason he deliberately avoided Princess Sibylla was also because he did not want to see his wife’s mocking gaze.
He knew that he perhaps truly lacked talent and courage; he was not suited to be a knight. But his status and bloodline destined him not to be a scholar or merchant. He disappointed his father and his wife, especially after that child died, Princess Sibylla’s moods became even more volatile.
She often casually beat and abused her handmaids. As her husband, Abigail also suffered a lot, especially when Princess Sibylla mocked his performance in bed. He could only seek affirmation and comfort from women outside.
But today Princess Sibylla’s mood seemed particularly good. She even took out the flower crown in front of Abigail, holding it up with her slender fingers. “What are you standing there for? Come help me put it on.”
Abigail was like a young man tempted by a siren in the sea, walking forward uncontrollably.
He took the golden crown from Princess Sibylla’s hand, and it sank down heavily—indeed quite heavy. Then he carefully placed the golden crown on Princess Sibylla’s head. Her abundant dark hair supported the flower crown like a brocade base. Inlaid on the golden crown were not rubies, but sapphires like frozen lakes, each larger than a thumbnail.
Besides the sapphires, there were pearls and white crystal as accents, making the golden crown sparkle brilliantly and hard to look at directly. But more beautiful than it was still Princess Sibylla. Even after suffering a severe blow, Princess Sibylla’s appearance remained stunningly gorgeous. Looking at her like this, Abigail felt he could not breathe.
Princess Sibylla turned her head and, seeing Abigail’s expression, smiled slightly. She stood up, took his hand, and pushed him to the edge of the bed until he fell onto the bed.
Abigail was flattered and did not know why Princess Sibylla was so passionate.
“That Venetian woman has had a child.” This sentence instantly dragged Abigail from the peak of expectation to the abyss of disappointment. But before he could erupt, Princess Sibylla continued: “She might give birth to a boy, or might give birth to a girl, but no matter what, I will not let that bastard’s importance surpass our child.”
“Our child?”
“Yes, he has come before, though he left in a hurry too, but I believe he will come again.” Princess Sibylla’s eyes burst with a flame-like light as her hands pressed forcefully on Abigail’s chest.
“We should love each other, Abigail. Our child is the true heir to Ayyarasa Road. Besides him, no one can take that position from my brother.”
She leaned down like a raging she-wolf, ready at any moment to bite through Abigail’s neck. “By then you will be the Regent, and I will be the Regent Queen. This is the path laid out for us by my father and your father, our power, inherent from birth.”
“Yes… yes!” Abigail gasped, staring at Princess Sibylla unblinkingly, dazzled, tongue dry. If she wanted to bite through his throat, how could he not want the same?
He suddenly lifted his body and grabbed Princess Sibylla’s long hair, pulling her toward him.
The golden crown fell from the bed, hit the ground with a crisp clink, but by then no one paid attention to it. It rolled half a circle on the ground and fell into endless shadow.
