Eagle’s Glory

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Ignoring Agnes's doubts, Aigron and General Pierre Poitou and his party walked through the streets of Laval and arrived at the gate of the monastery where they were going to stay.

As soon as he arrived here, Aigron immediately understood why the general chose this place as his "walk":

The monastery is a series of brick-walled buildings located on a hill from north to south, with the hills winding towards the main road leading to the monastery. Under the hilly highlands, there is a small river that is not very wide. On both sides of the river are grasslands and tidal flats. Going deeper into the tidal flats is a large area of ​​vineyards, with an extremely wide view.

Although the entire monastery is within the city, it seems to be self-contained and easily separated from other urban areas.

This geographical layout must have been deliberately designed by the monks to facilitate their isolation, but from a military perspective, it became a natural small fortress. It is no wonder that the general's subordinates fell in love with this place at a glance.

In the midst of reverie, Aigron and his entourage crossed the monastery's gate with the words "No Outsiders" engraved on it, and entered the monastery carelessly.

The soldiers who occupied this place first lined up to pay tribute to Aigron and the general. Among the welcoming teams, there was a group of people with gloomy faces and looking miserable. They were all wearing the black robes of ascetics, and they were obviously praying for the victory. His Qing Dynasty was forcibly broken by the King of Rome and he felt helpless.

After seeing Aigron on the horse, the monks did not show any fear, but took the initiative to approach him. Because they did not show any hostility, Aigron let the guards let them go and let them approach him. .

The leader, an old man with gray hair and a slender beard, bowed to Aigron indifferently, "Your Majesty, I am Jean Botel, the abbot of this monastery. May God bless you!"

This old man's face was sickly pale and livid due to long-term hard training, but his eyes were bright and he looked like a man of firm faith.

"May God bless you, Mr. Dean." Aigron replied calmly, waiting for the other person's next words.

"Please forgive me for not being respectful enough to you, but we here only recognize the authority of God. I cannot treat you with the courtesy of a minister, because before God, we are all just His servants, and there is no distinction between us." The dean said to Aiglon in a sincere manner.

Although his attitude was gentle, the people around Aigron turned pale at these "rebellious" words, and looked horrified or angry. Some even held onto their riding whips, ready to teach this ungrateful old guy a lesson. .

However, Aigron did not intend to embarrass a non-threatening old monk, so he gently waved his hand to stop the actions of those around him, and instead explained to the old dean what he had done in a friendly manner.

"I understand your thinking, sir, you do not belong to the mortal world here. Now you can regard me as a passer-by. I just want to stay with you for a while. I need to stay here during my stay in Vendée. Please You understand."

"You have many better choices than here, Your Majesty." The dean showed a troubled expression, "You should know the precepts of our Carmelites. We give up all mortal bonds and practice asceticism here, unless we want to do the same. We all become monks, otherwise we would not welcome outsiders..."

"I'm not discussing with you, sir, this is a decision." Aigron interrupted, "But please don't worry, after I leave, I will pay you due donations and compensation for this." .”

Seeing the attitude of the King of Rome, the dean also knew that it would be futile to continue to persist, so he hesitated for a long time, and finally bowed his head slightly, acquiescing to this fact that he could not change.

But even so, he still mustered up the courage to insist on his final position to Aiglon, "If you insist on being a guest here,

Then by the love of God I grant your request. However, please agree to my two conditions... Otherwise, even if I face your anger, I will stand in front of you and fight as I should! "

The old dean's tough attitude actually piqued Aigron's interest.

At this time, the old man was facing himself and hundreds of heavily armed people, but he still dared to act like this in front of him. His spiritual will was worthy of a high look.

"Let's talk about it." So Aiglon nodded.

"First, we are an ascetic monastery that is isolated from the outside world. We advocate simplicity and reject all extravagant things from the outside world. As guests, you and your group should treat us equally after moving in; secondly..."

Having said this, he secretly glanced at Agnes next to him, "Our male and female monks here live in two buildings that are isolated from each other, and they reject any blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, so... if you bring the female relatives, Place her next to the nuns' quarters...otherwise you may commit blasphemy."

This time Aigron's expression really changed.

He is not a person who is particularly obsessed with luxury, and it is not a big deal if he eats and wears a little simple, but he has always been dissolute, and he has just hooked up with Agnes recently, which is when he is most appreciative and wants to do it every night. He was tired of being with Agnes, and now the old man dared to separate himself from his lover.

Old man, do you really think that I am being soft-hearted by pretending to be humble? I want you to know how awesome it is!

Just when he was about to get angry and make this old guy suffer, Agnes pulled the corner of his clothes and stopped Aigron who was about to explode. "Your Majesty, we are guests after all, so let's just follow what the dean said..."

As soon as she arrived at this quiet and solemn monastery, Agnes was infected by the strong religious atmosphere. She originally felt guilty about her "immoral" status, but now that the dean made it clear, she felt even more She felt ashamed, so she was afraid that she would commit adultery here and trigger God's punishment.

Facing Agnes's pleading eyes, Aigron's anger could not help but slowly dissipate.

"Okay, let's do what you say." He shrugged helplessly, "Mr. Dean, are you satisfied now?"

"I thank you for being so reasonable, Your Majesty." The dean was relieved, and he nodded slightly to Aigron, "I hope you can feel God's revelation here!"

After finishing speaking, he and other monks took Aigron and his party to their residences.

================================

Because she was the only female concubine, Agnes acted alone and was taken to the nuns' residence by several nuns.

Everywhere she looked, there were neatly tidied and trimmed lawns, spotless tables and chairs, as well as white sheets and pillows. Although she could find the breath of life, she couldn't see much "comfort" ”, let alone something personal.

She learned from the nuns that the scope of activities of the nuns here is very small, and they usually lead an extremely monotonous life. There are very few entertainment activities except eating and praying. The simple life seems monotonous and repetitive, without any color.

Perhaps due to long-term penance, the older nuns looked stiff and their speech was very short and stiff, as if their language skills had also deteriorated. Even when facing a princess like Agnes, they did not pretend at all. He was eloquent and only answered a few words when Agnes asked questions, with a cold attitude.

Although I deeply admire their piety in persisting in ascetic practice, this is definitely not the life Agnes likes.

Although Agnes believed in the existence of God and insisted on her Christian faith, her childhood experiences and the education she received made her a Parisian.

Even the most religious Parisians have a different attitude towards God from those in the provinces, let alone those in the far west.

For Agnes, God exists, and is a being that must be feared, but He cannot control too many human affairs, and he does not need to use rules and regulations to restrain his beliefs all the time; and this idea, in It seems that the ascetics of the Vendée were close to "heresy".

However, the nuns are not all the same. There are also some young nuns who have just come in. Their curiosity has not been completely destroyed by the monotonous and rigid life of asceticism. As the first outsider who is a nun, he can appear in front of them. , Agnes immediately attracted their great attention.

They soon gathered around Agnes, chattering to Agnes with all kinds of questions, especially about Paris, which overwhelmed Agnes.

The older nuns quickly tried to stop all this, but this did not stop the enthusiasm of the young nuns at all. Their newly withered hearts were already too eager for information from the outside world. At this moment, they finally got a window to peek into the outside world. , how could you let it go so easily.

Moreover, for them, a princess from Paris, these few elements accumulated together, is almost everything they imagined about an "angel", and they are naturally full of curiosity.

"Miss, how is His Majesty the King doing now?" After asking each question, a curious little nun asked Agnes, "Did he send you here to patrol?"

This question troubled Agnes.

She knew that the monastery was originally isolated from the world and not well-informed, and the older monks were saddened by the fall of the orthodox king, so they were more and more reluctant to reveal the truth about France today to these young children, so they kept hiding it. Now.

She wanted to get rid of the problem, but facing the clear eyes of the nuns who were eager for knowledge, she found it difficult to tell the lie, so after hesitating for a moment, she decided to tell the truth to the nuns.

"Unfortunately, His Majesty King Charles X was overthrown a few months ago and he and other members of the royal family have left Paris and gone into exile."

To Agnes, this was just "a normal thing that had happened" and she didn't think it was very scary, but her words caused panic among the little nuns, and some even screamed and cried. .

"Are they rebelling again? Are they going to fight again?!"

The screams echoed in the room, startling Agnes, and she didn't understand why they had such a big reaction.

At this time, the screams of the young nuns attracted an old nun. She yelled and finally suppressed the group of lost lambs.

"What's going on?" Agnes asked the nun in a low voice.

"Why did you tell them all this?" the nun asked Agnes.

Then she explained to Agnes in a low voice, "During the civil war, our monastery was looted and massacred because it refused to take the oath. Many people were killed, but the abbot and a few monks survived... so they Afraid of doing it all again.”

It finally dawned on Agnes that it was she who had awakened old fears.

Decades have passed, and the younger generation has gradually grown up. They have not experienced the horrific disasters of the past, but the bloody memories are still rooted in this land, and have become a legend through word of mouth from the elders and younger generations. collective memory.

That's why they were so frightened when she revealed that the king had been overthrown.

With a feeling of guilt, she quickly explained to the nuns, "It's okay, don't be afraid. His Majesty the King of Rome has calmed down the turmoil. There will be no civil war, and there will not be another disaster here. I promise you!" From now on, we will say goodbye to those killings and pain, and we will move towards a better future..."

Although she herself didn't know if this could really be achieved, at this moment, she extremely hoped that what she said would become a reality.

Although she doesn't understand politics, she deeply understands at this moment that although the bloody era has passed, the ghosts of fear and massacre are still lingering in this land, and the opposition between the people is still the same as before, even more intense than before. Fire and water are incompatible, and if you are not careful, disaster may strike again.

The only person in her heart who can bridge this deep-rooted difference is her beloved lover.

A man who tolerates both monarchists and republicans, and is tolerated by them at the same time, has no other semicolon.

"But... they drove away His Majesty the King again, and they committed heinous crimes again!" While Agnes was still deep in thought, a nun cried out, "Since you are a princess, why don't you Side with the king and defend him?”

This question gave Agnes a hard time.

It's not that she feels ashamed, because she has no loyalty to His Majesty the King and the royal family. What she has trouble with is how to explain her position in words they can understand without causing their faith to collapse.

"Because, I am loyal to the people, not the king." Finally, she replied quietly. "Monarchs come and go, but we will always live in this land..."

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