Eagle Flag of Epirus

Chapter 1: Emperor in exile

   An inconspicuous small castle stands quietly in Anatolia. In the centuries of see-saw battles between the Crusaders and Turks, castles have been lined up. Such places are not uncommon, but the castles built here seem to be a bit remote and seem to have no strategic value.

   The surroundings of the castle are very desolate, and at first glance it seems to be abandoned.

   "Justinian, where are you going again? Get over here!" An extremely old voice in the room rang sharply to break the silence, as if it was going to get into a person's ears.

  At this time, a slender young man dressed in servant clothes rushed over from downstairs and hurriedly entered the room to ask his master what order he had. He looks less than eighteen years old. Although he has grown up, he appears to be malnourished. It seems that his master didn't let him eat. The uneven length of the hair also made him look upset. On the contrary, the blue eyes made the dull face a little more energetic.

   Justinian walked into the room with a nervous look, and there was no one in the room, but the old man’s voice sounded like an old raven in the cemetery again.

   "Idiot, what are you still doing, come in!"

   The boy who was scolded was agitated suddenly, and he didn't dare to hurriedly walked to the cabinet next to the wall to turn the hidden mechanism.

I saw a secret door popped open in response, and a rickety back came into view, but what is more eye-catching should be the house full of gold and silver treasures, everything from exquisite works of art to countless gems and gold coins. Yes, infinite wealth is piled up in small secret rooms. However, Justinian did not seem to move in his eyes, even his eyes did not turn, because he knew that his master's most taboo was his possessions that someone coveted. He once saw a servant with his own eyes because it showed a trace. The greedy and fiery gaze caused the old man to goug his eyes, and he was naturally clever and didn't want to follow in his footsteps. Without seeing the suffocating wealth, he pushed the old man sitting in the wooden wheelchair out of the secret room.

   This is the habit of this old man. Even with inconvenient legs and feet, he often stays alone in the secret room and faces his treasure alone, staying for one or two hours, every day.

   Maybe this is because the old man now has nothing but these! Just a year ago, this old man was Emperor Alexei III, who ruled the world in Constantinople, where he was so dilapidated and old, but now he can only face the treasury he carried with him when he fled. wealth. Under the threat of the rebels and crusaders, Alex III was like a bereaved dog and even fled without resisting. The captured Constantinople fell into the hands of the Latin Crusaders. Although he now claims to be emperor, he is really alone. Today, he can do nothing but look at his only wealth. Alex III, who is burdened by his infamy and fleeing without a fight, cannot even organize an army to make a comeback. He can only wait hopelessly here to escape chase. kill. In addition to Justinian, the entire castle was only accompanied by a few of Alex III’s relatives. Now he dare not return to the other side of the strait, because both the remnants of the Roman Empire and the Latin Crusades treated him. The hatred is deep in the bones, and now the Turkic princes who can only rely on here are lingering. In the past few months, the only thing that made him happy was his lifelong enemy, his brother Ishak II, and his nephew Alexei who were fighting for the throne, were killed when Constantinople fell.

Seeing Alex III’s silent expression, Justinian also cautiously stood behind him. Although this young man often gives people a dull feeling, he actually knows this old man best here. Terrible people. The seemingly aging man still has a lion hidden in his heart, and anyone who disobeys will not tolerate it. Not to mention that the methods used by this person to usurp the throne in those days were extremely harsh, not so much like a lion as a viper waiting for an opportunity at any time, so Justinian, as an insignificant servant, was of course walking on thin ice.

   Alex III, panting and closing his eyes, seemed to be thinking about something, and suddenly asked: "Justinian, how is the man in the dungeon now?"

Suddenly hearing the question from Alex III, Justinian, who was looking as usual, shrugged his shoulders inadvertently, and when his eyes met the eyes of the gloomy bird, he seemed to be in the piercing lake for an instant. I was cold all over.

Intuition tells him that the other party’s casual question is actually hidden mystery, but now Justinian can only bite the bullet and answer: "Everything is business as usual, Your Majesty, I don't know what to order." The heart is beating faster, Justinian. I don't know what the old man said for what purpose.

I saw old Alexey just nodded and said, "Well, that would be fine, but I'm a bit hungry. Justinian brought me some food, yes, and the wine in the cellar. I'll bring some." Then he closed his eyes and got up again. The moment he closed his eyes, Justinian also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but he was still anxious.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Keeping his composure, Justinian walked out of the room, but when he walked out of the room, Alex III once again opened his eyes, looking at Justinian's back like a snake. general……

   The moment the door was closed, the look on Justinian’s face outside the door completely changed. It was no longer the original dull and humble, but with a deep look in his eyes, and a solemn look on his face.

   Justinian felt that what the other party had just said was obviously not an impromptu intention, and Alexe III seemed to have doubts about himself. When he thought of this, he couldn't help but feel tight. Could it be that the other party has already noticed what he is going to do?

   Although he became vigilant, he did not waver. Justinian had been preparing for this day for a long time, but he didn't want to shrink back like this, he had had enough of everything he had experienced when he came to this world.

   Instead of continuing to be others' servants with trembling, it is better to bet on your own life to change everything!

   Justinian did not go to the kitchen or the cellar, but went straight to the dungeon of the castle, where he had always been in charge, and an important person was being held there at this moment.

  The one who is being imprisoned here is the son-in-law Muzfius who was elected to the throne by the citizens of Constantinople after Alex III fled in a hurry, who will be called Alexei V in later generations. He also fled to Anatolia after the fall of Constantinople. He thought that his father-in-law would accept him but never wanted to be blinded and imprisoned by the suspicious Alexey III because of his presumptuous claim to the emperor. You can't live here, you can't die, you can't.

   What Justinian has to do now is to rescue this man from the dungeon. This is undoubtedly a crazy move, but his instinct tells him that this is the last chance. If a person escapes, Justinian is just an ant in troubled times. He has nothing in the empire that was born on the fist.

The iron door of the dungeon was opened, and I saw a middle-aged man with a bandaged head sitting there quietly, describing it as haggard, but at first Justinian remembered the heart-piercing screams every day, but now Muzfius was almost numb.

   "It's you, Justinian." The man said hoarsely. The two-month prison has completely destroyed the man, and Muzfius' hearing has become sharper without his eyes. In daily conversations with this young man, the two had become familiar with each other, so he recognized it instantly. At least he knew that Justinian did not intend to murder himself, but Muzfeus was a little strange in the late night. Actually will appear here.

   The next moment, Justinian's words surprised him.

   "I'm here to save you, Your Majesty." Justinian took a deep breath and finally said his intentions.

"You are crazy!" Subconsciously blurted out, Muzfius was not happy but fearful. He understood the terribleness of his father-in-law. He didn't think anyone could save him, and he even wondered if it would be. His mean father-in-law was teasing himself.

On the other hand, Justinian can’t wait much anymore. He doesn’t have time to waste convincing the man in front of him, because he doesn’t know if he can hide from Alex III’s eyes, but today will be his last chance. Up.

"Do you still want to wait for death here? I don't think you know what that person used on Emperor Ishak back then. You have no other way except to escape from here and make a comeback." Justin Ni used a low voice to hit Muzfius's heart directly. As the former right-hand man of Alex III, he certainly knew how cruel the old man's methods were. Muzfius couldn't help shivering severely. But he still hesitated, how could a trivial servant know so much. If it wasn't for blindness, he really wanted to see what the other person looked like. As Justinian said, he has no other choice but to escape from here.

  Muzfius was also silent.

   was struggling in his heart, but he finally nodded heavily, and staying here to a dead end is worse than a gamble~www.ltnovel.com~Can I really trust you? What good is it for you to help me? "Muzfius was still a little skeptical and couldn't help questioning Justinian in front of him.

   and the boy replied blankly:

"You are the biggest reason why I rescued you. It has been recognized by the civilians and nobles of Constantinople. Whether or not Alexis III recognizes it, you are a legitimate emperor. This alone is enough. "

Hearing Justinian’s answer, Muzifius seemed to be thinking about something without saying a word. It was incredible to Justinian’s calm analysis. He didn’t expect this young child to have such a deep scheming. It made him feel a little scary, which is definitely not something an ordinary servant can tell.

   Even though he felt unbelievable, Justinian’s reasons made him unable to refuse. No matter whether he was manipulated or not, at least Muzfius knew that he could only choose this young man to escape from this abyss.

   "Then what are you going to do now?"

   Finally, Justinian persuaded the man, which also gave him a sigh of relief.

"Leave here with me first. But I have to prepare something before that." Justinian took out the scarecrow that had been prepared for a long time, and the lights were dim enough to blind the sentry at night, at least for one night. It's quite enough.

   "Where are we going to flee, Trabizon, or Nicaea?" Alexe III asked suspiciously. The tone of the boy's speech was too self-confident, so that he was a little shaken now.

   But Justinian replied confidently: "Of course not those places. If you want to make a comeback, only Epirus can accept you. That's where we are going."

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