181 Banquet
At the end of November, my uncle Tomasz Zamoyski visited me. He didn't look good... pale complexion, sunken cheeks and tired eyes... actually he was already living on borrowed time. He should have died a few months ago, but somehow he was still breathing.
"I never thought you'd get married, why did you change your mind so suddenly?" (Tomasz Zamoyski)
"I have not changed my mind, but the circumstances have changed... but when we talk about weddings, I heard that you married Gryzelda to Prince Wiśniowiecki." (MC)
"It was about time, she turned 15 this year... the dowry was also not small." (Tomasz Zamoyski)
A dowry is simply the amount of money you can pay to get rid of the problem and your daughter from home... We talked a bit more about family matters, but that was not the main reason he visited me.
"I read your newspaper, you know this article can be a spark thrown on gunpowder, Cossacks, they may rebel because of it." (Tomasz Zamoyski)
"I wrote it so that they would not rebel, I hear that our vassal in the east is planning something and is trying to drag the Cossacks to his side... 70-80 thousand sabers are not a small force." (MC)
"At the moment, your opponents are silent, they will say something behind your back, but they will not say it to your face." (Tomasz Zamoyski)
"And the King?" (MC)
"And the King hesitates... if he granted nobility to the Cossacks, he would get their support, but the old nobility would take it badly." (Tomasz Zamoyski)
If the King had granted them nobility, 1000 Cossacks would be awarded at one time... and that is 1000 votes in the Seym.
"Well, this idea still has to age a bit like good wine, but hopefully not too long." (MC)
"We'll see... The Queen is having a banquet next week, expect an invitation." (Tomasz Zamoyski)
Fuck, I didn't like banquets, unfortunately they were part of the social life of this era... Tomasz saw that the grimace on my face at the mere mention of the banquet.
"You need to introduce your wife to the world. You don't even know what sensation the news about your wedding caused. Everyone is curious about her." (Tomasz Zamoyski)
Sooner or later... Well, I will not avoid it anyway, and Elisabeth will take a break from reading books and observing the stars and meet some people... It will do her good, one weirdo in the family is enough.
As Tomasz said, the next day a royal messenger appeared with an invitation to a banquet. I informed Elisabeth about everything, she took it rather without emotion and luckily there was no drama that she had nothing to wear.
...and unfortunately that day has come.
The banquet had been going on for several hours, I was sitting with Elisabeth on the couch in one of the royal castle chambers.
"The one on the right is Jan Wypyski, the merecki starost, nobody important. Next to him is his wife Jadwiga Wypyska née Łuszkowska, known for sleeping with the king." (MC)
"It can't be... how do you know that?" (Elisabeth)
My wife was shocked by this news, but every court or family has secrets, and I was the last person to criticize the king about this.
"Everyone knows, even the queen, she even forced the king to send Jadwiga away from the capital, but the king decided to marry her off and sleep with her with the consent of her husband... and over there, at the table... this barrel of fat. This is my cousin Prince Dominik Zasławski, luckily he is so busy eating that he will not come here." (MC)
"You know, you haven't said anything nice about anyone at this party yet..." (Elisabeth)
"Really?... well, the servants are good." (MC)
This made Elisabeth laugh, and her laughter unfortunately drew people's attention to us... fuck... and my fears became real, people started approaching us, many of them I knew, but not all of them... the only positive thing was that most of them knew at least one foreign language and I didn't have to translate.
"Look, that's the man from the inn." (Elisabeth)
I looked in the direction shown to me by Elisabeth... indeed, about ten meters from us, Warszczycki was standing with a few people.
"Don't pay attention to him, he probably won't come here, we don't like each other... there are rumors about him, I don't know if it's true. Apparently he bricked his first wife in the castle wall... and ordered his second wife to be whipped in public and then she died." (MC)
"You know everything and about everyone? I'm curious what they say about you, probably many of them also gossip about you." (Elisabeth)
"I know a lot and about many, but unfortunately not everything, if I knew everything, my life would be easier... but now I have to apologize to you. I have to do something, I'll be back in a moment, my dear wife. " (MC)
Unfortunately, the amount of wine I had drunk began to take effect and I had to go to the toilet, I called one of the servants.
"Where can I pee here?" (MC)
"Where do you like, Hetman" (Servant)
This answer did not help me much, but after a few minutes I found the right place... for a man, these are the two most enjoyable things in the world, the start of pissing and the end of fucking.
When I returned to the banquet hall, I noticed that Elisabeth was talking to the Queen. The meeting of Habsurg and Simmern van Pallandt... a staunch Catholic and staunch Protestant could be interesting.
"Oh! Prince Jazłowiecki. I had the opportunity to meet your charming wife and I am very surprised... Dear Elisabeth, you probably do not know it, and Hetman may not remember it, but I had the opportunity to see him over 10 years ago, of course he didn't have that scar on his face at the time." (Queen Cecilia Renata)
I don't remember that event, and if I don't remember it, it probably didn't happen... unless I was drunk.
"Your Majesty, if I had the opportunity to meet you 10 years ago, I would have remembered it." (MC)
"I did not say that we met, but that I saw you. It was in Vienna at my father's court, he rewarded you for your merits in the fight against Protestants. He often later recalled that if he had more soldiers like you, then in two years there would not be a single Protestant left in the empire." (Queen Cecilia Renata)