On an ordinary morning, Rostislav Vladimirovich mounted his red warhorse in front of the palace named after him.
This warhorse was no longer the one his grandfather had given him; that horse had already retired, as a warhorse's peak performance typically lasts only a few years, and during those years, that warhorse had accumulated many hidden injuries.
Rostislav was also a very nostalgic person, so he allowed that warhorse, which often reminded him of his grandfather, to retire and live a leisurely life in the Prince's stables.
If the Prince was on a tour, the Moscow Prince would bring this old companion, who had experienced many wars with him, and ride him through the vast territory.
Zoe stood on the steps of Rostislav Palace, holding little Rurik, watching her husband's posture as he rode.
Although Zoe had accepted her husband's departure for a long time, the emotions in her eyes still showed that she was very unhappy.
Zoe was very dependent on Rostislav; whenever her husband was about to leave, she would be very unhappy, and at the same time, she would feel fear and loss internally—she just never spoke of it.
Rostislav noticed his wife's displeasure, but Zoe quickly reined in these emotions, looking as she always did, as if this was just an ordinary outing for the Moscow Prince.
Zoe was a person who knew the priorities of matters; although she had emotions internally, she could overcome them, and if she couldn't, she wouldn't be able to be a good wife to the Moscow Prince.
Standing beside Zoe were several maids, then Bishop Luka, and further back was Ibn Hain, the Prince's family physician, with several apprentices behind him; this physician, at the Prince's request, constantly followed Lady Zoe, fearing that something might happen to her.
Ibn was currently instructing his apprentices about something; as the Prince's personal physician, Ibn was very responsible, as this was an easy job that also allowed him to spread knowledge as a teacher, so he naturally gave it his utmost effort.
Bishop Luka made a sign of the cross for his disciple, expressing his blessing; in fact, the Bishop very much wanted to return to Kiev to see, but the work in Northeast Rus' still required him.
Bishop Luka felt that his time in Moscow was much more fulfilling than his time in Novgorod; in Novgorod, he was bogged down by various meetings and educating juniors, while in Moscow, he saw the number of converts constantly increasing.
Although the former also contributed to God's cause, it ultimately did not bring the same sense of accomplishment as the latter.
And on Zoe's other side stood a group of people whose attire and armor varied, but whose extraordinary demeanor was visible to the naked eye; they were Rostislav's vassals and officials, the ones who were to remain in Northeast Rus'.
Moscow's officials and vassals were two distinct groups, and at this moment, they also demonstrated this point, as they were, after all, not the same kind of people; the former regarded the latter as mere servants of the Prince, while the latter regarded the former as subordinate territories.
Leo, the Mayor of Moscow, and Anwar, the Governor of Moscow, stood separately on one side, while the powerful nobles and vassals led by Poleye, the Mayor of Beloye Lake, and Sanya, the Mayor of Rostov, stood on the other side; when these two groups' gazes met, there was a hint of unfriendliness, as they had many conflicts in their daily affairs.
Rostislav spoke a few words to each of them, explaining the key points they needed to pay attention to next, and emphasizing the importance of cooperation.
Although the severity of their conflicts was not particularly great, Rostislav wanted to prepare for contingencies, as with the continuous development of the Moscow Court, the potential for conflicts among them would increasingly grow, and everyone expressed their obedience to the Prince and their determination to complete their work.
After completing all this, Rostislav rode his horse out of the palace courtyard; on the way, he saw his German Engineer, Robert, leading a group of craftsmen walking in; they were continuing the guest house project.
The Prince merely nodded in greeting to them; he did not want to disturb their work, while Robert was respectful; this engineer had great respect for Rostislav, as the Prince had given him a well-paying job and the opportunity to build the buildings he designed, which was a rare opportunity for an engineer.
The traveling party had been waiting for a long time outside Rostislav Palace; at the front were Yan Vishatich and Meshko, both dressed in hunting attire, a capable outfit for noble travel.
And further behind the two were the retainers preparing to depart; Rostislav only brought his retainers this time, while the entire Bodyguard Unit remained in Moscow to protect Zoe's safety.
Rostislav still vividly remembered the riot in Kiev in 1053; he recalled Zoe's adventure at the time, and now, looking back, he feared losing his wife, and those feelings of dread made him extremely afraid.
Therefore, he left all the Bodyguard Unit, entrusting Gvaran to protect his wife; with such a force, and so many loyal subjects, no one could threaten Zoe.
Yan's expression was somewhat dejected, as he had originally planned to continue investigating the countryside; everything he experienced during that half-month made him feel uneasy, but Rostislav wanted him to accompany him to Kiev.
Yan knew that Rostislav was doing this for his own good, to allow him to go to Smolensk to see his father; since their last farewell, Yan had not seen his father for five years.
As for his investigation, he could only temporarily entrust it to the Gael, Domnal; however, Yan, being familiar with Domnal's character, did not intend for him to do much, as he did not trust the boastful promises of this clumsy poet.
Yan merely asked him to pay more attention in his daily life and record everything worth noting; this was a very easy job, one that even a person as unreliable as him could complete.
Yan was certain that his previous investigation had been targeted, which was why he had found nothing; so, he would start by collecting daily details, as long as enough information was gathered.
As the Captain of the Guard's deputy and a rising political star in Moscow, Domnal regularly interacted with people from all corners of the Behind-the-Forest Land; from these people, he could gather a lot of information, and it was also convenient for him to obtain some data from Moscow officials.
Yan firmly believed that those pagans would eventually leave clues, and he only needed to extract the situation from this information; he was prepared for a long-term battle.
Compared to Yan's thoughtful expression, Meshko's face was filled with excitement; this Pole had grown taller and bigger in recent years and was already a brave warrior; Rostislav brought him primarily to play a role in negotiations with the King of Poland.
And Meshko had no aversion to seeing his half-brother; on the contrary, he was somewhat excited, indicating that his relationship with Bolesław was very good, and Bolesław had not discriminated against his illegitimate brother.
The Moscow Prince simply greeted the two of them, then walked into the procession, with the two automatically following behind him as guards.
The retainers were waiting for the Prince, half-armored; Vasily, who had taken Yan's position as the head of the retainers, stood in front of everyone, and upon seeing Rostislav and the others arrive, he did not forget to bow slightly from his horse.
And the Moscow Prince simply waved his hand, the meaning of this gesture clearly being: advance.
With the Prince's gesture, the procession began to move; the cavalry advanced in an orderly fashion, with the saint george slaying the dragon banner and the Rurik Trident standing side by side.
However, this time, there was an additional item next to these two banners: an icon of the Mother of God holding the Child.
It was meticulously crafted by the Moscow Bishop himself, using a large amount of gold and silver thread; it is said that the Bishop even embroidered a small fragment of a saint's robe, which he had collected in his youth, into it, all of which made this icon a rare treasure.
This icon represented the Mother of God's gaze upon this land, inspiring the devout warriors to advance bravely.
After the retainers passed, they were followed by military servants driving mules and large carts.
Although they were military servants, as the Prince's subordinates, this group of people still wore armed clothing; they wore it like warm clothing, with unified short swords and short axes at their waists, and shields on their backs, looking more like soldiers than servants compared to the militia in many places.
These people were escorting the retainers' armor, the provisions needed along the way, and the gifts Rostislav had prepared for his relatives and friends in the West; after such a long time without seeing them, it was natural to send a substantial gift.
And after the military servants, there was actually another procession; many merchant caravans, seeing the Prince's army depart, also followed, as merchants would not miss the opportunity to safely travel to other regions with such a large force, which could save a large sum of money on hiring guards.
There were also some people who were emigrating; they also happened to follow the Prince's procession; these small groups of two or three naturally had to seize this opportunity of the Prince's journey.
However, such people were few, as Northeast Rus' was currently thriving, and anyone willing could find work there; the number of immigrants entering far exceeded those leaving.
However, among these merchant caravans, there was also a special presence: Alexei, Moscow's star playwright.
Through years of performances in various towns and villages, this playwright had gained fame throughout Northeast Rus'; even remote villages and tribes in the countryside knew a thing or two about this master's art, but this master had even higher ambitions.
Currently, the highest and largest stage in Rus' was undoubtedly in Kiev, so he wanted to travel to that city to present his art.
And this decision received the approval of his biggest and most important supporter, Rostislav Vladimirovich.
For the Moscow Prince, the more famous Alexei's troupe became, the more beneficial it was to him, because this troupe itself was a propaganda tool for Moscow; the more famous Master Alexei became, the better the propaganda effect would naturally be.
So, he allowed the master to join the procession, setting him on this path of dreams, to the Mother of Cities to present his skill.