After so many things had happened in such a short time, the Moscow Prince woke up to find that the meeting was over and the negotiations were concluded in the blink of an eye. It was all too fast.
Yang and Meshko didn't know what to say when they saw Rostislav dumbfounded by these announcements. Wasn't his reaction a bit too extreme?
Although they knew the Prince had expended too much energy fighting on the battlefield, it shouldn't have caused him to still be lethargic at this point.
After recovering, the Moscow Prince felt that this was also good. Rostislav hadn't expected that this chaotic situation would actually resolve the stalemate in Fehérvár, meaning they didn't need to waste any more time there.
Rostislav also didn't want to stay in this place for long. The battles and chaos he had experienced told him that great turmoil was inevitable in the upcoming Magyar, and Rostislav did not want to get involved.
If he were the Grand Duke of All Rus', then interfering in these matters might have some benefits, but he was currently only the Prince of Northeast Rus'. Doing those things was merely an instinctive action as a political animal.
Next, the Moscow Prince inquired about the city's status. Yang informed Rostislav that Fehérvár had returned to peace, with soldiers lining the streets and citizens resuming their activities.
However, the corpses outside the city and the signs of torture indicated that not everything was peaceful, and the burnt-down cathedral silently testified to what had happened here.
This also indicated that the Árpád Dynasty's wrath was brewing. King Bela would not let those pagans who had caused him such a great loss of face be happy. What followed would be a large-scale purge.
King Bela was currently mobilizing governors from all over the country to lead their armies, intending to launch a thorough strike against those pagans. A large-scale civil war was imminent.
Additionally, the King was confiscating property daily, seizing wealth from some Magyar nobles under the charge of "colluding with pagans."
Rostislav viewed this matter as a complete excuse. It was simply using this reason to eliminate some pro-Andrew individuals who couldn't be dealt with directly.
As for the other people who were dealt with, they were mostly wealthy merchants. Regardless of your ethnicity, if the King needed money now, you had to be fleeced.
For people like Jews, if they were robbed, they were robbed. It was already merciful that their lives were spared.
As for other merchants, did feudal lords need a reason to steal money? Giving you a reason when stealing your money was giving you face. We could simply take it by force without any problem, so why not quickly send the money?
And if you refused? If you refused, you would be directly killed, and then your family's assets would be seized.
This made Rostislav watch with great interest. Such a sight was rare in Rus', and he couldn't help but fantasize about when he could deal with merchants in Rus' in such a manner.
It was just a dream, unfortunately. In Rus', the identities of nobles, feudal lords, and merchants often overlapped. What could be done in Hungary couldn't be done in Rus'...
Having grown tired of these sights, Rostislav did not want to remain there; he wanted to leave this troubled place.
Regarding Rostislav's desire to leave, his uncles, who had come to visit, expressed the same opinion.
Their words also carried a sense of liberation. Although they had willingly waded into this murky water, they were unwilling to waste too much time on irrelevant matters.
Intervening in Hungary's internal affairs was indeed profitable, but not now. It was best to leave this troubled place as soon as possible.
After all, the Hungarian matter was concluded, and the desired international reputation had been gained. There was no longer any need to stay in this land; they should return to their Rus' immediately.
Furthermore, the eldest uncle and third uncle expressed their gratitude to Rostislav, thanking him for everything he had done for everyone, and stated that they would send a gift of thanks upon returning to Rus'.
Of course, the second uncle also made a gesture of giving a gift.
The eldest uncle was somewhat regretful that their sister stated she would not return to Rus' with them, but chose to reside at the court of the Duke of Bohemia. That Bohemian heir, whose right of succession had been defended by King Andrew, stated that he would take in Andrew's wife and children to repay King Andrew's kindness.
However, everyone found this understandable. That Bohemian heir, once he became Duke, would certainly greatly assist Andrew's wife and children.
Moreover, Bohemia was too close to Hungary, so interfering in Hungarian politics would not be restricted by mountains and seasons, allowing troops to be dispatched at any time.
And this was also the Empire's intention: if there were changes in Hungary, the Duke of Bohemia would immediately lead the Imperial army into Hungary to support a new monarch.
It was for this reason that Aunt Anastasia was among the first to leave Fehérvár. She was unwilling to stay in the city of her husband's killers for even a second, and the Imperial army also departed with them.
Before leaving, this aunt only gave Rostislav some exquisite jewelry as a thank-you gift for saving them. Rostislav recognized at a glance that these were Hungarian royal jewels, indeed very precious items, many of which could even be traced back to the time of Saint Stephen.
However, the quantity was truly negligible, but Rostislav understood. His aunt had no income and had so many people to support, so she naturally had to be frugal with money.
As for the Imperial bishop, he gave Rostislav a pile of exquisite Bibles, which left Rostislav somewhat speechless. These items were valuable, but why send so many...
But considering that after the Fehérvár riots ended, this bishop angrily denounced King Bela for lax governance, called the Hungarian church useless, and then proceeded to curse all past Hungarian kings, even bringing up old accounts of the Árpád Dynasty plundering churches and monasteries when they were still pagans.
This once made everyone very awkward. Here, apart from the Imperial group, whose ancestors weren't such barbarians?
Of course, the Hungarian church could not hear him, because they were directly impaled by those pagans on the church and then burned to ashes by the flames that consumed the church.
Furthermore, the Imperial faction's series of actions greatly concerned Rostislav. It seemed that the Empire's ambition towards Hungary remained very strong, and it was highly likely that the Empire would intervene very enthusiastically in the upcoming Hungarian civil war.
Edward, meanwhile, bid farewell to his wife and returned to Rostislav's command with his subordinates. After all, his mission was considered complete, so he should return to his liege's service.
Rostislav was very pleased with Edward's return. This Anglo-Saxon nobleman was a powerful general, and this time he had proven that he could fully take charge of a sector on his own.
After his aunt, the King of Poland departed. This King still had internal matters of his own to attend to.
Meshko was quite reluctant when they left, as his relationship with both Bolesław and Siczech was relatively good, and now they were parting ways, so it was natural for him to feel down.
However, before leaving, he sent Rostislav a chest of silver coins, all of which were the latest coinage from the Kingdom of Poland, as a gift of gratitude for Rostislav's actions. Then, he took the gifts bestowed by the Hungarian King and embarked on his journey back to Poland.
Additionally, Rostislav received news that made him feel very uneasy: his second uncle, Sviatoslav, would form an alliance through marriage with Bolesław. His second uncle would marry his daughter to this young and warlike King of Poland.
This truly made Rostislav feel uncomfortable. The marriage alliance between his second uncle and the King of Poland could be said to have gained a powerful foreign ally for him.
If an uprising were to occur in the future, his second uncle could receive military aid from Poland. This warlike and skilled King of Poland might even personally lead his large army to Rus', once again laying siege to Kiev, just like his ancestors did.
However, as the saying goes, when soldiers come, generals block; when water comes, earth covers. Rostislav was only in a bad mood about this, not worried, because there was no need for worry. In the end, it would all be decided on the battlefield.
After the Poles departed, the Rus' also decided to leave, but before their departure, King Bela specifically summoned Rostislav once.