[Infrastructure] After being mistaken for a god

In Uruk, getting married is a very cumbersome and serious matter. When engaged, the man needs to pay an agreed amount of dowry to the woman’s family, and the woman’s parents accept it. It takes a lot of time to count the property brought by the woman when she gets married.

These "properties" are all recorded on clay tablets.The content of each clay tablet needs to be seen by the relatives of both parties and witnesses of the wedding.Therefore, the wedding ceremony that starts in the afternoon often lasts until the evening before the celebrations and banquets can begin.And this kind of happy wedding banquet often lasts all night, and the guests still drink and sing happily when the new people are sent to the wedding ceremony, staying up all night.

Uruk weddings also have an unwritten rule: the wedding is open to the whole city, even if they are not relatives, as long as they come on the wedding night and send a word of blessing, they can get a glass of beer and even be invited Feast on the wedding reception.

Therefore, as long as there is a marriage in Uruk, the whole city of Uruk knows about it.

Today in Uruk, there is also a wealthy family holding a wedding.The wedding scene was even more lively than the famous nearby tavern in Uruk.

The family opened the door and used the entire courtyard, which is not small in size, as a wedding venue.

The musicians played uninterruptedly, and the backyard was uninterruptedly roasting meat, and the aroma continued to float to the atrium, luring gluttons to show up.Beer and all kinds of food and snacks are delivered to the small table in front of people like water.

The male guests sit together, laughing and drinking with the music; in the opposite corner of the courtyard are the female guests. The women are not inferior to the men in drinking. If they drink too much, the gorgeously dressed guests are one by one. Blushing, and laughing like silver bells, the wedding scene was lively and charming.

"It's not good, it's not good—"

Suddenly someone stumbled in and rushed in to report the news.

"The king of Uruk, the king of Uruk said he was coming—"

The host didn't realize the problem at all, and the groom's father laughed loudly and said, "That's great, it's rare that the king of Uruk is willing to show his face, come, that... come—"

Speaking of this, the groom's father froze abruptly, his voice becoming very difficult.The smell of alcohol all over his body seemed to disappear all at once, and fear was written on his face.

The music suddenly stopped, and the guests slowly came to their senses, and their eyes on the groom's father suddenly turned into sympathy.

Is the king of Uruk coming...to exercise his "right"?

Beer and banquets made most people drunk, but some people still kept their heads clear and asked the person who reported the news loudly: "Although there have always been rumors of this, I have never heard of where Wang really went. At your wedding, you asked for... the bride's first night?"

Although the people of Uruk have always liked to gossip about Gilgamesh, they still refuse to believe this kind of thing.

"That's right, where did you get the news?" The groom's father finally figured it out, and asked the one who came to report.

The man had a shame on his face: "Just now, in the tavern two streets away, someone mentioned the matter of 'First Night' in front of the king... At that time, everyone didn't know that it was the king himself! Who Knowing that Wang was offended, Wang asked which one was holding a wedding tonight, and found out about your place..."

"We thought it was a joke at first, but he... Wang, can crush a pottery cup with one hand, and crush a whole pottery table with one foot..."

"We asked the owner of the tavern, only to find out that it was really him... really the king."

The guests in the entire courtyard were sober at this time.The groom's father was quick to think, and said: "Hurry up, close the door, put away the musical instruments, and everyone go out through the back door—the dog's wedding is over, it's over!"

There is no way to do this. After all, since Gilgamesh came to the throne, it has never been heard that he actually went to any wedding ceremony to harm other brides.Who could have predicted this in advance?

Unexpectedly, a young man in gorgeous clothes stood tall among the guests, and glanced at the banquet lightly.

When they met his eyes, everyone inexplicably felt a chill in the vest - obviously he didn't show any frightening expression.

"late--"

When the uninvited guest got up, he picked up a skinny young man beside him. This young man was dressed in the clothes of an ordinary peasant.Apart from the boy's own handsome appearance, his attire was inconspicuous at all.

"Why is it late..." The groom's father retorted loudly, but watched the young man dragging the little boy beside him, striding to the main seat reserved for the bride and groom in the middle of the courtyard, without any hesitation. sit down.

Looking at the handsome face of this young man, with a calm expression, the groom's father finally came to his senses, and he couldn't speak any more. He felt his teeth fighting for a long time before he said tremblingly. few words:

"Come... all come to pay respects to the king." The master's knees softened unconsciously.

In the middle of the atrium, the one sitting in big lala is not someone else, but of course it is Gilgamesh who was so angry by Inan's words in the tavern.

It's just that this guy was so angry that he actually knew to calm down first when he got here, and sneak into the wedding scene before attacking - it can be seen that he hasn't been completely angry to the point of losing his mind.

The boy beside him who was dragged out of the crowd was naturally Yi Nan.

Inan is also very sensible: In her opinion, the issue of "Right of the First Night" is not so much a conflict between the "tyrant" and the people under his rule, but rather a "public relations and image issue" of Gilgamesh— —

Since Gilgamesh was not as lustful and insatiable as rumored, the question becomes: what kind of king does he hope to be in front of the world?A tyrannical king who uses fear as a means to frighten the people?He is also a just, wise and convincing king.

If you don't talk about moral judgment, just talk about the means of governance, a tyrant may not really lose to a virtuous king.Considering Gilgamesh's own arrogant nature, Inan really has no way of predicting what choice he will make.

Of course, if Gilgamesh really intends to harm the bride on the spot today, she doesn't intend to spare any physical strength, she will directly fight with Gilgamesh on the spot, and "beat" the other party.

"Why don't you see the bride and groom?"

Gilgamesh sat crookedly on the main seat in the middle of the courtyard, his two long legs stretched obliquely in front of him, and his left hand rested on a low table made of hardwood beside him, with a lazy and casual posture.

"Please come out, the king will bless them."

There were no chairs in this era, and even the most prestigious seats in the atrium were nothing more than a rush mat on the ground, several layers of thick wool pads and blankets on top, and a How short.The oil lamps on the low table and the lights in the courtyard illuminated Gilgamesh's handsome face very brightly.

And Gilgamesh happened to have the ability to make the chief seat in the family of a middle-class family just like the throne in his own palace.There was no sound in the entire courtyard, and after a long, long time, there was a little murmur of discussion from the female guests.

The host family who held the wedding should be regarded as a middle-class family with a well-to-do family in Uruk, but they have never seen such a battle.

The groom's father had a bitter face, and he really didn't know what to do in the face of this sudden "bad guest".

"Hurry up and invite—"

Gilgamesh draws out his voice.

The groom's father suddenly trembled with fright, and ran to ask the bride and groom to come out.

The newcomer did not know if he had already received the news. When they came out, their faces were pale with fright, they supported each other, and tremblingly bowed down in front of Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh let out a long laugh, stretched out his left hand, stood up tall, came to the two, bent down, and seemed to get a closer look at their faces.

He first looked at the groom's appearance carefully, and the groom was immediately stunned—didn't it mean that the king came here for the bride's first night?Why does it look like the groom is here?

Fortunately, Gilgamesh then turned to the bride. I don't know if he was shy or to avoid suspicion. He only glanced at the bride and turned his eyes away.

The bride's face turned red immediately. I don't know if it was because she saw the handsome face of the young Wang clearly, or because she was directly ignored by the Wang and felt shocked.

"You've probably all heard the rumor that all the brides in this city belong to the king on the first night."

Finally, Gilgamesh spoke.

Inan was sitting cross-legged behind Gilgamesh's "throne" at this time, he was a little relieved when he heard him say that, and he felt indescribably happy——

Gilgamesh is finally willing to open his mouth to clarify for himself.

In the tavern just now, Inan had a conversation with Gilgamesh, which made the other party go crazy, which made Inan understand Gilgamesh a little better—this man was born to be a king, so he always Maintain that attitude: Why should the king himself clarify the rumors about the king?

But the more he was unwilling to condescend to clarify, the more these rumors would spread in Uruk, and even spread to Eridu, to Sipar... all over the small villages near Uruk. city-state.It would be too bad when everyone was alienated from the king of Uruk.

Inan secretly hopes that Gilgamesh can seize this opportunity and reshape his personal image.

Who knows that Gilgamesh continued to say: "The women in the city should all feel very honored, because you can spend the first night of your wedding with the king."

Yinan: ...to be able to say such a thing!

She had an urge to throw herself on the ground and pound the ground with her hands—what the hell did she do to know such a straight man?

The entire court was silent in embarrassment, but somehow a suppressed sigh came from the female guest, "Unfortunately—"

Most of the guests sitting there were married female guests. Some people felt sorry, but it was a pity that they missed the opportunity to spend their wedding night with Gilgamesh.

After this kind of sighing emotion was recognized, it turned into a secret laughter among the female guests. It seemed that this kind of regret was gradually understood and recognized by people.For the male guest, there was only embarrassment left.

"Do you think it's a pity?" Gilgamesh sneered, he didn't want to stop here, but suddenly picked up the groom of this wedding with one hand.

"Look, look at this groom, and Wang Bibi, who do you want to spend your wedding night with more?" Gilgamesh forced the groom to stand side by side with him - as the saying goes, no comparison, no harm, Gilgamesh Standing together with the groom, Gamesh and the bridegroom are the same in both appearance and demeanor.

Yi Nan stretched out her hands to cover her face, and at this moment she really wanted to find a hole in the ground and dive in quickly.

Suppressed laughter finally sounded from the female guests, and finally someone answered with dignity: "Of course it's the king..."

Gilgamesh immediately threw the groom away in disgust, and turned to look at the bride.

The bride was shaking like she was sifting chaff, but her face was blushing one after another—indeed, Gilgamesh was definitely a better marriage partner than the plain-looking young man beside her.

But the problem is that with Gilgamesh, there is only "first night", not marriage.

"Who do you choose, the king or your bridegroom?" Gilgamesh asked the bride.

The bride lowered her head, trembling, really unable to give an answer in front of so many people.

"Of course it's the election of the king!" A loud shout suddenly sounded from somewhere in the courtyard—only the relatives and friends of the groom's side glared at this argument at the moment; Maybe it would be a good choice for Meishi to spend their wedding night together.

"You, turn around and let everyone see you!" Gilgamesh said abruptly, commanding the bride loudly.

Yinan also paid attention to the bride's appearance and attire—the bride was about 16 years old, her face was a little childish, but her facial features were exquisite.Her natal family is probably also a wealthy family. In addition to wearing a gorgeous bridal gown, this bride also wears a variety of jewelry on her head and body, such as gold, lapis lazuli, malachite, ruby... The whole person is beautiful, like A jewelry stand.

No matter how mischievous Gilgamesh is, every word he utters is a natural order to the people of Uruk.

The bride was really blushing, and turned around slowly, showing her appearance to the guests.

"I see everything clearly—"

Gilgamesh draws out his voice.

"Comparing the king and the bridegroom, you think everyone should choose the king, don't you?" Gilgamesh said so, no one dared to refute.

"But what about Wang's 'first night'?"

"The king hasn't spent the night with any woman yet. Can the king's first woman only be the most beautiful woman in the world?"

Yi Nan really lowered her head directly and buried her face in the woolen blanket in front of her.How can there be such a "public relations" king for himself?For a while, Inan had the heart to light the wax for Gilgamesh.

This kind of behavior of Gilgamesh is a "self-exposure" in later generations, and it will be on the hot search.

Sure enough, the whole yard fell silent immediately.

No one expected that the king would "reveal" that he was still a virgin with no experience—that is, Gilgamesh hadn't had any chance to exercise his "right of the first night".

This... this, this is completely different from the rumors!

"You say, can such a bride be considered a beauty and worthy of a king?"

Gilgamesh said loudly.

His logic is simple but clear: the king is stronger, more powerful, and more beautiful than the groom, so the king enjoys the right of "first night" without any objection; but for the bride, can the bride be considered a beauty?If it's not beautiful enough... then, is it qualified to be worthy of Wang's "first night"?

—He said this so harshly that the bride immediately began to cry, sobbing softly.The groom standing next to the bride leaned over and nudged her, as if expressing deep sympathy for the bride, but at the same time let go of one thing: at least no one else will interfere with the two on their wedding night tonight. feet up.

All the guests in the courtyard scratched their heads in amazement when they heard the explosive rumors and saw the king of Uruk express his opinion in public.

Unexpectedly, Gilgamesh didn't give up. He turned his head, stretched out his hand, and immediately grabbed Inan, who was like an ostrich, and placed it beside the bride as a frame of reference.

"This is Enkidu, the king's friend—"

"To be the king's woman and spend a good night with the king, you must be at least as beautiful as the king's friends, right?"

Yinan: ...

Under the lamplight, Yi Nan's eyebrows were picturesque. If she wasn't wearing a man's robe, and there was a bit of strength in her brows, others would almost think her as a young girl.

But there was still some noise from the female guests.Someone seemed to be whispering: "No, that friend of Wang's is obviously a girl."

But Gilgamesh didn't hear this, and even if he heard it, he wouldn't believe it—after all, "Enkidu" was a servant sent by Sipar, and Gilgamesh had an intuition that Sipar would not be in such a situation Get it wrong.Besides, is there any woman in this world who can match his strength?

"So, everyone in Uruk listens to the king—all the rumors in this city about the king's 'right of the first night' are all untrue."

The guests in the courtyard: ... so it is like this!

Yi Nan breathed a sigh of relief: this guy finally spoke out the words of clarification.

But the question is, with such a simple sentence, why did he go around such a big circle to explain it?And also "self-exposure"?

"The king's status is noble, and those who are qualified to spend a good night with the king can only be the goddesses who came to the king to accompany the king according to the instructions of the gods!"

When Gilgamesh said this, his expression was solemn and solemn, but his eyes were full of self-esteem and arrogance-but his way of speaking convinced the ordinary people of Uruk: their king is one-third of them. With two gods and one third human beings, the king should be a person who communicates with the gods.

At this time, Gilgamesh personally promised this to the Uruk people, and at the same time expressed his position to all the young people who were planning to get married: "The right of the first night" is in your own hands, just like the right of marriage.

"So don't worry, the king will not interfere with your wedding night. On the contrary, when the king comes here, it is indeed to send the blessing that belongs to the king—"

Gilgamesh finally returned to seriousness at this time, he stretched out his hands towards the two newcomers, and said solemnly:

"I, the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, on behalf of the gods, bless the two of you forever, with endless descendants..."

The two newlyweds obviously experienced shock and frustration just now. After being reminded by their respective family members, they remembered to bow side by side to Gilgamesh, lowered their heads, and finally both received the solemn blessing from the king.

Applause gradually erupted in the courtyard, and someone shouted loudly: "King, you are right!"

"As soon as you explain it like this, we all understand - in the future, if anyone in Uruk city dares to talk about the 'right of the first night', we all know how to go back."

"When young guys and girls get married in the future, they will know what to do—"

"Yeah, I knew you wouldn't be so unkind—but we've never heard anything like that before."

"Our wise king, thanks to you for clarifying this matter today... For these young children, it is indeed a big event!"

"Long live my king!" Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted.

"Long live my king!"

"Long live Uruk!"

The call was a bit far-fetched at first, but later it became more and more sincere. For a while, the whole courtyard was full of such calls.

The shouting also attracted many passers-by other than the guests. They asked what happened and joined the cheering camp one after another.The relatives and friends of the newlyweds immediately decided: openly serve beer and food, so that everyone can share their joy after a "false alarm".

But Gilgamesh, who had just made that "proud" promise, had already pulled his "beautiful friend" beside him at this moment, and immediately got out of the crowd as soon as he lowered his head.After a while, the two were already on their way back to the campsite.Gilgamesh held Inan's wrist, lowered his head, and walked quickly.

In Yinan's view, the effect of this incident was immediate: tonight, half of Uruk's people will hear the news, know that the king doesn't have that appetite, and go to provoke the brides in the city - wait until tomorrow, the news will be The news spread throughout the city and the entire camp, and within half a month, the news would spread to all the city-states around Uruk.

Of course, what made the news spread so quickly was the fact that Gilgamesh "revealed" himself that he was still a virgin—gossip is always the most powerful driving force for the spread of news.

However, Yi Nan turned his head to look at the young man who was running around like flying beside her, and couldn't help but want to laugh in his heart—in fact, this person's behavior today is really a bit childish.

He is arrogant by nature and has an untouchable self-esteem, so he doesn't bother to clarify those silly rumors about him.

But when things really came to an end, Gilgamesh actually chose "return to the absurd", and he went to the newlywed's house, seemingly asking for "first night"; when he really saw the newcomer, Gilgamesh Immediately started to mess around again: neither of you two is as good-looking as me, and naturally you are not good enough for me, a little bit——

The newlyweds were obviously frightened first, then frustrated, until finally, Wang finally showed his serious side and sent them blessings.

It is estimated that no one in Uruk has experienced such twists and turns in a wedding.The young couple probably will never forget it.

But if such a fuss is made, the effect will be hundreds or even thousands of times better than the official clarification of the matter—what happened in Uruk tonight will definitely make everyone happy within a few years. People remember it and talk about it.

When she turned her head to look at Gilgamesh, she found that he was also looking at Inan angrily.

"Do, you fellow, you've ruined all the good fun tonight—"

Gilgamesh gritted his teeth: "You must pay back the king, and pay back the king's good night!"

Yi Nan: ...Here, what's the situation?

Without saying a word, Gilgamesh easily carried the young man beside him on his shoulders. No matter how the opponent protested, kicked, or tried to break free, Gilgamesh just gritted his teeth.

Yinan: It's bad, this guy doesn't really see something, does he?

She had indeed heard someone in the courtyard point out that she was actually a little girl.But Inan didn't believe that a straight man like Gilgamesh could find this out.

But now, what exactly does Gilgamesh want to do?

Late at night, in a hut belonging to the king in the camp, Yi Nan stared dumbfounded at a "chessboard" in front of him, at the mountains, rivers and cities represented by chess pieces that were concisely marked on the chessboard.

Gilgamesh was triumphant: "Anyway, your king won't be able to sleep anymore. Duo, just be honest and play chess with the king all night!"