Leo was well aware that the Alexei Troupe played a significant role in stabilizing the countryside.
Against the backdrop of this great conscription, the troupe's tour throughout Northeast Rus in the Prince's name greatly salvaged his reputation. In Northeast Rus, where entertainment was scarce, the troupe's performances were indeed a soothing balm for the soul.
Initially, the troupe's tour was not meant to be so long, but after seeing Moscow continuously increasing taxes on the populace, Alexei, the troupe's leader, decided to extend their rural tour.
While performances couldn't make the public's dissatisfaction disappear, they could slightly curb it, and it was this seemingly small curb that sometimes changed many things.
"I must definitely give a gift to Master Alexei. I am truly grateful for his efforts."
Leo, at some point, stood by the window, looking in the direction from which the music came, and said, The Greek was a grateful person. Although Alexei did all this for the Prince, it primarily helped him, and Leo would definitely repay this kindness.
Afterward, the Greek bureaucrat returned to his seat and continued his work; there was still much to do today.
While the officials were busy, the streets of Moscow were filled with joy.
Musicians played cheerful tunes, artists performed various juggling acts, and the troupe's actors, dressed in splendid costumes, marched in formation. The troupe had expanded considerably in recent months, touring various parts of Northeast Rus while continuously recruiting all available talent.
Alexei knew that to always maintain the public's favor, his troupe must constantly improve. Therefore, he recruited various folk artists from the countryside, learned from them, and drew creative inspiration from ancient stories.
Undoubtedly, this parade-like procession undoubtedly energized the public. They cheered for the troupe's return, as the troupe had been touring Northeast Rus for several months, and the people of Moscow had not been able to see their performances.
Even the citizens of Moscow had not had an easy time these past few months. Leo had been adding to their taxes, having collected several special taxes consecutively.
Although these taxes would not crush the people's lives—Leo was very skilled at gauging the right amount when collecting taxes—they were enough to plunge the populace into hardship, even the citizens of Moscow. Previously, they could occasionally eat white bread, and meat was an everyday staple, but now they only had black bread.
Furthermore, an interesting thing happened: during this period, some people in Moscow actually raised the prices of basic foodstuffs to make a huge profit. Unfortunately, Leo directly opened Moscow's granaries and released a massive amount of grain onto the market, instantly stabilizing market grain prices.
And after bankrupting those who attempted to hoard and speculate, Leo directly confiscated their homes. From then on, no one dared to cause trouble in the Moscow market again.
Returning to the theater, during this period, all the plays in the theater were miracle plays. Although miracle plays weren't bad, watching them for too long could get boring. Therefore, everyone still hoped for Alexei and his troupe. Alexei's plays were much more interesting in everyone's eyes. This was another reason for the Moscow people's excitement: he was back, and the people would have plays to watch.
"Ah, finally back in Moscow, it was so difficult."
Amidst such a joyful scene, Domnal Pence looked at the buildings of Moscow, his eyes welling up. Staying in the city for a long time made going to the countryside really uncomfortable; the city was much more comfortable.
Moreover, he yearned to see his wife and children. On the road, his longing for his family deepened every day—of course, excluding his father-in-law. Although his father-in-law arranged for him to be here, he truly couldn't bring himself to like Gvaran.
It was somewhat ironic that Domnar, who once couldn't go anywhere, now found it difficult to live a few years of stable life.
However, Domnar's strong desire to return to the city wasn't entirely due to better city conditions. There was another aspect—more often, it was because of this aspect—that the countryside made this Gael feel very uneasy.
Although everything appeared normal on the surface, and nothing strange could be found, Domnar knew that beneath the calm surface, something was happening; he could feel that atmosphere.
Especially after witnessing the tax collectors of Moscow.
It was a pity that Alexei didn't believe it at all. He continued to tour the countryside, which gave Domnar a headache, but he had no choice but to follow.
The villages welcomed the troupe members, but they were somewhat hostile towards him, a Prince's guard. Domnar understood this hostility, as Moscow had collected a lot of taxes from them.
"Domnar, you're finally back! I haven't seen you in months."
Just as Domnar was lamenting his experiences during this period, a familiar voice sounded from behind him. He looked back and indeed saw his old friend, Dir.
"Oh, Dir, you haven't changed. What? Are you still training those new recruits?"
Domnar gave his old friend a warm hug, feeling invigorated by seeing his friend. Then he brought up his work, and Dir mentioned it with a helpless expression.
"Lord Leo needs people to escort tax collectors. There's nothing I can do; my new recruits can only do that."
"Can't the Red City's personal guards be mobilized? It would clearly be more appropriate for them to handle such matters. The soldiers of the Rostov Camp are mostly recruited from the countryside; it's not right to have them watch their fellow villagers being conscripted for grain."
Domnar frowned. Although he was usually jovial, he was very perceptive and immediately realized the problem with Leo's approach.
"I would like to mobilize those people, but the Red City doesn't agree, so I can only use my own men, and only my men can be used, there's no other way. And I've also noticed the situation you mentioned; some soldiers have indeed had issues, but I've talked to all of them, and it shouldn't be a big problem."
Compared to Domnar's seriousness and sensitivity, Dir was much more indifferent. After all, he had done everything he was supposed to do, so he naturally saw no problem with it.
"Alright, let's not talk about these things. Let's go for a drink at our old spot, near Hagia Sophia. This time, I'm definitely going to drink you under the table."
"Ha, it's not certain who will be drunk first."
Upon hearing about drinking, Domnar revealed his true nature, immediately forgetting completely about the serious matters he had just been considering.
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