While doing these tasks, the Moscow Prince did not forget his hobbies, and he was also pursuing them simultaneously.
His novel writing was also progressing smoothly; the story's framework had largely been constructed, and the next challenge was how to fill it in.
This was a story witnessing continental wars and politics from an outsider's perspective, linking the fate of the nation and individual destinies in a complementary way.
The Moscow Prince had already established several fixed characters, such as scholars who denounced feudal rulers and independent, self-reliant women... in short, he wrote a lot of things that would make him appear 'progressive' and 'ahead of his time'.
However, although the story structure was in place, the characters, background, and details still needed to be filled in. He was very cautious in this regard, having written and torn up drafts countless times.
After all, even with a future perspective, writing skills require a lot of practice. Writing is crucial for character portrayal, and details relate to the rationality of the entire world.
As for the importance of the background, that comes last. After all, when creating a work, storytelling is paramount; the background can be thought of later, at most making it more rigorous and complete.
However, unbeknownst to the Moscow Prince, with the return of a long-forgotten benefactor from the distant West, after hearing the captain recount his adventures, the Moscow Prince would be inspired to create a world that sparked countless debates among future historians.
That is, whether what the Moscow Prince wrote was history or fiction, and whether this novel could serve as a reference for historical research.
But for now, the Moscow Prince knew nothing. He was in his office, scratching his head, not working, but pondering how to continue writing and how to write it well.
Rostislav spent much of his time in such contemplation, entering his office with a stack of documents, closing the door, and then emerging four or five hours later with the completed documents.
In the eyes of many, the Moscow Prince was an out-and-out workaholic. His frantic work made his subordinate officials dare not slack off and also work diligently.
However, this situation was actually because Rostislav greatly concealed his administrative ability. In reality, he could quickly finish that seemingly exaggerated pile of documents, but the Prince wanted to establish a workaholic persona, so he would spend time in the office writing novels.
After all, he had to 'lead by example.' When the Prince was working frantically, wouldn't his subordinates also have to work overtime? No one dared to leave work before the Prince left the palace.
However, naturally, the Moscow Prince could fool most people, but he could never fool those closest to him.
For example, Zoe always knew what her husband was up to. After all, if Rostislav truly worked with such high intensity every day as he claimed, then how could he still be so energetic every night, bothering her? Then she found her husband's manuscript among the papers.
Rostislav was 28 this year, and a handsome beard had grown on his face, making him appear more charming, no longer like a young man, but like a true, majestic ruler.
This 'uncle' type held a strong attraction for young girls, not to mention the bonus points brought by the Moscow Prince's own power. Many ladies-in-waiting in the court wanted to get into Rostislav's bed; they would even be willing for a one-night stand.
However, the Moscow Prince only ever slept with his wife and never initiated anything in that regard, so they never found an opportunity.
Zoe was the same age as her husband. Women at this age are as ripe, sweet, and delicious as peaches, making Rostislav always crave his wife's body. Similarly, Zoe also craved her husband's body.
Just like when they were young, and the couple's feelings were as strong as they were then. It was also for this reason that Rostislav never allowed ladies-in-waiting to serve him in bed.
Zoe was enough to satisfy the Prince's needs and exhaust him, leaving him with no interest or energy to touch other women. This unusual fidelity had always been one of the most discussed topics in court.
The harmonious marital life ensured an excellent relationship between the Moscow Prince and his wife, reflected in Zoe's continuously expanding assistance to Rostislav in state affairs.
By now, everyone in Moscow regarded Zoe as a second Prince. Even if Rostislav were to suddenly pass away, Zoe could take charge of everything and raise their children. This lady had always been deeply involved in Moscow's affairs and was long familiar with them.
Another person who knew the Prince was slacking off was Leo. The old bureaucrat in the capital was very sensitive to documents; he could tell at a glance what Rostislav was up to.
After all, many young people under him used to be like that, capable of doing more work but only doing so much, and pretending to have worked for a long time. However, Leo eventually discovered them and gave the bureaucrat a good scolding.
But this time, he was facing Rostislav, so he knew everything but never said a word, only hinting to the Prince not to try to cover it up in front of him, which often made Rostislav quite awkward.
But even so, Rostislav remained very cautious. For example, now, as the door was knocked, the Moscow Prince subtly put away his manuscript.
Then he picked up a document titled 'Moscow Urban Planning' and began to read it, saying, 'Come in.'
Seeing who walked in, Rostislav stopped pretending, because it was none other than his wife, Zoe, and his three sons were also there.
Walking behind their mother was his eldest son, Rurik, who was 11 this year, while his second son, Volodrida, held his mother's hand as they entered; he was 6 this year. His youngest son, Vasiliko, was carried by his mother, and he was only three years old today.
"Oh, why are you here?"
The Moscow Prince immediately dropped the document, walked over to his wife, and made her sit down. How did she manage to carry all three sons by herself?
And Rostislav already felt a headache coming on. These three boys were usually very boisterous; now that they were here, he could forget about continuing to write.
"Volodrida wanted to see you; he kept nagging, so I brought him over. And Vasiliko too, I really have a headache."
Zoe's face showed a troubled expression. Although there were many maids in the palace, Zoe still tried her best to personally care for the three children.
Zoe was not used to entrusting her children to others; she would personally care for them whenever possible, but sometimes she simply couldn't handle it.
At such times, the children's father needed to step in. Zoe was even somewhat deliberate in this, as she wanted the children to be close to their father. Rostislav always immersed himself in his office, and his closeness with the children was somewhat lacking.
Rostislav considered this a chore and always tried to escape, but he always failed. The occasional success came at the cost of being kicked out of bed by his wife to sleep on the floor. As for this time... clearly, he couldn't escape.
"I'm working..."
Rostislav said weakly. The Prince felt very bad. Why did his work (slacking off) time have to involve the children looking for him? So he subconsciously blurted out those words.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Zoe glared at him, followed by a look that was unique to them as a couple. Zoe's meaning was simple: Didn't she know what he was doing here? Don't push your luck; I don't want to scold you in front of the children.
So Rostislav dared not say anything else. He didn't want the children to see him being reprimanded by their mother, as that would destroy his authority as a father.
The Moscow Prince looked at his son. Volodrida was a lively and boisterous boy, known for his energetic nature. Rostislav wasn't surprised that this child was nagging to see him, but he didn't know why.
As for Vasiliko, that surprised the Prince. This boy was only three; what could he understand?
Only Rurik was the most worry-free. After this child entered, he stood silently to the side, quietly listening to his father and mother's conversation, and observing everything.
This was why Rostislav liked this boy the most; he was thankful that he wasn't noisy.
Then Zoe sat in a seat on one side of the room, while Rurik stood quietly behind his mother like a servant.
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The Prince took his third son from his wife's arms, and seeing the boy hugging him tightly, he knew the little one simply missed his father.
Vasiliko had been dependent on his father since he was small; when he was an infant, he would cry and fuss without his father present, and his mother could not even soothe him, so eventually, only Rostislav could handle it.
Vololida began to make a scene at this moment, "Father, I want a sword. Rurik has one, so why don't I? I want one, I want one, I want one!"
Hearing this, Rostislav's head immediately began to ache. The boy was simply too persistent; he had to get his hands on whatever he wanted, and if he didn't, he would keep making a fuss, which was truly a headache.
However, all those tactics were aimed at his mother; they were not very effective against Rostislav.
"Vololida, how many times do I have to say it? No means no, you are still too young!"
The Prince's tone was very stern, as this was the only way to deal with this stubborn child. It was a lesson the Moscow Prince had learned after many failures; this boy was exactly the type who would tear the roof off if he wasn't disciplined for three days.
Rostislav still remembered when the little guy had just turned six and climbed up to the tower of the Red City. The result was that Domnal and Vasily nearly ran their legs off, and in the end, the boy fearlessly jumped down from the top.
Of course, he had aimed for the spot where so many of the Druzhina were gathered below, but it still scared the Captain of the Guard and the captain of the personal attendants half to death, while he just laughed out loud, shouting about how he finally knew what it felt like to fly.
The price for doing that was a beating from Rostislav that very day, followed by endless apologies to the Druzhina, as the whole affair had left them in such a flustered state.
After all, the relationship between Rostislav and the Druzhina was not purely master and servant; it was more of a friendship. When you put friends through such trouble, how could you not apologize?
Afterward, the Prince beat him until he wailed all night, which made Zoe feel terrible. That was the first conflict between the husband and wife; Zoe cried because her heart ached for her son being beaten.
Perhaps because of his mother's tears, the boy never acted so recklessly again, though his habit of running around everywhere remained; he had been to almost every corner of the Red City.
The accumulated experience proved useful again; his son immediately stopped making a scene, but there was more dissatisfaction in his eyes when looking at his father. Seeing that look gave the Prince a headache; the child was great in every way, but whenever he acted foolishly...
"How about this: when you are the same age as Rurik, I will give it to you. You are really too young right now."
The Moscow Prince knelt in front of the child and spoke to him in a soft, gentle voice, his words full of negotiation. He had just yelled at the boy, so it was best to be gentler now.
"...Hmm, but you must give it to me."
Vololida first showed his father the back of his head before speaking, which made Rostislav subconsciously heave a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn't making a scene, that was good; it was good that he wasn't making a scene.
"Alright, alright, alright, absolutely no problem."
Zoe watched the interaction between father and son from the side, and seeing her husband's expression, she could not help but smile sweetly. Hearing the sound, Rostislav gave Zoe an annoyed look; he really did not want to be babysitting.
After soothing the one beside him, Vasiliko, whom he was holding, started making a fuss again, demanding that Rostislav tell him a story.
With no other choice, the Moscow Prince had to hold Vasiliko and sit in his chair, then rummage through the table to find a copy of "The Collection of Rus' Stories," a compilation Rostislav had created by gathering the fairy tales he still remembered from his own mind along with local Rus' fairy tales.
However, this book only circulated within a small circle, and the Prince gave it away as gifts.
Then, the Moscow Prince began to tell his son the story of The Little Mermaid, a task he was very familiar with. Although Vololida was usually very restless, he was now lying beside his father, listening to the story they had heard countless times before.
Only Rurik remained standing by his mother's side. The child had long ago declared that he would not listen to fairy tales anymore, but looking at him, Rostislav knew for sure that the boy was listening.
As the Moscow Prince delved deeper into the story, the two children went from their initial attentiveness to falling asleep. Then, Rostislav carefully placed the two children one after the other onto the sofa in the room, covered them with a blanket, and sat down beside Zoe.
As soon as he sat down, the Moscow Prince said irritably, "Alright, I've lulled these two little things to sleep, and you've also seen how embarrassed I was. Is that enough?"
Rostislav's voice was a bit hoarse, showing how long he had been telling stories. From his tone, it was clear that such things had happened many times, and each time, Rostislav was quite flustered.
"I am doing this for the sake of your relationship with your sons. You are busy with your novels all day long, and even though you have so much free time, you do not play with the children. Otherwise, would I have to use such tactics?"
Zoe's voice was also filled with indignation. She had worked so hard for the harmony of the family, yet he got angry every time; naturally, she was dissatisfied.
"Alright, alright, alright, every time we talk about this, you get like this. Let's not talk about it anymore; let's talk about something else."
Seeing his wife like this, Rostislav quickly ended the topic. If it continued, it would be endless, and it would also affect their relationship as husband and wife, so it was better to stop early.
Next, Rostislav looked at his eldest son, Rurik, "How are your lessons going lately? What have you learned recently?"
As Rostislav's eldest son, Rurik had naturally begun his studies long ago, and his teacher was none other than Rostislav's own teacher, Luka Zhidiata, the Moscow Bishop.
Entrusting the child to the Bishop for education was a good opportunity to deepen the relationship with the church, and since Bishop Luka had taught him, he was well aware of the teacher's proficiency.
The Bishop was also very happy to educate Rostislav's son; in his view, since Rostislav's aptitude was so good, his son would certainly not be bad either.
But this time, the Bishop was disappointed. Rostislav's son did not display the heaven-sent talent that had astonished him in the Moscow Prince; he was just a very ordinary young nobleman.
However, even so, the Bishop still put forth his greatest effort to teach Rostislav's son, and for this reason, he even put some of his church duties aside.
"Lastly, we studied the Hexaemeron."
Rurik replied, and upon hearing the name, Rostislav's expression visibly soured. He had read this stuff himself back in the day, and he disliked such theological theories to the extreme.
"Theological stuff is fine to know, but as rulers, we will not need to debate scriptures in the future. What's the use of understanding so much of this?"
The Moscow Prince's response was very consistent with his long-held view on theology: such things should be studied, but knowing the basics is enough; do not take it too seriously.
In fact, Zoe was somewhat opposed to this; in her view, it was necessary to understand theology, as it could be useful in daily life. However, since the couple had argued about this many times, after a while, Zoe stopped arguing with her husband and just privately told her son to take it seriously.
It was because of this that a difficult look appeared on little Rurik's face, but the child quickly composed himself.
Rostislav saw this but said nothing. He knew what his wife was saying and knew the child was in a difficult position, but he was only raising the point; how the child chose was up to him.
"Next, come out with me to practice swordsmanship and let me see how your sword skills are. You are someone who already has his own sword, after all."
The Prince then shifted the topic to swordsmanship, which made Rurik's face light up. His parents disagreed on many things, but never on sword practice; therefore, this was his happiest time.
The father and son walked out of the room briskly, while Zoe, tending to the two sleeping children, watched them leave with a warm expression on her face.
This was Rostislav's daily family life: noisy but warm. Whether it was Rostislav or Zoe, they were both very satisfied with such a life.