Hearing this, Achilles did not refuse. He ordered the soldiers to remove the ransom gifts from Priam's chariot.
Most of the gifts were gold and bronze, with a few spices and rare treasures.
All the gifts were removed and placed on Achilles's chariot, leaving only a cloak and a tights, which were used to cover Hector's body.
Priam was finally able to see his son. There were drag marks all over Hector's body. Gently stroking the wounds, Priam could imagine what kind of abuse Hector's body had suffered after his death. For a moment, tears flowed down his face.
Achilles called his friend's name. "Patroclus, if you hear in the underworld that I have returned Hector's body to his father, please do not be angry with me! The ransom he has brought is very generous, and you have a share of it. "
"And Zeus has also ordered me not to torture Hector's body, and not to keep his body in custody. Now, following the will of the gods, I have returned his body to his father."
Achilles called out to Patroclus, hoping that his action of returning Hector's body to Priam would be understood.
Hermes, who was invisible, stood beside Priam, watching him cry. He said to himself, "Old king, you have ransomed your son with a large sum of money. But when Agamemnon and the other Greek princes and heroes learn of this, they will detain you and demand triple the ransom from your son at home! "
Priam was shocked. He hurriedly called for his attendants to put on the tights and cloak for Hector's body. Together, they stealthily rode out of the Greek camp with the body.
Hermes, just as he had come, descended in the mist, making it invisible to the Greeks. Soon, he was far away from the Greek camp.
Priam and his attendants drove the chariot towards Troy. They hurried along the way, and by dawn, they had arrived outside Troy.
At dawn, everything was asleep except for Priam's daughter, Kassandra, who was watching from the tower.
When she saw her father sitting in the chariot and Hector's body in the chariot, she could not help but burst into tears.
Hector was her eldest brother, and he took good care of his younger siblings. Seeing him lying on the chariot as if he was asleep, Kassandra felt as if a knife was twisting in her heart.
Pei Zi Yun had been waiting at the top of the city walls for a long time. When he saw the carriage returning, he ordered the soldiers to open the gates.
The war chariot slowly drove into the city. Pei Zi Yun waved his hand, and a group of soldiers came forward to protect the chariot. At the same time, they steered the chariot and guided Priam's chariot towards the palace.
As soon as the procession reached the palace gates, Androma, who had been waiting for a long time, came to greet them. When she saw the corpse of her husband lying on the chariot, she held Hector's head and cried her heart out.
When everyone heard Andromar's heart-wrenching cries, they could not help but shed tears. Even King Priam shed tears.
Pei Zi Yun remained silent. Although he wasn't going to cry, he was affected by the atmosphere, and his heart was filled with sadness.
"Dear husband, you have made me a pitiful widow, and left me alone with my pitiful child."
"Ai, I'm afraid your son will not be able to be raised to adulthood. Troy will soon be destroyed, and you will no longer be able to protect the city and the people in it."
"Soon, we will be captured and put on the warships of the Greeks, and I will not be spared."
Andromar cried to his son, Astianax, and said, "And you, my pitiful son, Astianax, will also serve a cruel master and share your mother's shame."
"Or you will be pushed down from the city walls by a Greek, because your father killed his brother, or his father, or his son!"
When Pei Zi Yun heard Andromar's words, he knew that she was talking about fate. He sighed and said, "Andromar, don't worry. I will protect you and your son."
"My husband, Hector, you see, in the end, it is Paris who has always been hostile to me and your son. But Troy is about to be destroyed, and Paris is powerless to protect us."
"Because your own fate is not in your control, how can you protect us?" Andromar said and cried bitterly, as if he had lost all hope.
Pei Zi Yun shook his head slightly. He knew that no matter what he said, Andromar would not believe that he could protect them. And to protect Troy from destruction, she would not believe him even more.
Pei Zi Yun didn't intend to convince him. Everything would be decided by the facts. He then turned to the tired and white-haired Priamos and said, "Father, you haven't slept the entire night. Go back and rest. Leave the rest to me."
As he said this, Pei Zi Yun called for a messenger. "Order people to prepare firewood and find a craftsman to build a wooden bed. Build a cremation table in the open area of the palace garden as soon as possible."
"Yes, Prince Paris." The messenger immediately accepted the order and bowed before leaving.
Pei Zi Yun ordered people to move Hector's body into a room. He personally wiped the body and stitched up the wounds and wounds on the body.
After cleaning the body, Pei Zi Yun carefully applied balm on the body and dressed it in luxurious clothes. After everything was done, Hector's body looked brand new. He was no longer in a sorry state. At this moment, he seemed to be sleeping on the bed.
"Prince Paris, the cremation table has been built." A messenger came in and reported.
"Mm, find a few people to move Prince Hector's body to the wooden bed on the cremation table." Pei Zi Yun ordered.
Everyone obeyed. Unknowingly, the power had been transferred to Paris.
In history, Paris had a bad reputation. Hence, even if Hector died, it would not be his turn. But now, Paris was good at scheming and had many achievements in the war. Hector's death was what everyone expected.
Palace Garden, Open Area
A two-meter high cremation table was erected. The palace craftsmen had used wood to build the cremation table. At the top of the cremation table was an exquisite wooden bed. Around the cremation table, there were many flammable firewood.
Beside the cremation table, there was a temporary altar. The altar in the middle was also two meters high. On it, there were statues of Zeus and Apollo.
Hector's body was transported over. Using a ladder, it was placed on the tall wooden bed.
In front of the altar, the priestess, Princess Kassandra, stood quietly. Servants carried the gold and led the bull up.
Kassandra took the tray and placed the gold on the altar. She then slaughtered the bull and sacrificed it.
"The fearsome Zeus, the God of Distance Shooting, Apollo, you are so noble. I hope that you will grant me grace and allow Hector's soul to rest in peace in the underworld."
After the sacrifice was completed, everyone stood in a circle around the cremation table. They moved slowly and looked at Hector, who was lying quietly on the wooden bed. They were deeply reminiscing about him.
"My dear son, Hector, how cruel you are to leave us so early. The safety of Troy and the people of Troy are all on your shoulders. With you gone, what will happen to Troy? How can you bear to see Troy destroyed in the hands of the thugs?"
As Priam spoke, he couldn't help but shed tears. The Elders who were listening all used their hands to wipe the tears from the corners of their eyes.
Hector's mother, Hector, was crying her heart out. Even now, she still couldn't accept the reality of Hector's departure.
Pei Zi Yun held a torch in his hand and gently lit the pile of firewood. A huge fire rose into the sky. The blazing flames cast a bright red glow on the surroundings.
"Hector, my son, my son!" Hecuba cried out miserably, then suddenly fainted.
"Queen, Queen." A maid quickly caught her body.
"Bring the Queen to rest." Pei Zi Yun commanded. The fire burned for a long period of time. Everyone was silent as they reminisced about Hector's life.
Gradually, the fire became smaller and smaller. All that was left of the cremation table was a pile of ashes. Everyone used sweet wine to extinguish the remaining ashes.
They picked up some bones from the ashes and wrapped them in a purple cloth. They placed them in a small golden box and sent people to bury them.
Pei Zi Yun then turned around to face Priam, "Father, I wish to speak to you."
Priam was shocked. He followed Paris through a corridor and heard his son ask, "Father, when Troy was destroyed by that person, what was the biggest difficulty you faced in rebuilding it?"
Priamos was taken aback by Paris' sudden question. He didn't expect Paris to ask such a question. Thinking about it, he realized something and said, "Establishing a city isn't easy. Talents, resources, authority, and strength are all indispensable."
"But Paris, we are the children of God. We have power and authority. We do not lack it."
Pei Zi Yun nodded. He was a political expert and a master of the art of war. Of course, he understood that the foundation of all political power was power. The princes of this world were not like the ones in the world of Da Xu. The princes had the blood of God in them. It was not difficult for them to suppress the mortals.
"With power and money, it is not difficult. Only craftsmen, doctors, prophets, and scholars are more difficult. With them, even if the prince lost his city, it would not be difficult to rebuild it."
At this point, Priam had already understood. He looked at his son with a sad and tender gaze. "Paris, I will prepare these for you. You can leave with Onone."
"Pu!" Pei Zi Yun laughed. Priam was indeed a good father. He thought that Paris would want to escape if Hector died. It was better to make things easier for him.
But at this point, he said, "Father, you are wrong. I have to prepare these, but it is better to be safe than sorry. It is too late if something happens."
"How can I leave by myself? If I want to leave, I have to kill Achilles first."
Priam's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He was about to say something when he saw Paris turn around and say, "Besides, can I even leave?"
Hearing this, Priam was speechless. He let out a long sigh.
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