togophonebook #145 - Lord, please forgive me
#145 - Lord, please forgive me
Imperial Calendar, November 5, 1444.
Holy See.
The sea breeze carrying the smell of fish blew through the silk纱(紗: silk) curtains, the air was filled with the aroma of pepper and flowers, mixed with distant chanting and bells.
Pope John VIII, wearing a wide-sleeved, snow-white nightgown, stepped barefoot on the carpet, holding the windowsill and looked towards the blue-gray haze between the sea and the sky.
His limbs were slender and long, but his head and torso appeared plump, like a shoddy snowman with four sticks inserted into a snowball.
The sea breeze blew, and he staggered a little, taking a step back, and the servant behind him immediately supported his back.
"Thank you, Sherry." Turning around, holding the shoulder of the servant priest, John VIII walked unsteadily to the dressing table and sat down.
In just a few steps, John VIII was even panting a little.
Who would have thought that this seemingly weak old man would be the most powerful person in the entire empire?
A wheat-skinned Xilan deaf-mute girl stepped forward, picked up the powder puff and paint, and began to do makeup for the Pope.
"You don't actually have to attend today's imperial conference," Sherry said softly, standing behind John VIII.
"In that case, that apostle of the devil will say some blasphemous curses, and I will not allow him to defile our sanctuary again."
John VIII leaned back in his chair, stroking the velvet armrest: "That eloquent villain, saying his name, my tongue will be blasphemed."
"Grandiva is using these meetings to exhaust your energy." Sherry soaked a fire- patterned cherry into purple-blue wine, and placed that small glass of wine in John VIII's hand.
John VIII picked up the glass and drank it all, spitting out the cherry pit. He closed his eyes and waited for a while. His originally pale gray face regained some rosiness.
"They are discussing the matter about that 'Holy Grandson' this time, right?"
"Yes." Sherry picked up a stack of meeting agendas from a table aside and placed them in front of John VIII.
John VIII brought the paper very close and read it slowly.
"Your Majesty, is the church's reaction to this Holy Grandson a little too much?" After weighing the pros and cons, Sherry still said this: "Now there is a catching short hairs craze in Kaimu Province. Many normal armed farmers and even merchants and citizens have been forced into bankruptcy by the lords."
"Do you think I don't know?" John VIII threw the agenda aside. "Holy Grandson, humph, how is this different from Grandiva's theory of angel reincarnation? It's just that Grandiva has the cooperation of the French and the French royal family.
On the Thousand River Valley matter, why did Grandiva and us reconciled? Wasn't it because he was scared by that stupid farmer? The more humble he is, the more we have to make a big deal out of it.
He is being held there by his previous attitude of severely punishing them, and it is impossible for him to go back and say to relax the capture of short hairs. He is being roasted on the fire."
In addition to this, there was another reason for John VIII's fueling the flames: he could feel that the supreme being seemed to have noticed this "Holy Grandson."
This made him feel fear. Even Grandiva, who claimed to be an angel reincarnation, had not been able to attract His attention.
Only the successive Popes know—He is really watching the world.
But He doesn't care about anything.
Only when the Pope is handing over and wears that sacred crown will he feel a trace of His existence.
This is also why he is sure that Grandiva is a liar, because he has not aroused any reaction from Him.
If Grandiva could arouse even a trace of attention from that being, John VIII would not have promoted him to the College of Cardinals.
Not being able to withstand the pressure and temptation was the thing John VIII regretted the most.
At that time, he was facing the aftermath of the Windmill Land War. Without the support of the French priests, he was afraid that he would become the first Pope to bankrupt the Holy See.
But if he could have foreseen today's situation, even if he lost all face, he would not have let Grandiva step into this sacred city.
John VIII stroked his bloated waist and abdomen. When he pressed down, the pit would hardly return to its original shape.
Grandiva guessed right, he doesn't have much time left.
" Thousand River Valley is one of the most stable sources of wealth for our Northern Church. The catching short hairs cannot affect the normal operation of the Thousand River Valley. Order them to stabilize food prices."
Sherry immediately took out a quill pen and wrote the Papal Edict on the paper.
After hundreds of years of management, the influence of the native Riverlanders [official name of the Empire] in Thousand River Valley gradually retreated to the mountains, and the rich plain areas were controlled by the church.
John VIII was able to take back the position of Pope from the French by relying on a large amount of exchange of benefits in the Thousand River Valley.
In the four counties of the plain, Hotam County alone has 1.2 million people, which can bring the church dozens of bishop deans and hundreds of cathedral clergy positions.
The church's income in Hotam County is 100,000 gold pounds every year!
The maid held the powder box and patted the lead-containing makeup powder on John VIII's face full of age spots.
"This year's summer tax in Thousand River Valley has not yet been paid, and those damned Riverlanders are clamoring to revolt." Picking up the edict, John VIII coughed. "Although I don't appreciate Constance's handling of Huanno, his decisive action has bought us a lot of time...Sherry, get me my clothes."
"What if the Thousand River Valley people really revolt?" Sherry took the Pope's holy vestments from a hanger aside.
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The exquisite stitches sewed out secret text patterns that were so complicated that they were dizzying. In the censer under the clothes, the rich incense was soaking into every yarn of the clothes.
" Huanno is dead, the only thing worth worrying about is that little girl."
The Pope stood up, letting the maids step forward to fasten his clothes for him. He said calmly, "With our Shire there, she will at most take a few mountain counties. As long as the four counties in the plain are not lost, we will not have much loss."
"Then can we still get the summer tax from Thousand River Valley?"
"Probably not. It is estimated that we can collect half of it this year. In the next three years, even if we want to collect it, we probably won't be able to."
"Especially at this time..." Sherry sighed softly.
John VIII did not speak. He knew very well that the collapse of the Inoson Dam was due to his own transformation.
Those damned nobles and priests colluded with the envoys he sent, not only failed to transform well the Inoson Dam, but even led to the current turmoil in Thousand River Valley.
In this matter, Grandiva really didn't do anything.
This would not have affected the overall situation, but Old King Leia who supported John VIII suffered a stroke and fell ill. Before the new king took the throne, the Leians's attention was focused on possible civil wars.
Before the political situation in the Leia Kingdom stabilized, the support he received from the Leia region would be greatly reduced.
If this continues, he will really have to give the position of Pope back to the French, or even the position of Emperor, which has been vacant for thirty years, will have to be returned to the French along with it.
John VIII had been busy all his life, and he was about to return to the starting point.
"Could it be that the Lord really blesses the French?" John VIII's words were even a little bleak.
"Your Majesty, you must never think like this." Sherry was shocked and gently patted John VIII's back. "If the Lord blesses the French, why let you become Pope to correct the mistakes?"
"Sherry, your future is limitless." With some emotion, John VIII held his shoulder. "You will definitely get a cardinal's position, but that edict may not come from my hand."
Sherry supported John VIII: "You still shouldn't say such things."
"I only have three years, or two years." John VIII looked through the window, his eyes almost piercing the walls and mountains, landing on Longge City, the royal capital of Leia Kingdom.
"Lord, please forgive me, I have to gamble."