When spring came, all the courts were watching the free city-state of Cambrai, not because of the majesty of the bishop of Cambrai, but because of the clash of stars, where the three supreme kings were about to meet, and where the storms from the east, west, north and south ceased, until a new heat wave was brewing and sweeping everywhere.

A young Swabian nobleman arrived in Cambrai, a new earl from an otherwise unknown family that had only risen to prominence in recent years, and in the midst of the chaos of the Empire, the young earl became the son-in-law of Emperor Henry, even though he was no older than him.

"Lord Frederick!" The Count heard someone shouting to him, and turned his head away, revealing a handsome face beneath his blonde hair. The man who shouted was a young monk, whom the Count recognized at once.

"Dear, I didn't expect to see you here." The Count had a friendly expression, and between Mars and Venus, he was clearly more favored by the latter, and he was very good at using this charm.

Brother Dagobert was an emperor, but he claimed to prefer scholarship to politics, and his patron was Vizilo, the emperor's favorite.

"A Call of Duty." The monk was reluctant to reveal the reason for his presence, even though the count opposite was a member of the Emperor's family.

"Have you been studying divination lately?" The Count did not continue to spy on his secrets.

"That's outdated knowledge, and I'm reading an English book called 'The Celestial Sphere.'" Young Dagobert replied casually, "Your name is always mentioned in the court, and if it weren't for you, Rudolph would have attacked Thuringia from the Black Forest." ”

"It's not much better now," Count Frederick sighed, "the rebels are getting stronger and stronger in the south, and if Your Majesty continues to let it go, not to mention that I'm just an Earl of Platsch, even a duke can't resist it." ”

As they were talking, a group of freshly dressed Latin attendants passed by, and the Count looked at Dagobert with a questioning expression, and the latter replied with a slight movement of his lips, "Lady Matilda." ”

This noblewoman was the most powerful lord in northern Italy, with territories in Ferrara, Florence, Lucca, Mantua, Modena, Pisa, Parma, etc., and Madame Matilda's Castle of Canossa was comparable to the Imperial Palace compared to the Stauffen Castle built by Count Frederick at the foot of the Jura Mountains, and was famous for the vigil of Emperor Henry.

The Earl was a little dumbfounded, this was one of the protagonists of this incident, after all, the alliance between the three monarchs was also for her inheritance dispute with Godfrey. Madame Matilda was definitely the most attractive widow to the European lords at this time, not only because of her youth and beauty, but also because of the huge fortune she had in her name, but when one remembered the fate of her former husband, the Duke of Lower Lorraine, one could not help but feel a little awe of this maverick woman. In this era, it is legendary that a woman can overwhelm her husband, maintain her independence, and even stand in opposition to her husband in the battle for the right to resign.

"The pomp and circumstance is not small," Dagobert quickly dispelled his envious expression, and suddenly said mysteriously, "It's a pity that this time her prospects are not as optimistic as those of adults." ”

"What?" Count Frederick turned his head to look at the monk, who replied slowly:

"Don't you know? His Majesty intends to make you Duke of Swabia. ”

Frederick's heart beat wildly, was this Latin's word true or false? Could it be that Bishop Vizilo wanted to test himself?

"Don't laugh, Godfrey's roots are as good as this lady." The Count quietly avoided another topic.

"Godfrey is nothing, of course, but the question now is whether the Emperor chooses a 'false monk' with hatred, or the rightful king of England and France." The monk's expression was very complacent, and in the eyes of the Count, the young man sometimes looked almost like a naïve fool.

"But will Edgar and King Philip really show up?" Frederick was indeed skeptical, but both the Emperor and the Pope apparently believed that the meeting of Cambrai must have taken place, and that he and the lady would not have been present at the same time.

"The two kings have arrived in Arras," the monk continued, showing off his message, "and hearing that His Majesty Edgar's retinue consisted entirely of infantry on ponies, and the French were secretly laughing at the fact that the King of England had a private 'Varangian Guard.'" However, the knights of the Earl of Boulogne have also joined his ranks, and Godfrey is now more loyal than the knights of the King of England, and His Majesty will not be pleased with the young man's performance. ”

"That's really ......," Count Frederick wanted to say, but his excitement swallowed up his thoughts: such a grand event was just around the corner, the three kings of Christendom were about to meet, and there was nothing impossible in this world - such as becoming a duke himself......

Madame Matilda was evidently more well-informed than that Dagobert, and her expression was as unpredictable as the weather in the north, and the noblewoman in her thirties faced her anger with the pride peculiar to Italians—even Heinrich, the self-proclaimed Augustus, could only bow down before the majesty of Rome, and did the Gallic king and Saxon chieftain think that she would give in?

"Has the Bishop of Verdun arrived?" Matilda asked the squire suddenly.

"My Lady (MeaDomina), Lord Theodoric is already waiting for you."

Bishop Theodoric holds the decisive vote, and if he can get his support, then the Easter council can be bypassed. Matilda was confident enough to convince the bishop, after all, the Pope behind her was far more than the secular monarchs could give......

At dusk, when the sky was as coloured as the glass of the church, Matilda left the Bishop of Verdun's residence, and the outcome of the meeting was disappointing and even more disturbing, Bishop Theodoric was reluctant to make any commitments, and he also implied to Matilda that Emperor Henry might make "major adjustments" in the affairs of the Church in the future.

What kind of adjustments can cause a bishop to reject the cardinal's crown? She felt a fear that meant that the prospect of Rome was obscured in the eyes of the other party?

Rome! What is Verdun compared to Rome?