Dedicated actors will not disappoint the audience who are waiting for them, not to mention that they have spent so long preparing the script and lines, how can they give up such a good opportunity to show?

The Vatican's stage has never lacked high-profile celebrities, but if you want to perform flesh and blood without revealing flaws, you need not only superb acting skills and tears that can earn sympathy with fake and real, but also a thoughtful brain and strong foreign aid.

I slowly cooled a glass of warm water, pinched it in my hand and played with it repeatedly, and it had been a long time since the funeral procession entered the catacombs of the church, and the priest who was standing there like a statue without moving a thread also secretly knocked on his sour back.

"I'm afraid it's enough to dig a pit and bury a person, right?" I thought so stupidly, turned the edge of the cup to find an angle and poured the cool warm water down, and burped for a long time.

The nobles present were almost in the same state as me, and most of them were a little impatient, but for the sake of cultivation and face, they generally maintained a decent calm, but the knights of Nijmegen and other realms who participated in the ceremony all blew their beards and stared, and if I hadn't sat in front of them, they would have all been exposed.

Just as I was about to send an attendant to check on the situation, the humming of the crowd suddenly stopped, and I turned around in confusion, and sure enough, I saw Archbishop Gaiulius and his party coming in through the corridor.

"The show is about to begin!"

My eyes swept over the excited faces of the nobles, and I read the obvious answer: "It's really not a big deal to watch the excitement......"

The archbishop's face was heavy and he was silent, his pursed lips were like two tightly knit scales, and the expression of Priest Michelangelo was much more relaxed in comparison.

Perhaps because of his younger connections, the posture of his walk became more and more imposing, and Bishop Odosius, who was at the end of the line, lowered his head, and his slow pace suppressed the atmosphere rather low.

As the confidant of the late Ni Xia, he had to hide his edge and blend in with the crowd to reduce his presence, everyone understood that the Pope's funeral was just a foreplay, and the real Gao Chao was the next war of words about inheritance, and it was hard to guarantee that it would not turn into a bloody conflict.

The movements and expressions of the old and the young clearly show the completely different states of mind, it seems that Father Michelangelo is confident, and Archbishop Gaiulius is temporarily down, it seems that the delay in the catacombs for so long is not just as simple as burying the Pope.

Several bishops, priests, who were on the cusp of power, returned to their places and sat down, and all eyes were on them.

Now the situation is very clear, only the three people who sit in the middle have a chance to get their hands on the papal throne, Archbishop Gaiulius, who is definitely old enough, but the outgoing Archbishop of Aachen has been suppressed since he came to the Vatican, and his popularity is far less than that of the other two.

Bishop Odosius, who had a deep relationship with the Roman aristocracy, although his qualifications were not as good as the former, but he was not too ugly, but Rome changed hands, and many nobles who had been close to him were purged, and the survivors were still waiting, and the power to push him further was much worse.

Then there is the most junior celebrant Fr. Michelangelo, who has a modest status in the Vatican, and is only a small palm seal priest, but he is supported by quite a few people.

The status of the right-hand man of the current Berlin Archbishop Alessandro is undoubtedly a lot of points, some people have power and backers, coupled with Nijmegen's vague admission, Father Michelangelo quickly integrated more than half of the cardinals who have the right to vote, whether it is through the normal voting procedure or force, he has the ability to ensure that nothing goes wrong, so the expressions of the three people at the moment are completely different.

Some people are excited, some people are lost, and some people are helpless to accept their fate.

"The atmosphere is a little awkward......"

I raised my glass, and Rollo immediately filled it: "Who will be the gong that breaks the silence?" ”

Looking around with a self-muttering voice, I found that a few little nobles with evil intentions were also looking here: "You don't think I'm jumping out to be this wronged boss, right?" ”

From the scene alone, it is true that only my identity and status are suitable, but unfortunately the tone of today's is Vatican infighting and happily watching the big play, and the dignified duke's intervention in the internal affairs of the Holy See is not only too purposeful, but also will push Nijmegen to the forefront of public opinion, and it is the best choice to wait and see what happens.

Quiet, terrible silence, I seem to see an invisible Grim Reaper in a black robe and a scythe in his hand, looking around in this sacred church for a substitute for the bloody field of power, yes, there must be someone who will die or life is worse than death, but who wants to be the first to die if a smart person wants to die?

While everyone was silent, a little priest hurried in with a wooden box, and he went straight to the bishops seated on the altar, his wide robe so ill-fitting that he staggered a little, and for a time attracted everyone's attention.

He walked to the bottom of the steps, and suddenly froze in place as if he remembered something, squinting his eyes and secretly looking at the three bishops sitting upright, but he didn't know who to hand over the things in his hands!

This is the chess piece...... I didn't bother to wonder if this man really had an important task or had been arranged in advance, but he undoubtedly became the key to breaking the deadlock, and the few people who were forced to retreat had to speak, and a pool of stagnant water finally rippled.

"What's the matter? What a system of panic! ”

Archbishop Gaiulius shouted with a tiger face, everyone present belonged to his highest religious status, and it was understandable to speak out.

The little priest shrunk his neck in horror and replied stumblingly: "Your Excellency, this is the funeral ceremony presented by the rich people in the city who are watching the ceremony outside, they are not qualified to enter the church, and they want to express their respect for the Vatican and their remembrance, so they asked me to convey the ...... on their behalf."

Now Archbishop Gaiullius is silent, it is a good thing for the rich people in the city to offer Cheng Yi, but who should accept it on behalf of the Vatican is a big deal, in the case of the death of the previous emperor and the new emperor has not been elected, he can't afford to accept the responsibility without authorization.

"I'm an outsider, so I shouldn't say anything like that......"

Bishop Bendenik, the representative of the Archbishop of Constantinople, was the first to break the silence by sitting in the front seat to the right of the altar, closest to the center of events.

"His Holiness the Pope has been summoned, which must have grieved all the devout faithful, but sadness is sadness, and the affairs of the Vatican must not be stagnant or even retrogressive, and someone must inherit the unfinished business of His Majesty and continue to carry forward the mission of the Orthodox Church."

Every word he said was like a high-speed sprint racing car, constantly hitting everyone's senses and the bottom line, making everyone's properly disguised hypocritical armor crack, shatter, and turn into powder.

"Thank you for your frankness, Lord Bundinik."

Someone took the steps, and Archbishop Gailius decided to take the initiative: "Your heartfelt words come from the heart of a fist, may God bless you!" ”

He gestured with a cross on his chest and unfurled the following words: "The Vatican has lost its helmsman in control, all the faithful of Christendom have lost their spiritual mentors and spiritual pastors, everyone's grief is sincere, expectations are equally urgent, and the Vatican needs a new leader!" ”

He accentuated the tone of the next few words, accompanied by a highly infectious incitement, and a very enthusiastic response from some people, with applause and shouts of support one after another.

I stared at Gailius's flushed face due to the deliberate control of his emotions, he seemed to be dozens of years younger in an instant, and returned to the time when he was in the prime of life, with a look of ambition, the old man talked about juvenile madness, this poem best summed up the ups and downs of the old bishop's psychological changes, if it were me, I would have worked hard.

"I am touched by the piety of the adults."

A priest I didn't know very well spoke, and judging by the red embroidered white robe he was wearing, he should be no less than a cardinal bishop.

"There is a Roman proverb that says well, a wolf pack cannot be without a leader, a country cannot be without a king for a day, the Vatican really needs a leader who can turn the tide, according to the sacred procedure, it is time to nominate and elect a new pope."

In order to make his voice heard by more people, he stood up and took two steps forward, and I saw this person's appearance clearly, the bridge of the nose, the triangular eyes, the broom eyebrows, how to look at it unpleasantly, I really don't know how to get into the position of the cardinal's bishop.

"I beg God's forgiveness for my abruptness, but it is at stake for the cause of Christ, and I cannot be hypocritical, ladies and gentlemen, I nominate Father Michelangelo!"

"Oh!"

"What!"

"Why is that little white face who is telling right and wrong!"

The bishop's proposal caused an uproar, as if a bombshell had been dropped on the crowd, instantly igniting the long-held line of fire.

Michelangelo's face flashed with fleeting joy, Gaiullius puffed out his cheeks in displeasure, Odoses glanced at the two of them blankly, and only Bendenic, who had nothing to do with himself, calmly took in the eyes of all beings, and he threw me a meaningful smile, which contained too much information to read.

Sure enough, the priest on Archbishop Gaiulius's side immediately launched a counterattack: "Michelangelo is too young, and he is only a priest who holds the seal, and his qualifications are far inferior to that of Bishop Gaiullius, I am afraid that your proposal will not be convincing to the public!" The owner of the voice was hidden in the crowd and did not appear, but his voice was definitely high-pitched.

"Who! Who's talking! Such a bastard's remarks can be spoken, no wonder he doesn't dare to show up! ”

The cardinal who had just proposed was angry and searched for the source of the voice, which was no different from a vendor fighting in a vegetable market: "Who said that, stand up!" ”

No one answered, everyone looked at each other, and the cardinal's gaze swept across the crowd like a torch, his already unrefined face twisted into a terrible look with anger.

"Who is it, why don't you dare to stand up!"

He clutched the hem of his robe tightly, his knuckles creaking: "Utter villain! ”

The role was not very glamorous, I stared at Gailiuus's next move, and silently subtracted points in my heart, the old bishop's face could not read any emotion, he still maintained a posture of sitting upright, his waist straighter than anyone else, as if what happened had nothing to do with him.

"Don't pursue it, although the person who spoke just now didn't dare to show up, and he did something under the means, but he said it carefully, and there is indeed some truth."

A cardinal wearing a bishop's crown and sitting on the altar stood up to play a round, this person I know, Chuzarazu, who used to be the archbishop of Milan, is an old man next to His Majesty Gregory V, and his seniority and status are enough to overwhelm the other party.

The cardinal's momentum really weakened, but in front of everyone, it was always difficult to admit defeat, and his neck was still stiff and unconvinced: "Disobedience, what is the reason!" ”

"In accordance with the sanctity of the Code of Saints, the Pope must be elected and elected according to a series of pious procedures, and all acts of irregularity are disrespectful to God and blasphemy against faith."

Chuzarazur said slowly, after being transferred to the Vatican, he spent a lot of time studying the classical scriptures, and it was easy to memorize some rules casually.

"Candidates must be selected by the diocese, and then selected to the Vatican, where all candidates enter St. Peter's Basilica through the bronze door after the communion mass, and through a closed vote, more than two-thirds of the votes are eligible to succeed the pope, and they must also be subject to the strict scrutiny of the cardinal."

He pretended to smile lightly: "My lord, this is a fair election in accordance with the canons, and the result is enough to convince the public, instead of shouting and quoting in front of the secular public like you, shouting and bidding in the market, arguing with each other for the selfish desires of small groups, and letting everyone see the Vatican's joke!" ”

Terrible! I secretly applaud the Patriarch of Chuzara.

Although his words contained obvious irony, they made the German nobles present very unhappy.

I don't know much about the previous history, but at least since Otto the Great, almost every pope has been personally selected by the emperor, and it can be said that the Vatican, who has sought refuge under the wings of the empire, is at most a toy on the moral high ground, and the emperor is allowed to play with it according to his own heart, as for those bullshit sacred canons, they have not been seriously implemented at all, and the so-called fair elections are nothing more than a formality.

Now that the empire is in a civil war, His Majesty Henry has no time to take care of the bad things in the Vatican, and anyone with a discerning eye knows who has the big fist to listen to whom.

Chuzarazu's intentions were very deep, on the one hand, he cleverly turned everyone's dispute over the candidate into a messy ritual procedure, and on the other hand, it seemed to be fair to divert everyone's attention, and he was smart enough to see my intentions early in the morning, and immediately stood up quietly to muddy the waters, which made it convenient for me to fish in troubled waters.

Gaiullius and Michelangelo looked at me at the same time, their eyes full of the same message.

They were looking for answers, testing my attitude to discern my position, and Chuzarazu proposed whether the election of the pope according to the rules of the "Code of Saints" was at my behein, and if not, was Nijmegen really willing to let the Vatican shut its doors and elect a disobedient pope by itself?