Several times I noticed that the little priest who was changing the candle was secretly looking at him, and there was something indescribable in his sneaky eyes.

Let's say it's resentment, and the bottom of my eyes is still clear.

It's concerned, but it's not so eager.

This aroused my curiosity even more, and I simply stared at him intently, wanting to find out.

When the little priest turned back again, I caught him, and he was so frightened that he lowered his head like an electric shock, and almost threw the tongs on the ground in a hurry.

He didn't understand what kind of person would break into the church in the election, and sit in the most honorable position on the right hand of the podium in a grand manner, so that everyone present was jealous, and they swallowed their anger, and there was no more roaring excitement like chicken blood during the day.

It seems that he should be a big child, the Adam's apple has not yet been abruptly revealed, the skeleton is thin and thin, the slightly powdered cheeks are dotted with a few small freckles, almost the same age as Bills, but not as strong and swarthy as a mountain child, the long copying and chanting of the scriptures has kept him away from farming, his complexion is slowly becoming fair, and he looks weak, it is difficult to associate him with the bishops around him who are full of fat heads and small round hats, but when he tastes power in the future, it is inevitable that he will not become a pig in a holy robe.

The silence of the moment when I came in was replaced by the noise, and the whispers of Soso gradually merged into a murmur that rattled the ears, and the patriarch of Chuzara and the cardinals on the pulpit exchanged words for a long time, as if there was no intention of ending.

At the center of the struggle, Gailius and Michelangelo are at odds with each other, discussing with their henchmen the election strategy to be held at the meeting.

I was bored to observe everyone's reactions, their chaotic state was like a child's play on the election of a class president by a schoolboy, and the election of the Pope, which seemed mysterious to outsiders, was not only not rigorous and sacred, but became a battlefield where various forces fought and saw.

Everyone will want to get it quickly, and I really hope that this smelly and long election will end soon.

"Please be quiet, be quiet."

The two eyelids of the fight were about to stick together, and I was suddenly awakened by the angry voice of Bishop Chuzarazu, but my consciousness was still wandering away from the world, and in the haze, the bishop ended the conversation with several cardinals of the Cardinal, and walked to the middle of the podium to say something.

The hall fell silent, and the election, interrupted by my arrival, began again, and Chuzarazu regained his tired appearance after taking control of the scene, and the heroic appearance of the previous moment was only short-lived.

He rubbed his swollen temples, thinking and standing for a long time made the old man a little unbearable, his eyes became more and more blue and black and drooping, and they were almost drooping to his chin, like the father and son dog Duppi in the cartoon.

"Brothers blessed by the Lord."

Chuzara Zu looked around in a vain circle: "Honorable Duke. ”

He nodded gracefully at me: "It is sad to hear that Ni Xia has been called, leaving behind the unfinished sacred business to pass away, I believe that everyone's mood is the same as mine, and I also feel extremely regretful and heavy, may the noble soul of Ni Xia be bathed in glory and fly to heaven, Amen!" ”

Under his leadership, everyone folded their hands together and prayed one after another: "But the cause of spreading the grace of the Lord cannot be stopped, and the edification of the world is still something that all of us must accomplish." That's why we have worked hard day and night to gather here to elect a new Pope in a fair and open manner, and to select a qualified successor for St. Peter......"

He paused, kneading his temples again, as if pondering his own words.

"The matter is urgent, some brothers with different opinions have been bewitched by the evil people, hiding in the Castel Sant'Angelo and refusing to cooperate, and I know that all of you here must have the same dissenting opinions, and even think that this papal election is an illegal act against the will of the Church!"

"Hiss......"

I could clearly hear everyone breathe in unison, and it was rare for them to be in unison.

"Yes, some people will think so, although they did not follow others to flee and openly raise the anti-flag, they interfered with the normal conduct of the election with a non-cooperative attitude."

Speaking of this, the patriarch of Chuzara stared at the several seats in the audience with burning eyes, and the priest who was criticized by no name was instantly silent.

But have you ever thought that every minute of delay the Vatican can lose a once devout believer, a believing lamb that has lost its way and gradually falls into the abyss of the devil, eh? Don't you believe me? Look at the poor people in Castel Sant'Angelo, haven't we really lost them! ”

"Even if they are reasonable, can't the brothers sit down and solve the problem calmly, and have to flee in embarrassment with the holy weapon so that the whole world can watch the jokes of the Vatican? The Lord said, 'When you are angry, do not sin, do not be angry until the sun goes down, do not allow the devil to take advantage of him, and do not associate with him who is angry, for if you are hot-tempered, you must not associate with him, or you will become accustomed to his ways, and you will fall into a snare.' ”

He concludes with a passage from the Bible, each of which pierces the listener's heart like a sharp arrow, making me break out in a cold sweat even though I have nothing to do with myself, not to mention the priests who really have ghosts in their hearts.

There was no answer, but Bishop Chuzara alone, breathing heavily, and the noisy crowd either looked at each other, or their eyes glazed over, or they didn't know what they were thinking.

I heard the beeping sound of the candle burning, which was the impurities mixed in by the oil used to make the candle when it solidified, accompanied by the warm aroma of honey and the slightly drunken smell of spices.

"Your Excellency, why don't you start now?"

A cardinal in a red robe next to Chuzarazu asked tentatively, but his eyes glanced at me, intentionally or unintentionally.

"It's okay, the Duke is here to supervise the election, and he won't express his opinion during the whole process, please rest assured."

"Since the number of bishops in the College of Cardinals did not reach two-thirds of the attendance, I ask you to agree to relax the minimum limit to half ......"

Without waiting for everyone to agree, he continued: "Then continue the daytime elections, the candidates are still Chief Cardinal Gaiulius and Father Michelangelo, the Lord of the Seals, everyone will start voting, and the leader in the number of votes after three rounds will win, and he will succeed to the throne as the new Pope of the Vatican, and ...... the other."

He exchanged tacit glances with me, which brought the pleasure of cheating: "For the sake of fairness, it can also prevent either party from doing anything in private, and the counting of votes is presided over by the Duke, do you have any objections?" ”

Any objections? I sat firmly in my seat and straightened my waist, without turning my head curiously to check the reaction of the crowd, because I knew the truth that the firm position of the gun would be stable, and those who dared to jump out and point fingers at this time had to shut up and accept it unless they were tired of living.

Force and power are a pair of intimate twin brothers, they come to the world hand in hand, everyone loves to chase the power of the younger brother, but forgets the strong and domineering of the elder brother's force, the elder brother is the elder brother after all, and the younger brother will always be a child who has not grown up in front of him.

The first round of voting began, and the priests holding kidney beans nervously looked at the knight who approached him with the golden skull in his arms, as if he was not holding ordinary beans, but the iron coupons of the Danshu of life and death, Gaiullius or Michelangelo? They hesitated in the entanglement, which one was the favorite candidate for the Duke of Nijmegen? No one wants to walk out of this gate and be asked to take special care, the air is suffocating.

I watched with great interest as these priests trembling between the two golden scarfs, pinching kidney beans in their hands and looking like the Chinese rural election secretary, the original original ecological election method has a source, making a serious pope election instantly funny.

"Thank you very much for coming, sir."

On the gap between the votes, Archbishop Gaiulius came over to greet him routinely, but his move was regarded by many as a compass in the direction of the voting wind, and he immediately couldn't wait to throw the beans into the gold on behalf of Gaiullius, as if he would be hot after a late vote, the archbishop smiled with satisfaction, and did not shy away from leaning into my ear and said.

"There are my people in the Holy Angelo Castle, I have already passed the gas, as soon as the election results come out tonight, they will obediently come out and surrender tomorrow morning, everyone is harmonious, what do you say?"

I said? I want to slap you all over the face, and you actually use me as your own campaign tool in a grand manner, and everyone is harmonious? Before you were elected, you dared to talk in such a high-spirited tone, thinking that the status of each other was still as different as it was in Aachen?

Of course, these words could not be said, I smiled politely, although the corners of my mouth were hooked high, but there was no emotion, and I coldly rejected people thousands of miles away: "Wait for the results to come out, Lord Bishop, remember what I said before?" Who will have the sweetest laugh at the end, and which of you will have the last laugh, is still unknown, you say? ”

The same words were prevaricated, and the archbishop's face immediately darkened.

The result of the first round of voting was a tie between the two parties, which made everyone breathe a sigh of relief, except for the two parties whose faces became more and more gloomy.

Even if Archbishop Gaiulius just used me to use a small trick to get some votes back, he was only on par with Father Michelangelo, which shows that he is indeed not very favored, but the total number of votes counted is very different from the number of people present, there should be many people who vote to wait and see or abstain, there are still two rounds of voting, Gaiulius has no hope of turning the tables, and the rest depends on his brain.

The second round of voting is about to begin, and the supporters of both candidates are running in tandem to try to get as many reliable votes as possible during the interval.

Bishop Chuzara told the little priest to bring wine and a small piece of salted bread, and I stroked my belly, and I was really hungry at the moment because I didn't eat enough at dinner, and dry bread was better than nothing, and I broke half of it and soaked it in wine, and was about to stuff it into my mouth but it was interrupted.

"Lord Duke, excuse me."

I looked up and saw again the figure of Archbishop Gaiulius in a gold-rimmed red robe, just blocking the glimmer of the candle.

"Hmm!"

I put the soft bread in my mouth and chewed it, and the mellow juice of the wine instantly filled every corner of the press, arousing great enthusiasm in my taste buds, and it would be nice to have a few more pieces of tender roasted meat, I thought to my contentment, almost forgetting the archbishop standing beside me.

"Oh, I'm sorry, what's the matter with you?"

The archbishop's old face was stretched again, and he clearly felt the intention of my words, but after all, people are under the eaves, and it is necessary to bow your head.

"Lord Duke, can you take a step to speak?"

The corner of his eye fell on Rollo: "I have something I want to tell you. ”

"Luo Luo, you know, I never avoid him when I talk about things, it's okay, my own people." I wiped my hands with a square towel and let him touch a soft nail.

Gailius had no choice but to sit down beside me, and motioned for his attendant to go away, and then said mysteriously:

"What happened just now? Did that ugly little man promise you any favor in private? I beg your pardon for my presumptuousness, but I am determined to win this election, and whatever he promised you, I am willing to build on it......" He said, licking his lips subconsciously, so nervous that his voice changed tone.

When the catastrophe came, I remembered to burn incense and worship the Buddha, didn't I look confident earlier? I slowly hugged my shoulders, stared teasingly at the archbishop's nervous twitching cheeks, and paused for a moment before speaking:

"We can talk, but unfortunately time is running out, you see!"

I pointed to the two knights who were holding the gold and re-collecting the tickets: "Wherever you send me, I will return the favor, and I will also send you there." ”

"Great!"

As if a drowning man had grasped a life-saving straw, Gaiullius cheered in a low voice: "Leave aside Michelangelo's affairs for the time being, my lord, you can make a condition." ”

So generous? I don't know if I will regret it later, all verbal agreements are gentlemen's covenants, God knows what you know and I know, the other party will not admit that you will take him, but fortunately, the initiative is in my hands, and I have to force him to comply.

"Listen up!"

"First, no matter how you get out the news, I want to see the flag of Nijmegen planted at Castel Sant'Angelo tomorrow morning before the church doors open."

"Second ......"

I saw him look embarrassed. Deliberately prolonged his voice to sell a pass: "What, is it difficult to do?" ”

"The Vatican's rule, the new pope is not elected, not even flies are allowed to fly out, how do you tell me to contact the cronies in the castle to persuade the rebels? They're as powerless as I am, and you really believe that you can outwit a man with a few tongues? The archbishop spread his hands and said that there was nothing he could do.

I slowly spat out a sentence: "Think clearly, you are bargaining with your future......"

Gaiulius was stunned, and at the same time agonized in pain, pale age spots appeared in the corners of his wrinkled eyes, he was too old, most of his life was wasted in decades from ordinary clergy to cardinal, if he didn't seize the opportunity, he would definitely pass by the peak of his dreams in this life.

The sense of loss like falling into an ice cave is not to mention a tired old man, even a young man with strong blood cannot bear it, and I know that the old bishop has always buried in his heart the greed for power and the hatred of unjust fate, and the higher he climbs, the more afraid he is of falling to the bottom.

"What about the second condition?" He asked calmly.

"I hope to extend the good experience of Nijmegen to Bavaria, Swabia and Carinthia, and the Vatican will not interfere with it."

This book was first published from 17K, the first time to see the genuine content!