"You want to have the right to appoint and remove the clergy in these areas?"

Gailius spent many years in Berlin and was well versed in the internal affairs of the Empire.

"God, are you kidding me?"

The Vatican's right to appoint and dismiss local clergy, including the priest-in-residence, is a control that countless popes have barely gained until the fall of Gregory V, thanks to the help of an emperor's cousin, once several principalities are divided, it is like tearing off a large piece of bloody flesh from the Vatican, if the previous condition is compared to the tormenting grit in the heel of a shoe, then the current condition is tantamount to the pain of a severed arm!

The archbishop's lips, trembling with excessive shame, turned reddish-purple, and even the knight passing by with the gold in his hand could not bring him back to his senses.

"Do you want me to be infamous?"

He suddenly lowered his body and got very close, the tips of his nose were about to collide together, and the people around him were stunned by this sudden move, and Rollo even put one hand on the archbishop's shoulder, as long as he made a slight movement, he couldn't keep the old arms and legs moving in an instant.

I confess, for a moment I was terrified, my hair stood on end, my heart went into arrest for a moment, as if the enemy was forced to hang by a thread on the battlefield, was I scared, by an old man whose wrinkles were deeper than the water of the Rhine?

"You're too close, Bishop."

I quietly pushed away the emotional Gailius, who realized Fang Cai's gaffe and wanted to stand up straight in embarrassment, but he couldn't break free of Rollo's giant pincer-like palm.

"You...... I...... Adult ......"

Now it was his turn to be afraid, and the archbishop was incoherent, like a fawn that had stepped on a trap by mistake.

"Please forgive me for being rude, Lord Duke."

"Your apology is so insincere, what if I don't want to forgive?"

"Your request is too complicated to operate, even if I become the Pope, I can't make a decision, and this matter cannot pass the ...... of the Cardinal You should know: ”

"Thinking and doing are two different things, and I'm still waiting for your answer, Lord Bishop."

Gailius' body collapsed: "Alright! ”

Why is there no thrill of catching prey? That kind of condescending decision on the life and death of a life can undoubtedly inspire a sense of superiority, but why not feel it? I asked myself, but I could not find an answer, and Gaiulius left with a full stomach, and Michelangelo appeared as if he had fallen from the sky, and I looked at this more flattering and humble face, and the doubts in my heart were relieved.

"That old guy is lobbying you again?"

The priest's tone was full of disdain: "My lord, whatever he promises you, I will accept it all." ”

How do these people speak in a way that seems to be carved out of a mold: "I am younger, I can serve you longer, and I can do more......"

It is also more difficult to control, the young people are not as thoughtful as the old ones, but they have the ambition to always turn the tables, and I admire and beware of such philistine young people, who are willing to be humble, who know the truth of being able to bend and stretch, and who are terriblely thoughtful.

"You don't even ask us what we're talking about, what if you can't accept it?" I tried to find out his bottom line, and asked knowingly.

"We are not in a cooperative relationship, my lord, this is very clear to each other, you are my master, I have no right to ask."

Michelangelo replied casually, as if he was saying something that did not matter to him, what was his first face? Those who can willingly wear a collar, if they are not used to being lackeys, they must harbor ulterior evil intentions.

I squinted my eyes, and Father Jabari and Father Antetokounmpo, whom I met in the distance, frowned at each other, and another thought came to me for no reason.

"Until the final result comes out, I have to make the second result unclear so that I can gag the mouths of the idlers."

"May God bless you, pious Duke." Michelangelo saluted, and the waist bent beyond the range, which was quite useful.

The vote was still going on in an orderly manner, and more than half of the priests present were tremblingly voting for the right person in their opinion, and the bet on the kidney bean was not only a deliberate test, but also a matter of future prospects.

If you make a mistake, you will lose the whole game.

As the voting drew to a close, and the remaining votes had little effect on the outcome, the henchmen of Gaiulius and Michelangelo returned to their seats, either restless or confidently waiting for an answer, as the two knights sealed the gold with the beans and walked into the small room at the back of the hall.

The people on the podium had different expressions, and they were basically divided into three factions with clear banners.

The two cardinals at the left, support Michelangelo.

The three cardinals at the right supported Gailius.

The centrists who distanced themselves from both sides, the five cardinals, including Bishop Chuzarazu.

Odoxes sat at the end, and no one paid attention to a down-and-out bishop who had been excluded from the circle of power, even though he had been infinitely close to that crowded high position.

The air was filled with the smell of sweat and brainstorming, mixed with longing, anticipation, doubt, hesitation, and conspiracy, mixed into an indescribable sense of anxiety, everyone turned into dried fish roasted in the sun, and the mouth was still fresh, but the bones had long been squeezed dry.

The two candidates did not attach much importance to the results of the second round of voting, because they knew that the final round was the key to the decisive victory, and the gain or loss of three or five votes was not at all backward, at best, it was an inevitable mistake in the operation, and the mistake could be adjusted and eliminated.

Sure enough, when Bishop Chuzara announced that the vote was tied again, both Gaiullius and Michelangelo had a look of certainty and expectation on their faces, and according to Vatican rules, there would be a short break after the two rounds of voting, so that the tired people in the middle of the night could fill their stomachs for the next third round of voting.

Plates of wine, dry bread and salt were delivered to everyone, and the length of the meal was not limited in principle, and this ambiguous and vague rule just reserved plenty of space for the candidates on both sides to canvass for votes.

As soon as the food was served, the priests, who were already hungry, did not care about decency, and one by one they grabbed the bread and stuffed it into their mouths, and it was also to blame that they were locked up in the hall and sat all night, struggling with their strength, brain, and willpower, and the retinue of the patriarch of Chuzara came to invite them to dine together, and I gladly agreed, so as to save the pervasive lobbyists from bothering themselves again.

"That's interesting, you say. Lord Duke? ”

The old bishop pinched a handful of crystal clear fine table salt, and carefully sprinkled it evenly on the bread, as if he were making a work of art.

The old guy has something to say!

"I understand what you mean, but I don't understand what you mean, Lord Bishop, although the stomach is hungry, some people can't wait to sprinkle salt, and the taste is ruined, but the bread is still in the mouth, people, as long as the stomach is full, it doesn't matter if the food is rough."

"Oh? You're not like that. ”

The old bishop looked up at me in surprise, and at the same time slipped the salted bread into small pieces the size of sugar cubes, and then soaked them in the glass.

But then again, who can really know themselves? I hope you get what you want. ”

If there is anyone in Rome who I can't see through and play after being immersed in the power field for so long, it must be the patriarch of Chuzara, this old man's mind is like his body under the red bishop's robe forever, and the clouds and mountains cover me with fog.

Old Demar, Michelangelo, Gaiullius, Odoses, even Jabari and Antetocompo, no matter how deep they buried their desires, I could smell the stench of corruption, but in the case of the old bishop, I was helpless to say that I knew people.

That's right, he has no desires, or his desires are public, such people are actually the most amiable and the most terrifying, because they have no weaknesses, so it is chilling.

What exactly do you want? I stared intently at the old bishop, hoping to gain insight into his innermost thoughts, you must have something you want to keep for yourself, tell me what it is!

I shouted silently, as if a boxer in a hurry to win was facing an opponent who was firmly in the middle of the game, no matter how provocative he attacked, he was indifferent, and at the same time he downplayed your tricks, and that kind of hysterical madness was definitely quite exhausting.

"My lord, I have always wanted to ask you, which of the two candidates do you prefer?" Since you're sitting firmly in the middle of the military tent, don't blame me for going in and stirring it up.

"Who do you like?"

He squinted his eyes and looked at this side, as if he had seen through my lame trick: "Honestly? ”

Will you tell the truth?

"I'm not optimistic about either of them."

His mysterious smile and a clear expression confused me.

"What do you ...... say?"

He tilted his head slightly, and the attendant who served immediately stood far away in understanding, Luo Luo was slightly stunned, seeing that I didn't say anything, and retreated to the side in interest, now our conversation can only be heard by each other.

"Gaiulius does things steadily, every step is steady, but unfortunately one is too easy to overcorrect, sad and joyful two extremes, and the other is too old, which is not conducive to the consistent stability of the Vatican, that illegitimate son Michelangelo...... He has the city and the means, and he relies on Alessandro such a big tree, and he has an advantage in age, so he is undoubtedly the best candidate, but the poor character is not a star and a half, the villain is ambitious, and he is extremely rampant, and I am afraid that the Vatican will split again. ”

"I don't really understand what you mean......" I pretended to be confused.

"You know."

Patriarch Chuzara laughed, and saw through my hypocrisy in a minute: "The candidate that everyone is satisfied with is sitting there, ah! He raised his chin.

Odosius was excluded from the aura and chewed on loneliness, and the priests who had followed him saw that the course was confused, and they jumped ship to escape, each looking for a new big ship to partner, Gaiulius or Michelangelo, both big ships are good choices, even if they hit the rocks, it is better than the stranded side of Odoses.

"The Odosius brothers were born into a noble Roman family, and their family power is deep-rooted, which is conducive to uniting the secular forces close to the Vatican, which is the guarantee of the stability of the new pope's power, the experience of the Holy See Scribe has consolidated his knowledge reserves, and he has made achievements in ancient scriptures and doctrines, and many conservative old priests with votes like such pedantic nerds, who are cardinals, who have been exposed to the core power of the Vatican, who knows how to find a balance between the various forces, and most importantly, he is humble, I think that such a person is suitable for the position of Pope. ”

He poked himself with his finger and pointed it at me: "Vatican and Nijmegen, you and I, will like him, right?" ”

Terrible! Cold sweat instantly covered the entire back, and the calm analysis of the ancestral bishop of Chuzara was not different from the decision I made, where has this old goblin been hiding for so many years, and what kind of obscurity has to make him seem to be wise and foolish to wait until today?

I adjusted my posture and said, "The question is, how do we insert a new candidate in the middle of the two rounds of voting?" ”

"I have my own way, you have your way, and everything is uncertain until the final result is out."

He shoved a piece of soft bread into his mouth and said to himself, "This tooth is really getting less and less beautiful......

The war unfolded quietly under the cover of bread and wine, with some charging into battle, some passively defensive, some abandoning their weapons and surrendering, and some deserters.

Jabari was talking to a huge priest with flying eyebrows, judging from the expressions of both sides, they may have reached a consensus, not far away Antetocompo, looking at the joyful Jabari with hateful eyes, his already pale face looked more and more white like frost paper, he led a few small followers to shuttle between the people, straight to the unbought ******, those people deliberately held the votes to the critical moment, because only then will their value be infinitely magnified, and the conditions proposed are difficult to refuse, The so-called waiting price to sell, that's all.

A third of the new candles were burned, and the faint morning light was shining through the cracks of the door, and the sun was about to rise, but the people in the hall were still haggling and shirking, and St. Peter's palace was reduced to a noisy vegetable market.

The crucifix hanging directly above the pulpit hung its head, the top of which had been blackened, and the Holy Son, who had suffered on behalf of the world, must have never imagined that in the nearly 1,000 years after his death, he would be able to mourn to the fullest, and countless divine sticks dressed in Dharma robes swaggered and deceived under the banner of the Son of God, greedily amassed wealth, seized power, and established a complex and huge heavenly kingdom on earth, so as to affect the development of the entire European and world history.

"You're a poor man...... too," I smiled playfully, catching the exact eye of Father Embides, who was also looking at me, looking for answers.

After a long time, I counted the time when the church bell rang, and after waiting and waiting, I did not hear the familiar bell, and I forgot that the Vatican's morning bell was forbidden to ring until the new pope was elected.

A glass of wine, a piece of dry bread and a pinch of salt made a bunch of gods with ulterior motives eat out of the Guinness World Record, with this kung fu a pig can be slaughtered and eaten, I gently pinched the swollen bags under my eyes, couldn't help yawning, tired and uncomfortable, the patriarch of Chuzara estimated that it was almost over, signaled the little priest to clean up the plate, everyone held their breath in unison, the kidney beans were sent to each priest again, and the time for the decisive battle came.

"Your Excellency!"

Luo Luo leaned over and whispered in his ear: "Just now the news was delivered from outside, a fire broke out inside the Castel Sant'Angelo, someone opened the city gate, after a fierce battle, now our people have controlled the castle, and none of the traitors have escaped the net." ”

"Got it."

I replied calmly, looking at Gailius with a complicated look: "Go, give this to Father Jabari." ”

I took off a ring on my hand, which was engraved with the coat of arms of Nijmegen: "Don't let anyone find out, let him know what to do." ”

Rollo knew that the stakes were high, and hurriedly took the order to leave.

I straightened my shirt and sat back upright, and in my sight Chuzarazu, Gaieulius, Michelangelo, and other bishops with their own hearts slowly blurred into simple symbols, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, but only Odoxes was the number "1", which represented the actual meaning of "1".

After a moment Rollo stood back silently, and I felt someone staring at me in the direction of my left hand, and I didn't have to guess that it must be Father Jabari who had figured out what to do, he was a wise man, and a wise man would only seek advantage and avoid harm, and poor loyalty was worthless.

(End of chapter)