kingdom of nations

Chapter 107 Bethlehem (2)

César could see the group of people who came to greet him, and they could certainly see César as well.

The first thing that caught Bishop Andrei's eye was a crimson flag, so vibrant, fiery, and dazzling against the backdrop of yellow sand and the vast sky. This color inevitably caused the bishop some unease—he had been making many plans since he heard that His Majesty the King had granted Bethlehem to a young knight.

If the other party is a greedy person—which, of course, is almost the best outcome for him—filling the money box is always a simple matter—just increase the tax. The city's inhabitants are used to accepting their fate, and the pilgrims who have traveled long distances to get here don't care about such material possessions. As for the infidels, it's already a blessing from God that they are allowed to enter the city.

If he were a passionate man, Bishop Andrei certainly had ways to deal with it. He knew several slave traders who served Christian kings, Arab caliphs and sultans simultaneously; whatever you wanted, they had it.

White skin, black skin, brown skin, tender new shoots, blooming buds and sweet fruits, even boys severely reprimanded by the church—in any case, once they arrived at their new master's side, they were nominally just servants and attendants. As long as the knight didn't go too far, no one would interfere.

What was the bishop most worried about? It was, of course, a common problem that almost every young person has—the desire for and abuse of power.

He especially heard that the new masters of Bethlehem were not of illustrious birth, and that once people of humble origins gained power, they would eagerly exploit it, as if it would vanish like sea foam if not used immediately.

They are inexperienced and unguided, but they have many strange ideas and arrogant thoughts that need to be followed and implemented quickly and thoroughly. These people act recklessly and without careful planning or deliberation. Since they have no blood relatives or in-laws to worry about, they will run amok until the king or someone else can no longer tolerate it and decides to cut off their heads.

But before that, most of them had already caused significant losses.

Bethlehem was a golden fruit, and Bishop Andrew had been ruling the city for several years. He did not want his hard work to be destroyed overnight. As the Bethlehem Knights' procession drew closer, the bishop became even more uneasy—because he saw that the crimson banner did not have the usual symbols of city walls, swords, spears, and crosses. Instead, in the center to the left, there was an Allassah Cross embroidered in gold thread.

The coat of arms of King Arazarus was a large yellow Arazarus cross painted on a white shield. This golden Arazarus cross, though much smaller than the king's, could not have appeared there without the new king's permission—which almost implied that the new king was willing to transfer some of his power and prestige to this servant.

As is well known, although a knight is granted a fief, he is not the owner of that land. He can only obtain the assets he needs from that land. This is why the kings and lords of the Holy Land can easily implement the "money fief" system. Even without real land, knights can still obtain money to meet their living needs and purchase armor, horses, and weapons.

Even if they did, the knight had no right to buy, sell, or transfer this land, and if he was unable to fulfill his duties, the lord could still take back the fief.

Therefore, most knights don't care much about what's produced on their territory, what laws are in place, how many fields, forests, mills, and rivers they have. They usually leave these worries to their priests, stewards, or even a merchant, as long as they can provide the money when needed.

But what makes Bethlehem special is that the superior of the Knights of Bethlehem is not a baron or earl, but directly subordinate to the King of Alassa. If Baldwin is willing to allow Cesar to exercise his power, then Cesar will become the true master of Bethlehem.

César had no idea how excited the bishop was. He dismounted a hundred feet away from the bishop. As a knight, he should have knelt before Bishop Andrei and kissed the ring on his hand. But Bishop Andrei hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and raised his hand, so that César only needed to bow slightly to complete the hand-kissing ceremony.

“You are truly tall,” Bishop Andrei said sincerely as Cesar straightened up. “I feel as if I am seeing King David in his youth.”

“There are many knights as strong as I am, like stars in the sky.” Cesar did not accept the praise: “But they are all busy with their duties and cannot come to your Bethlehem.”

“This city belongs to Jesus Christ,” Bishop Andrei said immediately, then he smiled and stepped back, letting his students bring him a silver platter about three feet in diameter, on which sat a bronze key.

“Now I entrust this city to you,” the bishop said decisively. “Treate it well, for it is so fragile, yet so beautiful.” “I have already seen it,” said Cesar. He had seen many great and magnificent cities. And Bethlehem was indeed, as the bishop had said, like a miniature model, inspiring tenderness at first glance.

The most striking building in the city is undoubtedly the Church of the Nativity, but it is more like a military fortress—that’s what César thought as he struggled to squeeze through the small door, which was only four feet high, at the enthusiastic invitation of Bishop André.

Of course, according to the church, this door was not built so small simply to defend against enemies. It has another name, the Gate of Humility, which means that no matter how noble a pilgrim is, when he comes here, he must bend down, lower his head, and carefully pass through it sideways.

Jesus was not born on the earth, but underground, in a cave about fifty feet long and ten feet wide, which was originally just a stable of an innkeeper in Bethlehem.

Bishop Andrei, holding a candle, led them to the manger where Jesus Christ had been placed. It was covered with layers of purple and gold silk, which shimmered and rippled in the candlelight, but no matter how precious, it could not compare to the manger made of stucco and terracotta.

The bishop gently placed his finger on it, then withdrew it. "You may touch it now."

They took turns touching it, and one of them cried with excitement. He said he saw the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child in her arms, sitting in a manger, with Saint Joseph kneeling beside them, looking at them with loving and reverent eyes. Three Magi, dressed in splendid robes, prostrated themselves on the ground, offering the Christ Child gold, myrrh, and frankincense.

Cesar couldn't see anything, but he could observe the reactions of others. He noticed that the knights who had received the blessing, such as Longinus, all showed expressions of surprise or confusion, while ordinary people almost never did, or if they did, it was an act.

“This place is just as sacred as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” Bishop Andrei said proudly as he led them out. “No child who has been chosen here has ever failed.”

It is also because the death of Jesus Christ represents his atonement for the sins of the world—therefore, His "death" is greater than His "life." Otherwise, Bishop Andrei would prefer to call this the holiest of the holiest places.

Afterwards, the group stayed at the Church of the Nativity, attended the Mass and prayers the following day, and received Holy Communion. This was almost a mandatory procedure, as no one could bear the stigma of not being devout enough.

On the third day, Bishop Andrew brought Bethlehem's history books and records—population, shops, workshops, and artisans, etc. The captain of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre here visited Cesar, but he was quite polite yet distant towards Cesar. They had not participated in the previous expedition and were not very clear about Cesar's or even Baldwin's strength. Just as Cesar's initial asceticism was considered to be a deliberate publicity stunt, they also suspected that the two young men's achievements during the expedition were fabricated, either stolen from others or fabricated out of thin air and deliberately exaggerated.

Cesar was not worried about this.

One of the knights' greatest responsibilities to their fiefdoms was to ensure the peace of the cities and villages, especially Bethlehem—a place teeming with pilgrims, no less numerous than the road to Arathi Basin. Countless people, whether Turks, Saracens, or even Christians, sought to intercept a lamp or more from this flowing river of gold.

César had long ago decided that before he left Bethlehem and returned to Arrassa Road, he would cleanse the place of all its filth—in other words, in the parlance of the time, he could ensure that a woman carrying a child could travel from east to west and from south to north without ever getting hurt.

This might be a little difficult to do, but it shouldn't be a big problem.

Afterwards, he looked at the accounts of taxes and spoils. Bishop Andrei may have made some minor adjustments, but there didn't seem to be any major flaws.

After all, the bishop was originally a member of the Knights of the Holy Grail. He had sworn not to keep any private property, and he still adhered to that oath. Even if he misappropriated some of his property, it was for the Knights of the Holy Grail in Bethlehem. Even if he gave it to Baldwin, Baldwin would not criticize him too much.

He gently placed the files down; his material desires were not particularly strong, and these were not his primary concerns.

He was more interested in understanding the city's administration and judicial system.

The legal system during this period was very chaotic, with both canon law and customary law. A lord could also have his own laws, contracts, and most importantly, private courts.

If Baldwin were to come here and wish to establish a royal court, Bishop Andrei would have no way to object. But as a knight, Cesar does not have that power.

But if he has a royal charter, that's a different story.

Bishop Andrei felt a headache coming on; his worst fears had finally come true. If the other party had simply made a arbitrary judgment based on their own mood and preferences, that would have been one thing.

His concern was that, in order to establish his position in Bethlehem, the young man would make an extremely absurd and ridiculous judgment, which would likely be applied (according to customary law). He could, of course, object, but that would be tantamount to embarrassing the young knight.

If he felt humiliated, he might escalate his opposition, completely contrary to Bishop Andrei's original intention.

He had no choice but to show the case files to Cesar and say from the bottom of his heart that even Bishop Andre had no right to try those major cases of treason or riots, most of which involved disputes over property or honor.

The method that Bishop Andre used to determine guilt or innocence was also very simple: divine judgment.

Of the more than one hundred cases, one-third of the people underwent the boiling water test, one-third underwent the cold water test, and a few underwent the hot iron test.

These people must first attend Mass and receive Holy Communion with their accusers or those who are accusing them. If they do not show any signs of demonic possession—such as fear of the church, being burned by holy water, or being unable to read the scriptures—they can then be put on trial.

The boiling water test, as the name suggests, involves immersing one's hand in boiling water or hot oil. If the hand does not heal within a predetermined period, then the person is guilty.

The cold water test involved binding the person being judged—usually their right hand and left foot—and then throwing them into a river. If they sank, they were innocent. If they floated, it meant that Jesus Christ had rejected them, and they were guilty.

The hot iron test was even simpler, since Cesare was most familiar with a test his teacher had once told them about—when the Crusaders attacked the Holy Land, they unfortunately encountered a terrible predicament. At that time, a priest claimed to have discovered the Holy Spear that had pierced the body of Jesus Christ. This discovery greatly boosted morale and turned the tide of the war.

However, the priest did not get a good result. Because then some people questioned the authenticity of the Holy Lance and demanded that he undergo a divine judgment, also known as the trial by hot iron. He had to walk through a fire holding the Holy Lance he claimed to possess. As a result, he was burned and suffered very severe burns. He lay in bed groaning for more than ten days before dying in agony.

He and his holy spear became sinners and evidence of sin, leading to the defeat of the battle.

However, in Bethlehem, most of those who were tried were pardoned, and Cesar speculated that they might also have been part of Bishop Andre's income.

“If you wish, next Wednesday is court day,” Bishop Andrei said in a tone as if coaxing a child. “You can sit with me and exercise this power.”

"Could I know what kind of cases these are?"

“It’s all within your jurisdiction,” Bishop Andrei explained, indicating that he had no intention of plotting against Cesare. “We are going to try a dog, a bunch of insects, a man, and a woman.”

(End of this chapter)