kingdom of nations

Chapter 109 Bethlehem (4)

The woman may or may not have recognized Cesar; she didn't give him a second glance. The bishop shook his head, thinking the woman was too unruly. But then again, if she were the docile type, she wouldn't be standing here challenging him to a "duel for divorce."

The man was unusually submissive when facing the knight and the bishop. He took off his hat and placed it in front of his chest, not daring to raise his head. As a result, Cesar could not see his face until the guards put him into the pit. He had a beard that looked messy and his hair was greasy and matted, but most common people looked like that at this time.

Judging from his appearance, he didn't seem like the kind of fierce person; he was even a bit dull. But all of that changed when he saw his wife. His face turned purple instantly, and he began to curse her through gritted teeth. He called her a witch, a devil's prostitute, and a vile thief. He called her ungrateful, saying that when she collapsed by the roadside, about to starve to death, it was he who saved her, gave her food, and provided her with a bed.

He even married her!
The woman retorted, calling the man a shameful liar, a cowardly bastard who, after being deceived and ridiculed outside, only knew how to beat his wife at home. If that were all, he was a loser in bed, an unbaked dough, a withered seed! "Stop talking about taking me in!" she shouted. "If everyone here didn't know you were a useless piece of trash who couldn't impregnate a woman, why would you have picked up a wife from outside the city?!"

The people laughed, while the husband's eyes blazed with rage. His wife, however, seemed determined not to let him off the hook: "You put a straw ring on my finger and made me your wife! Now you have cattle, horses, slaves, and you can even swing your fists for amusement. And me? I have to work in your workshop every day, with no money, no clothes, no bread, just beans, nothing but beans..."

She spat, "I'm not one of those fools. If I don't act now, I'll end up like them, dying by the millstone."

César and the bishop were both blessed men, and they could clearly hear the whispers coming from the crowd. The woman wasn't lying; marriage for commoners at that time was very simple. All it took was two or three witnesses, and then shouting "We're married!" in public. It wasn't as complicated as people in later generations thought. And this man, besides his own defects, had indeed lost several wives and had no children.

But if this woman was originally a pilgrim or a beggar wandering the road to Arrassa, the people of Bethlehem would not stand up for her. Even prostitutes would only side with her husband, and she would become passive. Her choice of "divorce by duel" may seem like a risky move, but it is also a good idea to burn one's bridges.

A priest picked up a bell, shook it, and the duel began.

The crowd buzzed, some urging them to place their bets. The bishop frowned slightly but did not stop them—gambling was one of the rare forms of entertainment for commoners. Some bet that the husband would win, while others held the opposite view.

However, the wife's chances of winning were indeed much lower than the husband's. In addition to the fact that the husband was a baker in Bethlehem, the wife was also too thin. If the husband was a proud rooster, she looked like a stunted chick.

As soon as the husband heard the bell, he immediately perked up. He straightened his back, the edge of the hole below his ribs, which did not hinder him from turning around and swinging the wooden stick. He bared his teeth and shouted, "Come on, come on!" He yelled, "See how I drag you to hell!"

The wife, however, remained unhurried. She walked around her husband like a weasel on tiptoe. The husband watched her carrying the cloth belt warily, turning his body with minimal movement to avoid expending his energy too early. After about thirty breaths, the people began to grumble, finding this repetitive scene rather unsightly, while the priest reminded the wife not to waste the nobles' time.

Under her husband's malicious gaze, the wife stopped, and then suddenly leaped up like a spring, jumping to a place further away, out of her husband's sight. Before the man could turn his head, she swung her bag, and the stone inside leaped high into the air, striking her husband's forehead with lightning speed.

The blow was heavy and swift. The husband's head jerked to one side. He reacted quickly, immediately swinging the stick to try and grab the sack, but his wife had already pulled it away. He missed, and blood gushed from his wound, instantly leaving a large dark patch on his hair and beard. One of his eyes was also blurred with blood. He tried to blink, but his wife wasn't about to let such a good opportunity slip by. She swung the sack, once, twice, three times… some hit, some missed. She nimbly circled her husband, and the more times he was hit, the angrier and more confused he became. He tried to wipe the blood from his face, but failed several times. The blood was thick and difficult to clean, especially the blood that had gotten into his eyes.

"Alas?" the bishop said with regret. "It seems that the husband has lost this time."

As if to prove his words, the husband fell headfirst into the pit, even dropping the wooden stick. The wife carefully bent down to check, while the people shouted angrily. Those who voted for the husband naturally hoped he would get up and continue fighting, while those who voted for the wife laughed loudly.

The wife stepped forward. According to the rules, she had to drag her husband out of the pit to win. She wrapped the cloth bag around her arm and kicked the wooden stick away with her toes. Her husband still didn't move. She bent down and tried to grab her husband's exposed arm. Suddenly, that arm grabbed her and pulled her towards him!
As the woman screamed, the crowd erupted into an even louder roar, with cheers and curses filling the air. Countless arms rose and waved wildly, their previous joy and frustration instantly reversed. But what surprised them even more was that the woman, instead of panicking at the sudden attack, seemed to have been prepared and straightened herself up, blocking the pit.

While the man was still desperately pulling her, she had already raised the cloth bag wrapped around her arm and smashed the stones inside at the man. From her words, Cesar knew that she had once worked like an ox or a horse pulling a millstone, and now that strength was being returned to her husband and master—people watched as her husband's face immediately caved in.

The woman braced her feet firmly against the edge of the pit, one hand tightly gripping the man's arm, the other raising the cloth bag and pounding it down. In fact, by the third pounding, people no longer needed to wait for the outcome; no one could survive with half a head missing.

Amidst the rising mist of blood, the bishop leaned back slightly. The winner of this life-or-death battle had been decided. People sighed in disappointment. The woman pulled her husband out of the pit, and the executioner on the side still carried out the final procedure of the duel without fail, which was to cut off the husband's head.

"What will happen to her in the future?" Cesar couldn't help but ask.

“She will be blessed from now on,” the bishop said. “She may freeze to death, or she may starve to death, but she will be free, won’t she?”

For a moment, Cesar was unsure whether the bishop was joking or announcing the woman's future fate. He glanced at Longinus below the stage, who immediately understood and walked away.

This was the last case the court needed to handle. People slowly dispersed, and César returned to his mansion in Bethlehem, next to the Church of the Nativity. The mansion originally belonged to the merchant Jacques, who had donated it to César—this was not considered bribery, because according to canon law and customary law, César had the right to reside in all the buildings in the city.

Of course, as a merchant, Jacques could be said to have done everything perfectly. The mansion was fully equipped with food, decorations and furnishings, as well as servants. There were even some horse harnesses and weapons that would not offend the king's confidants. In addition, it is unknown how he managed to embroider and paint César's coat of arms on cushions, tapestries and wall panels in such a short period of time.

So when he came to visit Cesare the next day with a Saracen merchant, Cesare found it difficult to refuse his visit.

(End of this chapter)