North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 194 The Pope Who Understands Human Relationships
The California delegation, led by Azu, was a government delegation on an official visit at the invitation of the Papal States.

They didn't come on a pilgrimage.

Therefore, the elaborate rituals and formalities of pilgrimage have been greatly reduced.

After a brief welcoming ceremony, at the Apostolic Palace, Azu finally met the legendary Pope Pius IX!
At this moment, in Azu's eyes, Pius IX, who sat high on the papal throne, was just an ordinary old man with a full head of silver hair and a bit fat.

Although the sacred, elaborate, and noble surroundings and atmosphere all highlighted the supreme status of this old man.

If this were the Middle Ages, the person sitting in this position would indeed be the ruler of the Western world, possessing a supreme status!
But like this old man, the Papacy and the Papal States he represents are in decline, their power and influence no longer what they once were.

Even more than a decade later, in 1870, the Papal States would be completely wiped out.

In the end, only the Vatican, with its length and width of only a few hundred meters, was left, barely preserving the Pope's last vestige of dignity.

Of course, if the Papal States still have any dignity!

Decades ago, Napoleon the Great utterly destroyed this Papal State.

The Papal States were not restored until Napoleon was exiled to Saint Helena.

Today, the Papal States, with the support of Napoleon III of France, still barely occupy half of northern Italy.

France, the Gallic rooster, has always coveted northern Italy, wanting to bring it into its territory.

It was on the land of northern Italy that Napoleon the Great achieved his first series of victories in war.

Here, Napoleon commanded the Italian army, which was short of troops and supplies and had low morale, and successively defeated the armies of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia, achieving an incredible series of victories.

It was here that Napoleon gained immense prestige among the French people, laying the most solid foundation for his later seizure of power in France.

Napoleon III is now using the Papal States to prevent Italy from achieving final unification.

Ah Zu's thoughts drifted further and further away without him realizing it!

Quickly pulling his thoughts back, Azu bowed respectfully to the old man on the high throne.

Then he said, "Your Holiness the Pope, it is the greatest honor of my life to see you in person!"

At this moment, Pius IX was also carefully examining the Chinese governor in front of him.

Pius IX was shocked by the youth of this Chinese governor, and equally surprised by his composure and humility!
Anyone else would be excited, extremely humble, or even subservient when meeting His Holiness the Pope.

And this excessively young Chinese governor was remarkably calm.

“Governor, although you are far away in California, your name has already reached my ears!”

Pius IX said in a deep voice, "It is my honor to see such a young governor in person!"

"Please sit down...!"

Beside Pius IX’s throne, a row of high-backed chairs was placed for Azu and others, facing the College of Cardinals on the other side.

Among the cardinals, Archbishop Even sat at the very end!
Among the crowd of red-robed saints, his purple robe stood out conspicuously.

Although not a member of the College of Cardinals, Archbishop Evan, as the Archbishop of California and the person in the Church who knows California best, is certainly qualified to attend this meeting.

At that moment, Azu suddenly decided that he should quickly change Evan's purple robe into a red holy robe.

Today, Azu, along with Zuo Zongtang, Shi Dakai, and a group of girls, all changed into elaborate and cumbersome court attire.

Under his leadership, the group sat down in a row of high-backed chairs.

The gaze of the IX Protector swept over each and every one of the people behind Azu.

While marveling at the beauty of these girls of all shapes and sizes, His Holiness the Pope cleared his throat twice and said, "Governor, thank you for making the long journey across the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean to visit me!"

"On behalf of the Holy See, I once again extend a warm welcome to your visit!"

Azu smiled and said, "On behalf of California, I thank His Holiness the Pope for his kind invitation and hospitality!"

……

After a series of polite words, Pius IX finally said, "Governor, to be honest, I've heard many legendary stories about you these past few days!"

"On the vast Pacific Ocean, how did you manage to keep the dozen or so people on board alive and well, without any resources, and ultimately reach the shore?"

"Furthermore, I am quite curious about how you, at such a young age and without any relevant educational background, were able to invent penicillin, a miraculous drug that can save countless lives!"

"Furthermore, you have no political experience, yet you rose to become the first governor of California in just two years, and you are such a young Chinese person... To me, this is indeed a bit unbelievable!"

"May I ask, Governor, how exactly did you do that?"

Azu remained expressionless and smiled slightly, "Perhaps, it's all fate...!"

So, Azu briefly recounted his experiences over the past two years.

Although it was simple, Azu delivered a stand-up comedy routine for more than a quarter of an hour, captivating the cardinals, including Pius IX, who were completely engrossed in it.

After Azu finished speaking, Pius IX slowly came to his senses: "Governor, hearing your story firsthand is even more legendary than the folk tales!"

“Governor, if my intuition is correct, you must be a person favored by the gods…!”

Pius IX could not possibly be wrong, nor could he be wrong!
More than a decade later, at the first ecumenical council, hundreds of bishops from around the world participated in a major plan for Catholic reform and finally established the supreme principle of "the infallibility of the papacy".

In other words, every word spoken by the Pope is absolute truth, without any possibility of error!

Therefore, if Piṭṭh said that Aṣṭṭh was a person favored by the gods, then he was indeed a person favored by the gods, and no one dared to question or refute it!

“A person favored by the gods…!” Azu nodded with a smile: “Perhaps, Your Majesty, you are right! I am indeed quite lucky!”

Pius IX smiled and said, "Governor, someone as favored by God as you, I wonder if you would be willing to convert to my Lord?"

"If the governor is willing to convert, I will personally baptize you!"

Azu had long anticipated this problem, and he had already prepared a response: "Your Majesty, it is my honor to convert to God!"

"It is the highest honor for Your Majesty to personally baptize me...!"

"But now is not the right time."

"Oh? Mr. Governor, why isn't it the right time?"

Azu replied, "Your Majesty, I am here representing the entire state of California, not just myself!"

“If I convert to God at this time, it means that all of California will henceforth be bathed in God’s glory.”

"However, Your Majesty, I am very sorry, but right now in California, there are still a large number of Protestants, Buddhists, Orthodox Christians... and so on!"

“My people who believe in other religions will certainly not want to see me representing them in their conversion to God…!”

After Azu said that, the Ninth Buddha understood!
“Indeed, there are countless heretics on that new continent… Governor, in that case, we won’t force you!”

Pius IX then changed the subject: "However, Governor, your invention of penicillin is of great significance to the Papacy."

"On this issue, the Vatican hopes to deepen its cooperation with the Governor to bring greater gospel to the world!"

Azu maintained his smile: "Your Majesty, I certainly hope to deepen cooperation with the Holy See and bring more good news to patients around the world. However…!"

"However, Your Majesty, as you know, penicillin is a relatively new product with limited production. So far, we have provided the Vatican with as much penicillin as possible. If we want more… that will take time!"

"Governor, is that really the case?" Secretary of State Antonelli interjected, "But as far as I know, Huamei Company's current penicillin production capacity has reached over ten million doses per year. And our church receives less than ten percent of that...!"

All that was said before was just polite talk; when it comes to specific matters and interests, it's clearly not appropriate for the Pope to personally get involved.

Therefore, Secretary of State Antonelli took the opportunity to speak: "Governor, you should know that the Vatican has more than two thousand dioceses and tens of thousands of church hospitals around the world."

“Every year, church hospitals treat hundreds of millions of patients!”

"And we only obtained a mere million vials of penicillin!"

"For our church, the amount of penicillin is far too small."

"Moreover, the price is simply too high! The price of one vial of penicillin, even calculated according to the church's cost price, is almost equivalent to forty grams of gold!"

"Such a limited quantity and exorbitant price mean that countless patients simply cannot afford penicillin." "Countless people die tragically from illness due to the lack of penicillin!"

“Governor, the key to solving all of this lies in your hands.”

"Therefore, our Vatican hopes to further strengthen our cooperation with you to resolve all of this."

Isn't the goal simply to obtain more and cheaper penicillin?
Azu smiled and said, "Of course, I understand the difficulties the Vatican faces!"

"However, my Huamei Industrial Company has already provided the Vatican with large quantities of inexpensive penicillin as much as possible!"

"The penicillin we supply to the Vatican is already 20 percent lower than the normal ex-factory price."

"It's important to understand that penicillin is extremely expensive to produce, and it's really quite difficult to bring down the price in a short period of time."

Azu calmly replied, "If the Vatican needs more and cheaper penicillin, although it will be difficult, I might try my best to find a way..."

Pius IX and Secretary of State Antonelli, along with many cardinals, understood the young governor's implication.

If you want large quantities of cheap penicillin, you can.

However, your Vatican should also think of a solution, right?
There's no such thing as a free lunch. You can't expect a horse to run without feeding it.

Pius IX smiled and said, "Governor, you have already made outstanding contributions to the Holy See."

"In light of this, the Vatican is also discussing how to recognize your contributions to the Vatican...!"

"No, no, no!" Azu quickly waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty, my contribution is insignificant and not worth mentioning..."

"Hehe!" Pius IX smiled and said, "Governor, once the Papacy has reached a conclusion, I hope you won't refuse!"

“This…!” Azu frowned slightly and said, “Your Majesty, I…!”

Pius IX waved his hand slightly: "Governor, let's decide on this!"

"Governor, please enjoy your time sightseeing in Rome over the next few days."

"Once the Vatican has reached a decision, I will personally confer the title upon you!"

……

After Azu led the California delegation away from the Apostolic Palace, Pius IX and a group of cardinals held a meeting on the spot to discuss the matter.

Valentillo, the chief minister of the Ministry of Rites, looked displeased and said, "Your Majesty, that Chinese man almost threatened us to our faces... We cannot tolerate such a person, much less condone him!"

Secretary of State Antonelli interrupted him, saying, "Valentillo, are you questioning His Majesty's decision?"

"No, no, no...!" Valentino quickly waved his hands: "Your Majesty, of course I'm not questioning your decision, but rather...!"

“Enough…!” Pius IX said in a deep voice, “We all understand what that Chinese man meant.”

"If we want to obtain more cheap penicillin, the Vatican will have to make a move!"

"As for how much penicillin we can obtain, and how cheap it will be, that depends on what conditions our Vatican can offer."

"This is a pure exchange of interests, not blackmail... Valentino, your words have gone too far!"

"I'm sorry...!" Chief Minister Valentillo quickly stood up, bowed to Pius IX, and apologized, "Your Majesty, I just couldn't stand that a lowly Chinese person dared to speak so arrogantly in the sacred Papal Palace...!"

“I’ve said enough…!” Pius IX said with a stern face: “No matter who he is or whether he is a follower of my Lord, he is now the Governor of California and has access to a miracle drug like penicillin.”

"That makes it clear that we must treat him with the utmost respect! Do you understand?"

"Of course, Your Majesty! I understand...!"

After reprimanding Valentillo, Pius IX continued, "Let's quickly discuss what title to bestow upon that Chinese man!"

Secretary of State Antonelli pondered, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, he should be knighted St. Pius and awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Gregory!"

The title of Sir St. Pius is primarily awarded to philanthropists who have made significant contributions to the Papacy.

In the European aristocratic system, dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons were ranked below barons, barely considered to have escaped the commoner class and belonged to the transitional class towards nobility.

The Grand Cross of the Order of St. Gregory is primarily awarded to those who have made outstanding contributions to diplomacy or social causes.

For that young Chinese governor, granting both of these titles was perfectly reasonable.

Upon hearing Secretary of State Antonelli's words, most of the other cardinals nodded slightly, finding them quite appropriate and proper.

Only Pius IX said in a deep voice, "The Grand Cross of St. Gregory, no problem, quite suitable."

"But, Sir St. Pius, that title is too low!"

Pius IX pondered and said, "Sir, you can only be considered to have barely crossed the threshold of nobility."

"To bestow upon him only a knighthood, a title far too low, is far too low for a governor of an entire state!"

"Moreover, we still need his help now."

"If I'm not mistaken, the noble title we gave him is directly linked to the quantity and price of penicillin he gave us...!"

Upon hearing this, all the cardinals present widened their eyes in surprise.

Who would have thought that the rank of a noble title could be linked in this way?

Pius IX continued, "It's just a noble title without any fiefdom. Even if we give him a higher title, what loss would we suffer?"

The cardinals, who were initially indignant, were somewhat relieved after hearing the Pope's words.

Pius IX added, “The position of a governor is equivalent to that of a province governor in France. The California he governs, in terms of its vastness and wealth, even surpasses that of many grand dukes!”

“Duke…Your Majesty, this won’t do…!” Even Antonelli was taken aback.

"Hehe!" Pius IX smiled and said, "A duke is of course out of the question... but it certainly can't be too low either, so how about granting him an earldom?"

"count……!"

In the European aristocratic system, knights, knights, and lords were all considered thresholds for entering the nobility, barely qualifying one as a noble.

A true nobleman must at least be a baron or viscount!
But even barons and viscounts can only be considered minor nobles.

And a count is the threshold to entering the great nobility!

Pius IX, for various reasons, intentionally promoted the young Chinese governor, and it was only at this point that the cardinals truly realized what was going on.

Since the Pope has made his position clear, the cardinals certainly cannot have any objections or even opposition.

After Pius IX finished speaking, he slowly stood up and said, "As for what the title of this count should be, you should discuss it as soon as possible!"

"Report the results to me after you've reached an agreement...!"

With that, Pius IX, escorted by a group of guards, disappeared into the depths of the Papal Palace.
-
As Azu and the others walked out of the Ancestral Palace, they looked back at the ancient and magnificent palace.

Azu couldn't help but smile slightly: "This Your Majesty is just an ordinary person!"

"As long as you are a human being, you will have emotions and desires, and you will care about worldly things like money and fame."

"Historically, there have indeed been popes who were completely indifferent to money and fame, but our current one is clearly not one of them!"

Vivian and Daisy also breathed a long sigh of relief. As devout believers, meeting His Holiness the Pope had brought them immense pressure.

These past few days, Vivian and Daisy, these two devout believers, have been restless and anxious, fearing that they will embarrass themselves and lose face when they meet His Holiness the Pope!

Only after leaving the solemn and majestic Ancestral Palace did the two women finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Vivian couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa, what title do you think His Holiness the Pope will bestow upon you?"

Azu smiled slightly: "Then let's see if His Holiness the Pope understands the ways of the world."

"What does bestowing a noble title have to do with social etiquette?" Vivian asked curiously.

"Hehe...!" Azu laughed, "Vivian, you're still too innocent...!"

(End of this chapter)