Chapter 113: Bethlehem (8)

Cesar stayed in Bethlehem for more than a month.

In these dozens of days, he almost never spent a day quietly by himself. The people of Bethlehem were eager to understand this new master, and he also wanted to understand them—from Bishop Andre to the Knight Steward, from guild leaders to merchant heads, and then to representatives of Christians, Saracens, and Isaac people, there were banquets and receptions almost every day, as well as countless gifts, letters, and contracts.

They all behaved very diligently, and Cesar did not live up to their hospitality. Except for prostitutes, he had not refused any invitation or gift. This also dispelled what people were most worried about—that the new master was a bitter monk or a reckless fellow who did not understand romance—after all, Cesar's reputation as the "Little Saint" had long reached Bethlehem.

People who could have a seat at the Bethlehem mass would not be foolish enough to think that an incorruptible person was a good person. Humans have desires and original sin, and they will always commit sins, either this one or that one—gold coins, wine, and women, and even jewelry and fine clothes were things they could easily provide. Bethlehem was a holy land second only to Al-Azar, rich enough to support a king.

As for those young knights, they were the easiest to be conquered by Cesar. Although Cesar was not the kind of person who liked to brag about his merits, if they asked about the previous expedition to Egypt, he could not keep his mouth shut.

He spoke of the tents stretching endlessly like clouds or wild grass from the port to the city of Gaza; the army walking on the main road like a river, and the flags raised by the knights and lords like sails rising on the water; the olive groves and fig groves outside the city of Bilbeis were so lush, blocking the sky and the sun, like the night sky, and the fruits were like stars flickering within them.

He said how the people of Bilbeis respectfully walked to the tent of Amalric I, prostrated themselves on the ground, and presented him with the keys to the city, as well as boxes of silk robes, golden crowns, and silver sacred vessels; and how the ransom paid by the Saracens in the city piled up into flickering hills on the sand; they entered the city, cleaned the temples of the pagans and turned them into churches, and asked the clerics to hold mass inside—just like they did later in Fustat.

Regarding Fustat, Cesar did not say much, after all, this involved Amalric I—his negligence became the root of this disaster, and the disaster led to the expedition ultimately ending in the failure of the Crusaders—although the knights of the expedition all obtained the gold coins and glory they wanted, if according to Amalric I's original idea, Bilbeis and Fustat should have become Christian cities.

He also spoke of Prince Baldwin, as well as Arthur (Richard) from Aquitaine, and several other knights who left a deep impression on him.

Afterwards, they went hunting outside the city together, wiping out the thieves and pagans who plundered pilgrims on the road—during the expedition, no one who had been protected by Cesar did not like him. And in Bethlehem, the danger faced by the knights was much smaller, but they could still feel the lightness and sense of security of being able to kill and gallop to their heart's content.

Before long, they became accustomed to crowding around Cesar, happily and noisily going here and there.

"I heard that the knights who followed King Amalric I on the expedition all liked him. I didn't expect my boys to be no exception." The Knight Steward of Bethlehem said, watching the knights entering the square one after another from the window: "At first, they hated him."

"Regardless of his background or character, the favor of the saint is real," Bishop Andre said: "Not just these naive little chicks, as early as several years ago, I heard that the Templar Geoffrey, as well as John of the Gerard family, and Count Etienne of Frank, had all asked the King for him, but they were all refused by the King."

"The one who refused should not be Amalric I but his son Baldwin. The prince cherished this companion very much. They received God's blessing in that most holy place, and under Christ's care, they escaped the murder of sinners. They are brothers without blood ties, and they swore to guarantee for each other—" The Knight Steward said: "Do you know that some people are contacting him?"

"They don't want to contact him; they want to contact the King—Baldwin IV."

"By the way, Amalric I is dead. The election ceremony for the Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre should have entered the process. Have you received the summons?"

"Probably in these few days," the Knight Steward said. The election methods for the Grand Masters of the three major knight orders in the Holy Land—the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, the Templars, and the Hospitallers—were similar. The Archpriest initiated the call, and then all the Knight Stewards voted—but many times, this kind of voting was symbolic, especially for a family-oriented order like the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

Even if Prince Baldwin did not receive God's blessing and was still that patient who couldn't even lift a long sword, could they elect another Grand Master? Not to mention that Amalric I did indeed perform all his duties perfectly, every King of Al-Azar was the "Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre." If the Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre was not the King of Al-Azar, that would be the biggest joke.

"When you go back, the Bethlehem knights will follow, right?"

"Of course," the Knight Steward nodded, "Are you worried that he will do something? In Bethlehem, or in Al-Azar? I think he is not that impulsive. Whether he is as good as people say or not, even if he is a vicious person, he should know that in these few years, his foundation is not that solid."

Bishop Andre sighed: "I don't know what to do. If standing from the perspective of a member of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, we should stand behind the young King Baldwin IV and resist Bohemond, Raymond, and the Templars for him. But I am also worried that if Baldwin IV gains real power, he will value the Bethlehem knights too much—like those Eastern emperors..."

He made a gesture, and the Knight Steward nodded in understanding. They came here from Frank, the Apennines, or Great Britain, only to find that there were strange and wonderful places in the world like the court of the Eastern emperor. From the Byzantine emperor to the Caliphs of Syria and Egypt, or the Sultan—their administrative systems were completely different from the courts of kings or queens.

They could truly achieve having only one master—regardless of whether this master was a Caliph, a Sultan, a Grand Vizier, or some Emir...

So at the beginning, it was impossible for Prince Baldwin to have only one person by his side. People like David, Abigail, William... were all children of vassals and ministers. They would be the king's right-hand men in the future, checking and balancing each other and supporting each other. But who let the prince contract leprosy? At that time, they retreated, partly because they feared this terrible infectious disease, and partly because they thought Baldwin would only have one path to take in the future: entering a monastery.

As the saying goes, things are unpredictable. They could still understand Amalric I's arbitrariness and persistence toward Prince Baldwin, but it was unexpected that Baldwin could also gain the favor of the saint and be very powerful. And Amalric I probably didn't expect that he would pass away so quickly, and the Byzantine princess also gave birth to a little daughter for him.

The only one who could inherit his throne was Prince Baldwin.

Bishop Andre smiled mockingly. Fortunately, he was already in Bethlehem at that time and was not too involved in the political struggles of Al-Azar. But now it seems that if he doesn't act, it will be too late. But which side should he stand on?

"This time when you go back," he said to the Knight Steward: "You might as well take a look at the King for me."

"Look at what?"

"I know that some people are trying to send some intelligence to Baldwin IV through the Bethlehem knights," Bishop Andre said: "A few bold Isaac people, they want Damascus."

The Knight Steward showed an incredulous look: "They, Damascus?"

"Who doesn't want Damascus?" Bishop Andre pointed meaningfully at the dagger at the Knight Steward's waist, which was something from Damascus: "They have always been in contact with the Asamira family of Aleppo. Although the other party is Saracen, merchants are always merchants—they have always wanted to sell their soap to Europe."

"For... soap?"

"It should also be because Nur ad-Din, this old lion, is already unable to suppress those arrogant soldiers," Bishop Andre crossed his fingers, "The behavior of that Kurdish uncle and nephew has already explained a lot of problems. And compared to Fustat and Alexandria, Damascus is obviously more attractive. I can even say that if Nur ad-Din really dies, the Zengi court and army will inevitably be in chaos. By then..."

"We still have a king who has never had any achievements, and the previous expedition ended in a dismal failure," the Knight Steward quickly took over: "Even if it is very difficult to launch a Jihad again within a year, or even two or three years—our Majesty will also give it a try."

"If he can really take Damascus, even if no one will defy his will for the next fifteen or twenty years, until he dies. But if he can't..."

"He is still the King of Al-Azar, the Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre. And even for Godfrey, not every battle was a victory."

The Knight Steward suddenly became worried, "Should we give the Bethlehem knights a reminder..."

Will he listen? Or will he think they want to fight for power, or intend to exclude him?

"Remind him, at least don't let him incite the King in public. Those ministers couldn't send their children to the King's side and were already red-eyed with hatred. Once they can catch his handle, they will never give up until they pull him down."

————

Cesar also felt it. He had only been away from the Castle of the Holy Cross for more than a month, and this castle suddenly became crowded.

It was not just Abigail of Antioch, David of Tripoli, and young nobles or vassals like William of Aleppo, Nasi of Galilee, and Guy of Arabia. Although they had all held the "Selection Ceremony" in churches everywhere and could not be "brothers without blood ties" with Baldwin, they were all sons of dukes and counts. After becoming knights, they could fully serve as attendants by the King's side.

Raymond also knew that Cesar was completely different to Baldwin—he did not intend to cut off the relationship between them immediately. If it were that simple, Bohemond would have done it long ago, and Heraclius would not have asked Cesar to leave for so long—but he could let these young people, including his son David, be the ones to serve the King.

No king had only one person by his side, let alone Bethlehem was an important military fortress and economic hub, and had a holy status second only to Al-Azar. Cesar could not stay by Baldwin's side forever and go nowhere—since Amalric I gave him a fief, he must take on the responsibilities of a lord.

When David saw Cesar, his heart felt like a tangled ball of thread, hard, astringent, and suffocating. His father had already told him the pros and cons. They had all grown up and could no longer be as willful and reckless as they were in childhood—refusing to return to Baldwin's side because of guilt for the past was a stupid act for both Baldwin and David.

"Cesar is not the Count of Bethlehem, nor the Duke of Bethlehem. He is just a Bethlehem knight. To wait until he has a title, he must establish enough merit in one or more wars, or the King can find him a female heir with a title. In short, it will be a few years later. And then you are going to refuse to stand by the King's side because of a momentary mistake at that time?"

"Don't you know that now is the time when Baldwin needs you most? You, Abigail, and Guy, William, Nasi... are the ones who can accompany the King on expeditions or stand in the court in the future—as for Cesar, I admit he is very smart and has a deep friendship with the King, but he is only one person after all, and Baldwin is going to rule a country."

Yes, David thought, he could admit that Cesar was better than him, in every aspect, but it was impossible for the King to have only one person by his side. He reached out his hand, "Cesar," he said, "Long time no see—welcome back."

He would accept Cesar and would also ask others to do so. They should work together, for themselves and for Baldwin.

Cesar certainly would not refuse. He held David's hand, and at the same time, his gaze swept over several faces that were not very unfamiliar—years had passed, but the characteristics and traces of their youth could still be seen.

"Abigail is not here," David misunderstood his meaning: "He..."

"Always accompanying the Princess." An attendant said, causing a burst of laughter. This kind of laughter was not very friendly.

——————

"Whose letter is this?" Abigail asked with an unkind look. As soon as he approached, he saw the Princess holding a letter, reading the contents with a smile.

"This has nothing to do with you." The Princess's maid replied rudely. And before Abigail was furious, Princess Sibylla raised her hand: "It's nothing," she said, "This is a letter from Damara of Gerard to me."

Hearing that it was the Princess's maid, Abigail's expression softened, "I see you seem very happy."

"Yes," the Princess said: "She agreed to my request."

"What request?" Abigail asked curiously. Sibylla rarely used the word "request."

"She will lift the oath Cesar made. Cesar is no longer her knight."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 114 =====