Chapter 131: The Son of Joscelin III, Count of Edessa (3)

Joscelin III.

He had no territory, no army, and was himself under Zengi's supervision, but for this special figure, Zengi did not execute him or force him to convert. Any political animal could understand the meaning of this. His son, Nur ad-Din, even found an Armenian noblewoman for him to marry when Joscelin was sixteen.

This Armenian noblewoman was also plundered during the war; she was a daughter of Ruben II. Of course, King Ruben II of Armenia had many children, and this princess was not valued. On the way to her marriage, she and her maid were captured—and out of malice toward his brother, Mleh sold the princess to a slave merchant.

Later, after many twists and turns, she arrived at Sultan Nur ad-Din's court. It just so happened that Joscelin III was already sixteen. To avoid questioning by others about the inheritance rights of his children, Nur ad-Din specifically chose a Christian wife for him. This Armenian princess bore two children for Joscelin III: one was a daughter, Natiya, and the other was their only son, Joscelin IV.

"My father lived in a Saracen prison from the age of five. Although Sultan Nur ad-Din was a benevolent monarch who required those around him to treat my father like a prince, how could a prisoner ever obtain true freedom?"

"I was very young then, but I still remember the man called father. He was thin, pale, and depressed, not like a living person, but like a shadow that might dissipate at any moment."

"He often walked in the corridors connecting the various palaces like a ghost. I almost never saw him smile—except when he saw my brother," she glanced at Cesar, "At one moment, he seemed to have made up his mind. I don't know how he did it, but that night, my mother gave me some medicine to make me sleep, along with my brother. When I woke up, we were in a box. The jolting of the carriage woke me up, and my brother was in my arms, then started crying."

"At this time, someone opened the lid of the box. Light shone in. They were the two most loyal servants in the city of Edessa—one of them was a blessed knight—who had followed my grandfather, and the other maid had been my grandmother's maid. They took us and escaped from Edessa with forged documents."

"By then, Nur ad-Din already knew that we had escaped. He was furious and ordered his soldiers to search everywhere for our foster parents."

"We had nowhere to go, so we had to temporarily settle in a remote little village..."

"But you had already escaped. You could have gone to Antioch, or Tripoli, or Nazareth, any Christian city. Why not?" Abigail asked stupidly.

This time, even David couldn't help but elbow him.

Natiya looked at him, confirming that this was indeed a fool: "At that time, my brother and I were probably only three, at most four years old. Our foster parents took us, and it was not easy to find a village that would allow us to stay temporarily. This had almost exhausted all the energy of our foster parents. If it weren't for Nur ad-Din's two serious illnesses at that time, I probably wouldn't have lived to be nine—let alone walk from Aleppo to Antioch with two children..."

Abigail's stupid question exposed how appalling his ignorance was.

The Syrian region at this time did not have the spacious roads and fast transportation of today. They had to carry a pair of young children who could not withstand any hardship, cross turbulent war-torn areas, barren deserts, and wilderness where bandits and wild beasts ran rampant—even as chosen ones, knights could endure hunger, cold, and thirst, as well as endless fatigue—but children? How long could children hold out?

"Then how did you end up being sold as slaves? Did your foster parents betray you?" Queen Mother Maria asked.

"No, they were two incredibly loyal people. They kept their vows to my grandparents and parents. They raised us as if we were their own children. But as you said, when I had gradually grown up and my brother had passed his eighth birthday, they had to make a choice—to find a way to contact those who were willing to save and help us."

"Because of the Selection Ceremony," Patriarch Heraclius said, and people nodded slightly. Indeed, they might be able to ensure the two children grew up safely and could teach them—actually, there was no need to say much, their foster mother was also a noblewoman—otherwise, she could not have become the Princess's maid.

But they were now in the Syrian region ruled by the Saracens. How could they find a Christian church to hold the Selection Ceremony for their young masters who had already grown up?

The age limit for this ceremony was between nine and fourteen. They could not wait until the last year to consider this matter.

"I only know that in those few months, my foster father had been somewhat anxious and irritable. Although he tried not to let us see it, I could feel it. He kept writing letters and waiting day and night for a reply. Then one day, he told me happily that someone had found our father, Joscelin III. He had been entrusted by our grandfather, Joscelin II, to come and help us."

"They would take us back to the Christian countries—although the County of Edessa no longer existed, whether it was Antioch, Tripoli, or Jerusalem, there was a place for us. My brother could hold the Selection Ceremony at the Holy Sepulchre Cathedral, and I could also choose a husband to my liking."

"He even said that perhaps before long, we could meet our father, Joscelin III. Is Nur ad-Din such a generous person? Of course not. But my father managed to pass a letter to me, in which he said he had entrusted his life to that ally of his."

"Although Edessa had fallen, and he and his father were already prisoners of the Saracens, the wealth they had accumulated in the past had not been completely plundered."

"His ally would send people to take over us and this money, and then take this money to redeem my father. Nur ad-Din's rule in Edessa had gradually stabilized, and a child who had left Edessa and its people at the age of five would no longer have an impact—this bargaining chip was no longer of much use. Since that was the case, the Sultan might agree to let them redeem my father."

"Who is the ally your father spoke of?"

"He didn't tell me."

"And the letter?"

"It was taken away the moment I discovered I had been betrayed."

"Betrayed—please note, you are accusing a Christian," Raymond said gloomily.

"I don't know if it was his instruction, or if the people he sent were not loyal enough, but they took us to the treasure hiding place, saw the money there, and immediately killed my foster parents."

"Then they sold my brother and me to an Isaac slave merchant. Afterward, I passed through two or three hands, and finally, unexpectedly, I ended up in Sultan Nur ad-Din's palace." Speaking of this, a cold smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, "This really does seem like a prank by the devil."

"Is what she said true?" Heraclius asked, but he was asking the Saracen envoy.

The envoy glanced at Cesar. He also truly had not expected—this kind Christian knight was actually the son of Joscelin III: "As far as I know, Count Joscelin III of Edessa was indeed treated like a prince by Sultan Nur ad-Din. He did indeed marry an Armenian Christian woman and had two children, but I cannot be sure about what happened afterward."

"You say the birth certificate you have now is fake," Patriarch Heraclius turned to Natiya, "Then where is the real birth certificate?" If there was no birth certificate, then even if she spoke eloquently, the people here would not believe her. She would even be executed for impersonating the King's relative, and even Cesar would be mocked. So when he said this, the Patriarch's tone was very stern.

"I have it. Not only do I have my birth certificate, but I also have the marriage certificate sent out along with the birth certificate. It has the Archbishop's signature, my parents' signatures and seals—and those of the witnesses."

"Where is it?"

"In the real treasure hiding place." Speaking of this, a smile of incomparable relief appeared on Natiya's face, "The knight and servants sent by that traitor did not know that when this treasure hiding place was built, my grandfather borrowed the design of the Easterners, adopting a method of true and false chambers. The money they saw was only a very small part of it."

"This way, even if someone accidentally discovered this treasure hiding place, or encountered the situation we encountered, they would only take away the things outside and would not notice the hidden place—as long as you are willing to send people there to pry open the layer of mud and bricks on the north wall, you will be able to see the second secret chamber."

"Are the marriage certificate and birth certificate all inside?"

"This is the real treasure, isn't it?"

"Why didn't they kill you?"

"They didn't, although I don't know why." Natiya shook her head.

"Perhaps because of the vow," King Baldwin IV said steadily, "I remember my teacher once taught me that the vow I once made with Cesar would not only be fulfilled in me and Cesar, but its power would also extend to our descendants."

"It is like the contract signed between that upright knight and the King he served—even though he was far from his homeland, he still had to fulfill his duties as a party to the contract without fail. And when he died, and his wife and children came to beg for the King's protection, the King did not show a trace of slackness or disgust."

"You could say both were people of noble character—except for the suspicion that one had killed his own brother..."

This remark made everyone present show some strange expressions. Obviously, Joscelin III had been betrayed, but he was not stupid enough not to leave a backup plan. Perhaps in that contract, some content was agreed upon—which forced the other party to keep the vow. At the very least, he could not be directly involved; he could only sell Joscelin III's two children to a slave merchant.

At that time, they were only nine years old. Even if they remembered their identity, they might not dare to say it—let alone, compared to Natiya—Cesar remembered, he had always firmly remembered the scene at that time. As a commodity like him, the slave merchant should have cherished him enough. Whether it was Mosul, Syria, or Egypt, he was worth a large sum of money.

But he was running a high fever, gasping for breath, and the merchant still insisted on castrating him, not even willing to wait a few more days—clearly, he wanted him to die.

But it was not strange. Natiya was just a girl, and he was a boy.

The people present probably guessed this reason—hey, before Cesar gained Baldwin's trust, those servants said some very nasty things—their eyes swept back and forth between each other, Raymond's the sharpest.

Although he had always looked down on Cesar, that was because of the latter's unknown origin, and now that he was very likely the only son of the Count of Edessa, his mood became complicated.

"Where is the place you mentioned?" Baldwin IV asked. Natiya immediately stated a place name, and then she asked the King to give her a pen and paper so she could draw a simple map, "You actually remember it so clearly?" Raymond couldn't help but ask.

"I copy this map in my heart every night, my lord. For thousands of days and nights, I have never forgotten."

With this simple map, finding that place would not be a difficult task—even if it was still in the Saracen territory. One could only hope it had not collapsed or been discovered by others.

"Cesar will stay by my side these days," Baldwin said, and then he hesitated. Queen Mother Maria immediately took over this difficult problem: "She will be with me." She would vacate a room and then let the most trusted maid serve her, living and eating with her, which was both close surveillance and control, and could also be said to help her familiarize herself with the people and life in the castle as soon as possible.

Natiya accepted the Queen Mother's kindness in silence. Before leaving, she was still gazing at Cesar for a long time, almost unable to move her feet.

Afterward, she saw Baldwin IV reach out and hold his hand tightly, only then did she turn her head and show a light smile.

A few days later, the knights brought back happy news. Perhaps under God's protection, the cave used as a treasure hiding place had not collapsed, nor had it been discovered by the locals; it was just half-buried by wind and sand. The knights managed to dig it out and indeed found the second treasure hiding place in the place Natiya had mentioned.

The wealth piled up inside was estimated to be about 200,000 gold coins. So, if according to what Joscelin II said, this money was more than enough to redeem him, but he seemed not to have fully trusted that ally either. If those people took the wealth from the first place and then fulfilled their promise, he would, of course, tell them there was a second secret chamber when the ally complained that the money was insufficient.

But if, as it was now, the other party intended to betray him from the beginning, then at least there was the wealth of the second place to allow him to make a comeback, and he would not be left with nothing.

The marriage certificate and birth certificate were also found. People gathered together again to watch in turns.

But gradually, another discordant melody began to rise in the whispers of the crowd—since the previous birth certificate was fake, is it possible that although these two birth certificates are real, the people are fake?

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 132 =====