Chapter 133: Dispute and Admonition

Baldwin was in a good mood today. No, it should be said that ever since Cesar's identity was confirmed, his mood had been very good.

This good mood lasted until Patriarch Heraclius mentioned to him that he wanted Cesar to go on a mission to Aleppo.

"Are you crazy?" he widened his eyes, almost unable to believe what he had heard—"We all saw his birth certificate! He is the only heir of Joscelin III, Count of Edessa!"

He stood up, paced around the room, waving his hands, completely unable to understand Heraclius's thinking: "He no longer needs to do those dangerous things!"

Heraclius could understand Baldwin, the child he had watched be born and grow up—before Baldwin contracted leprosy, he was not as humble as he was now. On the contrary, he had all the shortcomings of a noble heir—irritable, fierce, arbitrary, and clear-cut in his love and hate.

He didn't care about how others were, because those despicable villains were not worth his concern, but people like David, Abigail, William, Guy, and others who had once been regarded as friends by him and then betrayed him, had still not received his forgiveness to this day.

Conversely, Cesar, who had come to his side during his most difficult times, and even after receiving the favor of nobles, had never wavered, and was even willing to risk danger for him several times, should naturally receive his praise—he had already ascended the throne and held power firmly.

Even without the gift from Amalric I before his death, and this long-awaited surprise—presumably Baldwin would soon arrange a marriage for Cesar, letting him marry a female heir with a title and territory, and leap to become a count or even a duke. Such things had not happened before.

The most recent one was Bohemond's stepfather, Raynald of Châtillon. He was originally just a penniless knight with no territory and no title, just wanting to come to the Holy Land to try his luck. His luck was indeed good; he met Constance of Antioch.

After Cesar's identity was revealed to the world, Baldwin was even more overjoyed to the point of madness. He could use and reward Cesar without any scruples. What he didn't expect was that at this time, the Patriarch proposed to let Cesar go on a mission to Aleppo, that ghost place that could turn into a whirlpool of flesh and blood at any time!

"Don't even think about it," he said decisively, "Cesar can only stay in three places: Jerusalem, or Bethlehem, or on the battlefield where we appear together against the Saracens."

For this reason, he had a quarrel with his teacher, Patriarch Heraclius, and poor Cesar was caught in the middle, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Because of this matter, Baldwin was so angry that he didn't want to talk to him, but he also didn't allow him to leave his sight. He knew that Cesar was sometimes a bit stubborn... worrying that he would abandon him for the sake of a promise and go to Aleppo.

"I don't understand," Baldwin said angrily, "I am the King of Jerusalem, and you are my cousin. No matter what I am willing to give you—" he said something quite extreme, "even my throne, they have no right to interfere!"

"Baldwin..." Cesar was only glad that they had returned to Baldwin's room, and because of what happened when he first contracted the disease, Baldwin did not like being served by many people—attendants and servants did not dare to appear before the King at will without being summoned.

He had only said one name when he was interrupted by Baldwin: "I know you are going to say those depressing words again—yes, I know I was once just a... incompetent person. I got leprosy, everyone avoided me like avoiding snakes and scorpions, I couldn't even walk out of my room, and even the Holy Communion had to be brought to me by you. And when the crisis came, no matter how anxious I was, I could only stand at this window, staring into the darkness and praying in vain."

"I made mistakes, I almost lost you. I can't believe it. If you had died or been crippled that time, how would I face you, face my mother..."

"Cesar, you are so gentle. If someone owes you a debt, you will not hesitate to forgive it for him—if he really has no ability to repay it. But if you owe others, even if it is just a copper coin, you will try every means to repay it, even repaying it several times, dozens, hundreds of times."

"I am not blaming you. I just want to say that I have kept in mind everything you have done for me in the past, every single bit."

"Now I am already the King of Jerusalem. I want to give you power, give you a title, give you more territory. Don't feel uneasy," he sneered, "Think about it. That fool Abigail—although he was also chosen, did his father dare to put him outside in the past two years?"

"Whether it is fighting or negotiating, or even just letting him attend a wedding or a funeral, his father didn't dare, only daring to keep him in the Castle of the Holy Cross, keeping him where he could watch and cover for him. Just such a useless guy, he will be the Prince of the Principality of Antioch in the future, and he will also be my vassal and minister. In any case, he has a seat in my court."

"Why? You tell me, why? You are my best friend, my brother, why must you go through fire and water to get things that others can get while lying down? If you want to make achievements, there will be opportunities. We will step onto the battlefield again—I need your protection, and I also need your support."

"You cannot be so selfish..."

Baldwin turned around and stared fixedly at Cesar. I don't know if it was because the light in the room was dim, or—those blue eyes were like a whirlpool under a calm lake, black and deep. His hands grabbed Cesar's shoulders firmly, almost making Cesar feel pain.

For a moment, Cesar almost wanted to agree to Baldwin. He did not crave power, but, as Heraclius said, if he didn't go to Aleppo this time, he could only wait for God to bestow a miracle upon the Crusaders.

Heraclius also noticed that compared to the period when Godfrey of Bouillon was there, the Crusaders were clearly lacking in stamina now. Amalric I still had the courage to organize the second expedition to Egypt, while the lords of Antioch, Tripoli, and other places relied more on making peace, marriage, and trading to maintain the status quo.

Not to mention whether they still had the courage to take the initiative—they didn't even know their enemies well. Experienced people like Raymond and Bohemond would make the big mistake of seeing Nur ad-Din, this hero, as an ordinary old man, swearing that even if the main force of the Crusaders was drawn away, there was no need to worry about Jerusalem being threatened by the outside world because of this.

"Calm down, Baldwin," Cesar grabbed Baldwin's hand in turn: "I happen to be able to tell you one thing."

"What?"

"Do you remember the time I suddenly left the hall at the banquet in Fustat?"

Banquets at this time often lasted for a long time, and it was not uncommon for them to last from morning until late at night. It was not strange to leave the table occasionally. Some were to respond to the call of nature, some just felt that the room was too stuffy—lighting at this time could only rely on torches and candles—some were because they drank too much wine or ate too much meat, wanted to vomit, or the performances of dwarves and clowns made them feel annoyed and noisy.

After they returned to Jerusalem, some people also mentioned Cesar's sudden departure from the banquet with ill intentions, but no one cared, even Raymond, who had always disliked Cesar. After all, at that time, Cesar had killed his way through the guards outside the palace and rushed into the fire to find them.

"A eunuch asked me to meet someone, and that person was... Saladin."

"Saladin?"

"Saladin intended to recruit me into his service—he had an agreement with Shawar and knew that Shawar might perish together with us, so before Shawar could act, he found a way to call me out of the hall where the banquet was being held."

"But you came back."

"I came back because I made a vow to you, and I have never forgotten the kindness Amalric I showed me. I couldn't abandon you."

"I believe it."

"Then you should listen to me about one more thing. Do you know that this is not the first time Saladin and I have met?"

"You remember, right? We once dressed up as young Byzantine nobles and went to the market. I met a Saracen in the market. Perhaps you didn't notice him, but when you entered the tent to listen to the results of the divination, I had a brief conversation with him."

"He is not a heinous person, and he also has a benevolent heart and an open mind. But he is definitely not the kind of person who wastes time and energy for nothing. So, he disguised himself and came to Jerusalem, what was it for? It couldn't have been for me."

Cesar held Baldwin's hand: "I think he should have wanted to see Jerusalem, and the person who rules this country."

"Then he saw it. Perhaps it was this visit that made him determine that Shawar's scheme could succeed. There was a saying in the Far East that you must understand your enemy to achieve victory."

"Saladin did indeed achieve what this sentence required. Now it is our turn. We cannot know nothing about our future enemies, and the earlier and more detailed we understand, the more things we can do."

"Baldwin, I know you are not a person who can only guard inside the city of Jerusalem and passively accept the invasion and humiliation of the Saracens," he smiled.

"I know how people view us, but I have never taken their eyes and discussions to heart. Why? Because I know that we will eventually walk out of here one day. Those disgusting gazes will also be left behind by us one day, forever unable to touch us."

"I admit I have such ambition," Baldwin leaned his forehead on Cesar's shoulder, his voice muffled: "But why is it you, always you? I don't want to have a second time with Count Étienne. That feeling of only being able to wait but being powerless is truly terrible."

"Perhaps you are right, I am very selfish," Cesar said: "I hope I can do things that others cannot do, for you, for myself, and even more for God."

When he was doing the final nursing work for Nur ad-Din, he didn't think so far-reaching, but if he could use this to get a chance to cross half of Syria to Damascus, Bosra, Homs, Hama, and Aleppo, which was called the Eye of Syria—he would have more opportunities to see the person who might become the Sultan in the future.

"You should know how precious this opportunity is, and I don't think it will be a very dangerous job. Unless they no longer acknowledge Sultan Nur ad-Din as their Light of Faith, in that case, I can at least retreat unscathed."

Baldwin was silent for a long while. Cesar almost thought he had persuaded him, but he still turned his head away extremely stubbornly.

"No, let me think about it, let me think about it again."

But there was not much time left for them to think and hesitate. Even though the weather was not very hot now, and they used salt and ice to delay the decay of the corpse, the envoy's team still had to walk for nearly a week to reach Aleppo.

At this time, the Patriarch invited out a person Cesar did not expect.

Queen Mother Maria.

The marriage between Amalric I and the Countess of Jaffa ended when Baldwin was three years old, so in Baldwin's memory, for a long time, the Castle of the Holy Cross had no hostess. He certainly loved his mother very much, but he also had to admit that Amalric I's new wife, the Byzantine Princess Maria, was a lady worthy of respect.

Although her appearance was mediocre, Maria had a decisive temperament like a man and many means for dealing with both internal and external affairs. During the few years Amalric I was preparing for the second expedition, she endured the heavy pressure of not being pregnant for a long time while managing the affairs inside and outside the castle properly.

How the King, who was also her husband, was, how the two children of the husband and his previous wife were, how the guests were, how the vassals were, how the knights were, she knew everything like the back of her hand and handled it properly. Everyone said she was a good wife, a good mother, and a good hostess.

But did the Byzantine princess exhaust her efforts to master the entire castle just for these few praises? Of course not. When Amalric I passed away suddenly during the expedition, people who came to persuade her to stand on Raymond or Bohemond's side were simply endless.

She certainly wasn't stupid enough to stand on the opposite side of Baldwin. She had learned about Raymond. He despised women and also hated outsiders (Byzantium). As a Byzantine princess, it was almost impossible to reach an alliance with him. And Bohemond went without saying; his son was the husband of Princess Sibylla, and the children of these two would be the heirs of Baldwin IV.

Unfortunately, she also had a daughter. Children always grow up very fast. Twelve years later, her daughter could also have a marriage and descendants, and use this to obtain Jerusalem—unless she was willing to remarry Bohemond, giving him guardianship over Isabella, which might make him change his mind.

However, this was purely wishful thinking. Now Bohemond's marriage contract with his first wife was still valid (the other party was also a Byzantine princess), and they had Abigail. Unless Bohemond went crazy, he would not abandon this child who had already grown up (not to mention whether he was very stupid), marry Maria, and fight for power with his stepdaughter's husband.

But if she supported the new King of Jerusalem, Baldwin, with all her might, as long as Baldwin could persist until Isabella married and had children, it was hard to say whose head the crown of Jerusalem would eventually wear.

At least for the next ten years or so, she would be a credible ally.

After the Patriarch specifically talked to her about this matter, she invited Baldwin and Cesar that night.

When they arrived, the first thing Queen Mother Maria did was to serve incredibly rich food, and all of it was cooked according to Cesar and Baldwin's tastes.

When these two boys, who were in their growing years, enjoyed this delicious meal to their heart's content, felt satisfied, and their reactions began to become sluggish, the Queen Mother smiled, stuffed the little Princess Isabella, who had been mumbling, to Cesar, and let Cesar take her to the next room to play.

Cesar looked at Baldwin sympathetically. He also felt that Baldwin had been a bit arrogant recently.

For the first time, he ignored Baldwin's pleading eyes, picked up little Princess Isabella, and followed the giggling maid out.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 134 =====