Chapter 135: What the Countess of Jaffa Said (Extra Chapter!)

Queen Mother Maria even felt a bit unbearable.

"And, Joscelin III became a captive of Zengi, and then Nur ad-Din, when he was five years old. We don't know how he lived in the enemy's fortress—although according to the Saracens, he was treated the same as Nur ad-Din's sons, but if that were the case, he wouldn't have risked angering the Sultan to send his two children out... He should only have one reason for doing this; he didn't want his children to suffer the same torture and humiliation as himself."

"And when he returns to the Castle of the Holy Cross, returns to Jerusalem. When he sees Cesar standing beside you, won't he feel jealousy and resentment in his heart? He and Cesar have been separated for more than ten years. There is no emotion between this pair of father and son; they are just two strangers. Men are not like women; their children did not spend ten months in their womb, and the initial joy has gradually lost its original color and shape with time."

"He might have loved Cesar, but he can also take back or change this emotion... and we can't do anything about it."

Maria opened her arms and shook her head slightly.

In fact, in Byzantium, there is a simple way for this situation, which is a bottle of poison.

But just as Baldwin couldn't order Cesar to turn against his father, Maria wouldn't mention anything about poison.

"But this contradiction is not without a way to ease it—for example, let him go to welcome his father."

"When a person is rescued from the enemy's blade, rapid horse hooves, and collapsing mountains, he will kneel before him, crying bitterly, regarding the other party as an angel sent by God to save him, even if he will know later that he is his son, he will still subconsciously regard him as a reliance—this period of time may not be long."

"But as long as you can persuade Joscelin III to make some concessions for his son and savior during this time, for example, send him to a monastery. Then the things we worried about before might not happen."

"But if you continue to insist on keeping Cesar by your side and let others welcome Joscelin III, do you have such a trustworthy person? Even if you do, are you sure that during this time, he won't say something to Joscelin III under the instigation of others?"

Baldwin was speechless. He really didn't have such a trustworthy person.

Maria smiled, without much irony. Baldwin was too young. Before his illness, he hadn't suffered any setbacks, and God protected him. He was the master of the Spear of Saint George, and he won a great victory before he was sixteen, capturing Sultan Nur ad-Din of the Saracens. This was a battle result his father had never achieved—it was not strange that he was arrogant.

But this young King hadn't realized that what he was facing was not just bees and ants, but also hyenas and lions. If they united, perhaps they couldn't do anything, but if they wanted to make him unable to do anything, they could—this was a challenge every new King must face.

They are like newly ground swords, sharp and keen, but they have to retreat in one political struggle after another, and every retreat makes them more rounded and gentle—even if only on the surface. He must learn moderation, avoidance, patience, and appease forces from all sides, ensuring that everyone is placed in the right position, including himself.

One foot can never support the weight of the entire throne, whether it is brass, black iron, or even gold.

"Abigail is a fool," Queen Mother Maria said bluntly, "But after Cesar leaves, you can promote David to your side. David is a good child. He is straightforward and simple-minded. His father is your regent. Even when you turn sixteen and he returns the power to you, he is still an important figure in your court. You must support him, let him fight with Bohemond, no matter who the heir you determine in the future is—"

This was golden advice.

Baldwin listened quietly, and the boiling emotions in his body gradually calmed down. He had been thinking.

The Countess of Jaffa arrived early the next morning.

Although some suggested that as the King's biological mother, she should live in the Castle of the Holy Cross, she gave up. She didn't want to become the second hostess of the castle and then fight for power with Queen Mother Maria.

After all, the Queen Mother had already stood beside her son, fighting with allies, while leaving the real enemy aside and letting him develop was a stupid thing.

Originally, she was told about Cesar's matter—she should have arrived immediately after he was confirmed as the only son of Joscelin III. Helplessly, after the Battle of the Sea of Galilee, to thank God for protecting Baldwin, she made a vow to practice asceticism for a month. When the news came, her asceticism hadn't ended yet.

And as soon as the asceticism ended, she rode into Jerusalem. As a result, as soon as she stepped into the Jaffa Gate, she heard from the knights she left in the Castle of the Holy Cross that the young King and the Patriarch had a dispute over Cesar's matter. She was startled and immediately went to find the Patriarch, only to learn that her silly son had done a lot of stupid things recently.

Compared to Queen Mother Maria, the Countess of Jaffa's attitude toward Baldwin was more direct and intense. When there were only him and Cesar in the room, she even gave the King of Jerusalem a light slap, "Just to make you wake up," she rebuked.

Afterward, she turned to Cesar, her face showing a complex emotion, but then she gave him a slap as well, also light, but the meaning of rebuke was still very clear: "Even if you are not my nephew, nor Baldwin's blood relative, as his friend, you should also remind him and stop him. If you can't, you should also send someone to find me."

"But, my lady..." Cesar still found it difficult to call her aunt: "Baldwin is only fifteen."

He didn't finish, but the Countess of Jaffa had already understood his meaning: "You are his brother, not his grandfather." This kind of indulgent tone—where did it come from?

"He will be in power next year, and such times will be fewer and fewer in the future." Cesar had to add.

"This sounds like a curse." Baldwin muttered on the side.

The Countess of Jaffa could only sigh. The way these two children got along was simply... She leaned forward slightly, held Cesar's face, and carefully checked the place where she had slapped him, "I once thought you looked very much alike, but at that time I never thought that there was indeed an inseparable connection between you."

She carefully stroked Cesar's eyebrows and eyes, which were simply God's most proud creation. She wanted to find parts that resembled her brother—there were indeed some, but compared to Cesar, all Joscelin III had was a rough sketch. However, it was also possible that she remembered wrong. When she left Edessa, her brother was still a child hiding in his mother's skirt. She had no impression of him, only remembering that many people said he looked like a shy little girl.

This shy little girl probably didn't expect that just a year later, he would suffer such a disaster, and the Countess of Jaffa also couldn't imagine that a smile from the Goddess of Fate would send his child back to her.

She had once hated her husband because he refused to extend a helping hand to her motherland, Edessa, and also refused to pay the ransom for Joscelin II to redeem her brother.

Now she was relieved. No matter how coldly and ruthlessly Amalric I had treated her, he had also inadvertently saved her nephew, the only heir of her brother.

She suddenly hugged Cesar tightly into her arms. Cesar was stunned. It was the first time he had been treated so intimately by a mature woman.

In the other world, his father and mother were emotionally restrained people. They never said love, although he knew they loved him, but from his memory, he couldn't search for any impressive hugs and intimacy—and now, he could feel a scorching body almost wrapping him up. She was trembling slightly, or perhaps it was the vibration caused by an overly intense heartbeat.

He placed his hands on the Countess of Jaffa's solid back. "I'm fine," he muttered, not knowing who he was saying it to: "I'm fine." He repeated it once.

He was hugged for a while before being released.

Regarding Patriarch Heraclius's suggestion and Queen Mother Maria's teaching, the Countess of Jaffa expressed her approval. She even showed her contempt for her son without any scruples.

"What makes you think Abigail is an object worth imitating?" The Countess's lips showed a cruel smile: "Why is Bohemond always so gloomy and unpleasant? Isn't it because he knows that after he passes away, the Principality of Antioch might not last long? In the future, it will either become part of Jerusalem or part of Damascus. Everything he does will become empty."

"It's just that some people will feel frustrated and give up on themselves because of this. Bohemond is still struggling. After all, he is in his prime. If Princess Sibylla can give birth to a child with Abigail early, he might have a chance to teach this child until he is an adult."

"By then, even if Antioch will still merge with Jerusalem, he will have no regrets."

"But do you think Abigail counts for anything in this process? Counting him as a clown is a kind of tolerance. People might just treat him as a stud horse. His responsibility is to give birth to a son or more sons," she hummed: "Do you think Cesar should also become such a person?"

"When people mention him, they won't say how intelligent, wise, or noble he is. They will only say that he got his current position purely because of his blood connection with the King, or in other words—this guy is quite good as a decoration when standing in the hall."

"Do you want them to say that?"

"But, Mom, he will go to the battlefield with me."

"There is no difference, people will only remember the invincible Spear of Saint George," the Countess said crisply. "Even if you are willing to share your achievements with Cesar, you will find that in people's discussions, mockery is always more than praise."

"There are many people who like Cesar."

"Before, maybe. Now, not necessarily," the Countess: "He is already the heir of Joscelin III of Edessa and the brother of the King of Jerusalem."

"You don't seem very happy either." Baldwin felt confused. The Countess had also said that the only flaw in Cesar was his background.

"I will, of course, feel happy. I even thought my brother was dead, like my father, dead in the Saracen fortress. I only have you and your sister as relatives in this world, and now, I know my brother is alive and left two children for me, my nephew and my niece."

"But you also have to know that people are always wary of things that are too perfect. At the beginning, they could praise and support Cesar out of sincerity because he always had a huge flaw, which might accompany him until the last moment of his life."

"But now he doesn't have it, do you understand? His only shortcoming disappeared, but his enemies are still there. They won't stop because of this. They will still constantly make trouble, looking for weaknesses and faults in him. And compared to the loophole of unknown identity that we already knew, we don't know where they will make trouble from."

"So from this angle, I have to say that this matter is not very good."

She said helplessly, watching Baldwin finally show a trace of remorse, "It seems you also understand. During this time, you were like an Isaac merchant holding a jewelry box, showing off everywhere—giving him various honors, privileges, letting him sit beside you, even arguing with your teacher, Patriarch Heraclius, because of him—already some people are dissatisfied with him."

"The Patriarch's suggestion is also because he hopes you can calm down during this time and think carefully about how you and Cesar will get along in the future. You can trust him and become closer to him. You are indeed brothers, but you cannot show it. He is not the King of Jerusalem, you are. And the moment you are in power, countless people will rush up, hoping to work for you."

"But if you show that you only want to believe in Cesar, he is the only obstacle between them and you. Guess what they will do?"

"If you continue to be stubborn, they might even turn into enemies of Cesar and you. This is very dangerous."

Baldwin lowered his head. Now he didn't look like a King, but like a child of his age: "I... I know I was wrong... Mom, I will go and apologize to the teacher."

The Countess of Jaffa sighed and reached out to touch the hair of the two children. Baldwin's hair looked very soft, but it was actually thick and hard, with unruly curls. Cesar's hair, although deep as the night, was very fluffy, fine, soft, and smooth.

"There is another person you should also apologize to," the Countess said. Baldwin only froze for a moment and understood. He turned to Cesar: "Sorry, Cesar."

He said dejectedly, looking pitiful enough.

Cesar was a bit moved, but this emotion disappeared on the day of departure.

Baldwin drew thirty knights each from the three knight orders—Templars, Hospitallers, and Holy Sepulchre—totaling ninety.

"Yo-ho, isn't this our Count?"

Geoffrey shouted, and then whistled loudly.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 136 =====