Chapter 163: A Brief Meeting

When stepping into the room, Longinus even froze for a moment.

At that moment, he even had an illusion, thinking he was still in the Castle of the Holy Cross or Bethlehem, not having arrived in Damascus, and everything that happened before was just a dream he had because he was too worried about Cesar.

As Cesar's servant, he had of course stepped into Cesar's room no less than a hundred times.

Cesar's room was completely different from what people advocated now, and some people even thought after seeing his room that this was a place where an elderly and devout ascetic stayed.

Whether in the Castle of the Holy Cross or Bethlehem, Cesar's room was very empty. Except for the necessary bed, desk, clothing box, and corner cabinet, there was only a brass water clock, which could be regarded as a valuable piece of furniture.

The ceiling and walls were only painted with chalk, hanging with adjustable lamp stands. The floor was empty, exposing stone slabs or wooden boards, no carpet, and no thick lavender, rush, or dried rose petals scattered.

There were only wool or cotton mattresses on the bed, linen and cotton sheets, no sable or silk; the cup he used for drinking water was only a wooden cup, not a silver cup or a gold cup; there were no heavy tapestries on the walls and in front of the windows, only shutters.

Except for the coldest few days, these shutters were always open. Sunlight, wind, and even rain could hit the room from the window, and the air in the room was always fresh and moist.

Even sometimes the weather was too dry, and Cesar would order servants to sprinkle water on the ground.

But only Longinus and a few servants knew that Cesar's room was no less luxurious than the princes and the current King Baldwin IV.

He had high requirements for cleanliness, did not allow dust to accumulate, did not allow oil stains to remain, and did not allow mice and snakes to appear in the room. Even the fleas and bedbugs that previous kings and queens could not avoid had to be extinct here.

Killing these insects was not a simple matter—even nobles had long been accustomed to the bites of these small creatures, and they would migrate. A clean, fluffy mattress that emitted the fragrance of cotton or wool might breed a large group of insects in just a few months.

The only way to eliminate them was to keep drying and washing.

After having the conditions, Baldwin and Cesar's bedding and clothes even needed a team of twelve laundry women to handle. Every few days, people could see those women holding a large bundle of fabrics walking out of their rooms and then moving in clean ones.

Not to mention how much water and soap were wasted, just the wear and tear of these fabrics, even ordinary cotton and linen, would cost a lot of money. Of course, a knight could afford this money, but why care about those little bugs? Wouldn't it be better to take this money to drink a cup happily?

But the result of doing so was also obvious. How should I put it?

His room was always bright, spacious, clean, and without a trace of unpleasant smell.

Everyone who stepped in for the first time would subconsciously take a deep breath—they didn't know what kind of smell this was—comfortable, but not like a church, not myrrh or frankincense, only air as transparent as glass, the cold breath of grass and trees in the distance, and the slight bitterness emitted by ink and parchment nearby—the owner of this room was very fond of reading and writing.

And the room Saladin prepared for Cesar, even in terms of furnishings, decoration, and furniture style, was completely different from the Christian one, but for some reason, Longinus always felt they were very similar.

This room was also empty, with a blackened bronze lamp stand hanging in the center of the circular dome. The ceiling and walls were soft milky yellow, only drawing gorgeous and exquisite flower and grass patterns on the frames of windows and doors.

The floor was gray stone bricks, also without carpets or fur, only a few exquisite small kneeling pads neatly placed on one side, presumably prepared for the servants here. They had to serve Cesar and couldn't leave, but the seven prayers every day must be done.

Then Longinus looked forward and could see a wide and low couch placed behind the slender arched door. On the couch, there was also no luxurious fabric, no velvet, no silk, only white and light yellow wool and cotton.

A dozen pillows were stacked very neatly, forming the shape of a small nest, with plain gauze curtains hanging around—Longinus walked quickly and saw the face that had made him feel anxious for these ten days. He breathed rapidly, reached out to touch the side of Cesar's neck, and felt a strong pulse.

He was still alive, God bless, indeed still alive, and was not killed by those Saracens.

Longinus didn't know that if Cesar really died here, what he would do...

As early as Amalric I's expedition to Egypt, he had already killed three Saracens on the battlefield, fulfilling the oath he made to God, and could take back his surname. But when the King summoned him to ask for his origin and name, he hesitated.

He had no feelings for his family, whether it was his father, mother, or siblings. He knew that the nephew who was a year older than him looked down on him at all, and the latter even said at a banquet that he would at most leave a position of a guard for his little uncle.

He came to Jerusalem like a desperate gamble at that time, indeed holding the idea of winning a title here with his martial arts and talent, and then returning home in glory. But when he could really achieve this goal, he hesitated, and he even wanted to laugh. What was he going to do with these?

Go and compete with that child? He might become a guest of some lord or king, and might have a small fief. He could see the end of this road at a glance: sleeping, training, gambling, eating and drinking, having a few children with his wife, teaching them, going to mass, then beating the soles of the tenants' feet, forcing them to hand over most of the grain, competing with other knights for a seat at the banquet, participating in tournaments, killing others, or being killed by others.

Just like his father, brother, and nephew.

When he said, you'd better call me Longinus, Amalric I laughed. It seemed he had seen too many people like him. He eventually stayed in Jerusalem, stayed by the side of his little master.

He stood at the head of the bed, looking down at Cesar's face. That beautiful face had lost all its color, his hair had grown a little longer, scattered on the fluffy cotton pillow, his lips were gray and white, and his eyes were closed.

He discovered for the first time that the little master's eyelashes were so dense and long. He had only seen this kind of eyelashes in infants before.

Fortunately, he didn't see the flush representing high fever. High fever, whether among Christians or Saracens, is a quite terrible thing. Even the chosen ones might die because of high fever, and they even have to suffer more torture than ordinary people.

He checked Cesar's hands and feet again. They were all wiped very clean, without the stickiness left by sweat, and his nails were also trimmed very round and neat.

He pulled the blanket for Cesar and was about to get up and leave, but heard a long sigh.

Longinus immediately turned around and threw himself in front of the couch. He saw those eyes open. At first, the pupils couldn't focus, but slowly those emerald-like green eyes regained vitality.

He slowly turned to Longinus's direction, and then smiled: "It's you, Longinus."

Longinus simply sat down, he held Cesar's hand, and the servants and doctors in the room saw Cesar wake up and immediately got busy.

When Cesar was still in a coma, they couldn't disturb him.

Because according to their experience, those who were chosen to receive the prophet's revelation might also be listening to Allah's will at the prophet's feet while in a coma, accepting their comfort and teaching. Waking them up at will, they would feel painful instead, and might even have an impact on his path to heaven afterward.

But as long as he woke up, they would race against time and give him medicinal water, as well as honey soft cakes added with cinnamon, cardamom, musk, cassia, wood incense, clove, and saffron—this is a precious medicinal diet, usually only Sultans and Caliphs can enjoy.

Cesar only had time to ask one sentence while they were busy letting him lean on the pillow, "How is Jerusalem?"

Longinus of course knew what he wanted to ask most was Baldwin IV. He immediately told him that although the King had always been in a state of anxiety, with Queen Mother Maria and Patriarch Heraclius there, he couldn't leave the Castle of the Holy Cross for the time being.

He perhaps also knew that if he went to Damascus rashly, it wouldn't be of much help to Cesar's current situation, but would only add chaos.

If he really went to Damascus, and Saladin decided to keep him, Cesar might really have to bury his life here, perhaps along with his reputation.

After all, when people talk about this stupid thing done by King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem in the future, they will definitely say that this is all Cesar's fault.

As for others, there is no need to say more. The Grand Masters of the Hospitallers and Templars were surprised and happy when they heard that Cesar had actually brought back 90 knights intact.

Although they also felt before that this mission shouldn't have any big problems—and had a good laugh at Baldwin IV's unnecessary worry.

But who could have expected that Nur ad-Din was just buried, and his three sons couldn't wait to start killing each other? What was even more ridiculous was that the final winner was actually a nine-year-old boy.

This nine-year-old boy obviously didn't have the intelligence of Baldwin or Cesar at the age of nine, so he still needed a guardian.

The guardian was precisely the head eunuch and his First Lady who were once under Sultan Nur ad-Din. A woman, a eunuch, they could almost imagine. Aleppo at this time had already become a mess.

In such a chaotic situation, all promises might not count, and the situation could change upside down at any time. Fortunately, Cesar was a decisive person and was not greedy.

And on the way to Aleppo, he had also conquered those unruly knights. They were willing to listen to his orders, and this team could withdraw from Aleppo completely, although they also encountered several interceptions. The last battle before Damascus exhausted their hearts and minds, and almost made Cesar a cripple, but the result was still gratifying.

They convinced Saladin with their own fearlessness and bravery, making this Saracen general willing to release them, and the three major Orders saved a huge expenditure.

Of course, among other lords and ministers, there were inevitably some different voices. For example, the death of Count Joscelin III of Edessa and his wife, the Armenian princess, but it was quite reluctant to blame Cesar and others for this.

First of all, they were already dead before the mission arrived in Aleppo, and the people who did it were also Saracens. Although they didn't know why the Saracens tore up the agreement, in that chaotic situation, anything could be understood, not to mention that their current ruler was a woman.

"To expect a woman to be rational is better than letting a lion eat grass."

Count Raymond of Tripoli commented without concealment.

"It is also possible that they were involved in some conspiracies—those Saracens fighting each other is no less than those Byzantines," Prince Bohemond of Antioch said. His son Abigail didn't say anything strange, perhaps because his father had already let him eat enough slaps.

It was David who heard that Cesar was trapped in Damascus and tried his best to plead with the King, wanting to replace the King to welcome Cesar.

"Did Baldwin agree?"

Longinus nodded, "He will be a few days later than me," because he had to bring the gifts Baldwin IV sent to Saladin and others.

Although Saladin said he wouldn't ask for even a gold coin of ransom. But Cesar was Baldwin IV's best friend and brother, he of course couldn't pretend he didn't know anything—not to mention he was indeed full of gratitude. No matter what Saladin's purpose was, he was equal to saving Cesar.

"There is one more thing I want to tell you," Longinus said, "I saw Le Gao when I entered Damascus."

"Le Gao? That merchant?" Cesar asked.

When they sensed that Nur ad-Din might not have much time left, and inferred that he might launch an expedition against Jerusalem in the last moment of his life, it was because Le Gao had a small conflict with a group of soap merchants in Aleppo.

Of course, now that I think about it, it is very likely just a small trick they played, pretending to inadvertently sell the information to him.

But after the great victory in the Battle of the Sea of Galilee, Baldwin IV did give them corresponding rewards, and this matter was over.

"How could they come here?"

"When I was in Bethlehem, I heard some... not so good news," Longinus hesitated, but continued, "Le Gao seemed to have gathered all the Isaacites in Bethlehem city and some merchants associated with them to raise nearly 100,000 gold coins."

"They wanted to..."

"Yes, they wanted to redeem you. This is a quite rude and presumptuous behavior," Longinus whispered.

If a lord was captured, and his son or wife collected taxes from the commoners on the fief to pay the ransom for this lord, no one would question it.

But if the merchants on his fief did so, their intention was worth people's careful consideration, and it would also cause the displeasure of those in power.

After all, collecting taxes is requiring them to fulfill their obligations, while their self-raising carried a bit of grace and mockery—as if the lord was just a poor slave.

Cesar leaned on the pillow and thought: "Saladin drove them out, right?"

"Yes," Longinus's face showed a smile. "When I saw them, they were only wearing a long underwear, barefoot, without mules or servants beside them. It seems they made a loss-making deal this time.

Whether it is Saracens or Christians, any lord would not want to see these low-status guys do whatever they want."

Cesar nodded slightly, but Longinus looked at his expression, and it seemed that he didn't take this matter too much to heart, "Will you punish them?"

"They have already been punished," Cesar said, "100,000 gold coins, even if they are small gold coins of Tripoli or Antioch. For these Isaacites who haggle over every penny, it is also a huge loss. I don't know how much they will regret and suffer."

But like Longinus suggested, waiting for him to return to Bethlehem and then bringing up the old matter again to punish these Isaacites, Cesar felt there was no need. They were all smart people. As long as they were slightly reminded, they should be able to realize what kind of mistake they made.

And in the final analysis, he didn't have much sense of belonging to Bethlehem. His anchor was still in Jerusalem, in the Castle of the Holy Cross.

Longinus still wanted to say something, but Cesar had closed his eyes again, and the Saracen doctor beside him made a gesture to keep him quiet. 【16

Longinus wanted to say something more, but Cesar had already closed his eyes again, and the Saracen physician at his side gestured for him to remain silent.

Longinus sighed and retreated from the room, letting his young master get some proper rest.

There would be plenty of time in the future, anyway.

(End of chapter)