Chapter 165: The Isaacs' New Year (2)

"You must be careful with these Isaacs. Even the Savior was sold for only thirty silver coins by them. For their own private desires, they don't care about any philosophy, morality, or law, and will even use slander and uglification of others to cover up their own crimes."

"I cannot say that there isn't a single trustworthy person among them, but whether it's Jerusalem or Bethlehem, there are plenty of Christians willing to serve you; you don't need to care about them at all."

Bishop Andre finished speaking solemnly, then thought that he was only facing a teenager, and teenagers were fond of vanity and weak in temperament, indeed very easily misled by the weakness and pain feigned by those Isaacs.

Just like during this time, the Isaacs in Bethlehem had been discussing the fact that they had been extorted of one hundred thousand gold coins by the Saracens because they wanted to redeem their master.

This number, whoever heard it would be startled; it could almost extort a king. But Bishop Andre knew at once that there was a lot of water in it. As for the tricks Isaacs played in currency exchange, he knew too many; after all, they had to pay taxes to him in Bethlehem too.

In the first few years he arrived in Bethlehem, not to mention hoarding, smuggling, lending, and plundering, just the issue of clipped, counterfeit, and impure coins being rampant everywhere forced him to hang quite a few Isaacs batch after batch before he could kill off this bad trend.

They realized that Bishop Andre was not the kind of mediocre and incompetent person who held a position without doing anything, so they stopped resentfully.

Subsequently, the Isaacs' bribes were sent to his door, including money, treasures, and women. What made him feel most ridiculous was that the Isaacs' bribes were completely different from those of other merchants.

Other merchants offered goods or money to lords or officials to beg them to treat them with a kind and tolerant heart, at most hoping they wouldn't be too greedy, could reduce some taxes, at least not increase them at will, and not ruin their families for these clinking little trinkets.

You know, nobles at this time often confiscated merchants' goods under various names, such as landing tax—whether it was mules, horses, or wheelbarrows, once the goods landed on the ground, they belonged to the local lord.

Or when they wanted something and didn't have money on hand, they would detain passing merchants and extort them in the name of damaging the lord's property—this charge was very easy to establish; after all, trees, lakes, and even bridges were considered the lord's property.

However, generally speaking, as long as the merchants weren't too stupid and the lord wasn't too harsh, both sides could have dealings and be polite—although merchants could basically only deal with the lord's stewards or guards.

There were also times when merchants wanted the lord to grant them some kind of privilege—such as exclusive sales of certain wines, olive oil, or some indispensable commodities, and there would also be large gifts—they used this to monopolize this business and thereby earn more profits.

But the Isaacs were different.

They had a very strange idea, which was that if you accepted their bribes of money or goods, then in a sense, you also became one of them, a guy who was nominally still a Christian but had essentially become an Isaac.

They bought you off, making you stand on the same side as them, but unlike the groveling of other merchants, they seemed to naturally feel that they could then be on equal footing with you.

This might be the delusion left to them by the former Egyptians and Romans.

Regardless, when these two ancient empires still stood here, there were indeed some Isaacs who became their officials and viceroys, and turned around to exploit and squeeze the commoners in the empire.

Unfortunately, in the Christian world, they didn't have such convenience.

The repeated probing was indeed laughable and disgusting.

"I heard you like an Isaac craftsman very much. I have also seen his work, indeed exquisite, but you must be careful, don't ever let him be your squire, let alone let him get close to you or stay by your side. You must show a posture of disgust, not only to let him know, but also to let others know."

"I heard that many Isaacs often go to talk to him. You haven't promised him anything, have you?"

"No."

Bishop Andre nodded slightly, and then he said, "This is an elder's advice. If you are willing to listen, then I would say, in the first year here, you might as well be stricter with them. Those guys will only submit to power, violence, and humiliation, but will not be grateful for your tolerance."

"You are a kind person, but kindness should also be targeted."

Perhaps feeling that this sentence was too harsh, Bishop Andre then expressed subtly and gently that he, as well as the thirty Knights of the Holy Sepulchre still stationed in Bethlehem—if he found it necessary, he could request their help at any time.

He even joked that he repaired the wooden frames outside the Bethlehem walls every year, and they hadn't rotted or collapsed, guaranteeing that a batch of people and dogs could be hung up at any time.

Cesar had to thank him for his kindness.

He still couldn't get used to the overly intense way people expressed emotions at this time. There wasn't much gray in them, only black and white.

Things that people in later generations thought were unimportant were, at this time, one of the important conditions for judging a person's life and death.

Regarding the hypocrisy, cunning, and fickleness of the Isaacs, Baldwin had warned him, Joscelin had warned him, Saladin had warned him, and now Bishop Andre said so too. If he were not a soul from elsewhere, but a child who had been here since the cradle, he might have been moved by them long ago.

No, it shouldn't be said moved, but he might have already had such deep-rooted stereotypical concepts, and didn't need others to remind him.

After Bishop Andre left, he sat at the table and crossed his index fingers, thinking for a long time. Should he follow the current people's view of the Isaacs and treat them with a rude and cold attitude?

He couldn't be sure, but things should be viewed with an objective eye, and then a judgment should be made, "Tomorrow, let the Isaacs—the sage in Bethlehem—come to see me. If he asks for the reason, tell him I want to know how the Isaacs want to spend their New Year."

Longinus heard this and retreated. But a few minutes later, he knocked on Cesar's door again, and then Cesar saw Bishop Andre return, followed by a group of people wearing cloaks and pulling up their hoods.

Bishop Andre was even holding a candle for the person walking in front.

"Baldwin!" Cesar shouted.

After all, in terms of Bishop Andre's status, there were only a few people who could make him serve them. Since neither the Pope of Rome nor the Patriarch of Jerusalem could visit him at this time, it could only be the King of Jerusalem.

The person lifted his hood, revealing a triumphant face.

After this heart-stopping incident, Baldwin IV actually did not insist on keeping Cesar in the Castle of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, but allowed him to return to Bethlehem to recuperate after the funeral of Joscelin III and his wife. Those who knew them couldn't help but feel surprised.

They thought that even if Baldwin could restrain himself from going to Damascus personally to redeem his friend, he should at least welcome him warmly in Jerusalem and arrange for him to live in the room next to his own.

But in just a few short months, Baldwin seemed to have broken free from the predicament of being eager to grasp something because he had lost his father and king. Rather than keeping Cesar forcibly by his side regardless of his health, he would rather let him go to Bethlehem to recuperate in peace first.

In any case, Bethlehem was Cesar's fief. In Bethlehem, the King was not the master; Cesar was. And he also vaguely felt that his ministers were still more wary of Cesar, and his trust and love for Cesar could not extend to them.

Even though it had been proven that the deaths of Joscelin III and his wife had nothing to do with Cesar, and he didn't need to be held responsible—there were still people in Jerusalem questioning from time to time—the deaths of this couple were a bit too coincidental.

Of course, for Cesar, regarding his background, the best thing would be for Joscelin III to walk up to people himself and admit that he was his only son and sole heir—but the current Joscelin III couldn't stand up and speak, and people like Heraclius, Baldwin, and those who cared for Cesar could only find another way.

The remains of Joscelin III and his wife were welcomed back to the Cathedral of the Holy Sepulchre. Just like Amalric I, they would also sleep here forever accompanied by the Son of God. Moreover, just like Amalric I, they could be said to have died as martyrs. Besides, Joscelin III's actions had never disgraced his surname and bloodline.

He was equivalent to having grown up in a pagan castle, but he did not convert, nor did he desecrate the holy icons or the cross. Even his wife was a Christian, and he had never given up his faith and persistence—making the greatest resistance within his power.

More importantly, he was dead and could no longer add any stains to his resume. His "canonization proposal" was submitted almost together with Amalric I's.

Of course, this also required a lot of human favors and money. But speaking of it, compared to Amalric I, Joscelin III's possibility was even greater.

In any case, if Amalric I was determined to be "Saint Amalric," then it would become a matter of course for his descendants to continue to possess Jerusalem, and the Roman Church would be afraid to intervene again.

But in Jerusalem, a massive build-up and propaganda had already begun. Within a year, the clerics would continuously hold mass for them, the monks would pray in turns day and night without stopping, and pilgrims, as long as they were willing to light a candle for them, could also receive a reward of one silver coin.

At their funeral, besides their children Natiya and Cesar, King Baldwin IV also attended. Once he appeared, he inevitably brought his entire court, and all the dignitaries in Jerusalem followed behind him, wearing black mourning clothes with sorrowful faces, immediately dispelling some malicious rumors.

They said that Baldwin didn't even let Cesar step into the Castle of the Holy Cross because he was already tired of him, and this close minister would soon become a discarded pawn.

But to their disappointment, the young King held the rites like a nephew at Joscelin III's funeral. He did so, and no one would think it was for Joscelin III, whom he had never met, but only for Cesar.

They had once sworn to be brothers and friends to each other.

Therefore, when Cesar hurried back to Bethlehem after the funeral, it didn't lead to gossip from others. But Baldwin, how could he be the kind of person who would stay put?

After rewarding and comforting the ninety knights who followed Cesar to Aleppo and guarded him back from Damascus, he only stayed in the Castle of the Holy Cross for one day. That same night, he disguised himself as an ordinary knight, and with only two squires, hurried to Bethlehem.

Not to mention how surprised Bishop Andre was when he saw the King just after leaving Cesar's mansion, even Cesar's sister Natiya was shocked and pressed her chest.

As early as in Aleppo, she had heard that the only heir to the King of Jerusalem was a leper, and he had a black-haired, green-eyed squire by his side, and they were as loving as brothers.

And those Saracens said contemptuously that this squire was originally just a slave, and it was precisely because Baldwin had leprosy that the squires and servants around him fled in panic, and his father had to send such a person to his side.

At that time, Natiya had a faint hope. After all, her brother was also handsome, with black hair and green eyes, but even she herself felt the possibility was not great.

Although she had been praying to be reunited with her brother, she also knew that compared to her as a woman, her brother as a male and an heir was in the most dangerous situation. If the black hand that had always been hidden behind the scenes really wanted to cut off the roots, how could he let Cesar go?

He didn't order the soldiers to kill them directly. It might be because he had once made some kind of oath, and this oath made him unable to act so straightforwardly.

But for a nine-year-old child, how simple it was to make him die.

And she also remembered what kind of child her brother was. Although he was handsome, like an angel, his temperament was no different from an ordinary boy. They had always been displaced and unable to settle down. Although compared to the children of ordinary craftsmen or farmers, they didn't need to work and were well cared for, they didn't have much progress in human relations and knowledge.

When Natiya first arrived in the Sultan's harem, she was almost crushed to death by the harsh living environment and heavy work. How could her brother condescend to do those humble jobs? Even if he was forced to do them, how could he gain the love of Baldwin and others?

Until she came to the Castle of the Holy Cross and saw the squire standing beside the young King, she recognized him at a glance.

Unlike other boys who were exquisite and cute as children but became rude and hateful when they grew up, her brother was still the same as before, with those emerald-like eyes, jet-black hair, and fair skin. If there was any change, it was that he was more gentle and approachable than when he was young.

Even when he mistakenly thought Natiya was an assassin at that time, he didn't behave rudely, although he was indeed as hard and cold as a shield.

She saw Baldwin even jump directly onto her brother's body. She was happy to see that their relationship was intimate and close—but she was still startled. The young King was as happy as if he had inherited another kingdom.

In the following days, the Queen Mother Maria kept her by her side—she didn't let her have too much contact with Cesar. Natiya could guess some reasons for the Queen Mother doing so.

She was, after all, a woman from Sultan Nur ad-Din's harem. Even if she had proven her identity, it was hard to say whether she had converted or even betrayed?

The Queen Mother Maria sent an elderly maid to live with her. From this maid, she listened thirstily to what happened after Cesar came to Jerusalem, how he gained Baldwin's love, how he performed such long and arduous penance, how he subdued those unruly teenagers in the competition, and how he and Baldwin saved the then-Byzantine princess, the Queen Mother, during the entry ceremony; they were promoted to squires in advance together, took classes together, received training together, played games, and attended banquets together.

They had once lived intimately in one room, and had also lain together wrapped in bear skins in front of the King's bedroom. They went on an expedition to Egypt with the King, and were knighted by Amalric I on the battlefield. How heroic and fearless they were on the battlefield, how well they cooperated, how much respect they received, and how many people envied them—not just their achievements but their friendship.

She heard all of this and kept it in her heart, but she never thought that a ruler of a country like Baldwin IV could actually disguise himself and sneak to Cesar's residence to visit him.

Cesar was also a bit surprised. He had only been back in Bethlehem for a day and a night. It could even be said that the sweet taste of the honey water he had at dinner with Baldwin the night before was still fresh in his memory. Now, before he had time to think of Baldwin, Baldwin had come before him.

"What's wrong?" Baldwin opened his arms, "Come and welcome me."

Cesar could only smile bitterly and step forward, hugging Baldwin tightly. "Do Heraclius, the Queen Mother, and Count Raymond know that you came to me?"

"Of course they don't. But for the time being, they can't worry about me." Baldwin said so, and then he, like Natiya, pushed Cesar back onto the daybed, and then took off his cloak and coat, wearing only a loose shirt and sitting with Cesar.

"I'll talk to you for a while," he said, "and then you let them prepare a room for me next door," he ordered calmly, "I'll stay here for a few days."

"Wait..."

"There's nothing to wait for, Cesar. Don't worry, they won't be in such a hurry to urge me back. For Raymond and Bohemond... perhaps there are others, they might hope I stay in Bethlehem, at least during this time."

Cesar's face turned slightly cold, and he gripped Baldwin's hand.

"What happened?"

"Sibylla is pregnant."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 166 =====