Chapter 3: The three choices given by the King

Amalric I's question made everyone in the room—except the person being asked—nervous.

The King's suspicion was not groundless. At this time, people's concept of labor was at a wonderful turning point, because initially, the Church's interpretation of labor was—a punishment for mankind. Adam and Eve originally lived in the Garden of Eden without worries, but were driven out because they disobeyed God's will. Since then, men have to bear the pain of labor, and women have to bear the pain of childbirth.

But such thinking changed significantly after the monastic reforms. Labor began to be encouraged. Monks relied on planting, brewing, weaving, and copying to satisfy their own and the monastery's needs and regarded it as a practice. The Apostle Paul's maxim, "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat," was increasingly mentioned by people.

But for nobles and knights, labor was still undesirable. Many young monks—they were originally the second or third sons of nobles, pampered and spoiled—the first thing they complained about after entering the monastery was "having to plow like a serf, spin like a woman, and forge iron like a craftsman."

Just like when the monks guessed Cesar's identity, the first thing they checked was his hands and feet. For some people, labor was still humiliating, painful, and fruitless.

Cesar had to treat this question cautiously. Abbot John of the monastery was undoubtedly a reformer, so what kind was the King of Jerusalem? What kind of answer did he want to get?

"No one is forcing me, Your Majesty," Cesar said steadily: "When I was still unable to move, many people came to take care of me. Now that I am well, of course, I hope to be able to repay them." He paused slightly: "And, wasn't it God who worked hard for six days to create the heavens and the earth? It's just that his work is magnificent, and our work is small. But smallness is not a reason for laziness and indifference."

"Are you not afraid that someone will look down on you because of this and treat you as a servant?" Amalric I asked gently.

"How can a person's future be defined by others' opinions?" Cesar replied softly, and smiled briefly: "When you and your knights passed by that hill, what did you see? Thirty-one pieces of merchandise from an Isaacite slave merchant, right."

"I didn't count that clearly at the time," Amalric I didn't mind his boldness: "But you are very right, destined fate may not be irreversible." He made a gesture: "Heraclius, John, I want to talk to this child alone."

When only the two of them were left in the room, "I give you three choices," Amalric I said.

"The first choice is to be the page of Abbot John of the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist. He likes you very much. You will become a monk in the future, receive a holy order, and then... perhaps it is possible that you will obtain a position in my court, or return to Frankia or the Apennine Peninsula; the second choice is to leave the monastery. You can choose as you wish—become a craftsman, farmer, or hunter, and eat by your own skills and God's grace."

"What about the third?"

"The third... child," Amalric I said: "Perhaps you already know, I have a son, only this one. He is about your age, but shortly before I met you, he was confirmed to have contracted leprosy." He lifted his eyes and stared closely at Cesar: "You know what leprosy is, right."

"I know," Cesar said: "It is an infectious disease."

"It will bring many terrible consequences, although it won't kill," Amalric I said: "Because of this, I have to disperse the attendants around Baldwin. Their fathers or guardians are either my vassals, my knights, or ministers and monks surrounding me. Whether standing from the King's position or the friend's position, I cannot let their heirs bear such huge risks."

He turned his gaze to the window: "Although not all of them are cowards—but I cannot.

The problem is, Baldwin needs friends, needs companions to study, hunt with falcons, and practice martial arts with him. Cesar, we all know you have an extraordinary background, but unfortunately, you lost your original surname and cannot find it back—so, are you willing to go to Baldwin's side and be his attendant?"

The King's gaze turned back.

Amalric I has a pair of gray-blue eyes, which are as daunting as the gloom before the rain: "I cannot guarantee that you will not contract the disease. I can only guarantee that if you agree to go to my son's side, whether you are healthy or complete, your treatment will be equal to that of a duke's son. No one can question your background, humiliate your parents. When Baldwin becomes a knight, you will be his squire, and when he becomes King, you will be his knight."

Cesar's eyes widened slightly. Certainly, living with a leper is very dangerous, but the reward given by Amalric I is also equally generous, generous to the point of being unbelievable—especially for someone who was a slave not long ago and had no surname...

"Me?"

"Before you, there were others," Amalric I said: "Unfortunately, they all disappointed me." He lifted a hand and placed it on Cesar's shoulder: "You will be the only one. Now, tell me your decision."

What is leprosy? Perhaps others are not very clear, but Cesar knows it too well.

It is indeed a malignant infectious disease that makes people daunting and avoids it like the plague, but the reason it causes panic is not because of its strong lethality and strong infectivity. On the contrary, it causes skin lesions, deformities, and disabilities, but it will not easily take the patient's life. Patients can survive for a long time under the condition of receiving treatment and care. It is also not easy to be transmitted to others—it's not that it has no infectivity, but that 95% of people have natural immunity to it.

So who is susceptible to leprosy? Those with low immunity caused by malnutrition, so this infectious disease is very common among the poor.

But to say that the son of the King of Jerusalem would lack sufficient resistance due to lack of food is a downright joke. He is not even a squire, has almost never left the Castle of the Holy Cross and his father's wings. How did he contract leprosy?

So, if he chooses to go to the side of Baldwin, the only son of Amalric I, he will have to face, besides leprosy, countless conspiracies and traps.

But he can only make one decision.

"I am willing to serve your son," he said.

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"Raymond will surely be furious," Heraclius said: "Think about his father, Raymond IV."

Raymond IV was a wonderful figure. He was brave in battle, pious and persistent. During the First Crusade, he arrived at the foot of the Holy City of Jerusalem with Godfrey of Bouillon and Bohemond of the Apennine Peninsula. Speaking of which, he also had great military achievements.

But strangely, the first country established by the Crusaders was the County of Edessa, then the Principality of Antioch, and finally Jerusalem. In this process, Raymond always failed to obtain a territory where he could stand for various reasons. Finally, he had to do his best to take down the last territory of the Saracens on the Mediterranean coast—Tripoli, before finally ranking among the Crusader kingdoms.

The reason Heraclius said this is because the Count of Tripoli is a firm supporter of bloodline theory. After retaking Jerusalem, who would be the King of Jerusalem caused a dispute. Finally, it was to be decided between Raymond and Godfrey of Bouillon. Raymond insisted on giving the throne to Godfrey, just because Godfrey's blood relationship with the Frankish King Louis II was closer to the direct line than his.

And the Raymond beside Amalric I clearly inherited his father's bravery and stubbornness completely. He was already dissatisfied with the King abandoning the sons of nobles and re-selecting the Prince's attendants from the children of exiled knights and low-level officials. It was just that when everyone else remained silent, he could not clearly oppose it loudly. Now Amalric I actually wants a former slave to be Baldwin's attendant... Raymond will definitely be furious.

"Yes," Amalric I smiled: "He always says—the King's son should be served by the son of a count or a duke." He pulled his cloak, it is early September now. In Jardin of Frankia, it might be very cold, but in the various cities and kingdoms along the Mediterranean coast, the sea and sea breeze will bring warm air currents. His coldness comes from his heart.

He remembered when little Baldwin was sentenced—declared to have contracted leprosy, a disease seen as "God's punishment," the various expressions and faces revealed by the people around him. Except for Raymond and his son David, everyone was afraid, disgusted, calculating, and gloating.

Those children who were once intimate with Baldwin disappeared all of a sudden. Either they suddenly sprained their feet or dislocated their arms, or they suddenly developed a fever. Anyway, they couldn't fulfill their duties as attendants.

As a King, he should be tolerant, and he was tolerant. But as a father, he still couldn't avoid rising resentment and unwillingness. Baldwin is his only son, only nine years old, and his life is already like an inverted hourglass. Every day after that, little Baldwin is walking one step closer to the grave.

This poor child is already unfortunate enough, yet there are still people adding insult to injury—they petitioned the King, just like in Frankia, that he should promulgate and abide by laws regarding lepers, deprive Baldwin of his inheritance, and move to a monastery outside the city.

That's right, if Baldwin is still the heir to Jerusalem, then their behavior is a betrayal of the current and future King. But as long as Baldwin is not, whether morally or legally, they are still innocent good people.

"They are wrong. The glory and status of an attendant come from the master, not the other way around," Amalric I said coldly: "Without their service, Baldwin is still my only son, the future master of Jerusalem, the guardian of the Holy Sepulcher; and as long as he is Baldwin's attendant, he is the son of a count, or the son of a duke."

Heraclius sighed when he heard this. If it were normal times, he would inevitably continue to persuade, but just yesterday, Rome formally rejected Amalric I's request. The Church's reasons were all that mortals cannot interfere with God's will. Heraclius guessed whether this had anything to do with Amalric I's attitude toward the Church—Jerusalem is a country established on theocracy, but Amalric I is clearly not the kind of fanatic willing to bow to church power.

The Church has long coveted the Holy City of Jerusalem. As early as when the first King of Jerusalem, Godfrey, died, there were priests asking if he was willing to dedicate Jerusalem to the Church. If it weren't for Godfrey's personal attendant also being on the side and willing to testify, Jerusalem would already be in the Church's pocket.

The only son of the King of Jerusalem contracted leprosy, which is a rare good opportunity for the Church. How could these leeches in red robes easily let go?

But Amalric I will not bow his head and hand Jerusalem to that group of incompetent maggots. Also because of this reason, he holds an infinitely profound apology to Baldwin. This apology turned into a raging fire when facing those guys with ulterior motives. Now he is just using a slave to slap their faces, which is already very restrained.

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At this time, the King's son, the future King of Jerusalem, the guardian of the Holy Sepulcher, Baldwin, is completely unaware that he will soon meet his most important best friend in this life.

He is organizing some of his items. Unlike what Amalric I worried about, the reason this precocious child stayed in his room as much as possible was not because he became depressed, cowardly, and self-pitying after suffering a sudden huge blow... He accepted this fact faster than others imagined. After repeatedly asking the monks and confirming that his condition would be difficult to have a chance of recovery unless God had mercy, Baldwin began to consider his future life.

Baldwin's grammar teacher is the resident priest Heraclius. Heraclius was originally a knowledgeable historian and theologian, which means that when he taught Baldwin, he often cited some historical allusions. He had, of course, heard of leprosy, a disease that can be traced back to more than a thousand years BC, and was also familiar with various laws related to it—if it is indeed as the Church says, a sin, or a harsh test... He is willing to atone for his sins, and is also willing to accept the trial.

He would also guess, what would his father do? He will certainly lose his inheritance. How can a leper become a King? His father might remarry a wife, such as a Byzantine princess, and have a new heir with her, or choose a suitable husband for his sister Sibylla, and hand the Shengcheng and the crown to the latter or their children.

If he is still alive then, he will pray for the new King in the monastery.

Taking out his favorite Damascus dagger, and putting a calfskin Bible previously given to him by his sister Sibylla into his clothing box, Baldwin stood up and stretched his limbs. Almost subconsciously, he touched his arm again. The strange numbness was like touching a branch with thick cowhide gloves, making him show a bitter smile.

It was precisely when playing the "patience game"—a game common among the descendants of knights, where children scratch each other to see who can't help but scream in pain—that he kept winning, which was why the fencing teacher noticed something was wrong—the initial stage of leprosy is limb numbness, without feeling.

"How brave, Your Highness," he repeated the words of the fencing teacher: "But didn't you feel pain?"

Baldwin shook his head, and a burst of urgent knocking on the door interrupted his thoughts, "Your Highness!" a rude and confused voice shouted outside the door, "Time for a bath!"

This is the herbal bath arranged by Heraclius, once a day, used to delay the development of the disease. However, compared to the curative effect, it is more like comfort. Baldwin accepted his kindness and walked out the door. The small hall outside the bedroom was empty—those new servants were terrified and would never appear in front of him unless ordered.

Baldwin soaked in the water. It was a bit cold. He sighed at the dereliction of duty of these people. The fragrance of St. John's wort was also intermittent—it must have been a handful sprinkled casually after pouring the water, rather than sprinkling no less than a pound of dried herbs in boiling water as Heraclius required.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 4 =====