Chapter 50: Encounter (Part II)

"Leave? Now?" the attendant asked in astonishment.

He should not have contradicted his master like this, but one had to remember that his master had previously ignored everyone's dissuasion, insisting on coming to Arasalu at this most dangerous moment, all just to see Prince Baldwin, the heir of Amalric I.

The fickleness of fate was manifested vividly in this child.

A few months ago, he had been diagnosed with leprosy. Upon hearing this news, the Caliph's court was filled with jubilation; everyone was all smiles, saying this was the thunderous wrath of God descending upon the Christians. No one held any hope for the child's future, believing that even if he did not die, he would only be able to linger on in a monastery for the rest of his life.

They were soon disappointed; Amalric I had actually withstood the pressure from the Church and insisted on holding the "Selection Ceremony" for his son.

Prince Baldwin did not fail his expectations. Not only did he perceive "Saint George"—a saint that almost only wise kings could perceive—during the "Selection Ceremony," but he also manifested the spear of Saint George for a full three days and nights. Thousands upon thousands of people witnessed this miracle.

With the help of those with ulterior motives, this miracle spread like a bird with wings. It not only spread to every Christian country but also reached the ears of their enemies.

The Caliph's court fell into silence; laughter and joy were no more, and the vibrant tiles and curtains seemed to have lost their color. Hearts were restless and filled with anxiety—they feared that with such a son who had not only received a blessing but also manifested a miracle, Amalric I could summon more knights, raise more funds, and gain more support.

Perhaps in three or five years, he would launch another attack on Egypt.

Several ministers suggested to the Caliph that they should increase taxes or levy them repeatedly, and then gather these tax revenues and hand them over to Amalric I to make up for the previous arrears.

If possible, they also suggested that they might be able to ask Amalric I to send troops to expel the Saracens within Egypt.

They thought this conversation was confidential, little knowing that before the ministers had even left the Caliph's palace, the content of the conversation had already been transcribed word for word and quickly sent to the Saracens whom they despised and antagonized.

When Shirkuh, the Kurd dispatched to Cairo by Nur ad-Din of Zengi, received this secret letter, he was at a loss for words for a moment.

He handed the letter to his nephew—the willful master of this attendant—who was also speechless after reading it.

What did the Caliph's court take them for? What did they take Amalric I for? Did they think they could be dispatched at will just by promising some money? They were the proud and fierce soldiers of Sultan Nur ad-Din, not wandering knights like stray dogs.

However, the "leper prince favored by Saint George," so vigorously embellished in this letter, did indeed pique his master's interest.

"Do you not intend to see that prince anymore?"

"I have already seen him."

"Ah?" The attendant could not help but exclaim, then he quickly shut his mouth and began to recall over and over what had happened during this time. They had only been in Arasalu for a day or two, and the people they had seen were either strong knights, fat merchants, ragged and exhausted pilgrims, or the nails the Saracens had placed in this holy city.

Prince Baldwin was only nine years old; they didn't seem to have seen such a young child.

"Wait, were those three children not Byzantines?"

"I told you long ago they were not Byzantines." His master took a silver ring from his pouch and put it on his hand, replacing the previous one. He had once been to Constantinople, and inside that behemoth that survived by sucking the remaining blood of the ancient empire, he had disguised himself as a Saracen merchant for several months.

Everyone praised the Byzantine heritage as the greatness and glory of Rome, but all he saw was bloat and rigidity.

The Byzantine Emperor was greedy by nature, always wanting to hold everything tightly in his hands and requiring the entire empire to operate and advance according to his will. For this reason, he appointed countless officials to manage and control every region for him, but at the same time, the common malady of suspicious kings made it difficult for him to trust them. Thus, he intentionally indulged them in infighting and framing each other, while he, as a unique arbiter, sat securely on the throne to distribute everyone's fate.

The consequences of this approach were visible to the naked eye: officials were slack, the army was exhausted, the people were destitute, religious conflicts were constant, and riots were frequent everywhere.

Even if Manuel I could be called a decisive and wise monarch, this carriage, which was already burdened to the limit, could not change its fate of plunging into the abyss; it could only be said to be sooner or later. Now it could still hold on, only because it still had a huge shell, just like a predator would hesitate when encountering a bird that had puffed up its feathers; everyone was waiting for someone to rush up and tear off the first piece of meat...

Those three children were wearing Byzantine clothes. He often saw this kind of loose attire in Cairo, also inherited from the ancient Roman Empire, but people in the ancient Roman Empire never adorned them with jewels or embroidered them with gold and silver threads; simple pleated lines were enough to highlight the strength and relaxation of this country and its people.

Today's Byzantines, however, had turned the originally clean and soft fabric into a jewel-encrusted shackle.

Those Byzantine royal family members, whether elders or children, could only be called prisoners in these shackles; they were numb, lifeless, with only vigilance in their eyes, only swords in their hands, and greed and desire in their hearts.

And those children he saw were soft, vibrant, and full of hope. Even knowing that the other party was the offspring of an enemy, he still could not help but express heartfelt praise.

"Is it that child? I just said, he really is a prince."

"You mean that green-eyed child? No," his master laughed, "he is not the prince. The one in the orange-red clothes beside him is; he is just an attendant to the prince."

"How is that possible?"

"Why not? Just from this point, Prince Baldwin is at least a broad-minded person."

How many people would become jealous because others surpassed them, especially those who were high-ranking but lacked the virtue for their position?

For example, their Caliph.

And Prince Baldwin, as well as his attendant of the same age, Atid.

When those ministers suggested that he bring in the tiger Amalric I to drive away the wolves entrenched in Egypt—that is, the Saracens—the Caliph, although he did not explicitly agree, remained silent.

He also often saw how the Caliph looked at him. It was an ominous gaze. Even though he and his uncle were dispatched to Egypt by Sultan Nur ad-Din to drive away those Christians for him, the Caliph would still feel deep jealousy because people praised him, obeyed him, and supported him.

If possible, what the Caliph wanted to do was perhaps not just simple expulsion; he would rather twist a bowstring around his neck and break it, or personally hold a dagger to stab into his chest and dig out his heart.

"Then why don't you talk to Prince Baldwin again?" His attendant, although he did not follow—after all, a Saracen merchant talking to a Byzantine might be for business, or perhaps just because he saw his face was beautiful and wanted to come up and say a few words, but one more person would arouse the vigilance of the knights.

Yet his master left before Prince Baldwin walked out of the tent. Didn't he come for the prince?

"A lion will not walk side by side with a hyena. The best way to understand a person is to look at the people around him, not at him himself. Because a person can disguise himself, but his friends cannot. You might say he was deceived by his friends, but if a person is close to another, it is impossible to know nothing about him; otherwise, it is stupidity.

And a person of noble character, if he discovers that his friend is a filthy villain, will inevitably stay away from him—after all, only maggots would cluster together and roll in a cesspit."

When he said this, the attendant also thought of those ministers in the Caliph's court, as well as their Caliph.

"I remember now, they said the attendant beside the prince also received a blessing, and it was a shield. They all say this attendant was born for the prince."

The attendant said, only to see his master smile meaningfully, "Who was born for whom, it's hard to say yet."

Are there merciful people? There are many; are there cruel people? There are, and many; then, to be able to retain a cruel sobriety while being merciful, such people are rare; and to maintain the last bottom line of mercy in a cruel game is as rare as a pearl in the desert.

It's just that compared to Prince Baldwin, this child's starting point is low to the extreme, and presumably the road ahead will be even more difficult. No matter what he twists into or what he falls into in the future, he would not be surprised.

But in his heart, he still maintained a luxurious hope...

——————

This Saracen from Egypt, whether making decisions or acting, was very fast. After telling the attendant that they were leaving, they boarded an Egyptian merchant ship that night. Here, they accidentally caught a glimpse of several familiar but unpleasant faces.

They were supervising slaves moving cargo. One wooden crate was particularly large, over a person's height and two people's width, and a dull snoring sound kept coming from the crate.

This pier used a treadwheel crane. To describe it simply, it was like a huge wooden hamster wheel, about fifteen feet in diameter. The slaves were like hamsters treading on the pedals inside, making the wheel connected to the pulley rotate, thereby pulling the heavy cargo. It is said that this crane could pull up to twelve thousand pounds. The ancient Egyptians used it to build the pharaohs' tombs, and the ancient Romans used it to build temples for the gods.

But this crane also had a disadvantage, which was that it was easy to collapse. Once it fell, the slaves inside would be dead or injured, and the cargo would also be damaged.

Those people obviously knew this, so they were very nervous. Of course, they were nervous about the cargo. They shouted and yelled, intimidating these slaves that if they broke the crate, everyone would be thrown into the sea.

In this tense atmosphere, the largest wooden crate was hoisted up, swaying, leaving the deck and pushed into the air. The muscles of the slaves in the wheel were bulging, sweating profusely, and they began to walk slowly in the opposite direction—compared to hoisting cargo, lowering cargo was the most dangerous. If the rope broke, the crate slipped, or a sudden gust of wind blew, any of these would cause the crane to lose its balance. At that time, they wouldn't need the employer to whip them; they would lose their lives immediately.

When the cargo was still fourteen or fifteen feet from the ground, dozens more slaves grabbed the ropes hanging from the crate and pulled with all their might in all directions. Even so, when the crate landed on the ground, it still made a huge boom, and the ground shook.

"What is that?"

The sudden sound startled the guy who was shouting the loudest. He immediately drew the scimitar from his waist and looked vigilantly in the direction of the sound—the Saracen in the black robe walked out.

"So it's you." The guy took a step back involuntarily, thought for a moment, and then took a step forward, "This is a wedding gift from Caliph Adid to King Amalric I of Arasalu and his bride, the Byzantine Princess Maria Komnene."

"What kind of wedding gift carries the smell of a wild beast?"

"That is not something you should pursue and know." The other party said unceremoniously, but under the Saracen's glance, he still subconsciously lowered his head and bowed deeply to him, "Please do not make things difficult for me, my lord. If I say it, I and my family will be torn to pieces by the Grand Vizier Shawar."

——————

The gift that Prince Baldwin brought back was indeed received with great joy by the Countess of Jaffa, who exclaimed loudly and gave many hugs.

However, the Countess was a bit confused when she saw the divination result, because the divination result said she would have two sons. The first son would bring her glory, and the second son would bring her even more glory.

She touched her belly in confusion. Amalric I was only in his thirties this year, and she was even younger than Amalric I. According to her age, she could give birth to a son. But her husband had died not long ago. Could this prophecy be telling her to find a husband as soon as possible and then give birth to a second son?

But she was also a little hesitant. Amalric I was still strong and powerful, and his bride was only fifteen. After the two of them combined, they might have children soon.

If this child was a boy, almost everything Baldwin had now would be transferred to him. After all, Baldwin's illness could not be cured, which meant he had no long-term future. Who would invest in an asset destined to lose everything in the short term?

She was very worried that if she had a little son, she would transfer part of the love she had for her eldest son Baldwin to him. Baldwin already had very little, and she didn't want to deprive him of what should have been his.

Moreover, the prophecy said that the second son would bring more honor. Baldwin would be the King of Arasalu in the future. How could her second son be more honorable? Was it by inheriting Baldwin's throne... or...

Baldwin, however, did not care about what the prophecy said at all. He had been worrying that he might not even outlive his mother. When he passed away, who would protect her? If his mother could have another son, and this son could achieve greater deeds than him, he would not have to worry anymore.

However, he could see that the Countess was not in high spirits, so to divert her attention, he said: "You probably don't know the divination results for Damara and Cesar yet, right?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 51 =====