When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 1047 An Empire on the Dining Table
"absurd……"

This time, Campbell was stopped by Charles VIII before he could even finish his sentence.

“For example?” Charles VIII also lowered his body and craned his neck.

"For example, this state religion is deeply intertwined with the Kingdom of Fran, stipulating that the French Church regards the King as its supreme head, not the Pope."

Therefore, all bishops within the French Church no longer need to be appointed by the Pope; they can be appointed by the King.

I can assure you that after you, Fran, have done this, the Holy Alliance will not deny your actions.

Charles VIII sat up straight, his gaze towards Horn uncertain. This was the power of bishop appointment.

Does this mean Horn has given up his right to be appointed bishop of the Fran region? That's a huge piece of meat; is he really willing to give it up?

For Horn, there was no such thing as being willing or unwilling to give up.

Your perspective is determined by your position. Even if Horn really becomes the Pope, do you think the priests of the Farn Church will obediently hand over their tribute?
Of course not, I'll probably only encounter those who disobey orders and refuse to follow them.

Moreover, the French were quite wealthy, social mobility was not yet solidified, and they had a well-established system of poverty relief.

Furthermore, it opens up new avenues for transferring domestic migrants and conflicts abroad.

The introduction of Horn's Holy Way doctrines did not inspire them to rebel against the nobility.

After all, if you have food to eat, who would risk losing their head to rebel?
He had given a lot, faced complex circumstances, but received very little in return; the French Church was a burden to Horn.

On the contrary, the Norn Church and the Leia Church are two promising sites. The former is wild and free, easy to reform, while the latter has great potential and is willing to change.

Upon hearing this, Campbell trembled with rage: "Heretical! This is blatant heresy!"

“Power should be in the hands of those who can do things.” Ignoring Campbell, Horn looked directly at Charlie. “The Holy El Empire is now an empty shell, not what it was a hundred years ago.”

Do you really think that once you become the emperor, those Norn lords and Leia nobles will listen to you?
"Then you'll have to use Franzian money to fill the Empire's hole and use Franzian soldiers to fight for them. What's the point?"

He paused, then offered an even more enticing bait: "Why not first consolidate your power within the French Empire, seize educational property, equalize taxes, and win the support of both citizens and nobles?"

Once France is strong enough, you won't need anyone else to crown you; you can crown yourself, and who will dare to say no?
Just like me, I didn't become pope because I received the pope's will, but because I was pope first; the will was merely icing on the cake.

Charlie's breathing became noticeably heavier.

Given the current situation, the only options are to fight the Holy Alliance to seize the throne, but as Horn said...

The wars of recent years have made him see reality clearly: the empire is already a mess torn apart by various forces. Is the title of emperor really that important?
Ultimately, his pursuit of the imperial throne was merely a means to suppress domestic corruption and eliminate domestic problems.

Especially after the emergence of the Holy Alliance, he wanted to develop rune artisans on a large scale.

If establishing a new state religion can also fulfill his vision, then does he really need the empty title of emperor?

The emperor's glory and tangible interests were locked in a fierce battle in Charles's mind.

Horn drank his tea for a full five minutes before Charlie slowly spoke: "Your offer isn't enough unless you're willing to sell me the Seed of Favor."

“This offer is too heavy a price to pay. How about this: you, as the head of the French Church, endorse the legitimacy of the Seed of Holy Favor.” Horn held up two fingers. “At the same time, allow the import of monsters and lower tariffs.”

"Sure, but only in exchange for the benefits of Griffin Horn. How about we use the Musk River at Griffin Horn as the boundary..."

"No, this is going too far..."

"What about the Moen River?"

“Then I request that the Holy Alliance’s fleet lease a port in the Zealand Islands for a period of ninety-nine years.”

"That's impossible. If you insist, you must promise that the Holy Alliance's sphere of influence will not extend beyond Xianshidian..."

Campbell opened his mouth several times, wanting to refute, but was forced back by Charlie's cold gaze.

The old bishop suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He realized that he might not have come today to negotiate on behalf of the king.

Instead, they came to witness how the Empire's most powerful king and the Empire's most powerful pope joined forces to weaken the Church and divide the Empire.

“The sphere of influence is negotiable.” Horn didn’t give Campbell time to adjust. “The Holy Alliance will not interfere with the self-governing communities of believers within Fran, even if they believe in the Holy Path Sect. We will not support them in breaking away from Fran.”

Accordingly, Your Highness Charles, please restrain the exiled nobles of Thousand Rivers Valley and the merchants who collude with the Black Serpent Bay rebels.

“I can’t control spontaneous actions by the people,” Charlie retorted. “For example, if French merchants want to do business with the rebels in Black Snake Bay, I can’t just close all the ports.”

But the royal family will never publicly support them, and will rigorously scrutinize any statements made regarding their stance; this is the bottom line.

“Okay.” Horn nodded. “Civilian activities should not interfere with each other, as long as they are not under the official banner.”

The light spots on the ground gradually moved, changing from transparent to bright gold and then gradually turning red.

Once the smoke from the cooking fire drifted in through the crack in the door of the Imperial Academy, the two men, who were circling the map of the empire, were finally satisfied with their division of the empire.

As Horn said, the empire's legacy is so great that it's enough for two people to eat.

Finally, the scribes unfolded a thicker scroll, the title of which was written in large, gold lettering: "The Holy Axis Alliance of the Holy Fathers and the Kingdom of France: A Treaty of Non-Aggression."

There are many clauses, but only three are core.

Neither side shall declare war on the other for any reason within the next ten years.

Border disputes should be resolved through consultations between the embassies, and no troops should be mobilized to cross the border without authorization.

Both sides acknowledged their respective interests in Leia, including the trade treaty with Horn and the regent supported by Charles. Charles finished reading, picked up a quill, and signed his name at the end.

Horn followed closely behind, and as his pen fell, the sunlight just shifted away from the sacred tree pattern on the glass, illuminating the two overlapping signatures.

As the negotiations concluded, it was nearly dusk outside the window, and the sunset painted the spire of the Yingjing Hall and the domed buildings on either side with a golden-red hue.

Horn smiled and stood up: "Your Highness Charlie, dinner is ready in the back hall. We hit it off today, how about we have a drink?"

Charlie glanced at Campbell.

The old bishop's face was ashen; he clearly had no appetite.

But the king laughed and said, "Since it's the Pope's invitation, I have no choice but to go."

“Your Highness…” Campbell called out anxiously.

Charlie stood up and stretched: "If Bishop Campbell doesn't have a good appetite, he can go back and rest."

"Old Bishop, you watched me grow up, and we regard you as a dear elder. You are a Frenchman."

Leaving behind this meaningful remark, Campbell stood dumbfounded at the door, covered in cold sweat, watching the two walk side by side into the back hall.

The sound of his boots hitting the stone ground was steady, and Campbell suddenly understood Grandiva's feelings.

At this small banquet, Charles VIII only invited Thierry to accompany him, while Horn only invited Mittner to be his translator.

If all goes well, these two will become the first diplomatic ambassadors.

I wonder what kind of benefits these two important figures will divide up and what kind of deals they will reach at this private banquet?

Campbell couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

…………

"I envy you for having a mother. My mother passed away before I was old enough to understand." Amidst the mess at the dining table, Horn drunkenly raised his glass.

"Of course I love my mother, but it would be even better if she stood firmly on my side." Charlene loosened his collar, his face flushed from drinking.

He tapped his temple with his finger: "She's too old; she thinks it's decades ago."

She thought she was protecting my throne and uniting the nobles for me, but... alas.

Horn gave a wry smile: "In fact, my cardinals are also living in the old kingdom era, and they keep pressuring me to get married."

I'm still young. If I have a child too early, am I supposed to let him be the crown prince for fifty years?

“And what about me?” Charlie became even more interested and began to complain, “Lorenzo is always urging me on. Is he my father?”
What's even more infuriating is that my mother often cooperated with him in urging me to hurry up, and I even suspected that the two of them were having an affair.

"Brother Charlie, please don't mention it."

My Jeanne has a large following in the army, and Carrie has even more support from the army and conservative forces.

Behind Catherine were merchants and artisans, while behind Shirley were scholars and bureaucrats.

Marriage? Who the hell am I supposed to marry? I need to convince all four of us to get along first, right?
"These old fogies, especially Madeleine and Chilvis, they just talk without any real understanding of the situation."

Charlie looked at him like he'd met a kindred spirit: "That's so true, Brother Horn, that's so true."

With so many nobles and powerful figures in the country, I must choose a capable beauty who is worthy of me, Charlie.

Do you know my mother? The group of priests around her would come looking for me every few days.

They told me about the beauty of women and the ugliness of men, and even told me that homosexuality is a disease.

It's as if I can just grab any woman on the street and marry her!

After a moment of stunned silence, Horn broke out in a cold sweat: "Are you...?"

"Of course not. I love both beautiful and talented people. That's called universal love. What does it have to do with men and women?"

Horn coughed and shifted his seat. "I just hope they can bother me less and give me more time to focus on my own things."

"Well said, I'll toast you."

The two clinked their glasses with fruit wine, drank the green liquid in one gulp, and laughed heartily.

While the two men ate, drank, and cursed to their hearts' content, Thierry and Mittner, huddled in the corner, wished they were deaf.

What kind of topic is this? Is this something they should be listening to?
Wait, didn't these two notice that the other two were still there?!
In this conversation, the terms "Brother Charlie" and "Brother Horn" are hardly significant.

King Charles said his mother had an affair with Lorenzo, and almost bluntly stated that he was bisexual.

Pope Horn vehemently denounced Cardinal Madeleine and Cardinal Chilvis of the Holy Scythe Monastery as old men, and even declared that he would marry four saints at the same time!

The two future ambassadors were on the verge of fainting.

At this moment, Thierry and Mittner were incredibly envious of Campbell and Armand, who had left early.

Someone please save them!

　P.S. Am I fast today?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)