The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 446 Father-in-law, my godfather said he wants to promote you to be the next Pope! (Please subscribe and vote)
"Maria, come here." Luo Yaoguo's voice was somewhat intimate. After the military advisory meeting of the Zongli Yamen that had just ended, he couldn't wait to call his private secretary Maria to his prime minister's office.

"Your Highness, you called me?" Maria heard the call, and followed Luo Yaoguo with brisk steps, like a docile Persian cat. Before entering the room, she did not forget to playfully wink at Zhao Liewen, the chief advisor who was working outside the Prime Minister's office, and told him to pay attention. Then, she gently closed the door, her movements so gentle as if she was afraid of disturbing something. Then, she walked around behind Prime Minister Luo who was already sitting on the sofa chair, and slowly stretched out her pair of slender jade hands, with a bit of coquettishness and concern, wanting to help Luo Yaoguo massage his shoulders and neck.

Luo Yaoguo narrowed his eyes slightly, immersed in Maria's gentle service, and asked slowly in a low and ambiguous voice: "Maria, are you willing to be my Third Queen Mother?"

Maria's hands trembled slightly, and her full breasts rose and fell like ripples on a calm lake. Her fair cheeks instantly turned red, and she asked in a tender voice, "Your Highness, are you... going to marry me?"

Luo Yaoguo raised his lips slightly and nodded gently: "You have belonged to me for a long time...don't you?"

"Yes!" Maria nodded vigorously, tears of happiness flashing in her eyes. She knew in her heart that "belonging" to Luo Yaoguo and becoming his wife had completely different meanings. Before, she had always regarded herself as an angel's loyal maid, but now, this "maid" was going to transform into the mistress, how could she not be excited.

Luo Yaoguo felt the excitement of this woman who even Hong Xiuquan thought was too feudal and superstitious. He gently stroked Maria's slender hand, and said softly with a hint of inquiry: "Maria, are you the daughter of Bishop Paul?"

Although Maria never told Luo Yaoguo that she was the daughter of Paul de Doria, their similar faces made Luo Yaoguo ask this question.

"This..." Maria was slightly stunned, then hurriedly nodded vigorously. How could she dare to hide anything from the angel? "From a biological point of view, he is indeed my father. But as a loyal Catholic clergyman, he has already dedicated everything to God and cannot get married and have children."

Unable to get married and have children, but yet... it seems to make sense.

"God? Isn't that my godfather?" Luo Yaoguo smiled. "When you become my queen, your father will be my father-in-law. In this way, my godfather and my father-in-law are family members...relatives!"

"Ah, can it be calculated this way?" Maria thought to herself, "If this is the way to calculate, then wouldn't I be God's daughter-in-law? Then what should I call Jesus? Uncle?"

Luo Yaoguo smiled even more deeply and said leisurely, "My father-in-law must be eager to become the next Pope, right?"

"Become... the Pope?" Maria was shocked. "How is this possible?"

"How can it be impossible? It's just a word from my godfather." Luo Yaoguo said it calmly, as if it was just a trivial matter.

Well, if God is really his godfather as he claims, this doesn't seem to be a difficult thing to do.

God’s in-law!

Based on this relationship, any cardinal participating in the next papal election who dares not vote for him will probably be sent to hell.

"Then...how can you make your godfather say this?" Maria leaned close to Luo Yaoguo and asked in a low voice, with a hint of curiosity and expectation in her tone.

Luo Yaoguo raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a mysterious smile: "He has to do me a small favor!"

"What do you want him to do for you?" Maria asked, blinking her big watery eyes.

Luo Yaoguo did not answer directly, but changed the subject and asked, "Is the Macau Diocese now under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Nanjing?"

"Yes." Maria nodded obediently. "Now the Catholic Church has an archdiocese in China, called the Archdiocese of Nanjing, which is led by a cardinal. The Diocese of Macau is subordinate to the Archdiocese of Nanjing."

"So, the Bishop of Macau is your father's subordinate?"

Maria shook her head slightly. "That's not the case. In the province, that is, the archdiocese, each bishop is directly responsible to the Pope. The archbishop has no jurisdiction over the bishops, only supervision. When malpractices occur in the diocese, the archbishop has the right to remind the bishops and, if necessary, convene a provincial meeting to correct the mistakes."

"Then this is still jurisdiction!" Luo Yaoguo laughed heartily, "Maria, please ask your father to come to Tianjing. I really need his help."

"Can you tell me what you want him to do for you?" Maria asked with a puzzled look in her eyes.

"Macau!" Luo Yaoguo said with a firm gaze, "My army will land in Macau in a month at the latest!"

"Ah..." Maria exclaimed, her face full of surprise, "You want to occupy Macau, the Portuguese territory?"

"No!" Luo Yaoguo's tone suddenly became as cold as ice. He spoke word by word with great force: "Macau has never belonged to Portugal! It will never belong to Portugal! It only belongs to China, to our Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!" Maria shuddered slightly, then nodded heavily, her soft hair swaying, and she echoed softly: "Yes, you are right! Macau belongs to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!"

Luo Yaoguo emphasized his tone, his expression becoming more serious: "This matter is a secret among secrets, and it must not be revealed to anyone!"

"Yes!" Maria nodded again, a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes, and she asked softly: "Then what should I do to invite my father to Tianjing?"

Luo Yaoguo raised his lips slightly and said slowly: "Just tell him that God has taken a liking to him and wants to promote him to be the next Pope of Rome!"

"Okay, I'll go to Shanghai now!" Maria replied.

"Let's go tomorrow." Luo Yaoguo slowly turned his head, his eyes gently falling on Maria's rosy and delicate face, with a hint of ambiguity in his eyes, and whispered softly: "Tonight. Accompany me!"

Maria's cheeks flushed slightly and she hummed softly. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's, but it seemed to carry endless charm.

The place where Luo Yaoguo met with the next Pope Paul de Doria was in the ancient church near the Qinhuai River. In the original history, this was the residence of the Archbishop of the Catholic Diocese of Nanjing.

But now, this church has been converted into a Taiping Heavenly Kingdom temple. The replica of the Spear of Langnuski owned by Luo Yaoguo and the bamboo pole that Hong Xiujiao used to spank Hong Xiuquan are now enshrined as "holy objects" on both sides of the altar. In the middle of the altar stands a tablet engraved with a cross and inscribed with "The Throne of Heavenly Father Hao Tian Huang God".

Luo Yaoguo, dressed in a black robe, sat quietly beside the altar, while Maria, dressed in a nun's uniform, stood respectfully beside him. Paul de Doria looked a little excited, and after saluting Luo Yaoguo, he asked eagerly, "Your Highness, is it true that God wants to promote me to be the next Pope?"

"You don't need to rush." ​​Luo Yaoguo responded with a calm smile, "You still have a long time to wait to become the most loyal servant of Heavenly Father on earth. After all, Pius IX will still be alive for more than 20 years. During this time, he will experience many humiliations and sorrows, and finally return to Heavenly Father with regret and guilt."

Paul de Doria was unable to understand Luo Yaoguo's intention for a moment, and stared at him blankly: "Your Highness, what you just said is..."

"Prophecy!" Luo Yaoguo said, "A crucial prophecy about Pope Pius IX himself and the Roman Catholic Church. But I have tried. The future is not certain, but can be changed. Do you understand what I mean?"

Paul De Doria looked confused and obviously didn't understand.

Seeing this, Luo Yaoguo patiently explained: "The Roman Church will encounter a huge setback during the tenure of Pope Pius IX. The church will be severely weakened. What will be handed over to you in more than 20 years will be an extremely weak church that will never be able to revive! If you don't want to become the weakest pope in history, then you should do something. It may not be too late to start now!"

Before Paul de Doria could even feel happy, he was already worried about the future of the church: "Your Highness, then... then what should I do?"

Luo Yaoguo smiled and said, "You should first know what happened, and then we can work together to find a solution!"

He pointed at Maria and said, "She will be my third wife, so you will be my father-in-law!"

Paul de Doria looked at Maria, then at Luo Yaoguo, with nothing but surprise on his face - an angel wanted to marry his illegitimate daughter as his third wife. Was this angel really not a fallen angel?
Also, how many wives can this angel have? Can it be four?
Luo Yaoguo looked at the stunned cardinal, paused and said, "Okay, let me tell you something else. In 1860, the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia will march south to unify Italy, and the Pope will lose two-thirds of his territory, leaving only Rome and Lazio! Ten years later, he will lose the remaining one-third. And you, my respected father-in-law, will inherit a church with only the Vatican Palace left. But all this can be changed!"

Paul de Doria was silent for a long time before he recovered from his shock: "Your Highness, I...what should I do?"

"Assist me..." Luo Yaoguo's eyes were firm. "My army will enter Macau in 25 days at the latest, and use Macau as a base to attack Guangzhou!"

"Then...how can I help you?" asked Paul De Doria.

Luo Yaoguo said: "I need some Catholics who can serve as steamship captains, first mates, and chief engineers. Please note that none of them can be British citizens."

Paul de Doria showed a surprised expression: "You want to... deal with Colonel Asben?"

Luo Yaoguo laughed and said, "My friend Wenxian resigned not long ago and is no longer the minister, and the successor, Mr. Bowring, is even unwilling to come to Shanghai under the rule of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. So I must prepare for the worst!"

Paul De Doria thought for a long time before nodding and saying, "Okay, I'll try my best to find a solution, but... it's not easy to find enough people in a short period of time. I'm afraid it will cost some money."

"Maria!" Luo Yaoguo shouted, "Give the cardinal a HSBC bank note of 500,000 yuan!"

(End of this chapter)