Chapter 303: It’s A Trap!
Bishop Andrew also noticed his own slip of the tongue, and Caesar could understand Patriarch Heraclius’s mood, after all, when he had prepared ointment for Baldwin under the pretext of buying spices, Patriarch Heraclius had sternly rebuked him and immediately taken over all related matters.
Since the birth of the Church, it has been inseparable from medicine, or it could even be said that the greatest duty and authority borne by all gods is to ensure the survival of believers; destroying others’ lives is one means, and saving one’s own life is also a means.
Even as early as the era of Ancient Rome, the majority of the work done by priests was of this nature; when people went to the Temple to pray, they would dispense corresponding ointments and potions as the favor of the gods, but at that time, these things required the people to exchange them with expensive offerings—chickens and ducks, cattle and sheep, gold and silver, slaves… the priests never refused anyone who came.
Records from that time have been buried in the dust after the collapse of the Roman Empire, and Caesar had not found corresponding materials to prove whether the priests of that era also had this ability—to heal diseases on the human body directly without medicine.
But one thing is certain: many evangelists among Christians at that time gained people’s respect and following through outstanding but not expensive medical skills—many who could not afford the sacrificial costs became their followers as a result—like the two saints Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian, who were marked by two human legs, as clearly recorded in the Bible; they had traveled to many places as doctors.
At that time, evangelists charged extremely low fees for treating people, sometimes even nothing. And after Jesus Christ came to this world, eight or nine out of ten of the miracles he manifested were healing someone, removing an intractable disease, or even raising the dead.
And if you read further in chronological order, you will find that in the early days, priests maintained relative tolerance toward local existing faiths and the priests, shamans, or wizards derived from those faiths, even adopting an inclusive approach.
To this day, traces of those heathen gods can still be seen in Catholic festivals, and there are precedents of beloved heathen priests being included among the saints. So, from when did the Church suddenly begin to hunt down these remnants of the past en masse and prohibit the spread of all heretical doctrines?
After they finally obtained abilities that mortals could not achieve.
When priests could heal wounds deep enough to expose bone, make festering and suppurating sores disappear, enable lame patients to stand and walk again, and make the throats of the mute emit sound again… at this time, how could people think of anything else?
From kings to beggars, all would rejoice madly over such miracles.
And those humble commoners did not even consider whether these miracles would descend upon them; they always harbored fluke hopes, believing themselves so pious that they should receive God’s protection, and under the Church’s initial generosity, they began to point out the doctors mingling among them—now to be called wizards or devil-possessed people.
They perhaps thought that these people were like weeds in the fields; even if uprooted, they would soon grow back.
When the Church hunted these people among them, they unhesitatingly handed over those pitiable innocent ones, and even in times of disaster, immediately regarded them as suspects, throwing them into rivers or burning them alive.
But what these people inherited might be knowledge passed down from their ancestors, and their ancestors might not have been commoners—once nobles, priests, or scholars—but such inheritance requires a stable environment, spacious residence, abundant food, and several servants.
Otherwise, just filling their empty stomachs every day would consume almost all their time; where would they find the energy to recite scripture or identify herbs? They did not even dare to keep books recording medical knowledge—once found, it would be a catastrophe.
They either destroyed them directly or memorized them by heart, hoping to pass them on to their children. But by the time they grew old, this knowledge was like sandy land written with words, gradually fading under the rush of water until nothing remained.
Not to mention if some accident occurred in the meantime, like being exposed by villagers, plundered by thieves, or a child meeting with misfortune—a commoner facing misfortune has a high probability—and such inheritance would be abruptly cut off, unable to continue.
And after a hundred years, the Church’s conspiracy finally took shape, fairly enveloping everyone.
This is a vicious cycle. When someone falls ill, they can only rely on priests; they might seek other methods due to the Church’s blackmail or the priests’ arrogance, but soon they would discover that the doctors, wizards, or whatever that were once ubiquitous in every city and village… seemed to vanish overnight, leaving them no choice but to turn back to the Church.
And the generous rewards they paid ensured that the Church possessed its own power. The Pope could hire armies or use the priests they cultivated—priests with knowledge unattainable by knights; they might reside in churches or monasteries, stand in the Imperial Court, or mingle in the harem.
Their profound knowledge, outstanding medical skills, and dazzling eloquence won the favor of monarchs and lords, and in turn, they used this power to influence them.
Thus, the pyres never lacked figures of those daring to touch the Church’s forbidden possessions—those immature wizards, or rather folk doctors, who had not yet had time to voice their calls or demonstrate their abilities, became piles of ashes.
Then the story repeated itself…
The Church had tasted the sweetness of this for many years, and the war between ecclesiastical and royal authority also reached its peak at this time. The Church indeed had no army, but as long as priests remained indispensable in human life, it would forever have fearsome influence.
Church members were well aware of this, which was why Patriarch Heraclius repeatedly reminded them.
Anyone daring to break this monopolistic industry（indeed an industry） would face unhesitating comprehensive strikes. Why holy war? Besides the Holy Land and the relics that could bring people power, it was also because the gods worshipped by the Saracens and Isaacites had touched the Church’s interests—Catholicism had internal strife and rivalry, but when facing these heretics and heathens, their opinions and attitudes were always unified.
Faith is so, and medicine is so; it could even be said that it is precisely because the Church gained the ability to control others’ life and death that the people’s faith could be so solidified.
If Patriarch Heraclius had merely fallen ill, he might not have been so anxious, but before his coma, he had already guessed that this might be an erupting epidemic, and Bishop Andrew had clearly spoken the word malaria.
Patriarch Heraclius had of course encountered malaria before, and anyone who had ever participated in an expedition would know this term.
All previous concerns erupted in his heart; he urgently grasped Caesar’s arm with such force that it was impossible to feel he was a patient who had just awakened from a coma.
Bishop Andrew hurriedly made amends: “Please don’t worry, Your Eminence, now everything, at least nominally, is under my guidance—Caesar is just a lord.”
But the Patriarch merely gave Bishop Andrew a deep look. He believed that Bishop Andrew, once Amalric I’s right-hand man, would not betray Baldwin, but he had long stayed in the Knights and Bethlehem, fundamentally unaware of how complex the situation on Ayyarasa Road had become, and the hidden danger that had kept him anxious day and night was finally clearly exposed.
He had originally thought their greatest enemy was still the Saracens; the previous truce was merely a temporary retreat for the Saracens, and after pacifying internal chaos, Damascus remained their indispensable Earthly Paradise, heaven’s garden.
And those Saracens in Damascus who had received amnesty might become their inside agents—such things had happened before, which was why many Crusader knights were dissatisfied after agreeing to the terms of Damascus Governor Razis.
And those in Holy Cross Castle—Patriarch Heraclius knew well, but he thought the worst case was merely Damascus being besieged by Saracens, like Edessa once attacked by Zengi—what they could do was at most, like Ayyarasa Road, Antioch, and Tripoli before, stand by without moving and refuse to send aid.
Jocelyn II, Count of Edessa at that time, was indeed unpopular among those allies.
And the indifference of the Crusader States in the Holy Land even led to the failure of the Second Crusade.
Or like the Knights Templar, occasionally pressuring the king on state affairs and military matters to force him to distance himself from Caesar.
This was the most common military and political tactic at the time, but Patriarch Heraclius overlooked two things: that Caesar’s foundations were ultimately shallow, and that as long as he could be toppled, the gains were so great that people would even deal with the devil—and he did not know what Duke of Antioch Bohemond had done before…
This trap involved at least three main forces: Bethlehem’s Church—Bishop Andrew could not betray, but his deputy might, and as Patriarch of Ayyarasa Road, this meant that as a priest, the only possible turncoat option was the Roman Church.
The Roman Church was full of priests who had received various “Chosen by Raphael,” and Pope Alexander III would not hesitate because this conspiracy involved spreading plague—don’t joke! Plague was originally a form of divine punishment recorded in scripture!
Just like when Moses punished traitors, the Isaacites besieged him, saying he had killed Jehovah’s people, but God said, “Get away… that I may consume them in an instant.”
Plague spread among the people, killing fourteen thousand and seven hundred.
The second time was because the Isaacites had impure relations with heathen women; again, God sent plague, killing twenty-four thousand.
The last time was even more inexplicable: as king, King David, out of “pride,” counted the number of people in the country, and God punished him, giving him three choices—seven years of famine in the country; or fleeing before the enemy, pursued for three months; or three days of plague in the country?
King David chose the third.
This plague killed seventy thousand.
If the first and second could be said to be abandoning their original faith and deserving punishment, what about the third? The people at that time knew nothing; were they not pious, not pure?
Thus, to the Pope and his lackeys, they were also acting on God’s behalf, just like every time before.
You are innocently victimized? Who said so? If you were without sin, how could you contract the plague?
Just like Prince Baldwin before; those Roman priests could shamelessly say that if he were truly pious, even placing him in a monastery full of lepers would not make him contract the disease.
They used the apparition of Saint Jerome to lure and force Caesar back to Bethlehem; if he contracted the disease and died, that would be good, but if not—although he had single-handedly protected and concealed it, Caesar’s analysis and treatment of Baldwin was only an unpublicized secret in Holy Cross Castle.
And Caesar’s usual actions had already proven what kind of person he was; would he be willing to abandon Bethlehem’s people? Even if powerless and forced to leave alone, the Church had follow-ups waiting for him.
The apparition of Saint Jerome could have more than one interpretation—perhaps approval, perhaps warning… and people terrified by the plague would believe them; they needed a scapegoat. Although making them believe the “Little Saint” was the source was difficult—but as long as enough people died.
So, if things developed as they were now, and Caesar contained the plague’s spread?
A “miracle”?
The Church would not allow it; they had forged the iron rule over more than a hundred years that “only priests can heal, all others are devils and their servants,” and would not let anyone shake the foundation.
The results of Caesar’s “Asceticism” when he first arrived on Ayyarasa Road were still visible to people; the commoners’ trust in him had lasted nearly ten years. If he were a priest or monk, he might already be a bishop now—his enemies this time would absolutely not allow public opinion to continue tilting favorably.
And Patriarch Heraclius had personally witnessed in his youth how a respectable person was turned into a devil—the commoners are ignorant and can be manipulated at will.
But these arrangements could not be completed by the Roman Church and a few traitors alone; among the conspiracy participants must be those cloaked in crosses. It could be confirmed that Count of Tripoli, even if not a participant, was certainly aware—he hated to not stick David on Baldwin, yet this time unusually left David in Damascus.
And when asked to stay in Damascus on Caesar’s behalf, he showed little hesitation, even some joy.
And Duke of Antioch Bohemond—his son Abigail had almost become a cripple, and his and Princess Sibylla’s attitude was as always—the problem lay in that “as always.”
They did not contest Damascus—because they had long known Caesar could not return to Damascus?
Immediately, the Patriarch thought of the last enemy—Byzantium’s Emperor Manuel I, who had accumulated as much anger as he was mocked.
After Anna’s death, he had continuously sent people to contact the Cypriots, trying to incite them against Caesar, but Caesar struck nobles with thunderous blows while appeasing the people with tax reductions and other measures; all his tactics had minimal effect.
His only hope now was to strip Caesar of ownership of Cyprus from the root.
And to declare invalid a marriage presided over by the Patriarch, witnessed by the king and grand duke, there were possibly only two ways: the first was to prove one party to the marriage was incapable of producing offspring, either the woman or the man, which was why after Princess Anna was assassinated, she endured immense pain to complete the ceremony.
The second was that one party to the marriage—excommunicated, and with major excommunication, meaning all contracts he made under God’s witness were invalid—his with the king, his with allies, his with subjects.
And his with his wife…
Yes, major excommunication; once the decree was issued, Caesar would not only immediately become a sinner, all his secular and religious powers would be stripped, and he would again become a man with nothing.
Even if Baldwin trusted him ever so much, he could no longer use him—all Christians could not approach him, nor could he approach any Christian.
But just as he was about to issue the warning, he only felt a violent pain bursting from his brain, a pain like an arrow directly piercing his skull and stabbing into his cerebrum; he could almost feel a stream of warmth bursting in his brain.
His heart was filled with regret. If this was God’s punishment, let it all fall on him! At least give him a few more minutes to speak that crucial entrustment, but it was too late; darkness came, and he fainted again.
