Eagle's Glory

In order to further enhance the atmosphere, when writing the letter, Aigron also sprinkled a few drops of water on the letter paper without a teacher, and the water marks pretended to be tears-this common trick of the French is always very effective.

In all fairness this trick is not so clever, but women trapped in love are always willing to be fooled, they are willing to believe that their lover will cry for them, just like themselves.

The effect he wanted was achieved right away—Teresa just glanced roughly, and she was already teary-eyed, almost crying on the spot.

All grievances and expectations have been satisfied at this moment.

After reading this short letter, Teresa returned her eyes to the new beginning, and then continued to read it again. Then, she finally noticed the water marks on the letter paper.

In an instant, a picture appeared in her mind - Aegron was already in tears when he wrote this letter.

"Poor Eggron." In an instant, she couldn't restrain her emotions any longer, and burst into tears. "How hard it is for him to be without me..."

While crying, she also felt relieved in her heart, because she fulfilled her promise and helped her beloved with all her strength.

She didn't dare to say that Aigron's success was brought about by her, but at least she has a force that cannot be ignored-and for her, participating in a great cause is also the value of her life The embodiment of it is the glory she has dreamed of since she was a child.

There is no doubt that there are still many difficulties and obstacles on Aigron's road, but as long as the two continue to walk, there is no obstacle that can stop them.

And when the time comes, the two of them will be able to hold the grandest wedding, get everyone's blessings, and then form a happy family, spread out this great surname, and continue it forever...

She was holding the thin letter paper with trembling hands, crying and laughing at the same time, her cheeks were flushed, and if anyone who knew her were present, they would probably be horrified, thinking that she was suffering from some kind of illness.

After a while, she finally managed to regain her composure.

She then opened the file box in her collection, and then solemnly put the letter away—it will be one of the most important memories in her life.

Then, she reopened the door and called Chanel in.

"Your Highness, what's wrong with you?" Looking at Theresa's red and swollen eyes from crying, Chanel was very surprised.

"It's nothing..." Teresa shook her head, and then replied with a smile, "I just read the letter Eggron gave me, so I was so touched... I made you laugh."

"I see." Chanel lowered her head and never spoke again.

She was happy and sad at the same time.

His Majesty did not write a letter to me specifically...

She also knew that this was the inevitable result, but she still couldn't help feeling uncomfortable.

However, His Majesty's victory is more important than anything else, and she no longer has to worry about it all day long.

"It's been really hard for you these days." Teresa nodded to Chanel in thanks, "It is because of our efforts that His Highness can fight on the front line without any worries. We will never forget your achievements."

After Aigron left, he left Teresa to take charge of Methoni, but because Teresa was inconvenient to show up in public, Chanel often appeared instead of her and conveyed various instructions in the name of the manager next to His Majesty, so Chanel I've been working hard.

"This is what I should do, Your Highness." Chanel tried not to show the bitterness in her heart, and replied respectfully to Teresa, "It is the greatest thing for me to see His Majesty lead the empire back to glory. Relieved..."

"It's too early to talk about going to glory..." Teresa laughed, "Although His Highness has won, the battle is not over yet, and there are still too many things waiting for him... We have to make persistent efforts. .”

Then, she took out a string of pearl bracelets from the box, and handed them to Chanel.

This string of bracelets is woven with gold thread, and there are exquisite patterns on the thread, which looks very expensive.

"In order to celebrate the victory, and to reward you for serving me these days, I give it to you, please accept this insignificant gift—"

Although Teresa spoke modestly, it was certainly not something "insignificant"—in fact, it was a precious treasure specially selected by her mother for her when she left Austria.

For Teresa, all jewelry and treasures are just belongings outside her body, and they are not worth cherishing—as long as she can win over the people around her, she can give as much as she has.

However, even though such precious and beautiful jewelry is in front of her, Chanel is not very excited. After all, to her, accepting the reward means that she has to bow her knees to Her Majesty Teresa——

But what can be done?She must face the reality and must not cause trouble for His Majesty.

So she could only kneel down and salute Teresa.

"Thank you for your reward, Your Highness! I am forever grateful for your generosity."

Then, she took the jewel and carefully put it on her hand.

"How is Father Faria?" Teresa asked after she put on the bracelet.

"The priest is resting and recuperating now - after hearing the good news from His Majesty today, he is in a very good mood, talking and laughing with me." Chanel replied.

"That's just right... take me to see him." Teresa said with a smile.

"Yes!"

Then, Chanel and Teresa walked along the corridor to Father Faria's room. At this time, Father Faria was lying on the bed with his eyes closed.

He opened his eyes when he heard a knock at the door, and let two visitors in.

He struggled to move his body to pay homage to Her Majesty Teresa, but Chanel quickly helped him to lie on the side of the bed.

"I'm sorry to disturb you now, Father Faria." In front of the bed, Teresa bowed gracefully to the priest.

"It's my fault that I haven't congratulated you, Your Highness." Father Faria replied to her with a smile.

"Congratulations can be done at any time, anyone can do it, but your brainpower and wisdom are irreplaceable." Teresa replied gently, "I came to you now to ask you for advice. What should I do most?"

"Immediately send someone to Rome to find Cardinal Fish and ask him to meet the Pope." Father Faria replied without thinking, "The Pope has reached a tacit agreement with His Majesty before, as long as His Majesty can achieve certain achievements , he is willing to advocate for His Majesty—and now, it is time for him to fulfill his promise."

Then, he told Teresa the inside story of Egron's transactions with senior church officials in Rome.

"Okay, I see..." Theresa immediately understood all this. "Thank you for your advice."

Rome...the glorious capital of the world.

This city also has a different place in Teresa's heart-of course, this is not out of religious feelings, but because she also reunited with His Highness there, and then her fate was destined for life.

Obviously, it was the priest's idea to let His Highness go to Rome, so she felt even more fond of Father Faria in her heart.

"Call it the Great Victory of Lepanto—I am afraid that no one in Europe knows about Naphpaktos, but when Lepanto is mentioned, everyone will have historical associations, and this is important to His Majesty. Baili is harmless." Of course, the priest didn't know what Teresa was thinking, but continued, "You must act quickly, as long as the Pope speaks, His Majesty's money in Rome will not be wasted!"　　

164, The Sermon and the Lamb

If Rome is the glorious world capital, then St. Peter's Basilica is undoubtedly the heart of this world capital.

Since 1506, the church has been built for more than 100 years. During this period, several generations of popes spared no effort to invest in it, making it the largest Catholic church in the world and an unparalleled masterpiece of art.

Raphael, Michelangelo, Sangallo... a series of great names are closely connected with this building, and the art treasures inside the church are also too numerous to enumerate.

It is no exaggeration to say that St. Peter's Basilica, together with its treasures, is the most brilliant treasure house in the Christian world. As long as it exists in the world, the Catholic faith will last forever; It is no different from the doomsday prophesied in the Bible.

Outside St. Peter's Basilica, there is St. Peter's Square. This square has also been carefully built, and its momentum is as magnificent as St. Peter's Church. Its width is enough to accommodate several 10 people attending the ceremony at the same time.

There are 4 columns with a total of 284 columns around the square, forming a semi-surrounding situation on the square with two rings, and on the columns are 140 statues of saints.In the center of the square is a huge column that was transported from Egypt during the Roman Empire.

At this time, the wide square was already full of people. Although there were not hundreds of thousands of people, it was still full of people's voices. At this time, everyone's eyes were focused on the majestic St. Peter's Basilica. on the steps.

Because today, the current Pope Leo XII of the Holy See will host a public sermon in this magnificent square.

Next to the colonnades are the Swiss Guards directly under the Pope. At the moment, they are patrolling everywhere in full armor to protect the safety of His Majesty the Pope.

According to the ancient tradition, Christian delegations from all over Europe entered the arena one after another, and then they were arranged in different positions according to their parishes. Then, the audience began to sing hymns. The chanting of thousands of people at the same time is enough to bring out the dazzling and sacred atmosphere.

In this magnificent and sacred atmosphere, who still remembers that the Holy See has never bid farewell to filth, blasphemy, betrayal and massacre in the past 1000 years?

Amidst the endless singing, the door of St. Peter's Church slowly opened, and then a group of people walked out of the church, and then stopped on the steps.

The appearance of this group of people immediately greeted the cheers of the entire square, and the focus of the crowd's attention was on the person in the middle.

This is an old man in his 60s. He is wearing a robe and a white cap on his head. He is half bent, looking humble and gentle.

This person is naturally the protagonist of today's sermon - the current Pope Leo XII.

This unattractive old man has experienced the entire bloody era, witnessed the collapse and restoration of the French Kingdom, and also witnessed the life and death of countless people.

Relying on countless struggles, he dealt with all kinds of opponents, and finally climbed to the top of the Christian world, but now, he has long been used to all kinds of glorious scenes, and he just faces all these with an indifferent expression, showing With the solemnity that a church leader should have.

The excitement of the believers at the scene could not touch him at all, he just waved his hand indifferently, making the audience silent.

Then he began his sermons.

His voice is not loud, and the Pope is Italian, so of course he also speaks Italian when he preaches, a large part of the people present can't understand it at all.

For these believers present, it doesn't matter even if they don't understand, because they are listening to the holy voice in the most sacred square, and this is already an unforgettable glory for them in their entire lives.

While the Pope was preaching, in the corridor separated by the columns, there was an old man listening to the Pope's words with cold eyes.

This old man was also a senior member of the church—he was Emperor Napoleon’s uncle, Joseph Fish, who once served as the Cardinal of Lyon. After the fall of Napoleon’s empire, he had lived in seclusion in Rome for many years, and he was no longer involved in world affairs. .

And after his nephew escaped from Austria and began to work hard to restore the empire again, the old man's dead soul seemed to have regained his motivation, so he also began to secretly work for his nephew in the Holy See. In a sense, he has also become Aiglon's unofficial representative in Rome.

Not long ago, Egron came to Rome in person, and then made a deal with the Roman Church-he gave a treasure and a large sum of money to the Pope, in exchange for His Majesty's personal approval of himself.

Just two days ago, Cardinal Joseph Fish received news from Greece that Aigron had won successive battles in Greece and had severely defeated the Turkish army in Lepanto. Then the letter asked the Cardinal to go to the church activities, urging the pope to fulfill his promise.

Now, the time has come for the deal to be settled.

As the executor and supervisor of the transaction, Joseph Fish was on the sidelines during this sermon to confirm whether the Pope kept his promise.

The Pope’s first sermons were long formula-like speeches, and ordinary believers might burst into tears after listening to them, but Cardinal Joseph Fish had already heard them countless times, so he simply ignored them. Quietly waiting for the arrival of the "private order" part of his nephew and grandson.

His patience was not in vain, and after some time the pope at last began to mention the recent fighting in Greece.

"—Christians who have enjoyed peace, don't forget the good time God has given you, and don't forget that at this moment, there are still too many Christians who are suffering boundlessly under the iron hooves of pagans.

For several years the people of Greece had risen against the pagan tyrants, and during these miserable times they had suffered unimaginable suffering, and as punishment for their efforts to gain freedom the most venomous things were poured upon them by the minions of those tyrants. revenge……

Although the Greek people have some differences with us in doctrine and ritual, and we have quarreled over this throughout history, I ask all to remember that in the highest and best faith we have no differences at all, and we We are lambs who belong to the Lord, we also bear the Lord’s mercy, and we are bathed in the same divine grace...so their suffering is our suffering, and if their light of freedom is extinguished, it is tantamount to suffering There are burning scars in our souls.

Fortunately, during the difficult struggle of the Greek people, too many righteous men from all over Europe devoted themselves to their cause without hesitation. These people could have enjoyed a peaceful and peaceful life, but for the sake of morality and the glory of the Lord, they resolutely took He raised his weapon and faced the tyrant and his minions, even in the face of danger to his life, there was absolutely no fear or hesitation.

The most outstanding of these righteous men is the Duke of Reichstedt, who is only 16 years old. At his age, many people are still ignorant or still learning how to stand in the world; but the Duke is completely different. , He found courage and determination, wisdom and perseverance in his pious beliefs. He brought his followers and came to Greece with incomparable courage to help the Christians there to fight for freedom.

His efforts were by no means in vain, for in his advance the Turks were retreating, and no one could stand against them, and he had several times defeated the enemy, and most recently he had completely routed them at Lepanto. The siege of Siege - history remembers this place for us, where, 300 years ago, our Christian ancestors defeated the fleet of the Turks and saved Europe from danger.

Yes, God manifested in the same place - how could a teenager achieve such feats without God's blessing?

The Duke of Reichstedt is a pious warrior in the Christian world. At this time, he single-handedly fought for the Greeks who are also the people of God. All countries that believe in God should follow him as a model——

And those Christian monarchs who are still hesitant, have they ever asked themselves?If a young man dares to do and can do these things, why do they linger?

God has shown His will to every devout believer, we must obey the Lord..."

With everyone watching, Pope Leo XII calmly finished his sermon and then greeted the crowd with unchanging solemnity.

However, there was a little commotion among the people in the square—people who could understand were looking at each other, and those who didn’t understand or couldn’t hear clearly were asking the people around them what happened, why did His Majesty specifically say that These.

Cardinal Joseph Fish, who was listening quietly not far away, felt sincere satisfaction.

He didn't expect that His Majesty the Pope not only fulfilled his promise, but also said it in such a high-profile way, it seemed a bit flattering.

Logically speaking, he didn't need to talk to this point.

Cardinal Fish didn't know what was going on, but he knew that at least this situation was in his own favor—in any case, Aigron's money was worth his money, and that was enough.

He thought for a while, then walked straight towards the corridor next to the square, trying to find Cardinal Vittorio Esposito.

This cardinal is the confidant of His Majesty the Pope, and also the middleman of this transaction. On the one hand, Cardinal Fish wanted to thank him; Intend.

At this moment, Cardinal Vittorio Esposito is also trying to get rid of the entanglement of those around him.

The sermon just published by the pope greatly shocked the other high-ranking members of the Holy See who attended the evangelistic meeting. Of course, they wanted to get news from the pope's confidantes, at least to find out what happened.

"Can you tell me how much His Majesty the Pope charged?" A cardinal asked in the ear of Cardinal Esposito with the most intimate smile.

"Everything is only out of sincerity to God." Cardinal Vittorio Esposito solemnly made a sign of the cross, and then replied calmly, "His Majesty hopes to urge all Christian countries to work together to save the suffering. Suffering Christians are dying."

The cardinal on the opposite side didn't speak any more, but just looked at him with the eyes of "do you think I'm stupid".

And he obviously had no intention of explaining to the other party, and left directly.

Indeed, only Cardinal Vittorio Esposito, who is a confidant of the Pope, knows why His Majesty the Pope made such a statement——

For the independent cause of the Greek people, the pope is quite supportive in his heart. He very much hopes to see them expel the rule of the pagans and bathe in the glory of God again. After all, this also means the "political achievements" of his generation of popes.

Therefore, at this time, he can just use this young man as a positive teaching material, and he must be able to touch these Christian monarchs who are still fighting each other.

Take a large sum of money and fulfill your wish by the way, which is a good thing to have the best of both worlds, His Majesty the Pope is of course willing to do it, and he must do it properly.

Cardinal Vittorio Esposito came to the corridor of the church, and at this moment, he just ran into Cardinal Fish who came to look for him.

"Thank you for your help!" Joseph Fish's face, which was already covered with aging wrinkles, was now covered with a smile, "He will never forget your kindness."

Cardinal Vittorio Esposito still did not change his style, but nodded reservedly.

"Our fellow servants of the Lord should support each other."

"Yes, we are all working for the glory of the Lord." Cardinal Fish held back a laugh, and then replied equally solemnly.

He's satisfied enough - the only slight regret is that the Pope insists on referring only to Eggron as "Duke of Lechstedt" and not King of Rome.

But this is also understandable, after all, the title of King of Rome is really not welcomed by the church, and it is only natural for the Pope to turn a blind eye to it...

"Your devotion will definitely be rewarded by our Lord." After finishing speaking, Cardinal Fish looked at the cardinal with humble and enthusiastic eyes, as if waiting for his bid.