Director Daley personally asked to see Cardinal Shakley.
Xia Keli refused to meet him on the grounds that he was busy with academic affairs.
Daley was not angry and went back obediently. However, the next day's newspaper revealed the story of Shakli's refusal to see Daley. Between the lines, the public opinion was led to another possibility - the church had a guilty conscience.
Since January of this year, Xia Keli has vaguely sensed a hidden arrow piercing the church. At the beginning of the year, there was an underground publication called "Secrets of Genoa", a collection of pictures, which contained a large amount of content that was suspected of "slandering" the sanctity of the church. One of the paintings in it...
People are impressed:
A werewolf wearing a priest's black robe holds a girl in his arms.
The power of this hidden arrow reached its peak with the assassination of Countess Kovar.
In front of Sean, the Cardinal unabashedly expressed his disgust for Countess Koval:
"Sean, why did you help that old woman? If she died on the spot, I would never conduct a funeral ceremony for her, and I would refuse to allow any priests to participate."
What Xia Keli said was just angry words. If Countess Koval was really dead, the bishop would probably rush over to help with the funeral arrangements, otherwise he would be really guilty.
"Your Majesty Bishop, the Countess is the victim." Sean reminded.
"I don't need your reminder, Sean. Anyone with a discerning eye knows that the church is the one who loves harm, and we have no motive to harm a noble lady." Xia Keli said, "This is a trick, and the nobles have also become bad. No, the nobles
It is a class full of conspiracies."
"The person standing in front of you is also a nobleman, Lord Bishop." Sean complained.
"Of course you are a noble, but you know, I am not talking about you, nor are I talking about all the nobles. At least Viscount Brandon, who is a straight-faced man, will not do such a thing. I am talking about those who look so well-educated on the surface.
The richer and nobler the family is, the more noble the family is and the longer it has a history, the dirtier it is.
There is a secret charnel house in their castle and manor." Xia Keli said angrily, "I heard that the Koval family has been full of guests these days? In my opinion, since the countess is so spirited to meet guests,
Obviously her claim that she suffered indelible psychological trauma is completely false."
"This is a war of public opinion, Your Majesty Bishop. The people are very emotional and need the truth, but the truth comes from what you want to tell them." Sean said, "Obviously, Countess Koval has won the sympathy of most people."
"War of public opinion? Yes, that's what it means." Xia Keli nodded heavily, "I should have been wary of it since the beginning of the year, but it's a bit late now. Could it be that the 1/20 tax has become a general tax, affecting nobles and third parties?
No need to hand over rank? Especially since the Covar family is the leading landowner in Genoa."
"So, the church is ready to give in?" Sean asked.
"Actually, paying 1/20 of the tax is not unacceptable. I'm just worried that the authority of the church will be challenged more and more in the future." Xia Keli said, "The privileges of the church are not worldly gifts, they come from God.
Approval. The church’s land does not belong to us personally, we are just the custodians.”
Paying taxes in itself will not hurt the church. What Shakli is worried about is that the privileges it has enjoyed for thousands of years will be further compressed. If there is one, there will be two. This is something he cannot tolerate.
In fact, the church is under increasing pressure to be challenged. With the vigorous development of natural sciences and the development of the capitalist economy over the past century, the concepts of freedom and equality have become more and more fashionable, even if they are a buzzword or mantra.
At this time, the sacred cloak outside the church is most directly challenged.
Even within the church, some middle- and lower-level clergymen also criticized: the remonstrances of the senior clergy advocated rebellion and independence. They tried to evade all taxes and obligations to the country. According to them, obedience was a humiliation.
…The poor were defrauded of their property, the orphans wept, the widows groaned, while the cruel prelates—who should have ministered to these people and wiped away their tears.
Yes, of course there are hierarchies within the church. There is a huge distance between a country missionary and a cardinal. The former deals with farmers with dirt on their legs and associates with traffickers and lackeys, while the latter lives in a luxurious apartment.
Eat exquisite food and enjoy the luxurious life of slaves.
"What have you been busy with recently?" Xia Keli asked dissatisfiedly when he saw Sean in a daze.
"Oh, I just acquired a newspaper, "Le Genoese". It also includes two printing plants. I plan to use new printing machines, which can save at least 20% of the cost of a newspaper, so that more people can subscribe
." Sean replied.
Xia Keli didn't notice his wonderful eyes.
"Not doing your job properly...wait a minute!" Xia Keli exclaimed, "Uh, you said you own a newspaper now?"
"As you said, I paid twenty thousand gold louis for this." Sean nodded.
"The church should also have a newspaper of its own. In this public opinion war, the church must have its own position." The more Xia Keli thought about it, the more necessary he felt, "Sean, I have to admit that you always
You can think ahead of me. How about you transfer "Le Genoese" to me? The price is negotiable."
"No, Lord Bishop, I just acquired it." Sean shook his head.
"I'll pay 30,000, no, 40,000!" Xia Keli was rich and wealthy.
"This is very exciting, but it still doesn't work. In addition, if you are willing to pay 40,000, you can buy any newspaper you like. Why do you have to buy my newspaper? Of course, except "Le Poitou", that is
Government-run newspapers are controlled by a group of old academics and cannot keep up with the times." Sean said.
"Sean, as a noble, do you have some different views on the church?" Xia Keli slapped Sean, "If I buy other newspapers, won't it take time?"
"In this case, you can find some quick-thinking people to write articles. As long as they are not excessive and do not violate laws and basic ethics, I can guarantee that the people of Poitou can read these articles." Sean suggested.
Xia Keli's bid was very tempting, but Sean valued the value of Le Genoese more. Most of the main members of this newspaper were a group of cutting-edge intellectuals with progressive ideas. As a new newspaper, it only took a short year.
In a little while it became the second largest newspaper in Genoa.
Besides, Sean didn’t want others to notice that he and the church were wearing the same pants. Of course, if someone felt it was necessary to refute the church’s views in Le Genovese, Sean would never object.
It is also necessary to plan ahead and have a certain amount of public opinion power.
The next day, "Le Genoese" published an article written by an anonymous person who claimed to be from the church. While he deeply criticized the murderer's crime, he also introduced the murderer's origin with the theme of "What brought the murderer to this point"
and origin, describing the murderer as a tenant farmer's son who came from a humble background but worked very hard.
In the eyes of his neighbors, the murderer was an honest, quiet man who was very helpful. The report described the murderer's tragic childhood and adolescence in detail, drawing readers' attention to the causes of his mental distortion and pain -
The oppression of some indescribable noble.
This report contains 3,000 words, and every word does not violate any laws. But every reader who reads this report will have a kind of "extenuating" sympathy for the murderer's crime, as well as a strong curiosity.
——Who is that indescribable nobleman?
In the next few days, other newspapers quickly followed up and gave the answer. The murderer's family had been tenants of the Koval family for generations.
Public opinion immediately changed its direction, and most of the reports revealed a message between the lines. This was a poor man's revenge and resistance to the wealthy aristocrats.
Shakeley publicly announced that the church would not only improve the treatment of lower-class clergy and care for their lives, but also donate a large amount of money to almshouses and orphanages to provide support for the elderly and the young. He claimed that this was the mercy of God.
Shakeley took advantage of the Koval family and pursued the victory, not only turning the tide, but also improving the reputation of the church.
After a few days of silence, the Kovar family began to fight back in newspapers, and it was the Genoese newspaper that detailed the arrogance and corruption of the church. One accusation after another, they directly pointed to the legitimacy of the existence of the church's privileges.
People in Poitou who could read and read newspapers were attracted by the debates going on between the two sides. But it was the church and the nobility who were hurt, and the third estate was snickering.
Sean watched with cold eyes and even used some tricks secretly.
He is not worried about the overthrow of the church and the nobility. As long as the empire maintains its apparent strength and stability, this situation will not happen. The first and second estates are too powerful, and it is necessary to subject these two estates to some degree.
This kind of weakening allows Sean to unite some strength.
As long as Xia Keli was the Cardinal of Genoa, the church was his ally, and some people among the nobles were very fond of him, especially the poorer nobles, who regarded Shaun as a role model for getting rich.
A group of property owners in the third estate are counting on Sean to be their spokesperson - Sean is the most enthusiastic nobleman among the Genoese aristocrats in establishing industry, which is rare in the south.
Of course, the price he paid was that the Koval family had become wary of him, but they were unable to accuse him publicly.
The Koval family vaguely felt a challenge from Sean. This challenge was not very obvious and even difficult for people to detect.
Sean dislikes this family very much. This family seems to regard itself as the spokesperson of Genoa. Under the surface elegance and politeness, there is arrogance and indifference.
Although this family has great influence in Genoa, Sean really doesn't see how much benefit this family has brought to the people of Genoa. This family only cares about its own interests.
Since this family is attacking the church and the nobility in order to please the emperor, Sean doesn't mind adding fuel to the fire.
Who can tell the difference between conspiracy and conspiracy?