The summer weather in Braden Kingdom is unpredictable. A strong wind blew and it started to rain heavily. In the hazy rain curtain, the light of Hagia Sophia was also a bit dimmer than usual.
Today is another Sunday.
As usual, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom, Baron Sistine, was riding in a carriage, holding his wife's arm, and was heading to Hagia Sophia to worship.
"Sistine, when you get to the church, you must confess in front of the bishop," his wife kept nagging in his ear. "I saw in the newspaper recently that there were more voices scolding you than before.
Well, have you done something against your conscience again?"
"Ignore them," Prime Minister Sistine turned his head, his back to her, looking at the rain outside the window, "Journalists in the Braden Kingdom are one of the most unscrupulous creatures. As long as they can win the attention of everyone, let alone smear them.
As a prime minister, they can even do things like turn black into white."
This woman likes to nag. When I stay with her, I feel ten years older. The Prime Minister thought silently in his heart.
Prime Minister Sistine never really liked his wife.
Ever since the two were bound together by the marriage contract set by their fathers, they had been tolerating each other's shortcomings, just like two cactus growing together, constantly stabbing each other with their sharp thorns.
And now, as time goes by, the last bit of his wife's beauty has been buried in the years, and she has completely turned into an ignorant old woman who likes to point fingers at him.
If it weren't for the fact that as Prime Minister, he had to establish an image of family harmony in front of the whole country, Baron Sistine would actually prefer to travel with his beautiful young mistress.
The girl was an actress from the Capital Grand Theater. She had a plump figure, a tender face, and a crisp voice. Her words were full of admiration for him.
With this thought in mind, the carriage turned the last corner and stopped in front of the Hagia Sophia Cathedral.
The Prime Minister breathed a long sigh of relief, hiding his irritable emotions in his heart, then held up an umbrella and helped his wife out of the carriage.
No matter what, in front of the public, he must be a gentleman who loves his family and respects ladies.
Today's Hagia Sophia is as solemn and solemn as usual.
The priests gathered under the stone statue of the Goddess of Light and chanted poems in praise of the goddess. Their voices were pure and melodious, as warm and soothing as the clear springs in the forest, and as ethereal and distant as the birdsong in the empty valley. They echoed endlessly under the towering dome of the church.
Absolutely.
At this time, the Prime Minister noticed that the person who presided over the daily prayer ceremony today was not the Archbishop Yaconelga in the past, but a young man with an unfamiliar face.
The young man was short in stature, with a thin build, gentle and unattractive facial features, and a cold and distant temperament.
But for some reason, when the young man stood under the statue of the Goddess of Light, the Prime Minister's eyes were completely attracted to him, as if his whole body was glowing.
"Who is he?" the Prime Minister asked the priest beside him.
"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, he is Lord Howard, the newly appointed auxiliary bishop of Braden Diocese of the Church of Light." The priest replied.
"Howard..." the Prime Minister muttered the name silently.
If he remembered correctly, this young man originally studied at Cambridge University, and later became a student of the Mage Tower due to his talent and diligence.
At first, perhaps because his light had been overshadowed by Alan York, a talented magician of the same generation, Howard had always been very inconspicuous.
However, the Prime Minister completely did not expect that just a week ago, this new student of the Mage Tower would suddenly become the auxiliary bishop of the Church of Light, with a status only lower than that of Archbishop Yak Nelga.
If Howard had met the Prime Minister in the past, he might have had to take off his hat and salute respectfully; but now, the two of them can meet each other as equals, neither humble nor arrogant.
Thinking of this, the Prime Minister suddenly felt that the light on Howard was a bit dazzling.
A moment later, when the Prime Minister's wife joined the prayer team, a priest came to the Prime Minister's side, leaned close to his ear and whispered:
"Your Excellency, the Archbishop is waiting for you in the confessional."
The Prime Minister nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.
Then, while the people around him were not paying attention, the Prime Minister walked towards the black cabins at the end of the church.
Each confessional is divided into two parts, separated by wooden partitions in the middle, corresponding to two doors, one side belongs to the priest and the other side belongs to the penitent.
The Prime Minister entered the penitent's door without hesitation.
After he closed the wooden door, he heard the deep voice of Archbishop Akenelga coming from the other side of the barrier:
"Sistine, how are things going?"
The Prime Minister took a breath, straightened his collar, and whispered: "Major General Hans Seckter has loaded the cargo on board the ship in Alexandria according to your request. He will prepare to cross the Sunset Strait tomorrow and then pass by Ferrand by land.
Kingdom, transported to the papal territory."
"How is Major General Hans Seckter doing his job? Is he reliable?"
"He is the person I trust most in the Kingdom's army."
There was a brief silence after that.
The Prime Minister's heartstrings were tense, waiting patiently for the other party's response.
He knew that the reason why he was able to successfully impeach the former prime minister of the Kingdom of Braden and replace him was largely because of the support of Bishop Nerga.
The other party can let him get everything he has, but he can also destroy it easily.
I don't know how much time passed, but Archbishop Nerga on the other side of the partition finally said slowly: "You did a good job."
Hearing this, the Prime Minister's heart finally fell.
The reason why he was willing to risk his personal reputation to do this for Archbishop Nerga was just to hear these words from the Archbishop.
As long as Archbishop Nerga is willing to give him the compensation he deserves, he will continue to receive support from the Church of Light when he seeks re-election next year.
It was a fair deal. Both of them were willing to take risks and each got what they needed.
In the following time, the two stopped discussing this matter.
Like an ordinary penitent, the Prime Minister knelt on the side of the partition and recounted his crimes in a pious tone.
"Great Goddess of Light, please protect me. I have committed a sin. In the past few weeks, I have indeed done something against my will..."
"In the name of the goddess, I forgive your sins," Archbishop Aknelga interrupted, "Leave in peace! You have to understand that everything you are doing now is to serve the goddess. The goddess will
To protect you."
The Prime Minister nodded and slowly stood up.
Then he turned around and left, closed the door, and locked all the secrets in the small dark room.
…………
ps: Thank you for the 2000 reward for standing up to me and withdrawing first, the 1598 reward for Xingyu Xingxing, the 500 reward for thousands of people kneeling down, Long live Mr. Zhang, and the 100 reward for Feng Ming Buchen!