At the residence of Count Baldwin, Deputy Prime Minister of the West Palace of Besançon, Count Baldwin personally accompanied Art to dinner.
Count Baldwin held a gold-plated table knife in his hand, cut off a small piece of beef tenderloin stewed with spices on a silver dinner plate and put it into his mouth, then picked up a glass inlaid with gems and drank a sip of Bordeaux wine.
Putting down the glass, Baldwin sighed with satisfaction, "This is the most comfortable dinner I have had since the Marquis was ill for a year. Let's drink to this small victory."
Baldwin raised his glass again.
Matt also gently raised his wine glass to greet Baldwin, then held the goblet and gently put it to his mouth and took a sip. The wine provided by Bordeaux tasted great, but Art didn't have much thought about tasting the wine at this time.
This was not the first time that he went to the Earl's Palace to meet with Baldwin, but it was the first time that he had a meal with one of the most powerful people in the county. He behaved politely and generously, but his stomach was growling with hunger.
Baldwin was a nobleman from a well-known family, and his meals were too particular. Art did not dare to be too presumptuous in front of the earl, and Art did not dare to be too presumptuous in front of the earl. Although Baldwin repeatedly asked Art to be casual, Art could not be casual. While accompanying the meal as elegantly as possible, he told Baldwin the whole process from the time when the killer was discovered and hunted after being poisoned to going to the Paris Inquisition to expose the heresy.
The process was inherently difficult and exciting, and coupled with the exciting plots that Art weaved by himself using a narrative technique called associative hyperbole, Count Baldwin's interest was heightened after hearing Earl Baldwin's repeated compliments. A simple dinner for two people lasted for an hour.
Baldwin finally had enough to eat. He took the silk towel brought by the servant and wiped his mouth gently. He smiled and said to Art: "I was originally worried that something would happen to you when you arrived in Besançon, and I was going to let you live directly in my mansion. Now it seems that there is no need."
"You are really cruel, Ming. Knowing that both Bernard and Fabio (Archbishop of Besançon) were members of the inner court, they went to make a fuss in front of the church and made everyone in the capital aware of it. Now, whenever there is any danger in Besançon, people will automatically think of Count Bernard, and Archbishop Fabio cannot explain it to the Paris Inquisition. "
Att knew that Besançon was a dangerous place for him, so his first stop when entering the city was not to hide in Count Baldwin's mansion. He swaggered to Besançon Cathedral and threatened to be hunted down by the remnants of the Dean family and implicated Count Bernard in it. Since then, those nobles who wanted to crush Att no longer dared to take action against Att, at least until the heresy incident subsided.
"Your Majesty, can this matter cause serious damage to the opponent?" Art is most concerned about the fluctuations at the top caused by the heresy incident. He is the initiator of the whole thing, but he is in a low position and has just arrived at the center of the storm, so he is not clear about the struggle at the top.
Baldwin wiped his hands with a silk scarf, threw it on the table, and said: "Art, you are also one of us now. You should know the complexity of power struggles. If you can completely defeat your opponent with one move, the game of power will become very boring."
"It seems that old Bernard Bernard has been prepared for a long time. Based on the news you sent back, I sent people to Thorn City to look for those people who have connections with Assassin. However, all the people on the list you provided disappeared overnight, including Bernard's great bachelor. The consultants are also missing. I guess they were all killed by Bernard, so we can't find the direct connection between Bernard and Assassin. Moreover, Dean and his son have been killed by you, and we can't draw the flames of heresy to Bernard."
"Then should I kill Dean and his son?" Art was still worried that he had made a wrong decision.
Count Baldwin shook his head, "You are right. The Dean family must not stay long, and even if they are alive to stand trial, they will never testify against Bernard. On the contrary, they will try their best to distance Bernard from his relationship with Assassin. Only by saving Bernard can they have hope of survival." Art nodded lightly. He also thought of this, so he made up his mind not to let Dean and his son stand trial alive.
The servant filled Baldwin and Art's glasses with wine again. Baldwin took a sip from the glass and said with great interest: "This heresy incident and the series of crimes involved have made our opponents pay a very heavy price. You have killed the Dean family, and they are trying to The money that is trying to buy lives has also fallen into our control. In the past few days, the wealthy merchants and business guilds from various places who are allied with the Dean family have also been scrambling to distance themselves from the Dean family. There are also some wealthy merchants who have seen the situation and switched to my command. As a result, the opponent has lost a large source of wealth. "
“This week I mobilized all my strength to cause the rebellion of the Praetorian Guards to lead to the treasury corruption case and implicated a large number of Bernard’s cronies. Bishop Orlov and the bishop of the Diocese of Yona have united dozens of bishops and abbots from the two dioceses to jointly complain to the Holy See of Avignon, thereby putting pressure on the Archbishop Fabio of the Count and demanding that he severely punish the remnants of heresy, especially those dignitaries and businessmen who have good relations with the Dean family. These people are all The wings of the Inner Court Faction, I want to eat away at my opponent step by step..."
The Baldwin faction has always been at a relatively disadvantaged position in the struggle against the Inner Court Faction. Previously, it had managed to even out the disadvantage with the support of the Marquis, but the Marquis's illness once again put Baldwin at a disadvantage. It was precisely because of this that Baldwin secretly contacted Flanders, Count of Longxia, hoping to become the core force of the New Monarch Faction and support the new master to completely turn over.
The Dean Family Heresy Incident is undoubtedly a victory for the New Monarch Faction. Taking this as a breakthrough, the New Monarch Faction will launch a fierce offensive against the Inner Court Faction to gather strength for the upcoming earth-shattering changes.
As the initiator, Yate was also promoted to the backbone of the New Monarchy because of his outstanding performance in several battles and his prominent role in this heresy incident.
"Art, two days ago the Count of Flanders sent a secret message from Longxia Feige. In the letter, he mentioned that two suspicious people were indeed found in Longxia City. However, the two guys took poison before being caught and were not left alive for interrogation. . Flanders has added personal guards, and Longxia City has also conducted a thorough investigation. In the letter, Count Flanders specifically praised your bravery and asked me to commend you on his behalf. And you have indeed made the first contribution in this incident, and I will not let you down."
“Tell me, what do you want?” It was almost at the end of dinner when Baldwin finally came up with something affordable.
Just as Art was about to speak, Baldwin quickly added: "Art, don't talk about the money. Although I intercepted the 1.6 million penny sent by Dean to Besancon, hundreds of thousands of penny have been spent on the recent campaign against the inner court faction, and the remaining money must be reserved for military expenses for future uprisings."
"You are not interested in this money, and I will not hold you responsible for the war gains from Wincheston and the Dean family farm. The Dean family has been in business for a hundred years and will definitely exceed this 1.6 million. No matter how much you collect, the money you collect belongs to you, but you are also responsible for all the military expenses of the Wells Army. I need to concentrate the limited financial resources on the Eastern Army and the Guards Corps."
Once Matt heard that Baldwin did not intend to take a share of the huge sum of 1.6 million pfennig, his mood instantly dropped a lot. He had not yet received a detailed battle report from the Welsh Army, and he did not know whether the Welsh Army had gained enough money in this battle.
"My lord, as a military lieutenant, you are well aware of the difficulty of raising an army. Just feeding, drinking, and housing five or six hundred people is far beyond my ability to bear. Moreover, I have been following your orders to build the Welsh Army into a strong army capable of fighting. If I don't have enough money to do so, all this will be nonsense."
What Matt said is the truth. The Welsh Army consumes more than 300,000 pfennigs a year just for military pay and food, not to mention the high cost of weapons and armor. Yate's funds basically depended on war gains, and the European commercial bank was affected by the war and many restrictions from the old forces. The monthly profit was uncertain, but at the current scale, it could not reach an annual income of 300,000 pfennigs.
Baldwin was silent for a moment after hearing this. He also knew that Art was really not easy. The territory he was granted was less than half a barony, and the caravan was restricted everywhere. "Art, I can't help you with money matters for the time being. So be it, I will try to let you take over." The Dean family's southern trade route from Tinets to Besançon will definitely become the most coveted inheritance of everyone once Dean and his son die. I will do my best to fight for you, but you must also try to establish yourself as soon as possible. You are not in control. At the southern border checkpoint, you can control all the southern goods entering the Burgundy County from the northeast of Ropevence. If you control this trade route, your profit will not only be 1.6 million pfennigs."
This is the result that Art is waiting for. He does not hesitate to use heretical crimes to kill the Dean family and touch the interests of many upper-class dignitaries in the county, in order to replace the Dean family's business status in the Burgundy county. This is the greatest benefit.
"Your Majesty, I have no problem controlling the trade routes, but it's up to the local guilds and wealthy merchants~" Baldwin waved his hand, "As long as you can control the trade routes, you will strangle the necks of the northern and southern goods merchants. When the time comes, I will put a little more pressure on them to make him They surrender. As long as their wallets can be filled, Dean or Wells is not important to them. Besides, the allies of the Dean family will definitely suffer a blow this time, which is a perfect opportunity for you to gain a foothold."
The look of disappointment on Art's face slowly faded.
Baldwin picked up the glass again and observed Art while he was drinking. He hesitated for a moment and was about to put down the glass to speak when Art's voice sounded.
"Your Majesty, Earl, I have something to ask for!"
Baldwin swallowed the words that came to his mouth, and was slightly unhappy, "Well, let's talk."
Matt sat upright and said seriously: "Your Majesty, after taking control of the trade routes, I plan to expand the European trading company under my command. I have a premonition that the European trading company will expand in Earl. With the help of Lord Earl and other nobles, I am growing stronger day by day. But since I have joined Lord Earl, the Continental Trading Company naturally belongs to Lord Earl." Baldwin's face suddenly brightened when he heard this, and the embarrassing words he had been holding in his stomach were brought up by Art himself.
"This~" Baldwin pretended to postpone it.
“My lord, please don’t refuse. What you and Earl of Flanders are planning is a huge event, and it will definitely require a lot of money. Even if the matter is completed in the future, how to control the country will require the two adults to do their best. As vassals, they should naturally share the worries of the feudal lord. I am willing to give one-third of the annual profits of the Continental Trading Company to help you and the Count of Flanders in your plans. In addition, everything I do today is inseparable from your hard work, so the Continental Trading Company will still have your tithe after its expansion according to the original agreement..."
…..
A simple dinner allowed Earl Baldwin to completely attract Art as his confidant.
Hate gave more than one-third of his business profits to Earl Baldwin and the New Monarchy faction he represented, in exchange for the New Monarchy's strong support for Arte.
The results of his efforts were immediately realized. Baldwin promised that the palace would transfer the already-lost Lane Manor and the southwest farm of the Dean family in Tynets County to Art's command as soon as possible and become part of the Art Barony. Furthermore, Baldwin also authorized Art's garrison to seize the Wincheston Manor.
· Border Outpost, Boulder Town, Lane Manor, and Wincheston Manor, four points are enough to control the "trade river" flowing with gold. Moreover, the large areas of land and the people surrounding these territories will also bring huge benefits to Art...
Next, Art stayed in Besançon for a few more days. He selectively confessed what he knew about the heretical crimes of the Dean family to the Archbishop of Besançon. With this, Art's leading role in the entire incident ended. The rest was a struggle between religion and the upper class, and Art could only watch quietly.
On the third day after arriving in Besançon, Art brought several guards to the Burgundy branch of the Knights of the Holy Order. After deducting the fee of three thousand pfennigs, Art withdrew a loan of 497,000 pfennigs from the Holy Order's treasury.
Of course, Art could not go south with hundreds of thousands of pfennigs on his own, so he spent another two thousand pfennigs to hire Knights of the Holy Order who specialize in escorting money to escort this huge batch of loans to Tyniec County for delivery.
After handling these matters, Art quietly left Besançon with three guards.
While passing through Lucese, I paid a special visit to Bishop Olof, and gave Bishop Olof a heart-to-heart and detailed report on his movements in the past six months and the whole story of the Dean family heresy.
Olov is a thoroughly devout saint and a good man, but he is definitely not an honest person. His love for intrigue is no weaker than that of any secular nobleman, so he does not resent what Art has done, but he still makes demands on Art based on his faith and character.
Att, of course, listened attentively, and in the end, in the name of "preaching God's holiness and spreading holy grace", he won the religious appointment rights for Father Hamish. Hamish could appoint low-level clergy in the baron of Att.
After coming out of Bishop Olof, Art secretly summoned the two "Eagle Eye" stewards (Kenem and Besancon tavern owner Fatty) lurking in the cities of Besançon and Lucesien, listened to the intelligence they obtained and gave them an order to closely monitor the heresy.
On the fourth Wednesday of January, Art, who had been away from the Valley Barony for several months, finally set off on flying horse back to the territory.