At the beginning of July, the weather is getting hotter and hotter.
The funeral of the Marquis of Ivrea, the ruler of the County of Burgundy, was finally held. Due to the rumors that the Marquis was poisoned by the inner court some time ago, and the accusations that Baldwin submitted to the Principality of Burgundy in the name of Vice Minister of the Palace, Ivrea's body has not been buried for a long time because the Principality of Burgundy sent a special envoy to Besancon for inspection.
The special envoy found clues about the sudden disappearance of the Marquis's personal chamberlain and servants, but they did not find evidence that Ivrea was murdered. The weather was getting hotter day by day, and Ivrea's body could not be allowed to rot, so the court of the Principality of Burgundy had to force Ivrea to be buried.
The funeral of the Marquis was held in Besançon Cathedral. The Principality of Burgundy sent a cardinal to personally conduct the funeral ceremony for the Marquis.
After all, he was the ruler of a country (marquisate), so Ivrea's funeral was very grand. As the suzerain, the Duke of Burgundy sent his younger brother, the Marquis of Oede, to lead more than ten count viscounts of the duchy and other clan nobles to attend the funeral. Swabia, Provence, Lombardy, and even further southern countries around Burgundy all sent special envoys.
In addition to the noble lords from various countries and the count, viscount and baron from Burgundy, thousands of ordinary people from all over the country attended the funeral of the marquis. After hearing the news of the marquis' eternal life, they all gathered in Besancon with great sadness to pray for the soul of the monarch.
Ivrea was a competent ruler. During his more than ten years of rule, the country of Burgundy was indeed strong and the people were happy. Except for some remote and remote places such as Tyniec, most of the provinces and counties in the country had abundant grain production, prosperous commerce and population growth.
The church bell kept ringing, and the low and mournful tone spread throughout the sky above Besançon. Mourners holding candles in their hands gathered in the center of the Besançon Cathedral Basilica, layer by layer, circle by circle, until the entire church was packed inside and out. Many people who came later could only stand in the square in front of the church and bowed their heads in silence for their Lord Marquis.
Because there were so many nobles and civilians who came to Besancon to attend the funeral of the Marquis, the two hundred palace guards commanded by Baron Geoffrey, the chief of the palace guard, could not maintain order at all. Therefore, the palace prime minister had to convene a meeting of ministers and decided to transfer 300 soldiers from the second regiment of the palace guard infantry regiment to the city center with Besancon church under martial law.
Because many nobles came to visit, those who entered the temple to attend the funeral were strictly searched by the Praetorian Guards. No one was allowed to enter the temple wearing swords and weapons.
However, when everyone inside and outside the church focused their attention on the body of the Marquis, which was wrapped by many high-ranking clergy, including Bishop Orlov, no one noticed that there were some scattered people in the crowd wearing hoods and holding white candles. There were protruding marks on the handles of swords in their loose robes...
… Praise our great and beloved human monarch, may his gods forever bless the land he once ruled and loved, and may his soul always enjoy the joy of heaven. Amen!”
Amen~~~~~~ ~~~"
With the last prayer of the Cardinal of the Principality of Burgundy, there were endless sounds inside and outside the Besançon Cathedral. People whispered in agreement, praying for the soul of the Marquis of Ivrea who was about to ascend to heaven.
As one of the seven ministers in the court of the Count of Burgundy, Count Baldwin stood in front of the temple close to the body of the Marquis together with the Minister of Military Affairs, the Lord Chancellor, and the Lord Privy Seal. He clasped his hands and lowered his head in silence, but his eyes were directed at the poisonous woman who led the "Crown Son" Robert to lower his head and weep beside the body of the Marquis. Bernard, who was wearing a brown funeral dress with gold trim, and his accomplices were beside the poisonous woman.
There is no airtight wall in the world. Baldwin already spent 10,000 pfennigs to find out the time of the Marquis's death from a palace official. He also knew the reason why Bernard had been silent since his assassination. The news of the Marquis's death was a full two days later than it actually was. It is not difficult to guess what happened in these two days.
Through this, Baldwin confirmed that the "Marquis' Will" was not Ivrea's original intention. Once the Marquis's funeral is over, he will leave Besancon with the Palace Guards and return to the Province of Yona to put into action the shocking plan that has been hatched for a long time.
Baldwin was still immersed in hostility. Charisse, who was wearing a gray smock robe and armor, touched Baldwin's side.
Charis looked at the cardinal who anointed the Marquis' body with holy oil, and pretended to be casual and whispered in Baldwin's ear: "My lord, the disguised guards noticed something unusual in the crowd. There was a group of armed men in black robes hiding in the crowd. These guys are not the other party's guards."
Baldwin still looked at him with his eyes. Where the Marquis' body was located, he whispered to Charis without turning his eyes: "Let the guards clear the way, and we leave quietly." Baldwin had long felt that there was a hint of danger in the air of this temple. Although he had long selected the thirty most capable Earl's guards, disguised as civilian guards attending the funeral, to be near him, he was still worried about becoming a ghost under the enemy's axe.
「But the funeral is not over yet~」
Baldwin glanced at Bernard, and Bernard also raised his falcon-like cold eyes and glanced in the direction of Baldwin, "I didn't expect Bernard to actually attack me here! Come on, we can't leave after the funeral."
Charis nodded, They quietly retreated to the back. After a while, a dozen young and strong men who looked like civilians in linen cloth began to move. They slowly gathered on a road leading to the side entrance of the temple to create an invisible "passage", and then stood astride and watched the left and right sides with vigilance.
Baldwin took one last look at the body of the Marquis who was loading the coffin. He lowered his head and moved slowly towards the back. Soon Baldwin retreated to the entrance of the temple under the cover of disguised guards. Then he turned around and took Charis and six personal guards with him. After bypassing the temple hall and walking quickly towards the back door of the church that had been prepared in advance, the disguised guards stayed in the temple and continued to monitor the group of black-robed men who were behaving abnormally. If the black-robed men pursued them, they would use short daggers hidden in the lining to stop them.
"Lord Charis, there is something unusual at the back door! No one answered the secret message I sent." An earl's guard who was exploring the way hurried back to Charis, the captain of the earl's guard.
Charis glanced at the back door of the cathedral at the end of the corridor and nodded to another guard under his command. He saw the guard running to a statue of the Virgin in the middle of the corridor, squatting down and taking off a floor tile to reveal the gap behind the floor tile. The guard put his hand into the gap. Pulling out a cloth bag, he ran back with the heavy cloth bag, opened the bag, and six or seven unsheathed daggers and hammer battle axes were exposed. Charis picked up a hammer and held it in his hand. The guards also picked up the weapons they had and surrounded Baldwin.
"Protect the Earl until you die in battle!" Charis picked up the page hammer and led the charge towards the back door of the church...
In the church sanctuary, the funeral came to an end.
Ivrea's coffin was carried by eight religious guards and led by the cardinal and a group of bishops towards the Holy Spirit Church. Ivrea's soul has ascended to heaven, and his body will be stored in the Holy Spirit Church like all previous marquises, waiting to be resurrected.
The coffin turned around the hall door and disappeared from everyone's gaze. The palace prime minister announced that the Marquis's funeral was over, and people began to prepare to leave the temple one after another.
"Marquise and Crown Prince, please return to the palace. The dinner for the guests has been prepared." The elderly palace prime minister walked to the Marquise Ivrea and Crown Prince Robert with trembling steps, indicating that they could return after the funeral.
The Marquise raised a mournful face and took the young prince in her hands to prepare to return to the heavily guarded side door.
At the moment when the crowds of people were moving, a dozen men wearing black robes and hoods suddenly pulled out short daggers from their robes, kicked the crowd away and rushed towards the Marquise and the Crown Prince Robert.
Bernard was accompanying the Marquise. He was the first to notice something unusual in the crowd, and immediately pulled two personal guards to block the Marquise and the young prince with his body.
The man in black robes had already brandished daggers and stabbed several young nobles who were blocking the road to death. He revealed his ferocious face under the hood, raised his bloody weapon and lunged at the Crown Prince Robert with his teeth and claws. Suddenly there was an uproar in the temple, and the nobles attending the funeral in the temple fled in all directions.
Seeing that the man in black robe was about to approach the Crown Prince, just when he was in danger, a group of people wearing brown funeral attire around Bernard suddenly gathered from all over, surrounding the Marquise and the Crown Prince. Then at some point, these people had already held daggers in their hands, and dark gray half-body plate armor was exposed under their robes.
The attack of the men in black robes was blocked by a circle of people who suddenly appeared. No matter how the men in black robes collided, they remained motionless. After all, the daggers in the hands of the men in black robes were not as powerful as the daggers held by the group of guys who suddenly appeared. Two or three men in black robes were chopped to the ground in one encounter.
Him The man in black robe was not interested in fighting. Seeing that the assassination failed and the palace guards wearing sharp armor rushed over, a man in black robe who looked like a leader retreated with a loud shout. Then a dozen men in black robe quickly dispersed and rushed into the crowd of people running out of the palace.
However, everything was as if it had been rehearsed. The men in black robes who tried to blend into the crowd and escape were instantly recognized by the palace guards who rushed in from outside the palace and were knocked to the ground on the spot. Only three guys who took off their robes slipped out...
Bernard slowly pushed away an armored guard in front of him, glanced at the several corpses lying in front of him, and looked up at the wounded and large pools of blood. The man in black robe, unable to move at all, loudly said: "Torture the man in black robe quickly, I want to find out the real culprit behind the assassination of the Marquise and the Crown Prince!"
Follow Bernard to confront the palace guard Chang Jie beside him. Frey ordered: "In the name of the Marquise and the Crown Prince Robert, the city of Besançon is immediately under martial law. The Second Regiment of the Royal Guards immediately blocks all streets and alleys. The palace guards escort the Marchioness and the Crown Prince Robert back to the inner court."
Jeffrey's expression became serious for a moment, then turned around to give the order.
After announcing a series of orders loudly, Bernard handed the Marchioness and the Crown Prince to the palace guards, and then hurried to the Marquis of Ode who came from the special envoy of the Principality of Burgundy. He said with a look of horror: "Marquis of Ode, someone intends to assassinate the Crown Prince. It is no longer safe here. Please follow me to the palace for safety."