Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 530 For You

It was a cylinder seal carved from ivory.

The roller seal in front of me is exactly the same as the one in the cardinal's hand.

Emmanuelle Belle confirmed with Father Mark and got the exact answer.

Yes, this is the roller seal used to print "Indulgences".

An indulgence is also called a "pardon", which means "mercy" or "forgiveness" in Latin.

When Pope Urban II launched the First Eastern Expedition in the second year of Shaosheng in the Northern Song Dynasty, in order to allow the soldiers to do it with ease, the Pope invented "indulgences".

As long as one spends money to buy this "indulgence", after committing any crime that goes against the church, one can pray and burn the "indulgence", and then all the sins will be forgiven and return to the purity of a newborn baby.

However, at this time, the "Indulgence" was still a "special magic weapon" that only the soldiers on the Eastern Expedition were qualified to purchase, and ordinary people were not qualified to get it.

More than two hundred years later, it became something that anyone with money could buy, and from then on it became an exclusive item for openly amassing wealth.

Belle looked up and asked, "You...are a bishop?"

It would have taken at least a bishop to carry with him a printed engraving of a "Plenary Indulgence," a printed engraving which granted unlimited power to grant forgiveness.

Father Mark nodded somewhat sadly.

Belle sighed and handed the roller seal back: "Okay, Father, come with me, I can provide you with a place to stay."

Belle waved at him and turned away.

Father Mark was so surprised that he made the sign of the cross and praised loudly, "Thank the Lord!"

As Belle was walking, she suddenly felt something in her heart and stopped abruptly.

She turned slowly and looked at Father Mark, with a strange light flashing in her eyes.

Seeing this, Li Fengniang immediately became secretly alert.

No, no, this foreign woman really doesn’t take her chastity seriously. Is she... is she attracted to that foreign man?
It’s true, although Father Mark is down and out, he’s tall, has deep facial features, and a bit like Sharp Brother, so he’s really handsome.

Li Fengniang was very panicked. What should I do? Should I kill him with one sword?

Belle suddenly said, "Father Mark."

Father Mark quickly said: "Ai Man..."

Belle said, "I am far away from my homeland now. You don't need to call me by my title or knighthood anymore. You can just call me Belle."

As Belle spoke, she turned her gaze to a foreign printing house not far away: "Father, let's go buy some parchment and ink for printing."

Father Mark was surprised and asked, "What do you want to buy that for?"

Belle's eyes fell on the roller seal he had not yet put away.

Father Mark stammered, "You...you don't want to print indulgences, do you? Who can you sell them to here?"

A moment later, they appeared at the printing house.

Father Mark told the bookshop owner the specifications of the parchment he wanted, as well as the ink and color required.

Belle listened quietly, and suddenly interrupted: "We need to buy more parchment paper and print...many copies."

As she spoke, her face suddenly turned red.

……

Western Xia, the residence of Prime Minister Ren Dejing.

In the study, lamps shaped like hundreds of monkeys playing illuminate the entire room.

In front of the wall, there is a bookshelf with a portrait hanging in the middle.

In the portrait, Yang Yuan is wearing the military officer's robe of the Privy Council of the Song Dynasty, and he looks energetic and heroic.

Ren Dejing stood in front of the portrait, staring at the portrait hanging on the wooden frame.

The portrait was sent back by "White Falcon", a super secret spy from Western Xia who was lurking in the Song Dynasty.

This portrait was painted by "White Falcon" himself.

It is said that he had met Yang Yuan in person and they were very familiar with each other.

Ren Dejing had been standing in front of this portrait for nearly an hour.

His eyes were extremely complicated, with all kinds of unspeakable emotions appearing repeatedly in his eyes.

Even the most talented actor in the world cannot express such varied and complex emotions without saying a word and just with his eyes.

"Yang Yuan..., it's really you, right? It's really... you!"

Ren Dejing's body was a little unsteady. He slowly took a few steps back and slowly sat down on the chair, staring blankly at the portrait in front of him: "Why is it you? Why can you be you?"

He suddenly roared, stood up, and with a "clang", he picked up a sharp Xixia iron sword from the wall.

Ren Dejing raised his sword high and slashed at Yang Yuan's portrait.

But just as the sword was about to hit the portrait, he suddenly stopped.

After gritting his teeth for a while, Ren Dejing suddenly turned around, raised his sword and started to chop the table desperately.

The teacup was broken, the teapot was broken, the corner of the table was broken...

Finally, Ren Dejing ran out of strength, he let go of the sword and it fell to the ground.

He staggered to a single soft couch for resting temporarily, threw himself on it, and began to sob bitterly.

……

With the rapid increase in population, Huanxi Town has expanded unknowingly.

The expansion of Huanxi Town still relies on the river between the two mountains, and continues to extend and expand upstream and downstream on both sides of the river.

In the lower reaches of the Huanxi River, there is a large area of ​​expanded residential areas.

This place was originally a wasteland because it was next to a river and had many rocks.

So every household had a large expansion, with a yard and a small piece of land in the yard, so the stones could still be cleared away.

Clean it up slowly and then you can plant some vegetables.

Nowadays, these houses were hastily built and can block wind and keep out heat well, but the yard is still just a so-called yard separated by avenues and paths, without a wall. At the very downstream, there is a house with three rooms built of stones and sealed with yellow mud. It doesn't look good, but it is really good for keeping out the cold.

That evening, a sled pulled by nine local dogs suddenly drove quietly into the "backyard" of this family's house.

Soon, the owner of the house put on a thick sheepskin coat, a dog-skin hat, and with his hands in his sleeves, he left the house and hurried into the town.

So, when it got darker, Mrs. Jin, dressed in a fox fur coat, left her residence in Huanxi Town and rushed to the house on the outskirts of the town.

On a freezing night, there were few people on the street.

Mrs. Jin took the car again, so no one noticed her.

The car drove into the remote house, Mrs. Jin got out and walked into the room.

"Master Yang!"

When Mrs. Jin saw Yang Yuan, she stopped and called out to him, her eyes sparkling.

When she saw Yang Yuan, she was genuinely happy.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve lived in this happy town for too long, rarely going out, and have few friends to visit.

Yang Yuan was teasing the dogs in the room.

He brought all nine local dogs into the room and fed them whatever he ate, without making any distinction between them.

"Thank you for your hard work. Now you can take a good rest."

Yang Yuan stroked the dog's head and said with a smile.

Although he was very careful to ensure that these dogs had good food and water along the way, their consumption was still too great.

These dogs are now a little exhausted. They run less quickly every day and have lost their cheerful energy.

Yang Yuan said as he picked up a piece of meat and handed it over.

The dog was afraid of biting his fingers, so it tilted its head, opened its mouth carefully, and gently bit the meat. Then it stepped aside and devoured the meat with relish.

Suddenly hearing Mrs. Jin's voice, Yang Yuan turned his head and saw a beautiful woman standing gracefully at the door.

She was wearing a black fox fur coat, a dark blue squirrel cloak with a pattern of bamboo and cranes, a warm mask covering her forehead, and deerskin boots. She looked elegant and graceful, like an angel.

"Mrs. Jin, please take a seat."

Yang Yuan laughed, did not stand up, but pointed to the seat opposite.

Jin Yuzhen doesn't like dogs, and she doesn't like cats either. She is more afraid of these furry little things.

However, Yang Yuan liked it, so she did not show any displeasure or discomfort. She just smiled at Yang Yuan, walked over slowly, and sat down opposite him.

Those local dogs are very smart and can read their owner's expressions with their eyes.

The owner was very polite to this person, so they all lay down obediently, or walked around, sniffing, but none of them barked at her.

"Master Yang, have you finally decided... to go back?"

Yang Yuan smiled indifferently and said, "I'm just retiring after my success. Where's my brother? Has he left?"

Jin Yuzhen said: "He left a long time ago and went back to Dun'en City. He is hiding from me like a tiger..."

Having said this, Jin Yuzhen suddenly realized that she had said something wrong and quickly stopped talking, feeling a little embarrassed.

Yang Yuan smiled bitterly and said, "In fact, if you just show him a good face, he won't be so afraid of you."

Jin Yuzhen was silent for a moment, and then said calmly: "Some people and some things are not meant to be together from the beginning, so there will be no fate for the rest of your life."

Her voice was clear, like glass being tapped gently with a copper hammer, with a fragile crispness.

Yang Yuan changed the subject and said, "We are leaving tomorrow. Will we be in time?"

Jin Yuzhen had calmed down and said, "Of course.

These days, I have been telling Fourth Aunt Wanyan that I will be leaving in the next few days, and any subsequent goods that are delivered will just be kept and put away.

At the latest in the first month of the lunar year, we will have another batch of cargo ships arriving."

Yang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "That's good. Otherwise, if I leave without saying goodbye, I'm afraid Fourth Auntie will get suspicious, and it will be inconvenient to deal with you in the future."

……

On Huanxi Ridge is the former residence of the King of Yue.

Two knights, looking weather-beaten, stood in front of Fourth Aunt and Sixth Uncle.

The fourth aunt and the sixth uncle both looked unhappy.

The fourth aunt said in a deep voice: "Are you saying that Scholar Yang refused to accept the offer and has absconded?"

A knight answered, "Yes! Lord Shangguan has ordered the blockade of all important passes and has personally led his troops to pursue us."

Another knight said, “Sir Shangguan deduced that there is probably someone waiting for him in Huanxi Town.

Otherwise, it would be difficult for him to go south alone or leave by sea with the supplies he carried.

If he were to go to the villages along the way to buy, it would be too conspicuous for a traveler in this icy and snowy weather, and would not be consistent with his usual cautious behavior. "

The Sixth Uncle slammed the table and said angrily, "This brat is so ungrateful!
We gave him such good conditions, but he still wanted to leave. Isn't this looking down on our family?"

"Why are you clapping and shouting to show off your strength?"

The fourth sister bluntly rebuked her sixth brother, and after a moment's hesitation, she said, "Assistance? If there is anyone to assist, it can only be the Goryeo merchants."

The Sixth Uncle stood up suddenly and said, "Fourth Sister, I will take people to search all the Koreans' residences overnight."

"Sit down!"

Fourth Aunt glared at him and ordered in a deep voice, "Send troops immediately to block the two ends of Huanxi Ridge, and also send people to guard the mountains on both wings.

The residences and warehouses of the Koreans must be kept under close watch.

But remember, never offend them."

The fourth aunt gave the sixth uncle a sidelong look, clearly speaking to him: "That's our Xinjin God of Wealth!"

(End of this chapter)