142. Chapter 142 Punishment of the Bishops

Author: Kel'Thuzad's Cat

Chapter 142 The Punishment of the Bishops

The bishops of Harrenhal have been in bad luck in recent days.

The nobles hoped in their hearts that they would come forward to stop Rhaenyra from usurping the secular power of the church - Rhaenyra conveyed decrees through the ascetics from King's Landing, damaging the nobles' rights to rule the fiefs.

But the nobles did not dare to stop it. After all, this was the "will" of the Seven Gods. The Holy Princess was both "holy" and a giant dragon.

They cannot execute the ascetics at will. The ignorant mob cannot control the Targaryens. It is still possible to control some small nobles and dilapidated knights. At worst, they will become bandits and cripples.

I heard that a Frey was collecting miscellaneous taxes near the Witch Swamp. He was seen by the ascetic monk who was preaching to the believers and persuaded him to waive some fees - in addition to the miscellaneous taxes, Frey also had to give additional "offerings".

Frey was furious and wanted to flog the old ascetic, but his move immediately aroused public outrage, and the villagers held a pitchfork and put him in the water to teach him a lesson.

Frey fled back to the Ascetic City, wanting to make the ascetic pay the price, but on the same day he received a warning letter from the royal family of King's Landing and the Great Sept - if the blood of the ascetic appears in the Witch Swamp, the Seven Gods will curse the sinner.

The dragon will bring disaster to Frey.

So Luohe City immediately ceased its activities, not daring to stand up for this side branch Frey, and even exempted the village from taxes.

With this example, the opinion of the church matters.

But during this time, the bishops of Harrenhal seemed to have lost their voices and turned a deaf ear to the happenings in King's Landing.

Others may not understand, but that’s because they already have too much time to take care of themselves!

The High Septon sat weakly by the fireplace in Harrenhal. From here he could see the vast green fields and wilderness outside the window.

When he came here, he liked this scenery very much. The endless fertile land was filled with heavy golden dragons. Coupled with this gloomy but still majestic castle, the Archbishop felt very proud.

He will be the chief bishop recorded in the history of the church. From him on, the church officially has its own fiefdom!

Just like a noble inheritance, he will pass this fiefdom on to his direct descendants!

The only drawback is that it cannot have its own private soldiers like ordinary nobles, and the royal family is still wary of the church's ability to launch holy wars.

Not just him, every bishop who moved out from King's Landing was in high spirits, and even the servants who helped them carry their luggage could feel it.

When they first arrived here, the bishops counted the grain fields cultivated and the fruit trees planted by the previous owners of Harrenhal... and they were already happy.

However, a piece of news made the smiles on their lips gradually disappear.

"My dear bishops," a village chief from a village said with a hunched body, "we can't pay taxes this year!"

"What?" The bishops asked loudly like a cat whose tail was stepped on, "Aren't you devout in worshiping the Seven Gods? How dare you refuse to pay the church's income?"

"Your Excellency, Bishops, forgive me!" the village chief immediately apologized, "It's not that the lambs are not pious enough, but that this place has been penned up by the Tullys and used as a place for traveling and hunting."

It turns out that the scenery near Qianmian Island is the best and it is a treasure land in the river. Tully, the king of the river, attaches great importance to it and informed his vassals a long time ago that they will choose this place as a place for hunting and traveling.

Today, this area has grown larger and larger, including the small village of Harrenhal.

"The church cannot tolerate this kind of thing happening!" How dare they snatch their golden dragon? In the past, Harrenhal was a vassal, but now they are not.

That day, the bishops led the believers and servants to drive Tully's remaining men out of the village.

Duke Tully is a little confused - the river is his kingdom, does the church not take it seriously?

But for the special existence of the church, Tully did not dare to attack or coerce him. He only sent a letter to King's Landing asking for the settlement of the dispute.

However, these messenger crows were sent to King's Landing as if they were lost in the ocean, but they didn't even make a splash.

This act of tacit approval made the bishops feel even more happy, and a celebration banquet was held at Harrenhal that night.

It turns out that it's so satisfying to have your own fiefdom. You don't have to look at the nobles' faces, and you don't have to sit around in King's Landing.

"The more chips we bet, the more fiefdoms we may get in the future!" A bishop said greedily, "After all, this princess has set a precedent, and we can eat more pies leaked from the royal family!

"

"This...is impossible, then we will become the biggest noble! The royal family will not allow it."

"As long as you sincerely surrender, what are you afraid of? What the church loses is only some high-sounding things."

Where is real fiefdom and wealth important?

In the past, Targaryen only used his iron fist to make the archbishops lower their noble heads and recognize their "supreme" royal power.

So, what's the point of resisting? We can't even keep the church's weapons.

"Haha, what can we gain by supporting Hightower?" The confidant forces once cultivated in the old town are now eager to sell at a price.

"I am imprisoned in King's Landing and can only serve the Seven Gods. How can I have the pleasure of being a powerful fiefdom noble?"

"Unless Hightower can provide more benefits, no matter how many letters they send, we will ignore them." The bishop was born in a branch of Old Town, and his family did not give him any help, so of course he wanted to bite him hard.

One bite.

Becoming a bishop is his own hard work, which means that the family interests that were once the highest are not counted, and only personal interests are the sweetest fruits.

The bishop's betrayal gained the tacit approval and support of all the bishops.

Harrenhal is large and wealthy, and Tully and Hightower just saw the potential of this land. Fortunately, the princess had agreed that this place could only be used as a church fiefdom, and other nobles could not interfere.

"Of course, our church was a force that could wage war with the Targaryens, so Her Royal Highness naturally values ​​us." So she gave him a piece of poisoned pie.

"What's the use of those ascetic monks gathered in the Great Holy Church now?" The Archbishop sneered, "As long as we send out the messengers, where did they come from? Go back to where they came from!"

"But we still have to give this kind princess a beating!"

"Although I think the princess is more outstanding than her father, I am also impressed by His Majesty Viserys' methods - for everyone, the best situation is balance!"

However, before the archbishop could figure out how to strike, problems arose with the physical condition of the bishops.

Some people became inexplicably weak and even fell down while climbing the stairs, unable to stand up. Some people choked when eating or drinking water...

It's like a curse has enveloped this land.

"What's going on?" The opinion given by the bachelors is that the bishops came to the river from King's Landing and have not adapted to the climate here.

"Is there any curse here?" A bishop asked fearfully.

"It's impossible." The Archbishop denied, "It's just that we were not careful. You see, there are still some monks who are not affected!"

At this time, an unnoticed middle-aged monk expressed a different opinion, "I think... something is really wrong here."

The monk, who was called "Shepherd" by his companions, frowned and said, "And I have recently felt that the connection between the Seven Gods and the human world is getting...closer!"

"I believe that all the devout bishops should also have some insights..." There is a cold atmosphere hovering here, which is very familiar to people.

"Pious people have the protection of the Seven Gods. If..." Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the cold-faced Archbishop, "Of course we are extremely pious, you are just delusional!"

That night, the shepherds were ordered to keep vigil and sit on their knees in front of the statues of the Seven Gods, and were not allowed to drink or eat during this period.

And not only that night, but also every night in the future, the shepherds will pray for them.
Chapter completed!