Chapter 250: A sacred object passed down for thirty-four generations
Faced with Lawrence's invitation, without any hesitation, Franche nodded happily and replied:
"Of course, of course, it is an honor to talk to such a noble lord as you."
Lawrence chuckled and made an inviting gesture to the room, then closed the door himself and sat with Franche on both sides of a small round table on the balcony.
"Hahaha, I made you laugh." Franche adjusted his burqa nervously and said slightly incoherently:
"It's been too long since a big shot like you has come to Malta. The people I usually deal with are rogue sailors, smuggler captains, and thieves in the city. I'm going to be driven crazy by these trivial things. It's early."
Knowing this, I would not come to the Knights."
Lawrence listened silently, with a slight smile on his face.
For Franche, an aristocratic descendant of the Medici family, Port of Valletta, a small city with a population less than half of Ajaccio, naturally cannot meet his needs.
"Oh? I heard you say that you just came to the Knights recently?" Lawrence noticed France's complaint and asked curiously.
Franche nodded and sighed sadly:
"Yes, Your Excellency, I came to Malta from Florence just two years ago. Because my family was bankrupt, I had no choice but to come to join my uncle, the Grand Captain Erwin just now."
The rule of the Medici family in Florence ended in 1738. This Italian wealthy family, which had been at its peak since the Renaissance, could not escape the fate of decline. Many descendants of the family did not have enough property to maintain the luxurious aristocracy.
In life, bankruptcy is also a common occurrence.
"So that's it." Lawrence put on an expression of sudden realization. He had indeed noticed from the beginning that there was a big difference in temperament between Franche and several other senior members of the Knights.
After all, a person's temperament comes from his gestures, and it is difficult to imitate and disguise. For example, Grand Captain Erwin and the strong man who wants to fight the British to the end are obviously knights who grew up in the monastery and have ambitions.
He has simple thoughts and appears neither humble nor arrogant when facing Lawrence.
As for Franche, a down-and-out nobleman, his eyes lit up when he saw Lawrence, and he seemed flattered during the conversation.
It’s no wonder that Franche was the only one among the top brass of the Knights to support the Knights in seeking asylum from Louis XV. He only stayed here for two years, and he probably didn’t care much about the Knights’ so-called history and glory.
Looking at Franche who was still in excitement, Lawrence gradually came up with an idea.
Instead of waiting for Grand Commander Erwin and other senior leaders to discuss and come up with an outcome that cannot be manipulated by Lawrence, it is better to take the initiative and set up a situation to make Captain Erwin believe his words.
"Ahem... I do understand how you feel." Lawrence sighed softly, patted Franche's shoulder sympathetically and said:
"If I were left to spend the rest of my life on this desolate and barren island, I would definitely go crazy."
"You're absolutely right!" Franche sat up straight, as if he had met a fellow-traveler, and complained without tears:
"It's really hard to stay here! The Knights prohibit alcohol on the entire island, and the people below can still drink some secretly. Seniors like me have no chance at all! I heard that other monasteries can make their own wine.
Even having a drink here has become a luxury; also, there is no billiards room or opera house here, and there is no entertainment on the table. On weekdays, you have to follow the monks to clean up, and even meat takes several days.
Eat it once, God, even if I am guilty, you cannot punish me like this."
Lawrence's expression revealed a look of deep understanding, and he immediately asked:
"But why don't you leave the Knights? It would be much better to stay as a small manor owner around Florence, right?"
Franche turned to look at the boundless sea outside the window, sighed helplessly, covered his face and shook his head:
"Well, as I mentioned to you just now, I have already gone bankrupt. Let alone go back to be a manor owner. Even my mansion in Florence has been used to pay off debts. If I return to Italy, it will be really difficult.
If you are not even as good as a beggar, you will receive so many looks and criticisms."
For down-and-out nobles like Franche, the decline in living standards is acceptable. What they cannot accept the most is the endless discussions and criticisms from relatives and friends after bankruptcy. Such an experience is unbearable for any decent person.
Even the nobles couldn't stand it.
Lawrence asked with concern: "In other words, if you save enough money, you will still want to go back to Florence?"
"That's the truth, but..." Franche's expression was full of bitterness, and he sighed again and said:
"I'm afraid I won't be able to save enough money to go back in my life. There is no salary for serving in the Knights. I also thought about collecting some benefits from the people below, but my uncle soon discovered it. Alas, it's too late to say that.
I’m not afraid of your ridicule, but the wealth of me, the captain of the guard, may not be as much as the private money of an old fisherman!”
"That's it..."
Looking at Franche who was complaining repeatedly, Lawrence already had a plan in his mind to gain the trust of the Knights using him as a breakthrough point.
The two then chatted for another half an hour, but basically France was complaining about the hard life of the Knights and remembering the extravagant fun experience in Italy. Lawrence was dealing with him verbally, but he was constantly thinking about it in his heart.
How to perfectly gain the trust of Captain Erwin.
Regarding the intelligence news brought by Lawrence today, Franche did not ask Lawrence again. In his opinion, it was enough to leave such a big matter to his uncle, and he did not need to worry about it.
"Ah, it's really late. I'm so sorry for letting you hear so many negative words."
After finishing a period of complaining about Captain Erwin forbidding him from eating fish every day, Franche also realized that he seemed to have said too much, and quickly stood up and said goodbye to Lawrence:
"I have to go back to my post. The port of Valletta is not big, but there are a lot of trivial matters throughout the day. I also live in Fort Manoel, so you can come to me at any time."
"It doesn't matter, talking to you makes me feel a lot better."
Lawrence stood up, smiled, shook Franche's hand, and sent him out of the room himself.
Watching Franche trot away, Lawrence also leaned against the door and fell into deep thought:
"A bankrupt nobleman has no concern for the Knights... Then it is most appropriate to buy him with money. It's just a pity that he didn't bring any property with him this time, and he probably won't trust me to give him money afterwards.
He writes a bank draft from France..."
In the conversation just now, Lawrence had confirmed that what the captain of the guard is in urgent need of now is money. As long as he has money, the position of the Knights is irrelevant. He can just slap his butt and return to Florence to continue.
Be a handsome noble young master.
However, Lawrence arrived in Malta in an extremely hasty manner this time, and there were no valuable items on board that could be quickly converted into cash.
You can't sell the rations, rum, and shipping equipment on the ship. Although it can raise a sum of money, let's not talk about whether the money is enough to bribe Franche. Just such a strange behavior will definitely arouse Egypt's ire.
Grand Master Erwin's Alertness.
That Frenchie is not a fool, and there is a high probability that he will not accept that after Lawrence has made full use of it, he will then add a bank draft that requires a special trip to France to withdraw it.
"Is there any way to persuade him..."
Lawrence thought and subconsciously touched the gold cross necklace he wore on his chest.
This is also a practical gift given to Lawrence by Crown Prince Louis. It is said to be a cross that comes from the Holy See and has been blessed by Pope Clement XIV and can bring good luck.
"Um?"
Looking at the exquisite solid gold cross inlaid with turquoise in his hand, Lawrence suddenly thought of something, chuckled to himself, and then went to knock on Grosso's door.
...
The next day, September 25
Throughout the morning, Captain Erwin did not send anyone to inform Lawrence of the Knights' decision, nor did he invite Lawrence to discuss with them further.
I don't know if their senior officials are still discussing, or if Captain Erwin has refused to believe Lawrence's intelligence, and keeping Lawrence here is just a temporary measure.
However, in Lawrence's view, the Knights should still be in an undecided stage. There are still a few days before the early October when the Royal Navy attacks as he mentioned. The calm Grand Commander Erwin should want to make a decision after comprehensive consideration and discussion.
.
At noon, whether it was to discuss with Lawrence again or simply out of etiquette, Grand Captain Erwin sent someone to the residence of Lawrence and others to invite them to have lunch in the banquet hall.
The six senior members of the Knights were already seated in the banquet hall. There were no particularly sumptuous dishes on the table. The staple food was toasted white bread. The rest were basically wild berries and vegetables collected from the island of Malta. The only meat was meat.
It's a big pot of fish soup made with unknown side dishes.
Six people, including Franche, were waiting dignifiedly at the dining table, praying before the meal while waiting for Lawrence and his party to take their seats.
"So, we all want to thank our Lord for giving us..."
Grand Master Erwin was solemnly leading everyone in prayer, when he suddenly heard an anxious and arrogant shout from outside the banquet hall:
"Hey! Don't you have a person in charge here?!"
"Can you handle such a big thing? Call your superiors!"
"What? Are you, the captain of the guard, having a meal? I have so many things to do, so hurry up!"
...
The grand leader couldn't help but frown, stopped praying, and ordered Franche, the captain of the guard:
"Go and see what's going on? They seem to be Governor Bonaparte's entourage."
After giving the instructions, Captain Erwin was still a little worried. After hesitating for a moment, he got up and followed Franche towards the outside of the banquet hall.
I saw that it was Grosso who made the yelling sound. He was standing in front of a servant at the moment, cursing angrily:
"If that kind of thing is really stolen, I don't think any of you can bear the responsibility!"
"This gentleman!" French also recognized that this was Lawrence's attendant, so he quickly stepped forward and asked:
"I am France de' Medici, captain of the guard of the Knights. I wonder what happened? What did you say was stolen?"
Seeing Franche coming forward, Grosso let go of the servant in front of him, but his tone was still extremely angry, and he almost pointed at Franche's nose and cursed:
"Yes, one of Governor Bonaparte's personal belongings has been stolen!"
Franche couldn't help but look at Captain Erwin nervously and panicked, and asked tentatively:
"Your Excellency Bonaparte's personal belongings? I wonder what they are? I swear I will find them for you."
"A pure gold cross, tied to a silver necklace, with a green gem inlaid on the cross." Grosso folded his hands on his chest, still looking angry.
After hearing this, Grand Captain Erwin breathed a sigh of relief, quickly stepped forward, and said softly with a peacemaker's attitude:
"Did it turn out to be Governor Bonaparte's accessory? Don't worry, even if you can't find it, the Knights will definitely compensate Bonaparte with an identical cross; and please bring Bonaparte to dinner as soon as possible.
Well, there will be servants to search for the lost items."
In the view of Grand Master Erwin, even a pure gold cross is only one ounce of gold at most, and the Knights cannot afford to compensate for this small amount of gold.
However, Grosso dismissed this request. Instead, he looked at Grand Captain Erwin with a cold snort and scolded mercilessly:
"What? Do you think that is some ordinary object?!"
Captain Erwin was stunned and asked subconsciously: "What do you mean?"
"That was a gift from Crown Prince Louis of France to Governor Bonaparte. Not to mention its commemorative value, the cross itself is also a priceless treasure."
Grosso looked distressed and said loudly as if he was counting treasures from his family:
"The cross was made of pure gold by the best goldsmiths in Rome in 1450. Since its birth, this cross has become a personal token of the then Pope, Alexander VI. Since then, it has become a personal token of the Pope.
Like the Triple Crown, it has been worn by popes of all generations as a sacred object; such a precious sacred object was subsequently passed down to thirty-four generations of popes, and came to the hands of the current Pope Clement XIV, and was regarded by the Pope as a noble gift.
The gift was given to the Bourbon royal family and came into the hands of Crown Prince Louis, who finally gave it to his closest relative and friend, His Excellency Bonaparte!"
Grosso's voice became louder and faster, and accordingly, Grand Captain Erwin's face became paler.
If what the scar-faced man in front of him said is true, then what Governor Bonaparte lost was not a small accessory worth an ounce of gold, but a rare holy object that could be exchanged for a piece of earldom.
Franche's mind went blank. He never expected that the ordinary cross that Lawrence wore on his chest could be such a precious and unique treasure.