I Am Truly Not a Treacherous Minister Your Majesty

Chapter 9 The Church

“The Lord blesses us, giving us temporary peace. The Lord also said, you must beware of the devil, cast the devil down to the ground, and let the messengers protect you…”

On the pulpit, the Pope preached the gospel with his distinctive hoarse yet clear voice. But to be honest, Xia Yuxiao didn’t listen, and neither did Qin Ji.

The main reason was that the so-called gospel preached by these charlatans was really not nutritious. It was basically the common mythological routine, and Xia Yuxiao really couldn’t see any extraordinary charisma in the Holy Lord of this story. If there was anything, it was probably that this guy’s combat power in the myth was very strong, indeed having a bit of the meaning of “words become law.”

Other than that, she really couldn’t find anything worth remembering.

“To be honest, this kind of charlatan propaganda, Qin Ji, it’s a pity you didn’t bring Ling Yan to see it.” Xia Yuxiao couldn’t help but complain.

Back then, the demonic cult used similar propaganda methods, but instead of promoting the Holy Lord, they promoted their cult leader, creating an image of a powerful leader who was not afraid of the army.

To be fair, the cult leader was indeed quite formidable. As practitioners, the leaders of various demonic cults were generally skilled in unconventional techniques and had excellent combat abilities. But what use was that? Once the former emperor deployed the Black Armored Cavalry, most of the demonic cults didn’t even have the strength to resist.

Ling Yan, being a child specially trained by the cult, must have deeply felt the impact of these preachers.

“Someone has to watch over the house, and I don’t feel comfortable leaving Si Yue at home alone. She can protect Si Yue.”

Qin Ji replied.

This time, he rarely did not bring Ling Yan along. On one hand, Qin Si Yue also needed protection; on the other hand, he intentionally left her at home.

He and Xia Yu Xiao held very high positions. Although the Prime Minister and General Bai were temporarily handling the daily affairs of Da Xia in Tai’an City before Xia Yu Xiao left, these two old ministers were indeed reliable. However, their departure from Tai’an City would inevitably create a power vacuum.

The various factions below would not remain quiet just because they left. On the contrary, they might take advantage of the emperor and the Grand Marshal’s absence to cause trouble. Even if the two old ministers were reliable, it would be difficult to suppress the situation if the ministers had already conspired in advance.

Therefore, Qin Ji specifically left Ling Yan in Tai’an City and temporarily ordered a nearby military camp to follow the commands of Ling Yan and Qin Si Yue. This camp was not the previous Chi Yuan Army but one of the troops Qin Ji personally led out back in the day. After the rebellion of King Rong Sheng, Qin Ji specially transferred them to guard near Tai’an City just in case.

They were very obedient to him, executing whatever he commanded, so it was very reliable to entrust them.

As for Ling Yan, Qin Ji gave her significant authority: he handed her a list of ministers’ names, those he believed might be detrimental to the court.

Along with the list, Qin Ji instructed her: if Qin Si Yue (since Qin Ji also entrusted part of his subordinates to Qin Si Yue) judged that someone intended to destabilize the court, Ling Yan could assassinate them if necessary, as long as they were on the list.

In simple terms, Qin Si Yue, Prime Minister Long, and General Bai were the guardians, while Ling Yan and the soldiers of that camp were the last resort. When problems escalated beyond control, Ling Yan was responsible for eliminating the troublemakers.

“To be honest, whether for the court or the family, you are indeed reliable in this aspect. I can somewhat understand why Father later insisted on employing you.”

“You flatter me, Miss. It’s merely due to my father’s protection.” Qin Ji said softly.

At this moment, the ancient cathedral’s bells rang.

Accompanied by the melodious bells, the choir standing on both sides of the cathedral began to sing the legendary hymn. With the resonant sound of the pipe organ, they truly created a sacred and grand atmosphere.

Many devout believers present were moved to tears by the music.

“What are they singing?”

Xia Yu Xiao asked curiously. The tune was beautiful, but she couldn’t understand what they were singing. Having traveled before, Qin Ji had some knowledge of the languages of the world’s influential nations and races.

“They are using a language called Saint Mano, which belongs to the Holy Lord’s Church from the legendary era of divine descent. It roughly means praising the glory of the Holy Lord.”

Hearing Qin Ji say this and seeing his embarrassed expression, Xia Yu Xiao suddenly felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

“……”

Qin Ji looked at Xia Yu Xiao speechlessly, then could only nod:

“The lyrics roughly go: Great Holy Lord, may your gaze guide me, may your hands bury me, may your glory spread to all beings, ah~ praise our holy Lord, the one and only Lord……”

He was right; it was indeed a bit awkward. Xia Yu Xiao couldn’t help but think of the officials who praised her with various flattering words after she ascended the throne. Even they didn’t reach this level.

It was impressive that this choir could sing with such excitement.

Xia Yuxiao understood this, similar to “This is the light personally bestowed upon you by the master.”

Next, everyone was supposed to move to the Holy Dining Hall to share the Holy Communion, while the Pope would join later because he needed to change into the ceremonial attire.

Seeing that most of the people in the church had left, Qin Ji also led Xia Yuxiao to follow the crowd out. At this moment, a Holy Knight walked towards them.

The Holy Knight’s steps were completely unhidden. He walked over openly, the armor on his body making metallic clashing sounds, each step extremely steady.

Qin Ji instinctively tensed up. On the surface, he was just walking out with the “noble lady” beside him, but in reality, Xia Yuxiao, who was close by, could already feel him gathering his energy.

“Please, both of you, stay.”

The Holy Knight’s voice came, but it was not the majestic tone Qin Ji had imagined. Instead, it was very gentle.

He turned around.

The Holy Knight seemed to feel a bit apologetic. He smiled awkwardly under his helmet: “I am truly sorry to disturb you two. His Holiness the Pope wishes to speak with you.”

PS: This is the second update today. Promised four updates, two more to go~