"Rumor? What rumor?"
Angus' words aroused Charlotte's interest.
"Your Majesty the Earl..."
Angus glanced at the priest Lottie and several former demon-hunting knights who were accompanying him in the motorcade, considered his words, and continued:
"Rumors say that you betrayed the family, betrayed Castel, and sold the interests of the Earl of Castel to the church in order to successfully inherit the title."
Charlotte:…
Damn it, what's this feeling of clearly wanting to refute but not knowing how to say it?
"Is it the vows I made to the church in Boulder last year?"
Charlotte asked.
Baron Angus thought for a while and said:
"It's somewhat related, but not entirely."
Charlotte is confused:
"How do you say that?"
Baron Angus replied respectfully:
"The promise you made in Bold last year is well known in Castel. This matter has a great impact in the aristocratic circle, and many families are strongly opposed..."
"However, the high priest of Bold was later arrested and tried by the church's tribunal. Everyone knew that you made an empty promise with the high priest at that time, so no one gradually mentioned this matter."
"It's just that after you took the throne, this matter was brought up again."
"But this is not the fundamental reason. Maybe the nobles care about who the prince is, but for the vast majority of the people, I think they don't care whether the church or the nobles rule them. After all... many times The taxes in the ecclesiastical realm are even lower.”
Charlotte said.
After saying that, she looked at Baron Angus again:
"Not to mention, after I succeeded to the throne, I also hinted at the arrival of the envoys from the territory. That empty promise was just a delaying measure I made to balance the pressure from the Duke's Palace and other nobles."
"Here's the problem. To this day, the vast majority of nobles, including me, believe that you don't really want to dedicate Castelland to the church in the future, but you stand with the church on this matter. It’s a fact, but it’s a fact.”
Duke Angus said.
Charlotte's heart moved slightly:
"Oh? So, the nobles and people of Castel don't want to see me get too close to the church?"
Baron Angus nodded:
"Yes, you set out from Boulder with the priest appointed by the church. This matter was notified to the earldom by magic when you just set out on your journey."
"And recently, there has been a new statement that you do not really intend to commit Castel to the church in the future, but you want to bring Castel back under the faith of the church..."
"Many people are spreading the news that with your succession, the church will reintegrate the faith rule of the Castel Territory, re-collect tithes, and make up for all past owed taxes at once..."
Charlotte:…
She knew what the tithe was. It was similar to a certain church in the Western history of Blue Star in its previous life. It was a religious tax levied by the Holy Royal Court on residents.
The "Holy Code" clearly stipulates that paying tithes is the obligation of every resident under the faith of the Holy Royal Court, and the payment amount is one-tenth of the harvest of agricultural and animal husbandry products.
By the way, the Duchy of Bold has tithes.
Not only the Duchy of Boulder, but also any duchy or county that Charlotte passed through along the way.
Paying tithes has become a daily routine for the people in the world of Miriam. If placed in some theocratic territories, in addition to tithes, the people also have to pay land tax, transaction tax and other various taxes to the church...
The Holy Royal Court is not a charity, and the church's protection also depends on Quintana.
But that's not the point.
The key point is the other two meanings revealed by Baron Angus's words.
First, the beliefs of the Castel Territory are not completely unified.
Second, on this basis, it is very likely that the Holy Royal Court has not conducted substantial religious rule here for many years.
"Aren't the beliefs of the Castel Territory unified?"
Charlotte asked in surprise.
This matter has never been mentioned in the information of Castle Manor!
"Yes, our Castel Territory has been on the edge of the Holy Royal Court's religious rule since ancient times. When the first Earl of Castel opened up the territory, there were indeed many holy believers at that time. But as the Earl Territory With the continuous development of the country, more and more immigrants are immigrating from the interior and the north. Most of the immigrants from the interior are opponents of the church, while those from the north...are originally unbelievers and heretics."
"To this day...the beliefs in the territory have long been quite confusing."
said Baron Angus.
Charlotte:…
No wonder the Holy Royal Court still supports her as lord even if she denies the promise she made last year. The real situation in Castel is actually full of heretics!
The "miracle" in her succession ceremony was so great that the name of the saint was almost confirmed. It was no wonder that such a lord was hostile to the locals.
"Holy Royal Court... How long has it been since the tithes were collected in Castells?"
Charlotte asked again.
Baron Angus scratched his head:
"I'm afraid...it must be more than a hundred years ago, right?"
Charlotte:…
Compared with the extraordinary protection of the church, tithes are neither important nor light.
But if the rumors say that it was all paid at once, then the tax amount for more than a hundred years... is a bit exaggerated.
However, Charlotte had never said anything about the so-called replenishment of tithes. She only knew about the fact that Castel had not paid taxes to the church for hundreds of years.
Apparently, someone is behind this rumor.
"This is a false statement. I learned for the first time today that the rule of the church has long been in vain in the Castel Territory."
Charlotte shook her head.
Baron Angus was visibly relieved and suddenly smiled broadly:
"That's true. I don't think you would do that either."
Charlotte:…
The way you looked so relieved must have been what you thought I would do, right?
You will do this, right? !
Although Baron Angus is a noble, he is an honest, serious and dull knight.
Even he couldn't grasp Charlotte's true thoughts, so it was only natural that this rumor would spread throughout Castel.
To be honest, Charlotte didn't take the tithe rumors to heart.
The argument that it will be possible to make up for centuries of taxation in one go will be self-defeating if left unanswered.
Charlotte didn't even think about helping the church collect taxes again. After all, she was not a true holy believer...
But she clearly felt the malice of the person behind the rumor.
And...even though things like tithes that are directly related to the interests of the people seem to be the most important thing, in fact, they are not.
What is really fatal is actually the kind of remarks that use her leaning towards the church to antagonize her and the people. It is the deeper meaning behind the tithe, and it is the sentence "Re-incorporate Castel into the faith of the church" below" rhetoric.
Originally, Charlotte planned to act under the banner of the Holy Royal Court.
But now, maybe she needs to reconsider her position.
However, from another perspective, the confusion of Castel's beliefs is also a good thing for Charlotte, which makes it easier for her to fish in troubled waters.
She doesn't really want to preach for the Holy Royal Court, but she wants to find ways to spread her faith.
On this basis, perhaps Charlotte needs to find out who is behind the attack on her.
That is to say, she is not a true believer in the Holy Spirit. If she is really a "holy lady" with pious faith, these remarks are really a slap in the face.
Again, if you want to find out who your enemy is, you have to think about who will benefit from your defeat, or in other words, whose interests will be affected after you come to Castells.
Although there is archive information in the manor, to be honest, the information from more than ten years ago does not have enough reference value in this regard. Charlotte still needs more information.
She had a deep intuition, which must have something to do with the nobles in the territory.
After all, it takes a certain amount of financial resources to spread a rumor easily throughout Castells.
The convoy moved on.
Although he could feel the indifference and even hostility towards him from the people in his territory, fortunately, he was just watching indifferently, and no one surrounded the team.
Except for Baron Angus who was traveling with her, Charlotte did not encounter any new nobles along the way.
The degree of urbanization in the Castel Territory is obviously higher than that of the Principality of Bold or even the Principality of Moon Guardian, especially after going north.
Towns, large and small, can be seen almost everywhere. In Charlotte's opinion, the population density is even higher than that of the two counties under the direct jurisdiction of the Kingdom. There are also particularly many small nobles.
There were many minor nobles visiting along the way, but apart from inviting Charlotte to the banquet, they did not accompany her like Baron Angus.
Charlotte also clearly felt it.
Although she successfully inherited the title, she does lack authority and dominance from top to bottom in the Castel Territory, and is more like a bare figure.
However, this situation has improved significantly after entering the direct jurisdiction of the Earl of Castells.
That's right, a direct territory.
The Earldom of Castells also has a direct jurisdiction.
In addition to the three viscounties and seventeen baronies that were sealed off, the remaining one-fifth of the Castel territory is directly governed by the Castel family, covering an area of approximately 26,000 square kilometers and a population of approximately 180 One hundred thousand, accounting for one-third of the population of the entire earldom.
To be honest, this area is so large that if placed in the Crescent Kingdom, it could become a wealthy earldom on its own.
This part of the area can be subdivided into two parts, which are located exactly on the two obtuse sides of the obtuse triangle of Castel's collar, one on the left and one on the right.
The area on the left is directly north of the Castel Territory and is where the capital of Northport is located. It is also called the Viscounty of Northport.
That's right, the viscounty.
Strictly speaking, in addition to the Earl of Castel, Charlotte also has the title of Viscount Northport.
The Viscounty of Beigang covers an area of almost 16,000 square kilometers, which is about the same size as the Imperial Capital of China. It concentrates the most elite areas of the entire Castel Territory, with a population of more than 1.5 million. It is also Charlotte's destination.
The area on the right is the Castel Silver Mining Area on the border, which is almost 10,000 square kilometers, mostly hills and mountains, and has a population of only 200,000.
Unlike the Duchy of Bold, which has baron vassals, and the Crescent Kingdom, which has count vassals, the Duchy of Castells has no noble lords with titles of baron or above.
Here, the people who directly rule the territory for the Castel family are the municipal magistrates and the palace nobles without fiefs. They only have administrative districts, no territorial ownership, and no military power.
Of course, they also have their own land, but at most they are just some manors.
The Viscounty of Northport is obviously wealthier than other places in the Castel Territory. The official roads in the wild are built like the urban roads in the outer city of Boulder. The pedestrians coming and going are also more decently dressed, and there are even more horse-drawn carriages on the road. Continuously.
As soon as Charlotte entered the direct territory, she was warmly welcomed by the city officials who had been waiting for a long time.
It was really a warm welcome, and Charlotte subconsciously thought of the leadership inspection in her previous life. Many officials from the territory came, and there were even a large number of people from the territory who wanted to watch.
Not only that, there are even soldiers standing guard on both sides. They are well-equipped and the proportion of extraordinary people is not small. They are obviously the armed forces of Beigang.
Looking at it, the team that came to greet Charlotte probably had three to four hundred people. If the onlookers were included, it would be even more, and the number would probably exceed a thousand.
It can only be said that not everyone has believed the rumors, or that in the territory directly under the jurisdiction of Castel, the trust of the people in the Castel family may be higher than in places not directly under the jurisdiction.
And this is only at the entrance of the direct territory, not yet to the capital Beigang.
The leader of the welcoming team was the mayor of Northport, Madoc Oran, a city official with a civilian background.
Madoc is a middle-aged man who looks to be about fifty years old, with a lot of gray hair.
He looked more like a businessman than the mayor. He was chubby and always cheerful, like a Maitreya Buddha, which reminded Charlotte subconsciously of the fat butler of the Duke of Boulder's family.
As soon as he saw Charlotte, his eyes lit up, and a group of city officials and nobles rushed over, and he said happily:
"Lord Charlotte, you are finally back. I haven't seen you for many years, and you are getting more and more beautiful."
Yes, another unknown acquaintance.
Not to mention that the memory Charlotte inherited is not very complete. Even if it is complete, the memories of the people she met when she was a child will definitely be blurred after so many years.
Charlotte could only smile and nod.
"Lord Charlotte, you are tired from the journey. The Earl's Mansion in North Port has been packed up and you can move in at any time!"
Madoc said with a big smile.
Afterwards, he took the initiative to take over the driving reins and actually drove the horse for Charlotte himself.
Surrounded by Charlotte's carriage, the mighty team continued to rush north.
After walking for about half a day, Charlotte finally arrived at her final destination, the capital of the Earl of Castells, the economic center and trade center of the northern lowlands, and one of the largest cities in the Crescent Kingdom with a population of more than half a million. , Beigang, a city on the water known as the Pearl of the Sea.
I was so scared that I almost didn’t catch up...even the title was made up blindly.
(End of chapter)
