Chapter 86:

It was also not long after he was appointed, and Felix succeeded the earl for only a short period of one year, but for the territorial people, he was different from Father Matthew.Even if the count was only in office for one day, they would not dare to confront him or even choke.

That's not trying to get benefits for yourself, that's courting death.

So after seeing Felix coming, the people who were still surrounding Father Matthew to speak in various ways immediately lost their voices, and when Felix asked them with sharp eyes and anger, what they wanted to do, These people dare not look up.

After a long while, someone said in the crowd, "We just want to ask the priest to teach the children to study... They can all study in the church..."

They naturally meant the group of small serfs who lived in the church.

Others have long been dissatisfied with this, but because of the castle's order, these children's daily routines are very stable, and they will not easily contact other people, otherwise, they are afraid of causing a lot of trouble.

Probably because he thought it was safer to hide in the crowd, and only those who spoke out dared to speak. His statement was also recognized by everyone. Although the others did not speak, their expressions were similar.

But when Felix's gaze followed the voice, the person who spoke immediately dared not say any more, and even avoided Felix's gaze, hiding behind the people around him, trying to hide.

If he angered the count, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Felix did not investigate who was speaking, and what the other party said was not wrong, but the Count's majesty could not be provoked.

"I arranged them here. If you have any questions, you can come to me directly, instead of besieging an old man here." The

people wanted to say that they had no plans to besiege the priest, but under Felix's eyes, no People dare to refute at this time.

Felix was indeed a little angry. Although he didn't have a good opinion of the church, he had to say that Father Matthew was a truly respected and learned priest. His words and deeds were in line with what a true priest should be. Even if he is not close enough, Felix has some feelings for Father Matthew that belong to relatives and friends.

Therefore, seeing the ugly face of Father Matthew who was surrounded and almost fainted, it is impossible to say that he is not angry.

And the price of his anger is naturally to be paid by these subjects.

He felt that he had been too kind before to make these people too bold.

"Given your behaviour this time, I will not provide you with food for the last month of labour."

That is a disguised deduction of wages.

No food for a month?The faces of the lords changed. Now it is different from before. In the past, when they served, they had no food and could only prepare it themselves. Now everyone is used to eating the food prepared by the Count. How much food was saved was suddenly cut off, and the people immediately began to feel distressed about the rations they needed to prepare next.

But no one refuted Felix's decision. They were very afraid that if they refuted at this time and made the Count angry again, it would not only be a month without food.

There is no doubt about Lord Earl's order. When he said the punishment, the servants he brought arranged to wait to register the list of the territorial people who came this time. Some of the territorial people wanted to sneak away, but they saw the surrounding Soldier, in the end, did not dare to move.

A group of people were crying and grief-stricken, feeling sorry for the food they had saved, but also strongly disappointed that they could not send their children to study.

Originally, they had given up on sending their children to school, but they didn't expect to hear a soft female voice suddenly.

"We will arrange for the study."

Following the voice, they saw the countess walking out of the church.

Wei Wei gave Father Matthew an injection and then prescribed medicine for the Kama to prepare. After confirming that Father is now in stable condition, she left Penny to take care of him and come out to see the situation.

Just overheard Felix's punishment after scolding someone.

She also didn't agree with the behaviour of these people, so she frowned when she spoke. The always gentle countess didn't look gentle at all at this time and even had an uneasy majesty.

"We are already preparing for this event. Even if you don't come, we will make arrangements, and you shouldn't have come to disturb the priest." She looked around and said lightly: "The priest is very old. Big, your actions just now almost made him faint, I think everyone should understand the consequences of an old man fainting suddenly because of emotional agitation."Not to mention in this era, that is, many old people in later generations may faint again after a sudden collapse. He couldn't wake up either, and what the residents were doing was tantamount to trying to murder an old man.Moreover, he was a diocese bishop who had stepped down from his position as a cardinal. He was the highest cleric in Sardinson County. No matter how approachable he usually seemed, he was also a high-level figure in the church and could run for the Pope!If something happens to him, even Felix will be condemned by the church, not to mention these ordinary people. If one is not badly beaten as a heretic, no one can save them.The residents, who were slowly reacting, were afraid after a while. The original dissatisfaction in their hearts can be said to have completely disappeared, and there is only regret left, regretting coming here.Not only did he fail to achieve his goal, but he was also punished by the count and deducted a month's labour rations, and he was even accused of persecuting priests."Father Matthew, how is he?"Seeing her coming out, Felix asked everyone's heart.

"The situation is relatively stable, but it will take some time to rest." Speaking of this, Wei Wei is also a little worried. Father Matthew is quite old at this time, and the medical conditions at this time are limited, many about body conditioning His argument is even wrong. He has never done any special physical conditioning in this area before, so his physical foundation is not very good. He has no major problems, but there are a lot of small problems.

So she is particularly disgusted with the behaviour of these people now.

Knowing that letting the little serfs study here is the meaning of the castle, but instead of going to them to discuss it, he came to the priest, isn't it just relying on the priest to talk?

Being stared at by her gaze, this group of troubled citizens no longer dared to raise their heads. They turned into quails one by one, only daring to stare at the ground without making a sound.

She was not in the mood to continue fighting with these people. The priest was still waiting for her to arrange it. Now that Felix has made a judgment, she will not participate in the rest.

However, I looked at the children who were brought by their parents. They were old and young. At this time, they were looking at the adults around them at a loss. Many of them were ignorant and scared. It was obvious that they had not figured out what happened. thing.In the end, it was because of them that she softened her heart a bit. Wei Wei finally said: "Let them go back after registration. I will send someone to deal with the problem of these children going to school tomorrow."Although there is no escape from punishment, these words are undoubtedly for everyone. A reassurance, knowing that the Count and Madame did not allow their children to study.So the people who had regretted it didn't have any objection and waited obediently to register.They can leave after registration, but before leaving, these people still put some of the things they brought at the door of the church as compensation and apology to the priest.The soldiers guarding the door of the church did not stop this behaviour, but it was time to tell the two masters.Since it was given to the priest, they naturally wouldn't move, so it's up to the priest to arrange it.

Father Matthew almost fell into a coma because of a moment of excitement. After a short rest, he recovered. He drank the soup that Wei Wei asked Karma to boil, and his spirit became better.

Wei Wei stayed in the church to take care of the priest when Felix returned to the castle.

After he finished drinking the medicine and determined the effect the medicine was on, Wei Wei took his pulse and said, "Your current physical condition is not suitable for you to work hard. You should rest in the castle for a while, and you need to stop for a while. ."

After confirming that Father Matthew would not instil (baptize) the children with (brain) teachings, Wei Wei no longer resented his teaching them.

And the priest's knowledge reserve and teaching ability are indeed excellent. Even if he is a good teacher who can be a professor at a university, he is a bit underpowered to teach basic courses to children.

The priest's expression was still not very good at this time. Hearing the concern in Wei Wei's tone, he nodded with a smile and agreed with her arrangement. He knew his own body, and he wanted to live a few more years.

But after agreeing, the priest's brows furrowed again: "Those children, how do you plan to arrange them?"

He wanted to accept those children who wanted to study. In his opinion, the church itself has the responsibility of disseminating knowledge. When he was a priest, the priest taught many students. These students ranged from nobles to commoners, and most of them became excellent missionaries. He never believed that knowledge belonged only to nobles.

It is a pity that Sardinson County itself is not an area with strong church power. He is the only priest in the entire church. Although the three towns in the county also have their churches, there is also only one person in charge. The church in Simberg is still small, and the number of students it can teach is even more limited.

And he helped teach more than 200 children now, it is very difficult, and he really can't accept it, and he is powerless.

"Don't worry, I have already arranged it so that they will have the opportunity to learn."

Hearing what she said, Father Matthew was no longer worried. Fast asleep.

When she walked out of the priest's room with soft footsteps, Wei Wei wondered if she should add some more staff to the church. Although she didn't like the church, if it was raised by Father Matthew and originally belonged to a missionary in Sardinson County, As long as it doesn't grow crooked, it shouldn't affect the development here, and Father Matthew can't stay in this position all the time. They need a church successor that is beneficial to the territory.

The kind that can be faithful to the faith, but not the church.

Wei Wei felt that if it was a successor taught by Father Matthew, it should be no problem if he added some Aijun thoughts during the growth process, not to mention that even church members need support from nobles behind them.

She thought about things and left the room—the priest is temporarily not suitable for moving, so it is better to stay in the church to rest—just about to find her maid, she encountered a group of children who could not hide in the corner of the corridor.

It was the little serfs who lived in the church. Wei Wei glanced at them, all of them were familiar, and most of them were children who had appeared on the talent list.

The boy's head seems to be named Hank.

The children who met her panicked, but they did not forget to salute. The boys bent over and the girls lifted the corners of their skirts and bowed their heads to call out, "Good afternoon, Countess."

"Good afternoon." Wei Wei nodded and said curiously. "What are you doing here?"

"Let's see the priest." The children asked her boldly: "Madam, is the priest sick? Is it serious?

" The slaves who came here were in charge, and these children didn't have any time to spare. They were assigned another job to assist the household registration steward to check the old and new materials and calculate the poll tax that the lingmins were going to teach this year. The work content is not difficult, but it is necessary to have A certain basic knowledge of writing and arithmetic, but also enough patience. Although they are newbies, they work hard one by one. According to the report of the responsible steward, they are doing well, and they have helped them a lot.

The children's work is recognized, and they are naturally more active in their work. Although the courses on the church side are continuing, because the accounting work needs to be completed as soon as possible, the daily teaching time has been reduced, and it has become two classes in the afternoon. , one word and one count, two lessons in total. In addition, every morning, they would practice swordsmanship with the knight servants sent by the castle for an hour. After that, before returning to class in the afternoon, these children were not in the church, but They were working in a castle, so they didn't know what happened in the church before.

It was only when I came back to the class that I found out that Father Matthew had an accident.

As the children's caregiver and teaching teacher, Father Matthew's position in their hearts is second only to the earl and his wife and two maids. They were very worried when they heard that this kind of old man had an accident, but they were told that they could not disturb him after rest. , Most of the people came to visit according to their thoughts. After a lot of competition, Hank, the child who learned well and was often praised, grabbed the right to visit the priest on behalf of all the members.

"It's not serious, but it does need a good recuperation, so I'm afraid he won't be able to teach you, classes, for a long time."

Hank and others immediately said: "It doesn't matter to us, the priest's body is the most important!

" The worry in their eyes was very sincere, and it was obvious that they were really worried about the priest, which warmed Wei Wei's heart.

"The priest has already drank the medicine and fallen asleep. I'm afraid I can't accept your visit today. You can go to see him next time."

She said so, although it was regrettable, the children nodded obediently and prepared to leave.

"Wait."

Wei Wei stopped them: "You go and call the other children to the church hall, I have something to say."

"Okay, lady." The

children glanced at each other and hurried to call someone.

Their speed was very fast. After Wei Wei went to find the maid and arranged for someone to stay in the church tonight to take care of the priest to bring the hall, it was already full of people.

The changes in these children are the same every day. When they were just bought, most of them were skinny and skinny, their hair was messy like straw, their clothes were scanty, and their bodies were dirty like rolling through a mud pit, bending over The hunchback avoids the eyes of others, like a kitten abandoned by a mother cat and despised by humans.

But now they wear clean clothes, no matter how good they are, and their hair is neatly combed. The little girl who loves beauty even wears wildflowers picked from the roadside for herself because they eat well and exercise properly (following the soldier's Sword training), her body has grown flesh, and her stature has become a lot taller. The standing posture specially taught during training makes them look tall and straight, and they are full of energy and comfortable to watch.

However, the children who were waiting for the countess to come and speak were a little uneasy, and they gathered together to discuss in a low voice what the countess would say later.

Apparently because of what happened today, although it didn't happen directly, the kids also knew that other people in the realm had a strong opinion that only they could learn in church.

So most of their anxiety stems from this.

"Will the madam not let us continue to study?"

This question is what all children are worried about. Indeed, some children are not very gifted in learning, but they are willing to study hard because these children know very well that it is because of them They are more fortunate than others, and being able to learn these things makes them not have to work hard to support themselves like other serfs, but can comfortably work on a pile of documents in the castle without going out to the sun. Soak in the rain.

This kind of life was something they didn't even dare to imagine in the past. In their conception, only nobles and wealthy decent people could do work. Now, they seem to be such decent people.

And the reason is simply that they were lucky enough to be bought by the Earl couple and had the opportunity to study.

It's not that there are no children who have become elated because of this treatment that is different from other serfs, thinking that they are special, and even have a sense of superiority, but this sense of superiority did not last long, because regardless of the learning system set by the countess. , or the admonition that Qin specially said during class time, telling them that they were not selected because of special reasons, but they just happened to have more luck than others.

And this luck is not last. Their lords value their learning ability. If they don't have enough talent, they must at least have enough effort. People who don't study hard will not have any food, because they will also bear a part of it. Work and work are their sources of food, but only conscientious and high-achieving children are rewarded, and adults who are responsible for teaching and caring for them are also significantly more inclined to such children.

"If you don't work hard enough, maybe someone will take your place here one day."

This is what Jean said in front of everyone when she noticed the change in the children's mentality.

"Our masters need people who can work for them. They don't support you with anything. If you don't meet their requirements, you are likely to be eliminated."

As for what will happen after elimination, Qin did not Yes, but kids just have to think about the serfs who toiled in the fields.

That kind of life was acceptable to them in the past. After all, before they became serfs, they had to do the same work, but they were always hungry, but the serfs in Sardinsonburg were able to fill their stomachs. Life can be said to be much better than before.

But they saw the scenery higher up, working for the Count like those decent stewards, and this is the job they hoped to have in the future.

Even though most of these children are girls, they hope to become a maid like Qin who is trusted by the master, and her status is even higher than that of the general steward.

So no one wants to be eliminated, and no one wants to give up the opportunity to learn.

But the attitude of the residents towards them is becoming more and more obvious, especially when they were arranged to go to various villages and towns to do population registration for everyone, and later they were arranged to account for population records and taxes, although they were only going to help the stewards, to others, they just have a decent job and a chance to be a steward.

However, the church side is not willing to accept their (self-confessed) better children in the family, and many parents even have a mentality that these little serfs have robbed their children of opportunities.

How can this not make people jealous, they will all go crazy with jealousy.

In particular, most of them are still girls. In this age of women's low status, they will only receive more malicious attention. If it is not for their daily routines are very fixed, basically two points and one line and very few. Leaving the church alone, it's hard to say there won't be some vicious incidents.

The anxiety of the children did not last long. When Wei Wei came out of the back of the church, everyone closed their mouths and looked at their hostess nervously and intently."I called you here because I have something to notify. Originally, I planned to talk about it later, but now the situation has changed a little bit, so I will inform you here."Is it really necessary to let them continue the class ??Some children with more emotional reactions have already started to have red eyes, but they did not cry directly.And those children who knew better about themselves began to wonder, if they could not continue their studies, then with their current knowledge, would they be eligible to take the Lord Earl's recruitment exam.But before these thoughts were developed, the children heard their mistress make the point."I need to choose some of you to teach other children."This is something that has been considered for a long time. Universal education is a must in Wei Wei's view, but literate people in Sardinson County do not Many, they don't even have a school, and they haven't recruited talents who can be teachers, so this matter is not on the agenda for the time being.

Originally, they planned to teach this group of children well and then choose some suitable teachers to teach other children, but now that they are disturbed by the people, to appease the emotions of others, the plan has to be advanced.

Fortunately, as teachers who teach children the basics, they do not need too much knowledge reserve, and at the current level, they are barely competent.

But of course, there is no need to arrange for all of them to be junior teachers. The population review work has not been completed, and not everyone is suitable for teaching students. At least those who are not very good in their grades cannot be released.

So just choose some children with better grades and more suitable personalities and abilities.

"The list of candidates will be drawn up by Qin based on your daily performance. The selected people will go to the villages around the castle to teach other children in the next period specific arrangements will be told to you later."

At present, they are naturally, First of all, I have to take care of my one-third of an acre of land. Although they are all feudal residents, there are some differences between the feudal residents who live in the manor and farm the land for the Count and other free people. In a situation where there is no way to popularize education immediately Next, it is natural to have a sequence.

Hearing that they were asked to teach others lessons, the children did not have any opinion. They were all serfs. Naturally, the hostess did what she said.

I just couldn't help but ask her: "Then can we continue the class?"

Wei Wei smiled and nodded: "Of course, you still have a lot to learn, so the previous studies are still the same, but the priest is not in good health recently, I will Teachers will be arranged separately."

This group of people is not only future teachers but also future female guards, stewards and other talents. Since they have spent so much effort in training them, it is she who is at a loss if they are not allowed to study.

As soon as they heard that they could continue the class, these children couldn't help cheering regardless of Wei Wei's presence in front of them.