usatvline Chapter 99. Church Donations
Chapter 99. Church Donations
Chapter 99. Church Donations
Parliament ultimately passed the new decree by an overwhelming majority, severely impacting the interests of the church.
And after the meeting, Sergei, the deputy chairman of the secret committee, got a new name—the parliamentarian killer.
That's right.
Since Sergei entered the secret council, more than four members of parliament have died at his hands, and many others have been controlled by him, or more precisely, by Elizabeth.
But it cannot be denied that Vasily, Haridon, and the two most recent members of parliament executed for treason and murder all died at the hands of Sergei.
"The Congressman Killer, that's a truly terrifying title. In the eyes of those congressmen, you're a million times more terrifying than Shuvalov."
Naryshkin and Sergei were talking.
He could hardly believe that Sergei, who was not yet thirty, was now a powerful figure who instilled fear and dread in those usually arrogant and disdainful members of parliament.
"Do you know what's most important in a church?" Sergei asked.
"Huh? What? Zhong?" Naryshkin guessed.
"What else?"
Naryshkin immediately scratched his head.
Sergei smiled. "Of course, it's the tables and chairs. Without them, how can people pray in the church?"
"What do you want to do?" Naryshkin asked in surprise.
"Didn't you get transferred to the Relief Department? Relief supplies must be very scarce."
Naryshkin's eyes lit up with immense joy.
"Let's go, I'll take you on a robbery."
Soon, Sergei and the energetic Naryshkin headed to the church closest to the Winter Palace.
"Sergei, is it just the two of us? The priest will have his servants kill us. Why don't you call the secret police?" Naryshkin asked nervously.
"Once you get there, you'll find that the secret police are unnecessary," Sergei said calmly.
Upon arriving at the destination, Naryshkin suddenly lost all sense of nervousness.
Because there were hundreds of Imperial Guards here!
They were armed to the teeth, and their longswords were already partially drawn from their sheaths!
The leader was none other than Maxim, who had already become a lieutenant colonel.
"start?"
Maxim stepped forward to inquire.
Sergei shrugged and gestured with his chin toward Naryshkin beside him: "Ask him."
Maxim looked at Naryshkin, who was excited and waved his hand.
"move!"
Then he led hundreds of guards and stormed into the church. Some priests tried to stop them, but they were subdued by the guards in the next second. The guards then began to move the long tables and chairs that were set up outside.
"What are you doing!"
Father Simon came out and questioned him angrily.
Naryshkin chuckled and said to the other party, "It's freezing cold, and many people in St. Petersburg are displaced. I heard that the Church has shown great compassion by donating tables, chairs, and other supplies to the Relief Department, and also providing shelter for the people. I am truly grateful! You are indeed God's most sincere servants!"
"What nonsense are you spouting! Tell them to stop! These are things the believers use for prayer. If you take them all away, how will the believers sit?" Father Simon was extremely anxious.
Naryshkin ignored it and called to his guards.
"Everyone, hurry up and be efficient! Don't leave any tables or chairs behind that can be moved. God's servants don't need to sit! Over there, over there, and over here—"
Seeing that he couldn't reason with Naryshkin, Father Simon went to find Maxim, only to see the latter draw his longsword—
"This is a church, a sacred place! How can you draw your sword!" Father Simon roared in anger.
"The sacred place for a soldier is the battlefield. I've seen more dead people than you've seen living people. Do you believe me?" Maxim said calmly.
Father Simon was furious, but no matter what, he dared not go up to the other party.
When he saw Sergei outside the door, he realized that the other man was the one who had caused the incident, and he quickly went to find him.
"Father, you don't need to say more. Don't you know who the real mastermind behind this is?" Sergei stopped the other man from speaking.
Father Simon then realized that the real culprit was Queen Elizabeth.
"You should be glad you didn't go with the other bishops to confront the Queen, otherwise you wouldn't just be donating tables and chairs, oh—and food too."
Following Sergei's gaze, Father Simon turned around and was shocked to see Naryshkin directing the guards to move the church's vegetables and meat!
"Don't move it! Don't move it!"
Father Simon was about to rush forward to stop him, but Sergei grabbed him.
"Father, Grand Duchess Catherine has pleaded with me not to let anyone obstruct their work. The church will only suffer these losses; otherwise, it will end up like the other churches."
Father Simon was taken aback.
"What about the other churches?"
Sergei remained silent.
Seeing this, Naryshkin continued to urge the guards to speed up, and he himself joined in. At this moment, he only regretted not calling his colleagues from the relief department.
Meanwhile, other churches in St. Petersburg were also looted by the Guards.
Besides tables, chairs, and food, clothes, firewood, and many other things were taken away. Except for the Orthodox doctrines, almost everything usable was "looted."
"This is a robbery! A robbery of the palace!" The archbishop sat on the ground, furious and resentful.
But the real show is just beginning.
As night fell, large numbers of beggars and vagrants rushed into the churches.
"Who let you in! Get out! Get out!"
"A notice posted by the Relief Department states that all churches are offering thirty days of shelter!"
"What! No! This is a church, a place to pray to God! You are blaspheming God!"
"We're all freezing to death! Anyone but Her Majesty the Queen can desecrate us!"
"Men! Grab your weapons! Throw these beggars out!"
Whoosh—
A group of people rushed out; they were not church members, but guardsmen. They carried torches in one hand and swords in the other. The captain of the guardsmen at the head of the group walked up to the church members.
"I was ordered to protect the people and oversee the church's responsibility to provide shelter and assistance to beggars!"
"By what right does the church have a duty to provide salvation?"
"I don't know, and I don't care. I'm just following orders. If you have any objections, you can go talk to my boss."
"Where is your boss?!"
"border."
"you!"
Early the next morning, several bishops stormed into the Winter Palace, demanding to see Elizabeth, but were stopped by the Household Guard.
"Her Majesty the Queen is unwell and will not be seeing anyone today."
"Let us in! If I don't see the Queen, I'm not going back today!"
The speaker was the archbishop of the Novgorod diocese.
His parish, though not in St. Petersburg, was also "robbed" by the Guards, simply because he came to the Winter Palace that day to confront Elizabeth.
Even in a parish as far away as Moscow, churches were "looted."
"The Empress took into consideration the bishops' hard work in coming all this way and specially prepared rooms for them. However, the bishops will have to pay for the food, since the wealth of the Church is evident to the Russian people."
As he spoke, the royal guards were about to lead the bishops to rest.
This infuriated the bishops.
Finally, Sergei stepped forward and cleaned up the mess.