The pope had no choice but to accept, and he cupped his hands again, "I accept the emperor's orders."
Prince Edward couldn't help but give his father a subtle look of admiration. Allowing the pope to stay was one thing. There were many ways for the pope to remain even if rejected.
Making him a court official meant that he would be watched not only by the emperor but also by other nobles and viewed as competition.
It was much easier to control a situation where it's a dog bite dog than to have the two parties unite.
The emperor looked at his eldest son and asked, "Does the crown prince have anything to add?"
All eyes turned to Prince Edward, and he finally regained his attention at his cue, "Well, I was thinking that instead of making a decision now, we would find out the reasons why these people, whether it's a disease, became like this first instead of immediately sentencing them."
