Archbishop Beaumont and the others exchanged surprised glances.
Saint-Germain-des-Prés Abbey was where high-ranking church officials like them discussed matters in private. Why had Brienne come here?
Beaumont hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Show him to the Abbot's Office."
More than ten minutes later, in the spacious Abbot's Office, Brienne smiled and bowed slightly to Archbishop Beaumont. "You really are here."
The latter hurriedly returned the courtesy. "I came to consult some old texts..."
But Archbishop Brienne waved a hand. "If I am not mistaken, Thierry and Lancelot should be here as well, shouldn't they?"
He was referring to the Archbishop of Chartres and the Archbishop of Sens.
Archbishop Beaumont frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
Archbishop Brienne sat down in a chair. "The church is facing such enormous trouble. Naturally, everyone has come to discuss a solution.
"Oh, don't look at me like that. I am also a member of the church. How could I sit by and watch those attention-seeking fellows run wild?"
Beaumont's expression softened somewhat. "So, you intend to?"
Instead of answering, Brienne asked, "Have you come up with a solution?"
Seeing Beaumont remain silent, he nodded. "It seems not. Then why not hear my opinion? Oh, call everyone over."
Before long, Brienne looked at the seven most influential archbishops in France and went straight to the point. "At present, we face two major problems—
"First, those account books Robespierre took. If they are made public, there will certainly be serious consequences.
"Second, the public debate with Grenier and his group. Forgive my bluntness, but we simply cannot win an argument against them, especially with the Holy See's assessment involved..."
Unable to hold himself back, the Archbishop of Sens asked, "Then what should we do?"
In just a few sentences, he had already tacitly accepted