Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Pope's Reflections on "Yes, Prime Minister" and What He Does Next / Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Final Episode of "Yes, Prime Minister"-A Plot Even the Writers Wouldn't Dare Invent!

However, another reason the Pope was angry was that the Bloodborne Archon had, to some extent, also mocked him. He too was quite old and still held the position of Pope. Not just him—most bishops in Laterano's churches were actually very long-lived.

But what the Bloodborne Archon had meant was obviously not praise for the Sarkaz bishops' longevity. He meant that their long lives allowed them to collect plenty of subsidies and benefits, making them unwilling to retire! They voluntarily extended their lives for power!

Yet the Pope could not deny that the Church needed to make a profit as well. Otherwise, where had Laterano's years of savings and ample reserve funds come from? The position of bishop was indeed filled with interests. People believing for the sake of profit... that was hardly rare among races outside the Sarkaz.

But after being mocked so thoroughly, the Pope was furious yet had no idea where to begin arguing. He could only endure it with a flushed face.

At that moment, the Bloodborne Archon in the show came up with another good idea, one that could get the Chief Whip to leave.

"Why not have the bishop send him to Iberia to plead for that nurse?"

"He believes in the Iberian state religion. Iberians like him, and he likes Iberians. Either way, nobody loses."

Once that was said, the three of them found it an even better idea. Before the Pope could even process the notion that a Laterano church's bishop believed in the "Iberian state religion," they all chimed in:

"If he fails, he did his best."

"If he succeeds, he'll be a hero."

"—If he doesn't come back, nobody will miss him." The Bloodborne Archon's casual, airy remark once again set off uproarious laughter both on and off screen. That uniquely Victorian black humor displayed its charm once more.

That move left the Pope, Exusiai in Lungmen, and everyone at Rhodes Island staring in stunned disbelief. In most people's eyes today, "religion" defaulted to Laterano's faith, whose doctrine had always promoted "the equality of all living beings" and "the salvation of the world." It was a faith with an exceptionally positive image.

Yet they had never imagined that there could be such political manipulation behind that religion. Victoria could even effectively prearrange its bishops internally. Religion was actually tied to politics.

"...I thought he was only filming the last two episodes, so there wouldn't be any major trouble. I was completely wrong."

Inside the landship, Chen Huijie slapped her forehead and immediately felt a headache coming on. That was Laterano! Was it really okay to insinuate things about their Church like this?

"Is that true? Is Laterano's Church actually tied up with politics?" Logos, a Sarkaz banshee, was curious about this. He did not care about Laterano doctrine; he was simply curious how Laterano and Victoria shared interests.

"...It's called the union of church and state. Laterano and Iberia are both like that." As the crown princess, Vina had grown up wandering the streets, but she still knew these matters well. She explained calmly:

"And strictly speaking, it isn't a problem with Laterano's Church. It's a problem with the Laterano Church stationed in Victoria—they haven't been Laterano people for a long time. Victoria is not a nation where church and state are united either. We uphold Laterano doctrine only to establish diplomatic relations with Laterano. That's a semi-public fact."

Still, no matter how one put it, such mockery made Laterano seem less than spotless... Vina's face was full of black lines. At that moment, she felt much the same as Chen Huijie.

She was probably among those who least wanted Yes, Prime Minister to keep airing. It was not that she did not want to resolve the conflicts, but she felt that Chen Qi exposing them now would only accelerate Victoria's division and perhaps even spark a war. She did not want to see Victorians slaughtering one another—even if that was how their diplomacy operated.

If the situation were stable, she would admire someone like Chen Qi immensely. But the timing was wrong. It was the wrong time!

Now he had even begun mocking the Church. Victoria and Laterano had maintained diplomatic relations of mutual noninterference for many years, but once this was exposed—how would Laterano react?

They might sever diplomatic ties outright! Laterano had a reputation to maintain!

"...Forget it. Thinking about it again, things probably won't get any worse."

However, unable to stop any of this, Vina had no choice but to watch. She had neither the ability to change it nor the authority to make Chen Qi stop—especially when he seemed to be Theresis's honored guest but was actually in danger of being imprisoned at any moment.

Besides, he was not even Victorian. After thinking it over for so long, Vina completely lost any reason to blame Chen Qi.

At that moment, the camera shifted. Victoria's Church had already recommended two candidates to Theresis, one of whom was the preselected Reverend Stanford.

"Stanford is highly respected and a modernist." The Victorian Church representative explained to Theresis:

"He seems to believe that certain matters in scripture should not be understood literally. He considers them metaphors, myths, or legends, and focuses only on their spiritual and philosophical meanings."

"Sounds good." Theresis said so, and not only Theresis—many viewers in front of their televisions, including some Laterano people and the Pope himself, nodded repeatedly. Though this bishop had been preselected, he sounded rather good.

"He also attended Wessex and the Royal New College of Victoria—and his wife is exceptionally suitable as well."

"You mean she's devout? Charitable?" Theresis asked, but the representative shook his head with a chuckle.

"No, because she's an earl's daughter."

"Cough, cough, cough, cough!" The sudden turn made the Pope's barely calmed anger flare up again. This time, though, he had been mentally prepared and handled it better. Still, he immediately rejected this candidate in his heart.

With that last point, everything before it was merely an excuse! This man absolutely could not become bishop! That was what the Pope thought.

Soon afterward, the television mentioned the other candidate, Dr. Paul Harvey. However, the representative said he leaned toward "the separation of church and state," believing Victoria's residents should treat Laterano doctrine only as faith rather than allowing it to become a club for the ruling class.

After hearing that, and with the earlier example in mind, the Pope immediately accepted this bishop proposal. If he had to choose between the two, he would certainly choose the latter.

Theresis on the television seemed to feel the same way. Yet the representative's next sentence made both of them abandon that idea.

"Of course, the decision is entirely yours, Prime Minister. But I suspect His Majesty the Emperor might be somewhat surprised if you ask him to appoint a bishop whom a Laterano that believes in church-state unity would find strange, considering we are close allies with Laterano."

"—So I have to choose Stanford or Stanford."

At that moment, Theresis and all the viewers finally experienced what it felt like to be absolutely certain to draw the card someone wanted them to draw. The methods of internal manipulation were completely exposed, and the faces of many devout Laterano believers immediately darkened.

"Prime Minister, we have nominated these two candidates for you." The representative made it clear that the Prime Minister had only those two choices. Theresis clearly wanted neither, so he asked, "By free election?"

"Of course not. Bishops follow apostolic succession."

"What does that mean?"

"The Lord's will. Whenever a powerful Sarkaz falls, they replace him and let the Lord decide." The representative smiled faintly, but Theresis was clearly no longer fooled.

This time, even the devout Laterano believers did not lower their guard merely because the man had quoted doctrine. Theresis did the same and asked:

"How does the Lord convey His will?"

"—By drawing lots."

"...Can't we let the Lord decide this time too?" Theresis seemed to resonate with the Laterano viewers outside the screen as he asked with a helpless laugh.

Fortunately, Manfred stepped in to smooth things over. But his first words enraged a great many Laterano people:

"No one believes the Lord would know exactly what qualifications a bishop for the Victorian diocese needs in order to be elected."

The moment he said that, everyone understood that the bishop of Victoria's diocese was purely a position for exchanging interests. Whatever sort of bishop Victoria needed, that sort of person could become bishop. The qualifications for election were entirely flexible.

At that moment, in Laterano and every other place across Terra where Laterano people lived, no one knew how many rooms suddenly exploded. Devout Sarkaz people, furious and imposing, could barely contain their indignation at Victoria's desecration of their faith...

That day, many explosions occurred in Laterano, and some of them never even got the chance to watch the final episode of Yes, Prime Minister...

The Pope's Reflections and Actions After Yes, Prime Minister

It had to be said that the content of today's Yes, Prime Minister hit the Pope of Laterano far too hard, because he had never imagined that one day, the fire would burn him and Laterano as well. This was a Victorian satirical comedy!

The Pope had only obtained the series from some of Laterano's foreign envoys last week. As the political satire Yes, Prime Minister spread with the return of the various foreign envoys, the Pope came to understand the impact this show had created and watched it out of curiosity.

However, it had to be said that the Pope laughed very happily that day. Though, by the Lord above, it was not good to laugh at the politics and operations of other nations, it really was very entertaining.

Those were the happiest days the Pope had spent laughing. He quickly put aside The Godfather, which he had previously cherished and wanted to watch every day, and switched to Yes, Prime Minister, which gave him easy amusement.

What the Pope had not expected was that after spending a day watching others make fools of themselves, he and Laterano would one day become fools in the show as well.

Now, the Pope's smile had disappeared—or rather, it had transferred to the faces of other viewers. This episode also contained many lines that would make the Pope and Laterano people's blood pressure soar.

For example, Theresis asked what the Church meant by "modernist." The Pope now knew that the representative's earlier definition of "modernist" had clearly been embellished. From the Bloodborne Archon, he finally heard what the term meant without any embellishment.

"This? A modernist is someone who doesn't believe in doctrine."

"—You mean people with no religious faith?" Theresis could not help asking. That was not unusual. On Terra today, there were still more people who did not believe in Laterano doctrine than those who did. He simply had not expected there to be unbelievers within the Church.

However, the Bloodborne Archon's next explanation was what truly made the Pope explode with anger. The Bloodborne Archon corrected him, "No, no, Prime Minister. People with no religious faith can't receive Church subsidies."

"So when they stop believing in the Lord, they call themselves modernists."

The Bloodborne Archon's brazen words about exploiting legal loopholes sent the elderly Pope's blood pressure skyrocketing. Yet inside the show, as if it feared it had not angered the Pope and Laterano people enough, the Bloodborne Archon continued explaining the current relationship between Victoria's Church, politics, and royal family. It was practically an integrated part of how Victorian society functioned.

"The Church wants to form as many connections as possible."

"With the Lord?" Theresis still did not understand.

"Of course not, Prime Minister. Sociological connections." The Bloodborne Archon answered with a subtle smile.

"—So in the Church's view, the ideal candidate would be a Sarkaz socialite? Someone who is unlikely to believe in the faith but can strengthen connections?"

This was simply the most ironic possible statement about the Church. Everyone knew that Sarkaz and Sarkaz were two races almost naturally opposed to one another. Yet in the show, Theresis actually said that a Sarkaz socialite was the most suitable person to become bishop of Victoria's Church. It was a fierce slap across the Church's face.

Though this was not aimed at Laterano's Church, Laterano's reputation was simply too great. Whenever the Church was mentioned, almost everyone thought of Laterano first.

The Pope desperately wanted to say that this had nothing to do with them! This was Victoria's own internal affair and had absolutely nothing to do with Laterano's devout faith!

The Pope did not want people, when mentioning Laterano and the Sarkaz race in the future, to think no longer of devout faith and a happy paradise, but of a place filled with utilitarianism and political interference!

In the story, Reverend Stanford, whom the Church had strongly recommended, soon revealed his true nature. He had held many positions, yet had never once served as an ordinary parish priest. Clearly, he possessed great political ambition. A person like that becoming bishop could easily interfere excessively with the government.

"Interesting, isn't it?" The Bloodborne Archon was not surprised in the slightest upon hearing this. Instead, he said teasingly:

"Politicians are busy talking about morality these days, while bishops are busy talking about politics."

"We could reject both candidates, but that would set a precedent. We do not recommend it." The Bloodborne Archon presented his final proposal, a solution that was no solution. Theresis asked helplessly:

"Even if one candidate wants to drive the Lord out of the Church, while the other wants to drive away the Emperor?"

"In Victoria, His Majesty the Emperor and the Church are inseparable." The Bloodborne Archon was unusually serious when Victoria's Emperor was mentioned. Theresis immediately retorted:

"—What about the Lord?"

"...I suppose the 'Lord' is the optional item."

The various implications revealed by Yes, Prime Minister not only made non-Laterano viewers outside the screen laugh uncontrollably, but also left a great many Sarkaz people with faces full of black lines. A few hot-tempered ones had even begun picking up their firearms, planning to head to Victoria and ask whether this was true.

Fortunately, the plot afterward was still acceptable to them. Following his wife's suggestion, the Prime Minister rejected both candidates on religious grounds. After that, he not only pushed forward the Chief Whip's mission to rescue the nurse trapped in Iberia, but also elected the Chief Whip as bishop.

Although the Chief Whip had an eccentric personality, extremely poor professional ability, and a vain nature, compared with one candidate who wanted to drive out the Lord and another who wanted to drive out the Emperor, he was somehow not a bad choice.

Even if he was someone who had said on television that "Laterano doctrine is the Laterano version of the Iberian state religion's records," the Iberian state religion had originated from Laterano doctrine. It was not completely unacceptable.

"Though he's lazy and arrogant, and has no interest in Laterano doctrine, he doesn't oppose it either."

"An eccentric personality can also be an advantage, as long as you call it 'individuality.'"

The Pope kept repeating those lines from this episode of Yes, Prime Minister, feeling a little headache. The Chief Whip was someone he had disliked from the beginning, yet after such a comparison in the show, even he felt that perhaps this was the only suitable candidate.

But the more the Pope thought about it, the more something felt wrong. Then he suddenly came to his senses—had he been assimilated by those Victorians?!

"This cannot continue. We must respond in time." The Pope shook his head, then immediately spoke to the Pontiff Knight beside him:

"Inform the Papal Hall that all serving officials at the 'cardinal' rank are to meet tomorrow morning at ten. Also, notify the Notary Office. We need to gather the foreign envoys and inspect the current state of our churches in every nation."

"—And send people to our diocese in Victoria. If it really is as the television drama says, state immediately that we will withdraw the Church from Victoria."

The Pope saw it clearly. Laterano now had to reestablish the standard of devout faith in order to offset the potential negative influence brought by Yes, Prime Minister, and promptly draw a line between itself and Victoria's corrupt government.

This was also a form of damage control—and the Pope could use this chance to thoroughly clean up Laterano's hidden dangers and parasites.

At last, he had an excuse! Though the Pope had been angry while watching the show, he now felt this was instead a good opportunity. Laterano and its doctrine needed to endure, and they had to make a more positive statement.

"So... should we thank you, Director Chen Qi?"

After issuing his orders, the Pope's tone became somewhat subtle. He no longer knew how to evaluate Chen Qi... or this show.

Although it had mocked certain problems with religion, it had given the Pope an opportunity to reorganize internally. It might bring some negative effects, but timely remedies could lead to better development.

—Perhaps this was the meaning of political satirical comedy? The Pope suddenly felt enlightened and immediately discovered the true way to learn from Yes, Prime Minister.

"What a... remarkable television show."

The Pope could not help sighing, but then he thought of Chen Qi's current circumstances—he was still in Londinium, a city surrounded by Sarkaz.

The Pope also began weighing Laterano's current position, and whether Chen Qi... was worth involving themselves in this complex situation for.

After all, Chen Qi could now be considered a thorn in many nations' eyes. But if Laterano chose to stand by Chen Qi's side... Laterano's reputation might offer him protection. Whether its deterrence from occupying the moral high ground or from its military strength, Laterano was still immensely formidable.

In the end, the Pope seemed to reach some decision. He immediately summoned another Pontiff Knight and said:

"Quickly determine the locations of our Notary Office personnel and see which of them are closest to Londinium."

"Should I say this episode put me at ease? It was a little dangerous, but fortunately, the impact does not seem too great. It only mocked certain internal problems in Victoria's Church."

At Rhodes Island, Kal'tsit and Amiya had also finished this episode of Yes, Prime Minister. Once the three-minute break began, Kal'tsit spoke calmly:

"Given Laterano's openness and enlightenment, I think they should not misunderstand anything. At the very least, the situation should not become any more complicated. How fortunate."

Vina's group around Londinium had similar thoughts. Even Chen Huijie breathed a sigh of relief after finishing it and muttered:

"Chen Qi... finally knows how to restrain himself a little."

"—But there's still one episode left." Yet Vina, despite her relief, did not relax in the slightest. What had happened last week had made her realize that Chen Qi always liked to save "the big one for last." Yes, Prime Minister was exactly like that.

Now, Yes, Prime Minister still had its final episode. Vina vaguely felt that its value and impact might be on the level of the diplomacy and Originium tool episodes—or perhaps even more significant!

This was not the time to let down their guard. But Vina truly could not think of anything else about the Victorian government that could be mocked... How ironic. As a former crown princess, she seemed to know less about Victoria's inner workings than Chen Qi, who had lived in Londinium for less than a month.

But Vina, who now had neither the standing nor the authority to criticize Chen Qi, could only pray that Chen Qi would put away his divine powers soon and leave Victorians at least a little dignity in the final episode...

The Final Episode of Yes, Prime Minister: A Plot Too Absurd Even Fiction Wouldn't Dare Write!