Book 6: Showdown (The Kid Emperor of Occultoria)

Chapter 8 - Showdown with the Matriarch

"This is perfect," said Max, as soon as the clown was gone. "The Viceroy said the people in Celio refuse to be taxed, but at least I have this treasure here."
He pointed at Emperor's Gatani's treasure chest, which was overflowing with gold coins.
"Yes, sire," said the Archbishop. "This amount of gold should keep the government running for the next little while. For the next order of business, we have a delegation from the people to see Your Imperial Majesty."
"Send them in," said Max. He was actually looking forward to receiving his people. It had been a while since he had last received a delegation from them and as a man of the people, he was eager to hear what was happening from the most remote corners of his Empire to his own Imperial Capital.
Sitting on his Occult Throne, Max saw three citizens come into the Throne Room.
One man looked like a cow, the other man looked like a horse and the blonde woman had wings like an angel.
The Archbishop said, "Your Imperial Majesty, the people have elected these three honorable citizens as their representatives to you as well as their mouthpiece. I'm sure you remember them as Seraphim, Horseface and Cowhead."
The angel-like woman stepped forward. "Your Imperial Majesty."
Then, all three of them bowed and knelt down before their Sovereign.
The Emperor raised a hand. "You may raise."
The three of them rose.
Seraphim took a step forward. "Sire, as you may or may not know, we are taxed to the limit here in the Capital City. We would like to request a lowering of taxes. This season, the crops have failed and farmers can no longer send as much produce as before to the marketplace. This means that there is less food and more people starving on the streets and...."
Max interrupted her. "Then I have good news. I found some treasure that will allow my government to go on as normal. This means that I can afford to lower taxes all throughout the empire."
Seraphim smiled. "That's great news, sire."
The Emperor said, "So go on home, work hard, love the Empire and enjoy life."
The delegation bowed before their liege lord once again.
"Your Imperial Majesty is most gracious," said Seraphim, as the three of them backed away, facing the Emperor.
After they had gone, the Archbishop reached into his pocket. "Oh, I forgot to give you this, sire."
He handed a note to Max.
Max took it and read it.
The priest asked, "What does it say?"
When Max looked up, he was scowling. "It's a request from the Matriarch. She wants tribute. That means gold, right?"
 Archbishop Julius nodded. "I'm afraid so, sire. How much does she want?"
Disgusted, the Emperor handed the note over to the Regent. "Here. Read it yourself."

The note read:

Your Imperial Majesty,

Now that you have moved the Matriarch up the Order of Precedence above even yourself, it is time to prove it by offering your religious head a tribute. After all, the Matriarch is the Gods' representative on Earth and therefore, is above any earthly power, even the Emperor of Occultoria. I request a tribute in the amount of 500,000 gold coins for Saint Jebenoah's Pence. Failure to comply will result in unfortunate consequences.

- Her Holiness Matriarch Catherine III

"500,000 gold coins!" The Archbishop was flabbergasted. "But that's all we have in the treasure chest."
Crumpling the note in his hand, Max stood up.
He said a single word. "No."
 The Archbishop tilted his head. "No, sire?"
 "No," Max reiterated. "I will not be bulled by this Matriarch. It was a stroke of luck that I found this treasure chest. If I gave it to the Matriarch, I'd have nothing left. You said the Imperial Treasury is already empty. I'd have to tax my people and I don't want to do that. You heard the delegation. The people are taxed to the limit."
"So how should we respond to the Matriarch, sire?" said Julius.
"Send a message to the Matriarch and tell her no," said Max. "She has no right to ask me for money. I know she's richer than I am. I heard that the sales of caritas total 100,000 gold coins a month."
"Very well, sire," said the Archbishop. "I don't want to say I told you so, but giving the Matriarch rank and precedence over you can lead to headaches such as this."
Max nodded. "I understand that now. To be honest with you, I really regret it now. I let my heart rule my head, but it should have been the other way around. It's what a strong ruler would do. Look at Queen Elizabeth I of England in the Natural World. Her head always ruled her heart and because of that, she led her people into a golden age."
The Archbishop placed a gentle hand on the young Emperor's shoulder. "Sometimes, it's alright to let your heart rule your head. A good ruler needs to be guided by both and learn when to allow what to guide you. But in this case, sire, I dare say it was the wrong time to allow your heart to lead the way."
Max said, "I let my love for Jessica cloud my judgment."
"That's what love can do, Max. It can blind you to common-sense judgment. That's why they say that love is blind. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it can be."
Max looked at his chief advisor. "What do you think unfortunate consequences means?"
"Something terrible, sire."
"How do you think the Matriarch will react?"
"Negatively," replied the Archbishop. "Very negatively."

***

Matriarch Catherine III was holding an emergency meeting with her Council of Cardinals. They were sitting at a long table made of pure sparkling gold in the Matriarch's Council Room in Saint Jebenoah's Basilica.
"No?!" she practically screeched, clutching the Emperor's reply in her hand. "No? Who is he to deny me anything? Just who does he think he is?!"
"The Emperor of Occultoria, Your Holiness," replied Cardinal Uppal.
Cardinal Kuvabe tried to suppress a smile, but was unsuccessful.
It was only when Catherine III gave him her famous icy stare that the smile evaporated from his face.
Frowning, the Matriarch said, "Well, I outrank him. He moved me up the Order of Precedence. This means that whenever we meet in person, he has to kowtow to me. He has to bow to me and kiss my matriarchal ring, and not the other way around."
She paused and then said, "I mean, after all, I'm the Matriarch of Occultoria, Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Universal Church, Bishop of Divine Island, Primate of Occultoria, Successor to Saint Jebenoah, the Princess of the Apostles; Vicar of our Lady and Savior Jolie - only daughter of the Eternal Mother Goddess and Father God - Servant of the Servants of the Gods. My predecessor knew full well that the Matriarch didn't have enough power and now that I do, the Emperor refuses to acknowledge it."
She looked at the wall. There was a painting that was prominently displayed there. It was the symbol of the Ergon with a set of keys underneath it. The set of keys represented the Kingdom of Heaven. It was the Matriarch's official coat of arms and it represented her divine power and authority.
She sighed. "So what do you think we should do? We need more money in the treasury and the quickest way to get it is from the Emperor. He has so many valuables in the Imperial Palace, he could just get auction them off and make millions."
Cardinal Kuvabe said, "In the note, he says he's too poor."
She unfolded the note and read it again.

Your Holiness,

I'm afraid I must decline. The Imperial Treasury is nearly depleted and we are facing poverty. Furthermore, the tone of your note implies you're a bully and I don't deal with bullies. Have a good day.

- His Imperial Majesty Emperor Maximilian I

She scoffed. "Too poor, he claimed? I don't buy that for a second. He's obviously hoarding all the treasure for himself. But no matter. This is a test. Even if he were really were poor, he would find a way to send tribute over, as a sign of his obedience. He did swear total allegiance to me."
Cardinal Uppal chimed in. "If I may, Holiness. Why do we need so much money anyway? Sales of caritas are through the roof,"
The Matriarch glared at him.
He shrank away. He knew that look.
He had another idea. "If I may, Ma'am. Since you now outrank him, you can threaten to excommunicate him. If he still doesn't budge, then you can really excommunicate him."
The Matriarch looked thoughtful. "Cut him off from the church community? Deny him communion? Make it so that his subjects wouldn't have to obey him? Hold the people hostage with the interdict that accompanies every Bull of Excommunication?"
Her face, young and soft due to her nightly two-hour beauty regimen, lit up. "That's a great idea. Why didn't I think of that sooner? Send a message to the Emperor, Uppal."
Cardinal Uppal said, "Yes, ma'am. Oh, and I have a bit of good news. Our Universal troops have annihilated most of the Reformists. The few survivors are in hiding. They are too weak and few in number to mount any sort of counterattack. Our troops are ferreting out most of the ones in hiding and once found, they will not be treated with any mercy. I daresay that our Holy Mother Church will not be divided after all."
The Matriarch smiled. "Everything is going my way."