Page 165 of DATE
"You may have misunderstood the essence of this."
"Placing you in such a position is actually meant to give youmore authority and protection from those in power."
At that moment, Hedy suddenly understood the implications of his words.
She wasn’t in a safe position at all.
The reason for this was, once again, because of the newly discovered medicine.
In this world, anything precious and beautiful was destined to be watched, coveted, and plundered.
The penicillin she held was a medicine capable of curing diseases that had stumped doctors for centuries. It was almost like a miracle, capable of bringing people to their knees.
If Hedy’s only role in this world was to know the formula, she might have been erased without a trace, with the Medici family alone safeguarding this secret.
But what she understood was far more than just this formula revered by many nobles.
She was, in fact, like a miracle herself.
From microorganisms to maternal and child care, from pharmaceutical preparations to the strategy of war, there was almost no field where she couldn’t make a difference.
And unlike those dreamers who liked to speak in vague terms, almost everything she proposed could be immediately tested and utilized.
It might take Da Vinci months to prove whether his dredging method worked. Many quacks also sold so-called "miracle medicines" under the banner of heresy.
But only her penicillin injection could make symptoms subside overnight, much more effective than bloodletting or enemas.
Such an existence couldn’t be plundered or erased.
To reap long-term benefits, it could only be given the utmost protection and association.
"First of all, your current identity is that of a distant relative of the Medici family, but you are also of noble birth."
He walked around the desk and slowly approached her.
His deep, melodious voice was as smooth as velvet, almost like a radio broadcast.
"Secondly, it’s not unusual for women to participate in politics."
Hedy snapped back to reality and took a deep breath.
"From Eleanor of Aquitaine to Queen Margaret I, right?"
He smiled. "You may not be able to become an empress, but you can still be loyal to me."
In the Middle Ages, women had a significant impact on politics and war.
For example, Eleanor of Aquitaine, known as the "Grandmother of Europe," had married both the King of France and the King of England. In her seventies, she still wielded political power in England, raising funds and recruiting soldiers for the Crusades. She even single-handedly carried a huge ransom to Germany to rescue her son.
Another example was Queen Margaret I of Denmark, who seized power at the age of twenty-two. Over the following years, she unified Sweden and Norway and played her political games with ease, almost controlling all of Scandinavia.
Ironically, in the past century, the status of women had steadily declined, and they were even denounced as sinful beings.
The Roman Catholic Church and today’s mainstream Christianity believed that women were "fallen creatures who tempted men into sin" and unworthy of education or equal treatment.
But Lorenzo himself was a rebellious lord. He could openly oppose the Pope, encourage Botticelli to create numerous pagan mythological works, and do whatever he saw fit for the benefit of his family and himself.
If Hedy joined this parliamentary-like organization, she could easily become another voice for the Medici, helping him passdecrees in more fields.
