His Majesty John...... I still don't understand. ”

"Can't understand what?"

There was no shortage of vacant houses in the city, so for the rest of the two days, John had Sophia take Calujie to wander around Gombrigne, looking for a place to live. Although John could not promise Kalujie any official title for the time being, it was only a matter of time before he could find a town or an official position. After all, being a close vassal of John or Constantine is much more valuable than being an earl in the Empire.

It's just that not everyone is as open-minded as John. For a woman who has no background and can achieve a high position with just a story and the acting ability that the street girl can have with a little hard work, it is even more difficult for them to look at it with normal eyes. It's not that the empire is devoid of female officials, and the empire has even female consuls, female archdukes, and even empresses. Comparatively speaking, the status of women in Rome was somewhat higher from top to bottom than in continental Europe.

Even so, John's eclectic approach to employing people is easily resented by the low- and middle-level bureaucrats. Taking a step back, even if Kalujie was Albrecht's biological daughter, not long ago, she was just a woman who didn't even have imperial citizenship.

"Your Majesty...... I have to ask. This woman named Kalujie, apart from her appearance, what else is so special, and what kind of informative advice can she give you when she joins your second cabinet in the future......" Jeffrey and John sit together in a shoulder car, such a scene is often seen as a symbol of glory, but for now, it is just to give Jeffrey enough time to ask his doubts on the way to the Phoenix Legion camp.

"Counterintelligence." John's fingers casually tapped the armrest on his shoulder, and almost as soon as he came into contact with Kalujie, Sophia, who had been dealing with spy networks for a long time, gave him such a suggestion.

"What?"

"Do you remember the man who gave us an overview of the Ottomans in Anatolia last time?"

"Yes...... It is said that he is the deputy of His Royal Highness Sophia, called ...... Pedro? ”

"That's right, Pedro." John took out a dozen manuscripts from the box under the shoulder, most of which were sorted out by Sophia, and there was a reuse value of information, most of which had direct contact with the Ottomans. Jeffrey, you are the only Home Secretary I have trusted in Combrigne so far, so I don't mind speaking to you directly. Our dear Highness Sophia holds the Empire's largest intelligence network at present. ”

Jeffrey nodded slightly stiffly: "I've actually noticed this for a long time. Your Majesty, forgive me for trespassing...... It is no exaggeration to say that the whole empire now believes that the holy marriage between you and Her Highness Sophia is a sure thing. The future of the Empire, Barcelisa, holds the Empire's intelligence network, which is quite secure and quite reliable. Her Royal Highness Sophia has acted a little ...... most of the time Some are unique, but no one can deny the outstanding talents of Her Highness Sophia. But ......"

"It's okay, let's get straight to the point. Your problem should be the problem of the vast majority of the subjects of the Empire. After answering for you, I'm afraid I will have to repeat it to several people, and it will be regarded as a drill. ”

"Okay. This is a woman, Kalujie's previous identity was just a woman who wandered with a gypsy caravan. She had no political experience, was not a devout member of Orthodox Christianity, was not a citizen of the Roman Empire, did not swear allegiance to the royal family of Palaiologo, and did not directly prove that she had the ability to assist the royal family. His Majesty John, the power she is about to wield, is one of the absolute lifeblood of the Empire...... No matter how good she is, even if she will never betray the empire in the future, I believe that there will be more suitable replacements within the empire, and there will be more loyal fans of yours. "Jeffrey tried to control his words as much as he could, making his words more rigorous," His Majesty John. Competence is not the only criterion for appointing bureaucrats. The second cabinet would have been your personal advisory body, but Kalujie would have actual power. This point, when spread out, will receive a lot of rather drastic feedback among Imperial officials, and I believe that the vast majority of it will be negative feedback. You will be crowned Basilus in the future...... As for how to weigh officials and nobles, you should consult with His Majesty Constantine again. ”

Jeffrey's words can definitely be regarded as direct advice. As a veteran of the Three Dynasties, he had dedicated half of his life to the empire, and his ability had long been recognized, so it was impossible for John not to hear his dissatisfaction with the direct appointment of Kalujie and the promise of a high position. Counterintelligence work is quite important for the current empire. When the empire was left with only one isolated city, Constantinople, it was already infiltrated by the Ottomans. After Sofia appointed Pedro, although the espionage work has improved, there has been a vacancy in the counterintelligence area.

In addition to important cities such as Constantinople and Gombrigne, Pedro is also lacking in skills and difficult to carry out two-front work. Therefore, in the absence of the restraint of the person directly in charge, in the process of counter-espionage, local bureaucrats and aristocrats hinder each other, which can easily lead to the fragmentation of the counter-espionage network.

After John told Jeffrey about what had happened a few nights before, Jeffrey's attitude towards Carlujie hadn't changed.

"Your Majesty, perhaps we cannot deny that during her wanderings, Miss Carlujie has developed a very good ability to read words and emotions and act on the spot...... She might be able to find a spy in a group of people, but ...... Mastering the counter-espionage work of the entire empire is not a simple matter of catching spies. Jeffrey returned the manuscript that Pedro had put together to John, and continued, "If you were to refer to one of my pieces, your reasons would not convince me to have absolute trust in Miss Carroujie...... And I'm sure General Giovanni will have the same attitude as me, but he probably won't be so blunt...... After all, I am now at your service at Fort Gombrigne because I said so much that I shouldn't have said. ”

"Whew...... So be it, I'll hire Carlujie to be my personal advisor for the time being, and let her be your colleague for a few days in Fort Combrigne. John's admonition to Jeffrey was quite respectful most of the time. But he didn't want to give up such a strange woman with the same ability and identity.

After a bumpy ride along the way, he stopped outside the gate of the Phoenix Legion camp on the outskirts of the city.

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