After the twelfth bell of St. Stefan's Cathedral in Vienna, the whole city falls into complete silence.

The assassination on the outskirts was somewhat alarming to the townspeople, and although Frederick III, the Grand Duke himself, was the first to declare that the assassination was led by a group of wealthy bandits, and that they had been killed by their valiant lords, rumors of all kinds inevitably spread in such a sensitive time.

"Stop the citizens! As the twilight bell strikes, you're still roaming the streets, and Your Majesty's loyal Praetorian Guards have the right to interrogate you! ”

Across the street, a middle-aged man with a windproof oil lamp stopped under the tattered wooden sign of the "Deer Bone Tavern". The Janissaries, clad in armor, immediately surrounded him.

"Lord Baron Frien...... You're ...... so late" Before the Janissary Commander could get to the house, he recognized the figure buried under his robes. Even though Frederick III promulgated a new code, the Praetorian Guard was not in a position to directly intervene in the intricate web of power behind these nobles.

Even though Frien was not a loyal monarch, there was nothing out of the ordinary in Austria all along.

"My little Svante has a fever and I need to bring a doctor to see him. The little one is very sick, and I don't want you to stop me for some trivial matter. Baron Frien lowered his voice and pointed to the "doctor" who looked very old and leaning behind him on crutches.

"This ...... But Mistress Frion ...... His Majesty stipulated...... "It is true that the Praetorian Guards have nothing to do with the nobles, but they do not pay much attention to the civilian doctors who are from humble births." The church still controls most of the rights to "cure the sick and save people", many people will only go to the church to find a pastor to water any disease, and most of the doctors who practice medicine in the capital will not have any social status, and their standard of living is no different from that of beggars.

"Or can any of you heal little Stefan for me? That's my only son! I hope that any of you will step up and take this responsibility! Frien's voice grew more serious, and his face became more and more unkind.

This guy was notoriously bad-tempered in Vienna, and the Janissary Captain certainly knew what would happen to outright anger.

……

"Mr. Pedro, I've been waiting. I encountered some small accidents on the way and was delayed for a while. ”

After closing the door, the doctor, who had been hunched all the way, suddenly straightened up and threw the coat and cloak he had draped over to Frien.

"Mr. Ulrich, I have to admire your courage to see you in Vienna. According to the Janissaries such a search force. I don't think you'll be able to hide for long. Pedro poured Ulrich a full drink, and then instructed two alert-looking young men to go outside the door.

"When it comes to guts, I think your co-ruling emperor, His Majesty, is the real warrior." Ulrich sat down indifferently, took his glass and drank it all, "Frederick III probably knows that we must have the support of someone behind us if we dare to do it, and if you look around, you really can't find a second one except you." At such a time, you still dare to walk into the Hofburg Imperial Palace openly? ”

"But Your Majesty has now returned with honor, escorted by the cavalry personally sent by Frederick III. It is common sense that many times political issues cannot be discussed together with diplomatic issues. Pedro raised another glass, "However, conspiracies always stand behind politics in time." Your Majesty and Princess Sophia have already admired that delicate little box, and have done the necessary 'processing', but there is one question that Your Majesty would like to know. ”

"Mr. Pedro, you don't hurt to say that. If you can take the risk of waiting for me in a place like this today, it means that in the future, it is likely that we will be a canary in a cage. In this case, there is no need to hide many secrets. ”

"Let's start by looking at things in the simplest terms. If you succeed in assassinating Frederick III and Laszló becomes the new Archduke of Austria. How many percent of the army can you guarantee will be under Laszló V's control? Once Laszló ascended the throne, he faced a triple threat of Bohemia, Germanic princes, and rebels at home. It is even possible that other electors usurped the throne during the turmoil. I think you know what this meant to Germany, to the Habsburgs, right? Pedro's expression gradually became gloomy, "The Empire has promised to help, but I think you must have been prepared for it, and the Empire will definitely not devote its efforts to support a civil strife." ”

To Ulrich's slight surprise, Pedro did not seem to be concerned about the pressure coming from within the Hofburg Palace, or rather, did not think highly of Frederick III himself. The success rate of political assassination is by no means as high as ordinary people think, especially the assassination of a grand duke and an emperor.

"Do you think our blades will be able to pierce Frederick III's chest accurately?" Ulrich asked casually.

"That ambush was a great thing to see. I don't think it's a coincidence that the arrow missed a little bit and didn't kill Frederick directly. It's just that Frederick shouldn't have died at that time. Pedro hooked the corners of his mouth, "The more delicately and securely the locks on the cage are made, the harder it is for the people who live in the cage to perceive the threat of the cage itself." ”

Ulrich took the bottle from Frederick's hand, poured the last drop into the glass, tasted it for a while, and said, "We will try to control the army inside Austria as soon as possible." While extinguishing the small flames in Vienna, let His Majesty Laszllo completely regain control of all of Austria. As for Bohemia, we will consider it when the situation within the principality has stabilized. But...... If this matter is revealed in the slightest, His Majesty Laszlo will be charged with murder, and the inheritance will become wishful thinking. At this time, I am afraid that there are still many Habsburg sidelines staring at the position of the Grand Duke. How to get His Majesty Laszló V on the throne after the assassination is what worries me most now. ”

"A change of power is a normal thing. If Frederick III's death had become a given fact, the former royalists would still have to protect the emperor without evidence. The city changed the banner of the king, and in the end, their loyalty was naturally transferred to Laszlë V. Pedro glanced up at the window, "Mr. Ulrich, you should go back before dawn, otherwise the sun will cause a lot of trouble." ”