Three days later, Peter followed Empress Elizabeth to Kursk, an important city in the southwest of the Russian Empire.

“... At present, the troops sent from Kursk and Voronezh have cordoned off the area and swept more than a dozen villages in the surrounding area, most of the attackers have been caught and are being interrogated."

Clerk of the Mysterious Office, the shiny Alexander on his head. Ivanovich was reporting to Empress Elizabeth on the progress of the search, and Peter, Catherine and other parties were also present.

"Have you done a site survey?"

The Empress asked in a cold tone.

"According to the description of the Captain of the Praetorian Guard, Larshev, we have surveyed the main battle sites at that time, and it is almost certain that it was a pre-programmed ambush, and the gavel that knocked down His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's convoy was a well-designed trap, because the palace carriage was larger and stronger than the ordinary carriage, so it is certain that the attackers were specifically targeting the court convoy passing by"

"Is that certain..."

The Empress stared sharply at the mysterious clerk, known for his secret interrogations and horrific tortures.

"The attack was directed against the crown prince himself?"

"This..."

Ivanovich cautiously glanced up at the Empress and Peter.

"It's not for sure... Because Your Majesty you diverted the course that morning, avoiding the possibility of being attacked."

"You mean that Peter was the one who took the attack on my behalf, don't you?"

"Hmm... Under normal circumstances, Your Majesty will pass through the place of attack at noon that day, and you will arrive earlier than His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so..."

Ivanovich swallowed nervously.

"Hmm..."

Queen Elizabeth leaned back in her chair.

"Have you found out who the crown prince found out was pretending to be a janissary?"

"I've mobilized all the people to investigate, and I believe there will be results soon..."

"The brand on that person's ass is very special, it should be easy to check, right?"

Peter listened to it for a long time and felt that it was all nonsense, and finally he couldn't bear to ask.

"Your Highness, that kind of mark is not necessarily the mark left by the brand, it is also likely that it is caused by other things, as far as I know, some explosions in the war can also cause such permanent scars."

"So the attacker must be someone from the army, right?"

"This... I can't be sure yet..."

"Don't interrupt yet!"

The Empress turned her head to Peter next to her and said stiffly.

"Okay, you go ahead"

Peter waved his hand sheepishly.

"Is there anyone else who can prove the identity of the mastermind behind the attack?"

"So far... The confessions obtained from the interrogation were all local serfs, and the nobles were not found to be involved, and the origin of these serfs was being traced, and it was already known that most of them came from the surrounding villages, so there was no suspicion."

"Hmph, serfs ... Didn't those nobles know that their serfs were involved in the attack? ”

For the first time, the Empress raised her voice.

"I'm sorry Your Majesty, but these nobles were all dead when they were found, so..."

"So you're saying that the local nobles were all killed by their own serfs without anyone noticing? So what are the local sheriffs and government doing? Is it all waste? ”

"Your Majesty... These aristocrats, well, including local officials and sheriffs, took part in a festival celebration of local characteristics, and then all ..."

"What's all?"

"All dead, Your Majesty... This thing has developed much more than I imagined, so I suggest... Urgent measures should be taken..."

"What do you say? All dead? Are you kidding? On the way through the Emperor? Hundreds of people were murdered without warning and without noticing? Whereas... And this journey is surprisingly calm, it's just... It's just..."

Not only was Empress Elizabeth so shocked, but even Peter and others were so shocked that they were about to fall out of their seats.

"In the end... Who the hell is it? It can be done so cleanly and thoroughly! Blocked all possible outgoing messages, huh? ”

The Empress questioned sharply.

"This... We're still on track..."

The mysterious clerk bowed his head timidly.

"Track and trace, and you will say track! What if I can't find it? Well? By the way, also, how did the itinerary of the emperor and the crown prince leak out? You don't mean to say you're still looking for it, are you? ”

“... Yes, Your Majesty"

"Humph! Such a shocking conspiracy... Such a terrible enemy... It will appear in the land ruled by the Emperor! Finally... For what? Is it a rebellion? Is it trying to usurp the throne? Or did you want to ruin the great Russian Empire? Is it an enemy of the Empire? Is it the Ottomans? Damn it... I feel terrible to think about! ”

“... I'll do my best to find out, Your Majesty."

"Nonsense!"

“...”