Two hours after Julian and Dante left the tavern, they were able to meet the female emperor who ruled the empire: Ipeia II in Alexandria's palace. (Fengwu Literature Network http://www.qiuwu.net.)

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The woman who sat on the emperor's throne was a beautiful woman no matter how you looked at it, her graceful and loose imperial robe could not completely conceal her delicate and graceful figure; her long hair was coiled up and covered under the crown, but there was still a strand of hair leaking out of her forehead, showing the original beauty of her hair; a pair of aqua blue starry eyes were so terrifying that people couldn't help but look at it a second time; a beautiful mole at the corner of her left eye, embedded in that almost impeccable face, made her almost perfect features even more impressive。

"So, are you really the envoys sent by His Majesty the Pope?" asked Empress Ipeia with a smile on her lips as she smiled at Julian and Dante, who were standing below to pay their respects.

From the very beginning, she had not taken her eyes off Julian, except for the ten seconds she had just read the letter written by the Pope himself.

"If Her Majesty thinks that the letter is forged, then I have nothing to say. Julian replied indifferently.

"How could the concubine suspect the Pope's envoy? I saw that I had just received a report that the ministers who had gone to meet them at the docks had missed the envoy, and that they should all be on their way back by now. At this time, the envoy suddenly visited the palace, and the concubine felt a little ...... Unexpected. The Empress still said with a smile, but she did not dwell on the subject for too long, and quickly changed her tune, "By the way, the Pope's letter says that the name of the envoy is 'Julian Rousseau', I wonder if you have anything to do with our Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Grand Duke Mikoyan Rousseau?"

"Justice Rousseau is the father of the family. Julian didn't deliberately hide it.

"I see. I heard that the only son of the Grand Duke of Rousseau left the empire 14 years ago and went to the Papal Dominion to train as a paladin, but I didn't expect that he is now a talent. As she spoke, the Empress's eyes licked as if they had a tongue on Julian's centipede-like scar, which did not match his handsome face.

Julian felt a tingling sensation all over his body, but he persevered.

"Your Majesty, Julian has come to your country this time to deal with one matter at the behest of the Pope. Julian didn't want to talk nonsense for too long, and he immediately got to the point.

Empress Ipeia smiled slightly, she heard Julian's voice, he actually used the honorific title of "your country" to call his native motherland, obviously he didn't want to have too much to do with his origin, the empress immediately understood why Julian deliberately avoided the welcoming crowd. Her plain hand raised slightly: "I wonder if Mr. Special Envoy needs the help of the concubine and the empire?"

"In fact, there is no need to bother Her Majesty, and there is no need to use the manpower and material resources of the empire, this is just a trivial matter, in order to avoid any misunderstanding in the future, Julian informed Her Majesty, hoping to make it convenient. ”

"Since it is a task installed by the Pope himself, how can it be a trivial matter? Please say it, see if the concubine can help. ”

"The former Commander of the Knights Templar, Putnnin McMahon, he is a Templar from the Rocard Empire, I wonder if Her Majesty knows about this person?"

"Pathenin McMahon, known as the 'Rose Blade', is the youngest paladin in history and the youngest Templar commander, who in my Rocard Empire doesn't know, who doesn't know? Easy Read"

The empress's words, ostensibly praising Puternin, were in fact putting a top hat on Julian, and how could Julian not hear it? But he did not have any emotion, and went on in a tone of irrelevance: "Unfortunately, many years ago, Captain McMahon had died young, and His Majesty the Pope wanted to erect a monument for him, so he sent Julian's master and servant to collect Paternin's relics. ”

Dante, who was standing next to him, thought that it didn't make sense for the Pope to send an envoy as a secret mission just to collect the relics of a paladin who had been dead for many years.

"This ......," the Empress's tone sounded a little hesitant, "Puternin McMahon's father is indeed the viscount of my Rocard Empire, but the McMahon family was attacked by a mysterious killer and wiped out overnight, leaving only the youngest son Paternin, who is only 8 years old, alive in the family of more than 30 people. This happened almost 40 years ago, and the tragedy of the McMahon family is still a headless case, and there is no way to find out who those mysterious killers are, which is really ashamed to say. Speaking of this, the empress sighed lightly, "When Pathenin was rescued by the church and brought up in the papal dominions, McMahon's mansion has been vacant, uninhabited and uncared for, and has been deserted, and now that decades have passed, there may only be a pile of broken bricks and tiles left, and there should be no valuable relics." ”

"Even so, I want to go and see it, because it's the Pope's mission. Julian did not retreat from the Empress's words.

"Okay. Since Mr. Special Envoy was so insistent, the concubine sent someone to make arrangements. Seeing Julian's insistence, the Empress had no choice but to push the boat with the current.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Julian bowed, "In addition, Julian has one more thing to ask my Empress." This is not a task, just Julian's own private request. ”

"Speak. ”

"Regarding the case of Duke Legliss 15 years ago, does Her Majesty the Empress know about it?"

"Well......," the Empress thought for a moment and replied, "Duke Leglis colluded with the Snowy Federation to sell the country for glory, and the Empire lost two islands in a naval battle with the Snowy Federation, and the whole family of Leglis atoned for their sins. By the way, the person in charge of hearing this case back then was your father, the Grand Duke Rousseau, so why is it suddenly brought up again?"

"Because Julian has discovered a new circumstance, it is possible that the Duke of Leglis's collaboration with the enemy and betrayal of the country does not exist, but that someone has planted the blame, and I hope that my empress will reopen the case. Julian made a request that even Dante, who was standing next to him, thought was a bit ridiculous.

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly changed, and Julian also felt that the eyes of Empress Ipeia looking at him became sharp, making him feel hairy all over his body.

"As far as the concubine knows, the Legliss family has all been executed, I don't know who entrusted Mr. Envoy to represent this matter?" Although her eyes changed, the Empress's tone remained as calm as ever.

Julian was entrusted by anyone but that justice must be done in the earth under God's gaze in the light, and that it would be against his conscience to turn a blind eye to the misery of the innocent when he found that there was a wrongful or wrongful wrong. Julian is just doing what he has to do" Of course, Julian will not reveal the real reason why he wants to overturn the case.

"Mr. Envoy is right, and the concubine also believes that if there is a real grievance, it must be corrected and rehabilitated, so as to demonstrate the justice and solemnity of the imperial law. However, this case had a great impact back then, involving a wide range of people, and it was the father who personally covered the coffin and convicted him, so it is not that the case can be overturned. In this way, the concubine will consult with the ministers first, and then make a decision. Seeing that Julian was about to speak, the Empress immediately stopped the subject, "Mr. Envoy, you must be tired from traveling by boat for several days. The concubine has arranged comfortable rooms in the palace, and the imperial dining room has prepared a rich welcome feast, so the envoy and your servants should go and rest first. ”

Julian put his right hand on his chest and replied in a tone of earnestness: "My Majesty, your kindness Julian has received it with peace of mind. Before coming to Alexandria, Julian had already looked for a good place to live in the city, and Julian had other important tasks on his mind, so I was afraid that I would waste your heart. Julian was very upset and regretful about this. ”

"It's okay, if Mr. Special Envoy still has something to do, then the concubine won't delay. The Empress looked around, "Guards, please escort them out of the palace, Mr. Envoy." ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding. Julian ended his last exchange at the palace with the empress, who ruled the country.

......

Walking down the bustling streets of Alexandria, it's already afternoon.

The master and servant, who had just come out of the palace, were hungry.

"Master, shall we return to the battleship or go to the nearest church?" asked Dante.

"Neither the battleship nor the church went. Find a hotel and settle down," Julian replied.

Dante shook his head. This kid is really choking.

In the evening, they settled into a smaller, but relatively clean, comfortable hotel.

After the two of them had dinner.

"Master, is this good? ”

"It's better not to, I want to be alone and quiet. ”

"Master, are you thinking about the Empress just now?"

Looking at Dante's expression with a smile of bad intentions, Julian suddenly became alert.

"Dante, what the hell are you trying to say. ”

"Didn't you notice? Just now in the palace, Her Majesty seemed to have some meaning to her master. ”

"Close your beak and forget what you just said, I don't think I've heard it. And then next time, cut your tongue. Julian almost jumped.

Dante smiled and said, "Master, you don't need to be too excited, isn't this kind of thing in line with this empress's style?"

"What the hell are you trying to say, Dante?"

"The current Empress of the Rocal Empire, Ipeia II, hasn't the master heard of this person at all?"

Julian shook his head and said, "Although I was born in the Rocard Empire, when I left the Empire, this empress had not yet ascended the throne, so I didn't know much about her. Dante, do you know her?"

"This Empress Ipeia II, when she was a princess, was only the ninth in the succession to the throne, but eight years ago, to everyone's surprise, she took the emperor's scepter from her father, and her throne was recognized by the Holy See. She was 18 years old. As for why she was able to win over her brother and sister in front of her, there have been different opinions for many years, but the most popular theory during this period is to use beauty. Dante began to talk, and it was then that Julian remembered that Dante had been a spy in the first place. Although the Woods works with the Papal Dominions, it does not mean that they have not collected intelligence on other countries.

The sensitive word "Beauty?" made Julian feel a little uneasy.

"Empress Ipeia is 26 years old this year, and she has never been married at this age, and the reason for this is intriguing. Although the royal family tried their best to blockade it, there were still some remarks unfavorable to the empress that circulated among the people, saying that although Empress Ipeia had the beauty of the country and the city, she was indulgent and debauched by nature, and had affairs with many male magnates. On that day, she was able to obtain the throne with the inheritance right of 9th place, which was jointly supported by more than 20 ministers, as for how an 18-year-old girl can gather so many ministers to serve her, it is difficult not to let people contact beauty. Not only that, but it is even rumored that she was having an affair with her own brother, otherwise why would two princes with higher inheritance rankings than her suddenly give up their inheritance rights? This is why Empress Ipeia has not yet made an imperial husband, because once a woman is married, her value will plummet. ”

"These are just rumors, and they should not be trusted. ”

"Of course I can't believe it. At least after meeting the Empress in person, I was sure that she had a genuine talent for statecraft in addition to her beauty. ”

"What do you mean by that?"

"Master, you recall. At that time, you mentioned the McMahon family and the Legliss family, which were old decades ago, and did not happen after she ascended the throne, but as soon as the young empress heard it, she immediately told what had happened and what had happened, and did not ask any of the courtiers around her. Since you mentioned these two things on the spot, there is no possibility that you are familiar with the information in advance, and the only explanation is that the empress is usually diligent in government affairs and knows all the major events that happened in the past of the empire, so she will be familiar with it. ”

"Hearing you say that, it seems like it's really like that. Julian nodded.

Spies like Dent, who have been lurking for more than a decade, each have independent intelligence analysis skills, and Julian, who has spent months with the "woods", is sure of this.

"But, regardless of whether or not the rumored Exaia II is a dissolute empress, at least from the way she looked at you just now, it is clear that she has some unknown thoughts about you. Going around and around, Dante returned to the original topic.

"Didn't I tell you not to mention it?" Julian was a little angry.

"Don't worry. Dante laughed, "Although I have only met the Empress once, if I am not mistaken, Her Majesty will come to the hotel tonight to meet her host." ”

Before Dante finished speaking, there was a knock on the door of the room.