Mi'er trembled, and the stout maids around her stared at her with dead eyes.

She wanted to say something, to explain the ins and outs, but when she saw Lady Marlene's face, she couldn't spit out a word.

Lady Marlene was the most powerful female officer in the backyard, and she spoke coldly.

The women in the backyard were afraid, even if they had only been in the High Court for a few days, and Mi'er had developed a sense of fear for Marlene after seeing her torture a stealing maid.

Howard didn't wait for Mi'er to speak, so he looked at the girl quietly.

At this glance, I felt more like my dead wife, and the Grand Duke had some empathy in his heart.

"I ask you, according to what they say, that you have betrayed me with your lover, and that you Judits have even started a riot to kill me? That's why this assassination was made?"

"No, no!"

Miel knew that if she didn't explain, there would be great calamity for the Jutas.

She first kowtowed to the Grand Duke, and then said, "He once had a marriage contract with me, and later with the consent of his mother, he dissolved it, and there are witnesses and marriage certificates for the engagement and dissolution, I ......."

Mi'er can't say the next sentence, that is, the Grand Duke has slept with me, and you should know that I am clean.

"What about the man?"

The Grand Duke asked the others, and Marlene replied, "Come with her to surrender, but he does not admit to planning the assassination, and says that the Venetian nobles taught him to do it, and for the sake of safety, the Venetians have also been controlled by us and interrogated separately, but they deny all of them." ”

The Grand Duke continued, "Tell me about the situation outside. ”

After saying this, Marlene glanced at the servant and let Pande, who had been outside, in.

Pande was dressed in armor, holding a helmet in his hand, and wearing a long sword at his waist.

"I've seen Your Highness, but because I hold the armor, I can't give His Highness a one-knee salute."

The Grand Duke looked at Pande and asked, "I heard that the war was fought well?"

"Yes, everything depends on the wise command of His Highness Bran, and I believe that I will be able to bring the army back soon."

"What have you seen in the past few days?"

"I have seen the Judits set fires everywhere, breaking the peaceful order, and ignoring the law."

When Mi'er heard this, she shook her head frantically, "No, no, they were persecuted, valuable items were robbed, and even in Venice, there were people who bullied us Juta women in the name of judging witches, so they ......"

"Shut up." Marlene shouted, "Your Highness is wise, and you will judge clearly." ”

So Pande continued to tell what he had seen and heard.

He did not favor the Venetians and the natives, for what he had seen on the surface was true, and the reality was as Mi'er had said.

In fact, in bed these days, the boss also asked other intelligence departments for eyeliner and knew some context.

In that year, he raised military funds to unify northern Italy, then fought giants, and then expanded his army to resist the Franks in the north.

Bran used force and prestige to borrow a lot of wealth from merchants, but the interest paid was pressed again and again, and there is still a lot of capital that has not been repaid.

And the 100,000 Judits entered, and they were good at gathering funds and running businesses.

The town of David, a Jude, was built into a bustling commercial town and even a city in just a few years.

At this time, there was a lot of news that the Judits used a lot of war money to build their homeland, and then turned around and used their money to lend money to the natives.

They were able to live so quickly by sucking the blood of the natives and Venetians.

Rumors originate from unwilling hearts.

In addition, the Illusory Order was dissatisfied with the beliefs of the Judits and began to create legends about witches in the territory of the Duchy of Milan near the Alps.

A "witch hunt" was born.

Originally, it was just a small fight, but this time both sides were like eating gunpowder, and it became more and more intense, so now a large number of Juta women were tried as witches, and Venice even arrested more than 60 Juta women in one day, accusing them of using black magic......

The Grand Duke thought for a long time, half an hour.

For half an hour, even a pin in the silence of the room could be heard.

Pande was fully armed and stood sweating profusely.

Marlene is like a wooden bamboo, standing upright.

Mi'er gave the Grand Duke a pleading look, her eyes bloodshot.

The Grand Duke sighed and said suddenly, "Bring that man here." ”

The man was referring to Mier's ex-fiancé.

The Grand Duke spoke, Pan De nodded quickly, went out for one or two activities, and brought someone to see the Grand Duke by the way.

When he re-entered the house, Pande had already changed into civilian clothes, which was much easier, and brought two soldiers with him, who were responsible for holding down the man.

When the man appeared, Mi'er covered her mouth and almost screamed.

The man's eyes were swollen, his lips were cracked, and his hands and feet drooped and dragged the floor as if they were atrophied.

"Clean up and make him comfortable."

After the Grand Duke finished speaking, the doctor on call outside the house immediately went inside to wipe the wound and change the dressing, and asked the man to rinse a few mouthfuls of the potion, and after massaging the muscles on his body, his spirit improved.

"Your Highness......"

"Do you know what the crime is to despise the monarch (to rob people)?"

"I know, it's not about Mi'er, I kidnapped her, and later I was persuaded by her to go to the government office with her to surrender. I dare not assassinate you, nor did the other Judits participate in such a thing, and we don't know anything about it. ”

The Grand Duke glanced at Pander, who replied, "The assassin has been caught, but he is unrecognizable and is already a corpse." ”

"How?"

"After the Grand Duke was hit by the arrow, the soldiers pursued it in the direction of the arrow, and found several archers, and the arrows on their bodies only had patterns, the same as the one that was issued, so it was judged that there were many Juta figures on their bodies."

"Do you think you will command their men to kill all these assassins, destroy their faces, and arrange them to be Jutas?"

"It's possible, but there is no evidence, so the subordinates don't dare to guess."

The Grand Duke said this, and the Juta man and Mi'er were both hopeful.

In fact, the Grand Duke guessed correctly, and the Venetians, who encouraged the men to rob people, knew that the Grand Duke was in danger, so they assassinated the assassin and made a confession.

As long as a person thinks quietly, no matter how tedious things are, it is possible to solve them step by step.

In the past few years, in addition to lying down, the Grand Duke has also thought about what to do?

The Grand Duke looked at the man and asked again, "You said the Venetians asked you to rob people?"

"Yes."

These eyes, this sentence, did not hesitate.

The Grand Duke believed it but didn't believe it all.

The authority of the monarch cannot be questioned or challenged.

Since those Venetians are suspicious of him, they must all die, so there is no need to tell who did it, it's simple and simple.

The corners of the Grand Duke's mouth moved slightly, and the room full of people were expecting what the Grand Duke would say.

"Let's go down."

These three words made Mi'er's whole body weak, and she knew very well what the Judits were suffering outside.

And the man also blames himself for making things worse because of himself.

Before he was about to be dragged down, he cried out, "Your Highness, everything is because of me, and I am willing to atone for my sins with death, I beg you...... Please!"

Everyone left, but after a while, Pander was found again.

The Grand Duke told him, "Prepare an army, and contact the people of Venice, and let the Venetians vent with the Milanese, let them arrest a few more people, smash a few more shops, keep a close eye on the troublemakers, and then release the news, I am not well injured." ”

The Judits developed too fast, which is not a good thing.

Venetians are psychologically angry and need to vent.

But when the trouble is almost over, those merchants and nobles who make mistakes will be purged and the power of the central government will be strengthened.

And the Judites will also know that His Highness the Great Chaman helped him to wash away his shame.

The Grand Duke had no affection for the Venetians, and when he himself became a loser, these lords were among the assistants, who were dissatisfied with his rule and overthrew him.

And now Venice is only semi-dominant, and the Duchy of Milan is not officially incorporated.

Then, on the pretext of their aggression against the Jutas, they took advantage of Bran's great victory in the south and swallowed Venice as well.

In Venice today, there was a governor named Lomphitan who reigned.

This man was also on the list of nobles who forced himself to abdicate - as a low-ranking knight.

Thinking of his orthodox sons, who were all hanged by the rebels after the city was broken, the compassion and forgiveness that the Grand Duke had just started disappeared in an instant.

muttered, "Hang the Doge of Venice......"

......

The witch trials originated in the Franks two hundred years ago, but reached their peak in Bavaria to the east.

100 years before the War of the Five Princes, women were originally highly respected in Central and Eastern Europe such as Bavaria and Swabia.

Unlike the Franks, Rome, and other places, they were allowed to study medicine and literature.

Later, with a crusade, the doctrine of light reached its peak in these places.

The local clergy misinterpreted the doctrine that women should obey men, and also created many images of witches.

During the reign of Luyo I, a decree was issued that witches should not be forgiven.

The ancestor of the Billund family, one of the Five Princes, during the Battle of the Five Princes, befriended Rome in order to win the support of Luyo I, and compiled the infamous book "The Hammer of the Witch", which caused a large number of women to die innocently on the pillar of fire.

This is also the reason why the Viper King later listened to the rumors and regarded his daughter as a witch and imprisoned her in the monastery for many years.

This has something to do with the prevalence of witch hunting culture in Bavaria.

......

If she is living an immoral life, it proves that she has a relationship with the devil.

If she is pious and dignified, it is evidently a disguise to divert suspicion of her dealings with the devil by means of piety.

"If she appears frightened during interrogation, then she is clearly guilty, and conscience makes her exposed.

If she believes that she is innocent and keeps her composure, then she is undoubtedly guilty, because witches are used to lying shamelessly.

"If she confesses, she will prove guilty

"If she is tormented and her eyes are so painful that she is looking for the devil"

......

The witch's book is full of ways to judge witches and distinguish witches from the devil.

The book suddenly became popular in Venice.

Many Venetians and Milanese, who borrowed money from the Jutas, even bribed the priests to accuse witches at will.

The Judites did not believe in the Illuminati, so naturally they could not go to the church court to defend themselves.

And the upper echelons have not followed, which is even more arrogant in their persecution.

Finally, there is a wealthy female Judah banker with a very high status, who is caught in a surprise attack on the road, which ignites the final ending.

......

In the High Court Palace, the Grand Duke listened to the report of his subordinates.

Two servants, acting as the Inquisitor and the accused witch.

"I'm asking you, I'm asking you if you use dark magic, right...... Do damage?"

"My lord, I don't."

"Before the all-knowing and all-powerful Lord, you dare to quibble!" The false judge held up the Bible, "The devil has revealed your true nature." ”

"I didn't, I'm innocent!"

Then the judge said.

"Pronounce the sentence and burn the witch at the stake. If the prisoner survives, it means that she uses black magic, and if she can't, then the devil can't resist the light and fire, and we will destroy it. ”

Such a way of trial is simply ridiculous.

But he did happen, right under the nose of the Grand Duke.

Everyone in the room was silent, each with their own thoughts.

After listening to this farce, the Grand Duke said to the three people in the house, Pande, Marlene, and Dandoro.

"The 10,000 men sent back by Bran have arrived, and I will give the order to arrest all those who are making trouble, and I want everything to get back on track, to prohibit the existence of any court of witches, and to spread the news of the victory of the Southern Expedition, and I will see who dares to challenge my army."

"Yes."

The three of them responded in unison, with Marlene in charge of the High Court and the surrounding towns, Pande leading the team to sweep away the speculators in the Duchy of Milan, and Dandolo returning to Venice to settle the chaos with his diplomatic connections.

In any era, force is one of the quickest ways to resolve disputes.

When the regular army maintains the situation, it instantly makes everyone dare not move lightly.

Those who took advantage of the chaos to commit crimes, the Grand Duke took the heavy and encouraged them to report each other.

After the capture of thirty-seven Venetian merchants and nobles, twenty Milanese, and thirty-six Jutas, the clashes ceased.

The men were arrested and taken to the trial court in Milan.

Dagong received them one by one in batches.

"I'm not wrong, I'm not guilty, everything is a good thing they (the Judets) (Venetians) have done."

That's what most people say.

They did not mention the crimes they had committed, until the Grand Duke had them take out a document and read it sentence by sentence, when, where, and what crimes they had committed.

These people's hard mouths are just beginning to loosen.

The chaos was also a turning point, giving the Grand Duke a reason to confiscate the territory and collect fines from the nobles who rebelled.

At this point, the Judits were badly damaged, more than 700 people died, and a large number of commercial IOUs were destroyed and goods were robbed.

The Grand Duke had the barn open to pacify the victims, promising justice to them.

And personally reburied the female banker who was burned at the stake, so as to remove the stigma from her.

The Grand Duke then released Mi'er's mother, Pella, and told her that she should properly pacify the Juttas and that he would not pursue Mi'er and the man, and the Grand Duke also released Mi'er again, and appeared with him in disguise, showing that the Judits were still able to enter and exit the High Court, and to keep their doubts and uneasiness under control.

And the Archduke was even more wary of the rebellious Venetians, and later the cruel witch trials.

In my heart, I also thought that the assassination was carried out by these Venetians.

Under the interrogation in batches and strict torture, the Grand Duke gradually grasped the incident.