With the new task, Enzo's subordinates in the interrogation room began interrogating people about their illicit property income. This kind of job, directly linked to money, was their favorite, and they were quite experienced at it. If the Pope was happy, Enzo would certainly benefit, and if Enzo was happy, he naturally wouldn't treat them poorly.
Francesco, who had been confined to a dark and silent environment for days, finally had his psychological defenses collapse just now. He confessed everything, from the beginning to the end of the matter, and even provided a list of participants.
However, this information was of little use to Enzo now. The number of people Enzo had arrested was more, not less, than the names on the list. And as for the extra people, even without Francesco's identification, as long as other evidence could be found, they could still be convicted.
Now, Francesco hadn't fully recovered, and he was about to face a new round of interrogation regarding the source of his assets. The person in charge of interrogating him was Enzo's trusted subordinate, Ennio.
Ennio casually flipped through the organized case files, then slapped them down in front of Francesco.
"Where did you extort all this money from? Tell me honestly!" Ennio demanded aggressively.
Francesco looked through the files and immediately knew his home had been raided. His emotions instantly became agitated: "What have you done to my family? If you harm even a single hair on my family, I will die before I say anything else!"
"Your family is fine now; they are just under house arrest in your mansion. But what happens to them later depends on your cooperation," Ennio threatened viciously, having found Francesco's weakness.
"Why should I believe you? Do your words carry any weight? You're just Enzo's dog, and now you dare to speak to me like this!" Extreme anger gave Francesco courage.
"Do you still think you're the Minister of Internal Affairs?" Ennio swung a heavy punch at Francesco, striking him mercilessly, "You are now a prisoner awaiting death for a serious crime. Forget me, even any one of my subordinates can make your life worse than death."
Francesco was stunned by the sudden punch. After a long while, he roared hysterically, "Enzo didn't even dare to torture me! How dare you hit me! I want to see Enzo!"
Ennio, without hesitation, delivered an even heavier punch, knocking Francesco and his chair to the ground: "Is Enzo someone you can just see whenever you want? What is your status now? You actually still think Enzo wouldn't dare to torture you? Enzo was just being sentimental, giving you some face. I really can't understand how someone as foolish as you became the Minister of Internal Affairs; your ancestors' accumulated virtues must have all been used up by you."
Francesco clutched his face, cowering on the ground in pain.
"Pick up the chair yourself and sit down."
Seeing no reaction from Francesco, Ennio added, "You'd better not make me help you."
Hearing this, Francesco endured the pain, struggled to pick up the chair, and sat down. The corner of his right eye was bruised, with faint streaks of blood seeping out.
"Now, do you think I have the right to speak to you like this?"
Francesco remained silent.
"I'm asking you a question! Speak." Saying this, Ennio raised his fist again.
Francesco, scared, hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes!"
"Finally, you understand human language. Answer me, where did all this money in your house come from?"
"These are all my legitimate income. You've also found the bills; everything is recorded there. Why do you need to ask me?" Francesco instinctively tried to conceal.
Ennio slammed the table and cursed, "Don't you know how little is on your bills? The amount there doesn't even account for one-tenth of your total assets. All this money is your legitimate income? Who are you? Are you the Pope? The Pope's legitimate income isn't even as much as yours. If you didn't eat or drink for fifty years and saved all your salary, you'd only just reach ten thousand ducats. Where did you get hundreds of thousands of ducats from?"
"My income is all on the bills, it's absolutely true. As for other assets, some are gifts from others. But the largest portion was left by my ancestors. If you ask me where those assets came from, I honestly don't know."
"Nonsense, which of your ancestors was so rich that they could leave you hundreds of thousands of ducats? This money, you've been collecting it as black money since you served as the first bishop, haven't you? Do you really think we don't know anything if you don't tell us?" Ennio directly exposed him.
Seeing that he couldn't hide it, Francesco argued, "There is some, but isn't that normal? Throughout the entire Papal States, from top to bottom, I'm not the only one who has taken black money. There are plenty of people who have embezzled more than me, and many of them hold positions far below mine. Compared to them, I am already very incorruptible. You yourself, and Enzo, can you honestly say you haven't taken a single penny?"
Ennio slammed the table, making Francesco flinch: "I'm asking you a question! When is it your turn to question me?! I'm asking you where all this money came from, tell me the truth!"
"I have indeed taken black money, but many of those instances are from a long time ago, and such transactions certainly cannot leave records. Many of them I genuinely don't remember," Francesco said, looking troubled.
"Then say what you remember, and say what's recent."
Francesco thought for a long time, hesitated several times, but in the end couldn't decide what to say.
"It seems you still don't want to tell the truth." Ennio waved his hand, and the two people next to him started rubbing their fists together.
"Wait, no, let me think again, I really can't remember," Francesco pleaded.
"If you truly can't remember, then perhaps I can give you some hints. There's a banker right here in the Papal States who recently gave you a large sum of money. You shouldn't have forgotten that so quickly, should you? We've found that your financial dealings are very frequent and have been going on for many years. What kind of unsavory dealings do you have between you?"
Francesco deliberately slapped his forehead, as if he had just remembered: "Oh, yes, there was him. Our main relationship is business cooperation, although there are some things that aren't very presentable."
"Be more specific."
"It's about providing him with some conveniences in places the public can't see, and also engaging in some improper collaborations together. I don't really understand the specifics; my subordinates handled it. Anyway, it made money. Many similar things, I'm not aware of; my subordinates handle all of them," Francesco explained.
"You're so close to him. You planned such a big conspiracy this time; you wouldn't have failed to seek his help, would you? At least, he must have been aware of it, right?"
"What did you say?" Francesco froze for a moment, then instantly understood Enzo's scheme.
"You've arrested me, and that's not enough? How many more people do you want to implicate? Will the Pope allow you to implicate people so recklessly?" Francesco asked in disbelief.
"That's not for you to worry about. You just need to figure out what's more important to you: these people who approached you for profit, or your family. Once you understand that, I believe you'll know how to choose."
After a long period of thought, Francesco asked with difficulty, "I agree to do as you say. Can you guarantee my family's safety?"
"Of course."
"Good, I agree. Give me paper and a pen, and a little time. I'll write down everything I can think of for you."
Ennio nodded, clearly satisfied with the answer: "Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier?"