After the meeting concluded and everyone else had left, Augustus instructed Faol, "Investigate Liam's background, including his family, experiences, political achievements, and so on. Focus on what I don't know, and also his connections with Enzo."
After so many days, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which had been almost entirely reorganized after the purge, hadn't experienced any major issues. This indicated that Liam's competence was likely satisfactory. Today, he had also cleverly helped Augustus out of a difficult situation, making Augustus view him with greater esteem.
If there were no major problems with Liam in these areas, especially his connections with Enzo, Augustus intended to make Liam's position permanent, but he hadn't shown it yet.
In other aspects, Liam was already qualified in Augustus's eyes. The main concern now was that Liam's connection with Enzo was too close. If Liam was controlled by Enzo, Augustus would have to consider other options, as he could not allow Enzo's power to become too great.
However, Faol was not very professional in handling such matters, and Augustus remained uneasy. Enzo was professional, but he certainly couldn't be asked to investigate himself. Besides, Enzo had already submitted all of Liam's relevant information that he deemed necessary or appropriate to disclose, but its credibility was unknown.
After much thought, Augustus remembered someone. Augustus summoned Stirile and assigned him the same task, informing him that Faol was also working on it, but instructing them to investigate separately.
Since Augustus had transferred Stirile to his side, he had not assigned any tasks to Stirile or his Assassins, primarily because there were no tasks for them. Assassination, while necessary at times, should be avoided as much as possible.
Therefore, Augustus had never had the opportunity to assess the capabilities and loyalty of Stirile and his Assassins. Executing assassinations certainly required information gathering, so Stirile was considered somewhat of an expert.
Through this mission, Augustus hoped that the information Stirile collected would complement Faol's findings, and it also served as an evaluation of Stirile.
Liam was originally an inconspicuous minor official with no significant family background, yet he unexpectedly gained the appreciation of Enzo, who was completely unrelated to him, and dramatically rose to become the acting Minister of Internal Affairs.
Liam wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing, and he was undoubtedly very grateful to Enzo.
His previously deserted office became bustling with activity after his appointment as acting Minister of Internal Affairs. Every day, his office was filled with visitors, not just colleagues and subordinates, but even distant relatives and old friends he hadn't seen in years traveled great distances to visit him.
Adhering to the principle of not offending anyone and maintaining good relations with those around him, Liam would treat them with courtesy, even when he was too busy to spare time. However, Liam politely declined all gifts offered by others.
Liam was well aware that the duration of his acting Minister of Internal Affairs position depended entirely on the Pope. If the Pope did not appoint him and ultimately appointed someone else, then his days of holding such a high position would merely be a fleeting dream.
To gain something and then lose it was painful for anyone. Liam had always wanted to accomplish great things, but he was frustrated by his humble origins and the lack of power that prevented him from doing anything. After waiting for so many years, how could he let such power, now firmly in his grasp, slip away in vain?
Therefore, Liam not only adhered to his principles but also worked even more diligently in his official duties than before, expending great effort to stabilize the previously chaotic internal affairs system.
However, even with all this, the Pope still seemed to show no intention of making his position permanent, and even often inadvertently overlooked him.
Liam racked his brain but couldn't understand what he had done wrong to make the Pope so cold towards him. Working diligently every day while also worrying that the Pope might appoint another Minister of Internal Affairs caused Liam great distress.
In the evening, Liam and several of his capable subordinates were still working overtime. Inadvertently, Liam thought of this matter again and fell into deep thought.
"Sir, is something on your mind?" Benito, who was beside him, saw Liam lost in thought and couldn't help but ask.
Liam pulled back his thoughts and met Benito's concerned gaze, unable to resist pouring out his heart: "Tell me, after all this time, why is His Holiness the Pope still unwilling to make me the true Minister of Internal Affairs? Is there something I'm not doing well?"
His superior suddenly baring his heart, Benito dared not be careless. After careful consideration, he replied, "In my humble opinion, that is not the case. Sir, you are devoted to public service, and everyone sees it. His Holiness the Pope should be no exception."
"Then what do you think is the reason?" Seeing that Benito had his own insights, Liam became interested.
"I humbly speculate that His Holiness the Pope needs more time, as he doesn't know you well enough and doesn't trust you enough yet. To entrust you with such an important responsibility, he still needs time to observe," Benito replied truthfully.
"His Holiness the Pope can boldly appoint so many people whose backgrounds he doesn't know, so why is he so distrustful of me alone?" Liam asked, puzzled.
Benito took a deep breath and bravely said, "I believe there are two main reasons. I will speak, and you may listen. Please forgive me if I am wrong.
Firstly, the position of Minister of Internal Affairs is extraordinary. Since His Holiness the Pope took office, he has not dismissed a single minister, even though they all had various problems. Only after Francesco committed a serious crime and was executed did this first dismissal occur.
Secondly, your position as acting Minister of Internal Affairs was not appointed by His Holiness the Pope, but rather temporarily taken over and promoted by Enzo. His Holiness the Pope must be concerned that you might be controlled by Enzo, leading to an imbalance of power within the Papal States."
"My gratitude for Enzo's kindness is genuine, but I would certainly never be manipulated by him. Moreover, Enzo is truly loyal to the country; instead of appointing his many trusted confidants, he recommended me, someone with no kinship or close ties, for such an important position. Doesn't His Holiness the Pope know all of this?"
"Regardless of loyalty, His Holiness the Pope will not listen to one-sided opinions or place all his hopes on one person; balance will still be maintained. Furthermore, people can change. It is not uncommon for loyal officials and patriots of yesteryear to later become treacherous villains.
And His Holiness the Pope may not truly be certain, as the complex relationships within the Papal States are not all out in the open. Reaching agreements or having leverage over Enzo are possibilities in the eyes of outsiders." Benito was surprised to find his immediate superior so naive in this regard, but he couldn't say it directly.
"But I haven't, none of it. How can I make His Holiness the Pope know? Do I need to tell His Holiness the Pope directly?" Liam asked humbly.
"Of course, you cannot say it directly. If His Holiness the Pope believes you, he will believe you even without you saying it; if he doesn't believe you, saying it will be useless, and it would sound like you are trying to hide something. I believe you only need to distance yourself from Enzo and occasionally speak out against Enzo, and you will be made permanent sooner."
"Enzo has been kind to me; how can I be ungrateful, or even repay kindness with enmity?" Liam felt somewhat unable to accept this.
"Everyone is doing what's best for the country. Although Enzo is also wholeheartedly devoted to the country, there are always times when he doesn't consider things thoroughly. Disagreements in political views among ministers are common; there's no need to worry too much."
After Benito explained it this way, Liam felt that it indeed made sense.
Seeing Liam still looking troubled, Benito advised, "Actually, you don't need to worry too much. If His Holiness the Pope had a candidate to replace you, he would likely have appointed them already. Letting you act in this capacity for so long means there hasn't been a candidate, and he is relatively satisfied with you, but still needs to observe. We only need to be consistent, and your permanent appointment will only be a matter of time."
"Thank you, Benito." The gloom in Liam's heart was swept away.