After a series of twists and turns, at a meeting, Liam finally, with the Pope's personal announcement and in the presence of all ministers, became the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Papal States, as he had wished.
Not only that, Augustus also specifically selected some fiefdoms near Liam's territory that had become vacant due to purges, were temporarily taken over by himself, and were actually managed by Faol, and granted them to Liam to strengthen his power.
From this moment on, Liam, an originally rootless and humble official, officially became a member of the core power of the Papal States.
Those who had anticipated such a result found it unremarkable, while those who did not favor Liam found it incredible. As for Liam himself, he was both excited and apprehensive, the reasons for which were self-evident.
Augustus had just received a letter informing him that Karl and Duke's bandit suppression efforts abroad were nearing completion, and he reckoned that the day of their return was not far off, so it was time to prepare for his departure to Venice.
Previously, Venice had just passed laws prohibiting the construction of new churches and the donation of inheritances to clergy, and was even preparing to put two priests on trial.
Augustus did not pressure Venice as Pope Paul V did in history at this time; instead, he outwardly adopted a very tolerant policy, yet these events still occurred as they did in history.
It is clear that these events in Venice were not due to deteriorating relations with the Pope, but rather out of its own need for centralization, and were not decided by any single person.
At such a sensitive juncture, with all eyes on him, his personal visit to Venice would trigger unpredictable chain reactions, yet it was a step he had to take.
As expected, the Vatican's announcement of the Pope's plan to visit Venice immediately caused a huge sensation.
Some radical Catholic hardliners believed this meant the Pope was weak and incompetent, on the verge of making huge concessions to Venice, which would be a disaster for the entire Catholic Church.
Some people gathered at the entrance of the Papal Palace, claiming they wanted to see the Pope, and even more, some had already shouted the slogan, "Drive the cowardly Augustus out of office," and small-scale riots followed in various places.
Fortunately, Faol's newly established police department was quite effective, quickly quelling the riots and nipping some bad tendencies in the bud. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs publicly declared that the rioting populace was incited and exploited by Ottoman forces, then set up a few examples, making it seem true on the surface. Since they had already fallen out with the Ottoman, throwing a scapegoat was no big deal.
For those who were not so extreme, Augustus also chose to meet some of their representatives, stating that he would fully listen to everyone's opinions and promising not to make any concessions that would harm the Papal States and the Catholic Church, hoping everyone would prioritize the bigger picture, which finally stabilized the situation.
However, even so, there was no shortage of dissenting voices within the Papal States. Augustus knew that most did not support his visit, but were only silent now due to his authority and the power he held. If he stumbled, there would undoubtedly be many opportunists who would jump out and kick him while he was down.
Thinking of this, Augustus couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. If even one step went wrong in this entire process, he would not only lose all his previous efforts but would also be firmly nailed to the pillar of shame of the Papal States, making it difficult to recover.
Riots were easy to quell, but the misunderstanding, attacks, slander, and curses from the majority of the populace were difficult to stop. At this moment, Augustus felt a sense of enduring humiliation.
Of course, not everyone was against Augustus. Those who hated the Ottoman to the bone, and those who hoped to get rich by going to war with the Ottoman, could largely understand the "big picture" the Pope spoke of, and expressed a certain degree of support, which greatly comforted Augustus.
Most importantly, as long as Karl and Duke returned, the minor internal dissent would be insignificant, which greatly put Augustus's mind at ease.
"Go inform Enzo. Have him send someone to organize the latest news about Venice and bring it to me. I want to review it again." Augustus had been studying the situation in Venice these past few days and had consulted many trustworthy people, but he was still uneasy.
A moment later, the attendant reported, "Your Holiness, Enzo requests an audience and is currently at the door."
He came himself? Augustus was startled at first, then thought, that's good.
"Please, come in quickly."
...
"Your Holiness, here is the latest information about Venice, freshly compiled." With that, Enzo took out a thick stack of notebooks and placed them in front of Augustus.
Augustus nodded slightly, "Good, since you're here, let's discuss it."
Saying that, Augustus eagerly began to flip through the pages.
"Your Holiness, I actually came today because there are still some things I'm unclear about and would like to ask you," Enzo stammered.
Having the Pope explain everything would make him seem a bit foolish, but if he didn't ask clearly, he wouldn't be able to handle things well, and making assumptions could lead to big problems. After much thought, Enzo decided it was best to take this opportunity to ask clearly; being cautious causes no harm.
"I guessed as much. Speak," Augustus said indifferently, not even raising an eyebrow.
Leaving half the meaning for Enzo to guess, and letting him ask again if he was unsure, was beneficial for controlling Enzo and also for deepening their communication and understanding.
"You told me before that you planned to make a move on Venice and asked me to set up a spy network to assist. Do you remember?"
"Of course."
"So, has your plan changed given the current situation?" Enzo asked cautiously.
"No, everything is proceeding according to the original plan. You also need to speed up your work; it will be needed very soon," Augustus reminded him.
"Naturally, we are always ready on our end. Your meaning is, you want to move against Venice before intervening in the Ottoman-Turkish War?" At this point, Enzo roughly understood the Pope's intention.
"Precisely. Remember to keep it confidential."
"So your personal visit to Venice, seeking the help of the Venice Navy, is ostensibly to counter the Ottoman, but actually to deal with Venice?"
"Exactly." Augustus put down the book in his hand and said seriously, "The navy is Venice's last and most important barrier. As long as we quickly deal with the Venice Navy, and Venice doesn't have time to implement its countermeasures, taking down Venice will be effortless for us."
"Using the Venice Navy to deal with Venice, that's truly a bold plan!" Enzo couldn't help but exclaim, then worried, "But isn't your personal trip to Venice too dangerous! What if they find out about our plan…?"
"My personal presence will maximize the probability of success and the success achieved. The blood our soldiers in the Papal States will save by me taking this risk is definitely worth it. Besides, the Venice side is unlikely to know about this plan of mine. There are only a few people in the entire Papal States who know about this matter, and apart from me, you are the only one who knows the specific process now."
"Thank you for your trust, Your Holiness. I will certainly live up to your expectations," Enzo said from the bottom of his heart.
"Alright, you know what you need to know, so just help out. Take a look at this, a large sum of money in Venice seems to have disappeared…" Augustus said, pointing to a piece of data in the book.