The advisors from Milan arrived in Vienna a few days later, accompanied by Duke of Armagnac Jean V, who had already settled his family and subordinates in his new fiefdom in Milan.
He had enjoyed a period of peace with his family in Milan, and then spent every day eagerly awaiting an audience with the Emperor.
A few days prior, his informant in France had sent news that the Duke of Burgundy and the King of France were both mobilizing their armies, seemingly preparing for a new round of confrontation.
Jean V believed there was definitely room for him to play a role in this.
Although life in Milan was quite comfortable, he still could not let go of his hatred for the King of France, and his obsession with his family's territory.
Soon, he received a messenger from the Emperor, summoning him and several engineers from Milan to set off for Vienna.
In the Emperor's study at Hofburg Palace, Laszlo dismissed his attendants and began a private conversation with the Duke.
"Emperor, you summoned me to Vienna, presumably for the war in France?"
Jean V asked directly, having calmed down during this period and ready to return to Burgundy to continue working for the Emperor.
Laszlo nodded slightly, feeling somewhat pleased to see the Duke of Armagnac in good spirits.
Compared to his haggard appearance when Laszlo last saw him, his condition had visibly improved a great deal.
"It seems you've recovered well. This allows me to confidently entrust you with important matters."
"The important matters you speak of are..."
"I now need a spymaster to oversee intelligence operations against France and Burgundy. I believe this should be your area of expertise."
Laszlo believed in the man's abilities. It would be a great pity not to use the [Schemer] as a spymaster.
Moreover, he needed to make arrangements in advance, not only for France but also for Burgundy.
Burgundy had expanded excessively in recent years with his tacit approval.
If any unforeseen factors caused Burgundy to slip from his control, wouldn't he be doing someone else's bidding?
Laszlo would never allow such a situation, so under permissible conditions, he would not hesitate to eliminate all unforeseen factors.
"Emperor, establishing a spy network in Burgundy and France will be a considerable expense. What do you think..."
Laszlo's expression faltered, then he replied, "Alright, although our budget is quite limited, I will allocate three thousand florins from the royal treasury to you. I hope you can make good use of this money and not miss any details of the France-Burgundy War."
"I will gather all useful intelligence for you, Emperor."
Although the amount seemed a bit small to Jean V, relying on his existing network, this money should be sufficient.
Considering it a repayment of the Emperor's kindness, he had to handle this matter properly.
The Duke of Armagnac, having accepted the mission, left the palace and immediately began preparing for his next trip to France.
Soon after Jean V departed, Laszlo received news that Eyczing sought an audience.
"Emperor, Despot Thomas of Morea has passed away."
The news brought by Eyczing caused Laszlo to pause slightly, and only after a moment did he recall that he still had a vassal state on the Peloponnese Peninsula.
"Oh," the Emperor replied calmly, "that is truly regrettable news."
"It seems I should send Andreas back to inherit the territory, but from my observation, that child is overly fond of pleasure and lacks any real talent or discipline. I fear he won't be able to bear the heavy responsibility of ruling Morea."
Laszlo's concern made Eyczing's eyes light up, and he immediately suggested, "Since that is the case, why doesn't Your Majesty appoint a trusted confidant to accompany Prince Andreas to Morea?
Nominally, they would serve as the regent of Morea and guardian of the new despot, but in reality, they would act as governor, strengthening our control over Morea."
"Morea...? Do you have anyone suitable in mind?"
Laszlo was not particularly enthusiastic about this suggestion.
For Austria, sending anyone to Morea was akin to exile.
Athens and most of the islands at its entrance were occupied by the Venetian, and the Ottomans were not far from Morea.
Once hostilities resumed in the East, the possibility of Morea being attacked was no less than that of Bulgaria.
Laszlo initially accepted Morea as a vassal, first, to obtain the East Roman crown, and second, to secure a naval base in the central Mediterranean Sea.
However, the Venetian occupied Corfu, and although the Austrian navy was gradually strengthening, it still struggled to even leave the Adriatic Sea bathtub.
Nevertheless, Laszlo believed that one day Morea's strategic location would fulfill its intended purpose.
Whether as an advanced base for attacking the Ottoman or as a springboard for invading North Africa, Morea's value was evident.
In that case, he really had to find a way to manage Morea well; he couldn't let Andreas, that restless young man, ruin Morea.
"Emperor, I believe Cardinal Bessarion would be an excellent choice.
Although he was born in the now-fallen Trebizond, he received a Greek education in Constantinople from a young age.
Bessarion also studied in Morea during his youth and became an Orthodox monk there.
There is probably no one more suitable in your court than him."
Eyczing sincerely recommended him to the Emperor, with a hint of anticipation in his heart.
Recently, this Cardinal had gained too much prominence in the court; it seemed the Emperor's trust in Advisor Bessarion had surpassed his trust in him, the chief minister.
He could not accept this happening. Now that the Despot of Morea had died, he could seize this opportunity to move a courtier who might threaten his position to the southernmost tip of the Balkans.
Laszlo stared at Eyczing suspiciously for a long while before shaking his head and rejecting his suggestion.
"Cardinal Bessarion was originally viewed as a traitor by the Greeks because he supported the union of the Eastern and Western Churches, forcing him to leave Greece and settle in Rome, where he converted to Roman Catholicism.
If he were to go to Morea, the local populace might develop resentment..."
"Emperor, have you forgotten that Prince Andreas and his siblings have also joined the Roman Church?
Moreover, Cardinal Bessarion is now the Patriarch of Constantinople appointed by the Pope, overseeing religious affairs in the Balkans.
If you keep him in Vienna, wouldn't you fail to fully utilize the advantages of Cardinal Bessarion's identity and talents?"
Laszlo suddenly felt there might be some truth to this statement.
Recently, Cardinal Bessarion, serving as the imperial envoy, had been by his side, helping him with his burdens, which had significantly lightened his load, so much so that he was reluctant to send this learned and capable Cardinal abroad to resolve religious issues in the Balkans.
"Alright, I generally agree with this arrangement," Laszlo nodded, but still looked worried, "Promoting Roman Catholicism in the former lands of the Eastern Roman Empire will likely be much more difficult than proselytizing in Serbia and Bulgaria."
"Emperor, things always have to be done one step at a time, don't they?"
Seeing the Emperor make up his mind, Eyczing smiled slightly, easing Laszlo's concerns.
"Alright, then let Bessarion go to Morea as regent, and at the same time, cooperate closely with my two dear uncles to continue promoting the true faith in the Balkans."
Laszlo saw Eyczing off and immediately went to find Thomas's children; before informing Bessarion, he first had to calm the little ones' emotions.
He quickly found his targets in a training ground converted from a garden.
Court swordmaster Talhoffer was currently instructing several half-grown boys in swordsmanship.
Empress Dowager Elizabeth, Leonor, and Zoe, Despot Thomas's daughter who had become the Empress's lady-in-waiting, stood at the edge of the training ground, observing the four boys on the field.
As soon as Laszlo arrived, he noticed his eldest son, Christopher, slacking off behind the teacher's back, swinging his wooden sword with no force at all.
Maximilian, on the other hand, was naturally gifted with strength; even though he was the youngest of the four boys, he possessed strength comparable to the other three.
According to the two boys' teachers, Christopher was well-behaved and enjoyed learning, but he often got distracted and disliked exercising.
Maximilian, however, was completely the opposite; his favorite subject was swordsmanship, and he only read chuunibyou knight novels.
Some were about defeating witches or evil dragons to save princesses, and more were about Crusade knights.
Laszlo remembered Vitez once complaining to him that Maximilian openly stated that Hungarians were inferior and Hungarian was a crude language, thus disdaining to learn it.
For this, Laszlo flew into a rage and thoroughly disciplined the brat until he finally behaved.
However, his relationship with his teacher, Vitez, had also deteriorated to an extreme, and Laszlo was now planning to find a new tutor for the boy.
Because of his numerous duties on all sides, he rarely had time to spend with his family or focus on his children's education; these matters were all entrusted to Leonor.
However, Leonor seemed to be overly doting on the two little ones.
Putting aside his jumbled thoughts, Laszlo quickly walked over to Leonor and the others.
"Laszlo, I was just about to look for you."
Leonor looked at her suddenly appearing husband with some surprise; normally at this time, he would still be in a castle piled high with documents, not here.
"Looking for me? Is there something urgent?"
Laszlo asked.
"Yes, I received a letter from my sister; your prophecy has come true."
Leonor's face became anxious; clearly, the news she had received was exceptionally bad.
Laszlo was still a bit confused and asked, "Prophecy? Did I make a prophecy?"
"It's Castile. As you predicted, a civil war has broken out there.
The Castilian nobles intend to overthrow King Enrique's rule and enthrone his brother, Alfonso, as king."
"That's truly unfortunate," Laszlo did not show much concern for this news, "How is your sister doing now?"
"Not well. Juana was mercilessly expelled from the palace by King Enrique, and that incompetent king threatened to divorce her."
Despite the thousand-mile distance, Leonor remained deeply worried about her sister's plight, even feeling indignant.
Laszlo, however, felt that Enrique's actions were not problematic; facing a woman who had likely betrayed him, being able to keep her in the palace would truly show great forbearance.
Although the Queen of Castile was expelled from the court, the couple's daughter received all of Enrique's affection.
However, despite his inner thoughts, Laszlo outwardly showed a sympathetic expression.
"A man who cannot suppress a rebellion by nobles in his own country and instead takes it out on his wife is indeed incompetent. Please convey my blessings to Queen Juana."
"I will. Juana also mentioned in her letter that her husband is currently trying to arrange a marriage for his sister, Isabella.
Among the candidates, the King of England explicitly refused, while the King of France's brother and my brother are both very interested in this marriage alliance.
Enrique seems to favor forming an alliance with the King of France, using the King of France's powerful military to quell the internal unrest."
"Is he mad?"
Previously, Laszlo hadn't fully understood how useless Enrique was, but now he completely understood.
With a rebellion breaking out domestically, instead of finding ways to raise funds and gather an army to suppress it, his mind was entirely focused on marrying off his sister, who threatened his throne, and then securing a powerful foreign ally.
Such a king might as well be dead.
"The crucial point is that the King of France's brother is currently preparing to go to war with the King of France; he can't possibly not know this, can he?"
"Who knows? As for my brother Alfonso, he seems to have developed ambitions for Castile because of this civil war."
"I think if he doesn't want to face France and Aragon simultaneously, he should remain calm right now."
"Hmm, I'll write to him later to persuade him. By the way, you came to find us because..."
"Oh, I came to find Zoe and her two brothers."
Laszlo's gaze fell on the restrained young girl beside him. His words startled the girl, and a premonition of ill omen immediately arose.
"I regret to inform you that your father, Grand Duke Thomas, has passed away."
With just a few short words, Laszlo successfully broke a young girl's heart and brought tears to her eyes.
He stopped the sword training and informed Andreas and Manuel, the two brothers, of the sad news.
Manuel, the youngest of the three siblings, burst into tears on the spot.
The still young Christopher and Maximilian could not fully comprehend the sorrowful atmosphere.
After all, their father was standing right in front of them, young and full of vigor.
Once Leonor had finally managed to calm the children's emotions, Laszlo informed them of his decision.
"Andreas, tomorrow I will hold an investiture ceremony for you at the Imperial Palace. Afterward, Cardinal Bessarion will accompany you back to Morea as your guardian and regent to govern the territory. You can rely on him with full confidence.
I will provide you with assistance for any difficulties you encounter, and you need to pledge your loyalty to me, understand?"
"I understand, Emperor."
"Zoe, Manuel, you will return to Morea with Andreas to attend Grand Duke Thomas's funeral, and then return to Vienna after that."
"Yes, Emperor."
The three Palaiologos siblings soon bid farewell to Vienna, where they had lived for many years, and embarked on the long journey to Morea under the care of Cardinal Bessarion.
Laszlo's position as Royal Advisor was once again vacant.
He quickly found a suitable candidate: Salzburg Archbishop Cardinal Burkhard, after serving as Laszlo's courtier in Vienna for two months, was directly appointed as the new Royal Advisor.