In Graz, the capital of Styria, at Stubenberg Palace,
This magnificent count's residence was only inferior in scale to the Emperor's temporary palace in Graz, but its luxury even surpassed it.
In the past, the mansion was bustling daily with an endless stream of visitors, simply because the two previous Stubenberg Counts, Otto and Letold, had both served as Governors of Styria for long periods.
It is no exaggeration to say that the Stubenberg Family was once the most powerful family in Styria.
However, by the time Hans von Stubenberg, the current head of the family, inherited the family business, the family had already lost the Emperor's trust due to his father Letold's erroneous decisions regarding the border conflict with Salzburg.
Hans, once highly sought after, had now become someone people avoided, and his luxurious mansion had also become quite deserted.
Today, however, was an exception.
Several carriages drove into the mansion's gate one after another, having tried their best to avoid attracting the attention of those with ulterior motives.
Nevertheless, the eyes of Lord Neipeg, the new Governor who had only recently taken office, still noticed their movements.
These visitors were very clever; no one displayed any identifying marks on their carriages, which prevented the spies from obtaining more specific information.
Count Hans warmly received all the visitors, who waited in the reception room until all guests had arrived.
Afterward, the young Count Hans led his guests to a secluded conference room, preparing to hold a new gathering.
"Hans, I am very sorry about your father's matter. Please be strong; our opportunity will come soon."
Hans sat at the head of the table. A burly, loud-voiced, bearded middle-aged man sitting to his left patted his shoulder and comforted him.
His name was Andreas Baumkircher, Hans's father-in-law, and his closest ally.
Beyond these relationships, he was also the leader of a small aristocratic faction in Styria, and they were preparing some astonishing plans.
"Thank you for your concern. I will persevere until justice truly arrives."
Hans politely thanked his father-in-law.
His father, Letold, had recently passed away from illness.
Before his death, Letold still harbored resentment over being dismissed and reprimanded by the Emperor.
The former Governor of Styria had his reputation ruined and his integrity compromised due to dereliction of duty, leading to his dismissal by the Emperor.
However, Hans blamed Letold's death entirely on the Emperor's incompetence.
He believed that the Emperor had punished his father to curry favor with the Salzburg Archbishop, who held an important position in the Imperial Diet, leading to his father's resentful death.
He grieved for a long time over this, and the accumulated resentment in his heart could no longer be suppressed. Therefore, he proactively contacted his father-in-law and joined their dangerous group.
"I am relieved to see you have such awareness."
Andreas was in high spirits; with the support of his son-in-law, the success rate of his plan would greatly increase.
The other members gathered around the table were also greatly encouraged by the Stubenberg Count's joining their ranks.
Their gathering had been formed eight years ago, after the rebellion of Albrecht VI was suppressed.
During these eight years, they cautiously expanded their influence, attempting to find true allies among the numerous nobles and bishops throughout Styria.
However, all this was in vain. Many people initially showed some interest in this small organization, but after the Emperor's continuous victories in foreign wars, they no longer dared to continue contact with the organization.
In fact, since the previous Duke of Styria, the Emperor's uncle, Frederick, now the Regent of Bulgaria, issued a decree prohibiting illegal assemblies, noble gatherings exceeding a certain size had to be reported, otherwise they would be considered illegal acts of treason.
After the Emperor took control of Styria, he re-emphasized the validity of this decree.
Therefore, Andreas and others had to hold their gatherings covertly each time, just as this time they gathered under the pretext of mourning the late Count Letold.
The high-pressure political environment brought about by this decree was merely the most insignificant part of all the harsh policies they were determined to overthrow.
Now, a truly powerful noble had finally joined their ranks, further strengthening their influence.
Moreover, considering the kinship between Andreas and Hans, as well as Hans's hatred for the Emperor, they fully believed in the new member's determination.
"Everyone present here is a like-minded partner of ours. Each of them has their own legitimate demands, but the Emperor never takes these demands seriously."
Andreas's words carried suppressed anger. He had long resented the current situation and desperately hoped to change everything.
"Since the time of Frederick, the Habsburg Family has begun to implement a more autocratic rule in Styria.
His decrees almost stripped us of all our legitimate rights.
And now, with Emperor Laszlo taking over Styria, the situation has become even more severe.
This young Emperor of ours not only sent troops to kill his uncle but also used force to coerce us into paying more taxes and made extremely unfair judgments in many matters."
"Exactly! To please that old geezer from Salzburg, he actually forced us to give up our land and accept a paltry sum of money, then act as if none of it ever happened."
This was a certain lord from the western border of Styria, one of the participants in the attack on the Salzburg Archbishop.
Upon hearing his complaint, Hans immediately perked up.
"The Emperor's judgment is completely unfair. In my opinion, it is selling out the interests of us Styrian nobles to curry favor with the Imperial princes.
My father, who wholeheartedly wished to defend the territorial integrity of Austria, ended up dying with a grievance.
And that cowardly and shameless Salzburg Archbishop? He is now a favored guest of the Emperor, and I hear he was recently appointed as a new Royal Advisor.
Just because he presides over the College of Ecclesiastical Princes in the Imperial Diet, the Emperor does not hesitate to harm our interests to favor him."
At this point, Hans was filled with resentment, and the members of the gathering all cast sympathetic glances at him.
Originally, if not for this incident, his succession to the position of Governor of Styria would have been a certainty.
After all, in Styria, no family's power could surpass that of the Stubenberg Family.
Unfortunately, the Stubenberg Family had now completely lost its influence, and few people wished to associate with Hans.
Nicholas Gribinger, Hans's loyal servant, who stood behind Hans, also interjected, "Please don't forget about Pettau, Count."
"Oh, yes, and Pettau! The Habsburg Family has always been so shameless and greedy, ever since Rudolf I!"
Hans's resentment grew deeper. Seeing everyone's confusion, Andreas explained, "Hans's mother came from the Pettau Family, which died out several decades ago.
Originally, Hans had the opportunity to inherit large tracts of land in Marburg belonging to the Pettau Family, including the ownership and judicial rights of the Marburg market, through his mother's lineage.
However, the then Duke of Styria, Frederick, seeing an opportunity for profit, manipulated the court to claim all the land and privileges for himself on the grounds that the Pettau family line had died out.
Afterward, he even arbitrarily bestowed a portion of these lands upon his two favored courtiers.
After Emperor Laszlo took over Styria, Letold also tried to reclaim these lands for Hans, but…
"Given the Emperor's character, the meat he has eaten will probably never be spat out."
"That is exactly the case."
With just a few words exchanged, Hans had already clenched his fists. He now hated the Emperor more deeply than any other Styrian noble present who held a grudge against him.
"Andreas, the opportunity you just mentioned, is it referring to the Emperor's upcoming tour of Styria?"
Hans turned his gaze to his father-in-law. Barely over twenty, he was already consumed by hatred and rage.
He felt that the Emperor was deliberately targeting him, targeting the entire Stubenberg Family, simply because they held too much power in Styria.
Since the Emperor would not let him live in peace, he saw no need to maintain a ridiculous loyalty to the Emperor.
"I heard that the Salzburg Archbishop will also accompany him.
On the way from Vienna to Graz, the Emperor will surely stop at my castle to rest.
If we can find an opportunity to launch a surprise attack, all hatred and humiliation will become a thing of the past."
Andreas looked at Hans, who had already resolved to become a regicide, with surprise, then shook his head helplessly, dismissing his reckless plan.
"The timing of the Emperor's tour to Styria is very delicate. I suspect he may have heard some rumors.
Now is a sensitive time for the Imperial Army's demobilization in Graz, and he probably came here personally to ensure the stability of Styria.
Think about his long-standing precautions and suppression against us.
Styria is clearly in the heartland of the Archduchy and is almost impossible to be invaded by foreign enemies, yet ever since he ascended the throne, a powerful army has been permanently stationed in Graz.
The only other place where the Imperial Army is stationed is the new territories in Northern Italy.
Out of seven states, he specifically chose to station troops in Styria; his intention could not be more obvious.
He will certainly bring his Guards with him this time, and he will maintain full vigilance.
Therefore, this is not a good opportunity for us. Let's endure for now."
Hearing Andreas's analysis, Hans slammed his fist heavily on the long table, unwilling to give up.
As the most powerful noble with the largest territory in Styria, if he disregarded the cost, recruiting thousands of mercenaries was feasible.
And with the support of everyone present, it might not be impossible to defeat the Emperor's army.
However, apart from him, no one else seemed so reckless as to plan to raise an army now and fight to the death against the Emperor's elite Guards.
"Then how long do we have to wait?"
Several nobles who had been having a difficult time recently were also concerned about this question, especially those border lords who had clashed with the Salzburg Archbishop.
They worried that the Salzburg Archbishop might use this tour as an opportunity to retaliate and persecute them.
Although the likelihood of the Emperor doing so was relatively low, it was not impossible.
"When he is at his weakest, our opportunity will come."
Andreas showed a cold smile, as if he could already imagine the Emperor's frantic appearance.
His financial backers, the Duke of Landshut and the King of France, hoped that he could lie low for now and wait for a favorable moment to deliver a fatal blow to the Emperor.
According to the intelligence conveyed by the Duke of Landshut's messenger, the French King's spies had also contacted some Hungarian nobles.
Once the Emperor was deeply mired in foreign wars, both sides would seize the opportunity to raise armies simultaneously, echoing each other.
The Hungarians would attack Budapest, while they would be responsible for attacking Graz, destroying the Emperor's armory and arsenal, and if conditions permitted,
They would also march on Vienna.
Andreas had also asked if they could find more allies in Austria, but regrettably, almost all areas outside Styria were loyal to the Emperor, and they could only fight alone.
Precisely for this reason, the isolated resistance forces must never easily expose themselves, otherwise they would quickly face utter destruction.
"In short, during the upcoming Imperial tour, everyone must exercise sufficient restraint and not let the Emperor detect anything unusual. Is that clear?"
"Alright."
"We understand."
The nobles participating in the gathering nodded regretfully, accepting Andreas's arrangements.
Andreas looked at Hans, who was silent and seemed to be pondering something, and specifically cautioned him, "Hans, remember to show your loyalty in front of the Emperor and don't let him catch you in any compromising position!"
"I know."
Upon receiving an affirmative reply, Andreas satisfactorily declared the brief gathering officially over.
Stubenberg Palace returned to its deserted state. Hans, unable to calm down for a long time, finally took his servant Nicholas to the training ground.
At his insistence, Nicholas reluctantly agreed to a sword-fighting duel with his master.
Hans wildly swung his training sword, his uncoordinated attacks forcing Nicholas to retreat repeatedly.
"Nicholas, your half-brother, Oswald Gresel, is currently serving as the Castellan of Marburg, if I'm not mistaken?"
Hans asked, panting heavily and venting his anger.
"Yes, my lord, he is now trusted by the Emperor as the head of the Gresel family."
Although he did not know why the Count asked this, Nicholas still answered truthfully.
"Is it possible for us to gain his support?"
Hans stopped swinging his sword, and the duel ceased. He had now completely calmed down.
Nicholas frowned upon hearing this, and after a moment's hesitation, replied, "He has gained the Emperor's favor, so he probably doesn't harbor much dissatisfaction. It will be difficult to win him over."
"Even with your relationship with him, it's not possible?"
Hans was unwilling to give up. Marburg, an important city southeast of Graz, should have been his territory. If they were to raise an army against the Emperor, it would be a good base.
"If you truly wish to win over Oswald, I can try for you, but this will undoubtedly increase our risk of exposure."
Nicholas left the decision to Hans. The latter hesitated repeatedly, but ultimately decided to let Nicholas negotiate with Oswald.
Meanwhile, Laszlo was currently unaware of the surging undercurrents in Graz. Fortunately, he had never relaxed his vigilance over Styria, so there was no need to worry about any unexpected incidents.
What he had received from his useless uncle, Frederick, was not an easily governable Styria.
The noble forces here were deeply entrenched, a rarity among the Austrian states, and they were clearly not submissive followers.
This could be seen from the Styrian nobles daring to privately assemble an army to attack the Salzburg Archbishop.
Now Laszlo finally understood why Frederick had been so compliant when the territorial exchange was proposed; it was because his rule in Styria had always been quite painful.
Although Laszlo felt that Frederick had taken advantage of him, he still maintained sufficient confidence in ruling Styria.
Before embarking on his next eastern tour, Laszlo decided to spend some time examining the situation in Styria, so as to avoid any disastrous situations of backyard fires in the future.