"So, Father, what should we do now?" Manuel asked in a low voice.
Alexius's face showed a cunning smile, and he laughed, "It might have been a bit troublesome if I didn't know there was an internal traitor, but now that I know, there's a way. Manuel, when I told you about Roman history as a child, did I tell you what those barbarians called our court politics?"
"They called it 'the Greeks' conspiracy'," Manuel immediately understood his father's thoughts.
"They don't understand the essence of politics. Perhaps in war, we are not as good as those Turks and Franks, but I swear to God, when it comes to court affairs, no one is better at it than us Romans." Alexius said as he locked the secret letter in an iron cabinet, his expression returning to normal.
"Since you knew about it so early, Father, why only now…"
"I only learned this information later today. Tonight was just to call everyone who knew the original plan to verify my idea."
"Are you suspecting that Italian?" Manuel asked tentatively.
Alexius's left hand trembled slightly, and he did not respond directly, "Manuel, it's quite late today. Let's continue discussing how to draw him out tomorrow."
Seeing this, Manuel bowed and took his leave, exiting the room and returning to his residence.
After Manuel left, Alexius muttered to himself, both happy and worried, "Manuel, having a clever child like you, I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse…"
The next day, after the Gavras Family's prayers and breakfast, Alexius led Manuel back to the room where the father and son had their secret talk last night. In the room, Alexius explained his small plan to Manuel.
"That's it?" Manuel asked in confusion, as the steps required for the plan were surprisingly simple.
"My child, don't be fooled by those Western Europe knight novels." Alexius smiled, "The most effective conspiracy sometimes only requires the simplest operation."
Indeed, true power struggles are one-shot deals. Manuel thought of the Chinese and foreign history he was familiar with in his previous life and compared it, confirming this.
The father and son then separated. Alexius continued to the palace to gather his ministers for important discussions, while Manuel first gathered a few trusted aides before returning to the military camp for training.
On Alexius's side, when he met with the important officials, he first let them continue their discussion. As expected, Doria and Patniko started bickering again. The others, seeing this, dared not interrupt and simply let them argue.
Alexius's expression at this time looked quite unpleasant. He could only hold his forehead and shake his head, saying, "This cannot go on. So be it, the matter of assaulting Genoa will be put aside for now."
Doria's face lit up with joy, Patniko's face darkened as he quieted down, and the others looked relieved: those two finally stopped.
Alexius then changed the subject, "Although the plan is postponed, addressing the threat from Genoa is still urgent. I plan to acquire 5 more large warships from Venice. Be prepared to handle this handover."
Raus and Doria repeatedly agreed without any dissent, stating they had no objections. Only Pennycook, the finance director, said something about His Highness the Prince needing to be mindful of the Principality's finances.
Alexius gave a perfunctory response to Pennycook, explaining the reasons in a very dismissive manner. He then dismissed this "imperial council," saying, "After all, daily work cannot be hindered by council matters." His Highness the Prince said this at the end.
The officials then returned to their posts and began their daily work.
Two days later, at midday, an inconspicuous old servant left a mansion.
The old servant walked with light steps, familiar with the route. He first went to the bustling market to blend into the crowd, then mingled with merchants to head to the border between Theodoro and Kaffa—ever since the peace treaty was signed by both parties in 1424, border trade had reopened. Moreover, many people lived in Theodoro while their families lived in Kaffa, and even wealthy individuals would purchase properties in both locations. So, the old servant's actions were not suspected by anyone, just as he had always done. Everything was so calm.
However, if nothing unexpected happened, then something unexpected was bound to happen.
As the old servant lingered at the border crossing, four burly men began pushing each other at the checkpoint, saying, "Are you sick?" "Don't you have eyes?" "Hey, what are you doing?" Just like that, the four men noisily "accidentally" knocked the old servant to the ground. He was already old and had sustained military injuries, so how could he withstand the strength of those four men? He immediately collapsed on the ground, unable to move. The four men, however, were very responsible. As soon as they saw they had knocked down the old man, they quickly tried to help him up. The old servant was immensely grateful and was about to use their help to get up, but was instead "unintentionally" pushed down by the enthusiastic leader of the four. Seeing that the old man was "severely" injured, the four men shouted loudly:
"Sir, you are so badly injured! We four are truly sorry. How about this, we will take you to the hospital at the town church, and we four will cover all the expenses." The four men were so willing to take responsibility that passersby praised their sense of duty and the simple customs of the current era. The few words that slipped from the old servant's mouth were like drops of water merging into a river amidst the chatter of the crowd, causing no ripples. So, he could only comply with the four men's arrangements, thinking that after his injuries were treated at the church hospital, he would quickly return to the mansion to report to his master.
Just like that, the four burly men carried the old servant away from the checkpoint and the bustling market, heading in their original intended direction. If passersby asked, they would say they were taking the old servant to the hospital.
About half an hour later, a great doubt gradually arose in the old servant's mind, "Is this the way to the hospital? Why does it feel like they're going to a secluded place?"
Just as he was lost in thought, the four men suddenly stopped for some reason, placed him on a chair, then tied him up and began to search him. The old servant finally realized something was wrong and shouted for help, but there was no response from anywhere. The four burly men merely looked at him calmly and pulled a letter addressed to Kaffa from his person. It wasn't until a quarter of an hour later, when his throat was almost hoarse from shouting, that an unexpected person finally appeared before him.
"Hello, Mr. Giuseppe Doge, you have committed treason, do you know that?"