Ravenna, Imperial Palace.

The weary figure of Valentinian III appeared outside the palace, surrounded by a contingent of well-equipped Imperial Guards. Although his power had not yet extended to the empire's border troops, the Forbidden Army of the palace had slowly come under his control after Aetius's death.

Currently, the Empire's commander, Hercules, also followed by his side, aware of his own lack of prestige and choosing to stay in Ravenna to amass strength.

Inside a lavish hall, several beautiful attendants served Valentinian III as he lay down, with servants offering him fine wine. This emperor of the empire diligently governed for perhaps half a month before feeling exhausted, his whole body weary and sore, no longer inclined to visit the Forbidden Army camp frequently.

"Prepare the banquet,"

Valentinian III waved his hand lazily and called a close attendant to inquire, "Has Quintus not returned yet?"

The attendant cautiously replied, "Not yet, Your Majesty."

"I heard the Burgundians have rebelled again."

"There is still no news from Lord Quintus."

What a useless person.

He seemed reliable normally, but at critical moments, no news came for ten days or even half a month.

Burgundians?

Didn't Aetius suppress the last rebellion by massacring fifty thousand? How have they rebelled again?

Perhaps he didn't kill them all?

Valentinian III felt a bit irritated upon hearing this, and without the support of the Governor of Britain, Duncan, he felt a tinge of crisis. But fortunately, the army did not rebel after Aetius's death, and he had already won over some lower-ranking officers through rewards in recent days.

After all, he had been emperor for decades, and given enough time, he could slowly consolidate some military power.

Soon, a stately and beautiful figure appeared. Empress Lysiniya Eudoxia looked slightly haggard, seemingly anxious. She was the daughter of Theodosius II, the Eastern Roman Emperor, and theoretically, her children with Valentinian III would inherit the legitimacy of both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires.

Unfortunately, she gave birth to two daughters at a young age, and later Valentinian III seemed almost infertile, gradually becoming indulgent and dissolute, making it even less likely for them to share a bed.

Empress Lysiniya did not even glance at the young beautiful attendant lying in Valentinian III's arms, dismissing the disheveled attendant with a wave, then poured water for the emperor and softly asked, "Is there any news from the Governor of Britain, Duncan?"

It had been over half a month, and there was not a bit of news from Gaul either.

Quintus seemed to have vanished, and whether alive or dead, if he had fallen into the hands of the Barbarian Race, at least some message should have arrived.

Valentinian III responded impatiently, "Not for now."

He did not even take the water offered by the empress, instead grabbing the wine to drink it all.

Lately, he found no taste in anything he ate.

Originally, his marriage with the empress was intended to draw closer ties with the Eastern Roman Empire, but it hadn't brought them much closer, and the Eastern Empire couldn't be relied upon. Empress Lysiniya held legal status but was not valued; otherwise, in history, she would not have had to plead for marriage with Maximus or seek help from the Vandals, as she could have directly sought help from the Eastern Roman Empire.

Empress Lysiniya seemed to see the emperor's impatience, sighing faintly as she turned to leave.

After learning about Aetius's assassination by the emperor, she had been anxious and fearful, placing all her hopes on marrying the Governor of Britain, Duncan. In such chaotic times, a son-in-law with military power could offer her some reassurance.

Killing Aetius would undoubtedly have repercussions, although when it would come to pass was uncertain.

Realizing she couldn't persuade the emperor, Empress Lysiniya summoned her attendant upon returning, handing him a bag of gold and firmly instructed, "Send someone to probe for news about Quintus immediately."

"Whether alive or dead, we must know where he is!"

At this critical juncture, all dispatched messengers vanished, and not only was Burgundy in chaos, but Gaul inside and outside the mountains seemed the same, as if someone was deliberately intercepting the emperor's envoys.

Being the daughter of Theodosius II, Empress Lysiniya had a keener political intuition than her husband and had already sensed something wrong.

Inside the palace.

Valentinian III only remained a diligent emperor for half a month before indulging in lavish and indulgent court banquets the next day, with no one to restrain him any longer.

At the same time.

In an estate over a hundred kilometers from Ravenna, Quintus, who had been hiding for over a week, finally received a secret letter from Paris, along with a team of cavalry. The leading man was burly and robust, with an indigo tattoo on his chest.

Kulin gazed coldly at the Quintus before him and slowly said, "This is from the Governor."

"This is a secret letter from Lady Anya."

Quintus, in fact, had not met Duncan because of the unclear movements of the Western Goth Kingdom. Duncan concentrated troops at the border of the two countries, and fearing for his own life, Quintus sent a trusted subordinate to deliver intelligence instead.

He first opened Duncan's letter, which was simple, merely instructing him to keep an eye on the palace's movements at all times.

In addition, the Governor of Britain dispatched an elite force to him, and in case anything happened, he should prepare in advance and think of ways to save Valentinian III's wife and daughters.

All of this was within Quintus's expectations.

However, when he opened the secret letter written by Anya, Quintus couldn't help but tremble slightly.

The contents were very direct.

Anya instructed him that if he discovered any plots from the Senate or Maximus against the emperor, he should secretly coordinate and provide some opportunities and conveniences without personally intervening.

Simply put, it's about helping to hand over the knife!

There are certain things that Duncan cannot do, nor is it possible for him to do, but Anya steps up without hesitation. Her reputation is already bad, so she doesn't care if it gets worse.

After Quintus finished reading Anya's secret letter, his expression was uncertain. He quickly burned the letter with a candle.

He had no other choice but to burn it.

Kulin stood nearby watching, his eyes like those of a predator. If he dared to leave evidence, who knows what could happen. Anya, being the clever one, must have explained something to Kulin before setting out; some dirty and tiring work must be done by someone.

Quintus remained silent for a long time, glanced at Kulin before him, and slowly said, "I understand."

I'm sorry.

Your Majesty the Emperor.

I am also forced by Anya. In the current situation, a small character like him has no choice. Following Valentinian III leads to certain death; he might as well take a gamble. If this succeeded, he might climb even higher in the future.

With Quintus's courage, he would never dare to conspire against the Emperor of the Empire, but if someone wanted to harm the Emperor, he would boldly provide some convenience in secret.

Anya's letter clearly instructed that if there was an opportunity, he should provide it; if not, lay low.

"Tomorrow, I will return to Ravenna."

Quintus looked at the person in front of him and slowly said, "From today on, you will be my personal attendant."

He was entrusting his safety to the people before him.

Once turmoil erupts on the Italian Peninsula, his small number of people would be far from enough. Only veteran warriors of the battlefield could ensure the safety of the group.

Kulin replied with a cold expression, "No problem."

"We need a batch of crossbows. You prepare them for us."

Quintus immediately said, "I will arrange for someone to prepare them at once; there are weapons and armor in the manor."

"Is it necessary?"

Kulin shook his head and said, "Armor is too conspicuous; just prepare leather armor lined with chain armor for us."

Marriage alliance is possible.

But the order is very important.

If Duncan first marries into Valentinian III, then ascends to power, he inherits the legal system of Valentinian III, making it quite troublesome to handle and not really a complete reinvention of the Western Roman Empire.

But if Valentinian III met with an accident and the Empire directly collapsed, with Duncan first leading the army to quell the rebellion, execute the pseudo-emperor, eradicate the Senate, and purge numerous corrupt nobles, and then marry the princess to stabilize the situation, the outcome would be completely different.

This sequence is extremely important; Duncan can marry the princess, but it must be the last step.

Some corrupt elements must be thoroughly removed; inheriting Valentinian III's legal system directly gives Duncan no suitable reason to abolish the Senate and wield the knife against those decaying old Roman nobles. He doesn't want to slowly mess around with those guys, so naturally, he needs a reasonable excuse.

To put it even more bluntly,

Duncan wants to use Valentinian III's head to bury the entire Senate, along with the old nobility of the Western Roman Empire!

The Emperor must die.

How else can he wipe out and eradicate those Senate nobles?

Maximus is an Italian tycoon, those old nobles are richer one by one, Duncan has been continuously warring, and is already running short. Although he's consumed the territories of the Frankish tribes, it takes time to fully digest. At this crucial moment, where else in Europe can he acquire a substantial sum of money?

This money.

If the Huns swallowed it, they could forcibly extend their life a wave; if he took it, the treasury would be filled to the brim.

Paris, the Governor's Mansion.

In the flickering firelight, Anya is recording a list of names, a long string of them, mostly old noble families of the Italian Peninsula, many of whom are members of the Imperial Senate. They all have a very obvious characteristic, which is being extremely wealthy, almost all are families that have been part of the Empire for over a hundred years. These families are deeply intertwined within the decaying Empire, and without cleaning them up, it's impossible to make bold moves.

At some unknown moment, the figure of the Crow Queen - Triss walked in. She glanced at the shocking long list and softly said, "Are these the candidates?"

This is a death list.

Anya's expression was cold, and she said indifferently, "That's right."

"These old things have been sucking blood from the Empire for so many years, it's time to make them all cough it up."

The Crow Queen - Triss looked at the purge list, remained silent for a moment, and softly said, "I have already secretly sent someone to Ravenna."

"If nothing unexpected happens, news will come back soon."

At this critical juncture, the Crow Queen - Triss also plans to secretly lend a hand. A dead Emperor is a good Emperor, and it can pull the Senate along for burial.

Only through a bloody purge can a decaying Empire be pushed to reinvention.

But some things can never be brought to the forefront, not even mentioned, only a very small number of people know what Anya is doing.

.........

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