It was very dark in the dungeon. Fiona lay on the bed with her eyes tightly closed.

  She didn't dare to open her eyes. Even though the environment of the birdhouse was not good, at least there were no rats and insects running around.

  She didn't understand what she had done wrong and why she was thrown into prison. She was just following the instructions of the nobleman and telling the people of Uliana the identities of those Orientals. What had she done wrong?

  Someone is coming, is it to deliver food? Fiona thought. She naturally didn't want to eat a single bite of the stinky prison food. She had been hungry for many days, and the moment she stood up, she felt dizzy.

  However, what was thrown in was a note. Fiona quickly got up to grab the note and tried to decipher the words on it under the dim light - she couldn't recognize too many words, but fortunately the meaning of what was written on it was very simple.

  Don't be afraid, I will save you.

  She immediately became ecstatic. She knew that the noble man would save her and he would not let her down!

  Yes, she was so young and beautiful, even if not as beautiful as Silver Dove, but she was also very beautiful, otherwise the nobleman would not have had a tryst with her and rewarded her with money and jewels.

  Fiona quickly grabbed the door. When could she leave this damn place? !

  But what was delivered next was only rotten and smelly prison food, which was stuffed in from under the prison door.

  Fiona was a little disappointed, but fortunately with those words, she had hope of living.

  Even the stinky prison food was no longer so bitter, and she picked up the fork and ate it quickly. However, before she finished the meal, she found that something was wrong. The burning and pain in her abdomen began to attack her, and then she felt dizzy. The poor girl didn't realize that her so-called noble man would never come to save her before she died.

  A prostitute died in the Knights' prison. If it was just a prostitute, it wouldn't cause a stir, but the person who died was an important witness to the Full Moon Massacre. A series of chain reactions began to spread in the Elima Imperial City. The Uliana merchants closed their shops, and the lives of the people in the Imperial City began to be affected.

  Supplies were limited, and the nobles did not mind paying high prices for daily necessities, so the people became panicked and began to hoard daily necessities. In places like West Street where the poor lived, robberies and shop smashing had already begun.

  The Pope ordered churches and seminaries to donate food to the hungry, which slightly eased the riots of the poor in recent days.

  However, the inevitable quarrel still broke out in the Papal Palace.

  Cesare stood aside, he was the target of everyone's criticism. He was killed in the Knights' prison, so he naturally had to accept everyone's accusations.

  He did not open his mouth to make any excuses, but only heard the bishops and high-ranking nobles impeaching him again and again.

  "Young people still fail to consider the overall situation," someone said.

  "Not only did they fail to take the overall situation into consideration, but they even allowed an important witness to die within their jurisdiction. This is simply outrageous."

  "Don't say that. After all, Lorenzo just won a battle. Don't be too harsh on him."

  "It's because we won the battle! Duke Lorenzo, you are not complacent because of this, so you neglect other things. Speaking of this, wasn't the Full Moon Massacre caused by your negligence? Do you have any explanation for this?"

  "We must give the people an explanation for this matter. Who will bear this responsibility? You? Duke Lorenzo?!"

  The Pope held his head to the side, looked at the chattering people below, and suddenly said, "Duke Lorenzo, did you hear everything?" He looked at Cesare standing beside him, but the child still had a calm expression.

  "Yes." Cesare nodded. He coughed twice, looking a little weak.

  "Then do you have anything to say?" asked the Pope.

  Cesare looked back at the bishops and nobles, and then said, "This is a carefully planned conspiracy."

  Everyone was in an uproar, and some people started to attack Cesare again, saying that he was a fool and was talking nonsense in front of an expert.

  However, Cesare only glanced at those people indifferently, "Your Holiness, the Uliana merchants' disturbance has such a great impact. If there is no one behind the scenes, I think even you don't believe that the Uliana merchants have such great ability to affect the people's livelihood in the Elima Imperial City? Are you slapping my face or yours?" He coughed twice again, turned around and looked at the bishops and the nobles, "Let's talk about the prostitute in the Quewu," he chuckled, his face full of disdain, "When we interrogated her, she pointed out that she saw General Alan Nuha of the Mingxia Empire in the Quewu. How can a prostitute who grew up in the Quewu recognize General Nuha of the Mingxia Empire? When we interrogated her, she said that someone told her, but when we asked who the other person was, she couldn't say it; third, the Uliana people put the blame for the Full Moon Massacre on the Orientals in order to shirk their own guilt. If so, why didn't they say it at the time, and only started to jump out after the Full Moon Massacre had been concluded for such a long time?"

  Cesare's attitude was as cold and indifferent as ever, neither aggressive nor passionate. The bishops didn't know how to answer for a moment, and some of them stiffened their necks and said, "But the fact is that people died in your prison."

  "I have never defended this point. That woman did die in my territory." Cesare turned around and looked at the Pope. "That's why I have more reason to believe that this was a carefully planned conspiracy. Now that the prostitute is dead, there is no evidence. And all the blame is directed at the Knights' failure to do their job, which is also pointing directly at the Vatican. The Ulianas closing their shops was enough to cut off food supply to the Imperial City of Elima? When did the lifeblood of the people of Elima fall into the hands of the Ulianas? Your Holiness, isn't this something that should be more vigilant?" A violent cough sounded in the Vatican, and Cesare's face became even paler.

  "What's the purpose?" the Pope asked Cesare.

  "As all the bishops and nobles present here have said, all the blame is directed at me," Cesare said with a smile, "but this kind of accusation makes people think deeply. Perhaps the one who really makes them unhappy is not you, the Pope?"

  As soon as he said this, the bishops started shouting, "Cesare, what on earth are you talking about! How can we question His Holiness the Pope?!"

  "My Lords, please be careful with your words." Cesare said slowly. He suddenly saw three dukes sitting on the side without saying a word - "Duke Innihart, Duke Longnica, and Duke Fumer, what do you think?"

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  Ferry Longnica stood up. He was born in the Knights Templar and was the previous Grand Master of the Knights Templar. It was he who passed the position of Grand Master to Cesare. Just now, when he listened to Cesare's frank words, he felt that the bishops had lost too miserably and ugly in this scene. They were speechless after being questioned by such a young boy. Could they swallow this?

  "It is true that the Knights were to blame for the prostitute's death in the Knights' prison, but another thing Duke Lorenzo said is worthy of vigilance. As Duke Lorenzo said, if the lifeblood of our Elima is in the hands of a group of Uliana merchants, this is not a good thing." Ferry said frankly, "In fact, what I doubt more is that everyone is too familiar with the character of Uliana merchants. They are obviously profit-seeking merchants. Would they rather close their shops for a few days for the so-called integrity? This is too inconsistent with their personality--" Ferry said with a smile, "When did the Uliana people become so united? Isn't this a joke?"

  Duke Longnica's words calmed the bishops somewhat, and some even began to ponder.

  "Duke Langnika's words make sense, but we have to pay attention to the prostitute's correction." Duke Innihart's voice was particularly pleasant. He said leisurely, "If there is really General Alan Nuha from the Mingxia Empire among those Orientals, then Mingxia openly sent a general without notifying us. We have reason to suspect that the Mingxia Empire is plotting something bad. Your Holiness, the Mingxia Empire has become increasingly powerful in recent years, and we have to be on guard."

  "Whether that man is General Alan Nuha or not, we just need to bring someone from the Quewu to ask him and we'll know, right?" Duke Fumeier suddenly spoke up, he stood up and looked at the Pope, "Why don't the Pope send someone to the Quewu to ask the housekeeper of the Quewu to ask her if she had seen those Orientals at that time, and what the identities of those Orientals were." Duke Fumeier, who is already middle-aged, is still as suave as he was in his youth, and his pair of peach blossom eyes are as charming as when he was young. He has a graceful and noble manner, and his speech and behavior are also very elegant. "If it is a prostitute in the Quewu, she may not know the identities of those generals, but if it is the housekeeper of the Quewu, what is there for her not to know? Do you think I am right?"

  The Pope pointed a finger at Norbert beside him, and the young priest went down and ordered someone to bring the person away.

  Cesare glanced at Duke Fumer calmly. He saw that Duke Fumer seemed to have expected him to look at him, and his eyes narrowed slightly and smiled at him. What a cunning old fox! Cesare thought to himself, but he had an irresistible urge to cough from his body. He thought to himself, this poison is really tricky.

  Unexpectedly, Duke Fumer had such a trick up his sleeve. He had seen the housekeeper of the Sparrow House, that old lady. She usually sat in the corner of the hall with her eyes closed, like an ancient stone sculpture.

  He kept coughing, and the Pope saw that he looked unhappy, so he ordered him to return to his seat. Everyone also quieted down and returned to their seats.

  After an unknown amount of time, when some bishops had already begun to doze off, the door of the Pope's Hall was finally opened, and an elderly woman slowly walked in, led by the guards.

  Without raising her head, she knelt down tremblingly. The person was the housekeeper of Quewu.

  "Your Holiness!" she said respectfully.

  "Get up, are you the housekeeper of the Sparrow House?" asked the Pope.

  "Yes, Your Holiness," the housekeeper replied.

  "I'm going to ask you something, and you have to answer truthfully."

  "Yes, Your Holiness."

  "Is there a prostitute in the Sparrow House named Fiona?"

  "Yes, Your Holiness."

  "She said that after the Full Moon Lantern Festival, several Oriental men went to Quewu and took a girl away from Quewu. Do you remember this?"

  "Yes, Your Holiness, I have the impression."

  The woman's answer was short and clear, and she didn't seem nervous.

  Cesare's mind was spinning rapidly. If the woman pointed out that those people were Mingxia's generals, how would he respond... If they followed the clues and investigated... He thought of Qu Fuer. If that woman was exposed in front of everyone and everyone knew that she was the illegitimate daughter of the Fumer family, how would they treat her? He suddenly felt a little ridiculous. At this time, he was still worried about that woman instead of thinking about what would happen if people knew that he was the one who planned the Yuanyue Massacre?

  "Who are those Orientals?" asked Duke Innihart.

  "Your Excellency the Duke, they are spice merchants from the East."

  Magnai Innihart stepped forward and asked the housekeeper carefully, "Please think carefully again, is there General Alan Nuha of the Mingxia Empire among those Orientals?"

  The housekeeper clenched her hands, as if she was thinking.

  Everyone looked at the old woman nervously.

  "I...have never seen any generals from the Mingxia Empire. How could a general come to a place like ours?" The housekeeper said with a smile, "They are spice merchants who came to sell ambergris. Their leader even gave me a box of incense powder. I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. I'm already so old, how could I need that kind of stuff?"

  Cesare suddenly raised his head and looked at the old woman. Not only him, but everyone present looked at her.

  The housekeeper seemed to notice the gazes from everyone. She was a little timid and knelt down quickly. "Did I say something wrong?"

  "But Fiona of Sparrow House said she saw him, and that he took a girl away."

  Duke Fumer suddenly said that he saw the old woman suddenly turn around and look at him - he didn't know if it was his illusion or something else, but he felt that there was clearly hatred in the old woman's eyes.

  "That spice merchant did take one of our girls away," the housekeeper mother said slowly, "because it was the posthumous child of his fellow villager. This is not a rare thing. My lords, you know that the girls in our brothel are all poor girls. Either they were abandoned by their lovers, or because of poverty, they had to settle down in my brothel and engage in the flesh trade." She slowly crossed her knees on the ground and turned her body slightly towards the Duke of Fumer. "My lord, do you have any doubts about this?"

  "It's not my doubt, but what the woman said." Pesaro Fumer looked at the old woman, his eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't understand why she was lying.

  "Fiona, that poor vain child..." The housekeeper smiled and shook her head, "How could a girl who has never even walked out of West Street know the general of the Mingxia Empire? Sir, please stop joking."

  "My Lords," Cesare bent down and helped the old woman up, "I think you have achieved your goal. Is there anything else you need to question?"

  The Pope waved his hand, and Norbert stepped forward and ordered someone to take the old woman away.

  There was a moment of silence in the Vatican. The Pope looked at the people around him and said, "Duke Lorenzo, the man died in your prison. You must be held responsible for this. However, considering that you have just won military merit and the remaining poison in your body has not yet been cleared, I will withhold three months of your salary and ask you to reflect on your mistakes for a week. Duke Longnica will temporarily represent the Knights Templar for a week. Thank you for your help, Your Highness Duke Longnica."

  His Highness Ferry shook his head gently, "It's no trouble, it's my job."

  "As for the merchants in Uliana who are causing trouble, the leaders will be put in jail. The others will have two choices: one is to expel them from Elima, or to open their shops as soon as possible to ensure normal business." The Pope looked at Duke Innihart and said, "This matter will be handed over to His Royal Highness Duke Innihart."

  "Yes, Your Holiness."

  "As for Your Highness Fumer," the Pope pondered for a moment, "you have always been in charge of commerce and people's livelihood. I sincerely suggest that you should strengthen the control in this area. If it weren't for this incident, I wouldn't have realized that my Elima would have almost become the world of the Ulianas."

  "Your Holiness, it's my fault," Duke Fumer said quickly.

  "The Duke has three sons, so he should be more capable, but how come he made such a big mistake?" The Pope said calmly, not seeming angry. "I think too many business licenses were issued to the Ulianas."

  The Fumer family has always been in charge of the power to issue business licenses. As everyone knows, his eldest son, Kahn Fumer, is currently in charge. The Pope's words were undoubtedly a sign of distrust of Fumer. The Duke bowed his head and said, "I am not good at discipline."

  "That's all, let's leave it at that." The Pope waved his hand and said to the crowd. "Duke Lorenzo, take care of your health too."

  "Yes, Your Holiness." Cesare lowered his head and replied.

  He followed the others out of the Pope's Hall. It was late autumn, and he felt a chill on his back when the wind blew. He came to Bai Peng. Before the Pope put him in solitary confinement, he needed to confirm one thing - he wanted to ask the housekeeper why she lied and why she helped him.

  "I'm not helping you." said the housekeeper.

  Cesare hid his face in his hood, as he did every time he came to the House of the Sparrow. "You knew it was General Aram Noha."

  "Yes, I know." The old woman sat in the rocking chair, her face half-blind. "Not only do I know he is General Alan Nuha, I also know that poor child Fiona..."

  Cesare looked sharply at the old woman.

  "She was poisoned by you, right?" said the housekeeper. "A place like the Knights' Prison is impossible for anyone to enter except a traitor. The Wind Wolf Squad and the Ice Wolf Squad have been sent to the Whispering City. Who else? Duke Lorenzo."

  Cesare was shocked at the old woman's cleverness, but saw the old woman slowly stand up, "But she deserved it. Her greed ruined her, and she almost ruined the Quewu."

  "Then why did you do this? Why didn't you tell it all when Duke Fumer asked you?" Cesare was puzzled.

  The old woman smiled cunningly, looking up at Cesare as if she was mocking an innocent fledgling.

  “Because I also have hatred.”

  She said.