Alliance with the enemy?

When the results of the papal election reached Vienna, Laszlo was hunting in the suburbs of Vienna.

Calling it hunting, it was more like a spring outing.

Perhaps having grown accustomed to a life of travel, after staying in the imperial palace in Vienna for a period, Laszlo felt somewhat uncomfortable.

He was currently planning his next trip, which might be to Bohemia, a place he hadn't visited in a long time, or to the Empire prostrate at his feet.

In any case, there were simply too many places he wanted to go to count.

After all, he was a man with all of Europe in his heart, and he couldn't be a "lazy king" like his useless uncle Frederick, who would be ridiculed.

If he were to hide in the imperial palace and let people criticize him for a lifetime, Laszlo would rather jump directly from the city walls of Vienna.

In the hunting lodge's temporary palace, Laszlo received William, the newly appointed Marquis of Montferrat and his diplomatic envoy to the Italian court.

"Your Majesty, the Venetian you supported has been elected; he is now known as Paul II."

William reported this "good news" to the Emperor.

As he expected, the Emperor showed no joy, not even a smile.

"Hmm, that's good. As long as it's not a Frenchman elected, it's fine."

Laszlo sighed lightly. Although Paul II was someone he had personally pushed forward, it was a reluctant choice.

He only hoped this new Pope was not a Venetian supremacist; otherwise, conflicts would surely arise between them in the future.

However, from the fact that he named his residence in Rome "Palazzo Venezia," it was clear that Paul II's political leanings were quite obvious.

If he were still a cardinal, Laszlo wouldn't fault him for prioritizing Venetian interests.

But if, as Pope, he still couldn't grasp the stakes involved, Laszlo wouldn't mind emulating King Charles IV of France and enacting a "Captivity of Rome."

There would be no need to move the Pope; just give him a few cannonballs to eat directly in Rome.

"Yes, if a French cardinal had been elected, who knows how many disasters would have arisen."

William still felt lingering fear about this.

Although he was well aware that even if the French were to invade Italy again now, they would likely be soundly defeated by the Emperor, his territory could very well become a battlefield.

To prevent Montferrat, which had just barely recovered some vitality, from turning into scorched earth again, William had to find a way to maintain stability in Italy and not give the French an opportunity.

On this point, his interests and goals were highly consistent with the Emperor's, so he was very willing to run around for the Emperor, overseeing the rulers of Northern Italy.

"The outcome, while not great, isn't bad either.

Once Bessarion and Georg return from Rome, I will be able to gain a deeper understanding of this new Pope's character and stance.

Now, let's talk about your affairs.

I want to congratulate you on inheriting the Marquisate of Montferrat. In my opinion, you are the most suitable person to sit in that position."

Laszlo appeared very friendly, which was indeed his true feeling.

"Thank you for Your Majesty's great kindness. Henceforth, I will redouble my efforts, hoping to alleviate your worries and difficulties."

William was clearly somewhat overwhelmed by the honor and quickly thanked the Emperor.

He had never imagined that the Emperor would place such high hopes on him.

In the words of William's deceased elder brother, John, he, William, was the true savior of Montferrat.

Back in Treviso, if William had not unreservedly defected from the Northern Italian allied army and pledged allegiance to the Emperor, there would be no revival of Montferrat today.

And John was the culprit who almost led to the family's demise.

Therefore, before John's death, he did not pass on his title and territory to his young son, Sapio Palaiologos.

Instead, he cleverly used the Palaiologos family's characteristic succession law, where the younger brother succeeds the elder, and passed the title to William.

This unconventional succession required the Emperor's approval, and Laszlo naturally agreed wholeheartedly.

John also had a dark history of leading troops to resist the Imperial Army, while William was a truly loyal subject of the Empire.

At that time, Montferrat, besieged by Savoy and Milan, had large tracts of its territory divided up, and was finally forced to become a vassal of the Duke of Savoy to barely survive.

Now, William ruled a not insignificant territory, even exceeding the family's peak period, and had already become an important ruler in Northern Italy.

And the only price for all this was changing his suzerain from the cruel Duke of Savoy to the magnanimous Emperor.

He was very satisfied with this. However, the Emperor's next words made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

"I heard that you are already engaged to Princess Maria de Foix of Navarre and are preparing for the wedding."

William, who had just been pledging loyalty to the Emperor, was now speechless.

He could feel his heart pounding, as if he had secretly committed some act of betrayal against the Emperor, and now the Emperor had suddenly brought it up.

William took a deep breath, carefully organized his words, and was about to explain when Laszlo suddenly spoke again.

"I don't mean to blame you," Laszlo tried to use a gentle tone to relax William, "I know this marriage contract dates back to before that war.

In the past, the Empire paid too little attention to you, which forced you to adopt a policy of closeness with France.

However, from now on, you should associate more with the nobles of the Empire and not forget that Montferrat is always a part of the Empire."

"I understand, Your Majesty.

Thank you very much for understanding me."

William's heart settled a little, and he expressed immense gratitude for Laszlo's understanding.

In fact, he also had unmentionable difficulties.

William, now nearing fifty years old, had accumulated a large number of lovers and had two illegitimate children, but he had never married a wife.

Most of his early life had been spent striving to restore Montferrat's independence.

He had been a diplomat, a mercenary, and he even served as a teacher for a period.

After toiling for most of his life, William had finally achieved his life's goal.

He could now peacefully marry a wife and live a stable and respectable life as a prominent Imperial Marquis and a trusted minister of the Emperor.

Unfortunately, a marriage contract hindered his steps: the engagement to Maria, the as-yet-unmarried young daughter of the French Count of Foix.

This matter dates back many years, starting from when John and William's youngest brother, Boniface, married Ovietta, the daughter of the Second Doge of Genoa, Campo Fregoso.

This Pietro came from the prominent Fregoso family of Genoa. Under his incompetent rule, Genoa reached the lowest point in the republic's history.

In the eighth year of his rule, an internal rebellion broke out in Genoa, which was likely a conspiracy against Genoa.

Pietro, unable to quell the rebellion, sought aid from the King of France—he immediately thought not of seeking help from the renowned Emperor, but rather turned to the King of France, who had close ties with Genoa.

His foolish act, akin to inviting wolves into the house, resulted in the French intervention army arriving by sea, and Charles VII's army quickly gained actual control of Genoa.

Pietro was subsequently deposed. He attempted to organize an army to resist the French invasion, but ultimately failed.

He himself was soon after stoned to death near the city gates of Genoa by angry citizens.

After the King of France gained control of Genoa, Montferrat, as its neighboring state, sought stability and planned to intermarry with French nobility to ease the tense situation.

At that time, among the three brothers, only the second, William, was unmarried.

So, after some negotiations, the Palaiologos family, who controlled Montferrat, and the Count of Foix, a favorite minister of King Charles VII of France, reached a marriage agreement.

William was to marry Maria, the daughter of the Count of Foix, who is now Gaston IV, King of Navarre.

When the marriage contract was signed, William was already over forty years old, while Maria was not yet ten.

Many years have passed since then. Genoa has long been liberated by the Emperor, and the French threat no longer exists, but this marriage contract is still recognized by both parties.

In any case, the Foix family was a prominent family in the Kingdom of France, and now they were the royal family of Navarre. Forming a marital alliance with them would undoubtedly enhance the Marquis's prestige.

But the problem lay in the fact that William declared himself a loyal subject of the Emperor, while the Count of Foix was equally loyal to the King of France.

Montferrat happened to be in the sensitive border region between the Empire and France, making this marriage alliance intriguing.

Perhaps out of a sense of lucky, or perhaps to leave himself a fallback, William did not break this marriage contract after the Italian Wars ended.

And he was currently preparing for the wedding, ready to welcome the French bride.

When the Emperor mentioned this earlier, he had expected to face the Emperor's wrath and accusations, but none of that happened.

"Hmm, you made significant contributions in the Italian Wars, and since then, you have also put in much effort in maintaining stability in Italy.

Now that you have inherited the Marquisate of Montferrat, you should strive even more to ensure the stability of Northern Italy.

As a reward for your loyalty, the garrison and officials of the Duchy of Milan will leave Asti; that city and its surrounding lands are now yours.

Consider this my blessing to you; I hope your new married life will be happy."

This was essentially returning what was rightfully his.

To strengthen control over Montferrat, Laszlo had designated Asti as an administered territory of the Duchy of Milan after capturing it.

Asti was the eastern gateway to Casale, the capital of Montferrat, and holding it was like grasping Montferrat's lifeline.

This was mainly because John had a history of resisting him, and Laszlo had to take precautions.

But after William, who had pledged allegiance to him shortly after the Italian Wars began, became Marquis, Laszlo no longer needed to do so.

"Your Majesty, I truly don't know how to express my gratitude to you.

Today, in the name of the Palaiologos family, I swear that I am willing to dedicate my life to you. Your enemies are my enemies, and your desires are my desires.

Should I violate this oath, may I suffer divine retribution and never find peace."

"Very well, I accept your allegiance," Laszlo had achieved the desired effect. He waved his hand and continued, "After my tour ended, what other noteworthy events have occurred in Italy?"

William pondered for a moment and replied, "Thanks to you, Naples and Aragon reached a peace agreement, and Ferdinando I paid some money to end the war.

With your enlightened rule, I believe peace in the Italian region will continue indefinitely, and people will sing praises of your greatness.

Also... the Grand Duke Conference of Ferrara has disbanded itself, and most of the participants have now left Ferrara."

Laszlo sighed lightly. He had anticipated this, but there was nothing he could do.

Pius II, as one of the rare humanist Popes, attempted to initiate reforms to cleanse the filth and corruption of the Holy See, but ultimately failed due to numerous obstacles.

His rule in Rome was like a fleeting moment, brief yet memorable.

At least, Laszlo had personally witnessed the citizens of Rome praying for the gravely ill Pius II.

This indicated that his policies against papal corruption had, after all, achieved some effect.

Unfortunately, he ultimately did not make it through.

Perhaps his death marked the end of an era, who knows.

Future Popes might no longer harbor the noble ideal of reforming the Church.

Laszlo vaguely remembered that the secularization of the Holy See began in the latter half of the 15th century, reaching its peak during the time of Alexander VI, Rodrigo Borgia.

From now on, the Holy See would no longer participate in European affairs as a religious authority transcending European nations, but rather as a political entity in the Italian region, integrating into chaotic Europe in a more secular manner.

No one could say whether this was ultimately good or bad.

In any case, Laszlo knew that he had already gained control of the Austrian Church through Pius II's efforts.

Once Bessarion arrived in Vienna from Rome, religious affairs in the East would also be entirely under his control.

Even if the extremely conservative Paul II ultimately sought to overturn all of Pius II's reform achievements, Laszlo had a way to preserve them on Habsburg lands.

"The Church will probably return to its former state. Well, if they insist on self-destruction, I no longer want to concern myself with the Church's messy affairs."

William remained silent. The Emperor seemed to detest the corruption of the Holy See, as if he cared more about the Holy See's survival than the Pope himself.

If he could know what was on Laszlo's mind, he wouldn't be surprised.

The corruption of the Holy See would almost certainly lead to the birth of Protestantism, and Protestants would make the barely cohesive Holy Roman Empire even more fragmented.

Even if he didn't have to face the threat of the rise of Protestantism and the ensuing Imperial civil war for the time being, he still had to plan for the long-term future.

However, the speed at which indulgences generated money was indeed astonishing.

During the Mainz War, Adolf had shown Laszlo a trick, making him understand how quickly these corrupt clerics could accumulate wealth.

In just a few days, they could thoroughly fleece the entire Mainz; this money came faster than plunder.

No wonder so many clerics couldn't resist selling such things.

But, to completely prohibit this thing, it was not that easy.

Even Laszlo couldn't help but marvel at the Church's income from selling indulgences, let alone the bishops who made huge profits.

Reforming the Church was, after all, a long and arduous task, and Laszlo decided to temporarily set it aside and focus his energy on more important matters.

After the meeting, William immediately set off to return to Italy.

He would continue to serve as the resident court envoy to Italy, and as the Marquis of Montferrat, he would participate in Northern Italian affairs, maintaining regional stability.