Pope Augustus

Under Katerina's vigorous reforms, the Rome Newspaper was completely revitalized, or rather, it was emptied out. After establishing the new organizational structure and recruitment standards, and gaining Augustus's approval, Katerina quickly immersed herself in the recruitment work.

At Augustus's behest, Faol spared no effort in assisting Katerina, as the Rome Newspaper was ostensibly Faol's personal property. While normal people might guess that the true power behind the newspaper was the Pope, a guess is still just a guess and cannot be taken as a definitive conclusion. It was undoubtedly logical for Faol to outwardly support the development of his own newspaper.

During the time Katerina was busy with the newspaper's recruitment, Augustus, in addition to reading, increased his interactions, actively engaging with officials at all levels of the Papal States to understand the work situation of various departments. He discovered many problems, which was expected.

As the time was not yet ripe, Augustus tolerated what he could. For officials whose work was not up to par, he primarily offered reminders and encouragement, except for a very few extreme cases where he directly dismissed them.

Through this method, Augustus further understood the internal state of the Papal States, strengthened his overall control over it, and also discovered some potentially useful talents among the middle and lower ranks.

People reacted differently to the Pope's actions: some were filled with trepidation, some tried to mend their ways, some were extremely joyful, and others felt a sense of crisis. In places unseen by Augustus, a storm was brewing.

"Augustus, something's happened." Early in the morning, Faol's voice came from outside the door, accompanied by a brief knocking sound.

"Come in and tell me, what happened? I rarely see you like this." Augustus couldn't help but feel nervous after Faol's shout.

Faol pushed open the door, took a breath, and said, "Gaspard died yesterday."

"Did you do it?"

"How could I! Why would I kill him, and how could I ever kill anyone!"

"Then what does it have to do with you?" Augustus was very puzzled.

"I… Oh, right, what does this have to do with me… He and I only cooperated before. But when I think of someone who was alive and standing in front of me just a few days ago suddenly gone, I get so scared," Faol said with a mournful face.

Augustus was somewhat amused and exasperated. He had thought it was something major, but it turned out to be something Faol himself wasn't even sure had anything to do with him. It seemed Faol's psychological fortitude was truly lacking; tasks involving taking lives couldn't be entrusted to him, otherwise, nothing would happen to others, but he would scare himself to death first.

"Alright, you can be scared later, tell me what happened." Augustus genuinely couldn't think of any comforting words. This fear was truly inexplicable. He couldn't possibly say, "Don't be afraid, I'll protect you," or something similar—that would be too…

"Do you remember I mentioned Gaspard sent some other family members to prison? After he sent them to prison, he kept trying to seize their family property.

Among them was a distant nephew who, seeing that he couldn't hold onto his family business and unwilling to be at Gaspard's mercy, pretended to seek Gaspard's protection and agreed to transfer his family property to him.

Gaspard was overjoyed and invited him to a banquet at his home. Halfway through the banquet, he suddenly grabbed a knife and rushed forward, stabbing Gaspard dozens of times, then slit his own throat and committed suicide. I heard that Gaspard's body was covered in bloodied holes at the time," Faol recounted, trembling with fear in his eyes.

Augustus, however, listened without a ripple in his heart. This was purely a case of reaping what one sows. He was a scoundrel anyway, so it didn't matter if he died. Moreover, for Augustus, a dead Gaspard was safer than a living one. And with Gaspard's death, the Borgia Family would likely have more infighting, which was good.

"Don't worry too much, Gaspard brought this upon himself; it has nothing to do with anyone else," Augustus forcefully comforted him.

"Gaspard's funeral, should I attend? I received an invitation," Faol asked with great difficulty.

"It's probably better to go after all. You had dealings with him, and you received an invitation, so not going would be strange."

"But I'm scared."

"Uh… How about I let you take the Swiss Guard with you?" Augustus was utterly helpless.

"How can that be! The Swiss Guard is specifically responsible for ensuring the Pope's personal safety; how can I take them out!" Faol immediately denied.

"Sigh, if it weren't for the fact that I can't appear because it concerns Gaspard, I would have gone with you."

"No need, I'll go!" Faol seemed to have made a huge decision.

"Not scared anymore?" Augustus asked with a hint of playfulness.

"Not scared!"

"Good! The best way to conquer fear is to face it!" Augustus's true thought was actually, "The best way to conquer fear is to become fear," but given the current situation, Faol clearly couldn't become fear.

After sending Faol away, Augustus rubbed his temples. He was an adult, yet he had to be coaxed like a child; it was a headache. Faol was completely unreliable for some matters, and he needed to find more trustworthy people as soon as possible. As for Francesco, Romeo, David, Lorenzo, and Enzo, he would be thankful if they didn't dig pits for him.

Gaspard's funeral was held as scheduled, and Faol arrived as expected.

Because Gaspard died suddenly and had not publicly made a will beforehand, and he had three sons and one daughter, the distribution of property became a major problem. The four of them began to argue at the funeral.

The eldest son believed that as the firstborn, he should inherit most of the property. The second son believed that since the three brothers were all legitimate heirs, the property should be divided equally among them. The third son believed that his father had favored him the most during his lifetime, and if his father were still alive, he would definitely side with him, demanding half of all the property. The daughter was even more extreme; she somehow produced a will from Gaspard, which claimed she should receive all the property.

At the funeral, under everyone's watchful eyes, the four of them argued fiercely, their faces red. From initially arguing about the property itself, it gradually escalated to personal attacks, exposing each other's dirty laundry.

Gaspard's widow was unable to stop them and fainted from anger. After her four children scrambled to carry her back to the room, they continued to argue. Due to excessive emotion, the second son and the son-in-law got into a physical fight.

Everyone present was stunned! They had been preparing for a long time, arriving at the funeral with mixed emotions of genuine and feigned grief, only to witness this scene of fraternal strife. For a moment, they didn't know how to adjust their emotions.

Ultimately, the funeral ended hastily. Faol was filled with mixed emotions: regret, anger, desolation… But in the end, he said nothing. An honest official finds it hard to settle family disputes, and Faol would certainly not get involved in this muddy water. At this moment, Faol only hoped that he would have no further dealings with them from now on.

As Augustus expected, with Gaspard's death, the previously dormant branches of the Borgia Family began their internal struggle again. However, the intensity of this internal conflict far exceeded expectations.

Some practices had been set as precedents by Gaspard, and now that there was no longer a sole dominant figure, other family members naturally acted without scruples, resorting to every extreme. The interference of other families in the internal affairs of the Borgia Family also reached an unprecedented intensity.

All of this, though not designed by Augustus, was something he was pleased to see. Under these circumstances, the Borgia Family posed no threat at all. For him, a dead Gaspard was a good Gaspard.