Governor Duncan of the Province of Britannia made no statements.

Silence is the best response.

For a time, the Roman citizens throughout the Italian Peninsula raised their voices in protest, directing all their anger at Emperor Valentinian III and the close attendants around him who incited the murder of the Protector of the Realm.

Duncan absolutely could not wade into this mess; throughout human history, how many emperors have used such methods to murder important ministers of the state?

It could be said that this move directly pushed the emperor of the empire and the Senate to the forefront of the storm.

Aetius was still alive.

Many accused him of being dictatorial, of being arrogant and boastful due to his merits, of eliminating dissidents, of monopolizing power, and even of wanting to release God's Whip Attila for personal reasons. But now that Aetius is dead, and in such a brutal manner, the wind of public opinion is changing, and the Roman citizens have begun to hate Valentinian III.

The Western Empire has lost an arm, and the emperor has cut off the pillar of the empire.

The military command truly fell nominally into the hands of the emperor and the Senate.

But the commanders they appointed could not command the people below, and the military of the entire Western Empire started to become estranged from the higher-ups. For so many years, Aetius has achieved great military successes on the empire's frontiers, while some of those wine bags and rice bags in the Senate have never even set foot on a battlefield. How could they take control of the empire's army?

In the end, the increasingly paranoid and extreme Valentinian III prepared to personally command the empire's army.

He wanted to take back the command of these troops in the name of the emperor.

What to do?

Valentinian III chose the simplest and most direct method, which was to inspect the empire's army from time to time, making his presence known in front of the imperial troops. All historical traces seem to indicate that if Valentinian III were a talented emperor, he might have been able to regain control over the military through his war successes.

But he lacks talent and battle credits, and he even fled when the Huns invaded again. Not only do the military look down on him, but even the Roman citizens despise this inept emperor.

The things he could do were very limited; the best means was to personally review the troops and then win hearts with rewards.

No doubt about it.

The Imperial Senate has already begun to target him, because Quintus was the first to notice something amiss, and the entire public opinion on the Italian Peninsula began to shift towards Aetius, sympathizing with the plight of the Roman Protector. Subsequently, all blame and scandal were heaped upon Valentinian III.

"Maximus's plan has fallen through, and the Senate is going to break with the imperial emperor."

Quintus had actually already returned near Ravenna, but he did not go back to see the imperial emperor. This fellow sensed that something was wrong and immediately went into hiding.

Because he was forced to deliver a final blow to Aetius's corpse at the time.

This would be his greatest political stain.

"Valentinian III thought he was clever, and at the last moment outsmarted the Senate by appointing Hercules as the imperial commander."

"But he didn't consider."

"Without the support of the Senate, what ability does Hercules have to command the army? This is merely an empty title, and it instead makes it easier for the people in the Senate to go to extremes."

In the worst-case scenario, they might just decide to not stop there and replace the emperor.

The imperial guard had publicly auctioned off the title of emperor; whoever offered more money would be the emperor. The Senate also has its share of scandalous history—forget the assassination of Caesar, several subsequent emperors died under suspicious circumstances. The Imperial Senate can be said to be not without merit in these events.

Quintus didn't dare to return; he was afraid that if he returned, he would become a scapegoat or even die mysteriously.

The most critical thing is that his position was the emperor's most favored jester.

This identity is practically destined to bear the blame.

"Immediately send someone to contact the people we've bought within the palace in case something happens; we must ensure the safety of Princess Praxidica."

Quintus had also spent a lot of money during this time, with eyes and ears both inside and outside the palace, from guards to servants; there were basically people he had bribed. He instructed the people around him: "Also, bring over the men of death from the estate."

"And those few gladiators."

"If anything unexpected happens, think of a way to save them right away."

After all, Valentinian III had shown him favor; if things couldn't be salvaged, Quintus would have to figure out how to rescue the two princesses so they wouldn't fall into the hands of the Senate. If he could also take the empress with them, that would be even better.

Quintus's ancestors ran a gladiator arena and later transitioned to become slave owners.

His family faced decline several times, but they still retained the tradition of secretly training gladiators. As Quintus gradually rose to power, he began to covertly train dead soldiers using the family's methods of training gladiators, selecting talent from young slaves.

He didn't have many people, probably only about a dozen dead soldiers, plus attendants and private guards, barely able to mobilize about a hundred people.

Quintus hid in an outside estate, not daring to show himself, but news came from all directions, and part of it was also sent to the Gaul Region, passed on by Anya to Duncan.

In the Paris area.

Duncan was actually a bit surprised; he truly didn't expect that the empire's emperor and the Senate would use such a brutal method to murder Aetius.

One can only say that the inertia of history is too strong, and the tradition of Rome is indescribable.

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