However, after careful consideration, Badars temporarily put that thought aside. Although he had always believed that only his esteemed Caesar should rule Constantinople, if he allowed the Black Ops to act recklessly now, it would be detrimental both publicly and privately. Furthermore, he did not want to lose Caesar's trust and employment due to such an unprofitable idea, so he did not voice it.
The Gavras Family becoming the Gavras Dynasty of the Empire was not something that could be achieved with a single assassination or coup. It was a gradual process; if Caesar was not in a hurry, why should a Commander of the Guard be?
Despite these thoughts, upon returning to his post, Badars still dispatched several subordinates to investigate the travel movements of Emperor John VIII of Constantinople, in order to prepare for any potential upcoming situations.
At the same time, Manuel had already left Peloponnese and was sailing on a Bosporus ship towards Constantinople to meet his Brother-in-law, Basileus John VIII. Approximately four or five days later, the ship docked in the Golden Horn, and Caesar, accompanied by his attendants and subordinates, arrived at the Gate of St. Emilianus in Constantinople.
Upon entering the city, Manuel immediately headed to Blachernae Palace, where John VIII was located. Since Basileus returned from the Apennine Peninsula around the middle of last year, he had been staying in Thrace, awaiting further news and comforting the capital's populace.
However, from what Manuel witnessed firsthand, the Palaiologos family's efforts at appeasement had little effect. Upon reaching the vicinity of the Forum of Arcadius and the Walls of Constantine, he encountered more than one group of protesting citizens. If it were only instigated by clerics from the Quietist faction, this wave of opposition could not have reached such a scale. Such protest groups, often numbering in the hundreds, were sufficient to indicate Constantinople's true attitude towards the so-called church union.
Regarding this phenomenon, he knew that these people did not necessarily have any concept of religious reconciliation or church union; they simply resented the Emperor's submissive behavior towards the Catholic Church and the Latins.
This was an unavoidable situation. After all, since the disaster of 1204, the Catholic Church, which ultimately chose to actively support the Latin Empire, changed from being ignored and neutral in the eyes of the vast majority of Romans to being more overtly discriminatory. The abysmal rule of the Catholic Latin merchant republics and Crusader states further deepened the lower and middle classes' aversion to the Catholic Church. Although this nationalistic sentiment had somewhat subsided over time, the Romans still could not accept that they had to commune with the Western Papacy as per the Emperor's orders.
Manuel silently passed by this scene, outwardly showing no reaction, but inwardly he committed it to memory: this situation might be useful in the future.
Soon, the carriage carrying Bosphorus Caesar and others arrived at Blachernae Palace. The midday sun of late winter felt particularly warm, and coastal Constantinople, being along the Mediterranean, was slightly warmer than the inland, allowing him to dress lightly and still feel quite comfortable.
At this time, John VIII, having already received a message from his Brother-in-law that he wished to discuss something with him, had already prepared to receive him. With the few imperial guards in the palace, Manuel successfully met him.
"Holy Father above, long time no see, Brother-in-law." Inside the palace, John VIII, whose hair had turned gray from being entangled in state affairs, warmly received his Brother-in-law, whose power was already not to be underestimated. Manuel, whose appearance generally matched his age, responded with the same attitude, "Holy Father above, long time no see, Brother-in-law."
They then exchanged pleasantries for a while, discussing various trivial topics, before Manuel initiated the main topic of the day.
"Bosporus wants to station troops in Constantinople?" Hearing the request, John VIII immediately became a little wary.
"Rest assured, Brother-in-law, there will be no troops stationed inside the city," Manuel added casually to alleviate his suspicion.
But even so, John VIII remained somewhat suspicious. Although he was not as capable as his father Manuel or his brother Constantine in internal affairs, diplomacy, and military matters, having governed for so many years, he was very clear about the implications behind this request.
"In that case, Brother-in-law, why don't you also send troops to garrison my Mangup or Trabzon according to the previous terms?" To persuade Emperor John, he boldly proposed the ingenious idea of mutual troop deployment, based on the implicit content of the previous treaty.
"This, this, this…" John VIII almost froze on the spot. Manuel, seizing his momentary speechlessness, took the opportunity to elaborate further, "The troops I intend to send are no more than a hundred men, and are primarily for border defense, with command entirely in your hands, Brother-in-law. If you are truly concerned, Brother-in-law, then Bosporus will respect your wishes and will not send any troops to the Emes Peninsula, to avoid any suspicion of interfering in internal affairs."
He had no choice but to use this tactic of advancing by retreating, and it proved highly effective. Upon hearing that his in-law ally might actually withdraw from Europe, John VIII, on the contrary, began discussing the troop deployment with him. Ultimately, Manuel successfully convinced his Brother-in-law to agree to Bosporus stationing one hundred and fifty troops on the outskirts of Constantinople to consolidate local defense, and he would also further promote trade between the two sides to enhance relations.
After successfully obtaining the terms he desired at the negotiating table, Manuel returned home after a brief stay in Constantinople. During this period, the Palaiologos family deliberately avoided discussing religious issues to prevent touching upon each other's sensitive nerves.
And as Manuel was about to return to Mangup, a potentially significant incident was unfolding on the frozen lands of the north.
"Grand Duke, what are you doing!?" Isidore, the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus', who was being restrained by soldiers and was about to be escorted to a monastery, stared incredulously at Vasily II, the Grand Grand Duke of Moscow, and the boyars beside him, his face filled with confusion and anger.
"It's nothing, just that it's not good for anyone if Your Eminence, the Metropolitan, causes trouble in the country," the not-so-young Grand Duke merely smiled gracefully, his large beard trembling slightly, "And this time, we are only keeping you here for the sake of the Holy Father."
"How dare you do this!?" Isidore exclaimed, his expression becoming particularly twisted with rage, "This is a joint decision by Basileus, His Holiness the Pope, and almost all the bishops of the Eastern and Western Churches!"
"Not so, Your Eminence," Vasily II chuckled at these words, "You don't actually think we Rus' people care about this so-called 'church union,' do you?
"Just look at what you intend to do in this land of devout faith: promote the Latin Rite, sing hymns to the Roman Pontiff before Mass like the Latin Church, 'the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son'…"
At the end, Vasily II angrily turned away, no longer paying attention to Isidore's accusations and curses,
"Take him away, confine him in Hagia Sophia!"