In a tavern in Florence, as usual, all sorts of rumors were circulating.

"Did you hear? The third son of the Bolognese family got a maid pregnant."

"Imagine that—having a child before even getting married. The Bolognese family sure has luck with kids."

"The church's talk about loving only your wife is just nonsense, isn't it?"

Most of the gossip in taverns was nothing but empty talk.

However, in the Toscana Empire, where nightly activities were limited to either intense exercises with their wives or idle chatter over drinks, these rumors were invaluable.

Each one of them would be recycled …