From Naples, through the pass of Mount Vesuvius on the east side, a road connects Naples to the interior.

Like most seaport cities, Naples, with its busy shipping lanes and enviable location, was one of the most prosperous cities on the continent nearly a century ago.

The road from Naples to the interior became a bridge over the land of wealth from the Far East or Africa.

It's just that now the road is tightly cordoned, and all travelers who pass through are under strict scrutiny, even the nobles.

A high wooden stake had been erected at the pass halfway up the volcano, and the carriage could only pass through the gap between the stakes, and a little higher in the pass, a young man was frowning at a middle-aged man standing in front of him.

"Your Highness, you know that this is the Duke's order."

Although the young man looked unhappy, the middle-aged man did not care very much, and it was more important for him to fulfill Duke Frederick's orders than to please the young prince.

"Do you really think that Tsusha has something to do with this?" Prince Alfred angrily asked, "I know that my father has a bad relationship with Mordillo, but this has nothing to do with Josa, now she just wants to go back to her home in Cosenza, but you are going to attack her." ”

"Your Highness, this is not an attack," the middle-aged man explained patiently as much as possible, "we just hope to check the ...... of Miss Count's entourage"

"But it's a great insult," Alfred interrupted angrily, "although I am very upset that Sicilian is with her, it is not the same thing, and others will say that I am taking the opportunity to find fault with that person." It would be humiliating to me, and it would make Tsusha despise me, and I must not do such an honorable thing. ”

Who cares what others say about you, the middle-aged man cursed secretly in his heart, he was tired of the prince's sentimentality, but now he couldn't help but try to appease the prince, because although he didn't care about the prince's likes and dislikes, this pass was now guarded by him.

"Your Highness, the death of the Aragonese envoy is very serious," the middle-aged man's expression also changed from respectful to stern, "although we don't know if this matter has anything to do with Count Mordillo, anyone can be an accomplice to the murderer before he catches him, and the Count is the most suspicious." So we must examine Mademoiselle Countess's procession, and as for the Sicilian emissary, we feel that Mademoiselle Countess has clearly deceived him.

”

"Are you saying that Tsusha seduced that man?" Alfred stared at the other party, "If you are not the person my father trusts the most, I will immediately make you pay for these words." ”

"Your Highness, I may be upset by these words, but in fact our Florentine is probably in the entourage of Mademoiselle de Countes, and Gombray of Sicily is being used by her." The middle-aged man met Alfred's gaze without flinching, "Therefore, according to the order of your father, His Royal Highness the Duke, the team of the Countess must be inspected, even the Countess herself and her stand-in attaché, this order cannot be violated." ”

Alfred stared at the other with an ugly face, he did not expect his father to give such an order, and when he thought of the person he admired, he would be treated so rudely and even insultingly, but he had nothing to do to stop it, and the young prince could not help but feel ashamed of his weakness.

But he did not dare to disobey his father's orders, for he knew very well what the consequences would be if he did.

Seeing the prince angrily but helplessly leaving, the middle-aged man bowed slightly to his back, and then turned to the soldiers who had been waiting for a long time and ordered: "Get ready, stop the count's team as soon as they appear," Speaking of this, the middle-aged man paused slightly to look at the prince's distant back, and continued, "Don't be rude to the count, but be sure to search her team carefully." ”

Listen to your subordinates' loud responses,

"Let's see if this time Modillo is as smart and stupid as the duke said."

The middle-aged man looked at the rugged mountain road leading to the foot of the mountain, and could vaguely see the slowly moving black dots on the road, which were waves of travelers walking towards the pass.

And on a boulder higher up, Prince Alfred also looked at the black dots that squirmed up and down, and he couldn't stop whispering to himself: "God forbid, don't do anything stupid, Shosha." ”

The travelers stopped in front of the pass, watching the slow-moving flow of people in front of them, and people could only whisper that Duke Frederick had so great power in Naples that even the king Ferdinand had to be scrupulous, and it was even rumored that at the time of the war with the French, the generals of the Aragon army openly declared that they would not accept Ferdinand's orders, and would prefer to deal with Duke Frederick.

"I've heard that there is a machine in Bologna that can scratch its own wool, and that it is much faster to scratch the wool than to scratch it by a human, but if I have been so delayed along the way, perhaps someone else will get hold of it first." ”

"I've heard of that machine, it seems to have been made by a woman." One of the people walking in front looked back with interest and said, "Think about it, a woman." ”

"How is it possible, a woman can make something like that?" A man with a rosy nose asked incredulously, "How can women make anything other than to have children, which God punishes them for their sin." Like my wife," he pointed to his carriage with his thumb, "she gave me six children, but she still didn't understand anything." ”

"But it's true," the man in front of him shrugged, "I don't believe it either, but many people say it's so, and I've heard that the machine is so powerful that it can do the work of three or four female workers with just one person." ”

"That's remarkable," the rosacea man muttered as he raised the flask and took a sip before shoving it into the car, "and the only thing my wife can compare to a man is that she can take two sips." ”

A few people next to him let out a wild laugh, but the young man at the beginning was even more depressed.

"If that machine is really that powerful, I will have to hurry, Bologna is too far away, maybe a smart person will buy it by then, and then I will have to pay more money to buy it from that man."

"But it's useless for you to complain here, don't get into trouble at this time, look at the soldiers," Rosacea lowered his voice to persuade the young man, "They are not easy to provoke." ”

The young man was about to say something indignantly, but looking at the kingdom troops and even the Aragonese on the side of the road at the pass, he had to shut his mouth stupidly.

The team slowly moved forward, and when the men finally reached the wooden fence, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"God, if I wait any longer, I'm going to be scorched."

A traveling merchant in front of him took out a few silver coins to pay the road tax, but his silver coins were hit directly on the ground, and the soft hat that shaded his head was rudely lifted.

"Double-check everyone!"

A middle-aged man stood on a high place and shouted to the soldiers below, "Don't let go of any suspicious characters, this is the order of His Royal Highness the Duke!" ”

The soldiers who had been ordered were even more brazen, pushing everyone in the vicinity, removing their hats, overturning the tents of the wagons, and even pulling the women out of the carts amid the grumblings.

"It's barbaric." A retinue beside the prince whispered, but when he saw the prince's gloomy face, he quickly fell silent.

"It's barbaric."

Alfred shook his head in annoyance, but just as he saw a soldier dragging a rosacea man and his stumbling wife shouting something, suddenly a horn sounded from the bottom of the mountain.

Alfred's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at the middle-aged man below, and saw that his father's cronies had already led the people from the height to the middle of the road, and were driving the people near the fence to leave as soon as possible, and the prince immediately jumped directly from the boulder in desperation.

There was a pain in the thrust of his foot, but Alfred didn't care much, he knew that Miss Cosenza's convoy had arrived.

Seeing the chaotic scene in front of her from a distance, Jisha sitting in the carriage showed an unhappy look.

"This is the Duke's army," said Jossa to Alexander, who was following him on horseback, "and I think they must have thought we were hiding the Florentine." ”

"Why do you think that?" Alexander's heart moved.

"It's very simple, the most suspicious person right now is Uncle Salen, and I happen to be returning to the territory, if there is that Florentine hidden in our team, this is definitely the best chance to escape."

As she spoke, she looked at Alexander and asked, "But I'm wondering why you're asking to be a guest in my realm at this time?" ”

Looking at the playful smile of Miss Count, Alexander had a slight headache, he didn't expect this "sister" to be so sensitive.

Although he should not have imagined that he was indeed going to use her to send the Florentines out, he still reminded himself that he must be careful, this sister is really clever.

"But whether or not the Florentines are hidden, I won't let them search my team."

Suddenly, in a stubborn tone, she said, "It's about the glory of my family, about the surname Modillo. ”

That would be for the best, Alexander secretly breathed a sigh of relief, he knew that this countess would not allow to be examined so easily, so he chose to go with her.

Next, it's up to us to see if we can pass this level. Alexander told himself.

The appearance of the Cosencha team added to the confusion of the already chaotic ranks due to the rough and chaotic soldiers, and some of the people who had been inspected were driven across the pass, and those behind were driven to the side of the road.

As a flag-raising attendant in front of them shouted a loud signal, the team was blocked on the road and stopped.

"In the name of the Duke," the middle-aged man walked up to the count's line and ordered in a loud voice, "all to be checked." ”

"Don't do that," Alfred ran over, grabbing the middle-aged man's shoulders hard, "let me go and tell Tsusha, you're only going to anger her." ”

"Your Highness, the order I got is to check everyone," the middle-aged man didn't give an inch, he felt that he had put up with this prince for too long, if it weren't for the identity of the other party that made him helpless, he would have already ordered someone to hang this nasty playboy up to bask in the sun, "Please don't get in my way." ”

"Are you proud of insulting the Modillo family like this?" Alfred lowered his voice and asked, "Or do you think that there is anything to be gained by humiliating my future wife's family, and don't forget that I am going to marry that girl in the future." ”

"Then wait until you become a duke before giving me an order."

The middle-aged man broke free of Alfred's hand and walked forward, he crossed the trumpeter in front of him, and when he came to a short distance from the carriage, he was stopped by Alexander, who was slowly driving forward.

"My lord, I don't think you should stand in my way," the middle-aged man bowed slightly, then raised his head to look at Alexander on his horse, "Your fellow Aragonese has been shamefully murdered, and I am sure you must hope to catch the murderer more than anyone else." ”

"Actually, he's not my countryman," Alexander muttered in a low voice, then stretched out his hand and shook it slightly, "No, I can't agree to that, you know, if I back down at this time, I will be a coward in front of the young lady, so I don't care if it's an Aragonese or a Sicilian who is killed." ”

"Another fool who doesn't care anything to please women," the middle-aged man cursed to himself, and he looked at Alexander coldly, wondering whether to give this Sicilian boy a little bit of power, when Alfred had already come over.

"Though you are my enemy," the prince glared fiercely at Alexander, "but I stand with you in protecting Miss Cosenza's honor. ”

Alexander looked at Alfred with some surprise, he really didn't expect this prince to get out so much for the woman he admired, after all, although he was Frederick's son, he would be punished for blatantly disobeying the duke's orders.

It was not a matter of whether or not he was favored by his father, but if he did not do so, Frederick would face the embarrassment of being questioned by his men.

"Would love to fight alongside you." Alexander nodded slightly, even if it was purely self-inflicted, but he was still touched by the prince's infatuation.

Just thinking that this kid might become his "brother-in-law" in the future, Alexander couldn't help but grin secretly.

I don't know why, but this thought made him very unhappy.

"In the name of the Duke, forward!"

The middle-aged man drew his sword and began to approach step by step, and behind him the soldiers slowly approached the convoy.

"For the sake of Modillo, for the honor of Cosenza!"

The cavalry captain of the Mordilo family, who was escorting the convoy, also drew his sword, and as he moved, a weapon was unsheathed.

The middle-aged man's face was already ugly at this time, and there were dozens of heavily armed soldiers behind him, who could easily defeat Count Cosenza's team of only a dozen people.

But in front of him were an Aragonese prince and an Aragonese messenger, which made him afraid to give orders lightly, even if he wanted to make a move.

For a time, the two sides fell into a standoff in front of the pass.

The sun above their heads shone hotly on everyone's faces, and the sweat flowed down into the corners of their eyes, stimulating their eyes to burn, and some people wanted to wipe off the sticky sweat on their faces, but just this small action caused a commotion.

Alexander raised his head slightly to look overhead, he knew that the confrontation could not be a permanent stalemate, and just as he pondered how to break the deadlock in front of him, first a sound, and then a series of horns continued to sound from the distant mountain road.

Alexander noticed that Alfred's face suddenly turned pale, and his hand holding the sword began to tremble slightly.

The middle-aged man on the other side had calmly raised his sword, with sarcasm on his face and a somewhat pitiful smile, but this pity seemed to be more for Alfred, who was already a little overwhelmed next to him.

Alexander slowly retreated to the side of the carriage.

"It's the Duke," Alexander heard the chariot whisper, "Frederick is here." ”