Shosha walked slowly down the steps.

She wore a voluminous skirt with layers of trim that obscured the open petal-like seams.

Jossa liked the style of this skirt very much, or rather Alexander liked it.

It was getting dark, but it was still hot, and she walked slowly along the river, the wind blowing to dispel the heat and the slit of her skirt across her skin.

She closed her eyes slightly, enjoying the momentary silence, and although there were no sentry posts around the riverbank, the attendants were secretly staring at those who looked likely to be dangerous, and then drove them off the shore.

A mother and her two children walked down the riverbank, and one of the older boys kept running around the mother who was holding his sister, laughing and running, while the mother reminded the boy not to get too close to the water.

Ji Sha looked at the mother and son with some envy.

Of course, she was still young, not only among monarchs, but even as a young woman, and at her age she was far from the time when she was worried that she might not be able to have children.

However, both the Josa herself and the Sicilian aristocracy were already beginning to worry about this problem.

As a monarch, it is a grave mistake to have no descendants who can inherit the throne.

Only by having a legitimate heir can the monarch's future succession be secured, and the people who follow him can have a loyal and reliable position and interests.

This is a very serious matter, or a real matter that has a bearing on the future of a kingdom.

However, the status of the Queen of Sicily is more special.

Jossa Cosenza Astamara was the queen of the united kingdom of Naples and Sicily, but she was first and foremost the queen of Naples.

Even now, in formal occasions Josa first confirmed her status as Queen of Naples and Queen of the Throne, and as for the Queen of Sicily, it was declared as a clear proof of legitimacy at the end.

These cumbersome rules may sound a bit overwhelming, and if I had to describe it in one sentence, it would be that her status as queen of Naples is more of a "temporary generation" than a full-fledged position.

It is her children who can really take the throne of Naples.

Whether it is Naples, Sicily, or even Aragon, there is a tacit agreement on the status of Josa, that is, once she gives birth to a prince or princess, then she must pass the throne to her children when her children reach adulthood, because she is only the queen of Naples after all.

This was also the condition for the Neapolitan aristocracy to recognize the coronation of Josa, at least for the Neapolitan and Sicilians, whether or not her child was born a few years after Alfred's ascension.

It's just that there is a big trouble in this, if you want to have children, you must first have parents.

The mother, of course, is ready-made, but what about the father?

Many Sicilian nobles were willing to recognize the throne of Josa, in fact, they had some unknown intentions.

Young, beautiful, wealthy, and of high status, these virtues were enough for the noblest prince in Europe to propose to Josha.

And there are indeed quite a few people who do so.

It's just that because of the war that has almost never stopped since he ascended the throne, Jisha has been in the military camp much longer than the days in the court, so such a marriage proposal scene naturally has no chance to appear.

As for those nobles, many of them may not have the idea of wanting to take the opportunity to get close to the queen and then renew it for her.

It's just that to their disappointment, not only does the queen not seem to be so anxious about giving birth to an heir, but she is not even interested in men.

Many of the nobles who tried to get to the queen through various means were more or less coldly treated, and if they found out that they had such intentions, they would be immediately expelled, although each time there were various reasons, but the queen's meaning was already very obvious.

I have money, beauty and an army, what do I want a man to do?

In the eyes of many people, the queen probably thinks so.

Of course, there is one exception to this man, but he is clearly not on the radar.

The young mother and the child gradually approached, and Ji Sha waved her hand casually to stop the entourage who wanted to stop them, but looked at the mother and son who came over with envy.

Although no one stopped her, the young woman sensed something.

She looked around with some confusion, usually at this time there should be a lot of people enjoying the cool by the river, but now on the bank of the river, except for a young lady who looked gorgeously dressed and behaved gracefully, there were only a few people who looked like followers patrolling back and forth not far away.

The rest is as if they suddenly broke into something that shouldn't be there.

The young mother couldn't help but get nervous, she tightened the girl in her arms, and at the same time whispered to her son to pull him to his side to prevent him from running around.

Then she looked cautiously at the noble lady not far away, who was so beautiful that she was almost stunned.

Sensing the nervousness of the mother and son, she smiled and beckoned the woman to come closer, and then she sat casually on a stone and looked at them.

"Is this your child?" She smiled sweetly, she was only 22 years old, she was a very young queen, and the key was that her beauty made people like her, even if it was a little boy who was only a few years old.

Seeing her son striding forward at his beautiful face, the mother immediately pulled him back to her side with some vigilance, and replied with some caution: "Yes, Madame, they are my children. ”

"Very beautiful child," said Tsuna, looking down at the boy who had been staring at her incessantly, apparently fascinated by her beauty, "Your husband must be grateful that you have given birth to such two treasures for him." ”

Hearing this, the originally nervous young mother seemed to have found someone to talk to, she first bowed to Jisha and bowed, and then began to tell her story.

From becoming her husband's wife, to giving birth to her first child, and then to the busy housework and the incompetence of the men in the family.

She was cautious at first, but gradually she became emotional, and later, perhaps because she was tired from holding her daughter for too long, or because she saw that she was kind and generous, she simply sat on the other side of the big rock, put her daughter on the propped up skirt, and began to talk non-stop.

"Madame, you have never seen a man like that, he spends his days at home idle, doing nothing but drinking, and sometimes I wonder if he is not married to a man, but a barrel, but what can be done? My two children still have to count on him to feed them. ”

Ji Sha listened to the woman's nagging curiously, and she noticed that although she said this, whenever she mentioned her husband, there was a smile on the woman's face that could not be hidden, and the way she looked at her child also made Ji Sha feel envious, and even faintly jealous.

"He stays at home all day and doesn't go out to make money?" Ji Sha asked curiously, "Then how did you spend your days?" ”

"Oh, you know how to make a score, madam," the young mother sighed, but then smiled again, "he is a good craftsman, and many people were willing to hire him to work, and some of the most famous masters even asked him to help him, but then he fell in love with drinking, which ruined him, and now he refuses to go out unless there is really no food or drink at home." ”

Josha nodded, she could guess what the man looked like.

It should be a person who has some skills, but is not willing to support his family in the future.

Such people may not starve, but they are too lazy to find work as long as a small piece of bread is left.

This kind of person is very annoying, but you can't do anything about him, look at the young mother in front of you, Jisha is even more showing off her husband.

The feeling was fresh, and it was something that she had never encountered with other noble women, which made her more interested in this woman.

"Sometimes I think maybe I should be harsh on him, but he has a bad temper and I'm afraid he will beat me."

"What, did he beat his wife?" Jisha asked, a little dumbfounded.

"Mrs. God, how can there be a man who doesn't beat his wife?" The woman looked at Ji Sha in the same amazement, but looking at her face and gorgeous clothes that even women were fascinated by it, the young mother could only shake her head, "Of course, if it were you, no man would be willing to do it." ”

Hearing the woman's words, Jisha's smile deepened, she felt that the woman in front of her was really pleasing to her, if it wasn't for the temporary desire to go to the river to relax, she even suspected that this woman had deliberately arranged to wait here to approach her.

So she took the initiative to ask questions that she had never heard from the ladies before, and after receiving the answers, she asked more than once in surprise because of the surprise.

The people who could talk could not stop talking, and it was not until the sky was slightly darkened that the young woman was surprised to find that so much time had passed.

She stood up in a panic and saluted to say goodbye, perhaps fearing that she would be held responsible by her husband if she came home late, and after taking a few steps, she simply bent down and put her son under the armpit with one arm, and hurried away with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

She couldn't help but smile as she looked at the young mother's back, and she thought for a moment to signal an attendant to come over, and then told him to follow the young woman home.

"If her husband beats her, you go and arrest him and take him to the quarry...... No, whip him a few times, and then tell him that this is the queen's warning to him, if he beats his wife again or stays at home, and refuses to go out to earn money to support the family, he will look good. ”

The attendant glanced at the queen with some strange surprise, he did not understand why this monarch, who could command thousands of troops, should take care of such a trivial matter, but he still hurried after the woman, for fear that she would escape.

Joyfully walking back, and when they came to the carriage on the side of the road, the attendants were surprised to find that there was still a smile on the queen's lips.

It was only that soon Tsusha's expression became serious, and she looked at a figure galloping from a distance, and asked the people around her in a slightly uncertain tone, "Is that the retinue of the auxiliary bishop?" ”

The attendant immediately stood on tiptoe and looked into the distance, then simply boarded the carriage and looked again, before reporting to Jisha, who was standing on the side of the road: "Yes, Your Majesty, it is the retinue of the auxiliary bishop. ”

Hearing the report, Jisha's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

The auxiliary bishop has now become the mouthpiece of Alexander VI, and although he has not yet been officially appointed as the archbishop of Seville, he has long claimed this status.

So everywhere you can see all kinds of orders issued in the name of the auxiliary bishop, but this man is very clever and he knows what he can do and what he must not touch.

Therefore, both Zhisa and Alexander VI were quite satisfied with this typical "card traitor".

Now seeing the auxiliary bishop's retinue hurrying in, Jisha realized that something might have happened.

Her heart couldn't help but tense at once, the news was sent by the auxiliary bishop and not her own officer, and many thoughts had flashed through her mind in a short time, and when the entourage finally came not far away, and had to dismount and walk under the hindrance of the guards, and came to Jisha, she had already flashed through several possible accidents in her mind, and she was already thinking about how to deal with it.

It's just that the news brought by the entourage was too surprising to her, and for a while, Jisha didn't hear it clearly.

"You mean Ferdinand sent someone to imprison Queen Juana of Castile?"

The auxiliary bishop's attendant immediately nodded to indicate that Her Majesty had heard correctly, and watched as the look on her face showed a momentary dazed look after receiving a clear answer, and the attendant immediately lowered her head under the staring of the Queen's entourage.

She was dazed for a moment, and then she suddenly thought of something, and turned to board the carriage.

"Go to the palace," said Tsuna, and then ordered one of his attendants, "pass my order, and let the grenadier guards come to the road to pick me up at once." ”

The waiting guards set off immediately, and the carriage, under the close protection of the guards, headed for the former Governor's Palace of Seville.

As the convoy crossed several streets, it was greeted by the rapid and dull sound of horses' hooves.

Even in the dim night, the breastplate was still shining with light, which made the nervous-looking followers breathe a sigh of relief.

They didn't know why the Queen had summoned her cuirassiers out of the blue, but it was always reassuring to have the protection of these tough cuirassiers.

By the time the team returned to the palace, it was already completely dark, and the lights in the palace could be seen flickering in the distance.

The presence of the knight seemed to have caused the people in the palace to panic a little, and they hurried out of the house, some of the junior officers were already lining up in the garden, while the nobles and generals stood on the steps and waited for the queen.

When Jisha stepped out of the carriage, the nobles showed a slight surprise.

The queen was wearing a light armor, although it was not the majesty of being fully armed on the battlefield, but the rhythm of this dress on her body still looked awe-inspiring.

Some of the officers couldn't help but look at each other secretly, they vaguely guessed what the queen had heard, and now seeing the queen wearing the armor that heralded the commander of the army, those officers couldn't help but secretly worry in their hearts.

She noticed the slightly strange looks on the officers' faces, which made her even more proof of her guesses.

She quietly walked through the ranks, paused slightly as she approached the generals, and then led the way towards the palace.

The atmosphere in the palace was a little depressing, and everyone looked silently at the queen standing in front of the middle seat, and when they saw the queen's gaze, many people couldn't help but avoid her blue eyes slightly.

"Did you already know that Ferdinand had put Juana under house arrest?"

There was silence for a while, and the generals seemed to want someone else to answer the queen's inquiry, but after a short silence, someone finally answered: "Yes, Your Majesty, we have just heard about it." ”

Jisha's gaze swept over the people in front of her, her expression was calm, and she didn't seem to have any emotion, but the generals vaguely felt the anger from the queen.

"Then why didn't you report it to me?"

Seeing the expressions of the generals sitting next to him, he nodded slightly.

"I know what you're worried about, you're worried, I'll immediately order the army north to help my brother, Duke of Rome, as soon as I hear the news, right?"

"Your Majesty, you know that this worry is actually very necessary."

A Neapolitan general stood up, his gray hair and wrinkled face with a scar passing over his head, looking at the queen, the elderly Neapolitan whispered: "Your Majesty, you have a deep affection for the Duke, but in this matter, please do not forget that you are the Queen of Sicily." ”

Ji Sha's gaze quickly swept over the generals present, and immediately found that many people's expressions seemed to support this person's statement.

She didn't say anything right away and sat down slowly.

Josa was well aware of the Sicilians' slightly complicated feelings towards Alexander.

Even now, Alexander still has the titles of Lord of Agri and Keeper of the Lighthouse.

Compared with the Duke of Roman Thesia, these two identities actually allowed Alexander to get the recognition he deserved in Sicily, or to treat him as his own.

If possible, a person with this status could theoretically even be one of the candidates for the queen's consort.

It's just that Alexander is her "half-brother".

In this way, his identity is very special, even a little subtle.

The queen does not yet have an heir of her own, and in this age when anyone who sneezes can go to God, noble status is not a guarantee of freedom from illness and disaster.

Once the queen has three longs and two shorts, who will inherit the newly unified kingdom of Sicily has become an insurmountable problem.

At least the Sicilian generals present here did not want Ferdinand to succeed them, and if that awaited them would be a terrible reckoning.

But the queen has no descendants, and the only person who can inherit is the Duke of Rome Thesia, or his children.

But if the queen marries again, or has an heir, then the line of the Duke of Rome Thesia will naturally lose the qualification to inherit the throne.

And the queen is so young and healthy, of course, the chances of having her own offspring are much greater, so that the Duke of Rome Thessia interferes too much in Sicilian affairs, which is enough to cause dissatisfaction among the Sicilians, not to mention that after a great war, if you want to continue to fight against Castile or even Aragon for him, this makes the Sicilians secretly feel that the gains outweigh the losses.

Tsusha sighed in her heart, and she felt more and more that the brother-sister relationship that had been used to cover up the truth had become an obstacle to the two of them.

"You're just worried that this might lead the Sicilian army into a war with the two kingdoms," Shosha thought it was better to make them understand something as soon as possible, otherwise things might go in an unexpected direction, "but haven't you thought that this is another opportunity that will make it possible for us to unify Aragon?" ”

The Sicilians looked incredulous as they spoke, and then they heard themselves and the people next to them breathing as rapidly.

After the unification of Sicily, they had the idea of getting involved in Aragon, but until she said it publicly, this idea was always just a secret in their hearts.

After all, once this idea is made public, it means that he will never die with Ferdinand.

Now Josa finally said this idea that everyone had hidden in their hearts, she was for Alexander, and in the eyes of the Sicilians, she was because of her own ambition and the future of the Kingdom of Sicily.

Military men always liked ambitious monarchs because of the ability to bring them honor, status and wealth.

Jisha didn't say anything more, she had already seen the answer in the looks of the generals.

So she stood up and drew her saber from her waist, the tip of which rested on the table: "For Sicily!" ”

"For Sicily!"

For a moment, the swords were unsheathed, and the cries resounded throughout the room.

For you, my brother......