Alfonso of Billy Shelly looked gloomily at the young Jew standing opposite, who said his name was Joseph Buccini, and that he was the agent of the Jewish moths in Naples.

Alfonso didn't have a good impression of the Jews, speaking of which was somewhat related to his sister Chassan, Chasan and Giovanni's ambiguous relationship was well known throughout Rome, although it made her husband Geoffrey dissatisfied, but Chasan obviously didn't care about it, but Giovanni suddenly died on the streets of Rome, and it was very close to the Jewish ghetto, Chasan certainly lost a lovely lover all of a sudden, and more importantly, Alfonso brothers and sisters lost their strong assistance in Rome.

Alfonso believed that if Giovanni had lived, Giovanni would have chosen to support him with his inexplicable relationship with Chassan, and that he would have a good chance of marrying Lucrezia.

Alfonso, of course, didn't know that he had been given his long-cherished wish in history, but it was because of this that he gave away his life early, but now that it all came down to the Jews, his attitude towards the Jews was very unkind.

In addition, the main reason why he hated this Jew was because he was a creditor.

Even the wealthy aristocracy did not want to see their creditors, let alone the Jews who could not get rid of them once they were entangled with them.

In fact, it was not Alfonso who owed the money, but it was about the same, because it was the money he had borrowed from the Jews as a guarantee for him to marry Lucrezia, and he did not hesitate to borrow money to fill the façade in order to give the impression of being generous and quite wealthy, according to Alfonso's thinking at the time, Surian could have fallen into heavy debt, but as long as he could get Lucrezia's favor, everything was worth it.

It's just that his trip to Rome was bad and his brother-in-law was certainly quite cold to him, and what was worse was that he had just arrived in Rome and heard all kinds of rumors about Lucrezia and the Count of Montina, and even the story of the two of them openly fleeing Rome became a topic of pastime for countless people after dinner, and then he was beaten in public when he first met the rival in love.

The shadow was enough to make Alfonso feel that it would be a sheer shame to stay in Rome, so he quietly returned to Bilischerly, hoping to get away from the sad place, and even more so from those who disgusted and feared him.

But he never imagined that the Count of Montina would return to Naples, and his power was obviously more terrible than it had been at the beginning, and not only him, but the entire Mordilo family seemed to have mastered the power of Naples, so that he showed the slightest intention of trying to regain the throne, and he was attacked head-on.

And that's what it means literally, so that Alfonso can't forget the public humiliation that Cambrai gave him, and the annoyed he went to Naples to claim that the news had attracted nasty Jews.

"Your Highness, please forgive me for my presumptuousness, but please understand that our business is not doing well now, and we have to support our family." Opposite Bucini, with a sleek Jewish smile on his face, was different from when he was a young university student in Venice, and different from when he showed his ambitions with Josa in Naples, he was now a completely slick businessman, with the most common annoying and helpless smile of Jews.

"You're here to ask for a debt?" Although he knew that Alfonso still asked, he hoped to use the majesty of his Duke of Billy Shelly and members of the royal family of Naples to frighten the Jew, because he had heard many rumors that Jews were in fact just timid people, and for them gold coins were indeed the only source of their lives, but Alfonso believed that power was what really made them know awe compared to gold coins.

It's a pity that maybe the duke's momentum is not strong enough, the Jewish young man looked completely unmoved, he shrugged his shoulders as if he wanted to explain his intentions, but in the end he gave up, the slippery smile on his face disappeared suddenly, and then nodded very seriously: "That's right, Your Highness, I'm here to collect debts." ”

Alfonso was incredulous and circled around the room behind the Jew, because he could not repay the debt in time, and after some bargaining, Alfonso had to agree to the Jew's offer to use the right to operate several properties in his name as a condition of compensation, although during this period he thought more than once about simply repaying the debt, and even called the guards to throw the Jew in prison, but he finally endured.

This was not because Alfonso had any admirable spirit of contract, but simply because when he saw the signs of his intentions, the Jewish youth reminded him of the trouble he might get his sister in Rome by doing so.

Obviously, Xia San's life in Rome is not very proud, her husband Geoffrey's bear child because he has not been able to get the love of his father Alexander VI and quite unhappy, except for his own small territory and Xia San's marriage to the little territory, Jeffrey and his wife really do not have much other income, and in order to support the façade and have to spend a huge life to let Xia San enjoy the luxury that he has never had, but also deeply understand what it is to live in Rome is not easy.

Therefore, Xia Sang inevitably borrowed money from various means, including raising money from the Jews.

Alfonso knew that the Jews were suggesting that if they were to be rude, the matter would reach Rome, and his sister Chasan would lose face.

Although the Jews are not called debts, it is always bad, and it will make people realize that Billy Shelly is beyond his means, and it is also a big blow to Alfonso's reputation, and it is estimated that no one will be willing to lend him money for a long time.

It was with this thought that Alfonso finally had to agree to hand over those properties to the Jews, and watching Buccini skillfully take out the documents he had already prepared from his purse and ask him to sign them, Alfonso could not help but feel a wave of hatred in his heart.

The Jew apparently came prepared, and he probably even knew exactly what Alfonso was doing, including several estates in Billyselly, as well as two checkpoints in the name of the Duke on the main road to Naples in Billyselly, which could collect high daily taxes for Alfonso, and the money received went entirely into Alfonso's personal pockets.

This may sound like a good way to make money, but Alfonso always felt as if he was always short of money, and he was not able to solve this mystery until the Jews began to check their accounts.

"Your Highness, your estate has been losing money for 4 years in a row," Buccini shook his head with a little disgust, looking like he had just made a loss-making business, "We have to invest a lot of money in the debts of these estates alone to settle it, and as for the follow-up investment for production, is it not small, Your Highness, are you sure you want to transfer the management rights of these estates to us, or do you have any other properties that can be said to be reasonable?" ”

Alfonso's cheeks twitched a few times with almost uncontrollable anger, and he took a breath before he said in the affirmative: "This is all I can use to pay my debts, knowing that I am a member of the royal family of Naples, the son of the noble Alfonso II, and everything I do now is to preserve my family and my own honor." ”

Buccini nodded and didn't say anything more, he looked at the income and expenditure accounts of the two checkpoints again, and then could only sigh slightly and said to Alfonso: "Your Highness, I have to tell you that the situation is really not optimistic, originally these two tariff revenues are very considerable, because Billy Silly is located on the main road to the south, and those merchants are unlikely to take a detour, because it means that not only will they have to bear more travel expenses, but the road is not so peaceful." ”

Alfonso nodded immediately, he was still very concerned about these two checkpoints, because this was the key to his private treasury, but he also knew that in the last two years, the tariffs at these two checkpoints had also been greatly reduced, which did make Alfonso very annoyed but didn't know what to do.

"You've probably heard of the Free Trade Zone Alliance," the Jew thought for a moment and reminded Alfonso, "it's a federation of chambers of commerce, a bit similar to the Hanseatic League, but not the same, and it is joined by many local nobles besides the chambers, who used to be tariff-free and able to trade abroad. ”

Alfonso nodded blankly, of course he had heard of the free trade zone, and he also knew that since the emergence of this free trade zone, his life as a businessman in Billy Shelly did not seem to be easy, and the income of the merchants directly affected his private treasury.

Alfonso wasn't that interested in these things, though, and he just wanted to get the tax money.

"In fact, before we came, we learned that some chambers of commerce in your territory have indeed joined this free trade zone, but because you yourself have not signed an agreement in this regard, they can only enjoy some preferential trade, and for example, because they can't get the opportunity to reduce the cost of greatly reducing the cost brought about by mutual exemption from tariffs between territories, so these chambers of commerce seem to be discussing whether to withdraw from your territory."

Listening to the news that Buccini seemed to be casually revealed, Alfonso couldn't sit still, although he didn't care about the fate of the merchants, it didn't mean that he didn't understand what the withdrawal of the Chamber of Commerce would bring.

A market without merchants is doomed to perdition, and merchants are like the rivers that flow in the territory, bringing enough nutrients to the land, and for Alfonso the merchants are the fat sheep in his eyes, but if the sheep have to go to other pastures to multiply, then his life will not be easy.

The young duke's first thought was whether the news was true, and then how to stop the merchants from leaving Billy Shelly if it was true.

"Your Highness, to put it in a way that may not be appropriate, we want Billy Sheri to become prosperous more than you do, after all, it is related to our income and capital." Looking at the ugly face of Alfonso Buccini, he said very sincerely, "If you can manage your territory well, we are very willing to give you more opportunities, but your current situation in cotton is really bad, the merchants have left one after another because of the closure of your territory, and it will be very troublesome if it continues like this, so what we have to do is to prevent this from happening, no matter what method is used, but just don't let those merchants leave." ”

"Any way?" Alfonso's eyes flickered.

"Of course, it is better to be gentle and acceptable to everyone, you know that your uncle respected King Frederick and once borrowed money from us, and it was a sum of up to 140,000 florins, and the king used to worry about it."

"Then he won't be in such a hurry now," Alfonso said casually, and then realizing that his words were obviously not in line with his identity, he added a cross, "God bless him, and these troubles are indeed free in heaven." ”

"Actually, the account was inherited by his son, King Alfred, and now there is a quick and satisfactory result for everyone," saw Alfonso's immediate expression of interest, but Buccini changed the subject, "I say this just to remind you that although this debt may seem quite heavy, there is still a way to do it if you do it right." ”

Alfonso caught up on Buccini's words, and he vaguely felt that there was some trap in this, that the Jews were known for their cunning, and that they were best at tempting you with some sweetness as bait, and then when you stepped into their trap, they would pounce on them and eat their prey.

But now Alfonso clearly felt that he was really a little desperate, once the right to operate the property was completely transferred to the Jews, then he would have no other income except to take the annual dividends negotiated by the two parties to make ends meet, which was unthinkable for Alfonso, not to mention that he still had a lot of ambitions, and his army, which was small but had high hopes, could be disbanded like this, a result that he never wanted to see.

"Or if you can promise to pay off this debt as soon as possible," said Buccini in a nonchalant tone, "but I would like to remind you, Your Highness, that your debt is not due to your inability to pay it, but because your territory is not well managed, and if you continue to do so, you will not be able to get rid of it completely, and you may even make your territory worse off." ”

Alfonso's face was gloomy again, and he wanted to teach the outspoken Jew a lesson, but he didn't dare to act rashly.

This man's advice may be his only chance of getting out of debt, though he knows that there can be many costs to be paid to get help from the Jews.

"What do you want?" Alfonso thought about it with his lips tensed, but finally decided to hear what the Jews had to say.

"I just want to settle this debt of yours as soon as possible, it's important to me, and it's about whether I can gain more trust in the family."

Buccini gave Alfonso an unassailable reason.

In fact, he was telling the truth, and it was important for Buccini to settle the debts of places like Billy Shelly as soon as possible, because it was about whether the elders would be able to fully support him in placing a heavy bet on Alexander and his group.

Buccini remembers the bold promises he made in his letters to the elders, but even so there was a marked difference between investing in Alexander personally and investing in his group.

That would mean that the fate of the Jews in the next few hundreds, or even centuries, could be united with Alexander's entire community.

If this bet is correct, the Jews are likely to have a great impact on the fate of many countries and even the whole of Europe for a long time to come, but once it fails, what awaits Alexander will be a complete defeat, and it may be even more devastating for the Jews, because it will not only involve a huge loss of money, but more terrible is that Alexander's enemies will not tolerate the continued survival of the Jews who helped Alexander.

Because of this, the elders were still hesitant on some key issues, and Butcini had to show them his abilities and means, so that the elders could understand that he would choose Alexander not by luck or impulse, but by his keen observation and accurate predictions.

"How did you say the king's debt was settled?" Alfonso finally couldn't help but speak, although he also knew that opening this mouth might mean taking the first step into the abyss, but he really had no other way at this time, he had to find a way to maintain the normal expenses of his territory, and once the management of the checkpoints and farms was handed over to the Jews, even if he could barely maintain the dignity of his court, his army and some of the things he wished to keep were bound to be cut and curtailed.

"You can make an agreement with the Free Trade Alliance, and let the Free Trade Zone Alliance issue you a guarantee that you will indeed be able to repay your debts through business and trade, which is a very beneficial outcome for you and for us, knowing that if it is not necessary, we will not accept the property of a nobleman of your status, and it will not benefit us at all."

Alfonso was a little distracted, and Buccini's frankness surprised him a little.

Obviously, as Buccini said, this kind of forcing a great nobleman to pay off his debts with his ancestral property is indeed a bit too shocking, and whoever this creditor is, even if he can take possession of those properties as he wishes, is bound to become the public enemy of all nobles.

The special status of the Jews made them aware of the implications of doing so, so as Buccini said, they would rather give Alfonso a chance to run his own territory than take over the property, which led to public outrage.

Alfonso, who understood Buccini's intentions, suddenly felt as if he had a bottom in his heart, but just as he was about to speak, Buccini, who seemed to have guessed his thoughts, suddenly preemptively said: "But Your Highness, I must make it clear that for us, wealth is the only thing worth cherishing in this world, so we can pay a lot of price for wealth, including our reputation and maybe sometimes our lives." ”

Alfonso's face flushed in an instant, and the Jews' words could not have been more clear.

Don't think that if we are worried that we will get into trouble, we will make a calculation of defaulting on our debts, and talking about money hurts our feelings, but talking about feelings hurts money, so we can do anything for money.

Alfonso stared at the hateful young Jew, and more than once imagined shooting this man into a hornet's nest with a crossbow, but in the end he could only suppress his anger and ask, "Then what do you think I should do?" ”

"You can send someone you trust, preferably a knowledgeable businessman, to be your plenipotentiary and negotiate with the chambers of commerce in the free trade zone, but I remind you that if you have already made this decision, make up your mind as soon as possible, for fear that the French may invade at any time, and those chambers are already considering whether to withdraw from Naples for the time being."

"If they withdraw from Napoli......" Alfonso thought of something, and immediately looked a little nervous.

"I think you've already thought of it," Buccini nodded, "Indeed, if the FTZ Chamber of Commerce withdraws from Naples, it may mean that the merchants of the FTA and all kinds of maritime trade may not pass through Naples in the future, which is of course bad, but it may be a good thing for those who have joined the merchants earlier, such as those merchants in your territory, they can take the opportunity to buy goods from the merchants in the free trade zone that are much cheaper than others, and then sell them to your territory at a high price." ”

"If that happens I'll tax them heavily, two, no, three or four times, and I'll forbid the merchants from doing business in my territory, or I'll arrest them all!" Alfonso imagined the merchants in his own territory colluding with outsiders to make their own money, and the thought of the traitors making their own gold coins with cheap goods made him feel the urge to arrest people immediately.

"If that is the end of your territory," Butcini looked at Alfonso with a foolish look, "but before you make a mess of yourself, I can only ask you to fulfill your debt obligations first." ”

Alfonso stared at the property management rights that Buccini pushed in front of him, and tapped his fingers on it a few times, but in the end, the anger in his stomach slowly turned into a ball of helpless resentment.

"I'll send someone to negotiate with the chamber of commerce in that free trade zone, but I want you to promise that if I sign an agreement with them, you can't take back the right to run my farm at will."

"Of course," Buccini finally smiled, and as he took back the letter of assignment of the estate, he said kindly to Alfonso, "your checkpoint must have reduced or even eliminated customs duties, but your territory will soon prosper." Trust me and you'll be able to repay the money soon, and then we'll get back the principal and interest, and you'll get out of debt, wouldn't that be the best outcome? ”

Looking at Buccini's sincere face, Alfonso opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't know what to say.

But no, he always felt as if something was wrong.

And the next afternoon, a messenger delivered a secret letter to Alexander.

The letter was opened, and there was only one sentence inside: "Dear Earl, as agreed, I have bought Billy Shelly for you." ”