The crisp morning breeze blew in through the window, blowing up a corner of the gown-gauze bed tent and cutting across Alexander's cheeks.

Gently opening his eyes, Alexander collapsed on the somewhat stiff bed board, looking at the huge bed curtain above his head.

It is a large four-poster bed, with carved flower-carved pillars supporting the entire curtain that envelops the bed, and the tassels that hang from all sides form a wavy undulation.

Alexander didn't really want to sleep here.

Although all the bedding, mattresses, and even the drapery and tassels had been replaced, it was strange to think that Isabella and Ferdinand slept in this bed, and even that several of their children were born in this bed.

But this is tradition, and although he has not yet been crowned or officially declared king, sleeping in the bed that belongs to the king is a strong proof of this claim.

The room was quiet, and Alexander listened attentively, but there was no sound from the guards outside the door.

Strange to him, he got out of bed and walked to the door and opened it.

Alexander couldn't help but smile when he saw the Moors sitting in the chair by the door, who happened to look up at him at the sound of the sound, and then smiled and showed a whole row of snow-white teeth.

"When did you come?"

"Last night, sir," said Ulliu, standing up and bowing with his hands folded respectfully, wearing a white robe trimmed with gold wire, and a hat with a large tail on his head, looking a little funny, "Did you sleep well last night?" ”

"There are mosquitoes."

Alexander's answer made Ulliu smile, he knew the old man's habits very well, although he didn't pick a bed, he could not sleep comfortably in that bed.

Maybe you should find a companion for the master?

As soon as this thought flashed, Uliu hurriedly threw it away.

After all, it was about to be done, the sun was so shining, life was so good, and there were still good days to go, which made Ulliu feel that there was no need to die.

Seeing the few unopened letters that Ulliu was holding in his hand, Alexander knew that they must have been sent last night.

I think Uliu wanted him to get a good night's sleep, so he didn't let anyone bother him.

Only Uliu has the power to do so.

In Barriaridud, Alexander was not easy.

The initial excitement is followed by constant competition and calculation, and the birth of a new monarch often means not only a change of throne, but more importantly, a reshuffle of forces from all sides.

This is inevitable in any era and any country, although all monarchs admit that meritocracy is the way to perpetuate the country, but in fact, there are very few people who can really do it, or can be consistent with their hearts.

A person with outstanding talents, but who is not in the same mind as the monarch, can actually do much more harm than a mediocre person, and sometimes even the enemy will not cause such great damage.

Fearing this, monarchs chose their assistants more often on loyalty than talent.

As for the kings who claim to appoint merit without regard to their previous suspicions, they are actually more concerned about the reputation of benevolence.

Alexander needed a group of loyal people, not necessarily talented, but they had to have one thing in common, and that was that they needed him.

It was enough to bind those people to him.

And as these people are reused, it will inevitably violate the interests of those old forces.

So now Alexander's situation in Barriedot is actually not much better than Ferdinand's, or with the change of identity, he is experiencing Ferdinand's feelings at the beginning.

"Sir, here's news from Rome." Ulliu sent several letters to Alexander, each with its own distinctive markings, which, though not visible from the outside, were quick to identify and prioritize to those who were familiar with them.

"Massimo?"

Alexander asked, picked up the letter above, and after checking that the wax was intact, beckoned Ulliu into the room, took out the compiled copy from the wooden box he was carrying, opened the letter, and began to read it.

This is indeed a confidential letter written by Massimo himself, in which he mentions a proposal that is now being discussed in the Vatican, although it is still a small discussion, and there is a tentative consensus on whether Alexander VI should be declared abdicated.

This was obviously a very serious proposition, and could even lead to major disagreements, so Massimo immediately wrote to Alexander about this important news.

However, between the lines, Alexander could perceive that Massimo's attitude towards this matter was more resigned, and even somewhat evasive.

He can also understand Massimo's thoughts, after all, whether it is the old pope or the new pope who may succeed to the throne in the future, they all have a close relationship with him, and strictly speaking in this matter, even this is Alexander's "family matter", so Mahimo naturally will not be too obvious to support or oppose either side.

And if you look closely, you will find that Mashimo's mind has obviously changed a lot, after all, with the difference in status, the papal throne is still a little distant for Mashimo today, but it is no longer an unattainable dream.

Therefore, the current Mahimo naturally needs to take the opportunity to show his influence and role, instead of easily choosing which side to stand on, and in vain setting up unnecessary opponents and obstacles for himself.

Alexander sighed at all these changes, and couldn't help but remember how abrupt and funny he was when he first met Massimo, and then he closed the secret letter and looked at Uliu.

"I originally wanted to keep you by my side, but now I might have to let you do things again," Alexander felt a little guilty about the Moor, after all, the people who followed him were now well-developed, and Ulliu had been willing to play the role of a loyal servant, which made him consider whether he should give Ulliu some compensation, "I want you to meet the Pope." ”

"Okay sir," Uliu nodded immediately, he didn't ask what to pay attention to on this trip, but said in a slightly shy tone, "Sir, here, there is something I want to report to you......"

Looking at the look on Ulliu's face, Alexander's original guilt disappeared at once, he narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at the Moor's flickering flexible eyes, and after a pause, asked, "Say, what did you do?" ”

"Master, it's like this......"

The expression on Alexander's face became more and more strange as he tried his best to justify his actions in Navarre, until the Moors finished speaking, and Alexander sat there silently staring at the somewhat confused Moors.

"So, you've just found a family for my daughter?"

"Sir, Ferdinand is putting pressure on Navarre."

"And without my permission?"

"That's what the French were thinking about at the time, sir."

"You don't even see what that Prince Navarre looks like?"

"Actually, I haven't met Princess Catherine either."

Looking at the Moorish man's seemingly innocent expression, Alexander felt that there was nothing more to ask.

He looked at Uliu playfully, and after a while, he suddenly laughed: "Navarre? ”

"Yes, sir, it's Navarre," said the originally nervous Moor, who seemed to see the turnaround, and immediately said cautiously, "they are very close to France, and perhaps this can be ......"

Alexander waved his hand to stop Ulliu, who was more familiar with Navarre than the Moors, and even knew that the historical kingdom of Navarre was annexed by France and Castile respectively a dozen years later.

If there was anything in history that Ferdinand could be proud of, it was the partition of Navarre.

Bounded by the Pyrenees, the kingdom of Navarre was divided between France and Castile.

The difference is that the French still retained the throne of Navarre as a vassal for the sake of face, while Ferdinand simply merged South Navarre into Castile.

And it was the Kingdom of North Navarre, which was preserved, that a French king was born a few decades later......

Alexander looked at Ulliu, and he really didn't know whether to rebuke the daring Moor or praise him.

Prince Enrique of Navarre, who was indiscriminately married to his daughter by Uliu, was the grandfather of Henry IV, who founded the Bourbon dynasty in history.

However, Henry IV became a relative of the Valois family because his maternal grandmother was the sister of the later French king François, and his sister was the Duke of Bourbon of France, and eventually became the king of France.

But now, things seem to have taken an unexpected turn, and with the help of Ulliu, Prince Enrique is actually engaged to Alexander's daughter Catherine, and whether or not this marriage will be realized in the end, everything seems to be a little different.

Will the future King Henry IV still appear, or will everything change like never before?

Alexander felt that he had gradually lost sight of the direction of the future, perhaps from the moment he really began to seek the throne of Castile, the future was destined to enter the fog of history that no one had ever touched.

Navarre, though?

Alexander smiled again.

As a father, he was indeed angry that Ulliu had deprived him of his most important responsibilities and pleasures.

Alexander felt that in this era, he could not completely leave his daughter to find the other half who satisfied her, so it was his duty and responsibility as a father to find a husband who could make her happy and satisfied.

But Ulius destroyed it, much to Alexander's abomination of the Moors.

But in his heart, he had to admit that Uliu's actions were purely for Ferdinand, if not to mess around, but he was very delicate in this matter.

Because of its unique relationship with Spain and France, Navarre is destined to be a rather unique bridge between the two countries, so such a marriage does not seem so bad.

Just thinking about Uliu's audacity and recklessness, so looking at the Moors standing aside, Alexander asked maliciously: "Then what do you think Sophia will think of this matter?" ”

There was a brief pause on Ulliu's face, and then he looked at Alexander: "Sir, I think I can still be useful to you. ”

"Otherwise I'll have your head cut off."

After Alexander finished speaking, he picked up the secret letter of Massimo again, opened it and read it, this time he looked at it very carefully.

Ulliu stood quietly waiting for Alexander's orders, he knew that the matter was over, but it was evident that the old man was very annoyed, and probably would not reward himself for this meritorious service.

"How much do you think the Vatican is likely to force the Pope to abdicate?" Alexander looked up at the Moors on the side.

Alexander's inquiry made Uriu slightly stunned, and although he did not see the contents of Massimo's letter, based on his familiarity with the situation in Rome, Ulliu immediately guessed what it was talking about.

The Moorish man's swarthy face showed a serious expression, and he habitually crossed the thumbs of his hands with each other while turning back and forth in a circle while pondering the old man's inquiry, and the room seemed quiet for a while.

Alexander didn't bother Ulliu, although he had thought of this possibility before, but when he was really faced with such a situation, he still needed the advice and advice of others.

"Sir, in the history of the Vatican, has there ever been a pontiff who abdicated?"

Alexander nodded, he knew what Ulliu meant, and the Moors were considering the possibility of such a thing by asking him if there was a precedent for such a thing before.

"There was once a Silas V, this pope who ruled for half a year and then chose to abdicate himself," Alexander shook his head lightly, "Don't use this pope as a standard, he is completely different from the current pope." ”

Ulius didn't ask what the difference was, he just frowned and continued: "The cardinal is now very powerful in the Vatican, and some even call him the uncrowned pope, and if he can't wait to be actually crowned, I think he is capable of making a formal proposal to depose the pope." ”

Alexander nodded slightly, he knew that the advice given by Ulliu's long stay in Rome was undoubtedly reliable, and if he only thought about the character of old Rovere, he could be sure that his old man would not have the patience to wait for Alexander VI to take his last breath.

"That's why Uliu, I want you to meet the Pope in person," Alexander beckoned to Schell, who had already appeared at the door, but was about to leave immediately after seeing the two people in the room, to let him in, "I am very satisfied with what you have done in Valaridotus, and it also makes me feel at ease that I will entrust the safety of the Pope to you." ”

Ulliu's face froze, and he vaguely guessed the meaning of Alexander's words.

Old Rovere was likely to be against Alexander VI because he wanted to become pope as soon as possible, and considering that if there were no signs of deposing the pope, Massimo would not have written such a letter at this time, Ulliu realized the seriousness of the matter.

"Because of the special situation, it is impossible for the Queen to send too many people to escort the Pope, so I need you to ensure the Pope's safety along the way," Alexander commanded, "If necessary, you can take as many men as you can with you in Barriaridud, and as for me here Shel, you don't have to worry." ”

Uliu wanted to say something, but seeing Alexander's resolute appearance, he first shut his mouth, but then he still wanted to try again: "Sir, and the Catalans of Tiego, maybe we can ......"

Alexander stopped Ulriu with a slight wave of his hand, he stood up and walked slowly, and after a long time he stopped and said to Ulliu: "I have other uses for the Catalans, and as for Tiego, I have decided to ask him to complete another task, so the escort of the Pope will be left to you." ”

Ulliu finally nodded, he knew that since this was Alexander's final decision, as a royal officer, his duty was to carry out the lord's orders to the letter.

"Sir, I'll tell the chief of the guard the names of all the people I know who might be your enemy." Ulliu knew why Alexander had called Schel in.

Many people think that the Balkans are savage, rude and brainless, and they don't have any brilliant brains except for being brave in battle.

But Schell obviously does not belong to this kind of person, he is indeed fierce, but not reckless, on the contrary, he is very clever and likes to learn, and even after discovering the unusual relationship between the old brother and sister, he can also very subtly show his attitude to Alexander, which is an important reason why Alexander chose him to replace Busako in the first place.

So Ulius felt that it was safe to tell the Balkans the names of those potential enemies.

Alexander nodded casually and began to look at the rest of the letters, which were obviously from Italy, sent by the same "church post", but the letters were of a longer or shorter age.

Some of the things mentioned in one of Lucrezia's letters were even arranged by the letter to which he had already made a decision.

This made Alexander feel anxious about the poor conditions of transportation and communications.

The future "empire of Alexander" may cover far more area than is known at the moment, and the backward transportation and communication will inevitably bring great difficulties to effective rule.

In fact, many empires in history have gradually lost their domination over distant regions due to poor transportation and poor communications, so how can the future Spanish Empire avoid this problem?

Alexander shook his head slightly, he felt it was too early to think about this.

Ferdinand should have earned his money quickly after fleeing Valaried Doud and hurried to Aragon, and there was no reason for him to stay in Castile, where danger could be encountered at any moment.

If you count the time, it may not be long before news of Ferdinand's whereabouts will be known.

Ferdinand's choice to leave Valariador at this time was not necessarily a delicate strategy.

If before Alexander had always been able to use all kinds of flexible means against Ferdinand, now, with the entry into the Barbiaridot, he has also lost this flexible condition.

Then the two sides will stand on the same position and compete.

It's just that Ferdinand's kingdom of Aragon is obviously stable, and because he has one of his grandsons as a bargaining chip, it has an advantage over Alexander.

Thinking so, Alexander couldn't help but take a deep breath, and then he stood up and ordered the retinue who had already appeared at the door to wait to change his clothes.

As rebels, people always want to destroy all the existing order, and with the change of status, when they become rulers, they become the staunchest supporters of this order.

The so-called warriors who slay dragons eventually became evil dragons.

Alexander knew that he was not a dragon slayer, so he didn't want to be a dragon either.

He wanted to build an empire of his own, not simply rehash the historical Spanish Empire, so he needed to work harder.

So after summoning the Castilian nobles, he left Don Banderaz behind and told him the news.

"I have arranged for the Pope to enter Madrid, and I am sure that Madrid will become the most important city in Castile in the future," Alexander continued, looking at the mayor's beaming face, "and I have decided to establish a vice-capital in Seville, and the future heir to the kingdom must first have the name of Grand Duke of Seville." ”

Hearing this, Don Bandraz, who was originally full of joy, couldn't help but show a stunned face because of the accident.