On January 4, 1498, strange news came from Florence.

Savonarola, the consul of Florence and abbot of St. Mark's monastery, was to give a public mass.

When the news reached Rome, it caused quite a stir.

For many years, the public Mass in Florence has always caused some controversy.

It all started with the assassination of the Medici brothers.

During that assassination, the people who supported the Medici family angrily executed many of those involved in the conspiracy on the streets, including the Bishop of Florence at the time.

Because of this, an enraged Sistine IV announced that the Florentines were deprived of the right to celebrate public Mass, a decision that continued until the Medici family was expelled from Florence.

Then, when the Vatican tried to lift this punishment on Florence, it was discovered that Savonarola, who had succeeded the Medici family in Florence, was a figure who was even more troublesome for them.

In his sermons, he not only publicly criticized the Holy See, but even accused Alexander VI of his guilt by name, which eventually led Alexander VI to dismiss the idea of restoring the Mass in Florence because of his hatred for him.

Now, in flagrant defiance of the Holy See's resolution, Savonarola is preparing to hold a grand Mass in the main square of the Consulate in Florence, which has made many people turn their attention to the papal office in the Vatican Cathedral.

And Alexander VI did not disappoint either, and he quickly reacted violently to the matter.

"Any Mass that is not recognized by the Vatican is invalid and contrary to the canons, and it is a grave blasphemy," Alexander VI said of Florence's actions. ”

The pope's rebuke was harsh and even terrible, except that it did not seem to provoke much reaction in Florence.

Two days later, more accurate news came that Savonarola would celebrate Mass on the last day before the end of Lent!

Josa remembers very well that when she heard the news, Alexander, who was sitting across from her for lunch, seemed to sit there in a daze with an apple in his hand for a long time, and just as Josa was about to ask out loud because of his strange behavior, Alexander let out a sigh, and then opened his mouth and took a hard bite on the apple.

"Looks like I'm going to have to get ready to leave," Alexander said to Josa, "and it's likely that something will change in the near future, and I'll have to be ready." ”

Jisha stared at Alexander in some surprise, and couldn't hide the excitement in her heart, leaned over and lowered her voice and asked, "My God, do you really have ambitions for Florence?" ”

"My sister, you're really going to guess," Alexander chuckled softly, "you think I'm going to be stupid enough to do that?" ”

"Perhaps, then, you may be blinded by ambition," said Tsusha in a whispered uncertain "but if you do, then I advise you to put it away as soon as possible, I do wish my statue was in the White Flower Cathedral, but I don't want you to do anything stupid about it." ”

Listening to the words that seemed to be complaining, but implicitly concerned, Alexander smiled with relief.

"Don't worry, I have no interest in ruling Florence."

Alexander's answer made Josha's eyes froze slightly, she didn't know if Alexander's words were true, but she didn't care about this now.

Because with the onset of winter, as in Amsterdam, the northern ports have entered their own long or short lockdowns, and the long coastline stretches from the icy North Sea to the warm French coast, from the Iberian Peninsula to the ports of the Mediterranean, a trade scramble for the European inland market has begun.

Josa was a little apprehensive, because she had never imagined that she would be facing such a situation, which was completely beyond the time she had faced Taranto and the cities on the Mediterranean coast, but was facing a "war" that could affect the whole of Europe.

Alexander's promise relieved her mind somewhat, but at this time, she saw Alexander bite the apple hard, and suddenly added: "At least not interested for now." ”

The damp and fishy sea breeze blew in through the window, making the person lying in bed feel very uncomfortable.

The impact of Lent, which began before today, on people's lives is beginning to be revealed, and at least for those who can live well by eating fish every day, 40 days in a row is very difficult.

Just two days ago, with the faint sound of bells at night, the year 1498 finally arrived silently.

On this Chinese New Year's Eve, which is no different from the past, there is one person who is obviously having a bad time.

Caesar sat up from his bed and looked out the window, but he saw not a single superfluous figure except the jagged reef below and the waves crashing against the shore.

This is a very remote island off the coast of Naples, with a small castle except for a humble fishing village.

And this small island is a small fief belonging to Modiglo, Count of Naples.

Ulliu did not send Caesar directly to Naples, which was too unsafe, after all, Caesar had more or less contact with the local nobles during his stay in Naples, which made Alexander wary that once he arrived in Naples, he might find an opportunity to contact those local acquaintances and take the opportunity to escape.

After all, Caesar was still very good at fleeing.

A few years ago, he was taken hostage by King Charles, but soon he found an opportunity to escape.

It was that experience that seemed to stimulate Caesar's attachment to power.

Alexander didn't want that to happen again.

So Uliu, after arriving in Naples, met Modillo alone, and then, according to Modillo's instructions, sent Caesar to this small island far from the mainland, in the middle of the Tirenian Sea.

The island was the Earl's domain, one of the many dotted islands on the sea, and the small castle was used by the Earl's family to garrison the garrison in the early years, but now the guards have been removed, leaving only a few men to guard the castle.

The castle is not big, but it is enough to imprison one person, the key is that the inhabitants of the village on the island are all the lords of the Modillo family for many years, they may not know that one is imprisoned in the fortress on the top of the hill, but if a new face appears, it will definitely be discovered.

It's been more than a month since Caesar was sent here, and it's not that he didn't want to escape, but he didn't succeed several times.

He had also intended to impress the guards with bribes, but those men were supposed to be Modiglo's loyal men, as they would not listen to him.

The sea breeze made the futon wet and uncomfortable, and Caesar lifted the quilt aside in disgust, and then looked out the window listlessly.

This small fort is located on the highest point of the island, and if the weather is good, you can see the undulating curves that loom on the sea level in the distance, which is Capri, which gives Caesar a rough idea of the location of the place he is locked in.

But it was obviously of little use, for if he couldn't get a boat, even if he escaped from the fortress, there was no way to leave the island.

There was a crunch sound outside the door, and Caesar knew that the guards had come to deliver food.

The guards never spoke to him, even if he bribed him with the little bit of value he had, and it was obvious that these people were loyal to Modillo, and more importantly, they didn't seem to be interested in the world beyond the island, which didn't move their hearts at all.

Biting into some dry and hard bread, Caesar frowned, these days of Lent are really difficult, if it is strictly observed, you can't eat the only meal every day until the sun goes down during this time, and even if you eat, you can't catch fire, which means that you have to eat raw and cold food for a long time.

Caesar couldn't remember the last time he had followed these rituals, perhaps the Borgias had never really followed them, but now he had to suffer according to these ancient rules.

Caesar didn't believe that the Count Mordillo was such a strict follower, but the strange guards baffled him.

And somehow, over time, he noticed that the guards seemed strange, especially sometimes when he overheard them talking to each other, and heard something familiar in their tones.

Caesar could make out some familiar accents in the tones of those men, one familiar to his father, and although he himself was born in Rome, he sometimes had a characteristic accent due to habit.

That's the Castilian accent.

This made Caesar a little strange, he didn't know how Modillo could have so many Castilian servants, but he was happy at first.

The Borgia family came from Valencia, and although the family had been in Rome since a very early age, the ancestors of the Borgia family were indeed Valencian nobles, and even before Alexander VI became pope, he served as the archbishop of Valencia.

When it was determined that the guards might be from Castile, Caesar thought his chance had finally come.

He kept telling them who he was, the names of his family, and the surnames of many nobles from Valencia or elsewhere in Castile who were still close to them, but to his disappointment, these people seemed to have no interest in the nobles and surnames he had mentioned, and they were not even willing to say a word to him except for the daily food and drink.

Caesar was in a hurry, and the battle of Livorno showed him the defeat of his army in front of Alexandria's Montina, but instead of discouragement, it aroused him even more.

On the battlefield, Caesar saw up close how Alexander's army defeated his Papal army, which made him feel that he had mastered the key to Alexander's victory, and he believed that if he was given time and his father's support, he could train such an army.

Only now he had to find a way to escape from this island.

Caesar went to the door and brought the tray on the wooden table, and he did not refuse to eat out of anger, but tried to keep his body healthy, because only then would he have a chance to escape from here.

A bustling conversation came from a distance, as if someone was laughing and laughing as someone passed by, and Caesar immediately approached the window, leaned out as far as he could, and then shouted out, "God bless you!" ”

"Oh, God bless you," the dark-faced islander greeted casually, and then looked up at the window high with some difficulty, "It's a nice day today, do you want to bask in the sun?" ”

"If I could get out, I'd bask in the sun."

Caesar didn't care about the sarcasm of the villager, who had tried to ask for help and promised a heavy reward when he had been sent here, but the villagers laughed at him and told the guards what they had said.

Then he didn't get a little food or water for a whole day.

Now he wouldn't be so stupid to ask for help from these Mordillo people, but he began to greet them casually.

Looking at the villagers who were giggling at him and walking away, Caesar turned and sat down with his back against the wall, then picked up a small stone and carved a mark on the wall.

Since the day he came here, he had been carving daily marks on the wall, and looking at the dozens of marks on it, he sometimes felt that he had been locked up here much longer than this number engraved on it, but he still tried to be as patient as possible.

There's a reason why he goes out of his way to greet those villagers every day, because he knows that these people are fishermen from the island.

Caesar believed that his father must have been doing his best to find him, and that he should have known that he had been sent to Naples, so his father's men should have been nearby.

So as long as you inquire carefully, you will always find some clues.

His daily greetings to these fishermen may be passed on as a joke by these people, and those who are looking for him may have heard rumors of a strange prisoner on a small island.

It was already completely dark, and Caesar saw a few swaying shadows through the crack in the door, and he knew that it was the return of the guards of the fortress.

The fort had not been abandoned for a long time, and Caesar even saw a "1478" date in the corner of the room, perhaps carved by the soldiers guarding the fort at the time.

Caesar placed the empty plate on the wooden board of the window and knocked on the door, knowing that someone would soon take it away.

Footsteps approached, the figure swayed, and a pair of hands reached in and touched the plate.

However, the man did not withdraw his hand as usual.

At the same time, Caesar, who was standing in the door, heard a faint, almost imperceptible sound outside the door.

Then he saw the hands retract softly, and then there was a sound of a heavy object falling to the ground outside the door!

Caesar's heart tensed, and he quickly stepped back, his eyes fixed on the closed door.

It seemed to take so long to pick the lock, Caesar even felt as if it was longer than he had been imprisoned here.

The door opened, and a bearded man stood in the doorway, holding a key in one hand and a bloodied dagger in the other.

"I suppose you must be Master Caesar Borgia," the man glanced at the silent guard who had fallen beside him, and bowed to Caesar, "I have come to you on your father's orders." Your Excellency, you are free. ”