"No!"

A roar of rage came from Lucrezia's bedroom, causing Madame de Mira, who was standing outside her room, to gently stroke her forehead, and she looked back at her daughter-in-law, who was standing with her, and saw a small bruise peeking out of Julia Farne's slightly low neckline, and Madame de Mira reached out and gently stroked Giulia's skin.

"It seems that our Pope is still very young, at least the passion in bed is no worse than in the past," de Mira said a little teasingly, seeing that her daughter-in-law raised her eyebrows slightly, she did not remind, "but you have to be careful, as far as I know, there are many women who are planning to replace you, you know, from now on, there are at least ten years before the Pope can be interested in women, and this time is enough time for those women to make up their minds." ”

"Don't you want to go in and persuade Lucrezia, she's been losing her temper all day," said Julia Farne, who was a little surprised that her mother-in-law was so indifferent to Lucrezia, "She had been clamoring to go to that Gombray, but today was the day when the Duke of Billy Shelly sent an envoy to meet her." ”

"I don't think it's necessary," said Madame de Mira disapprovingly, "if the Duke is as handsome and fascinated as his sister says, I don't think it will be long before Lucrezia will not be interested in the Count of Montina, for you know her well, and you should know that the more you oppose her, the more stubborn she will be to do one thing, and the best thing to do is to change her mind with another." ”

Julia Farne thought for a moment, and then had to admit that her mother-in-law was right, and from the experience of Lucrezia's best friends over the years, stubbornness against stubbornness was indeed not the best way to deal with Borgias.

The door opened, and Caesar walked out of the room with a gloomy face, and he saw de Mira shaking his head helplessly with a smile that seemed to be full of "I have already reminded you", and then could only nod his head slightly, and then strode away.

"The Pope needs to forge a stronger alliance with the Neapolitan royal family, and one Charsan is not enough for this," Julia Farne whispered to her mother-in-law, "Actually, I don't think it's enough, that Charsan obviously didn't play a role in this, and the relationship between the Vatican and Naples has not changed at all." ”

"Yes, otherwise the queen, who still lives in Marino's palace, would have left Rome long ago," Madame de Mira said with her daughter-in-law's words, "but this time it seems different." ”

Although they were also the sons and daughters of Alexander VI, Lucrezia and Geoffrey had very different positions in Alexander VI's mind.

For Geoffrey, Alexander VI not only questioned whether he was his own child, but he also hated Geoffrey's forever bear child.

This doomed Jeffrey to be impossible to be loved by Alexander VI, even if it was for him to find a wife like Shasan who was very satisfactory in terms of birth and dowry, but for Jeffrey himself, Alexander VI never liked it.

Lucrezia, on the other hand, was Alexander VI's favorite daughter, so even if she was looking for a husband for the sake of profit, the marriage had to be worthy of her.

Now it seems that Napoli is much more important than when Jeffrey married Shasan.

"The Pope, he didn't like that Gonzalo, so he wanted to fight Ferdinand of Aragon together through his marriage to Naples."

As the mistress of the Pope, Julia Farne not only has good looks and an intoxicating figure, but also has a smart brain.

"Perhaps it is time for you to go in and persuade our princess," said Madame de Mira, "I know you don't want to see Lucrezia get involved with that Gombray. ”

"Of course, Mom, that guy killed my brother with his own hands." With that, Julia Farne walked into Lucrezia's room.

Lucrezia's room was lavish and full of contemporary fashion, with slightly darker tones and bright frescoes that stretched to the ceiling, and then a large ceiling painting covering the dome of the room, and if Alexander was lucky enough to go deep into this boudoir, he would find that among the paintings hanging on the walls were several of the most famous art treasures of later generations.

The owner of the room was lying on her back on the couch at this time, one of her arms was pillowed under her head, the other arm hung down naturally, her fingertips almost touched the ground, and the slightly raised peaks and flat lower abdomen formed undulating hills on her chest because of her leaning up, which made her whole person look full of fascinating charm.

Julia Farne walked into the room and saw such a sight that made her pause and look at it for a moment before walking over.

She gently cupped Lucrezia's cheek, then shook her head slightly: "You are so beautiful, you must know that if I were a man, I would definitely be fascinated by you." ”

"Even if it's not beautiful, there will be people who 'hook' me, as long as my father is the Pope," said Lucrezia with some annoyance, "Caesar asked me to go to the messenger of the Duke of Billyseri, and promised him to take one of my portraits, but I didn't want to see him." ”

"Can't you forget the Count of Montina," Julia Farne frowned, "I don't know why you must be obsessed with that man, you must know that he was originally a small country lord, and even his current title was obtained because of his engagement to that Barentia della Roverre, how can such a person be worthy of arguing with your brother for him." ”

"Julia, I don't allow you to talk about him like that," Lucrezia sat up and angrily knocked off Julia Farne's hand from herself, but seeing her good friend's displeasure, she quickly pulled her and herself to sit side by side next to her, "You don't know him, Julia I know he killed your brother, so you hate him." But these are two different things, he was very good to me, even when he hijacked me, I could feel that he was very good to me. ”

"He's just obsessed with your beauty, and believe me there's no man who doesn't like you, and that Cambrai is no different, so he's no different from any other man, and he's nothing, and he's much better than Duke Lisherley." Julia Farne said disdainfully, "Believe me, Duke Billy Shelly is young and beautiful, just look at the appearance of Chaisan and you can think that her brother is certainly not bad, and he is also of noble birth, so that Gombray cannot compare with him at all." ”

Listening to her good friend's incessant talking, Lucrezia was a little annoyed and a little dazed, and she found that everyone around her was constantly persuading her to accept the duke who was said to be young and handsome and had a fascinating temperament, which made Lucrezia, who had always been easily shaken and had no opinions, gradually feel a little dazed.

While Lucrezia was overwhelmed by persuasion from all sides, Alexander was facing a rare amount of pressure.

From the investigation of the Jews, to the involvement of the Farnes, and then to the increasing involvement of Roman noble families, Alexander felt oppressed from almost every corner of the city.

In addition to the cardinals of the Vatican, there was more resistance from the aristocracy, and Alexander could feel that many officials in the town hall had begun to avoid him, and his orders to the city defense army had begun to be resisted.

"It seems that we have annoyed a lot of people," Alexander said, looking at the results of the investigation prepared by the Moors and the Barrician merchants, to Ulliu, who was standing opposite, "do these Roman nobles want us to stop pursuing their dealings with the Jews?" ”

"Sir, maybe the Vizier didn't mean to help you when he told you about the Jews," Ulliu felt compelled to remind Alexander, who knew nothing about business, but could tell from the uneasiness of the Bari'ari merchant that things were troublesome, "Sir, we started out just to find out who killed Giovanni, but suddenly we seemed to be the enemy of the whole city of Rome, which is too bad. ”

"Worse yet," Alexander whispered, "and consider that Giovanni lost his life because of this, and you can imagine how powerful these men were in Rome." ”

Alexander's words made Ulliu instantly feel as if his throat was blocked by something, and he couldn't help but snort slightly.

"Can those Jews really have such a great power to kill the Duke of Gandino for them?"

Looking at the puzzled faces of the Moors, Alexander shook his head: "They don't have that kind of power, but their money is enough to make everyone do the most daring things, and what interests me the most is what," Alexander took out a gold coin and held it up, "The Jews themselves do not possess the money, they know very well that if they themselves have such great wealth, it can only bring endless trouble, and their clever place is to let the money of the Romans obey their orders, The Jews were like passages of gold from one place to another, and all of them had to follow their passage in the meantime. ”

Ulliu listened as if he didn't understand, and he felt that his master seemed to be a little enchanted, perhaps because the Jews really had some kind of magic that made Alexander seem to be immersed in a fantasy that he could not understand at all.

This made Ulius a little uneasy and dissatisfied, he had always been the first to understand the master's intentions, and now he felt that he suddenly did not know what the master was thinking, which made the Moors feel as if they had lost their direction all of a sudden.

Fortunately, a piece of news brought by Mademoiselle Countess made Uliuu feel that he could be used again.

"The messenger from Billyshelly wants to see Miss Lucrezia?" When Uliuu heard the news, he first looked at Ji Sha skillfully, and after finding that she didn't have any strange looks, he asked cautiously, "Then Miss, do you want to tell the master the news?" ”

Uliu had already made up his mind that if the Countess said that he would have to wait a little longer, he would report it to the Lord at the latest, the day after the incident, and in any case not too late.

To the Moor's surprise, Josha's answer was neither "wait" nor a perfunctory "as soon as possible", but "now".

"Go tell your lord that if he still wants to save the matter, then be ready," Tsusha said lightly, glancing at the slightly surprised Moorish "And remember your identity, you are only my brother's servant, and I am his sister." ”

Looking at the Countess who turned to leave, the Moore scratched his bare head in annoyance, he knew that his previous self-acting cleverness was not only not appreciated by the Countess, but on the contrary, it seemed that H had aroused her suspicion.

But the question is, if he really regarded her as the elder sister, wouldn't she be even more unhappy?

Why is it so hard to be a servant? Ulliu reluctantly walked to Alexander's room.

Palazzo Potico has not had guests for a long time, especially after Giovanni was killed, in addition to the gloom shrouded in sadness, the sudden extra guards near the palace also made the originally lively and relaxed Palazzo Potico become cold and depressing.

But today the palace was suddenly bustling with activity, the servants were required to wear the best clean clothes, the cooks were reprimanded by Madame de Mira, and several of Lucrezia's valet were admonished to ensure that their mistresses were well throughout the day, or they would be punished more than simply being driven away.

The reason for all this is that an emissary from Naples is coming to the Palazzo Potico.

Alfonso, Duke of Billysey, and Geoffrey's wife, Chassan, were the illegitimate sons of Alfonso II, the brother of Frederick, now King of Naples.

Although the current king was only the uncle of Alfonso of Billyselly, as the tension between Naples and Ferdinand of Aragon deepened, Alexander VI seemed right to conclude a deeper alliance with this king.

At least they have someone they don't like, Gonzalo.

It can be said that if Alexander VI and Frederick were to choose between King Charles of France and Gonzalo, they would rather be bullied by Charles than face Gonzalo's arrogance.

It was because of this that the marriage between Lucrezia and Alfonso was finally negotiated.

According to tradition, Frederick sent an envoy to Lucrezia, who was to evaluate whether the young lady was as beautiful and graceful as the legend had been, and to properly investigate whether the young lady was suffering from some disease, whether it was clear or not, for it was crucial to whether or not a good heir would be born once married.

This important mission was tasked with a close associate of the king's side.

The Pope had high expectations for this meeting, and he believed that his daughter would be very happy with the marriage.

Alfonso, Duke of Billy Shelly, was young and handsome, which fits in with Lucrezia's favorite type.

And the relationship with Xia San, which is quite good, also seems to ensure that Lucrezia is more receptive to such a new husband.

As for that Cambrai, Alexander VI did not consider it a problem.

As Nomelo said, the Borgia are amorous, and he or she can be loyal to his or her husband or wife while still being like a lover.

The Pope was not opposed to Lucrezia having any betrayal of the young Alexander.

The only thing they didn't allow was that they ruined his plans because of their insignificant love.

Lucrezia was eventually shaken by the incessant persuasion of de Mira and Giulia Farne.

She didn't know if it was because she was moved to hear that the duke was young and beautiful, or because she was disappointed that Alexander hadn't seen anyone since his last visit to the Potico Palace, she decided to meet the messenger.

Beside her, a maid held a portrait covered by a thick curtain,2 which her father had at the behest of the famous painter Fodovito, who had little idea that many years later the painting would live on with her mixed fame.

I didn't know that there was a young man who stood in front of her portrait for a long time, and was impressed by the youthful and innocent people in the painting, as well as the passion that can still be felt even through the canvas.

Caesar stood quietly in a corner of the palace, and he brought a small group of guards with him today, not only to ensure that the meeting would go smoothly, but also to show the Neapolitans the secular power that he had gradually revealed in Rome.

With the renunciation of the priesthood, Caesar was in dire need of new power, and he took over half of the Roman defense army by order of the Pope, and as far as he knew, Alexander was gradually losing control of the other half of the city defense as the Jews were resisted by the Roman nobles, which led Caesar to believe that if it went well, it might not be long before the entire city defense army was in his hands.

Caesar actually admired Alexander a little, he dared to face such a huge whirlpool, Caesar felt that even he would not dare to touch those things.

Lucrezia's figure appeared, and she walked slowly accompanied by her two female companions, but her face did not look very good.

Caesar shook his head secretly, he was not as optimistic about his sister's future as Giovanni was, so he felt that he could save even words of comfort.

The Neapolitan envoy was a very cautious man, he didn't say much, and the regularity from beginning to end made the whole meeting seem a little depressing, but Caesar still saw surprise and surprise in his demeanor.

The messenger probably did not expect that this Borgia lady was even more beautiful than the legend, and when he took Lucrezia's hand and kissed it gently, he became a little out of his temper with excitement.

"The Duke would be glad to have such a wife," said the messenger, turning back to Caesar, "I think that if he had known that his fiancée was like this, he would have hated why God had not given him wings to fly to Rome in time." ”

"My brother is just as handsome, isn't he," Xia San, who was standing next to him, interjected with a smile, she saw the slightly gloomy look on Caesar's face, and couldn't help but be secretly a little proud, "I believe that my brother will give Lucrezia a happy life, they are simply a pair arranged by God, and I can't even wait to see the two of them standing together." ”

Lucrezia remained silent, her face sometimes a little dazed, as if she didn't know how she could be standing here.

It wasn't until Madame de Mira next to her nudged her hint that she came back to her senses and nodded slightly to the messenger: "Allow me to take the liberty of asking you to pass on your little image to the Duke of Billy Shelly, hoping that he will not be disappointed when he sees my countenance." ”

"Trust me, miss, the Duke will only feel that this is a gift."

The messenger saluted respectfully, and then stretched out his hand to take the drapered portrait from the maid beside him.

At this moment, a deafening gunshot suddenly rang out outside the Potico Palace!

The sound of the shot was so sudden and so loud that it was only after the sound of the gunfire that the people in the Potico Palace realized what had happened.

The woman's screams were mixed with the man's panic, mixed with Caesar's angry roar.

This is the Potico Palace, how could anyone dare to shoot here!

Caesar angrily led the people out of the palace gate and into the courtyard, he was not worried about danger, because not only near the palace, but also in the Angel Citadel a little farther away, there was an entire army ready to support him.

Because of this, the women, who had begun to panic, also calmed down, and they followed the men to the door, to see who dared to shoot outside the Potico Palace.

A group of soldiers appeared in front of them, their halberds and muskets in their hands neatly pointed at Caesar's men who stood in front of them, and in front of the line was a white horse that was jumping excitedly in place, or rather a little crazy, Alexander's musket was smoking.

"Gombray, are you crazy?!"

Caesar's face had turned blue, and he could never have imagined such a scene.

What he didn't expect was that when he saw them coming out of the palace, Alexander didn't pay attention to his questioning at all, but suddenly urged his horse and rushed towards Caesar's team in front of him!

The soldiers watched in amazement at the lone oncoming knight, as he rushed desperately at the spear, as he swept past the ranks and into the garden in fear of dodging.

Then, under the stunned gaze of everyone, Alexander rushed to Caesar.

Caesar instinctively dodged to the side, and then he realized that Alexander's target was not him at all.

Bending over, holding hard, and holding it tightly, Alexander swept Lucrezia onto his mount at a gallop!

"I've seen that portrait a long time ago."

These were the only words Alexander said to the stunned Neapolitan envoy with the portrait in his hand as he left,