"Caesar and de Charlaon went to meet the two Medici, but they didn't talk long."

The two men met separately with the Duke of Pisa, with Caesar meeting Tomneo for a longer period of time, and the Duke himself escorted him out of the house when he came out. As for the French, they didn't see each other for long. ”

"Caesar entered the University of Pisa and stayed there for a while, but he just looked at it casually and didn't go out of his way to meet anyone."

Listening to Ulliu's reports, Alexander pondered silently.

Caesar was well known for his ambitions for Romagna, but before he and others thought his opponent would be a Sforza of Milan or an equally ambitious Venetian.

Only now it seems that these people have to stand back for the time being, because of the appearance of Alexander, Caesar has undoubtedly focused his attention on him.

The fiasco at Livorno was only the beginning of everything, and the point was that Alexandria occupied a vast area from Montina to Pisa, which made Caesar feel like he could not swallow it.

Romagna and Tuscany are both located in central Italy, one bordering the Adriatic Sea opposite Venice, while the other is nestled against Genoa by the Tirenian Sea.

These two lands divided Italy into north and south, separating the mountains of Naples and the Apennines in the south from the fertile Lombardy and Po regions in the north.

And from Montina and from Pisa, they are both faintly threatening to these two regions.

Caesar must have realized that even if he did gain dominion over these two lands, as long as the Montina-Pisa alliance existed, it would be as if a terrible beast was lying on his stomach, ready to jump up and bite him by the throat at any moment.

"In addition, Caesar had lunch with Madame Lucrezia, who had been in the palace for a long time."

Alexander frowned.

Lunch at this time doesn't have a set time, and it's not uncommon for lunch to start at 2 p.m. or even later, and then it's not uncommon for a lunch to be eaten until dark.

It wasn't how long Caesar had eaten a meal or how long he had been at Lucrezia's place that mattered to Alexander, but what he had said to Lucrezia.

Alexander will not forget how his two "predecessors" were unlucky in history and in this era, respectively.

Giovanni Sforza is now cold, and Alfonso of Billyselli is still good, but in his memory is actually even worse, this guy has endured more than Lucrezia's persuasion, and ran away with his wife to Rome, and then was killed by Caesar's number one thug Corella not long after.

Alexander, of course, did not want to be one of them, and thinking that Caesar might get an idea from Lucrezia, he began to feel that the brother-in-law did not seem to have learned enough before.

"Pay more attention to Uliu, you know what I'm talking about."

"Yes, sir," Uliu nodded in response, but seemed to have something to say, "But sir......"

"What else?"

"I mean, Madame Lucrezia, you know that it would be a little difficult for Caesar to insist that she go back to Rome, or even if she was to be encouraged to take Mademoiselle Estelles with her."

Seeing the look of embarrassment on Uli's dark face, Alexander glanced at him dissatisfied.

The Moors are good everywhere, but they are a little more thoughtful.

This is Alexander's assessment of Ulliu, he knows very well why Ullius deliberately said this, in fact, he just wants to get a clear authorization from him, although from the Moors it seems that this is a wise move to protect himself, but it is a bit difficult for Alexander.

"Well, as long as you don't hurt her, you can use some slightly tougher tactics if necessary," Alexander paused a little and continued, "but I won't openly allow you to do this, so you understand?" ”

"I understand my lord," a hint of helplessness appeared on Ulliu's dark face, "and I may be punished for this, but I only hope that you will be a little more merciful in punishing me for the sake of my loyalty." ”

Looking at Uliu's somewhat pitiful appearance, Alexander felt a little uncomfortable.

"Don't worry, Uliu, I'll take care of it, of course we don't want that to happen, but you should know that Caesar is always going to give us trouble."

"So please rest assured, sir, I won't let him make trouble for you in order not to be whipped myself." Ullius immediately whispered to Alexander in an empathetic tone.

Ulius was not mistaken, Caesar was indeed in his mind, and he felt that he would soon succeed.

Lucrezia's concern and sincerity for his family was the main reason why he dared to come to Pisa with confidence and boldness.

This was not to say that he was afraid that Alexander would be thrown into prison as soon as he met him, but that he had already prepared not to go home empty-handed, and he was sure that even if Alexander sensed his plans and had Lucrezia's protection, he would be able to leave Pisa safely.

It was only after a few days in Pisa that Caesar was not in such a hurry to leave.

He met Tomneo, who, despite repeated hints of sympathy for his situation, seemed to have completely lost confidence and courage to confront Alexander.

This made Caesar think that Alexander would find this man, not someone from the Zaloni family, the previous ruler of Pisa, as this puppet, and he really bet on the right treasure.

At least this man is now frightened, perhaps he hates Alexander in his heart, but he has lost the courage to be his enemy, unless someone can push him.

However, Caesar did not feel that this matter was in a hurry, and his immediate priority was to find a way to bring Lucrezia back to Rome.

As long as Lucrezia is separated from Alexander, with an understanding of her character, Caesar believes that after a long time, she will naturally forget the inexplicable feelings she had for Alexander.

Caesar felt that this idea was completely achievable, especially when he saw the trinity painting of the young man named Raphael Sandy at the University of Pisa, and even at first glance he quickly recognized that Maria, holding the newborn child at the bottom of the portrait, was the image of Lucrezia.

And the child in her arms is completely the shadow of Estelles.

At that moment, looking at the face of the Virgin, which was brightly rendered by the light, Caesar felt that he had to take Lucrezia away from Alexander, and he even looked so fierce with some impulsiveness that the thin boy who was with him was a few steps away from him for fear of being afraid.

However, when he offered to buy the painting for a large sum of money, the boy had the courage to refuse.

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm glad to have your appreciation, but the painting already has an owner," said the boy with a little pride, "and the Count of Montina has decided to buy it." ”

"Please wait a minute, sir!"

A very high voice suddenly came from the side, and then a sturdy young man rushed over.

"Let me persuade him, you will get this portrait."

He grabbed the boy by the arm and turned to run, not forgetting to turn back and give a flattering smile to the stunned Caesar.

"Are you stupid Raphael, this is a good opportunity," whispered the young man named Proto, "and that is Caesar Borgia, the Pope's son, who has enough money to buy your freedom." ”

"But we have promised the Count." Raphael said with some hesitation.

"But the business hasn't been done yet, is it, and the Count hasn't paid the deposit," said Proto, smiling at Caesar in the distance, and making a gesture asking him to be patient, and then he turned back and continued, "Listen that you are destined to become a great painter in the future, or even a true master, and that you will need the appreciation of not just the dozens of florins but the great men, and in that respect you must admit that the Count is not the best patron, think of Leonardo da Vinci, who is now at court in Milan." , while Botticelli remained in Florence because he was the symbol there, and as for Michelangelo, who was now famous, he was appreciated by the Pope in Rome, and these people were very clever and they knew what kind of patron to look for to help them. ”

"Do you think Caesar will sponsor me?" Raphael couldn't help but be moved by his friend's words.

"Of course, you're a true genius," Proto squeezed Raphael's beautiful, almost transparent ear, "show some courage, your works are not something that dozens of florins can measure, they are destined to become classics." ”

Raphael nodded a little embarrassed when he finally said it, but he hesitated a little when he looked at Caesar.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Proto said as he walked towards Caesar.

"Your Excellency, you must have heard that the Count of Montina bought this painting," Proto said in a deliberately low voice, while looking into the corridor outside the door, "To be honest, my lord, I don't think the Count is suitable for this painting, of course I am not slandering, but I think the Count's intention to buy this painting is a bit vulgar. ”

"It's his child, after all," Caesar looked at the Pisa student, almost wary of Proto's tricks, "and I can only express my evaluation of the painting in money, am I not vulgar?" ”

"My lord, I know who you are," Proto said as soon as he saw the look of alarm on Caesar's face, "I know that you want to buy this portrait out of noble affection, and to tell the truth, your Borgia family is much more noble than the count, and naturally it is better to collect this masterpiece that is bound to be handed down to the world." ”

Caesar's face became better, and he could tell that Proto's words were actually sarcastic about Alexander as an upstart, which made him immediately feel a little kind of affection for the Pisan college student who looked a little slippery.

"But you also know that the Count is very generous in order to curry favor with Madame Lucrezia, so he ......"

"What price Gombray offers, I pay double." Caesar asked happily.

"Oh, this, 100 florins." Proto didn't wait for Raphael to speak, and immediately picked it up.

"Then I'll give 200." Caesar frowned slightly, although the price was a little higher than he expected, but the thought of snatching such a portrait of extraordinary significance from Alexander's hand made Caesar think it was worth it.

"Your Excellency, you are so generous and merciful." Proto grabbed Caesar's hand and kissed him hard, then turned back and dragged Raphael, who was a little ignorant, to express his gratitude to Caesar with him.

"I'll pick it up myself when the portrait is finished, and don't tell anyone until then."

Caesar took another deep look at the mother and son, or more accurately, the mother and daughter, who were hard to look away from him, and then he glanced at the two young men standing next to him in a daze, and walked out of the room quickly.

It wasn't until Caesar left that Raphael woke up from some trance.

"200 florins, you know, the count only paid us 40 florins."

"So you should be glad to have such a friend as me," Proto gently bumped Raphael with his elbow, "Listen, finish this painting as soon as possible, but don't let anyone know until then." ”

"Of course, the Count would be furious if he found out." Raphael was a little worried again, "Really, the Count knows sure and angry. ”

"So we won't be in Pisa for long," Proto seemed a little reluctant to look at the studio, "and when the painting is finished, we'll have to get out of here as soon as we get the money, but you don't have to worry, these 200 florins are enough to enlarge and renovate your studio, so that you can inherit your father's inheritance and live on your own." ”

"How can I thank you, Proto," Raphael looked at his friend with some excitement, "you are affected by me, and you should have a share of these 200 florins." ”

"You're wrong, I owe you thanks," Proto waved his hand, "You know what, I wanted to leave Pisa for a long time, this place is not for those merchants, my ambition is to be a big man, not an inferior person who works for them." So I'm ready to go to Rome, and today I met the Pope's son, and it was a great opportunity for me. ”

"You're always so smart." Raphael looked at his friend with some envy.

"You can do that, as long as you don't always focus on painting," advised Proto, "listen, you have two paths now, one is to go home with this money and inherit your father's studio, and the other is to go with me to Rome, believing that with my brain and your painting skills, we will conquer that city soon." ”

Proto's words made Raphael hesitate.

He knew that, as Proto had said, their actions would obviously anger the Count of Montina, and that they could not stay in Pisa any longer, so whether they should go back to the town called Urbino to inherit his father's business, or go to Rome as Proto had said, which made him a little embarrassed for a while.

"Don't worry, after all, there is still some time," saw Raphael hesitate, and Proto comforted him, "but your painting should be completed as soon as possible, and remember to keep it secret and not let others know." ”

"Of course I understand," said Raphael, as he walked to the portrait, "to be honest I don't want to sell this painting to anyone, whether it's the Count or Caesar Borgia, and I don't want to sell it for any amount of money. ”

"So what are you going to do, I think you're a little weird sometimes." Proto gave Raphael a strange look, and then his gaze, which was going back and forth between his friend and the canvas, slowly grew in surprise, "My God, you can't be in love with that Lucrezia!" ”

Seeing the panic on his friend's immature face, Proto immediately stretched out a finger and shook it in front of his eyes a few times.

"Don't do such stupid things, have you heard about the Count and Lucrezia, that Count is not a kind and benevolent man, he once almost killed one of Lucrezia's fiancés with his own hands, and it seems that the death of her first husband was also related to the Count, and if he knew that you were in love with his woman, he would chop you into meat sauce and throw you into the Arno River."

I don't know if he was really frightened or what, Raphael's face turned a little blue, he kept nodding blankly, and then grabbed Proto's hand as if he suddenly came to his senses!

"I'll go to Rome with you!" When he said this, Raphael looked determined and seemed to have made a lot of determination.

"Have you figured out, go to Rome?" Looking at Raphael's somewhat strange demeanor, Proto hesitated.

"Yes, I'm going to be the greatest painter, I'm going to be the most remarkable master of my time, believe me Proto, I've never been so hungry for fame as I am now."

"Well, now that you've decided, we're going to go to Rome, but you'll have to finish the painting before then."

"Of course." Raphael stood in front of the canvas and looked at the portrait seriously.

In the light of the incarnation of God and the Holy Spirit surrounded by angels, at the bottom of the portrait, the Virgin with a motherly face gently holds up her beloved child whom God has given her.

In the swaying light, a beautiful child who seemed to have just opened his beautiful black eyes to look at the world was conceived in this light.

His countenance was so beautiful that it was impossible to tell whether it was male or female, and his smile was so innocent and pure, as if all the filth of the world could not pollute those innocent eyes.

"How many days?" Proto asked in a low voice.

"It's going to take about 2 days, and you have to wait until the paint is completely dry."

"Maybe the world can be shorter, half a day can be dried thoroughly, to see how poisonous the sun is outside." Proto suggested, thinking about 200 florins and thinking it seemed a little too long.

"No," Raphael immediately and stubbornly rejected the offer, "the sun will make the color of the dye unnatural, and may even appear dull, and I want to embody the purity of the child baptized in glory." ”

Seeing that Raphael, who was originally good-natured, became so obsessed and even stubborn at the mention of painting, Proto shook his head helplessly.

"Well, it's just two days," Proto nodded in compromise, "and we'll go tell Caesar Borgia to get 200 florins from him, and we'll leave Pisa at once." ”

Raphael nodded ignoring the canvas, and at this point there seemed to be nothing else in his eyes.

"2 days?" Caesar, who received the news from his entourage, frowned slightly, it seemed that time was a little tight for him, but thinking that Alexander should not have thought of his plan, this relieved him again.

Then, he smiled at Lucrezia, who was sitting across the table with a puzzled face, "Listen to me, I'm going to give you a gift,." ”

"What kind of gift?" Lucrezia immediately asked curiously, "Alexander is fine with everything, but he doesn't give me gifts." ”

"Give me 2 days, I'm sure you'll like it then." Caesar said confidently.