As Raphael's friend, Prato originally thought that he also had some artistic spirituality, but the cruel reality finally made him realize that he was just a layman who knew money.

Prato originally intended to become Raphael's economic man, although he did not have any aura in art, but he thought that he still had some ability to see people, at least from a very early age he knew that Raphael was not simple, and he would definitely be a promising young man in the future.

So Pletto planned to invest in this friend, which was originally a very safe idea, but the copper trade that suddenly became lively made him unable to hold his breath, and the result was that he fell into it and ended up bankrupt.

But fortunately, when he was desperate, and even lost the money he and Raphael had paid for the rent, the Count of Montina extended a warm and friendly hand to him.

Prato turned into a rich man Prato, and the wealthy Prato lord began to buy low and sell high in the copper market, calling for wind and rain, and for a time he created a great reputation in Rome.

And the ambition of the rich man of Prato was not small, just over half a month ago he arrived in Bucharest with money and guards.

Being the King's guest of honour and being able to laugh and talk to the kings of Bohemia and Hungary was something Prato had never imagined before, which made him both excited and ambitious.

It's just that he also knows who brought him all this, and for the count, Prato is not so much grateful as afraid, especially the Moorish beside him who seems to be flattering and humble to everyone, whenever he thinks of that heretic, Proto will feel an indescribable discomfort.

When Ladislas II sent someone to Prato, he was drinking in a tavern with everyone.

As a wealthy merchant, he had been one of the focal points of the city since the day he entered Bucharest, and his many servants, extravagant lodgings and lavish manners made him look like a real rich man, and Prato did not feel any burden when it came to spending the earl's money.

So when he casually invited everyone to drink as if he was in a good mood today, there was immediately a burst of thanks and praise in the tavern.

"May God bless you, generous Prato!"

"God will grant you more riches, Solomon Prato!"

The screams of the people kept going, and the sound reached the outside of the house, so that the herald thought that there was a riot in the tavern.

"You're a good man, Mr. Prato, but not all of you are good guys."

A young man drank a little high, his eyes cloudy and his voice was muffled, but even then you could see the resentful expression on his face.

After taking a sip of his drink, the young man began to pat the table and confide in Prato on the other side.

"When we were persecuted by those Orthodox Christians, we longed for someone to help us, we asked the Vatican for help and sent messengers, but we couldn't wait for any reply, and when we were disappointed, we finally waited for someone, but that man was a real devil, he took my beloved so easily, and he used intrigue to drive me out of adulthood, you know I hate that person."

"Oh well, you hate that man," Prato said casually, the young man he had met not long ago, and he was very appreciative of the young man's infatuation that had taken the city by storm, and he even thought that if it was possible to help this man achieve his ideals, he might get more benefits.

"That, Gombray......" muttered the young knight as he lay on the table.

"What did you say?"

Prato asked in astonishment, but the young man was too drunk to open his eyes, and just as the king had sent someone to find Prato.

Although he seemed surprised to hear a familiar name, Prato did not dare to delay the king's business, and he took out a handful of gold coins and threw them on the table, beckoning the tavern owner to invite all the guests present for a round of wine, and then he squeezed out of the tavern amid a burst of cheers.

Only a frustrated young man was left lying on the table and muttering to himself.

"Aloxia, why don't you tell your lord that you love me, I'm going to pursue that princess, and I'm going to let you know that I'm no worse than that count......"

"The king wants to see you at once," said the king's men hurriedly as they went, and he wondered why the king was in a hurry to see the merchant, but perhaps not a good thing, judging from the fact that the king did not seem to be very good at the time when he gave the order.

To Prato's surprise, Ladislas II asked a question that surprised him as soon as he saw him.

"Do you know the Count of Montina?"

Prato didn't know if it was because of his unnatural look at the time that caught the king's attention, and after glancing at him, Ladislas II simply asked him directly: "Do you know this count?" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty, I know him," Prato nodded at once under the King's gaze, "but it is not a pleasant thing to say, you know that as a merchant I should not talk about a noble nobleman, especially since this nobleman has a deep relationship with His Majesty the Pope. ”

"You're talking about his relationship with the Pope's daughter." Ladislas II corrected slightly.

"Beautiful Lucrezia," Prato nodded quickly, and even wanted the king to show a 'you know how men you know,' and then said in a tone that seemed to be understood only by the circle, "but those are all rumors, and you know that the Count is very fond of Mademoiselle Duchess d'Estles, as can be seen from the baptizing painting of Mademoiselle Duchess by my friend, so the love between the Count and Mademoiselle Lucrezia cannot be as bad as those people say." ”

"What are these rumors," said Ladislas II, a little curiously, and then curiously asked, "has your friend painted a portrait of the Duchess of Pisa?" ”

"Why don't you know about it, Your Majesty," Prato looked surprised, and then quickly nodded again, "It's about the death of Lucrezia's previous husband, some rumors are really bad, and it shouldn't be me, it's disrespectful to several nobles, but that incident is a bit widespread, that is, Count Montina and Lucrezia fell in love a long time ago, and because of this, the Pope gave the son-in-law of the Sforza family to ......, you know that this kind of thing should not be said to me." ”

Ladislas II looked slightly appreciative, and then he asked with a little curiosity: "Tell me what you said about that painting?" ”

"You say that the painting, which my friend Raphael Sanhi made to congratulate the Duchess of Pisa on her baptism, and that the Pope's son Caesar was present at the time, and if you look at that painting, you will notice that a guardian angel in the upper right corner of the painting is his image, but forgive me for saying in private, I heard that although Lord Caesar was very pleased with this painting, His Majesty the Pope did not seem so happy."

"Why?" Ladislas II asked with some curiosity.

Hearing the king's question, Prato tilted his head and pursed his lips, as if he were talking in private: "It is said that His Majesty the Pope thought that he should baptize the Duchess Lady by himself, and not by the Bishop of Pisa, although he sent not only his own son, but also the abbot of the Abbey of St. Mark in Florence, to observe the service, but His Majesty the Pope still felt as if he had done a bad job to his granddaughter. And he was a little annoyed that he didn't paint himself in the painting, because he had ordered my friend to add his image to it, but that would have ruined the whole appearance of the painting, and who knows, the count always got what he wanted, and it was not uncommon for so many great men to watch his daughter's baptism. ”

Ladislas II looked thoughtful, but for a moment his eyes fell on Prato's face.

"But I see that you seem to be dismissive of the earl, or do you seem to have some grievances against him?"

"Your Majesty, don't say that, I'm just a businessman, how can I complain about a big man like Count Montina," Prato showed a hint of uneasiness on his face, but under the king's gaze, he finally said stupidly, "Actually, I just think I'm lucky to hear about that count here, and it's not a good thing for me, or for many people, after all, we've all suffered at his hands." ”

"What's going on, tell me about the count," Ladislas II urged, a little impatiently, "tell me what you know." ”

"I don't really know much, Your Majesty," Prato said first, but before Ladislas II, who was already frowning, could speak, his next sentence made the King of Bohemia stunned, "But I do know that he is doing business with the famous Fugger family." ”

Ladislas II's already furrowed brows immediately relaxed, and his eyes were fixed on Prato, and just when Prato was secretly worried, the king suddenly said: "I still have some things to do, but perhaps you can have dinner with me, and then you will tell me about the count." ”

Just as Ladislas II and the nobles of Bucharest were surprised by what had happened in Zagreb, outside the city of Zagreb, Alexander and Gompati were walking slowly along the undulating mountain road.

Behind them was Zagreb, which had faded away, and in front of the road beneath their feet was to the east along a ridge that was gradually rising.

It is a mountainous area where the Carpathians and the Balkans meet, and the sea breeze from the Adriatic Sea blows from the relatively low mountain terrain between the two mountains towards the interior of southeastern Europe.

At the same time, because of the wind circulation in this area, the climate in the surrounding area, which was originally blocked by the huge mountain range and could not penetrate, caused the cold air to be trapped, made the climate much cooler than other places.

Moving white clouds can be seen on the slopes of the mountains in the distance, but if you walk in, you will find that they are actually shepherds driving a large number of goats.

The goats can jump on the steep mountain roads that neither humans nor horses can pass, especially some energetic male goats, who always like to stand on the rocks jutting out of the steep slope, staring proudly at the people or sheep passing below.

"You could have asked the viscount for more," said Gompati with a little regret as he walked, "and it is a real favor that you have helped him to take the duke's throne, but you have made no other request than to ask him to fulfill your request that you allow you to conscript the natives as soldiers, but it seems to me that the viscount will not thank you for your generosity." ”

"How can we be grateful," Alexander smiled at Gompati, "knowing that to them we are foreigners wherever we come from, and although we are all Catholics, in their eyes we are no different from the Ottomans. ”

"Well, at least to the Orthodox Christians, we may be worse than the Ottomans."

Gompati nodded approvingly, since he had entered Zagreb, he had clearly felt the hostility from the Orthodox Christians, which made Gompati even have the illusion that he was actually in pagan territory.

Alexander did not say anything about Gompati's complaints, and he certainly would not tell the slightest bit of hostility, which was nothing compared to the great schism that swept Europe like a hurricane after the rise of Protestantism.

After thousands of years of grievances, the conflict between Catholicism and Orthodoxy has actually been much milder than it was many years ago, as Viscount Herva said, his father, Duke Signacci, was killed, not so much because of his conversion, but because he became a thorn in the side of some people.

As for who these people were, Herva gave a list of names, among them Rhova in Northern Bosnia?? The Marquis is at the top of the list.

According to Helva, those who wanted to get rid of him because they felt that his father had become an obstacle to their bid for the king of Bosnia, and the reason why these people who were qualified to compete for the kingdom did not target other competitors but chose Duke Signaci because he chose to convert had a better excuse.

For Viscount Helva's analysis, Alexander still agrees.

Although religious contradictions are often the direct cause of conflicts, religious contradictions have never been the root cause of contradictions, and everything ultimately stems from interests.

As far as Alexander knew, Duke Signacci's conversion had an impact on many of the Croatian nobles who supported him, and this strengthened the Duke's bid for the Bosnian crown.

"That Roy?? The Marquis was one of the most influential nobles in Northern Bosnia," Alexander said, looking at the mountain roads that stretched forward, "he served under the Grand Duke of Wallachia against the Ottomans, and when he returned to Bosnia, he became the leader of the northern aristocracy, and it is said that many people in Belgrade and Bucharest supported him as the new king, and even our old friend Grand Duke Karl of Caniola had a deep relationship with him." ”

"Looks like a tough guy to deal with." Gompati said disapprerovingly, "But this doesn't seem to have anything to do with praise, these things are to worry the viscount." ”

Gompati's words made Alexander chuckle, he knew that Gompati was somewhat disappointed by the trip, after all, they seemed to have been walking aimlessly so far, and there were even a few times when Gompati finally had the heat to ask him what the expedition was for.

Alexander wouldn't tell him that he had come to take Sophia away, but there was a more favourable and tempting reason to impress Gompati.

"Copper mines, copper mines with huge reserves, and trust me, those copper mines produce a lot more ore than you can grab," Alexander explained to Gompati, "just think that you can have an artillery force that is entirely yours, and it will be enough to make the trip more painful and worth it." ”

This reason immediately silenced Gompati, and then he even became a little anxious about Alexander's stay in Zagreb.

This is because, according to Alexander, both Northern Bosnia and Croatia have enough copper mines, and in Hungary there is a large natural copper mine that will allow him to realize his dream of building a large artillery force. The Marquis became King of Bosnia, and all these illusions may be reduced to ashes.

For this reason, Gompati began to urge Alexander to go on the road, but before he could do so, Alexander still had to make some preparations.

The so-called preparation was to build up an army to rival the Ottomans in Zagreb and even in the mountains of Croatia, as previously told to Viscount Helva.

Alexander wanted to persuade Herva to become a hero against the Ottomans.

"Let's go to Bucharest, Gompati," said Alexander on horseback, "there are big copper mines and other more important things we need." ”

Walking on the mountain road, Alexander looked up into the distance beyond the mountains.

Sophia, don't worry, I'm coming.

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