Despite the heat, Tiego wore a long linen robe.

The brown robe also had a large hood on it.

In fact, there is a compartment in this hood, which can also be used as a backpack.

Some local ascetics like to hide their money in the hood compartment.

Gonzalo looked at the approaching merchant with an impassive expression.

He was actually very familiar with Tiego, and knew that this man was Alexander's subordinate.

Because after working with Alexander in the perfume business, Gonzalo still knew a little about the young man's business kingdom.

Because of this, Gonzalo never despised Alexander.

With new military doctrines, and the power and money to put them into practice, Gonzalo saw Alexander as a formidable rival.

What's more, the young duke was not just talking on paper, he not only did train an ideal army, but also personally made this army shine on the battlefield.

And the merchant in front of him plays a pivotal role in the miracle that the Duke of Rome Thessia has performed so far.

"Your Excellency, you don't seem to like you want to see me," said Tiego as he walked over to the chair next to Gonzalo and sat down, then glanced at the attendant who had come with him, "Don't you know how to entertain your guests?" ”

The attendant looked at Tiego in amazement, obviously not expecting that someone would be so unreasonable in front of adults.

Gonzalo waved his hand and watched his entourage retreat helplessly, he picked up the melted wine glass and took a sip of the still cold drink inside.

"You're here to be a lobbyist?"

"No, I'm here to reconcile."

Thiegor said as he opened the leather bag he was carrying and pulled out a stack of papers.

Gonzalo looked at him coldly, and when he saw that he had put the documents on the table in a hurry, he picked up one of them and looked at it.

It was indeed some ledger, and there were a lot of business transactions in it.

Gonzalo wasn't really familiar with these accounts, after all, in his opinion, as long as he had enough money for him to squander, it was not his business to make money.

However, looking at some of the recorded numbers and place names above, Gonzalo couldn't help but get serious.

"My estate seems to be making a lot of money?"

"But you've spent a lot," said Tiergo, with a slight grumbling tone in his tone, "remembering that I reminded you that you should spend your money on more useful things, but you use them to satisfy your little hobbies." ”

"Oh, don't worry about that," Gonzalo waved his hand casually, and when he saw his attendant approaching with the same iced drink as himself, he paused and waited until only the two of them were left before continuing, "I know why you're here, but do you think you can buy me with these things?" ”

Tiego looked at Gonzalo, he was no stranger to this Castilian nobleman, he knew that this man had an unruly character, and he was even more empty-eyed, never taking anyone else seriously.

However, Tiego is not worried, he is confident in his mission.

"Your Excellency, you are indeed rich now, but is that enough for you?"

"What?"

"I mean, who do you think can really trust you but the Queen?"

Gonzalo listened calmly, he knew that this should only be the beginning of Tiego's lobbying, and then he would prescribe all kinds of conditions, and Gonzalo would only decide when to shut him up, and then drive him away, or hang him directly on the execution rack next to him and whip him.

"The Queen won't allow anyone to divide her powers, and that's evident from her arrangements in Andalusia, isn't it?"

Seeing that Gonzalo had no intention of speaking, Tiego continued: "Then do you think that if even Isabella could not tolerate the presence of the great nobles, Ferdinand would continue to tolerate you?" ”

"I'm not Don Bavi." Gonzalo finally spoke.

"But Ferdinand is not Isabella either." "You probably don't know that Columbus is now in the service of the Duke, and that just two years ago, the Duke had already financed da Gama of Portugal, and now he has the right to use the new route to the East." ”

Gonzalo, who had always been calm, finally changed a little this time.

Although the details of his business dealings with Tiego, or the trade alliance behind him, are not very clear, Gonzalo also knows that it is the business of both sides that can support his squandering of wealth.

Because of this, he also knew better what it meant to have trade with the East.

Clearly, Tiego was a reminder of what he might be missing, or what kind of opponent he was fighting against.

An adversary with vast pockets and the ability to convert them into a war machine is terrifying.

The point is that this opponent is not actually his, but Ferdinand and his wife.

"You probably think it's a bad thing to talk about money, but it's the most appropriate thing for me," said Tiego, taking a sip of his drink, "I remember the first time I met the queen and was taken captive by her, when I thought my time was over, but then the queen gave me a job, do you think I should accept it then?" ”

"Obviously, if I don't accept you, I probably won't be able to sit here today."

"That's true, but it's not all," Thiegor corrected with a smile, "and in fact I enjoyed that feeling afterwards, the feeling of being in control of everything with the wealth in your hands, just like when you command an army, it was a kind of conquest. ”

Gonzalo nodded silently, he could understand what Tiego was saying, or that was exactly what he had been enjoying.

"But Ferdinand can't give you that chance again, it's a miracle that he can let you continue to command the army in the south, but how long will such a miracle be?"

Gonzalo didn't speak, he knew that Tiego had risked his life to come to him, and he should have been more than just a casual picker.

Sure enough, after saying this, Tiego fell silent, he looked at Gonzalo for a moment, and suddenly said:

"My lord, in fact, you yourself know very well that it is impossible for the queen to allow the nobles to still have so much power, and even if the duke becomes the king of Castile, he will not continue to tolerate the nobles sharing his power, and weakening the nobles is something that all monarchs will do."

Gonzalo didn't speak, but his hand holding the cup paused slightly.

He knew that what Tiego said was actually right, and it seemed that Ferdinand couldn't tolerate it in every way that would make things difficult for him, but Gonzalo knew in his heart that if Isabella lived, this kind of thing could still happen.

Perhaps, Isabella's death was a good thing for both of them.

For the first time, Gonzalo had a thought in his mind that he would never have before.

Just as Isabella knew him, Gonzalo knew his queen too well.

It was a monarch who could be so ruthless as to treat her children as strangers for the sake of power, and it was because she was able to do this that she finally became a great queen.

So Gonzalo had no doubt that if Isabella was still alive, he would be soft when he found out that he had become a stumbling block to her monarchy.

At that time, what awaits the two of them will probably end up being a tragedy caused by the disharmony between the monarch and the minister.

"And what about the Duke of Roman Thesia? What will he do? ”

After a few moments of silence, Gonzalo finally asked.

I don't know why, when he said this, a corner of his heart that was originally heavy became empty for a moment.

"The Duke also wants to be a true monarch," Tiergo's tone was deliberately aggravated, and seeing Gonzalo's gloomy expression, he continued as if he hadn't noticed, "Monarchs crave real authority, or you haven't noticed that the more kings are no longer tolerant of the nobles usurping their power, and they are eager to take back what is theirs, and this will not change to anyone." ”

"The same is true of the Duke of Roman Thesia?"

"Especially the Duke of Roman Thesia."

Gonzalo's face became even more gloomy, he was not unaware that Tiego's words were true, and it could be said that neither Isabella nor Alexander nor brother and sister would go backwards once they started this way.

If Isabella started the process of centralizing the power of the Iberian monarchy, then her successor will only follow this path further and further, rather than return to the old path.

"Astmara ......"

Gonzalo muttered to himself.

Seeing that Thiego didn't seem to hear clearly, he smiled slightly sarcastically: "I mean, Astamara, this family is actually very similar, don't you think?" ”

Tiego shrugged slightly, but he didn't think there was anything too similar between the Duke's siblings and Isabella's.

Perhaps apart from their enthusiasm for the centralization of monarchical power, the two sides are actually similar in many places.

But on second thought, Gonzalo was right.

At least they really all have the last name Astamara.

But now all he had to do was make Alexander's promise to the chief of the Santiago knights.

"My lord, the Duke thinks that you deserve more for your contribution to Castile, and your present property does not reflect the value of these returns."

"Oh?"

Gonzalo looked at Tiego with interest, he already knew what the merchant was doing.

Perhaps this is the price at which the Duke of Rome Thessia will "buy" the power in his hands in the future.

"So what do you think I should be paid to go home at the right time to retire?"

Hearing Gonzalo's undisguised inquiry, Tiego was accustomed to smiling as a merchant would be.

He always knew that this mission would not fail.

It's not about confidence in his own persuasiveness, it's about knowing that Gonzalo de Córdoba is a really smart man.

In the village of Sevalón, west of Seville, the gray and milky white ruins of the harsh sunlight look like the remains of a giant monster.

And there was indeed a real monster here in the past, and that was Ancient Rome.

It was the farthest city in the southwestern corner of the European continent founded by the Romans at the beginning of the 3rd century AD, and although the Romans built many towns further south, they could not be compared to the city of Seville in terms of size and prosperity at the time.

It's just that the only traces of the ancient empire can now be hung on are the remains of the city walls that have long been abandoned.

Although the typical ancient Roman style of the arena and the bare stone pillars that have been washed by wind and rain for more than ten centuries can still faintly see the shadow of the ancient Roman era, after all, this place has gradually been covered by the dust of history, and people can only rely on these wreckage to remember the style of the ancient empire.

Alexander stood on a large rock and looked out over the Colosseum below.

Although it is in ruins, standing here still makes one imagine the prosperity of ancient Rome.

"Brother, you seem to have forgotten that there is a Colosseum in Rome, and it is much bigger than that." Jisha looked at Alexander, who seemed to be confused, with some puzzlement.

As she said, the Colosseum here could not compare to the grandeur of the Colosseum in Rome.

It was because of this that she wondered why she had come here on such a hot afternoon to see the ancient Colosseum in the middle of nowhere.

"It's a miracle, don't you think it's a miracle?"

Alexander turned, his back to the Colosseum behind him and his arms outstretched.

"Considering when the Colosseum was built, nearly 1,300 years ago," Alexander said with some excitement, "I am not curious how the Romans could have built such a structure, but marvel at the fact that they were able to send their legions to Seville 1300 years ago, and still establish their rule here, don't you think it's a real miracle?" ”

Jisha thought silently, and then nodded.

She had understood what Alexander meant.

The fact that the ancient Romans were able to establish their rule in distant Iberia in that era of inaccessibility and technological backwardness shows the strength of the Roman Empire.

However, one can also imagine the high cost of maintaining such a rule at that time.

And now Alexander seems to be facing the same problems as the ancient Romans.

"I don't know if Thiegor will be able to convince Gonzalo, but whatever the outcome, I've decided to go north."

Sensing that Josha's body seemed to tremble slightly, Alexander walked over and hugged her gently, while waving slightly at Schell, who was standing not far away and chatting with the chief attendant of Josha.

The Balkans hurriedly stretched out their arms to the lady-in-waiting, making an inviting gesture.

Although the chief attendant looked around in astonishment, as if instinctively stepping on the hard, hot stone, and then showing a look of disbelief to the chief, the Balkans politely invited the female officer outside.

At the same time, they left with a group of huntsmen and cuirassiers.

Now in this ancient Colosseum, which can accommodate more than 2,000 people, there are only two brothers and sisters.

"Brother, you're crazy, you want to ...... here" Jisha first whispered, and then suddenly smiled, "Okay, I'm crazy too." ”

When greeting his sister, Alexander was not without grievances: "Actually, I just want to explain my intentions to you, I want to...... Forget it, we'll talk about it later. ”