At the bend of the Tiber River downstream after the Vatican, the large undulating houses along the east bank of the river look a little chaotic, and if you look down a little higher, you can see the intricate alleys between the gaps in the large houses, and a few narrow and winding streets that are slightly wider.

Several men in miscellaneous robes walked forward under the eaves of the street, one after the other, each with some distance from each other, which made it a little difficult for them to converse with each other, but at least at least not one of them would be able to run away once they were intercepted.

Each of these people had bulging bags, some in their arms, some in their shoulders, all stuffed to the brim, but a little mess was exposed outside the pouch, making people think that they were not carrying anything important.

Sometimes the sunlight shines on their faces through the gaps in the eaves of the houses on both sides of the street, so that you can faintly see the tension on their faces, and whenever someone passes by them, these people will involuntarily lean sideways against the wall, and then stare with alert eyes at the people passing by.

It wasn't until they finally came to the door of an inconspicuous shop that several people looked at each other silently, and then hurriedly walked in one after another.

It's a grocery store, and some of the dimly lit houses have an equally dim oil lamp, so that people who have just entered can't get used to the light in front of them for a while.

"Why don't you light one more lamp, or at least add some oil," complained one of the men who came in, and he took off a heavy blanket from his shoulder and threw it on the ground, then sat down on it and gasped, "Can you give me some water, I'm thirsty and my tongue is sticking." ”

"If you're always so frizzy, you'll have no way to beg someone for a drink in the future." Out of the suite in the shop came an old man with gray hair, he tapped the young man in front of him with the cane in his hand and told him to go away, then walked to the stool in front of the counter and sat down, looking at the few people around, "How is it, what did you bring me today?" ”

"Daddy Yitzhak, you must be satisfied with what we have brought this time," said a middle-aged man with a little flattery, "and a few of them are short of money, so they not only took out their own things and gave them to us, but also borrowed a lot of money from us." ”

"How much is the interest?" The old man, known as Daddy Yitzhak, snorted unmoved, "You always say that you have won a good business, but in fact those who are willing to borrow from loan sharks are all very shrewd, and you can not get much benefit from them, and sometimes I have to pay a fortune." ”

"This time is definitely different, it seems that many people have been short of money lately, and everyone is trying to raise money everywhere," another person hurriedly said, "We have brought you all the IOUs, and if you lend us some more money, we are willing to give you half a cent more." ”

"Half a profit, thanks to what you say," the old man showed dissatisfaction, his gaze swept around the faces of several people, and finally landed on the face of the young man who had just shouted thirst, "You bastards, do you think I don't know how much you all take from the guests, you must know that if those people don't pay the money by then, I will be the one who is unlucky enough to go bankrupt in the end, and I am taking a big risk, but you are willing to give up half a cent more, in this case you can go to the others and go to Morakush, Go to him and ask him if he will ask you for any profit. ”

The old man was angry, but his voice was not high, and the others did not immediately leave to find the man named Mora Kush, as he had said, and after a while, several people gathered together and began to bargain quietly.

"Are the Romans crazy now, it seems that everyone has been looking for money everywhere lately, and I have almost no savings," and finally after the discussion came to a conclusion, the old man returned to the suite and took out a heavy bag from the dark compartment and walked out, muttering incessantly, "The things you brought this time are not bad, it's better that those people can't afford to pay them off, so that we can earn more." ”

The old man muttered alone, but he didn't hear a few people talking, he looked up in some surprise, and when he saw the stiff looks on the faces of several people, he also saw a figure standing behind them standing in the dark and couldn't see clearly.

The old man's heart skipped a beat, and he quietly put the bag containing the gold coins at his feet, and quietly kicked it to the side, and then he was about to speak, but he didn't expect that the man had already walked towards him.

"Daddy Yitzhak, I want you to make a business with you, you won't object."

When he saw that person's face clearly, the old man was stunned for a moment, and then he suddenly whispered to the previous few people like a mosquito: "Let's go, I have something important to do, take this is your money, hurry up and leave the interest according to what you said, now hurry up and leave!" ”

In a hurry, the people were inexplicably kicked out of the house, and then the old man quickly closed the door, and then turned around and looked carefully at the uninvited guests who came after.

"Krion, you are crazy, you dare to come here, do you want to kill all of us?" The old man shouted angrily, "Don't tell me that Monteiro wasn't your doing, others don't know, but I can guess." ”

"Daddy, you don't need to be so nervous," Clarion sat down comfortably and took out a glass bottle full of black powder from a drawer on the counter and shook it, "This coffee is good, I haven't tasted it in a long time." ”

"What are you going to do," the old man sat down across from Clarion with a gloomy face, "I'm a serious businessman, I don't care what you've done, as long as you don't implicate me." ”

"I'm here to do business," Clarion got serious, "someone needs a lot of money, and the interest is good to say, as long as I can get it as soon as possible, because it's better to have all gold coins, so I can only look for you." ”

"How much," said the old man's expression, which changed a little better, "My interest rate is very high." ”

"That's the number." Crion shoved a note in front of the old man, and when he could read the handwriting in the dim light, even the well-informed old man could not help but be stunned.

"So much, and still need ready-made gold coins? That's not easy. The old man furrowed his eyebrows.

"That's why I've come to you, there aren't many people in Rome who can afford such a large sum of cash without being in big trouble," said Clarion in a slightly flattering tone.

"That's right, there are not many people in the whole city of Rome who can compare with me, but just because it's cash, I have to find all the money I can collect from other places, this cost is not small, are you going to admit a little profit?" The old man looked at Clarian with a slightly suspicious look, "Let's say okay, friendship is friendship, business is business, and I have to take a big risk." ”

Apparently tired of hearing the old man's rhetoric, Cleion waved his hand nonchalantly: "Don't worry, this guest is very generous, and in addition to interest, I can also give you a promise, which is a promise from a big man who is about to become a cardinal." ”

"Promise?" The old man snorted, "Don't mention any promises, you said that person would become a cardinal, then at least a bishop, do you think a bishop's promise is very useful, look at Castile, those are two monarchs, at the beginning they promised that even if they drove out the Moors, they would not do anything to us, but what happened, the Moors are saints compared to them." In the eyes of the kings and bishops, the Jews' purse bags were their own unlocked warehouses, so don't make any promises to me. ”

Listening to the old Jew's complaints, Clarion frowned impatiently, but still said patiently: "It is not easy to get the friendship of a cardinal, maybe it will become a papal friendship in the future, think about it, although it is indeed risky, but the reward is not worth the investment?" ”

The Jew's originally indignant expression changed slightly, and he sat there, sometimes staring at the corner of the counter, sometimes looking up at Clarion, who made a "That's it" gesture to him, and then he finally licked his lips and lowered his voice and asked tentatively: "The one you are talking about, this lord, do you think he is sure that he can become a cardinal?" ”

Seeing that the Jews were finally moved, Kryan smiled, and then he also learned the posture of the Jews and pressed his upper body against the counter and whispered: "I can't promise you this, but I can tell you one thing, this adult is very young and healthy, so you don't have to worry, even if he can't become a cardinal this time, there is a great chance in the future, but you also know that there will definitely be more people willing to support him in the future, so if you can help him now, whether he can succeed this time or not, you are the most deserving of his reward." ”

The Jew's eyes lit up with Cleion's words, and he turned to the wall for a moment before turning to Clean and saying, "This matter is too big for me to be the master alone, and it's a lot of money, so I'll have to consult with more people." ”

Clean nodded silently, he also knew that he was indeed proposing a lot of numbers, and it was normal for Jews to appear cautious.

"Believe me, if this is done, in addition to the future cardinal himself, there will be another noble person who will remember your friendship, and then your life will definitely be much better than it is now."

Cleion didn't mind revealing anything more to strengthen the resolve of the Jews

The Jew nodded thoughtfully, he was already thinking about how to raise the funds, and looking at the numbers on the note, the corners of the Jewle's wrinkled eyes couldn't help but tremble slightly.

"If we are willing to provide this money," the Jew's eyes shone shrewdly, and his tone became deeper, "the interest must be very high, so this can be considered to be repaid in installments, but this requires some valuable collateral, and you must know that even the Pope cannot borrow money without this guarantee." ”

Clean nodded, he knew that the Jews were right, and that he had prepared for Alfonso.

"What do you want, a property, a manor, or a deed of credit?" Cleion asked casually, and seeing the Jews' hesitation, he continued, "I know you're worried that these things might turn into a pile of waste paper in the future because of the break, so I've got another thing for you, and I'm sure you'll be interested in it." ”

As he spoke, Cleion took out another folded piece of paper and placed it in front of the Jews.

But when the Jew reached for it, he covered the paper.

"I'm going to leave Rome for a while, and if you think this business can be done, go to the place where we met before, and someone will contact you."

With that, Clean withdrew his hand and looked at the Jew who was slowly opening the paper with a suspicious face.

Then he saw an incredulous look of horror on the old Jewish man's face.

"Are you going to use this as collateral?"

The Jew looked up in amazement to see the back of Cleion as he opened the door to leave.

The Jew looked down at the piece of paper in his hand again, and he hesitated to take it under the lamp and look at it carefully, and when he was sure that it was indeed what he thought, the Jew's breathing became rapid.

"It can't be."

The old Jewish man put down the piece of paper, fixed his eyes on the flickering lamp, and then picked it up again to take a closer look.

Then he suddenly grabbed the black fluffy jacket that was placed in the corner of the counter and draped it over his body, and hurried out of the shop.

The old Jewish man walked down the alley through several houses to a small two-story building and tapped the door of the confinement street.

As the street door opened, a teenage boy appeared in the doorway.

"Are your grandfather and your father here?"

When the old man had asked, he saw the boy nodding, and he immediately took a few steps inside.

Not long after, the boy hurried out of the house, and soon several Jewish elders who were well-known in the Jewish ghetto of Rome gathered in the house.

Looking at the piece of paper on the table, the Jews gathered around the table looked at each other, and it was a little difficult to make up their minds for a while.

"Do you think this is reliable, Isaac," asked one of the oldest looking men, "you see, it's not a trivial matter, it's all about us, and it's a lot of money." ”

"I've thought about it, this business has been done," the old Jewish man's eyes shrewdly gleamed, "but we must meet the man who is going to borrow money, so that we can be assured of our future." As for the money needed, is there still money in this world that is difficult for the Jews? ”

The old man's words caused a chuckle to stir around, and the eyes of several Jews could not help but focus on a pattern drawn on the paper.

"With this, it's like we're in the hands of a powerful weapon." A Jewish elder said excitedly.

"I still can't believe it's true, after all, it's so strange that anyone would use this kind of thing as collateral," said the old man on the other side, with a suspicious face, "Maybe we should think again." ”

"I don't think there's a problem," the old Jewish man named Yitzhak stubbornly waved his hand, "think about the riot caused by this thing in the first place, it was so important, the Vatican even thought that it was punished by God at the time, and the people who mortgaged it knew as well as we did that in order to lend such a large sum of money, there must be a sufficient amount of collateral, and it was impossible for any of us to spread this matter, so we dared to use this thing as collateral so boldly." ”

Looking at the different expressions of several people around him, the old man silently beckoned to the child next to him, asked him to bring a very sturdy box, and then took out a few gold coins from his arms.

"The old rule," the old man handed out the gold coins to everyone around him, "the front agrees, the back opposes, vote for yourself." ”

A few crunch sounds came from inside the box, and when the boy gently opened the lid, several sighs of relief or slightly disappointed rang out in the room.

"Well, then, we have done the business," said the old man, with a satisfied smile on his face, "Yitzhak, go and tell our guest, that we will soon prepare the money for him, and that he will have the collateral ready." ”

The old Jew nodded, and under the gaze of several people, he took the piece of paper and placed it in front of the lamp, and as the flame ignited, the paper instantly turned into a small cloud of ashes.