The icy waters of the Arno River flow down the shallow valley to the west, and a few ice floes can occasionally be seen floating in and out of the river.

The snow on the banks of the river is very thick, and the water sometimes soaks the snowdrifts that hang on the rocks on the banks, creating hollows in the snow.

Barondi was wearing a thick dress and a furry fur cloak, and her whole person looked a little bulging, quite different from her slightly thin appearance before.

Because it was so cold, she tucked her head completely into the hood of her cloak, leaving only a palm-sized face exposed, her eyes fixed on the road leading to the heights on the other side of the river.

Two days earlier Ulliu had arrived at Montina and reported to her that Alexander would return, and that the Moors had brought her a letter from her father.

In his heart, the cardinal told Barente that her wedding would not be postponed because Alexander was about to leave for Hungary.

Seeing this news, Barendi was a little annoyed, not because she had to get married as soon as possible, but because she felt some kind of crisis at the thought of being in Pisa Lucrezia.

Barentia knew that Lucrezia had ambitions, perhaps different from those of her father, Alexander VI, but perhaps out of a woman's intuition, Barentia felt that Lucrezia would not be so willing to be a mistress who was willing to wait for a man in Pisa.

If Alexander had gone to Hungary, their wedding would have dragged on for at least half a year, or perhaps longer, much to Barondi's displeasure.

A black spot appeared in the white snow in the distance, and Barondi moved her already frozen feet, and struggled to stand on a higher ground to look into the distance.

"Yes, sir," said Ulliu, who was with him, first confirmed, and then he turned and walked over to lead Barondi's horse.

Seeing the horse next to her, Barondi somehow suddenly remembered the incident when Alexander dragged her onto the horse, which made her breath a little short.

The team in the distance was not slow, and when they came to the bridge on the other side of the river, the team first stopped, and then a figure came out of the group first.

Barondy stood in the middle of the bridge, looking up at the man slowly coming to her, the breath coming from the mount's nose, and when she got closer, Pagasus stretched out her long horse face and rubbed it against Barondi's forehead.

Alexander stretched out his hand, and when he saw Barondi's silent looking up at him but not making a sound, he bent down slightly and put his hand on her shoulder, and said with a smile: "You know, if we insist so much and no one will speak first, maybe we will both freeze here in the end." So, ma'am, do you need me to take you for a while? ”

"Then there will be labor." Barendi lifted her arm, her wide sleeves sliding down her wrist, revealing a sleek arm.

Alexander first reached out and grabbed Barendi's wrist, then bent down and put his other hand under her armpit with a little force, and carried her on horseback.

Pagasus let out a hoarse sound and walked slowly forward.

A warmth came from her back, and Barundi, who felt a little cold, couldn't help but shrink into the arms of the man behind her.

"Have you waited a long time?"

"It didn't take long," Barendi shuddered slightly, she didn't want him to know that she had been preparing since dawn, "when are you going to leave?" ”

"I've been waiting for some news for the past few days, but Offrey has reported to me that the army is ready."

Nodding slightly, Barendi knew what Alexander was talking about, but she was still a little worried.

"And the Venetians, you're going to take those Genoese with you this time, I'm afraid that maybe the Venetians will take the opportunity to attack Montina's idea."

"Rest assured, they don't have that much energy to do these things during this time, knowing that the Ottomans are enough of a headache for them, and I suspect the French will soon be involved."

Barendi did not speak this time, she knew that Alexander was right, from her father she already knew that King Louis XII of France seemed to be interested in continuing Charles VIII's invasion of Italy, and the new king was not only ambitious but also seemed to be a little impatient, so the war probably would not drag on until next year at the latest, but would probably break out within the year.

"You shouldn't have left now," said Barondi, who had endured a moment of patience, knowing that Alexander seemed to be going to Hungary to participate in a distribution of Hungary's mineral resources, which would benefit them immensely if successful, both for the trade alliance and for themselves.

Even so, the thought of delaying their wedding for this made Barendi feel a little unhappy.

In the distance, the castle of Montina was faintly visible in the wind and snow, and the entire castle and the hillside looked a little blurred in the wind and snow, and a group of cavalry greeted him, and Alexander smiled at the fluttering flag.

Offrey saluted his horse from a distance, but perhaps it was too much of a storm to make his voice sound very clear.

"Your lord, your army is ready, and according to your orders, the Genoese will be the first to set off as the vanguard of this expedition."

"I'm glad to hear that, but Offleiyi I suggest you don't use the word expedition, because I really don't want to meet with Nabayesset."

Alexander's words made Ofleiyi a little helpless, he didn't know what would happen to the other nobles, but he really hadn't heard of such an undisguised expression of cowardice as his lord.

However, Alexander apparently did not care about the captain's thoughts, and he urged the horses and Oflaiyi to staggered past and ran towards the castle.

"Let's go back and rest first, and we'll talk about it tomorrow."

Listening to the command from the snowstorm, Ofleiyi glanced at Ulliu, who had followed.

"Maybe I'm tired." Ulliu said this, and then chased after Alexander.

Ofleiil shook his head slightly, he knew that he would not go to Hungary with Alexander this time, but thinking about Venice, which was like a bad neighbor, he knew that it should not be easy for him to stay.

A very strong fireplace has been lit in the vault, so that the warm room and the wind and snow outside the window are like two seasons.

The floor in the middle of the vault was covered with several layers of thick animal skins, and it seemed as if it were about to sink into it.

Alexander looked at the fire in the distance with his glass, and then his eyes fell on Barondi, who was sitting next to him with a serious face.

Barondi, who had taken off her cloak and coat, and was wearing only a long skirt, sat sideways at the table, her legs overlapping each other under the hem of her skirt, and from Alexander's direction, there was a rather attractive curvy undulation.

"Those peasants are really hateful, I sent a tax collector to recheck their accounts, and it turned out that many farms were hiding their harvests, and the most serious of them actually underpaid nearly half of the taxes in kind, you must know that they are planting our land, but they dare to do bad things so unscrupulously, so those people must be severely punished."

"You took them, I mean you didn't hang or cut off anyone's head, did you?"

Alexander asked, a little uncertain, knowing that Barondy was not a benevolent person, perhaps because she was strict with herself, so she was even stricter with others.

"I had those people hang up and be whipped as they deserved it, and I punished them not only for paying the missing taxes and food within the next year, but also for paying fines."

"Oh, that's okay, you know, those peasants are our lords, I don't want to be called harsh, and I need them to do something, so I can't be too harsh on them."

"What are you going to do?" Barendi asked curiously.

"I'm going to let them grow grapes," Alexander smiled, and then he saw Barondi's surprised look, "I know you must wonder how I could have thought that, but rest assured you'll soon know how right my decision is, but it's up to you to do it, so be kind to the peasants, after all, you're their mistress." ”

The corners of Barondi's mouth moved, as if she was a little uncomfortable because of the title of the hostess, her legs moved under her skirt, exchanged the posture of stacking, and picked up another ledger.

But before she could speak, Barondi's body suddenly froze, her eyes still fell on the ledger in her hand, but her face became redder and redder, and finally with an irrepressible low hum, the ledger in Barondi's hand fell on the table.

Her gaze looked at the man sitting on the ground, who was tenderly kissing her smooth ankles on the carpet, and then, with a whisper, her man was gently placed on the thick leather blanket.

"Constantine is doing well in Genoa," Alexander said to Barente, smiling at the crimson Barendi, "your father has told me that the Cargino family seems to have accepted your uncle's suggestion to be a co-governor, and that the result is much better than we had originally suspected." ”

"Yes, Konstantin hasn't completely disappointed," Barondi said next, but as the fur blanket that covered her rose and fell, a look of surprise and horror appeared on her face.

"As for the Venetians, I'm still waiting for news from them," Alexander looked at Barondi's seemingly panicked expression, "Why are you so nervous, you must know that you are now my fiancée, and soon it will be my official wife." ”

"But aren't you uninterested in me?" Barondi asked blankly, "I know you're more beautiful women, like ......"

"Don't speak," Alexander suddenly lowered his head and kissed Barondi's lips until she couldn't breathe, "Listen, I need you to be regent for me in Montina during this time, and I can only rest assured that you are here, and as for the rest, don't think nonsense." ”

"Do you know something?" Barondi asked, a little confused, "You know that Oflaiil is doing a good job and is very loyal, and he can keep Montina for you." ”

Alexander could not answer Barondi's question, and although he knew that the French invasion was imminent, he could not tell Barentia that he knew the exact time of another French invasion would be five months later.

His plan to go to Hungary this time, which he thought would be able to rush back before the French invaded, was shattered by the unexpected knowledge that Sophia might be in Bucharest.

So Alexander could only count on Barentia to delay the French as much as possible for him as a member of the Roveret family.

And in his memory, although Louis XII was ambitious, he did not intend to annex all the city-states of Italy, especially because of the Borgia family, the French king did not show much ambition for Tuscany and Romagna.

"It's important to help me keep Montina, and when I come back in a few months, everything will be different."

Barendi whispered in response, but then let out another exclamation, for the long petticoat that had been on her had been thrown out from under the blanket as the hide was lifted.

The wind and snow were still there, but there was not a trace of cold in the warm dome, and even when the happiness was rushing to the extreme, fine beads of sweat flowed from Barondi's skin because of the intense pleasure.

And when she finally lay quietly in Alexander's arms under the blanket, she heard Alexander say in her ear: "What a surprise little man you are." ”

A surprising little man.

Barondi didn't know whether it was a compliment or disappointment, she only knew that she just wanted to lie there lazily and stay motionless afterwards, and that Alexander didn't bother to glance at the food that had been brought to her.

Even the ledgers on the table that she had always regarded as a responsibility seemed to lose interest for a while.

On 6 January, just ten days after Alexander sent someone to deliver the letter to the Doge of Venice, Venice finally sent an emissary.

To Alexander's surprise, the Venetian did not care about the offer of a one-year contract, but took great interest in his trip to Hungary.

Venice sent a real diplomat, which means that this is a really difficult person to deal with, and the conditions of the Venetians are simple.

Peace is possible, and military spending is not negotiable, but all this has to be exchanged for the benefits of Hungary.

While secretly lamenting that the cheap is really not so easy to take advantage of, it is not that Alexander, who did not expect this possibility, finally revealed his hole cards.

"Crete?" The Venetians looked at Alexander in astonishment, first thinking that he had misheard, and then he flew into a rage, and even threatened to stop the negotiations: "Who will agree to such a condition, you must know that if I sign such an agreement, I will only be tried for treason." ”

"Your rule over Crete has lost its effect."

"That is only temporary, the Ottomans could not take all of Crete so easily, and the fleet of Venice will protect our interests at sea."

"But what is the point of your maritime interests if the Ottomans occupy all of Greece and Hungary, and even if their fleet can directly threaten the city of Venice along the Adriatic coast?"

"It's blackmail." The Venetian said angrily.

"Negotiation is blackmail, we all know that." The man opposite Alexander, he knew that the anger of the Venetians was completely faked, or that the conditions he proposed, although seemingly harsh, were in fact not so difficult for Venice to accept.

"No, Crete is too important to us, and any idea of beating it will not be tolerated, not even at great cost." The Venetian stubbornly shook his head: "This is not negotiable. ”

"What if I could guarantee that the Venetian plantations in Crete would get a third more harvest than before?"

The Venetian looked stunned, as if he had misheard, and instinctively twisted his head to the side, his ears moving slightly in Alexander's direction.

"You heard me right, if I remember correctly, the harvest of Venice on the Cretan plantations in recent years has been about 1,200,000 poods a year, which is much lower than before, and I can promise to pay you a third of this amount, which is 400,000 poods a year, so that you can get ...... a year."

"1,600,000 pood," the Venetian's expression sank slightly, his eyes twinkling as he muttered the number, and a slightly sly smile appeared in his eyes, "but I wonder how you can be so sure, Earl, knowing that if the Ottomans continue to attack, Crete may really fall, and then all your investment will be thrown into the sea." ”

Alexander did not answer the Venetian's question, but smiled at Barentia, who had been sitting and watching them: "My lady, I think you have something to say. ”

Barendi nodded, she looked at the Venetian indifferently, the hostility she had cultivated since childhood made her not want to say a superfluous word to this person at all.

"I will be the regent of Montina while the Count is away," said Barentia, with a blank face, "and I can assure you that Montina will not join any alliance against Venice at any time, and for this purpose I propose to conclude a treaty between the two sides, with Ferrara as the boundary." ”

After Barendi finished speaking, she looked intently at the Venetian opposite, until she was satisfied to see a trace of solemnity on the Venetian's face.

"A cane sugar tax of 400,000 poods?"

"Yes."

"A person who would not be led by a pope or a cardinal would be involved in opposing Venice's promises?"

"Yes."

The Venetian bit his lip slightly.

What the sugar tax of 400,000 poods meant for Venice, the emissaries were clear.

With the successive setbacks of maritime trade and the shrinking of overseas colonies, life in Venice has become more and more difficult every year.

Sugar cane, which could have brought huge profits to Venice, has been affected by the reduction of production for several years in a row, and even the largest chambers of commerce have been struggling because of the bad year, while some of the smaller chambers of commerce have begun to make ends meet.

So when he heard about the 400,000 sugar tax, he barely controlled himself.

And then Barendi's promise gave him another heavy "blow".

Perhaps Montina has not yet been able to threaten Venice's security, but its unique geographical location has forced Venice to be cautious at all times, because Montina is certainly a stumbling block for them to enter Romagna, and it is also a gateway for their enemies to attack Venice.

In order to prevent the threat posed from Montina's side, Venice had to send troops to garrison it all year round, and this kind of helpless military force has already had a great impact on Venice.

Now, Barenti's promise gave the Venetians a hope, and at this moment the envoy really had to think carefully about whether this negotiation was a gain or a loss for Venice.

"Help me pay a military bill in advance, but get my help, and agree to the transfer of Cretan land to get more from Venice, a true merchant knows the trade-off."

Listening to Alexander's words, the Venetian was silent for a long time, and finally sighed softly: "I don't know if I am a qualified merchant or not, and you, the Earl, must be the best merchant." ”

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