When the head of the academy saw the man, he immediately stepped forward and bowed, and called him His Highness, Martin. Roeder quickly realized that the person standing in front of him might be the legendary wise King and Elector of Saxony, and he quickly followed and bent down deeply.

The king and the elector of Saxony, as legend has it to say, did not care about these vain names and ceremonies, and he raised his hand gracefully to show that they did not need to be polite, and then went on to ask: "You have not answered my question, dean, is your bishop really so rich that not only the church and the classrooms, but also the place with glass windows?" ”

The head of the academy bowed again before he calmly said, "Because my master's sister has her own glass workshop, these glasses are not expensive, and they are all defective products left by making mirrors, with bubbles, or variegated colors, and my master said that he hopes that we can recruit some good talents for the academy, and in this case, we will also give corresponding remuneration and benefits." ”

"Welfare." The Elector of Saxony chewed on the fresh term in his mouth, "Blessing, or benefit?" Well, indeed, there is no reward for talent, and even a small craftsman will have a grudge against the cardinal," he was referring to a goldsmith named Cherini, who was said to have made rings and other jewels for Cardinal Grande Lovere, but because Cardinal Grande Lovere's death came as quickly as thunder, he did not get his due payment (Julius II and Lovere's people rejected him), so he made up a ballad to mock and humiliate the Loveres, and even spread to Saxony— He turned his head and looked at Martin. Red: "Is this the teacher you fancie?" ”

"Yes," said the headmaster, "a rather earnest and docile young man." ”

"It doesn't look that old." Said the Elector of Saxony.

"But that's what we need," said the head of the academy bluntly, "we don't accept here teachers who can't teach without beating their children, and we don't accept teachers who don't want to teach serfs and servants." ”

"So that's why you turned down the professors?" The Elector of Saxony said, in an attitude that he did not know if he was joking: "Even if they have my letter?" ”

"Yes." Undeterred, the head of the house said, "They are all good people with a lot of knowledge, but they are not what we need. ”

"Then I think I'll have to wait and see." Said the Elector of Saxony. He was a little annoyed, after all, the academy was located on his domain, but he had rejected his friars, and if it were not for the fact that the founder of the Monks of Mercy was the brother of the current Pontifical Highness Leo X, and who was deeply favored by the Holy Father, he might have expelled them all.

Then he also seemed to have lost the desire to continue observing the teacher's residence and left with his minions. Martin. Rod looked at the always calm headmaster, and always felt as if there was a shadow of another person in him—the shadow of a man who lacked respect for authority and power, and he endured it several times, but still asked, "May I know, who is your master?" ”

"There's nothing to say about it," replied the dean kindly, "and his name is Giulio. Medici. ”

——————

For the dissatisfaction of the princes and monarchs, Giulio. The Medici had expected it, but their anger would not last long, and in any case, compared to the indulgences, the sale of holy relics and priesthoods, these were nothing more than the purchase and sale of the holy relics and the priesthood.

After being suppressed and forbidden by Julius II, when the relics and indulgences reappeared in the hands of the clergy and monks, they were snapped up and raised with a vengeance, and the lords soon found that their people were not willing to give up even a single indulgence even if they were whipped, banished and imprisoned for not being able to pay the various taxes and commissions that were not paid to them—they did not know when the Pope would restrict or simply cancel the sale of indulgences, and at that time, they, or their dear ones, Because of all the previous sins, you can't go to heaven, you can only go to purgatory or hell, what a terrible thing it would be.

And Leo X was really a Medici, and the indulgences and relics were conjured up in his hands, not only for the great sins of rebellion, murder or rebellion, blasphemy, but also for the petty sins of forgetting to fast, wearing inappropriate clothes to church, or using the wrong posture when the husband and wife were in the same position, and these indulgences used to atone for minor sins would also be sold cheaper—cheaper, but they could not withstand the variety and quantity, and in the end, almost every citizen had a large handful in his hand.

The lords who could not collect the taxes were trembling with anger, but they still had to buy a few indulgences, and if they did not have them, they could comfort themselves by saying that it was okay to atone for their previous sins with Mass and the sacraments, but since there were indulgences, God, what if they really worked, and then the lowly commoners would fall to heaven and suffer in purgatory, wouldn't it be ridiculous?

Thus, there are those who remember Julius II, although while he was alive, these people also prayed every day that he would soon be free from this filthy world.

The indulgences and the relics, and the business of the priesthood, and all the money that could be obtained from all the places where it could be collected, flowed daily like a golden river into the sacred treasury of Leo X, who, with great zeal, tried to make his Rome a splendid kingdom full of wisdom and knowledge, and he sent his attendants to bring the Medici collection from Florence to Rome, and built a huge library in Rome, open to the public free of charge, and invited Marco Girolamo Vida and Ariosto from everywhere, and such famous scholars as Giano Ascalis, and their pupils, who taught Greek and Latin to everyone who wished to learn it, and wrote all kinds of manuscripts and dossiers for the Church, and wrote whatever they wanted to leave behind—he had his favorite architects and craftsmen build and restore the churches and monasteries that he thought should stand in Rome, and the galleries and roads that accompanied them, and the reconstruction of St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Palace. He entrusted this important task to Leonardo. Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, but because they were no longer so young, he summoned Raphael, the three best sculptors and painters who worked hard for him, but he also complained to Giulio that Leonardo da Vinci was too old and Michelangelo was not so obedient, and he wanted Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, but Michelangelo insisted on making the statue: "because he felt that his carving skills were superior to those of painting." Leo X huffed and said, "I really want to send him back to Florence and let him go to his father's place, I mean, yours and mine, their mausoleums to carve, whatever he wants, and as long as he wants...... But Leonardo and Raphael both have work to do, and they can't spare time at all, so I can only let him do it......"

Giulio laughed and listened to Leo X's complaints, and sent people to see Michelangelo, the man...... That is, Michelangelo's most feared Machiavelli - his effect was immediate, and the next day, Michelangelo stopped playing those tricks that he wanted to indulge, and he obediently took his apprentices to prepare paints and drafts, and on the other hand, Giulio prepared a movable scaffolding for him - it looked like a movable siege tower, and at the top was a couch that could accommodate a single person to lie down comfortably, and there were brackets on the side of the couch to support the neck and arms. In this way, Michelangelo does not have to rely on himself to hold his head up and shrug his shoulders to complete this long and difficult work.

"He asked me to convey his infinite love and gratitude," said Machiavelli, "and he swore to me that he would paint you beside God, and that the most handsome angel was you," he said mockingly, "but, though he did not say it, I guessed that he would paint me as a devil or a heretic in purgatory." ”

Giulio turned his head to hide his smile: "If that's the case," he said, "I'll let him change it." ”

He thought for a moment, and ordered the attendants to find two honest servants to supervise Michelangelo—not work, but meals, sleep, and cleaning, and although Michelangelo had always boasted of his good manners, he cared little about his appearance—and when he got to work, he became so fanatical that he could hardly remember to take care of himself, and when he was still in Cadiz and Florence, Giulio saw him walking around more than once in a pair of leather trousers (only leather trousers) full of paint or lime, He smelled of stinking greasy, and Giulio's monk said he was even sick with filth—his skin was ulcerated or red, and his hair was full of worms.

And when he dedicated the statue of David to Giulio, both to show his toil and to seek the mercy of his master, he told Giulio that in order to carve this stone statue modeled on Giulio, he had not slept well for more than ten days, nor did he remember to eat, and he was so thin that his ribs and cheekbones were protruding, and although Giulio did not have much affection for this guy, he had to admit that Michelangelo's talent was indeed as much as he boasted.

And Giulio did the same to Leonardo and Raphael, who had loyal servants and doctors to watch over them, so that sickness and death would rob them of their rightful glory.

What people don't know is that Leo X probably spent less than a tenth of the money he spent on Rome than Giulio spent on the Friars of Mercy and his cause, and the people in the Academy and the Monks were the most important, as I said before, not only monks, but also warriors, scholars, and merchants, who were Giulio's strongest shield and sharpest spear, and an extension of his ideas and ideas—and in order for them to gain a foothold and even prosper in strange and hostile places, the upfront investment must have been extraordinarily staggering.

And then there's Tuscany, Romagna and the center of the Papal States, and the Roman defenses – Giulio is tired of the French, the Holy Roman Empire, or the Spaniards, or whatever, rushing into Rome and looting and burning it as he pleases, and it's for this reason that he bulldozes the slums outside the city and replaces them with neat and square new towns, which will protect Rome in the center like a labyrinth and fortress, like the most precious heart of mankind, There may be no more places where anyone can take the center of Christendom lightly.

Of course, this also requires money, an incalculable amount of money, and Leo X used to say, half-earnestly, half-jokingly, that if anyone was allowed to enter that most important place, and saw the holy treasury that was full and empty every day, he might have gone mad with fear—and he would have been spurned by all the pious and not-so-devout believers, as Alexander VI had done—and he had committed a sin that he did not know how many indulgences he had to print to atone for.

"But you are the one who rebuilt God's dwelling." "No matter what people say, we know that you are the one who is qualified to sit at the feet of God, alongside the saints, and to listen to the praise and songs of the angels," said Giulio. ”

"I'm just willing to do things for my brother." Leo X said.

"It's because of that." Giulio said. "You have borne a heavier responsibility than I have, and you will receive more glory than I have."

Leo X stared at him for a moment, grinning: "You are always very persuasive," he said, "well, since God has chosen us, no matter what we do, he will have to admit it - but we will do well, right, Julio." ”

"There is no doubt about it." Giulio said.

"Then I'm going to enjoy it." Leo X said: "A little amusement, I think God will forgive me." ”

"You can live like an emperor," Giulio bowed to him, "and you deserve it." ”

As soon as Leo X returned to the people, he began to live his days of luxury, as Giulio had said, like a Roman emperor, and although the people could not help whispering about his greed, but as he had promised, Rome became prosperous, and the cardinals, too, began to relax and follow their father, abandoning the simplicity and piety of the clergy, living like a statesman, lord or official, and some said that if Leo X was emperor, then they were senators, Not only did they not feel sorry, but they were also very proud.

With the arrival of spring, the war in Italy is at a stalemate, and Giulio can finally relax for a while between France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, but as if the heavens were deliberately playing tricks, just as he was planning to take Cosimo and Ferdinand on a hunting trip, Brother John brought with him a man he had to meet.