When Giulio became Archbishop of Lucca, Cardinal Picomini at the time, now Holy Father, watched the tailor who had served thirteen popes in a row, nay, now fourteen, try on his clothes, but this time he was deliberately absent, and when the bold tailor Gamarelli asked why, His Excellency the Pope smiled and said nothing. In any case, Gamarelli does not speculate whether the archbishop has lost the trust of the Holy Father for any reason - not only is the first cardinal to be promoted since the accession of Pius III, but the Holy Father himself custom-made six sets of cardinal vestments, three sets of wool and three sets of silk for him.

When the Pope was elected, there were also six vestments, three wool and three silks, which were placed in a small room called the "Room of Tears" for him to try on—the Holy Father's mind was clear, and Gamarelli took great care to sew the six cardinals' vestments, whether it was a small buttonhole, an unobtrusive hem, or a soft flat, all of which were as perfect as possible—and this lord, when he became archbishop, could only be said to have grown up, He still had the innocent air of a young man, but now he was a calm, graceful, and strong young man, and because of the wounds he had received before, he was a little more slender than his peers, and when he stretched his arms, his shoulder blades bulged out of his thin linen underwear, like a pair of folded wings; And his ribs, like the suffering Jesus on the icon, have obvious protruding marks; His waist size would have been the envy of most Roman women – his cardinal robe, like the bishop's vestment before him, needed to be cinched in and the hem had to be lengthened.

"Sometimes I really want those who don't believe in the Lord to come and see you," Gamarelli exclaimed, "and if they see you, they will believe, because no one can make such a perfect creature as you without the Lord." ”

At this time, he even had the urge to sew a whole set of papal vestments for the young man in front of him—the newest and most expensive blend of silk and cashmere made by Lucca and the Florentines, which is said to have both the softness of cashmere and the beauty of silk, as smooth as a cloud and as rich as silver...... The edges of the vestments are embroidered with the finest gold threads, the sacred belts are decorated with diamonds and pearls, the long shawls are made of crimson velvet lined with white mink, and the softest lambskin is used for flat shoes.

But this impulse soon disappeared, such an act is very dangerous, Gamarelli's family has been able to serve more than a dozen popes in a row, and it is precisely because they are cautious enough - thinking of another young cardinal who was also tailored by them, Gamarelli couldn't help but sigh softly, that cardinal is not a bad person, the problem is that he has a cold and fierce father, and it is known that Cardinal Grand Lovere has always been determined to win the papal position, but it is not good luck, and now it is even more impossible, And the little Cardinal Lovere, nominally his nephew, but who doesn't know that he is the illegitimate son of Cardinal Lovere the Great, and the Romans say that he will not give up until the triple crown falls on the head of the person whose name is suffix Lovere.

The tailor's momentary distraction did not affect Giulio, who put on his new cardinal robes, rode on a black Arabian horse, and went from the Palazzo Picromini to the Vatican Palace, and the people by the roadside saw him and recognized him, and immediately cheered—if when the people of Rome placed candles on the steps outside the door of St. Peter's Basilica, they were only filled with gratitude, now they were more of a sentiment of pride and glory - behold, this is the true miracle, which they have created together, Even the poorest beggars, who could not even afford candles, would say that they had kept vigil that night and had not let the wind blow out and pray for blessings.

Even in the Vatican Palace, Brother John heard the cheers of the people, and he couldn't help but look joyful, "He's coming!" ”

Pius III sat on his throne in the Hall of Thrones, dressed in white vestments and smiling, and he had long longed to see the scene with his own eyes—the heavy door being pushed open by the monks to the sides, the brilliant light pouring into the magnificent hall, while his children, his sons, his heirs, dressed in crimson cardinal robes, walked slowly from the outside of the door, his shadow growing from long to short, his face gradually clear, until his outer and inner glory illuminated the whole hall.

The Holy Father held out his hand, and Giulio took them, brought them to his lips, and kissed them reverently.

"May the Lord bless you," said Pius III in a trembling voice, "my child." ”

At this moment, if there is any regret, it is probably that Pius III could not have watched Julio put on the pure white Christ garment that belonged to the Holy See, but it didn't matter, there was always someone who could see it in his place.

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"Do you hear that?" Cardinal Grande Lovere said bitterly: "The people are cheering for Julio. ”

Joshua turned his head away.

"He might be kissing the hand of Pius III right now." Cardinal Velvere gloated: "And you kissed Alexander VI's stinking hooves." ”

"Shut up!"

"Why should I shut up?" Cardinal Grande Lovere leisurely walked back to the table and poured himself a full glass of wine, "I know you've been complaining that I shouldn't have sent you to Alexander VI, but my dear son, didn't you acquiesce at that time?" ”

"I'm here for ......"

"Yes, you are for Picomini, you think that he will need you to poison Alexander VI, so you go, ready to be sacrificed, but unfortunately, Picomini does not believe you at all, you are just a pawn used as a paralysis and disguise, and when the attention of Alexander VI and his illegitimate son is all focused on you, the real assassin strikes with all his strength - in just a few days, the once illustrious Borgia family is destroyed."

"I will," Joshua muttered, "whether he wants me to be an assassin or a pawn." ”

Cardinal Grande Lovere snorted: "You think I care about this? He stood up abruptly and slammed the glass in his hand to the ground: "I'm sick of you cowardly fool! ”

He jerked to his feet and approached Joshua, "Look what you've done!?" You have so many chances to put your enemies to death! All you have to do is lift your hand and move your lips, Julio. The Medici will never be your annoyance again – it's as simple as killing an infant baby! But you don't, Joshua, you're not even like a prostitute, who fights with their nails and teeth when they compete for their benefactor, and you, you, you just stand there and look at Picromini with grief in the hope that he will look back at you, but God is above, do you think it works? He doesn't care about you, and as long as Julio is around, you'll never want to be his child! ”

"But I can't," Joshua likewise cried, "I can't, I can't kill Julio, like that," he clenched his hands, and lowered his voice, "In that case, the teacher will be in great pain." ”

"A moment of pain," said Cardinal Grande Lovere, sneering grimly, "you have overestimated Picomini's virtues, and he is no better than Alexander VI in terms of how to brew venom——, and even more so in power and lust, he will not indulge himself in remorse and remembrance - and time can erase the traces left by anything, Joshua, if you had told me about it as soon as Luigi died, you would have become Picomini's favorite disciple by now, and all that Giulio has now obtained, It's all going to be yours. ”

"That's what I regret the most," Joshua hissed, "I should never have told you." ”

"Then tell Picromini that I am the only reason why Alexander VI knew about this, and became dissatisfied with the Medici, and even wanted to kill him...... At the end of the day, is it on you? ”

Joshua stopped, trembling and tears welling up in his eyes.

He didn't dare.

Pius III was only a little indifferent to him now, but if he knew...... Will he believe what his father has done? Will he be forgiven? No, Giulio probably would, but Picomini definitely would.

"Joshua, I know you still hate me, yes, I have given up on you, but I am still your father after all, and a father always loves his son - Joshua, I will help you get what you want, but on the other hand, I also hope that you will fulfill my little wish...... Joshua, it's not that hard. ”

Cardinal Grand Lovere said this, and then he gently patted his son on the shoulder and walked out.

——————

When Joshua saw Brother John, he even jumped for fear and seized him...... What does the Father already know? He knew that Pius III had a group of unknown eyeliners who played an irreplaceable role in the overthrow of Borgia's career—could it be that his conversation with his father had been copied on a slip of paper and placed on the Holy Father's desk?

"What's wrong with you, Joshua," said Brother John kindly, "the Holy Father wants to see you, go quickly, and don't keep His Holiness waiting too long." ”

Joshua stood up with a pale face: "I can know...... What's the matter? ”

"Well," said Brother John, after a moment of silence, "I don't know how to describe it, but you'll know when you go." ”

Joshua forced his uneasiness to hold back his uneasiness, and as Brother John came to the papal signing room, Giulio was also there—they saluted each other in silence, and though they had been friends, they could not even say a word other than greetings.

Pius III looked at them with a smile, as if he was very satisfied with the current situation.

He leaned forward slightly and shoved a note in front of them that had made Joshua's heart tremble, "Look at this. ”

Joshua had to muster courage to read the writing.

It reads-

Inquisition.

。 m.