Caesar could have sworn that his guilt had suddenly returned to him when he received the letter from his sister Lucrea, that he was not without affection for Giulio, that he had once regarded him more than his own brother, that he believed in and admired the Medici's personality—that if others around him had been complaining about his cold reception and indifference, that he had been derelict in his duties, and that he had even betrayed or betrayed him—Giulio had never failed him when he needed it.

And just as his heart was softened by his sister's prayer, the messenger of Pope Alexander VI arrived.

Miguel. Corero crossed his arms, and he brought not a letter but a message, but it was this letter that made Caesar's heart suddenly cold and hard like a piece of red-hot iron that had fallen into ice water.

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Let's turn the clock back to February 2nd.

Lucrecia lay on her bed, her room airtight, and she groaned in pain, her mother, and Julia, Alexander VI's lover, surrounded her with her servants.

Pope Alexander VI did not even take off his sacrificial garments for Mass, he sat in a chair outside the room, his eyes closed, the rosary in his hand, and muttered a prayer for his daughter, and for his first grandson, when he heard a loud cry of a baby coming from the room, the seemingly calm Holy Father stood up suddenly, and his lover came out of the room, wet, holding a swaddling baby: "It's a boy." She said happily.

The Pope looked over with a shudder, the baby was red and wrinkled, and his little fist was waving in the air, and as soon as he stretched out his fingers, the baby held his hand firmly.

"He looks a little small," Julia said, "but because of the first birth, he's still very strong." ”

"Today is the Feast of the Lord," said the pope in a whisper, as if afraid of frightening the baby: "Fourteen hundred years ago, forty days after the birth of Jesus, Our Lady went to the temple in Jerusalem with the Son in her arms, accompanied by the saint Joseph, to offer the firstborn son according to the ancient rites of the Moses. —and he was the firstborn son, Julia, and I decided to name him Lucas (note 1). Borgia. ”

Julia seemed to want to say something, but the Pope had already walked into the room.

"I have something to say to my daughter."

So everyone in the room, except for Luracia, who was lying on the bed, went out, and the Pope looked at his daughter, who was flushed and her eyes were closed, with pity, sitting on the chair in front of the bed, and reaching out to hold her hand.

His hand was immediately clasped weakly: "How is he?" Luracia asked weakly.

"He's fine, though a little early, but no worse than Caesar at that time." The Pope said happily: "It's a sturdy little bull." ”

"His father was the Medici."

"He'll be a Borgia," the Pope said softly, "he'll have a pair of noble adoptive parents, rich and honorable, and all will go well." ”

"Please, send him to Florence." Lucrecia pleaded.

"You know it's impossible," said the Pope, still very gently, "that the Medici owe me a debt, and now is the time to pay it." He lifted the cloth towel that the maids had put aside, and clumsily wiped the tears and sweat from his daughter's cheeks: "I promise that he will be well, and when he grows up, I will let him come to Rome, and you can see him and let him accompany you." But the most important thing for you now is to take care of your body as soon as possible and recover your health. ”

He leaned down, his massive body covering the light, and Lucree heard him say in the dark, "Alfonso of Aragon will come to Rome in the spring, and you will get married in the summer." ”

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Until the end of March, on the "fat" Tuesday, Giulio did not know that he had become a father, and Caesar greeted him with a strange attitude, but he had maintained this state for some time, Giulio sighed inwardly, but walked with him amicably into the castle of Brest, holding his arm.

He was then summoned by King Louis XII of France, and this was his first close encounter with the new king of France, except in Blois.

Louis XII was mediocre in appearance, but much taller and stronger than Charles VIII, another French king who had been "intimately" approached by Giulio - Charles VIII's defeat in Florence had humiliated him, so he had no recourse to the matter, and the Florentines would not be stupid enough to pull the hatred of a king, but to say that Louis XII knew nothing about it would be to mock him and mock himself, but the bold new king had only a few courtiers and guards with him. He sat Cardinal Giuliano. Della. Lovere, whose already grim face was further sunken by the severe injury, made him look like a living skeleton.

Compared to these two, Archbishop Lukka was like a ray of morning light shining into this gloomy court, his eyes were like warm amber in dark places, matching his pale rosy lips and cheeks, his black hair pressed under his round little hat, only a few small curls playfully peeking out behind his ears, and he was so young that it was jealous. Louis XII did not trust him at first, believing that the young man was purely by appearance and surname, in order to win the respect and affection of the people, or by opportunism, taking advantage of the slackness of the people to win. But he only talked to Giulio for a short time, and began to change his mind, and at lunchtime, Giulio had been allowed to sit in a visible position for the king, and by the time the formal dinner began, he could already sit on the king's left hand side, as if he were an extremely close friend.

Everyone was peeping at Caesar's face, but little Borgia didn't care, he showed a smiling look and dealt with the dishes on his plate wholeheartedly.

The first dish came up, and the one at this time was not the one we thought it was, but the one here only refers to the road from the kitchen to the dining room (one), so there are many in one dish, such as the one that is now on the table, there is stewed chicken with black pepper sauce, peacocks full of brilliant feathers, calf ribs, fish, cakes, and bread sprinkled with salt; The second course is jam, roast suckling pig, fried chicken, vegetable soup; The third course is white wine, pigeon, honey rabbit meat, pudding and jelly, sea fish, pie; Gold and silver plates, piled high with all kinds of food, and the drinking utensils dazzled in the candlelight, and everyone was eating, drinking, laughing and singing.

Fat Tuesday, that's what it means, even the Frenchman by nature, rejoices before Lent, no one notices Cardinal Lovere's gloomy face than Caesar's, if he had wavered a little before this, he has now made up his mind—he has seen the young man's ability, he threatens not only Lovere's son, but also Lovere, and he utters words that even the most knowledgeable bachelors have never heard of, but which are so definite and believable, Louis XII laughed and anguished more than once, and he was able to clearly arouse the king's emotions, so that countless pairs of eyes were fixed on him.

He patiently did not leave the banquet early, but when the people began to dance, he heard that the king had once again invited Archbishop Lucca to speak in his guard room, and he left quietly, and Caesar, seeing him leaving, also left his female companion, and went to a vacant room, where Miguel was leisurely half-reclining on a chair, enjoying a bottle of white wine with cheese, and at the sight of Caesar, he raised his hand to signal silence.

"We don't have to do anything." Miguel said: "Caesar, everything will leave a trace, it depends on whether people are willing to find out." Cardinal Picromini loves this child, and you don't know how much this saint has helped us in the Holy See because of your relationship with Giulio and Lucretia - he will go crazy if he finds out that Giulio's death is related to us, and you want me to say that your father is a little too strict, young man, always naughty. But since he has decided, I have nothing to say, it's just that this matter will be left to Bishop Lovere, Giulio only blocked his children's path before, but now he is blocking his way, even if he is ready to return to Rome, Louis XII's trust and support for him is still very important, just for this, he will not let go of the Medici. ”

Caesar looked a rare look of anguish and hesitation, and he knew why Giulio had changed from his previous modesty and gentleness to be aggressive—if he hadn't, Caesar would have become a relative of Louis XII but a dispensable sidestock, but if Caesar's friends and subordinates were to be used by the King of France, Borgia would not have been talked about just spinning around the golden horse and silk shirt.

"How? Are you going to tell Giulio that our Holy Father has decided to take his life? Miguel smiled and said, "Just as Lucrecia pleaded with you in her letter, but you have to think carefully, Caesar, my little master, you know best the talent of Giulio, such a person, with the support of Cardinal Picromini, he will at least wear the red coat in the future, and the family of Picromini is the only one in Rome, Cardinal Picromini, that is, he not only has the full support of the Medici family, which is reviving day by day, but also the secret protection of the Picromini family." Wow, I don't want such an enemy, what about you? Caesar? ”

Caesar's face was constantly changing, his chest seemed to be burned with coals of fire, everything that had gone was constantly spinning in his mind, then Lucrecia's smile and teary eyes, and finally his eyes were fixed on one point, which was his banner, mockingly half-hanging in this room where no one would come.

The red bull, which belonged to his family, and then the lilies, as long as he could become the royal knight of the king of France, the triple crown, until his father put the power of the Papal Army in his hands...... There will be more to come, he will kindle the flames of war on the land of Italy, like the flowers that bloom when spring comes, every family he conquers will leave a mark on his banner, and his descendants, the King of Italy, will touch every embroidery on it to remember his great achievements......

"Not for Caesar, but for nothingness."

Note 1 Lucas means bright, radiant in Spanish.