After that, Lucrecia waited peacefully in Rome to be married.

She only mentions Giulio once. Medici, it was when she saw Joshua at the Pope's side. Lovere, she said, was once Giulio's brother, and the Pope laughed, and if Lucrecia said nothing, he would be worried: "He is also a beautiful young man," he said, "though not yet comparable to the Medici." ”

"I don't think so," Lucrecia said lightly, "I'm tired of black hair, and Alfonso is black too." Holy Father, his hair is so beautiful that even I am not inferior in any way. ”

Joshua looked over longingly and nervously, in fact, he had not spent much time with Lucrea, and he was also one of the participants in the assassination when Lucles was coerced by Luigi, but Lucrea's eyes never seemed to exist until today - his shadow reflected in Lucrea's eyes was small, like a statue frozen in a turquoise lake.

"Go and stay with Lucres," said the Holy Father, "go and play, you young people should stay together." ”

Lucrecia gladly complied, she walked over to Joshua, willfully took the book from his hand, threw it on the ground, grinned and took his arm, "Can you dance?" ”

"Your Highness......"

"You can call me Luclayia......"

As the voices faded away, Pope Alexander VI's smile faded, and he leaned back in his chair, his eyes full of boredom, and a moment later he summoned Giuliano. Della. Cardinal Lovere.

It was a good feeling to see his former enemies bow to him, but today the Pope was really not in the mood to enjoy the fruits of this victory, and he asked bluntly: "Cardinal Lovere, you know that Cardinal Picromini is planning to take Giulio. Did the Medici get back to Rome? ”

A shadow passed over Lovere's face: "Yes, he is no longer willing to keep his promise—" He looked at the Pope reproachfully, "Because you insisted on keeping Joshua with you." ”

The Pope let out a sneer, "Isn't that what you expected?" ”

Lovéreton was embarrassed, but Alexander VI did not continue to persecute him: "He tried to secure for his disciples the position of Inspector of the Priesthood, which originally belonged to Cardinal Ferrari. "In order to obtain the cardinal's crown, Bishop Ferrari was forced to relinquish this good position.

"This must not be ......," Cardinal Lovere said in a lost voice.

"I intend to give this position to your son Joshua," said the Pope, "how much are you going to pay?" ”

Cardinal Lovere lowered his head and pondered for a moment: "I can raise 30,000 gold ducats, but not more. ”

"Fifty thousand," said the Pope, "give you three months." Seeing Cardinal Lovere's dissatisfied, he added: "If done well, the money will be recovered in two or three years, and I guarantee that he will be able to wear the cardinal's hat in a year or less." ”

Cardinal Lovere couldn't help but be moved, and of course he hoped that his son would be able to climb up quickly. The Medici had been an archbishop for several years, and his son, who lacked wisdom, looks, and loyalty, was still a clerk at the side of Cardinal Picromini.

"Then it's decided." Cardinal Lovere said: "I am afraid that Cardinal Picomini will not give up. ”

Pope Alexander VI lowered his eyes: "Since he wants his disciple to return to Rome so much, then satisfy him!" ”

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"Juliano. Della. Is Lovere credible? Cardinal Baglioni, the former bishop of Perugia and now Cardinal Baglioni, said: "Alexander VI has offered a very high price. ”

"And that's not all," said Cardinal Picomini, smiling, "and he promised a cardinal hat, and in three years." ”

Cardinal Baglioni's mouth opened suddenly: "But he has only expanded the cardinal body before, and they will not agree to the Pope continuing to increase the number of cardinals in a short period of time." ”

"No," said Cardinal Picromini cheerfully, "but not more, not less." He said: "Now that most of the cardinals are not Borgias, he can pick out a few less satisfactory ones at will...... Replace it. He gestured, and Baglioni's eyes widened.

"Are you saying that he would murder a cardinal?" Cardinal Baglioni almost cried out: "That's a cardinal...... Not a priest, a bishop, an archbishop...... It's a cardinal. ”

"So what, the 'Canterella' of the Borgia family doesn't recognize anyone." Cardinal Pictromini looked Cardinal Baglioni up and down: "I know you're interested in the Borgia tricks and prostitutes, but you'd better not attend the Pope's banquet lately, Lucresia. Borgia would bring a dowry of nearly 400,000 to Ferrara, Caesar. Borgia was defeated by Florence again, and San Vaulton was able to let the horses gallop in it, and I think that if it were not for the fact that the situation did not allow it, the Pope would rub poison on his ring, so that every new cardinal who came to kiss his ring would immediately give up his place. ”

Cardinal Baglioni was almost speechless, he had received an invitation from the Borgia family before...... If he hadn't happened to have hemorrhoids that day, no, he wouldn't have gotten to his brother, and his attainment with poison, Adrian. Baglioni was absolutely convinced—"I'm not going anywhere," he said quickly, "I'm not going anywhere." He kept drawing a cross on his chest and muttering prayers to Heavenly Father.

"So." After a while, he seemed to think of something: "Is there really a cardinal position that will soon be vacated?" ”

"What else do you have to arrange?" Cardinal Picromini asked: "Is there anyone else in Baglioni who needs your worries?" ”

"Besides Tosino," said Cardinal Baglioni, "who else, but Tocino will not be a priest, and Giamparo is dead, and he is the heir of Baglioni's orthodoxy." ”

"I advise you, if he can still contact you, or if you can contact him, tell him to be quiet, the Pope will not be happy to see anyone come out and fight with his son for the position of Duke Pesaro."

"I know." Cardinal Baglioni said: "I mean, don't you want Giulio to return to Rome? ”

"yes."

"We might be able to do it a little bit like we did before......"

"Don't be whimsical." Cardinal Picromini said indifferently: "Alexander VI is not a fool, and I will not let Giulio kiss his hand. He said: "The Pope has given me a vacancy today for the Congregation of the Liturgy of the Sacraments." ”

Cardinal Baglioni paused: "Don't you want that position that belongs to the priesthood examiner?" "That position is really a good one.

"Wrong," said Cardinal Picromini, "the one from the Congregation of the Sacraments and Liturgy is what I want." ”

It is true that the position of the sacramental liturgy is not as powerful as that of the priesthood examiner, but it is Cardinal Montefeltro who is in charge of the sacrament liturgical department, he was the presiding priest of the church of Speroma Ggiore, more than ten years ago, he received Bishop Picromini and his party who happened to pass through Spero, and gave them quite rich gifts, and their contacts have not been severed since then, but few people know, at least Pope Alexander VI did not know, and it was of course Cardinal Picromini who let Giulio return to Rome, But his safety was also a top priority, and Cardinal Picomini was not so unrelievable.

"That's good," Cardinal Baglioni didn't quite understand, but he was very obedient, "and how long will it be before we see Giulio?" At that time, he was still a small group, but now he must have grown up a lot, right? ”

"Well," said Cardinal Picromini, "grew up, albeit at a terrible cost. ”

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A few days later, in a secret council, the title of Kingdom of Naples held by the Fidelio family of Aragon was stripped by the Pope and passed to King Louis XII of France, who was able to attack Naples in the name of justice, as if the wind had reversed, and Louis XII and Caesar. Borgia didn't bother them much, they didn't even encounter any fierce resistance along the way, and one city after another and fortresses surrendered to them and handed over the keys, which gave back the power of the sycophancy to those who flocked around the pope, and they used all kinds of flattery to describe Caesar. Borgia's prowess and intelligibility swore that the Pope's illegitimate son was the most kingly they had ever seen, and that the title of Duke of Romagna was nothing to him, only as much as Julius. Caesar's glory is matched by it.

Whenever she heard these words, Lucretia couldn't help but want to smile bitterly, could she not know her brother? He was a Borgia, a poison ivy cultivated by the Holy Father, and if it had not been for jealousy and anxiety that had distorted his mind, he might have been able to do what Lucrecia had hoped to be. With the selfless help of the Medici, they did something real about it, instead of mistakenly believing that intrigue and violence could form the foundation of the throne, as is the case now.

But there's nothing she can do about it, and she can be like Julio. There are too few people like the Medici who take women's talents seriously and do not hesitate to admit them. Most people still believe that women should stay at home, serve their husbands, raise children, and at most socialize with their equals.

This is evidenced by a series of events that occurred after the Pope decided to visit Romagna to demonstrate the Borgia family's ownership of this vast territory, as evidenced by a series of events that occurred after he handed over the affairs of the Vatican Palace and the Holy See to Lucrecia - although the Pope said that if there is a major matter, the deputy justice, or the relevant cardinal can give a solution, and then let all the cardinals vote, but when it comes to a small matter, Luclayia feels that he can sign it on his behalf.

As a result, Armanisio. Cardinal Albre, that is, Lucrecia's brother, the younger brother of Caesar's wife, asked her in a frivolous manner: "We have no objection to this, but, what about your pen?" ”

At that time, it was common to use the word "pen" to describe the male-specific organ, and as soon as his voice fell, some people snickered.

"Maybe you're right." "But our biggest difference should be: I don't have anything to blame except for the absence of a 'pen,' and you ......," Lucrecia said, smiling slightly, without further words.

Cardinal Albrey was speechless in anger, but even louder laughter was already ringing out among the cardinals.

Lucrecia sat in their seats, and despite this small victory, there was not a trace of joy in her heart.