Some of the astute members of the Cardinal have sensed the growing dark tide between Pius III and his cardinal, Cardinal Grand Lovere.

They are a little puzzled, because it is clear that in the dealings between Pius III and Cardinal Grand Lovere, Cardinal Grand Lovere was obviously rewarded very richly - the position of cardinal in the management of salaries is not only meaningful in that he is the first cardinal to meet His Excellency the Pope every day - the Pope's edicts are almost always issued by him, that is, no matter what Pius III wants to do, whether it is punishment or reward, it is impossible to escape his eyes, and he can learn from the clues of these royal decrees, It can also find out where Pius III's tendencies lie - who is he trying to protect? Or who else is it going to hurt? Or who is being manipulated, what are you going to do?

Moreover, Cardinal Lovere's "nephew", Cardinal Lovere the Younger, has now become the only one in the Congregation of Jurisprudence who has been able to raise his voice, and every clergyman, every judge, every judge must snort on his back, and even the most beloved disciple of Pius III has made way for him. Pius III even allowed him to create an army that belonged to the Inquisition, yes, an army, and not the mercenaries, which were as loose as before.

This is unprecedented.

Is there anything they are not satisfied with?

However, compared to those who turned mercenaries into soldiers, the clergy of Rome were more feared than the black-clad inquisitors, who were either poor-born or undervalued in their families, but who were ambitious and determined to do something great—they wanted to succeed and did whatever it took to do so—even if Martin had done anything to do so. Some of them were frightened by Rodder's tragic experience, and they also managed to find a reason and were relieved.

First of all, Martin. Roeder has indeed committed great sins, malfeasance, greed, gluttony—could there be more ungodly? No, they would never do that, they swore to be chaste and virtuous, to be pure in the church, even though they now fast two-thirds of the time a month, sleeping alone in cold wooden beds, spending day after day in monotonous prayer and heavy work, and the eyes in which people look at them—either hatred or hatred, but it is all rewarded! When their benefactor, Cardinal Loveré the Younger, becomes the Most Holy Father, they will be basked in the glory of the same as the saints who follow Jesus – then they too will become bishops, archbishops or cardinals, no longer humble, no longer nameless, no longer despised and humiliated.

What they don't know is that while they are still fantasizing about being rewarded, some of their colleagues have quietly disappeared - all of them have suffered some tragic "accidents".

It is also very common to say that, in any case, those dignitaries are not people who are willing to endure in silence, and after Cardinal Grande Lovere negotiated a deal with them one by one, in order to show his sincerity, Cardinal Grande Lovere did not hesitate to introduce several of the most radical inquisitors - they either threatened the beds of those nobles, or threatened the treasury of nobles, and in the past, their presumptuous behavior was sheltered or disguised by Cardinal Lovere the Younger, who was on the same side as them, but this time, Joshua. Lovere acquiesced in his father's actions.

But for Joshua, he did not see it as shameful, but on the contrary, he saw it as a sacrifice that must be made in the accomplishment of a great cause, like the saints who followed Jesus, who were martyred for righteousness and faith. These innocent people, though they have been wronged and tortured, will ascend to heaven and become saints—He gave them a small but solemn funeral, which means that only in their monastery, and he himself presided over the Mass—and during the sermon, he kissed the holy feet of Jesus and swore that in the future he would give them a just end, and that those who had murdered them would be punished most severely, and all who witnessed it were moved.

Joshua. Lovere didn't think he was lying, he would do it, but only until those people, those families, no longer had any use for it.

He became more demanding of himself, and more reliable and approachable to those monks and clergy who served him, but with whom Joshua was. Despite his youth, Lovere was like a father, and they were full of admiration for him and were willing to obey any of his orders unconditionally.

Perhaps without even noticing it, he was unconsciously following Giulio's example. The Medici, before, at the Palazzo Picromini, although he had no access to any important secrets, had always kept a close eye on the information about Giulio. Everything about the Medici, and his father, Cardinal Grande Lovere, also collected a lot of information about the Medici for him, and when taken together, he was almost able to piece together a Giulio. The Medici, a peculiar and charismatic man, and a man of no fit for his time, was unafraid of the magnates, but was willing to pay homage to the mortals, and, more strangely, his actions earned him the admiration of some kings and rulers.

For example, when he was in Brest, he did not go around the castle around King Louis XII of France, like Caesar and other retinues, to show his talents, so as to gain the attention of that majesty, but to stay in a barren seaside town and bless the filthy and lowly poor people, but this is what he did, but this was the admiration of the Duchess of Brittany, and the interest of King Louis XII of France, if it were not for Cardinal Grande Lovere and the Borgia family, He might become a courtier of the King of France.

The Borgias sent him to Lucca in the hope that the people of Lucca would try to kill him because he was a Florentine, but Giulio . The Medici not only persuaded the Luccas, but also wrested with them the right to design and build the walls of Lucca, which Joshua does not know how to do so to this day - the walls are the most important part of a city's defenses, and Lucca and Florence have been enemies for hundreds of years.

But he succeeded, and not only did he build the walls that were regarded as miracles, and thus gained the trust and love of the Luccas, but he was also able to recruit tens of thousands of exiles from Imola, Forlì, Faenza, Rimini, etc., who not only built walls for him, but also became his followers and people—he took them to the wasteland outside of Florence, and pointed to it, saying, This is the city I give you, just as Moses led the Iseletes to Canaan.

The funny thing is that those Florentines, who have obviously driven the Medici family out, but because of the lure of lanolin and cashmere, they forgot that Pierrot, the head of the Medici family, had betrayed him - he let Charles VIII get Florence without much effort, but he didn't know Giulio. The Medici had played some irreverent machinations to make the wolf give up his delicacies—but would it make them happy enough to welcome the hateful family back to Florence?

I think those Medici enemies must have been full of remorse when they looked at Gatiz.

Speaking of which, they may have been thankful to the Borgias, if it weren't for Alexander VI's contempt and neglect of Giulio. The Medici, as soon as Giulio relinquishes his teaching position and returns to Florence to become the Medici's parents, they may soon have a new tyrant, and even, because Giulio . The hypocrisy and pretentiousness of the Medici, he may also become a lord of the country.

But if this is the case, it may be good news for Joshua, who can stay at Cardinal Picromini's side with peace of mind, and become his most beloved and trusted disciple and heir, while the Medici and him, as archduke and pope, can continue to be friends, instead of being at odds as they are now.

Thinking of this, Joshua suddenly laughed, until now, did he still retain his ridiculous fantasies? No, from the day he came to Cardinal Picromini, Giulio. The Medici was destined not to be his friend, because ...... It was so painful, it was too painful to bear. As soon as he saw Giulio, he remembered what Mr. Picromini had said to him - it was because of Giulio that he was able to stay with him, and without Giulio, he was nothing.

This phrase, which was repeated in his mind for more than ten years, was that yes, as long as Giulio was there, no one would see him—Picromini, Caesar, Lucrea, any dignitary or bishop who came and went to Picromini, and when Giulio became Archbishop of Lucca, he was an unordained monk.

Even if, in the end, Alexander VI appointed him cardinal, he was only a hostage, a pawn, and he didn't even qualify as an assassin - no one could have imagined how jealous and angry he would be when he saw Giulio take over the cardinal belt from Pius III instead of the infamous Alexander VI like he did!

"Am I really inferior to him?" Joshua. Lovere muttered to himself.

No one answered him, only gentle, but stubborn constant knocks interrupted his memories.

"Who?!" Joshua asked, suppressed anger.

The monks outside the door could also hear Cardinal Lovere's anger, but he did not dare to keep him waiting, and he thought that Cardinal Loveré would be glad to hear the news of the messenger.

Joshua observed the visitor, dressed not like an Italian, not like a Spaniard or Portuguese, and not like a Frenchman, with a dark brown squirrel skin cape, a gorgeous little tall hat, a gray-blue velvet knee-high jacket, tight crimson tights, and layers of lace around his neck and wrists.

As soon as he entered, he bowed deeply to Cardinal Lovere Jr., and then revealed his identity - he turned out to be an emissary sent by King Henry VII of England.

Joshua was slightly taken aback, and a little confused, for he had no contact with the king in his memory, but the letter that the messenger had brought with it could not be mistaken with a beeswax stamp—the two-tone rose coat of arms peculiar to the Tudors. Although the color was indistinguishable, the lines of the conspicuous double-layered five-petaled rose were unusually clear—Joshua barely composure, picked up the letter opener, picked open the beeswax, and opened the parchment.

The letter was not long, dictated by Henry VII and written by his crown prince Henry the Younger, but it ended with the king's signature and seal.

And the reason why they wrote this letter is because of Desi Dewu. Erasmus, the monk of the Brotherhood of Brothers, was originally the secretary of the Pope, and when he came to England, he completely conquered the king of England and his heir with his profound knowledge and free mind, and he could be said to have easily become the king's minister, and Henry VII was willing to listen to his advice on many things. Dele, Desi Dewu. The disciples of Erasmus must also be grateful for the forgiveness of such a terrible crime, and in any case, they do not want to see Desidewu. Erasmus because of Martin. Lud was sad and depressed.

It is also worth mentioning that Cardinal Lovere Jr. first severely punished Martin in accordance with canon law. Ludd, who managed to obtain from His Excellency the Pope the right to pardon him, is a sign of both the majesty and the mercy of God, which is undoubtedly a subtle and merciful way of dealing with it that deserves to be praised and praised.

In the letter, Henry VII not only made the most beautiful words, but also generously promised many attractive conditions, and his crown prince Henry the Younger expressed his willingness to come to Rome to thank Cardinal Lovere the Younger in person, and he even made a veiled reference to Cardinal Lovere's recent reforms, which he considered not to be a saint, if not a saint's, to be indistinguishable from a saint, and if he could, he wanted to receive a relic blessed by Cardinal Lovere the Younger.

——————————

Joshua didn't even remember how he had sent the messenger away.

It wasn't until Cardinal Grand Lovere unceremoniously pushed open the door and entered his room that he was shocked to realize that he had spent the whole afternoon in his room doing nothing—not only because he was valued by a powerful monarch, but also because he was pleasantly surprised that his teacher, Pius III, had the eyes of him for the first time.

Yes, if it weren't for Pius III's reminder, he would probably have been arrested for Julio. The dislike of the Medici and the will Martin. Rudd was placed in a place of no return, and now, he is not in the hands of Martin. Rudd had the support of Henry VII, and the Desid Wood. Erasmus, apparently, had a great deal of influence on Henry VII and his heirs, and given that the crown prince Henry Jr. was only fourteen years old, if he had developed a bad feeling for himself, then Joshua would have encountered many unimaginable difficulties in the next twenty or thirty years, even if Joshua became pope.

Does that mean that Pius III still has a pity or affection for him?

"You're laughing disgustingly." Cardinal Grand Lovere had heard of the visit of the emissary of the King of England, or rather, he had hurried back because of this, after all, he had been showing off his good relations with King James IV of Scotland to King Louis XII of France, and he was ready to become a contact between the two - the enemies of the two kings of England, Henry VII, and his son, who was actually related to Henry VII, could not help but give him no headache.

"Give me the letter." Cardinal Grand Lovere held out his hand brutally.

After a standoff between Joshua and him, he handed over the letter, and Cardinal Grande Lovere took it, and after checking the wax and seal, and signing it, confirming its authenticity, he looked at it with distress, and when he had finished reading it, he was speechless in exasperation.

"Why didn't you tell me about it?"

"I don't know about Desidewu. Erasmus & Martin. Rudd had such a close relationship. Joshua said indifferently, while Cardinal Grand Lovere sneered loudly: "You don't know, you don't know that there will be a meeting in Martin. After accepting the expulsion, Lud went to beg Pius III for pardon? When will you do so much redundancy? You've always wanted to have Julio. The Medici lost the trust of Pius III and lost his favor, Martin. Wasn't Rudd a slap in the face? After all, it was he who brought the young man to the Pope.

It was Pius III, Picomini who made you do this, right? Stupid stuff! Don't you know how much effort I put into your votes?! I'm lying to the French, I'm lying to the Spaniards, I'm threatening the Portuguese, I'm bribing the Italians, everything I've done is for you! For you to be able to become the Pope! If you're willing to hand over this Martin to me early in the morning, I'll get more than just a little vague promise!

Cardinal Velvere was so agitated that he almost crushed the parchment in his hand: "These ministers, hum! These monarchs, a bunch of hypocritical bastards, speak with great grandeur and act shamelessly, and if you believe them, you will regret them in the future! ”

Joshua remained silent. He has long been accustomed to his father's curse and dissatisfaction, and he will not change his mind because of this - why change? King Henry VII of England and Henry the Younger Dauphin were the first to see him, not Lovere or Picomini, and for that alone, he was willing to become Pope and give them a generous reward.

"This must be a conspiracy by Pius III." Cardinal Grande Lovere muttered: "I need to find out why. ”

To the surprise of Cardinal Grande Lovere, this time Joshua did not even refute, Cardinal Grande Lovere looked at him suspiciously: "What are you expecting?" Even if Pius III gives you a little reward, don't forget, it's only Julio. The Medici got one hundredth, no, one ten-thousandth. ”

"In that case," Joshua said calmly, "I want him to be taken seriously." ”

"But he's dying."

"That is why," said Joshua, "I am going to take back the favor of my teacher from Giulio, and you have passed three popes, and do you not know how much power you can exert in your last moments as a pope?" Even if Alexander VI, who everyone hates, had kept his sanity before he died, the fall of the Borgias would not have come so quickly - I don't think I was really worse than Giulio, if only the teacher could see me...... And, father, there is a great deal of hope, and there is a great disappointment...... He'll change his mind. ”

"So," Cardinal Grande Lovere looked at him, gradually calming down, "are you going to continue with your previous plan?" ”

"Prepared for so long, of course."

"But everyone knows that Pius III's most beloved disciple is Giulio. Medici, since you know that Pius III's time is numbered, it is even more unlikely that he will not know, in that case, will he really give up the possibility of becoming pope and return to Florence? ”

"Julio. The Medici was very emotional, and he would definitely go back. ”

"I deeply doubt that maybe you don't know, even a little hope......"

"So what," said Joshua, "this is not the first time he has turned his back on his teacher for the sake of his family or his lover. ”