The abbot was willing to give up his room, but neither Picoromini nor Bishop Perugia refused, and the monastery had rooms for pilgrims and lifelong monks, and there was only one chair and bed in the room, and the friars' room would have a small table, and they would sit down at the small table, and Bishop Perugia occupied the narrow bed, while Picromini used the chair. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

A monk brought two not-so-extravagant supper, a few slices of sweet ginger for the appetizer, cabbage soup, and a creamy gratin of the eel, which ended with aged cheese, a meal that could not be faulted even during Lent: "Brothers who have come from afar," the Bishop of Perugia asked, as he picked up a piece of sweet ginger and put it in his mouth, "have they all been arranged?" ”

"Everything was in perfect condition," said the deacon, "and we provided them with a bath bucket, bread, salt, and water." ”

"Tub?" Picomini said.

"How?" Bishop of Perugia asked, chewing on sweet ginger.

"If I'm not mistaken," said Pictromini, "St. Francis has made it clear that 'dirty' is also one of the signs of divinity. ”

The monk glanced apprehensively at the pilgrim, while Picomini was only engrossed in dipping a slice of bread into the cabbage soup.

"St. Francis has said that our sisters of water are so deferential, clean, and precious." Bishop Perugia said nonchalantly: "We are following his teachings when we cleanse our bodies with our sisters of water. ”

He paused, glancing at the monk who was about to stand in the corner of the room, "All right, child," said the bishop kindly, "you can go back to your room, and we will recite the scriptures to each other, just as we did when we were in Rome." ”

The young monk immediately stopped, he was not the kind of religious person who would not enter the priesthood for the rest of his life for the purpose of seclusion, and the opportunity to serve two bishops at the same time was also extremely rare, but he knew that there might be something that would not be heard by ordinary monks like him, so he immediately meekly withdrew from the room, leaving only Picomini and Bishop Perugia together.

"Now you might be able to tell me." Bishop Perugia said: "Who is that child? ”

"You can start reciting the scriptures," said Picomini, "Brother Adrian." "Adrian was the lay name of the Bishop of Perugia, when they were still in the seminary of Rome, young and naïve, hot-blooded and reckless.

"It's a secret, isn't it?" Bishop Perugia said, as if he had not heard his classmates muttering: "We can trade, you tell me, and I tell you, not necessarily significant, but I promise you will not owe me a debt or be my creditor." “

"The child you brought with you ......," said Bishop Perugia, "a hostage?" Or is it a gift? Or is it just another bastard of yours? The Romans say that you have twelve illegitimate children, as many as disciples of Jesus Christ. ”

"Put away that blasphemous statement, you know I don't have an illegitimate child or a mistress," said Picomini, and while he wasn't the kind of person who would treat himself as harshly as an ascetic, he was certainly not good at chasing the crony of **** and prostitute like the clergy of Rome.

"It doesn't hurt to let people talk like that," said Bishop Perugia, "that crimson (the color of the cardinal's clothing) or white (the color of the Pope's clothing) is not hidden under a child or two, and the truly holy people are on parchment and marble, so that they do not think that you will be a threat." ”

"Threat?" Picomini looked up: "I'm not even a cardinal. ”

"Yes." Bishop of Perugia said, "You are a Picomini. ”

"The moment of truth is thousands of miles away in Picomini."

"It seems that you don't know anything about Rome either." Bishop Perugia said, crossing his hands contentedly.

"Our Holy Father is in danger."

"It's going to last a few months." Bishop Perugia said: "Possibly. ”

"Has the atmosphere in Rome become tense?"

"Some cardinals are collecting gold, what do you think?"

Picomini smiled sarcastically: "Actually, I think they could have elected the pope by rolling the dice," he said not very respectfully, "and whoever becomes a pope will be rewarded by each cardinal one by one." He spread his hands: "It's fair and reasonable." ”

"I've got a lot of money to go," Perugia said, "maybe change the color of my clothes." ”

"It's a little hard," said Picomini, "is there anyone who voluntarily quits teaching?" ”

"Someone may suddenly go mad," said Bishop Perugia sincerely, "but Picromini, I want to go back to Rome, I don't want to stay in this position until I am old and I can achieve nothing." ”

"Your ideas deserve respect."

"What about you?" The Bishop of Perugia asked: "What about you, what about you?" Listen to this illustrious surname, Picomini, you are the nephew of Pius II, bishop at the age of twenty-two, and you are allowed to inherit the name and coat of arms of the Picomini family, you have held no less than three of the most important positions in succession, apart from your uncle, you have also taken care of the living and eating of Paul II, he trusts you so much, loves you, and regards you as his right-hand man, if not Francesco. Della. Lovere......"

"Needless to say," said Picomini calmly, "he knows how to bribe and seduce better than I do." ”

"That's because you're always hesitating," said Bishop Perugia dissatisfied, "you could have done something about it." ”

"Alright, alright," said Pictromini, "I know what you think, and in that case, you can tell me what you need me to do for you." ”

"I'm not that utilitarian," said Bishop Perugia, smuffly, "but, yes, yes, I do need your help." He stood up, opened the door and looked, "Let Father Valencia come here." He said to the monks who were waiting outside the door.

Soon, Father Valencia appeared in front of the two of them, and to Picomini's surprise, he was still just a child, "Has Rome fallen like this?" He said, "How can a child become a priest?" ”

"What is this," clapped his hands to the Bishop of Perugia, "what about a baby in the world or a fetus in the womb who becomes a duke or a king, a priest, eight years old, nine years old, ten years old?" ”

"How old?"

"Uh, eight." Bishop Perugia said.

Picomini wiped his hands with the linen that was placed under the plate, and the beeswax candles lit the room like daylight, and he could find all the details—the child would have been believed if he had been ten years old, for his face and body had been detached from the stage of a young child, his hair was dark brown with only a little curl at the ends, his eyes were the same color as his hair, he was as calm as a grown monk, his posture was graceful and dignified, his skin was pale, and he was delighted at the sight of it.

But there was still something familiar to Picromini on that angelic face, he looked at his classmates, and then closed his eyes and quickly recalled for a while, this teaching position is not inconspicuous, but not every bishop can ask for an eight-year-old child, this favor and price can be put in the child's adulthood, after all, it is still quite common for young children or teenagers to die in the middle of the way, once the beneficiary is dead, then all the ideas and expectations related to him can only be said to be in the air, can only be saidThe boy was willing to take the risk for him—Picromini's uncle, though he had doted on him, had never been so mad.

Valencia, the diocese of Spain, ha, isn't there a cardinal of the Spaniards in Rome, Picomini finally remembered where he had seen this face, Rodrigo. Borgia, who was eight years older than Picomini, but a hundred times more shameless than the latter, and it was well known that he and his lover had openly concubinage, and had given birth to four or five children, and now one of them stood before him.

"Rodrigo. Borgia. Picomini said.

Bishop Perugia nodded cautiously, "Come to us." He said kindly to the boy.

"Borgia wants that supreme position." Pictromini said, staring at Borgia's face with his piercing eyes.

"Who doesn't want that?" Bishop Perugia said.

"His odds of winning are slim," said Pictromini, "and his enemy is Giuliano. Della. Lovere. ”

"To date, no two identical surnames have been allowed to appear consecutively on the papal lineage table, and it is impossible for him to become pope."

"The current Pope. That Lovere is only forty-one years old, he can have waited," Picomini said, "It seems that this time Rome will be **** - so Borgia didn't even dare to let his family stay in Rome." ”

"They are still very young," said Bishop Perugia, "the youngest is only two years old. ”

"He has entrusted you with one of his sons," said Picomini, "my classmate, I did not expect that you should be worthy of his trust—is it another miracle of St. Francis?" ”

"You can leave." Bishop Perugia turned to Borgia Jr.

Father Valencia bowed to the two bishops and exited the room, and in the whole process he did not rush to interject, express his opinion, nor show a look of panic and anger, and his ability to control his body and emotions was obviously greater than that of many adults, a Borgia, Picomini thought, if Rodrigo. If Borgia could indeed become the Pope as he wished, this child would be the sharpest knife he could use to stab his enemies.

"Now you can tell me what you want me to do." Picomini said.

Bishop Perugia scratched his neck, "You have twenty-three retinues," he said, "not counting the smallest." ”

Picoromini raised his eyebrows dangerously.

"No one should pay attention to one more," said Perugia brazenly, "or keep one, and the vacancy in the convent of St. Francis of Assisi, which is worth a hundred florins, the equivalent of three small stallions with good teeth, and is constantly appreciating in value, and given how expensive the crimson vestment is, it may be worth the same value as ten little stallions to-morrow." He pinched a small worm caught in the fold of the flesh of his neck and rubbed it, "I think someone will be willing to exchange it with little Borgia." ”

"Rodrigo. How much did Borgia give you? ”

"What?"

"Money, or vineyards? Or a church? ”

Bishop Perugia looked up at the beams.

"Vineyard," he said, "I guess?" ”

"Then I want a third of the proceeds," said Pictromini, taking a sip of the water in a wooden cup, which was filled with honey, "and until the Pope is elected." ”

"Having a Borgia disciple is nothing wrong with you." Bishop Perugia said.

"But he's not my debt."

"So who is your debt?" Bishop of Perugia asked: "Medici? ”

Picomini's eyes suddenly became stern.

"Wait...... Wait," Bishop Perugia said, raising his hands, "it's just a simple matter of logic, my old classmate, my schoolwork is not as bad as you think - when was this child born, either before 1478 or after 1478, and what happened in 1478?" As we all know, the Medici family was almost killed by the Patch family. Morality. The Medici escaped into the reliquary—and then I remember that a little before that day I received a letter from you telling me that you were invited by Archbishop Salviati of Pisa to celebrate the first weekday mass of the Easter Sunday in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Florence and to admire the relics......" he smiled slyly, "Lorenzo has been poisoned, no, don't ask me how I know, but Picomini, our teacher once said that you are as good as a wizard." You, and no one else, allowed the Medici matrimonial to get his life back and be able to stand up and take revenge on his enemies for the next three days. ”

"And," he continued, "who accompanied Lorenzo to Naples and persuaded King Ferdinand I of Naples to break the covenant with Siscott IV and to become friends with the Medici? I doubt Lorenzo without you. Morality. Whether the Medici were able to enter the Berdych Palace. ”

Picomini leaned back, neither denying nor admitting.

"You left Rome with only three retinues," said the Bishop of Perugia, "and now you have twenty-three retinues, each of them knightly in style, who is paying for them?" Lorenzo. Morality. The Medici have always been a generous man, and I know, and then Florence is not so safe with the Medici now, except for the king and the pope, the so-called citizens who love the new and hate the old, and the nerves, and there is also a Dominican order, the abbot of the Convent of San Marco in Florence, called Savonarona, who has been madly attacking everything since 1482, from the Pope and the Church to the Medici family - the dark tide is raging, my friend, I wouldn't be surprised to say that the Medici patriarch wanted to keep a little bit of blood and bones.

Also, although it is said that you have twelve illegitimate children, I know that you don't like children, and who else could you take a child so young with you? ”