Louis XII also began to become tolerant after getting Milan, of course, he could only listen to what he had said to the Milanese - he did not indulge the soldiers in Milan to extort and plunder, but Milan had to bear the provisions and money of the army of more than 20,000 people, and the tribute to the pope as the Grand Duke of Milan was also paid by the Milanese, which amounted to 45,000 gold florins.

Of course, Sant'Curry simply failed to receive even a single surplus of golden florin, which was immediately acquired by Caesar, Duke of Valentino. Borgia took it in the name of the Holy See as his army, and began to prepare his own army for a coalition with the French. And in the middle of October, seeing that his illegitimate child was ready, Pope Alexander VI issued an edict claiming that the vassals of Rimini, Pesaro, Imola, Forlì, Camerino, and Urbino had not paid tribute to the Holy Treasury, so the Pope decided to strip them of their titles and declare the confiscation of their territories. ”

And in late November, Caesar. Borgia returned to Rome without anyone knowing.

The Holy Father was a little surprised and dissatisfied with his return—it was a critical moment, after all, but he still suppressed his temper, which had become more and more violent since his serious illness, and let Caesar into his room, where Caesar saw his father reclining on the couch, and although it was not very cold in November in Rome, the Pope had already used the furs and the fireplace, and the room was hot and dry, and from under the fluffy fur there was a suffocating stench.

"You shouldn't be here now." The Pope said gloomily, "Or do you have something urgent that you must discuss with me?" ”

"Everything was in our plan," Caesar said, "but I ...... I have some ideas. ”

"Say it."

Caesar thought that he had tried very hard to forget every word of the letter, but when he decided to repeat it to the Father, every word of it seemed to be imprinted in his mind, and as he recounted it, he looked at the fire in the hearth, which burned like the fire of the day, and his heart was as full of jealousy as that day.

He was quick to finish, and the Pope did not speak for a long time, just when Caesar thought he would be furious—after all, Alexander VI had always believed that the words of the sword were more powerful than the words of the lips, and he did so—but Alexander VI finally smiled wearily: "Sounds ...... Funny, but Caesar, too naïve and too ...... Cowardly, like a child talking in his sleep. You should know that the laity are mostly short-sighted and slow-minded, and their ignorant minds cannot be filled with any useful knowledge, nor do they know how to value anything good, and they are so greedy and stupid, that many times, without even temptation, they themselves will fall into the trap of the devil - unless someone whips them and threatens them with the sword, Caesar, and we are to be such shepherds, and some people will say that we are cruel, cunning, and despicable, but you must know that without us, They had no choice but to destroy the French, the Venetians, or the pagans. Of course, there will always be sacrifices on this difficult path, and they may be angry, resentful, and cursed, but it doesn't matter, one day, they will be full of respect and gratitude for us.

It is normal for you to be confused about the future, and this is true for many young people, after all, they have little experience to learn, they will be confused, they will be distressed, they will not be able to judge whether they are on the normal path, but believe me, you are only taking the first step now, but it is a good step, I believe that you, my son, you will achieve a brilliant victory for me and for the Holy See, you have to go on step by step...... When you look back, you'll realize how ridiculous your previous suspicions can be.

Go, child, go, do the work that God has assigned you, and do not forget......

'Not for Caesar, but for nothingness!' ’”

Pope Alexander VI whispered this, while reaching out his hand and pressing it on Caesar's shoulder, he had rarely made such intimate gestures to his children in recent years, especially Caesar, Caesar was trembling with excitement, he lowered his head and kissed the Pope's hands, which were once white and smooth and now had loose skin and spots, but they were still so powerful - he swore to the Pope that he would only return to Rome if he had achieved a great victory that would surprise the people, so that his father could be proud of himself.

Unbeknownst to Caesar, just as his jealousy and uneasiness were gradually subsiding in the papal denial, Alexander VI fell into a deep bewilderment.

"It's not something Caesar would think about." He said to Duarte, who had been hiding behind the secret door: "It's not his style either, who told him these things?" Who is trying to guide him? ”

"Didn't you say all that kind of nonsense was just idiot?" Duarte said.

"You heard that, do you think so?"

“…… No. "I have to say, it's a good idea, it's just too late...... Too late. ”

"Yes," said Pope Alexander VI with regret, "we have made an alliance with the French and with the Spaniards...... And my body, I can't support it until that plan is completed, if it had been a few years earlier—but, Duarte, it's better to check on the people around Caesar, such people deserve to be gathered and cherished...... A king always needs a good courtier. He said that his voice was getting lower and lower, and that he had been feeling tired all the time lately and wanted to sleep.

Duarte bowed silently and walked out, leaving the Pope alone in the room.

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The first heir to the Kingdom of France and the Duchy of Brittany did not open his eyes until a week later, and they were dark blue eyes, the same as those of Louis XII's grandfather, Charles I, and his wet hair, when dried, revealed a beautiful golden brown, the same as his mother.

What worries and disgruntles the French is that the queen does not allow the female officials and servants of the French court to interfere in the upbringing of the prince, and she does not need nannies and nurses, and those related to the prince do everything themselves, and they can't do it themselves, so they leave it to her female officer, the kind lady of Brittany. What is embarrassing is that when the king of France is not at court, the queen is the first person in the court, because there is no queen mother and princess, no one can point fingers at her.

"When he grows up," Anne stretched, "I'll take him back to Brittany." ”

"Will Louis XII say yes?"

"If he had told him that Francis (the Duke of Brittany) should inspect the territory he would inherit in the future, and let the people of the territory meet their future king, he would have agreed." Anne said, kicking the cradle with her toes, and she had to manage Brittany and take care of the children, and that's all she could do.

"Don't do that." Mrs. Kindness walked over angrily, took out the child who had been awakened by his mother, and shook it slowly and lovingly, and the baby shrugged his nose and sniffed, and found that it was a familiar person, and fell asleep again: "He is not a puppy. ”

"It's about the same," the duchess signed a paper, "and his father and I are not so lazy, who is he like?" ”

"He's still a baby," said Lady Kindheart, "and when he grows up, he'll be a great king." ”

"By the way, when is the painter coming?"

"Tomorrow." Mrs. Kindness said.

"Where's the reliquary?"

"It's done." Madame Kindness smiled: "After Mass, is it necessary to consecrate the reliquary of the archbishop and cardinal?" ”

"Let him see it," said the duchess, stopping her quill, holding her chin, and proudly, "such a beautiful child." ”

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The reliquary, inlaid with the statue of the Virgin and Child, was delivered to Lucca two weeks later.

Duchess Anne chose a painter who was very good at depicting the details of the figures, and although the statues were only the size of the fingertips to the wrists, the faces of Anne and the Son, who pretended to be the Virgin and the Son, were still so clear, and the reliquary was gold, and it was full of the cost of consecration.

Giulio had nothing to say about the duchess's audacity, but he also had to thank her.

He completed the consecration with a devotion that he had never felt before, and then placed a hollow gold cross in the reliquary, and inside the cross was - supposedly St. Calle, but in fact it was his black curls with little Cosimo, and little Cosimo with ...... Little Francis is brothers, but unfortunately they will never be able to recognize each other, just like he and them.

However, Giulio does not regret this, all decisions are made by himself, and he is willing to bear all the consequences for it.