Hello dear father!

You have received my letter, but my messenger says that you are sick again, is it because my brothers have said some bastard things? If so, tell me that I give them money so that they can serve you well in the country, not for them to do business or buy a shop! If they are still like this, I will not give them a single child, and you will not give it unless they are willing to lean down on you and kiss your feet for forgiveness.

Last time, you mentioned that you wanted one of my younger brothers to come to Rome as my assistant or apprentice, and I really don't want such an unintelligent and greedy guy to be by my side, and I serve some big people, and if you anger them, let alone the reward, even your life will be lost, let him stay in your hometown, so that you don't lose a son so quickly.

As for the money you mentioned, alas, Daddy, I only sent a hundred and twenty gold florins last time, and I gave you a hundred gold florins last time, did you run out so quickly, I know you are sick, but I am also sick, and recently from Rome came a kind of medicine powder that can cure all diseases, and the effect is very good, as long as you sprinkle it on the wound, or swallow it, no matter how stubborn the disease will be cured. I took all the money I had with me and bought about an ounce from the Duke's personal physician, Torreira, and the Duke himself gave him permission—he admired my talent so much that he didn't want to lose me, and by taking this medicine, my illness was immediately cured, and I didn't get cold or hot, or did I have abdominal pain or pain in my hands and feet, or was it really a blessing from St. Luke, the patron physician and the saint of the hospital? Thank God, I have sent you the rest of the medicine, the one in a small glass jar and in a wooden box, for the Holy Name, for your healing, and you must not give it to my brothers, even their children, my nephews and nieces.

As for money, you don't have to worry about that, I came to Pesaro with the Duke, yes, he said he was going to Faenza, apparently, he changed his mind again, or out of a ploy as a commander-in-chief, I don't know, it's not something I need to worry about, I'm quite safe with the Duke.

However, it was Rimini who surrendered to the Duke of Valentino before Pesaro, and you would not have guessed that I was by the Duke's side at that time, and that day happened to be the feast of St. Luke, and the Duke was dressed in a very solemn manner, wearing a black velvet coat (although the same quilted with gold thread) and a grayish-brown pine bark coat, and wearing only three rings on his hands, one of which was still a mandatory signet ring, and only a gold collar of the Royal French Cavalry Corps around his neck (a symbol of honor, which he almost never removal); At this moment, the soldiers came in to inform 3, and after asking the permission of the duke, the representatives of the city of Rimini crept into the tents, alas! I'm not exaggerating at all, he could barely lift his head and kissed Caesar like that. Borgia's feet, with both hands the keys to the city of Rimini.

According to him, the former lord of Rimini was a proud, cruel and cowardly bastard, who was very unkind to the people of Rimini, and the people there hated him, and not so long ago they tried to plot a rebellion to oust him from the throne of the lord of the city, but without success - this time, the darling of God, the commander of the Papal army, the Duke of Valentino was willing to come to their rescue, and it can be said that they were very grateful and eagerly awaited the duke to enter Rimini as soon as possible. And the lord before them, as soon as he heard the news, fled in haste, and sailed to Venice to take refuge with his master.

I noticed that the Duke's brow furrowed for a moment when he heard the news, but he soon relaxed—I remembered some gossip I had heard in Lucca that the Pope was negotiating a deal with the Venetians—that the Venetians had been defeated three times by the infidels (Turks) navy, and that the whole city was tormented by the infidels, and that they were in dire need of the Holy See's support and help, and that Pope Alexander VI used this to force them to relinquish control of Rimini and Faenza, The Venetians, of course, were reluctant, but the situation was urgent, and before I could leave, I heard rumors that they were loosening up.

Eventually, the Duke of Valentino happily accepted the keys to Rimini's city (out of an abundance of caution, the squire gave him the keys before putting the lid on, and he didn't remove his gloves and mask during the whole process).

And just a few days later, Giovanni. News of Sforza's escape from Pesaro also reached here, and the Duke soon received a second key to the city.

Father, the victory came so quickly, I don't think even the Duke had expected it, and his soldiers had not even been able to swing their swords once, or shoot a single arrow, and his cannons had not even sounded, and I stood beside him, like a servant standing beside a saint, and I could not help but feel all the glory, which is the proper sign of the birth of a wise and powerful king! I'm sure he's upset by now, but given their previous friendships, I'm sure they'll be able to heal the rift.

Of course, with the submission of these two cities, my work came, and although it was still a painting that I was not good at, it was also something to be remembered and to show off—I sketched the duke first, and then added Rimini and Pesaro behind him, and here the perspective I had learned from Masaccio was put to good use, and the duke was amazed when he looked at the sketch, not only did I construct the proportions of the sky, the buildings, and the hills to him, but also because I placed him in the center of the left side of the picture. It makes him look extraordinarily tall and strong, and his vision extends beyond the city he has conquered with his personal prestige and charm, and the picture is a whole, inseparable and lifelike.

He was so anxious, but father, you know, I want to be perfect in everything I do, and I said this to him, and the Duke was a little unhappy, but he promised me that I would be quicker, so that I spent almost all my time eating and sleeping on these two paintings, and they made me feel tired like I had never felt before, and if it had not been for the zeal of victory that supported me, I would have fainted.

It is also gratifying to say to you that the Duke took my advice, and that when he entered Pesaro, he was very kind to the people there, and only made them bear the tribute he was to pay to the Holy Treasury and the assistance money for the protection of the Papal States, and half of the money and provisions required for the army under his command, without any other taxes or offerings, and, of course, he accepted some of the gifts offered to him by the townspeople, including twelve silver-plated statues of Venus, in various forms, very wonderful, When I had finished my paintings, I must ask the Duke for permission to copy and touch them, alas, Father, "how exciting is the power of beauty to me, and there is no equal joy in the world!" (note 1)

If there is anything unpleasant, it is probably that there are always rough people in this world who do not love beauty, do not cherish beauty and do not follow the rules, although the Duke did not allow his soldiers to plunder in Pesaro, but there are still people who have suffered misfortune...... A parish priest complained to the bishop that his niece was kidnapped and ...... by some duke soldiers on her way home from Mass Rape, her brother was killed when he stopped them—the poor girl recognized the Duke's coat of arms, and it was the latest, namely the Holy Key of the Holy See, the bull, the lily, and the serpent with seven heads, which the Duke had ordered his soldiers to add after obtaining Pesaro—a mythical monster that would grow a head if he cut off a head, which was quite appropriate for his ambitions.

The Duke gently comforted them, and gave them about three hundred gold florins, but he asserted that it was not his soldiers' doing, "They are the best soldiers who can strictly observe discipline." He said this, and then told the people that these were the bandits of the neighborhood who were posing as his soldiers to cause harm and tarnish his reputation—and he himself led his soldiers to exterminate them, and then hung them on the walls and among the trees.

...... in this regard Of course I would have believed the Duke, but I was always worried, and although I was too busy with the painting to get out, I could still hear the girl's cry that day.

We rested in Pesaro for a while, during which time I finally finished a portrait of the Duke and the Palazzo Pesaro, a marble palace that no one who had ever seen could imagine how beautiful it was, so I asked the Duke to see if I could go to the marble area of Pesaro, both to prepare for his statue, and possibly, in Rome, or wherever he wanted, I could also build him such a magnificent and elegant palace.

The duke, after a moment's hesitation, agreed, but he insisted that I go with a squad of soldiers.

In fact, it was certainly one of my reasons to explore the marble production area, but it was also one of my thoughts to go out and relax, Pesaro faces the Adriatic Sea, with beautiful scenery, fresh air and a huge beach.

On the way out of the barracks, I met Leonardo. Leonardo da Vinci, whose name you must have heard, I must admit that he did have a merit which I could not attain in painting, but he was a little inferior to me in the matter of statues—and so was his position in the heart of the Duke, and I was inferior to him in the skill of the laity, and above him in the genius of art, but he was close to fifty years of age, with a gray beard and flabby flesh, and I, your son, I was not yet thirty years old, and in time I had enough confidence to surpass him.

Still, given his status and age, I greeted him first and invited him to go out for a walk with me, but he refused, and the look in his eyes struck me strangely—a look of pity and a little self-deprecating.

The look lingered in my mind, so much so that my short journey became boring, or rather, I wondered that I could not see a Pesaro man along the way.

I was scared, but I didn't know why.

Father, please bless your son.

Michelangelo in Pesaro

Note 1: "How exciting is the power of beauty to me, and there is no equal joy in the world!" These are Michelangelo's exact words. From his poetry collection.