After the last hunt in 1494, the warm spring came suddenly, the branches of the deciduous trees protruded their little hairy heads, the non-deciduous trees turned from dull dark green to bright turquoise or yellow-green, the grass buds covered the roads and hillsides overnight, the sun was warm, the messengers of the wind lost the coldness of winter, and even the traces were hard to find, only when they were deliberately searched, in the falling petals, moist fingers, Or feel its presence in the hair brushing your cheeks.

Giulio and Luracia snuggled tightly together, the girl's forehead against the crook of the boy's arm, the boy's arm against the girl's neck, showing no gaps between each other, as if appointed by God. Beneath them was the bearskin cloak that had once shielded them from the bitter winter cold, now shielding them from the moisture of the riverbank—the soft branches of the willow tree stretched out countless emerald leaves, keeping the uncomplicated and filthy world out of the sight and ears of the lovely children, and they were not disturbed in the slightest except for a stupid jumping frog.

"Speaking of which," Lucrecia asked quietly, playing with Julio's fingers, "where did you get Julio?" ”

"Isn't Julio in your arms?" Giulio replied knowingly, and Lucrecia took his finger and bit it in retaliation—"Well," Giulio whispered, too, "I found it a wife." ”

Lucretia chuckled. It seems that Giulio can't stand the fact that another "Giulio" keeps burrowing between them, acting as a nasty "candle".

"It grows up," said Giulio mildly, "and it should have a wife, too." "In fact, Julio the big cat is much more romantic than the human Giulio, and all Giulio did was choose a fat female cat to keep with her.

"Will it have children?"

"Yes." Like the aristocracy of this era, legitimate and illegitimate children ran around.

"Julio."

"What?"

"I want to have a baby with you too."

There was a slight commotion.

"Not right now."

"Giulio ......"

"Nope." Giulio whispered, "You're too young. ”

"My mother gave birth to Caesar when she was thirteen."

"We can't leave everything to chance, older women are more likely to give birth than girls, as my teacher Picomini has already demonstrated."

“…… Cardinal Picromini still cares about this kind of thing!? ”

"Uh......"

"So maybe we can try contraception?" Lucrecia whispered, "Julia's nurse seems to be very good at this. ”

In this era, although the Church has repeatedly affirmed that contraception is against God's will, there are all kinds of special circumstances that force people to drive out the little embryos that want to settle in the wombs of their wives or lovers, the milder and ineffective of which are to put sun-dried lettuce leaves in men's pillows, pray to God, hang a dried cow testo-&pill around their necks, or knead women's waists, and more radically, build crocodile droppings, or dried date powder, The most terrible thing about the balls made of bark powder and honey is that they are smeared with mercury and arsenic, and they are said to have a beauty effect at the same time.

If you have to find a few men who are willing to be sympathetic, then they may also use animal bladders and intestines, which are processed with sulfur and need to be soaked and sprinkled with talcum powder when used, and can be used multiple times...... Use, it's expensive.

"Don't let me know you've done any of this." Giulio was embarrassed and embarrassed to briefly mention to Lucrecia the above methods of contraception, he could pretend that he didn't know anything, but apart from praying and hanging cow testicles, and kneading his waist, almost all other methods would cause infection and poisoning, and now there were no precious antibiotics or antidotes to counteract them, and those terrible "doctors" - Giulio did not want to return from the battlefield himself, but Luclessia was bled to death because of fever - this kind of tragedy is common in this day and age. "Or I'm going to spank you."

Lucrecia grunted out laughing, she rolled over and put herself on Giulio's top of him contentedly, she didn't understand why Giulio was so nervous about such a commonplace thing, but she knew that Giulio loved her, so he didn't want her to suffer, and would rather suppress his desires for this, something that many men couldn't do, including her father and brother.

"I listen to you, my lord." The girl said sweetly, "I will obediently wait for you to come back." ”

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Caesar had promised before that when he attacked Perugia, Giulio would be by his side, but this time Alexander VI can be said to have rejected Caesar's request to lead the church army very strongly, and the third son Juan was the object of his choice, although the Pope also knew that Juan was a coward greedy for money, but the future of each son was planned by him, Caesar was the second son, then he should put on the vestments and become a clergyman to take over his holy position, and the dead eldest son Luigi left, The military position of the worldly territory and title should be inherited by the third son, Juan.

Alexander VI thought that Caesar would argue with him and quarrel, he knew that Caesar, that is, a pony with a violent temperament, but this time he did not, Caesar, after being refused, bowed his head and thought for a while, and said: "If I can't go," he said, "then can I let my friend go to war on my behalf?" ”

Alexander looked at him a little surprised, the Pope guessed the identity of that friend at once, Caesar didn't have many friends, after Terra was poisoned by Atalant, the only one who could get Caesar's trust the most was Giulio of the Medici, and the Pope had also heard that Giulio and his daughter Lucrecia had a relationship beyond friends, but with Caesar there, he was not very worried about it - if Giulio got Lucrea's love, then the first person to stab the dagger into the Medici's chest would not be him, it would only be Caesar, No one could take away his sister and lover, Alexander VI was convinced of this.

The rest is a logical thing, Julio. The Medici, the archbishop of Lucca, participated in this great battle as part of the church army, of course, until the end of the battle, he did not receive any compensation or remuneration, and even the soldiers had to be hired themselves - the people of Lucca sent many precious gifts to their new bishop, as well as three times the tax (as is customary), and they also sent an army of one hundred men, according to the Italian tradition, in units of "guns", similar to the French army, five people for one "gun", "gun" They were a knight, a military officer, a longbowman, a crossbowman, and a squire, as well as their respective horses and horses carrying armor supplies. A hundred people, twenty "guns", and the generosity of people they had never met was certainly not out of piety - there was something about lanolin and cashmere, and although the Florentines kept it a secret, the Luccas were mostly in-laws, friends, in Florence. Lucca is famous for the silk trade, but they wouldn't mind getting involved in such a lucrative deal.

In addition to the Lucca, there are also the Medici, that is, the current parent Giuliano secretly sent a hundred people, these mercenaries originally belonged to the Medici, when the Medici were expelled, they were also the ones who protected Constina and others from being humiliated and hunted down by the enemy, and now they are unable to return to the Medici mansion in Florence, if Giulio can accept them, it is not a bad thing. Most of them were hoplites, with twenty mounted arquebusiers.

Another hundred belonged to the Picomini family. When Cardinal Picromini was in his study, placing a huge commercial bill of exchange in Giulio's hand, Giulio was almost speechless with guilt. This money will ensure that he will not have to worry about the salaries of the mercenaries for half a year, and in case he is captured, it will also ensure his safety and dignity, or encourage the mercenaries who are interested in taking him out of danger at all costs.

Sometimes, Giulio also felt that he was a despicable person - in his uncle Lorenzo. When the Medici died, or before he died, Giulio lost a reliable elder and also a generous patron, and although Lorenzo left an inheritance, it was only a drop in the bucket for a man who served by the side of a cardinal in Rome and was destined to receive a vineyard or two. The Medici had realized that his heir and Giulio did not have a good relationship, but out of love for his own children, he did not hesitate to favor Pierrot - Giulio had nothing to complain about this, his soul was an adult, and he knew that no one in this world was born into a debt to anyone, but he still couldn't help but feel cold and lonely.

Cardinal Picromini initially took care of Giulio at Lorenzo's request, and Lorenzo gave up Giulio, and it stands to reason that he could give the young man a convent or church ordination, but he cared for Giulio as if he were his own son, and Giulio ...... He once thought he could repay the expectation, but he was still shaken - Luclesia's raging love was a scorching flame, and even though people knew that the price of embracing this flame was either to suffer terrible damage or death, they were still like moths and did whatever it took to move forward.

Even for Julio, he could only refuse once.

He was bound to disappoint the old man, Giulio kissed Cardinal Picromini's hand apologetically, and exited the room, he would not say, or plan any compensation in his heart, if Cardinal Picromini was just an investor, of course he would have done so with a clear conscience, but Cardinal could be said to be his second father, and their previous affection was not only better than Giulio's biological father, Giuliano, whom Giulio had never met, but also better than Lorenzo of Florence. Giulio, if one day, Giulio thought, he had to kneel at the feet of Cardinal Picromini and ask for his forgiveness and forgiveness.

Cardinal Picromini leaned against his desk and listened intently until Giulio's footsteps faded away, his expression solemn and his eyes full of love.

"Are you worried about him?" A voice asked.

The kindness in the cardinal's eyes disappeared suddenly.

"You know what he's doing," Joshua said as he walked out of the prayer room on the side of the study, trying to restrain himself, but there was still a hint of reluctance in his words: "He's ......"

As he prepared to leave the priesthood, Cardinal Picromini added in his mind that Giulio had already shown his talent as a merchant and warrior during the Medici expulsion in Florence, and that he was about to show himself as a leader and general on the battlefield against the French. Now the Florentines hate the Medici, but everyone knows that the Florentines have always been ungrateful, liking the new and hating the old, and if the rulers after the Medici family cannot satisfy them, they will remember the favor of the Medici family again, and shout for the Medici to return to the Florentine council, but Pierrot has been determined by the Inquisition to be haunted by the devil and cannot leave the monastery that stands on a desolate island for the rest of his life. Do you want little Giuliano, who only likes to hide in women's skirts, to take on this heavy responsibility?

If Giulio had gained fame and honor in this war, he would have been welcomed back to Florence, along with his sister Constena, Madeleine, and his brother, Cardinal Joe. With the support of the Medici, he may be able to become the second Giovanni. The Medici couldn't tell, either.

But this is only an obstacle set by the devil in the path of the saints, and Cardinal Picromini firmly believes that a person born spiritual, including Luclays, will have the only ultimate destination for the Lord, and even if he takes off his vestments, takes off his ring, and indulges in the swamp of power and beauty, he will abandon everything at the sound of a loud call, and will rush to the feet of the Lord and give everything he has for the Lord.

"It's not something you can speculate about." Cardinal Picromini gently interrupted Joshua, succeeding in paleing the boy.