- There are 1,000 words added to the previous chapter.

"They also have an excommunicated king now." Anne said calmly.

Louis XII's anger filled his chest, he knew that his wife did not love him, did not respect him, and even hated him, but it did not matter, he needed Brittany, not a woman, but such words still stung him deeply, he jerked his head up, and glared at the hateful woman, but she only laughed, and after a while, he found that under Anne's smile there was also exhaustion, uneasiness, and anger, and he opened his mouth and could not say anything, in fact, he did disappoint her, and his subjects, he had secretly laughed at Charles VIII, as if it was fate, or a curse, that he had fallen into the same situation, and if there was any consolation, it was probably that he had a healthy heir, and for the sake of their common son, Anne would at least be on his side in the war with the princes.

Indeed, the Duchess of Brittany complained only slightly, and she did not expect the present king to give any good idea: "One year, your majesty, there is only one year to lift the law," she repeated, "and time flies, and we don't have much time left, so you must recuperate for a few days, and then prepare to go to Rome to ask the Pope for forgiveness." ”

Louis XII looked desperate, the humiliation of Canossa was a monolith in the hearts of every king, and even though Henry IV washed away the humiliation by destroying half of Rome and banishing Pope Gregory VII, he still faced constant rebellions and attacks because he was excommunicated for the second time, including his own son, Henry V. So much so that he ended up spending the rest of his life in captivity and exile as a sinner, and after his death, Pope Pascal II at the time did not even allow people to hold a funeral for him, let alone the sacrament of death, and people said that he would fall into purgatory until the end of the world.

But he was also well aware that he had to accept the reality that, as Anne said, that if the punished person did not receive the forgiveness of those who had disciplined him within a year, his vassals would have to swear allegiance to his dismissal, that is, his princes, even the humblest commoners, would be able to raise arms against him without condemnation, his marriage would be null and void, his son would be illegitimate child, he would not be allowed to enter the church, nor would he be allowed to receive or participate in any religious rituals, even if he died. He could only be abandoned, like Henry IV, like a slave in an unknown place.

The problem was that although he knew exactly what he had to do, he couldn't help but tremble and burst into tears.

——————

After reminding, or warn, Louis XII, the Duchess of Brittany, the Queen of France, left the king's chamber, and the corridor was filled with worried nobles, both French and Brittany, and at the end of the corridor stood her son Francis.

"Am I going to be an illegitimate child?" As she was taken into Anne's arms, Francis couldn't help but whisper out of concern.

"No," replied Anne firmly, "never." ”

She placed her hand on her son's shoulder, which was soft and strong, calming Francis's restless heart a little.

Although the Duchess of Brittany said so, and his companions and maids gave them as little comfort as they could—they asked him if he wanted some sweet snacks, or go out hunting, or dance with the maids, unfortunately the Duchess never relaxed about the education of the Dauphin Francis, and his history teacher had long ago talked to him about what had happened before the castle of Canossa, how terrible, a stinking commoner from a family of cobblers, Just because he had climbed to the highest position of the church, he was able to force a noble king, and his wife and son to stand outside the castle gates, and tremble in the wind and snow for three days and three nights, and pray for his forgiveness, like a slave who bowed down to his master, and then signed a contract full of humiliation.

Francis was not interested, he sent them out the door, sat alone at his desk, and when he found that his hand was unintentionally on the Bible, he quickly retracted his hand as if it had been bitten by a scorpion - he did not understand why his king and father would act so recklessly, although his mother, the Duchess of Brittany, was not very religious, but everyone knew that the Church has always had an extremely important and special place in the hearts of the people, and of course, you can despise it, You can ignore it, or you can destroy it, but you also have to accept the consequences that come with it.

He thought that he might have to follow his father, standing outside Rome, barefoot, draped in a linen robe, chanting prayers in the bitter cold wind, allowing the breath of his breath to freeze with his tears until he fainted, so that His Excellency the Pope, whom he had never met, might show some mercy...... His cobalt blue eyes involuntarily heated, and at this moment the majestic image of Louis XII, which had been described to him by the French attendants and ministers, suddenly faded its original color, and became mottled and unsightly—and he even hated his father, because of Louis XII, his innocent mother, the noble lady, who also suffered such humiliation.

If he had given himself life, the Dauphin thought, then he had to pay his debts, but why did his mother, the Duchess of Brittany, suffer? She did not declare war on the Church, nor did she commit an unforgivable crime, and her only fault was that she had such a husband.

There was a knock on the door, and one of the guards, who was very close to him, asked him if he needed company, but the crown prince refused.

This guard was none other than the son of the Prince of Augerand, a Brittany minister who was very favored by the Duchess, and his son was also a witty and cheerful man, so he was usually very popular with the Crown Prince. Although Francis occasionally hears some rumors from some ill-intentioned people, he doesn't believe it, no matter what else, he has been with his mother for more than ten years, doesn't he still know who she is? She may not love her husband, his father, but she has a hot heart, more like a man in thought, she laughs at love, she does not believe in the chastity of men, the chamber attracts her attention more than the bed—it must be said that she has a lover, then there will be no one but Brittany, even he, who was born for Brittany.

The Dauphin got up from his desk and walked to a huge dressing mirror, twelve years earlier the Florentines had found a way to make a clear glass mirror, and later, in order to redeem Giulio who was in Brest at the time. The Medici, Constena, of the Medici family, presented this precious document to his father, Louis XII, and Louis XII obtained a steady stream of large sums of money, which were thrown into the bottomless abyss of war.

In Blois, however, the bright silver mirror had the good fortune of being a must-have in the rooms of the nobles, especially women, who were even ashamed to see people without a mirror large enough to see their whole body.

The crown prince also liked the mirror, and he knew that he had a beautiful face, which allowed him to gain the respect and affection of the people at a very young age, even if not by virtue of his status, after all, in this era, it was unanimously believed that those with outstanding looks must be blessed.

And in his imagination, his father should also be a handsome person, but this is not the case.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen his father, but he was still very young, too young to be that conscious, but today he did take a closer look at Louis XII's face and compare it with himself - the rumors may not all be groundless, although Louis XII prides himself on his outstanding appearance, and countless sycophants often compare him to Apollo the Sun King or Mars, the god of war, but in fact he is quite ugly and too serious, he has dark hair and thick eyebrows, sunken eyes, and a long nose, The tip of his nose was crooked downward, his lips were dark and bloodless, and his cheeks could be said to be plump when he was young, but this year he was forty-nine years old, and he had suffered such a big setback, and his long career in war had ruined his health, and his face had drooped downward, making him look even older and unapproachable.

The Duke of Orleans, His Royal Highness Francis, had a beautiful face, and it was said that it was perhaps because his mother's blood was more dominant, like the color of his hair, but the question was that his facial contours were rarely soft and delicate, who was this like? People whispered, after all, neither from Breton nor from Orleans had such a lovely jaw and gentle cheekline, and everyone was saying that their crown prince had an impeccable face like His Majesty the painter Adonis, but they must also say that he really had nothing in common with his father.

The crown prince also had to admit this, but the people around him had never had such physical characteristics, and even his mother Anne's face was tougher than his.

Frightened, he reached out and pulled down the curtains on either side of the mirror, obscuring the horrible sight.

Not just because he might just be his mother's child, but because he suddenly realized that he didn't love his father or his king.

——————————

Compared to the worried and distressed French, Pope Leo X of Rome was much happier.

After being forced to fast for more than ten days, he was finally given a brief forgiveness, and although the portion was still limited, he was finally able to eat meat and honey, "which is the value of being human." He was moved to say that even his prayers had become much more pious, and of course, most importantly, the sword of Damocles hanging over his head, while he was still complaining about the monotonous diet, was carried out by his brother and courtier, Giulio. The Medici solved it overnight with lightning speed, just as the humiliation suffered by Henry IV at Canossa was finally washed away by the sacking of Rome and the deposition of the pope, and since the three popes, the Church has been eager to revive the power of God, so that the emperor and the king are once again prostrate at their feet, although the possibility of this is becoming more and more small as the church becomes more and more corrupt and degenerate.

The victory over France, especially in Rome, undoubtedly lifted the hearts of the clergy and the bishops, with the exception of Cardinal George and others, who were still imprisoned.

Pope Leo X was so triumphant and excited that he even summoned many tailors to make more beautiful clothes for himself.

"If I sharpen my shining sword and hold the power of judgment in my hands, I will take revenge on my enemies and on those who hate me." ”

"Gold thread or colored silk thread?" The tailor asked.

"Golden thread." Leo X said: "Put the word revenge with rubies." ”

"Yes, Your Excellency."

The tailor immediately noted the pope's request, and more tailors gathered around the pope to see if there was anything else to adjust to the new white christ of Christ.

"Your body has become stronger and taller." One tailor complimented: "You really need to remake the vestment, the old garment doesn't fit at all." ”

Leo X knew that he had lost weight only because of his diet, but this sounded so good, and he rewarded the tailor with ten gold florins.

By the way, the inner treasury of the church was finally enriched again, and those prisoners of Rome and Ravenna, whether French, Neapolitans, or others, had become enemies of the Pope, and it was not so easy to atone for their sins, and in short, their indulgences must have been the most expensive, as well as ransoms, settlements...... Captured equipment and horses...... Mansions, acres, vineyards and workshops that were seized and confiscated...... There are even the discredited income generated by the death of the clergy - the poor people who are unfortunately on the wrong side, some of them are frightened themselves, and some of them are left behind...... In short, let's pray for them.

The clergy who had complained about the Monks of Mercy had taken away a lot of business no longer complained, because such a deal alone would make them eat with their chests and stomachs high, and they would no longer care about the little leftovers.

"Oh," the pope, who was raising a hand for the tailor to measure his bust, suddenly raised his voice: "Julio, Julio, my brother!" What are you doing, come to me! ”

Julio had to retract his steps towards the Signature Chamber, and now regretted having placed his bedroom next door to the Pope's bedchamber, reminding himself to leave the Pope as soon as possible as he took a few steps back into the Pope's bedchamber.

The spacious chamber was a little crowded, for the Pope had put in the wooden table for fitting clothes, and in addition to the tailors and their assistants, there were rows of wooden shelves hung with priceless vestments, in addition to holy white, but also in intense red—Giulio looked curiously at the cardinal's vestments and asked, "For whom?" ”

"Who else could it be," the Pope motioned to the tailors to grab Giulio, "it's for you." ”

"I already have a lot of clothes." Giulio said patiently, but the tailors pushed him onto the wooden platform and began to work around him.

"Those don't count," said Leo X, "we must dress nicely, I mean, with proper dignity and posture when the French ask us for forgiveness." ”

"You can arrange it yourself." "I still have a lot of work to do," Giulio said. ”

"Your work is never done, I know, and it's work." Leo X said, "I want to make you the inside of your cloak out of white squirrel skin, what do you think?" ”

"Whatever you want." The tailors did not look at each other, although they obeyed the Pope's orders, their movements were much faster, and after a while, Giulio's measurements were measured, and he looked at the Pope with some confusion, the Pope still looked the same, with a shy stomach, his hands crossed in front of his chest, and he looked happy and carefree, "What's wrong?" The supreme lord looked at Giulio and asked with a smile, "Is there anything on my face?" ”

Nothing, Julio shook his head, but he always felt that something had changed dramatically about Joe, though he couldn't tell.

Joe asked Julio to kiss his hand, and then watched him leave his bedroom, blinking, and turning to the tailors: "How long will it take for these clothes to be finished?" ”

"Thirty days." The tailor said, "For there are many precious buttons, pins, and the progress of the goldsmith." ”

"It doesn't matter," said the Pope leniently, "I want perfection and flawlessness, and as for time, I don't think a loser has the right to dictate to a winner." ”

————————

The Pope fulfilled his promise, and King Louis XII of France arrived in Rome on the first day of Advent (four weeks before Christmas, counting from the Lord's Day closest to November 30 until Christmas), accompanied by several French nobles and ascetics.

By this time Leo X had already gone to Castel Sant'Angelo in the guise of a retreat, and not surprisingly, Louis XII's emissaries did not even meet the Pope.

It is difficult to blame him for this, because if Louis XII's plan had succeeded, Leo X's fate would not have been much better than that of Gregory VII (after Henry IV captured Rome, Gregory VII died alone in Salerno in southern Italy in flight), but before that, there were some pious and lovely people who pleaded to Leo X on behalf of Louis XII, and today, the Vatican Palace and Castel Sant'Angelo have many more people who test the Pope's intentions - not all out of sympathy or pity. They all knew what was going on, but the emperors, kings, and archdukes had to know if the great victory of the Church would bring more dangerous signs. After all, the struggle between royal power and clerical power has not ceased since the day of their existence.

They would not have been stingy if Louis XII alone could satisfy the appetites of the Church, fearing a resurgence of the terrible spectacle of the Church's complete overriding of royal power, as in the time of the Crusades.

Louis XII, his wife and son were temporarily housed in the church of San Marino and Paul in Rome, ironically with the Dorabera Triumphal Arch on the right side of the church, and the crowd gathered around the church to see the embarrassed figure of the King of FranceFur, only linen sheets, his woollen robe to cover his body, no carpet on the floor, and he had to always be barefoot, which made his feet red and swollen quickly.

His queen Anne and Dauphin Francis were treated slightly better, after all, they were not at fault, but at this time, they did not necessarily leave their husbands and fathers to enjoy themselves, so Anne asked Madame Kindness to prepare some commoner clothes for them, and ate like a king, except for some feta cheese on Francis's plate: "Even if it is Lent in advance." Anne said this, but Mrs. Kindness couldn't help but redden.

But what made Francis more unbearable than the simple food, the rough clothes, and the increasingly oppressive atmosphere in the house, was the first time he had come to Rome, but except for those seen in the carriage, he had been forced to stay in the house where the doors and windows were always closed for ten days, and even though his attendants had brought him many games to play in the house, he was still depressed and could not lift his spirits.

In addition to this, he often listened to the painful moans and curses of the next room, his father's room, in the middle of the night or at dawn, and the extremely vicious words made him shudder, and he tried to comfort his king and father, but he shouted at him, and was almost beaten.

"Go and ask what's going on." Anne, who had rushed to hear the inquiry, immediately said to Mrs. Kindness.

Madame Kindness soon returned: "They want the king to receive the Pope's forgiveness before Christmas, otherwise the king will not be able to attend Mass at Christmas...... You know, there are a lot of people who are shaken now. ”

"What do they want him to do?"

"As Henry IV did, they asked him to walk from here, dressed in a linen robe and barefoot, to Castel Sant'Angelo, and then to stand there until the Pope agreed to see him."

"He doesn't want to?"

"Maybe it's a bit of a fluke." "He was expecting someone to convince the Pope—he said that he would kiss the Pope's hand, bow to him, bow to him, bow to him, but it would never be possible for a king to bend his knees and beg for mercy like a farmer." ”

"It's stupid," Anne commented mercilessly, "and at this point, he still thinks he'll have a choice?" Perhaps Leo X would be willing to forgive a painter who spoke ill of him, but for a king who wanted to imprison and control him? Ha! She sneered dryly, "It seems that this is the only way, I'll go talk to him." ”

Madame Kindness suddenly looked worried: "I do not approve," she said, "the king is going mad, and anyone who wants to submit him to the Pope will be regarded as an enemy by him." ”

"I was his enemy," said Anne grimly, "well, I wish he had gone to hell, but I still have Francis." ”

She stood up and pushed Francis towards Mrs. Kindness, Francis, thinking of her father's incomparably hideous face, subconsciously wanted to grab her mother, but his hand missed, and when he wanted to chase after him, Mrs. Kindness grabbed his arm: "Let your mother deal with it," she said, "stay here, let her be at ease." ”

Then came a fierce quarrel that Dauphin Francis would never forget, the whole room shook, Anne's calm and cruel voice and Louis XII's chaotic and furious roar alternated or overlapped, and their child Francis tried to rush through the door several times, but was stopped by Madame Kindness or his attendants—he had waited for about a hundred years, only to hear a click, the door opened, and Anne walked out, with embarrassing marks on her face and arms, and the Dauphin's attendant immediately turned his head.

"How dare he do it to you!" Mrs. Kindness shouted resentfully.

"It's okay, it's a fight." Anne waved her hand indifferently, she was not a weak woman, and Louis XII was already past the age of strength, she suffered, and the king was not unscathed, speaking of which, Louis XII was even more surprised than her, he had not been with Anne for long, and did not know what kind of demon was hidden in that beautiful body.

"Then ......," the kind lady stomped on the ground uneasily.

"I convinced him." Anne said, "Prepare burlap robes for me and Francis, and we will go on foot to Castel Sant'Angelo to-morrow." ”

"From here?" Madame Kindness was not very willing: "We may be able to cross the Pont Sant'Angelo...... In addition to the cold weather, there are also idlers who must follow along the way, and as the Duchess of Brittany, Queen of France, is it such a shame?

"No, people may laugh at a king, but they will have mercy on innocent women and children." Anne said, and since they had decided to do it, they would be shown to be 120,000 pious, and their bodies and spirits would be tormented, but at the same time, Leo X had no reason not to forgive, for all the emperors and kings were watching them and waiting for the result.

But at the moment when they decided to leave, the wind suddenly became stronger, people looked up at the sky, and there were tiny crystals flickering in the light gray clouds, and they were densely and finely knocked on people's shoulders and the heads of dripping beasts, making a small crackling sound, and Francis pinched one, and found that they were all small transparent Xiaoice beads. The ice beads fell for about three quarters of an hour, and the first snowflakes the size of fingernails fell from the sky.

"God forbid!" Madame Kindness looked at the sky anxiously: "It hasn't snowed in Rome for several years!" ”

"Perhaps this is God's will." Anne said that they had changed into coarse linen robes, and although they did not dare to use fur and satin, there were several layers of coarse linen, but the coarse linen full of holes could not withstand the cold wind and heavy snow.

Louis XII's cheeks twitched a few times, but in the end he said nothing, except to take the ascetic's chains, tie them around his waist, take a deep breath, close his eyes, and take the first difficult step under the curious and contemptuous gaze of the people on both sides of the street.

The pain that almost reflexively throbbed when his bare feet landed on the cold and wet stone floor, he held back and strode forward slowly, with Queen Anne and Dauphin Francis close behind, and the priests and ascetics around them chanted prayers aloud.

Francis was dependent on his mother, and was relied on by her, and his fair skin, and his long toes, which were not to be felt sorry for him when he landed on the stone floor, and among the bystanders, many young ladies, threw down their handkerchiefs when they saw this, so that he could step on them. What they didn't know was that Francis was not as painful as they thought, and just before leaving, Mrs. Kindness brought a box of ointment, and rubbed it several times for him and his mother, which at first made the skin hot, as if it had been burned with coal, but as soon as it fell to the cold ground, the burning turned into warmth, and after hundreds of steps, even though his feet looked white, the damage was not at all as terrible as it seemed.

Anne remembered the look of embarrassment on the face of the Lady of Good Hearts when she brought the ointment—the ointment was that of Julio. The Medici cronies had secretly sent the ointment, but Anne couldn't help but sigh at the thought that the Medici had been able to get the news of the mansion so quickly...... If she had met the Medici now, she would not have dared to make such a request, but if he had had such means and determination then, he would not have suffered such a despicable betrayal and torment.

As if this shame were not deep enough, as they were about to reach the Pont Sant'Angelo, a procession came from another street, all of them poor people, accompanied by a few ascetics with crosses and portraits of saints, and a priest ordered the king to get out of the way, and the king complied, and then he followed behind the group of beggars, prostitutes, and outcasts, like an unforgivable sinner, humbly paying homage to everyone who saw him.

It is difficult to say whether this group of people was at the behest of those who wanted to be sycophants, but when Louis XII finally reached Castel Sainte-Angelo, his face was as blue as barefoot, and his eyes radiated like a jackal in the invisible eye, and Anne had no doubt that if he could be forgiven, he would only become a second Henry IV.

But the clergy were quite pleased with his piety and remorse (perhaps because of the considerable bribe), and some onlookers expressed their sympathy and pity, and the king and queen, and their crown prince, were taken to a corner that barely sheltered them from the wind and snow—the snow was still falling, the sky was turning from lead ash to blue, and night was falling, and the weather was getting colder, and the three noble men did not even have a woollen felt cloak to approve of, so the bishop had a few guards standing beside them with torches in their hands, so that they might be a little warmer.

Leo X stood in front of the window, his eyesight was not as good as before, so he had to raise his glasses, and let the servants carry the binoculars for him, and the two together could see Louis XII's face, and then his wife and son, and when he saw Crown Prince Francis, Leo X was puzzled, because he actually felt that a face belonging to the Valois dynasty actually overlapped with his brother Giulio in several places—how could it be, when the child fell into his mother's womb, Giulio was in Rome, Moreover, his mother was the Duchess of Brittany, and he was born to be king of France, and Leo X immediately discarded that funny idea and continued to observe Louis XII intently.

Although Louis XII did not show any indignation or hatred, Leo X was slightly stunned: "It is said that Henry IV's wife and son accompanied him for three days and three nights in the wind and snow outside the castle of Canossa," he said, "but we all know that they were in fact only waiting in a mansion not far away, after all, the woman is not as good as the man, and the child is very fragile." But our king, who is willing to let his wife and children suffer with him. ”

Giulio sat in front of the fireplace, the fire of the fireplace warmed the room, and on his knees lay a book of ancient Greek philosophers, and he wore a short cloak of simple style: "Perhaps this is what he wants," said the cardinal of the Medici: "If you have a soft heart, then he can get out of the embarrassing situation he is in, if you are hard-hearted, if you have children, or if his wife faints or falls ill, or even dies, he has an excuse and a reason to hate you, And his queen was none other than the Duchess of Brittany, who was so beloved in Brittany that Brittany would not hesitate to stand with him. ”

"What do you think I should do?" Leo X continued to squint and asked, but Giulio did not answer, for he knew that Leo X did not need an answer, but only to himself, and sure enough, a few minutes later, a group of grandmothers walked by, holding a wreath of the coming day, and made the king's wife kiss his son, and told them that the pope wanted to see them, and took them away from the king.

"Is it your lordship who wants to see us?" Louis XII asked.

"The Father wants to see only the innocent." Ignoring the king's unsightly countenance, she took the queen and the crown prince to a closed room with a fireplace, slippers, a cashmere cloak and chairs, but no one else.

"Didn't the mama mean ......," asked Francis curiously.

"Mamma said, Holy Father does not want to see your father," said Anne, who was very pleasant, and went to the fireplace, and stretched out her hand and foot to the fireplace, "so that he will not see us, lest we intercede with him for your father's sake, and you will beg him, right?" ”

Francis hesitated for a moment and nodded, anyway, Louis XII was his father and his king.

Anne smiled silently, Louis XII probably did not expect Leo X to be such a careless fellow, and that his wife and son were always regarded as part of the husband and father, but he could divide them as he pleased, and wisely did not appear before them at all, so as not to embarrass each other.

At this time, someone knocked softly on the door, "Come in." Anne said.

They first saw a large silver tray filled with food, from behind which a curved silver neck rose and layers of mist emerged from the swan's beak-like opening.

Francis was born a crown prince, under one man, above ten thousand, so he hesitated for a moment before realizing that someone had brought food and hot tea, and that the size of the tray was so impressive that it was difficult for him to stand idly by—he helped to hold it up, and then he saw the man behind the tray, a little priest in a black robe, about his age, with black curly hair and turquoise eyes.

For some reason, Francis always felt that he had seen this man somewhere.

And Cosimo Jr. The Medici thought the same way.