It is not difficult to get all the cardinals to gather in Rome when it is not necessary, and the pro-pope cardinals certainly do not care about this, they are even willing to stay in Rome and serve the Church, but those who do not have a good relationship with the pope, such as Pius III, who was always away from Rome when he was Cardinal Picromini, both because of exile and because of the guarantee that his personal safety is not threatened, and later Cardinal Grande Lovere, After losing his bid for the papal throne with Alexander VI, he fled to France and did not hesitate to side with France in the war between France and Italy, and today, if it were not for Cardinal Cisneros and Cardinal Georges to help Louis XII open the gates of Rome, they would have been in Toledo and Rouen now, and they would never have stepped into the territory of their opponents if it were not for the death of the Pope.

So this seemingly small thing is actually involved in many threats, persuasions and deals. The Medici emissaries traveled day and night between land and sea, delivering a letter with the cardinal emblem in the hands of each of the princes of the Church, and when the Three Kings came to court on January 6, the cardinals who did not receive the letter became terrified, because it was clear that the cardinals of the Medici had deliberately ignored them...... It may be ignored forever.

They either panicked or feigned contempt, but in any case there were those who eagerly sent emissaries and even came to Rome themselves, and Julio and Leo X chose a few men who had only remained cautiously neutral and allowed them to enter Rome, as for the rest......

But even Julio didn't know what Leo X wanted to do, he asked, but Leo X, who had almost nothing to hide from him except for the collapse of the bed, just smiled and said, when the time came, he would know, Giulio had to give up, Duarte always wanted to say something, but always wanted to stop - Giulio knew what he was worried about, power would make a person no longer look like a person, let alone his original thoughts and heart, but it was Joe, one of his only blood relatives, He was willing to believe in him for once.

Duarte knew that what he said was likely to turn into sowing discord, and if his words were used by other people with ulterior motives to shake the trust between the Pope and Giulio, then it would be even more unforgivable, so he had to silently make some obscure arrangements, but fortunately, the soldiers in Rome now were all Cadiz and Swiss, although they would not raise their swords against the Pope, but to them they looked like a saint Julio. The Medici would not have any resentment, so that if things changed, the Assasin Assassins could at least guarantee that Giulio would leave Rome safely.

It's a pity that Machiavelli is for Navarre's domestic affairs - since Louise. Borgia had already made a decision, so they should be prepared, so Machiavelli would first go to Navarre to find out what was going on, and as Egio was also a Master Assassin, he might be able to pour a wok of ice water or fill it with dry wood depending on the situation, in short, for them, a country that was constantly suffering from internal friction in chaos was better than a backwater that was calm enough for a small fish to make ripples.

Egio arrived, arriving in Rome on January 23rd, and Duarte was relieved to see him, even though Ezio was no longer young, the martial arts honed by decades of experience and death had already made him a truly fearless powerhouse.

Poor Duarte, who had been surrounded by Templars in his early years in the service of Alexander VI, now serves Giulio. The Medici were surrounded by Assasin assassins, and the two masters were the best of the masters, but he was always a scumbag, and he might be able to accompany the cardinals when they met the Pope, but if something happened, he would throw an inkwell or prick someone's arm with the metal tip of a quill pen, but all he could do was shout.

Ezio also infiltrated the Vatican Palace, posing as a pious clergyman, to observe the Signing Room, where the Pope was said to announce his momentous events, and found the place to be a bit unfriendly to the Assassins, with walls and ceilings full of large and elaborate frescoes, no horizontal beams, rib arches, no triangular cabinets or statues, and the only niche behind the Pope's signing table hung a large cross with no curtains to cover it.

It seems that only an innocent young man will have to suffer a little.

A Swiss guard standing outside the door of the signing hall suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck, he touched his neck in confusion, and quietly cursed the devil who might pass by here—this is really a powerful devil, and it is not seen that it is either a monk or a priest who passes by here.

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On 2 February, the feast of the Lord, Leo X made his morning prayers in the service of the priests and his grandmothers, ate some pickled lettuce and bread, and a fresh boiled egg—and a small spoonful of honey—dressed as never before—as solemn and elaborate as he had been when he ascended the throne, and walked slowly out of his chamber.

His health has been much better than it was a few months ago, since Julio. After the Medici controlled his diet strictly, he felt much lighter, less sleepy, and at least a few hours a day refreshed, even after presiding over the whole Christmas Eve Mass, he was not as tired as he used to be and needed the support of the priests, and he was able to appear on the blessed balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and wave to them at the end of the Mass when he heard the voices of the people shouting for the Pope.

"Let's go to St. Peter's Basilica first," the pope said suddenly, "to bless those who are pious." ”

Hardly anyone could disobey him, so the cardinals waiting in the signing hall followed the Pope to St. Peter's Basilica, and the people in the square knew that the Pope was going to the Basilica as soon as they saw the Pope's bridge, and then they saw the crimson velvet hanging from the balcony in the middle of the second floor of the cathedral, and they cheered loudly, because they knew that it meant that the Pope would appear on the balcony and give the glory and supreme blessing to everyone who came here to see him.

The cardinals were not so excited, and they kept exchanging glances, wondering what would happen next—to say that Leo X had finally tasted the taste of power, and wanted to get a taste of power from his brother Giulio. The Medici's struggle for power was not unexpected, and perhaps today everything will change. When the Pope ascended the Blessing Balcony and the people in the square frantically shouted Long live the Pope, there were already people who couldn't help but look at Giulio. The Medici's face and the hanging of red velvet on the blessed balcony were still his proposal, although they did not know what he thought, but this measure did increase the prestige of the pope at this point - in any case, without such a signal, the people might not have gathered so quickly, and the response of the pope would not have been like this...... Warm.

Leo X looked down at everyone in the square, they all had a warm face, their eyes were full of pure expectations and the enthusiasm of faith, he raised his hand and made a gesture of blessing, and the people became more agitated, and some even fainted, but fortunately there were always guards watching them by the square, and they immediately took the fainting man to the colonnade, fed him some spirits, or smelled a touch of salt.

The morning sun had set all over St. Peter's Square, the statues, the pillars and the dome, and the living people seemed to be gilded, Leo X looked into the distance, St. Peter's Square between St. Peter's Basilica and Rome had been officially called, and redesigned, and like St. Peter's Basilica, it was completed in twenty months, and his promise to rebuild Rome on the feast of the Three Kings in 1510 (January 6) had been fulfilled, and more, Because he has worked for God, and his brother Giulio. The Medici worked for the people of God, rebuilding St. Peter's Basilica and Piazza and Giulio rebuilding the city and walls of Rome.

I could hardly continue to be humble, and Leo X said in his heart that he didn't need to, because even God would be amazed by the work they did.

St. Peter's Basilica is completely different from the past, St. Peter's Square has been restored to be 1,000 feet long and 800 feet wide, and can accommodate 300,000 people at the same time, it is surrounded by two semicircular corridors, each supported by two hundred and eighty-four tall stone pillars supporting the elaborate zenith, on the ceiling are the statues of one hundred and forty-two saints, all of which are different and lifelike, and from the opening of the square, there are smooth and clean roads, rows of mansions and lush green plants, When the wind blows, it is no longer wrapped in the filth of feces and blood, but the fragrant smell of flowers and plants.

"Alright." He said softly, "It's time for us to go back." ”

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Ezio hid behind the "Parnas Hill" screen, which had a large window, but Raphael elongated the wall above the lattice in order to complete the picture, but the gap between the wall and the window was not filled, perhaps because the clergy wanted to hang the curtain here in the future, but today it was a hiding place for the Assassins, and the chosen young man was lucky enough to escape—Ezio couldn't help but laugh at Duarte's words as he thought about reminding Julio if he could— Although Duarte said this to him, his heart was heavy, as if he was pressing down on a whole Parnas mountain.

Duarte said: "As long as you can put Giulio. The Medici brought out the signing room in its entirety - you can do anything. ”

Did Duarte think that if something really happened that they didn't want to see, he would jump down and kill the whole signing hall with blood? - He may have fantasized about it when he was a reckless and impulsive young man watching his father and brother be hanged in Piazza della Signoria, but now he has learned to think with his head and not with a short sword, and he doesn't think that Giulio will be betrayed by Joe - don't forget, he was also Joe's teacher. Joe may be cowardly, he may be incompetent, but he also has valuable qualities and due morals.

What's more, all the power of Julio now is simply in Joe's hands. Joe believed in him and believed in himself.

"Power may distort a lot of people," Ezio whispered, "but it shouldn't be them." ”

The door opened, and the cardinals rushed in, as cardinal and associate justice, Giulio Murphy. The Medici rightfully stood in the first place, the closest to the pope, and some shady people couldn't help but think that if the pope was interested in regaining power, then Giulio. The Medici might have been expelled from the room outright, and perhaps Rome or even the Church, and the previous Julius II was not a good example. Not only did he take away the power of Cardinal Grande Lovere, but he also hanged him on the Bridge of Sant'Angelo, his biological father.

Leo X raised his hand and coughed lightly, he had thought about it a lot, but today, he felt that it was best to be sharp.

"I summon you," he said cheerfully and lightly, "that you need to convene a secret meeting." ”

Several cardinals couldn't help but raise their heads.

The other cardinals clenched their fists.

"Ah......" they saw Pope Leo X smiling and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, after careful consideration, I have made a decision......

"I decided to abdicate."

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Even if there was a thunderbolt from the sky at this time, piercing the ceiling and floor of the signing hall, hitting the ground all the way, making cracks, and then drilling out of the cracks countless devils, it would not make the cardinals at this time even more frightened, and they reflexively looked at Julio. The Medici, seeing a face that was also full of blankness, although they did not believe in the virtues of others, thought that they still had some eyesight, then, unless Julio. The Medici was possessed by the devil, and with such good acting skills, otherwise their pope would have been possessed by the devil.

They looked at the Pope again, thinking that they had only been hallucinating, but Leo X was still chattering regrettably: "You see, I am prepared to complete the abdication before Lent, so that you can complete the election of the pope at Lent, so that the election period ...... I mean, those perks...... Wouldn't you find some consolation in the fact that everyone is fasting with you – and there are no more major Masses to be celebrated during Lent, so that you don't have to worry about any chaos in the diocese until the new Pope (who says this to Giulio??). Finish?? After his accession to the throne, he was in time to celebrate Palm Sunday and Good Friday Mass......"

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