In addition to the Queen's health and two about the two Juanas, the latest topic of discussion among the Ariaridodes is that Pope Alexander VI will visit Toledo, the old capital of Castile.

Most people don't know what it is, but that doesn't stop them from thinking about it.

In addition to the commoners, the middle and lower class aristocrats also talked about it, because Toredo had become synonymous with rebellion and subversion, and the Andalusian nobility in the south was even less conspicuous than it.

In a peace letter supposedly written by him asking for the queen's forgiveness, Don Bavi described his actions with the Andalusian nobility as a desperate act of persecution, declaring that he remained loyal to the royal family and the queen, but that he could not bear the oppression of the local nobles and governors in the name of the queen.

So in this situation, he had to lead the Andalusian nobles to defend their dignity and rights as Castilian nobles, as well as the honor and innocence of the Astamara family, the largest nobles in the kingdom.

Because the tyranny of the officials in the name of the queen undoubtedly hurt the reputation of the queen herself, the Andalusian nobles had to fight for the common honor, and they would risk their lives for it.

It is conceivable that such a letter that seemed to be a peace plea was actually full of threats caused an uproar in the court, and not only the old nobles, but even the new nobles were secretly moved by the contents of the letter.

As Isabella's followers, many of them were more aware of the Queen's strategy, and they were more aware of Isabella's intentions and determination to try to take back the power of the nobility, but also more aware that this determination was unshakable, including their rights.

So Don Bavi's letter was actually to some extent a fight for their rights, which created a strange atmosphere in Barriariddod's court.

On the one hand, the denunciation and denunciation of the rebels of the Andalusian nobility, and on the other hand, the nobles secretly discussed the queen's policies, which made many people's attitude towards Don Bavi's letter extremely ambiguous.

Although they abhorred the man's judgment, no one was willing to come forward and openly accuse Don Bavi and his coalition of Andalusian nobles, and some people, though cautious, made it clear that the queen was afraid of a civil war that might arise from the simultaneous opposition of two forces.

At such times, Alexander VI's sudden decision to visit Toredo naturally attracted widespread attention.

In the Palace of Rose Horn, Ferdinand had been there for a while, looking at Alexander VI's slow appearance, Ferdinand's heart was somewhat anxious.

He knew that the slippery priest was taking advantage of the opportunity to raise his own value, but now it seemed that there was no better person to serve as the liaison between Valaridot and Toledo.

"We think the sunny city of Valencia is good for a long stay, so if you wish, please accept a small gift from us," said Ferdinand, picking up a thin piece of paper from the plate held by the retinue standing next to him, and pausing slightly as he handed it to Alexander VI, not because he was reluctant, but because he wanted the Pope to feel the weight of it more strongly, "It's an honor for us, and it's obviously the best gift God can give to you to let the locals listen to your teachings at all times." ”

Alexander VI stretched out his wrinkled hand and turned the paper into the papers, and when he saw the title deeds and concessions of power for large tracts of land, farmsteads, vineyards, and even a port town on the western shore of the Mediterranean, the Pope's expressionless face finally showed a satisfied smile.

"I will bring you and the queen the attention of you and the queen to them duly to the Toredo, and I hope that as the children of the Lord, we should all see that the Ottomans were our enemies, but sadly, the blood of the Reconquista has not yet dried up, and Castile is already facing a civil war, in which both sides believe in the martyrs of the cross, which is not what Jesus Christ wanted to see after making his sacrifice."

Ferdinand listened attentively, nodding his head from time to time, and although the Pope was only expressing his displeasure with the killing among his fellow believers, it was clear that he was willing to mediate for the possibility of a civil war.

That was enough, and Ferdinand instantly felt that the things he had paid for were indeed worth the money.

Ferdinand was pleased that Alexander VI had met him in this way, and he even felt that he had given a little less, after all, the trip was not easy to start with, and the timing of Alexander VI's departure was indeed good, at least so that he could delay the request that Isabella might make to the Pope to revise the Zaragoza sermon.

"I didn't expect me to be such a sought-after commodity," the Pope smiled as he stood in the garden with Alexander, and he looked at Alexander's eyes with amusement, and after thinking for a while, he still asked, "So you arranged all this?" ”

"Of course not, I'm not there yet, but it's not surprising, whether it's Isabella or the Council of Toledo or Ferdinand, they all see Juana as an important pawn, whoever can master this future heir to the queen is the real master of the future Castile, and you are a bridge connecting them all."

"And you're the one standing on this bridge." The Pope let out a soft sigh, "I don't know until now that Caesar will be defeated by your hands, he is indeed too tender compared to you, in fact, if Giovanni was still alive, maybe everything would be different, but this is God's arrangement, isn't it." ”

The Pope's slightly lonely mood made Alexander a little helpless, Caesar's death to Alexander VI was unimaginable, his dream of establishing the Borgia Kingdom was shattered, he still chose to support Caesar in the clear suspicion that Caesar had murdered Giovanni, but he didn't want to lose his last son, but after paying such a huge price, he got such a result, which naturally made Alexander VI feel dazed and disappointed.

"I'm just standing on this bridge, and your descendants can walk across it and ascend to the magnificent throne." Alexander whispered to the Pope, "Lucrezia will be the one who will bring the Borgia to glory." ”

The look on Alexander VI's face instantly became wonderful, he seemed to be full of hope but unwilling to believe easily, so that his eyes were gloomy when he hesitated, but this did not prevent a slight flush from rising on his cheeks, which trembled slightly with excitement.

"Is this a promise?" "If this is a promise," the Pope pressed his finger on Alexander's chest, "I want you to formally guarantee that my grandson will receive his rightful rights, and that these promises must be proved by a man of sufficient weight." ”

"Of course, all this is what Lucrezia deserves." Alexander knew that this was a deal between him and the Pope, and that Alexander VI would agree to cooperate with him, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

"So have you thought about the future?" The Pope suddenly lowered his voice, his eyes flashed from Alexander's side to the main hall of the palace not far away, and at the same time, his tone gradually became excited: "This is a powerful and rich kingdom, how many people covet this crown, so who do you want to wear it on in the future?" ”

The Pope's demagogic tone reminded Alexander of the seductive and depraved Satan, and at the same time he reluctantly found that there is no end to human greed, and now Alexander VI is already plotting a crown for his grandson that even Alexander himself has not touched, which cannot but make people sigh that the Borgia family is really a group of lives created with ambition and greed.

"It's too early to say this, Your Majesty, what we have to do now is to rush to Toledo, and I think many people are looking forward to our departure as soon as possible."

Alexander was right, there were many people who were expecting them to leave as soon as they had arrived, some of them hoping that the Pope would serve as a messenger of peace to end a possible civil war, and some of them fearing that his continued stay might cause trouble.

So two days later, Alexander VI took his farewell to Barriaridot, because he was in such a hurry that his party could not even take all the fruitful luggage, but Ferdinand had promised him that he would send them to Cape Naoni, which was already officially recognized as the papal territory.

It is a small coastal town in the southwest of Valencia, not very far from Valencia, which happens to be across the sea from Tiego's home of the Balearic Islands.

The Pope was pleased with Ferdinand's arrangement, and he praised the piety of the couple and their great contribution to Christendom, and promised to add blessings to Isabella's health in his daily prayers until she had fully recovered.

Gonzalo had also come to see him off, but he had Alexander.

Seeing the two Majens sincerely saying goodbye to each other there, Gonzalo's face showed obvious mockery, and then he turned to Alexander, who was also watching this scene, and said, "So you are finally leaving?" ”

"I'm leaving, I've been here for too long," Alexander looked at the city of Barriaride, he didn't have a very good impression of the city, the messy layout, the crappy streets, the dirty and dark alleys, and the old royal palace castle that, although richly decorated, was clearly outdated, all of which showed that the Valaried Lotud was indeed no longer fit to be the capital of a new kingdom, which was probably the reason why Ferdinand made great efforts to move the capital to Madrid, which was finally completed by Charles V. Now it seems that this decision was the right one, and that the future capital of the Spanish Empire would be Madrid, and that Alexander believed that it would become the center of Europe in the future, "so that we will part here and hope that there will be no unpleasantness when we meet again next time." ”

Listening to Alexander's obvious hint, Gonzalo showed a hint of excitement: "On the contrary, I hope to be able to meet you on the battlefield in the future." ”

Alexander looked silently at the arrogant-looking Castilian general in front of him, and finally nodded after a little muttering.

"If there is a day, I hope that it is me who will stand opposite you, because my generals will also want to be able to take on you for real."

After saying that, Alexander raised his hand and touched the brim of his huge sunhat that had been rolled up, and then, with the help of his retinue, rolled over and jumped onto Pagasus' back.

The leading trumpeter of the front team blew a loud horn, and the team began to move forward slowly.

"Gone."

Looking at the team that was gradually moving away, Ferdinand, who didn't know when he walked to Gonzalo's side, muttered to himself, he glanced at Gonzalo, who had been looking at Alexander's back, and lowered his voice slightly: "General, I personally have a lot of respect for you, I have never forgotten your exploits in Naples and Rome, I admire your outstanding military talent and bravery, but I need your loyalty even more, if you can be loyal to me......"

"My allegiance is to the Queen," Gonzalo had unceremoniously interrupted him before Ferdinand could finish speaking, "I have never changed this vow in years, and although I have done something for you, and even generously solved your financial troubles, I don't know what makes you think that I will offer my loyalty to the monarch of an arrogant little country." ”

Ferdinand's face turned blue, staring at Gonzalo's face, the corners of his mouth trembling lightly with anger uncontrollably throbbing, Gonzalo's arrogant words pierced his self-esteem like arrows, and for the first time he felt the urge to throw this man into the terrible dungeons of the Inquisition, and not just to drive him to his hometown.

"You will pay the price for your hubris," said Ferdinand, with a somber expression, "and I will make you regret your stupidity today when no one can protect you anymore." ”

"If that's the case, I can only lament that God has forsaken me, but I can't think of anything for you to be afraid of."

Gonzalo nodded perfunctorily to Ferdinand, and without waiting for him to respond, he left the King of Aragon alone, and turned around and walked towards the carriage waiting for him.

Ferdinand's retinue approached, and he heard the "squeak" of the cane in the king's hand, and the expression on the king's face, which had been stiffened and almost twisted for restraint.

"Go and send a sum of money to that Tongomada," Ferdinand said to his attendant standing by with a gloomy face, "that man is greedy, but it's a good thing for us." ”

"Do you want him to find out what Gonzalo has done?" The attendant asked cautiously.

"Let him start with Gonzalo's men, some of whom are easy to deal with," Ferdinand said in a deep tone, and in this tone his attendants felt as if a violent storm was brewing at any moment.

The weather was changeable in September, and the sun was still shining when I left, but I didn't go far, the sky was overcast, and the large dark lead clouds overhead were like black waves in the turbulent ocean, rising across the sky, and then without waiting for the traveling team to get ready, first the fine rain, and then the big drops of rain fell and crackled on the roof of the carriage, from slow to fast, from sparse to dense, and gradually it seemed that the whole world was shrouded in the rain curtain of the sky.

Alexander turned his head to look at Barriaridus behind him, and in this short moment, the outline of Valaridot became so blurred, Alexander didn't know if it was a revelation, but he knew that Isabella would be the last queen of the city, whether it was Juana, who would later become the titular queen, or Ferdinand, the de facto ruler of Castile, or later Charles V, albeit for different reasons, But none of them ever regarded Valaridot as the capital of the country again, so that Isabella, who decided to move the capital to Barriaride, became the only monarch of the Castilian capital from beginning to end.

Just as Isabella tried to erase the influence of the old nobility and Enrique IV, Ferdinand chose to stay away from the city in order to erase the possible influence and destruction of the Castilian opponents, and his grandson Charles V chose a new capital for himself in order to get rid of his shadow.

Alexander didn't know if he would make the same decision in the future, but he knew that whatever the future holds, everything would be different when he visited the city for the third time.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the convoy had to stop for shelter, although it was not very cold, but the rain was very uncomfortable on the body, and as time went on, it could already feel the coolness.

Alexander saw from a distance that the pope sitting in the carriage with the open door was coughing, he led the horse over and stopped in front of the carriage, looking at the pope who was sitting in the carriage with a handkerchief covering his mouth and couldn't help gasping for breath, Alexander bent down slightly on the horse and said with concern: "You should pay attention to your body, the weather is not very good for an old man like you now." ”

There was another violent cough, the Pope raised his head and looked at Alexander outside the car with some difficulty, at this moment he seemed to be in a trance, and then he suddenly smiled to himself: "Don't worry, I know how to take care of myself, if you look carefully at the history of the church, you will know that all popes named Alexander live a long time, so you don't have to worry about me falling suddenly." ”

Listening to the Pope's words, Alexander couldn't help but remember that Alexander VI and Isabella died almost one after another in the same year, and their time was running out.

Although everything seems to have changed now, Isabella fell ill earlier than in history, and Alexander VI probably did not accidentally poison himself to his death, but because the future is blurred, he does not know what awaits everyone.

"Tell me how sure you are, I mean, if you're really going to have a showdown with that couple this time, tell me what your chances are of winning, or at least let me know what chance you have of keeping us all from losing our lives."

Listening to Alexander VI's seemingly not so optimistic inquiry, Alexander did not answer directly, he looked up at the road that was blurred in the smoke and rain in the distance, and then pointed forward with the horsewhip in his hand: "We always have to go no matter what, don't we, Your Majesty?" ”

"yes, we can only go on." Alexander VI leaned back on the car, stared straight at the rain outside, and said, "Then let's go." ”

Alexander nodded to the Pope, he brought the reins to the front of the group, and looking at the road ahead covered under the rain curtain, he gave the order to the trumpeter: "Blow the trumpet, forward!" ”