Zaragoza is a beautiful city, and it has been said that the Moorish greatest achievement of the Iberian Peninsula was the construction of a Moorish city of Zaragoza.

Although the history of the Moorish conquest was considered a great shame by the Aragonese, the Arab invasion left the region with a splendid civilization.

As the first mosque-converted church in the Iberian Peninsula, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Salvation in Zaragoza is the center of the Church of the Kingdom of Aragon.

This magnificent building, which gathers many different civilizations and styles of different eras, stands on the side of the city of Zaragoza on the side of the hill of Gazeri, a small hill that is high in the east and low in the west, and has a staircase slope that has been built over the generations and has become more wide than one can imagine.

Every sermon and public mass of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation, the people of Zaragoza will gather on this staircase slope, and people will consciously form a waterfall composed of people on the slope according to their respective statuses, and the highest person will naturally stand in the highest place, and they will stand in their own position and look at the vast crowd below, which is very fulfilling at this time.

Alexander stood tall, but he didn't feel a sense of accomplishment, but only felt that he seemed to have understood why the Spanish Empire had finally fallen.

Obviously, even one of the most religious countries in Christendom has actually been deeply imbued with the spirit of the Orient in its bones because of years of Moorish occupation.

And the way the Moors ruled in Iberia over the years did not disappear with the departure of the Moors, but on the contrary, they were completely inherited by the Christians who drove them out.

Therefore, when faced with the future New World, the new and old Spanish Empire, after easily conquering and exterminating the natives of the New World with powerful advanced force, launched a brutal rule over this land in the way of the Moors.

But they apparently did not really learn the flexible and effective methods of their own earlier rulers, and they saw only the cruelty in it but not the tolerance, and even less the fact that the Moors had been able to hold on to the Iberian Peninsula for centuries was not only the swords and guns in their hands, but also the churches they now use to worship God.

The future Spanish Empire was ruthless, greedy and short-sighted, and even though they had ruled the New World for centuries, their short-sightedness could not escape the fate that would eventually lead to the empire's decline.

Disorderly plundering will make the empire rich and powerful, but it will also hinder the country's path to new transformations.

Alexander had known these things before, and had even been prepared for this possible future phenomenon, but until now he had not had a complete impression of it, until he saw the crowd under the Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation in Zaragoza.

In Iberia, the aristocracy was so powerful that even powerful monarchs like Isabella and Ferdinand had to act rashly in order to rein in their power.

But Alexander did not have that much time, the age of the Great Voyage had arrived, and if the Spaniards were not to be allowed to bring this atmosphere of theirs to the New World, and then to form a bad atmosphere in the New World that only plundered but did not build, it was necessary to completely shake the foundation of the present Iberian aristocracy.

It was a dangerous idea, and Alexander knew that whether or not he could eventually take the Spanish crown, it would be a huge havoc that might even affect his Roman Thesia, since once a beast was released from its cage, it would never be possible to get it back in again.

But this beast must not only enjoy that temporary comfort in its cage, otherwise one day it will change from a male lion to a docile domestic cat, and then everything will be over.

Alexander VI's Blessing Mass was nothing special, but his subsequent sermon caused such an uproar that many of the Zaragoza nobles had already come to the Pope under various pretexts just after the sermon had ended.

Alexander VI was stationed in the royal palace of Zaragoza, where the famous Hall of Mirrors became the place where he summoned the nobles.

Alexander had long heard of the Hall of Mirrors of Versailles, which was later completely copied by Louis XIV, and although after seeing the whole picture, he felt that it could not be compared with the Hall of Mirrors of Versailles in terms of luxury and scale, but it was already a proud creation in this era.

The long Hall of Mirrors is decorated with a total of 344 graceful mirrors, which are either set off by precious frames or directly embedded in the wall to cast different reflections on the figures of the people in the hall.

Alexander felt that it was a smart decision for the Pope to choose the place to summon the nobles, the mirrors were enough to distract people, and the Pope standing there only had to wait patiently for them to walk through the long hall to come to him, just the different reflections cast by the hundreds of mirrors along the way were enough to make a person distracted and irritable.

Alexander stood silently a little further back on the Pope's side, the first time he had stood publicly with the Pope, and although everyone knew that he was the Pope's "son-in-law", they had not done so, even in the Vatican.

Alexander could clearly sense the subtle change in the attitude of the Zaragoza nobility from before, although the Zaragoza people had also shown fanatical support for the Pope when they entered the city, but they could still sense their vigilance and alienation from the attitude of the nobles and the local church.

The relationship between Iberians and the Vatican is very delicate, especially in recent years, the small actions of Isabella and his wife, who have given the church great power but also skillfully encouraged the local church to compete with the Holy See in Italy, have gradually turned the local church into the couple's royal tools.

And the experience in Iberia during this time also touched him deeply. So Alexander was not surprised that the church and the nobility were alienated from the pope.

But now the Zaragozas had become unusually submissive and humble, even a little flattering, so that Alexander soon realized that it probably had a lot to do with the sermon.

Alexander carefully recalled that the Pope's sermon could only be regarded as modest, and the proposition of "the temptation and fall of the devil" had always been an important admonition of the Church to the world, but this time it seemed to have played a special role.

Later, when an envoy from Barriadot met with the Pope, Alexander realized that Ferdinand had finally lost his control.

"Your Majesty, will the devil let some people go because of their noble status?"

At that time, as if he was asking the Pope about this question, Alexander noticed that the Pope seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then Alexander VI replied in a very calm tone: "The devil even tried to tempt the Lord Jesus in order to make him fall into evil, and this is precisely where God's test for the world is, and the fear of God makes it necessary for each of us to stand before the holy cross and be scourged and tested." ”

This answer was not very special, but it seemed to satisfy the emissary, who respectfully offered the Pope King Ferdinand's "respect" to the Pope, a rich land near Archmesey in the southern part of the Kingdom of Aragon, which happened to border the Dukedom of Gandino.

Although Pepin's dedication started a trend of dedication to the Church, it was a long time ago, and now it is a trend that those who have the ability can get more from the pope, so Ferdinand's dedication is even more valuable.

Even Alexander VI could not help but be touched by the generosity of the king, and he praised Ferdinand's piety, and at the same time showed more kindness to him for giving him such a piece of land.

"What do you think he wants to do," but when there were only two of them, Alexander VI asked his son-in-law, who sat down, "I know him, Ferdinand was a cunning and difficult king, he was not stingy but generous to others, but I don't think he would be generous enough to show a piece of land, especially here." ”

The Pope said, looking around for a moment, and then continued: "If you have been here for a long time, you will know how the people of this place view the Church, and never consider them your friends because of these piety, because in the eyes of the nobles and commoners, the Church is more in the service of their own madness. ”

Alexander looked at the Pope in a little surprise, he did not expect that Alexander VI actually saw the Iberians so thoroughly, even Alexander himself could not help but admit that he had only deeply realized this after coming to Iberia.

The Iberians are unique, their piety is overtly paranoid and even insane, but this piety is the product of the secular people, the church does have a high status, but no one ever thinks that it will be above the king, even the most devout believers will only choose the monarch and the royal family if they are given a choice, which is very different from the rest of Europe.

And that's what made Alexander more cautious.

It is clear that in Iberia it is a dangerous idea to rely solely on the power of the Church to confront the crown, and it is clear from a glance whose hands the Inquisition holds.

Isabella's fanatical priest Thomas Tongomada was the founder and promoter of the Inquisition, and he fanatically clamed out for the world to be judged with a Bible, but it was often the king's opponents who were sent to the Inquisition, which alone is enough to show the delicate position of the Church in Iberia.

Now that the messenger sent by Ferdinand is so courteous in offering the precious and fertile land, one cannot but wonder about his true purpose.

"Your Majesty, I heard some strange rumors from my time in the Barriaridod about Princess Juana and her husband, Prince Philip."

The Pope looked at Alexander, who had become more aware of his actions since he knew his "background", and now that he heard the news about Juana, the Pope had to be careful.

"The princess is very mentally unstable, she is sometimes furious, sometimes suspicious, and seems to have several different souls in her body, but this is only some rumor in the palace, but there is enough evidence about Philip that he has some terrible disease."

The Pope's expression was momentarily stunned, and he sat slightly straight, staring at Alexander, he knew very well what the news meant.

If something happens to Juana, the heir to the throne, even the simple question of the future succession to the throne of the United Kingdom would be enough to cause an uproar, and the impact could even shake the entire European continent.

Not to mention......

Alexander VI looked at the young man in front of him, he had never imagined that this young man, whom he hated and was helpless, would have such a deep relationship with the two most honorable crowns in Europe.

That's right, two crowns.

Alexander VI seemed to have seen the jewels of the Castile Crown glitter before his eyes, while another seemingly unrelated crown of Aragon beckoned to him.

What if, even if it's just if, it's enough to make people just imagine a heartbeat?

While Alexander succeeded to the throne of Castile, if Queen Josa Cosenza of Naples could get Sicily, it would mean that she would also get Aragon.

If the queen had no descendants......

Even the mere thought of a future that could make people tremble with excitement made Alexander VI almost forget what he was in.

The pope's look of excitement puzzled Alexander, who of course did not know that Alexander VI was already thinking about how to earn one, maybe two, or even more crowns for the descendants of the Borgia family.

I don't know when the news of Princess Juana's insanity began to circulate in Zaragoza.

Even though the palace sent a large number of guards to the streets to arrest those nonsense people, and then unceremoniously hung them like bacon on the long pillars on the side of the street, the rumors still spread uncontrollably.

At this time, people naturally thought of the Pope's peculiar sermon, and more people flocked to the palace to ask for an audience with the Pope.

Alexander VI stopped summoning them by this time, and he had a long conversation with the envoy sent by Ferdinand, but what the envoy did not know was that what he regarded as a one-man appointment with the Pope was not the only one involved.

When the messenger respectfully kissed the back of the Pope's finger and then stepped back carefully, Alexander stepped out of a small door next to the Pope's room.

He noticed that the Pope was sitting in his chair and looking at the door, as if he had not seen him at all, and stood quietly beside the Pope and waited.

After a while, Alexander VI seemed to wake up from his contemplation, he looked at Alexander next to him, and gently exhaled the stuffy air that had been accumulated in his chest for a long time.

"So, Princess Juana is really entangled by the devil?"

Alexander noticed that the Pope was not so much puzzled as accusatory, and when he stated this "fact" in that affirmative tone, he had already crucified Juana on the cross in his mind at the moment he spoke.

"Tell me, how sure are you?" Alexander VI made a gesture to lift the lid, knowing that the Pope was suggesting that he was identifying himself to outsiders and openly competing for the throne of Castile.

"It depends on the change of the situation, Your Majesty, haven't you also waited patiently for many years?"

The Pope looked at Alexander and groaned slightly, he knew that Cadron's disappearance was related to Alexander, but he knew if he knew where Caderon came from.

Or did he already know about it, but he deliberately didn't expose it?

Alexander VI felt that he could no longer see what the young man was doing, and he was faintly disturbed, and even though he had bore him a lovely grandson, the Pope still felt that this was clearly not enough.

"I don't have that much time," Alexander VI's voice deepened, "I'm old, and I don't have so much time to wait for new opportunities, and the Borgia family doesn't have so many people waiting for such opportunities. ”

The Pope stretched out his hand as he spoke, and although he was already trembling a little, he still grabbed Alexander by the collar and pulled him to him, looking him closely into the eyes: "I know that you owe me, and you must pay off these debts." ”

As he spoke, he raised his hand to hold Alexander's face and carefully examined it, and slowly kissed him on the forehead, and then the Pope pressed close to Alexander's ear and whispered: "Whatever you do, don't forget what kind of enemy you are facing, always remember that they may make countless mistakes, but you may only need to make one mistake and you may be defeated." ”

Alexander nodded silently, knowing that for whatever purpose, Alexander VI's warning was correct, and that he was the one who had stood on the edge of the cliff to face the enemy from the very beginning in this rivalry with Isabella and his wife.

There is no way out for him but to defeat his opponent completely.

Somewhat different from what Alexander had thought, the Archbishop of Zaragoza was a very easy-going old man.

Compared with his other pleasure-loving and insatiable peers, the archbishop, who is said to have come from humble backgrounds, was so good that Alexander was not far removed from the sight of a saint.

It's just that this archbishop may not have any powerful backers in either the Holy See or the local church, so he inevitably became Ferdinand's echo worm.

His obedience and submissiveness to Ferdinand were so dismissive to many that he called the archbishop "the king's other wife" behind his back.

However, the archbishop apparently did not care about this, he regarded serving the king as the most glorious thing in his life, and because of his belief that the king's needs were his mission, the archbishop of Zaragoza not only won the king's appreciation, but even became one of Ferdinand's most trusted confidants.

When Alexander visited the archbishop, he saw the noble priest looking kindly at the scrawny children, who looked at them with affection, and then selected a few of them that looked rather pleasing to the eye, and let them be taken away.

Alexander didn't want to "speculate with the worst malice" about the archbishop, but looking at the ones he had chosen with the best eyebrows, Alexander couldn't help but think of something very uncomfortable.

"Rest assured, Duke, Your Majesty has no need to worry about in his homeland, and we still remember His Majesty's brilliant achievements as Archbishop of Valencia, so do you think we will neglect the Pope?" The archbishop looked at Alexander with a look of bewilderment, a look that made him think that even the slightest suspicion was an insult to the local diocese.

"No, my lord, you have misunderstood, how can I think so, you and the parishioners of your parish have shown respect to Your Majesty, even I have to be ashamed of myself, I can only say that I am thrilled in the presence of Your Majesty for your piety and for the King, and allow me to express to you the highest respect, you are a true example of Christendom."

Alexander did not remember how he had said goodbye to the archbishop, but he had a deep understanding of the truth: it was only the wrong name and not the wrong nickname, and "the king's other wife" deserved its name.

Although the nobles of Zaragoza are courteous and humble, everyone knows that the real stage is not here.

The king wanted the Pope to visit the Barriarides.

So His Majesty the Pope set out for the Castilian capital after a short stay.

By the time the Pope left Zaragoza, Isabella had already received all the information about the Pope's actions from the eyes and ears sent to Zaragoza, which made her extremely angry at Alexander VI, even though she had to be confined to bed because she was unwell.

She smashed a vase of luxury from the East, and punished a few of her favored retinues in anger, and then she had to close her eyes to prevent herself from doing worse out of her anger.

To Isabella's disappointment, although Ferdinand soon came to visit her, his earnest concern could not hide the joy of the pope's arrival.

On August 26, 150, Pope Alexander VI visited Barriariddod, the capital of the Kingdom of Castile.

On this day, the sun was shining and the light given by God shone on the city of Vallaridot.

Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Pope Alexander VI entered the capital of the Kingdom of Colora.

"It's back," Alexander looked up at the not-so-very high walls of Bararidord, he smiled at first, and then slowly advanced towards the gate with a slight grip on the horse's belly with a slight grip on his legs, "You miss this too, Pagasos, then we will stay and not leave." ”