There are a few different routes from Toledo in Valriaride, but if you are not in such a hurry and want to be comfortable, you can take a boat down the tributaries of the Douro River, land in a small town called Avila for a stretch of land, and then take the water route directly to Toledo.

Although there are several trips on land and water on this road, fortunately, most of the time you can spend it comfortably on the boat.

The other road is a bit more strenger, following the avenue from Valaridode to the old town of Clavia, then turning south, which passes through Madrid, and many people who want to do business there choose this route.

This was the route taken by Alexander VI's convoy, which first headed southeast along the avenue, then made a temporary stop in the old town of Clavia, and then marched towards Toledo with a number of merchants who had just made a fortune from Madrid.

The Pope had carefully consulted this route with Alexander, and although it was a bit of a hard road, it was much safer because there were towns along the way, and the whole route happened to be in the busiest part of Castiria.

Alexander could not guarantee that Castile or Aragonese would have much respect for the pope, and the fact that it was the king who controlled the church in this country used to make Alexander wonder why Protestantism did not appear in Spain, after all, in terms of the needs and circumstances of the rule, Spain was more suitable for the emergence of local ecclesiastical forces such as Protestantism that could compete with the schism of the Holy See.

But it turned out that the princes of Germany were eager to crown their rule with Protestantism, and now that I think about it, it probably had something to do with the fact that Iberia had always been influenced by Eastern civilization, and that the great wealth of the New World had made them completely immersed in the excitement of easy access to power.

So the Spanish squandered this precious opportunity given to them by the heavens, until the English became a formidable enemy in their struggle for supremacy at sea.

Alexander VI's sermon in Zaragoza pleased Ferdinand as much as Isabella did, and it also deeply stimulated many nobles who regarded Castile kingship above all else.

These nobles were old and new, and it was not only Barriedud who was hostile to Alexander VI, even in Toledo, so they avoided the comfortable but not very safe waterways for safety, after all, it was not wise to entrust everyone to a ship of unknown origin in a strange place.

The papal procession was warmly welcomed along the way, and the reverence of the common people for the pope was still trustworthy, and people in many places along the way respectfully waited on the side of the road, waiting for the arrival of the papal procession, and then people would kneel down one after another to greet God's spokesman on earth with the most respectful attitude.

Alexander VI regained some of the confidence he had had in his previous expulsion from the Vatican, and he even leaned out of the carriage and waved to the faithful, and then said to Alexander more than once: "This is a moment that excites me." ”

This is actually the reason why they decided to choose the land route, to try to spread the influence of the pope in Castile, so that they can have more say in the future.

Alexander did not have a chance to see Madrid today, and after resting in the old town of Clavia, they turned south, so he could only hear a little about Madrid from the merchants who traveled with them.

The future capital of the Kingdom of Spain is now the most prosperous and important commercial city in central Castile, and if neither Barriariede nor Zaragoza can compare with Madrid in terms of wealth, the entire Iberian Peninsula can only be compared to Seville in the south and Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.

Such a rich city certainly caught the attention of the couple, in fact, shortly after they were married, Isabella and Ferdinand had settled in Madrid with the aim of heralding the union of the two countries, and they spent a good time in the Palazzo Pardo, built in the time of Henrique III, which also allowed the two countries to survive the worst period of the run-in period.

Now Madrid, as one of the most lively and wealthy cities in the Iberian Peninsula, has become a place where countless businessmen chase wealth, and the developed commercial activities have made Madrid a place where opportunities are everywhere and trouble is everywhere, the alternation of success and failure, the changes of wealth and poverty are played out here almost every day, which can be seen from the joyful and dejected businessmen on the road.

The merchants were glad to be able to accompany the Pope's procession on their travels, and they already knew that the Pope was going to visit Toledo, which was obviously good news, as many of them would be resting in Toledo.

From Madrid to Valencia or to Seville, two recognized routes to riches on the Iberian Peninsula, even the merchants of Lisbon could not fail to recognize Seville as their important rival in the new colony, and Madrid became an important transit point for Seville merchants to convert their goods into wealth in Iberia.

As early as his return to Iberia, Alexander had already reminded him of the need to make Mader one of the key hubs of his proven intelligence network, but Thiego was clearly more concerned about the coastal cities, and he had invested heavily in establishing relations in places like Lisbon, Seville and Valencia, while Madrid had somewhat neglected them.

Of course, Alexander could not blame him for this, after all, he had told Tiego to focus on those places from the beginning, and as for Madrid, even Alexander himself still thought it was a little far away.

If you can't have a crown, then you can't have anything.

The Council of Nobles in Toledo had apparently received news of the Redder Patrol, so the Pope's convoy had just passed through Madrid to a small town called Alquecon, where representatives from the Council of Nobles were already waiting for them.

Alexander VI showed due reserve in the enthusiasm of the nobles of Toledo, and he was kind and generous and only amiable to meet the delegates, but his attitude was also slightly distant, which made the originally enthusiastic nobility representatives a little dazed.

As a result, the men approached Alexander privately, eager to learn from the Pope's son-in-law what Alexander VI's attitude was to their actions.

"Your Majesty has been entrusted by the Queen and King Ferdinand, so until you arrive in Toledo to find out the truth, your Majesty's duty is only to inspect the local diocese." This is what Alexander explained to those people, and this was actually discussed by the two sons-in-law, since Alexander VI could not easily take a position on what happened in Toledo, then the Duke of Thesia, as his son-in-law, became the "semi-official spokesman" of the pope.

Such an explanation was naturally difficult to satisfy the Toledo nobles, who knew that this time they were almost head-to-head with Isabella and his wife, and after so many years of mutual temptation and covert contribution, the noble council finally decided to have a showdown first because it could not bear the erosion of their power by the couple.

Now they have two good cards in their hands, two Juana give Toledo hope, and now many of them even think that the idea of recognizing Juana of Lisbon as a blood relative of Enrique IV should be their own, because not long ago Lisbon had sent an emissary with the good news that Manuel had officially asked the Metropolitan of Lisbon to divorce Maria of Aragon.

Considering Manuel's official invitation to Juana at the Château de San Johan, this means that perhaps the daughter of Enrique IV will become Queen of Portugal.

Manuel's attitude was very resolute, and the way he proved this resoluteness was to add more troops to the border between the two countries, which put a lot of pressure on Castile, after all, dealing with enemies in both the north and south at the same time was a great test for even the union of Castile and Aragon with a strong army.

What's more, now that Isabella is seriously ill, there are already troubles in the city of Barriariado.

"Perhaps the Torettos think they don't need me anymore," the Pope suddenly reminded Alexander, as he described the situation of the nobles, "they may think they can handle the couple, or they may see me as a lobbyist to Ferdinand, if this is the case, our trip to Toledo may not go well." ”

Listening to the Pope's analysis, Alexander couldn't help nodding slightly, he had indeed ignored this possibility before, those Toledo nobles were indeed very likely to do so, which could be seen from the fact that those representatives were anxious to know the Pope's intentions, maybe even if Alexander VI was still on their side, but for the Toledo, they might not welcome this Pope who was obviously here to share the benefits with them.

"I was careless before," Alexander shook his head a little helplessly, he found that he still underestimated these nobles, they may not realize anything at first, but once they perceive an opportunity, they will not hesitate to rush up and snatch the results, "Two Juana are indeed a windfall for them, but who do you think they will choose in the end?" ”

"Don't ask me, I'm just a poor old man who has been kicked out of my house." Alexander VI put the red jam on the bread and put it under his nose and sniffed it, then took a pickled cucumber from his plate and put it in the bread, and began to eat it one bite at a time.

Looking at the Pope, who seemed to have lost his temper suddenly, Alexander smiled softly, and he walked out of the room and gestured to Schell, who was guarding the door, to let him follow.

"Send a letter to James," Alexander began to write as he returned to his room, pondering the present situation, and thought that perhaps it might be time to give the Columbus brothers, who were enjoying themselves in Malaga, a little more energetic, and to call the Pope's treasurer. ”

Alexander VI disbanded his accounting group after the bankruptcy of the Ladia gold coin, not because he could not afford to support them, but because he believed that they were one of the main culprits that led him to his predicament, although all this was Alexander's masterpiece, but according to the family tradition of the Borgia family always forgiving the damage caused to their relatives, the Pope put all the blame on the accounting group.

And it must be admitted that the big heel planted on the gold Ladia coin has greatly shrunk the Pope's small coffers, so he really doesn't need to keep so many idlers.

Alexander VI's treasurer was a very old priest, who had been with the Pope Rodrigo Borgia since he was still the Archbishop of Valencia, and now that even Nomelo had left Alexander VI, this treasurer was the only person he trusted by the pope.

The treasurer came quickly, and although the old man showed a few strands of sparse gray hair on the brim of the priest's hat, he was still full of energy and sharp-eyed, and his attitude towards Alexander was obviously alienated, and it was only after hearing the reason why Alexander had come to him that the treasurer's expression changed.

"You mean to build a villa estate for your Majesty at Cape Naoni?" The treasurer asked with a puzzled look.

"No, you misunderstood, it's not a villa but a palace," Alexander said to the treasurer, who was already amazed, "a palace luxurious enough for the most discerning person to live in and to be satisfied with, with the best wood, the most precious stone, the copper and whatever else is needed to build the house, everything to be the best." Money is not an issue, the only thing to ensure is that my father must be satisfied. ”

The treasurer looked at Alexander with the strange eyes of a monster, and he wanted to ask this good son-in-law who was willing to spend a lot of money to build a house for his father-in-law, "Since you are so filial, why did you cheat your father-in-law in the first place", but thinking that this family didn't seem to be normal, he also closed his mouth.

"It is important not to let others know that it is our own money, and it would be best if it might make people think that it was a piece of Ferdinand's kindness to the Pope, so I suggest you get acquainted with a merchant named Tiego, who is now doing business in Valencia," said Alexander pouting slightly, "perhaps you are no stranger, he is a good friend of Madame Maria de Luna." ”

The treasurer had a "I know" expression, and the story of Maria de Luna and her lover had already spread in Valencia, and some people who did not know the inside story thought that the lucky man named Tiego could use the Duchess's relationship to mingle with the nobility.

But whoever knew Tiegotis was jealous that Maria de Luna had found such a big financier.

The treasurer knew a little about the Pope's daughter-in-law, and not only that, but he also knew that the merchant named Tiego had previously made a large contribution when the Pope left Valencia, which in the opinion of the Treasurer was probably the reason for the Pope's acquiescence in his relationship with Maria de Luna.

Although he didn't know why Alexander had arranged it this way, the treasurer wisely didn't ask, he just needed to know that soon the Pope's pockets would bulge again, and as for who paid for the money, he didn't care and he shouldn't be in charge.

When Alexander reported his "filial piety" to his father-in-law, the Pope did not immediately show a look of joy, but instead stared at his son-in-law vigilantly for a while before nodding his head in agreement, and at the same time he did not forget to warn me slightly: "Don't blame me for being suspicious, your reputation here is not very good, I have to keep an eye on you young man, so don't play tricks." ”

Alexander humbly accepted the old man's suggestion, and then he waved his hand to let people line up a curtain-covered easel.

The curtain was lifted, and the Pope was stunned for a moment, then let out a soft cry.

The figure in the painting is a statue of the Virgin of Mercy, but it only takes one glance to recognize the face of the Virgin as Lucrezia.

Slightly different from the past, Lucrezia in the portrait is not holding Estelles, but a boy who looks lively and healthy!

As for Estelles, she turned into a beautiful and innocent little angel, flapping a pair of white wings and lying on her mother's knees, two chubby little hands supporting the equally chubby washer, looking up curiously at the little boy in her mother's arms.

"This, when is this?" The Pope couldn't wait to ask, "Is a boy right, a boy?!" ”

Looking at Alexander VI's incoherent expression because of his excitement, Alexander helped the old man to sit down: "It's a boy, someone sent it after we left Barriadotus." ”

"God, Lucrezia has given birth to a son, and that's good news," Alexander VI said with his hands folded in excitement, and then he asked anxiously, "What is the child's name, have you already named him?" ”

"yes, just a good name."

Alexander also looked back at the portrait, if there was one thing that worried him the most on the battlefield in Italy, it was the child in Lucrezia's womb, even if he knew that Lucrezia was a typical prolific mother in history, but the current situation in Italy made him worry about her safety.

And he had to think about what would happen to Estelles if Lucrezia gave birth to a boy in the current situation, and he couldn't let that happen, either in Pisa or in Italy as a whole, that could shake Estelles' position.

So, for a long time, Lucrezia disappeared from the people, and when she had to stand up and defend the city of Pisa for her daughter in the name of the Regent of Pisa due to the French invasion, no one knew that she had actually given birth to a prince in her Lucrezia Palace.

In other words, even if they know it, many people still choose to deliberately avoid this fact that cannot be concealed in the first place.

Because at this time, whether it is for Estelles herself or the Pisa, the birth of this child may be too complicated.

But now, Alexander was going to let him and Lucrezia's son appear before the world.

"What's it called? Tell me what you named him? Alexander VI asked impatiently, "Whether he has been baptized or not, I will baptize him myself, and I will be his godfather, and tell me his name quickly." ”

Listening to the Pope's eager inquiry, Alexander showed a strange look on his face slightly, and then replied with a smile: "Giovanni, I named the child Giovanni. ”

"God," a tear gleamed in Alexander VI's eyes, he buried his face in his hands and let out a low cry, and after a long moment he raised his head to look at Alexander, "you know what you have to do, the Borgias are never ashamed of their ambitions, do what you have to do, and don't forget that you promised a kingdom to my grandson." ”

"Yes father," Alexander took the Pope's hand and kissed it, "let's go to Toledo, and take back what belongs to us." ”