Alexander VI held a letter in his hand and looked at it very carefully, sometimes staying in one place for a long time, and sometimes looking at some of the places he had already seen before.

There was also a strange look on the Pope's face, sometimes joyful, sometimes nervous, sometimes angry, and sometimes a little worried.

Nomelo stood aside and carefully observed the strange look on Alexander VI's face, but he could understand the Pope's mood now.

It is no secret that Alexander VI has always wanted to completely solve the mind of Savonarola, because Savonarola has unreservedly criticized the pope on many public occasions, and the contradictions between Alexander VI and Savonarola have long been known.

However, because of Savonarola's good character, that person had an unshakable position in Florence, and even the Vatican's previous attempt to arrange a priest in the convent of St. Mark's in Savonarola was unceremoniously pushed back.

Because of this, Alexander VI was angry at Savonarola but had nothing to do.

But things have clearly changed now.

A fire of vanity gave Alexander VI hope in the midst of an accident.

Despite his greed and cunning, Alexander VI was undoubtedly one of the most cunning statesmen and diplomats of his time.

He was also the most cunning and tactful ruler, knowing better than many tyrannical monarchs how to please and please the nobles and the rich, and sometimes even showing a rare flattery to the populace when necessary.

So when he heard about Savonarola's actions in Florence, he was surprised and incredulous, and then overjoyed.

Looking at the detailed report sent by the spy in Florence, it was clear that the Pope had finally felt that the long-awaited opportunity had finally arrived.

The letter mentions the frenzied acts of the Florentines in response to Savonarola's orders, burning and sabotage, which seems to be a reiteration of Savonarola's great prestige, but these actions took on a completely different meaning to the cunning and sophisticated Alexander VI.

The madness proves that they have lost patience, and the destruction is a sign of the hidden anger in the hearts of the Florentines, which seems to be due to the resentment of the depravity of the world provoked by Savonarola, but in fact more to the dissatisfaction with reality and everything around them.

In Alexander VI's opinion, Savonarola was unleashing a monster capable of destroying himself!

"Nomerlo, that man actually dared to do this, he actually did this," the Pope finally put down the letter, he looked at the ground in front of him a little blankly, and then looked at the secretary in confusion for a while, "Can you think of what he did, he actually ordered people to burn the books in the library of Florence, especially the research manuscripts of ancient Greek civilization from Dante's time, you must know that at that time, even the stern popes like Gregory X and Benedict XII did not order the destruction of those precious manuscripts and documents." ”

Although he already knew what was happening, and heard the news from the Pope, Nomelo couldn't help but secretly gasp, he could understand why the Pope was so emotional and even a little uneasy, and while secretly happy that Savonarola had begun to make such an irrational move, Alexander VI couldn't help but be a little worried that that person might get more attention because of these actions, and might even become a saint in the minds of some people.

It is not impossible, and the reason why Savonarola has always been able to stand tall in Florence has a lot to do with his own popularity and the desire of some to make him a banner against Alexander.

"But this time he will be unlucky," I don't know whether he was telling the truth or convincing himself, Alexander VI deliberately said this to the secretary several times, "The Florentines are actually beginning to get tired of him, knowing that a man who imposes his will on others, even if he has the noblest intentions, will inevitably become another kind of imprisonment for others, but this is what he imprisons." ”

The Pope gestured to his head.

Nomelo bowed slightly in his approval of the Pope, and when he straightened up, he saw Cadron walk in with a strange expression.

"Your Majesty, the Count of Montina asks to see you."

Caderon had stayed with the Pope since he had been informing, and he knew that he would no longer be able to return to Alexander, and today was the first time he had seen Alexander.

Just thinking about the strange look in which Count Montina looked at him, Cadron, who had a ghost in his heart, couldn't help but be secretly uneasy.

"Cambrai is coming," said Alexander VI, who looked at Nomelo with no surprise, "I remembered his earlier assertion to me that there would be a revolt in Florence, and now it seems that he was completely right. ”

Cadron, who was next to him, immediately lowered his head when he heard the Pope's words, and he would not forget that it was because of his whistleblowing that Alexander would confess to the Pope about his actions in Florence.

"Go and ask the Count to come here, I have something to look for him."

The Pope instructed Cadron, looking at the back of the retinue who had carefully retreated, and the Pope fell into a slight contemplation.

Cadron was obviously a little distracted, although he was indeed very interested in some things about Cadron, such as how he hooked up with Giovanni's wife, and the fact that Uliu had reported to him before, it seemed that Ashulk's men had followed Cadron and other strange behaviors, proving that this entourage seemed to have some unknown secrets, but this time Alexander didn't care about those things about him at all.

The news of Florence has shaken Rome and the Vatican, so much so that this year's Carnival commemoration came to a hasty end because of concerns about what might happen next in Florence.

Alexander followed Cadron through the several flower doors that had not yet been removed to the Pope's office, and when he saw Nomelo already waiting at the door, Alexander nodded slightly, and then walked into the room accompanied by his secretary.

"You're right!" As soon as he entered, Alexander saw the Pope standing in the middle of the room facing the door and said to him, "Something unexpected has happened in Florence, but now the Florentines are still sparing no effort to support that madman, and I need you to tell me when the riot you are talking about will take place." ”

Looking at the Pope, who rarely showed an excited look, Alexander secretly pondered, in fact, in his mind, it didn't matter what the result of Savonarola was, after all, Florence was just a city, and Savonarola was not an ambitious person.

In Alexander's mind, there is another event that truly has a huge and far-reaching impact on everyone!

"Your Majesty, the Saqi family was a little shaken before, and the prestige of Savonarola made him and his companions dare not act rashly, but just half a month ago, he had already sent someone to contact me, and they not only bought another batch of weapons from me, but also put forward a request that they want to hire Agri musketeers directly."

"Are they really going to riot?" Alexander VI suddenly came to his senses, he took a few steps forward and stared seriously into Alexander's eyes, "Tell me everything, tell me that you agreed to that Sazi's request?" ”

"No, I refused." Alexander said simply, "I have shown him that I can provide him with weapons, but I will never be directly involved in the civil strife in Florence, not even mercenaries." ”

Alexander VI's expression changed, and he knew that Alexander had promised him that he would never have any rights to Florence except for business, which made the Pope both pleased and suspicious of his trustworthiness.

"So do you think their riot will be successful?" The Pope asked hesitantly.

"Your Majesty, Savonarola is a monk," Alexander suddenly smiled softly, "although he is the consul of Florence, he himself has little power other than the monastery, and he does not rely on money and armies to maintain his position, as the Medici did, but on the support of the people, which means that his only weapon is his piety and innocence. So you don't really need a strong army to deal with Savonarola, as long as it can make him lose people's hearts. ”

The Pope looked at Alexander with blazing eyes, and if he didn't know that it was purely a matter of facts, he even suspected that Alexander was taking the opportunity to mock him.

Alexander VI became pope on the basis of bribes and promises of profit, and he maintained his position by cunning wisdom and fear of Cantarella.

As for piety and morality, it is impossible to find even the slightest bit of this kind in Alexander VI.

"So?"

After a moment of silence, Alexander VI finally asked.

"So, the rebellion didn't require too many troops," Alexander continued, "and they had rebelled before, and those people had lost their lives because of their stupidity. But this time it was different, and Savonarola set up a bonfire for herself. ”

Speaking of this, Alexander paused slightly, and suddenly he felt that there really was some mysterious force in this world that controlled everything.

It was a wonderful retribution for Savonarola to ignite the fire of vanity that destroyed civilization and art, and that he himself would be burned at the stake.

Alexander VI nodded slowly, he already understood what Alexander meant.

"As long as you can stir up the discontent of the population, and then it will hardly take too many troops to solve that trouble," Alexander VI looked at Nomelo, "because Savonarola does not have an army at his disposal, and even this can happen in silence." ”

"A 'palace coup'." Nomelo nodded slightly, he already understood what the Pope meant.

"Yes, it's a palace coup," the Pope nodded in affirmation, then looked at Alexander, "I think you should have explained this to that Sazi." ”

"Yes, Your Majesty, this false fire will make the final decision for Sazi and his men, and then you just have to wait for news."

The Pope began to walk back and forth, his face flushed with excitement and even a little from the excess.

Nomelo stepped aside and poured Alexander VI a glass of wine, handed it to the Pope, and then helped him to sit down.

"A mad man, Nomerlo, that is a man who has gone completely insane," Alexander VI muttered to the secretary next to him, "he destroys art, destroys wealth, even burns books, you must know that even the harshest popes in history will order the protection of the secular culture that is useful to us, but that man, that savonarola does not care about that." ”

"So he will be punished, Your Majesty, and all you need is to wait as calmly as the Count says."

Alexander VI kept nodding, he seemed to be a little tired and closed his eyes, and at the same time waved his arms weakly,

"We can leave the Count." Nomelo whispered to Alexander, winking slightly.

Alexander's heart moved slightly, he knew that if the Pope had something to tell him about Nomerlo, the private secretary would tell him directly, but now Nomelo seemed to have something to say in private, which made Alexander a little strange.

Nomelo was Alexander VI's personal secretary, a staff officer and think tank of the Borgia family, and sometimes even the family's royal firefighter.

He always solved all kinds of problems for the family, from helping Borgia and his son get rid of the entanglement of various mistresses and illegitimate children, to helping them eliminate political opponents large and small, Nomelo can be said to be a perfect interpretation of the value of the existence of a loyal man.

Alexander walked out of the room suspiciously, and when he came into the hallway, he slowed down until he heard the footsteps of Nomelo from far and near behind him.

"Count, I wonder if you are sure about the matter of Florence," Nomelo asked directly, his voice low and obviously not wanting to be heard, "I mean, you can guarantee that you can solve that Savonarola without a large-scale conflict?" ”

Alexander looked at Nomelo with some confusion, he didn't understand why Nomelo cared so much about it, and then he suddenly opened his lips with a sense of understanding.

"Let me guess, is Caesar going to get involved in the Florentine affair?"

Nomelo didn't say anything but silently met Alexander's eyes, but his wordless gesture clearly said it all.

Alexander was tempted to ask Nomelo why he had told him about it privately, but after thinking about it, he didn't say anything.

He believed that if possible, Nomelo would tell him why.

Now that they didn't say it, it must be inconvenient, since there is no need to urge him, if they rush it, they may destroy their previous rather subtle and strange tacit understanding.

Nomelo did work for the Borgia family, but that doesn't mean that he was completely in line with the Borgia family's ideas, and even sometimes he might have conflicts with the Borgia family for various reasons.

What's more, if you carefully talk about it because of Lucrezia, Alexander is also half of the Borgia family.

So when Nomelo may have disagreed with Borgia or Caesar over something, it may not be impossible for him to turn to Alexander for help because of Lucrezia.

This may have sounded ridiculous in the past, but it may not have become a reality now.

Of course, Alexander would not think that Nomelo would betray the Borgia family so easily, but when there is a real disagreement, the identity of "Lucrezia's lover" can still make Nomelo consider whether he needs to listen to advice from him.

"It's not the right time to get involved in Florentine's affairs," Nomelo whispered, "and the riots are the best, the Florentines themselves will take care of everything, and there's no good in getting involved at this time." ”

Alexander looked at Nomelo with a little surprise, and he was secretly surprised by the man's keen insight.

In fact, in the Florentine affair, almost everyone ended up choosing silence and spectatorship.

They sat back and watched the change of power in Florence, and they also watched indifferently as the Florentines faced the Medici family, who had been trying to regain power.

It may seem strange that everyone in Florence, with its reputation as the capital of the arts, has lost interest all at once.

And is this really the case?

At least Alexander knew it wasn't.

Florence, the most striking jewel between Tuscany and Romagna, is so dazzling that no one dares to pick it up.

Whoever can become the master of Florence has the opportunity to become the master of the future Romagna.

"I will reiterate my opinion to His Majesty the Pope next time, but I also hope to have your help in the near future."

It may seem utilitarian to give and take, but Alexander believes that this is the best way to bring the two sides closer.

"I'll send something for Lucrezia," Nomelo said something that seemed unrelated to the topic at hand, and then added "in my own name." ”

Alexander nodded in satisfaction, and then parted ways with Nomerlo.

Walking on the Vatican's rugged potholes and covered with residual snow, Alexander was in a good mood.

The impending storm in Florence has attracted too much attention, and the city of extraordinary charm will hold everyone on a tight hold for a long time.

This is exactly what Alexander needed.

The rapid growth of the exchange is certainly gratifying, but he knows that the wealth that has been accumulated too quickly has attracted the attention of many people.

Although he now had an army and a territory, Alexander knew that this would not be enough to protect his wealth, as it was not clear what an exchange meant.

When one day people finally realize that he is plundering almost the entire wealth of Europe, not to mention those enemies who have long been jealous, even those who cooperate with him, will pounce and bite and devour them mercilessly.

Now the things in Florence happen to attract people's attention.

This made Alexander, who had been brewing for a long time and finally had something to gain, very satisfied.

As for next, Alexander looked up at the sky.

The sky was blue, and the sun was still a little hot when it hit his face.

"It's almost February." Alexander whispered to himself, and then he stepped through the snow towards Busako, who was approaching with the huntsmen.

On January 20, Florence published the Prayer Interpretation, based on the text of Savonarola's sermon.

On 26 January, Caesar Borgia announced the reorganization of the new Papal Army.

He mercilessly dismissed all the previous mercenaries, not even some who had returned to Rome on their own initiative, and then, with the support and patronage of the Pope, Caesar began to recruit new troops.

Entering February, exciting news came from Frankfurt in the north.

The mainland market of the European continent, which was previously panicked due to the blockage of the port of Amsterdam, has gradually stabilized with the influx of free trade union goods, and this stability has been exchanged for the huge return of capital that has begun to form with the sale of huge quantities of goods.

This is a staggering result, many people only know that they have made money, made money, made money, but how much they have earned is not many people can say.

Because the vast majority of funds have flowed into the market quickly with the follow-up commodities, but from the busyness of the exchange, many people still feel that thriving atmosphere.

Alexander VI invested a lot of money for Caesar, which made his already modest money strapped again.

It was at this time that the profits of the February promised by Alexander went to the Pope's petty coffers.

11000 florin, looking at the money, Alexander VI began to seriously consider Caesar's proposal to seize the exchange.

Still, Florence attracted too much attention, which was what Alexander was most happy about.

The situation in Florence was getting worse and worse, and some even predicted that Savonarola's rule would not last long.

The Medici family, who had not heard from them for a long time, became active, and they clearly saw hope.

Just when all eyes were on Florence, in April, a truly shocking news came from France.

King Charles VIII of France, died!

Successor, Duke of Orleans, Louis XII!