Rome.

The suffocation and depression that have never been seen before are shrouding this thousand-year-old city at this time.

Whether in the streets, in the lavish mansions of the aristocracy or in the low, narrow dwellings of the commoners, or in the humble taverns, an event that no one dared to publicize openly and loudly, but which was discussed everywhere, became the subject of much discussion among the Romans.

Giovanni Borgia, Duke of Gandino, who killed him!

Giovanni's death really shook too many people!

It was not that people could not accept Giovanni's death, and even when the news of his death came, some people were drunk because they were happy that day, and people were more surprised by who the murderer was.

One of Alexander VI's favorite illegitimate sons, Giovanni and his brothers were always the most talked-about people in Rome, and when people talked about the Pope's extravagant private life, they always talked about his children, who had gained power through their father's patronage.

And Giovanni, as the military commander of the Borgia family deliberately cultivated by Alexander VI to stabilize his position, used his father's papal status to firmly grasp the military power of the Papal States.

This kind of repugnant behavior, which was once one of the evidences of countless people attacking Alexander VI's greed and depravity, is now the man who was so prominent in Rome was found dead in the Tiber River, and behind his death are one even more shocking speculation and suspicion.

It is said that Giovanni left with his entourage after attending a banquet, but he left very early, and no one can say where he went after that.

It is also said that the last person to see Giovanni alive can prove that he came out of a small house the night before, almost late at night.

And the owner of that house was really his brother Jeffrey's wife, Xia San.

More of the rumors came from a rumor that was even more unbelievable, but even more intriguing.

That was the last time Giovanni was seen during his lifetime, in the bazaar, not far from Piazza della Cala.

From this square, you will pass over a bridge over the Tiber and continue to the Potico Palace.

Everyone knows what this suggests, and the ambiguous rumors between Lucrezia, the owner of the Palazzo Potico, and her two brothers, have long been the talk of the Romans, and sometimes even involve the Pope himself, and at such a time as soon as such rumors flow like a terrible poison again in all corners of the city of Rome, people's thoughts become more unimaginable in some unimaginable directions.

Who is the murderer?

Pope or Giovanni's enemy?

A husband who is jealous because his wife is having an affair with Giovanni?

Or someone who could benefit from Giovanni's death?

Or is it the fact that there is a little bit of a hostile and jealous husband who can do more good after murdering him?

All sorts of speculations gradually became clear, but the answers were shocking and terrifying.

Jeffrey, Chassan's husband and Giovanni's brother, seems to be a good fit to be the suspected mastermind of murder.

But if you think about it, another more suitable murderer slowly surfaced.

Although this man is not in Rome now, it was this man who could benefit most from Giovanni's death, Caesar Borgia.

The same brother who may be jealous because of the ambiguous rumors with Lucrezia, the same illegitimate son of the Pope who is pursuing secular power after voluntarily renunciating the priesthood, and more importantly, he can be the biggest beneficiary after Giovanni's death, all these reasons point the finger at Giovanni's sibling.

Cain, a metaphor for the murderer, began to spread in the city of Rome.

There are two people who enjoy this title, both of whom are Giovanni's brothers, and they both have the surname Borgia!

No one dared to openly talk about who the murderer was, because the Pope had decreed that all those who dared to spread rumors should be severely punished, but such an order did not prevent people from talking in private, and even because of this order, it gave rise to even more daring speculations.

The Pope knew who had killed his son.

I don't know when this word began to circulate in the city of Rome, and then all kinds of speculation became more and more intense, and people held their breath and stared at the Vatican with wide eyes, because there was an "interesting incident" of fratricidal warfare that probably only happened in the most chaotic times of the past.

Lucrezia once again hid in Palazzo Potico, and it was hard to imagine that not so long ago she seemed to be the happiest woman in the world.

There was a father who doted on her as the highest authority in Christendom, a large group of family brothers who regarded her as a treasure, and a lover who seemed to pop out of nowhere and then gave her a stormy love.

At that time, Lucrezia decided to believe that she was the happiest person in the world.

It seemed that all good things had been given to her, which made her even vaguely a little nervous, worried about whether this happiness would come to an abrupt end one day.

Then her terrible premonition came true, her relatives, brothers, were murdered.

Lucrezia was with Josa when she heard the terrible news, and she was a little nervous because she had taken it upon herself to introduce Josa to another of her friends, Julia Farne.

Lucrezia remembered the conflict between Julia and Alexander, or rather, a grudge would be more appropriate.

At that time, seeing Julia in pain from her brother's death, Lucrezia also hated the stranger from Naples.

But now she is about to introduce Alexander's sister to Julia, which makes Lucrezia a little nervous, not only worried that her old and new friends will be embarrassed when they meet, but also that they will get emotional and even fight.

Julia certainly can't beat Josha, neither can her retinue, and even the knights around her may not be able to defeat Josha.

After seeing Josa's ability to shoot arrows, Lucrezia admired Alexander's sister to the fullest, not to mention that she dared to use those muskets that made people feel terrible to see.

Lucrezia thought that Josa was simply a French Joan of Arc, and if it weren't for the same love for beautiful clothes and the same interest in all kinds of headdress jewelry, Lucrezia would have thought that Josa was a different legend of her own.

But before he could see Julia, the bad news reached the Potico Palace first.

When she first heard the news, Lucrezia was in a daze, she didn't know what it meant, what happened to Giovanni, and who died?

Then, when she finally understood what was happening, Lucrezia didn't even have time to cry, and passed out directly into the arms of Josa, who was already holding her.

The scene was indescribable, and the entire Potico Palace was plunged into chaos as if the end had come.

Everyone was shouting, everyone was running around blindly, but they didn't know what they were going to do.

The Duke of Gandino died, murdered, and the news scared everyone.

What scared them even more was that who else would be killed next, did this mean that the Borgia family was about to face extinction?

At that moment, the first thing Lucrezia saw when she woke up was Tsusha who was guarding her side, and a few of her usually loyal retinue, but more people were only panicking at this time.

In the name of the Countess of Cosenza, she ordered the guards of the Potico Palace to be on alert at once, and while protecting Lucrezia, she did not forget to send someone to inform Julia Farne, who was said to be here.

When these orders were given, Lucrezia seemed to come to her senses from the accident at first, first not believing the news, and then when she received repeated answers from the others, she finally broke out into a bitter wail.

Looking at Lucrezia's pained appearance, Tsusha was slightly distracted for a moment.

She remembered what Alexander had said to her, and remembered that Alexander had told her to be by Lucrezia's side on this day anyway, and that she had even agreed to Lucrezia to meet the Pope's mistress for this.

But how did Alexander know that such an astonishing accident would happen on this day?

Did he already know that Giovanni would be murdered the night before?!

Or was it Alexandria who murdered Duke Gandino?

This thought was suppressed by her only for a flash in her heart, but even for a moment, she already felt a slight coolness on her forehead.

No way, the murder of Giovanni did not benefit Alexander at all, on the contrary, judging from the signs after Giovanni's return, it was more beneficial for Alexander that he was alive.

At least, on some public occasions after his return to Rome, Giovanni praised Alexander's bravery on the battlefield.

This caused Lucrezia to privately tell Jossa that Alexander must have curried favor with Giovanni for her.

But how did Alexander know that Giovanni would be murdered, and even when he was murdered?

Josa tried her best to suppress her uneasiness, she knew that it was important to calm Lucrezia at this time, and she also understood Alexander's purpose in telling her to take good care of Lucrezia.

At this time, Lucrezia is undoubtedly the most vulnerable, and by her side will easily become her spiritual support, and even become her master.

"What do you want to do, Alexander, or what are you doing?" She wondered in her heart, but she also knew that this was a rare opportunity, so she did her best to comfort Lucrezia, who was in great pain, and ordered someone to return to Marino Palace at once to summon her men.

The Marino Palace had apparently gotten the news as well, so it was Ulliu who came.

Massimo remained in the Marino Palace, and the terrible news that had spread throughout the city had terrified the entire city of Rome, and it was clear that the Marino Palace needed a more powerful man at this time.

In his absence, as a monk who was a close associate of both the Earl and the Countess, he became the natural leader of the Marino Palace.

The purpose of Ulrius was to deliver a letter to Alexander.

She believed that whether the murder had anything to do with him or not, Alexander would want to know what was happening in Rome as soon as possible.

Josa was tempted to write a letter, but she quickly came to her senses.

She knew that it was easy to expose flaws at such a time, maybe a few inadvertent words might be found by someone to find some irreparable loopholes, and even she might not even think about it but consciously or unintentionally questioned Alexander, once such a thing fell into the hands of someone with a heart, it would become a terrible disaster.

So Jossa decided to let Ulliu bring only the message, believing that the Moorish ingenuity would be up to the task.

It's just that Zhosa never expected that the appearance of Alexander VI would disrupt her plans.

This was the first time she had officially met the Pope, and she was somewhat stunned when she saw Alexander VI hurrying in from the outside.

Lord of Christendom and agent of God and Jesus Christ on earth.

Even though he knew that this old man who was not tall, who was a little hunchbacked, and even had traces of wine on his clothes that had spilled his glass because he heard bad news, was just a depraved priest with several mistresses and illegitimate children, but Jisha's body still trembled slightly because of excitement.

She bowed and could only look at the feet that had hurried in front of her, although they seemed to pause in front of her as they passed, but when she looked up, Alexander VI had already hurried past, so she didn't see what the Pope looked like.

The arrival of Alexander VI caused a commotion in the Potico Palace.

Because of the sudden murder, the protection of the Pope was obviously tighter, and no one was allowed to enter and leave at will, even the usually favored retinue was careful not to arouse the suspicion of others at such a time.

As a result, Ulliu, who had just arrived at the Potico Palace, was also trapped in the palace, and although he was anxious and nervous, when he was finally freed and left the city of Rome with a message from Josa, it was already two days later on June 17.

And Alexander's army had already set out from Montina on this day and marched towards Rome.

Jossa did not know that Alexander VI had sent a message to Alexander, but she knew that the Pope had sent a message to Caesar after hearing that Giovanni had been killed.

Was he worried that the other son he loved would suffer the same fate, or was he also hearing some bad rumors about Caesar, or was the Pope himself guessing?

She didn't know which was the truth, but compared to the other people who had started to make their own calculations after hearing the news, she felt that only Lucrezia was really sad about her brother's death.

The pain of losing her loved ones woke her up even in her sleep, and she lay on her bed, crying and crying, "My poor brother." That made Ji Sha's heart feel a faint sense of guilt.

Alexander, did you really know all this for a long time, and why didn't you stop it from happening?

Shosha asked this question in her heart, and then she quickly stopped thinking about it.

She knew that Alexander should have his reasons, and although she didn't know why, Josha had decided not to investigate.

In addition to Lucrecia, Alexander VI was another person who was really saddened, and the people around him found that the Pope seemed to have aged a lot overnight, so much so that some people secretly said that the death of Duke Gandino had knocked the Pope down, and his spirit was breaking, which made the people around Alexander VI finally realize that if Caesar did not return in time, maybe the Borgia family could face another crisis.

The Pope's private secretary had to send a succession of letters to Caesar, urging Caesar to return to Rome as soon as possible, telling him bad news about his brother.

"You are now the only hope for the Borgias," the secretary wrote anxiously, "there are too many people who want to see us fall, this is the greatest crisis of the Borgia since they came to Rome, and now you are the only one who can save the Borgias." ”

Nomelo, who had always been calm, was so flustered that he had to change the wrong words several times, and the huge sense of crisis made him not even in the mood to re-transcribe it, so he sent someone to send the letter out.

He believed that Caesar should have realized how dangerous the situation was when he saw such a letter.

Unlike the others who were panicked and apprehensive, Geoffrey Borgia was unusually excited.

When the news of Giovanni's death came, Sanxia fainted as much as Lucrezia due to surprise and perhaps for reasons that only she knew, and someone who was close to them later whispered that Geoffrey was sitting there stunned, his gaze swept over his wife, who was being cared for by the servants in a hurry, and then a strange smile on his face that made the people next to him feel a faint chill when he looked at it.

It was a look that seemed to have heard the news that I had been looking forward to, and now it had finally come true, and the almost presumptuous look didn't even bother to hide it.

It is this unusual attitude that makes people fear Jeffrey.

Many people seem to really know this bear child who was not very valued for the first time, and thinking of his strange expression, many people can't help but believe the rumor that he sold his soul to the devil.

And what happened next was a testament to how much he hated his brother.

He suddenly announced that he was going to hold a grand banquet in his house, more and more on a larger scale than usual, and as for the reason, he mischievously said to the people around him: "Jeffrey wants to have some fun for Jeffrey." ”

When his unusual behavior caused such a stir that no one dared to attend his feast, Geoffrey, despite his wife's fears, ordered his men to prepare all kinds of equipment for their journeys and hunting, and to prepare for a trip that would go as soon as he said it.

Fortunately, his madness was put to an end by Alexander VI's reprimand, otherwise no one would have known what he would have done more excessively.

Even so, there are rumors that Jeffrey is angry at the grief of his wife, Shasan.

So much so that he deliberately made people sing cheerful songs in front of Xia Sang.

So much so that it is rumored that he forced Xia Sang to sleep with him, while shouting in front of his servants, "Now I am the only one who can do your husband's duty, and whether you want to or not, you must admit that you can only be my wife." ”

All this caused panic among the Romans, who did not know what Alexander VI would do after the sudden loss of his beloved son, and even though some of the guilds in the city had ordered their men not to cause trouble.

The city hall of Rome sent almost all the people to track down the murderer, they cordoned off the Piazza della Cala where the murder had taken place, and the officials and servants of the town hall carefully surveyed everything on the site, and they were so careful that they almost turned the whole plot over.

But the perpetrator was clearly a true connoisseur, and the heavy rain that night also helped the murderer, except for a few ordinary people who happened to see Giovanni and finally appeared near this square to prove that he had been to this place, and there was no trace of a terrible murder that had taken place here.

As for why Giovanni came to this ghetto alone in the middle of the night, no one can say.

The murderer disappeared into the streets and alleys of Rome after the murder, which made everyone feel that everyone around them could be the terrible murderer.

Panic spread through the city of Rome, everything was so confusing that the truth was hidden behind a veil of mystery called a conspiracy that people did not even dare to really find out what happened that night.

The Vatican's guards have tightened their guards, fearing something more terrible might happen, and the magnates have stepped up their guards.

The residences of officials of the Aragon and Roman Empire were completely protected by their own armies, Giuliano della Rovere's Swiss Guards had been stationed at his mid-mountain villa, and many powerful people had taken the opportunity to recruit mercenaries in the name of self-preservation.

For a time, after the initial tremors and unrest, the city of Rome soon fell into a strange silence.

Nomelo sensed the turmoil that seemed to be calm, and he had to write to Caesar again urging him to return to Rome as soon as possible, and although there were all signs that seemed to prove that the main messenger of Giovanni's murder was Caesar himself, Nomelo knew that in order to survive the current situation, even if he was blatantly lying, he had to find a way to prove Caesar's innocence.

Only now Alexander VI seemed to be in a state of numbness, which had become aberrant, and he locked himself in his room without seeing anyone, so Nomelo had to break with his precedent of never showing up on his own initiative and find a few cardinals in private.

He had only one purpose, to declare Caesar innocent in the name of the Holy See.

The cardinals showed a rare eerie silence on Nomelo's request, which made Nomelo even more secretly frightened, he wondered if someone was secretly planning to use Giovanni's death to attack the Borgia family, but it was clear that the cardinals who had previously bowed down to the Pope now had other ideas.

Nomelo had never looked forward to a man so much as he did now, and he sent the herald of the Council of Order, Skop, to wait outside the city, and repeatedly instructed him to escort Caesar to the Vatican as soon as he saw him.

Skop was dutiful, and although he knew that it would not be possible to get from Naples to Rome so quickly after receiving the news, he began to wait at the gates of the city every morning after the messenger left.

Day 1......

Day 2......

Day 3......

On the morning of the fourth day, Skop saw the shadow of an army.

Facing the scorching sun overhead, Skop saw an army of people who seemed to have been stripped of their souls and strode forward.

Their mud-stained faces were numb and indifferent, their clothes were no longer of any color, and the army was tremblingly silent except for the sound of their feet as they walked forward mechanically like clockwork.

Skop's eyes narrowed slightly, he stared at the strange-looking army in front of him, and when he saw the flag, which was also stained with gray and indistinct patterns, the herald's breathing suddenly became rapid.

At this moment, he saw a man at the front of the group striding towards him, even if the face was also unclear because of the dirtiness, but Skop already knew who this person was.

Sure enough, the man came not far from in front of Skop, he first stood up and took a breath, and then said loudly:

"Alexandre Juliant Gombray, Count of Montina, returns to Rome by order of His Holiness the Pope!"