Skop is a very intelligent man, and more importantly, unlike those who have not experienced war and blood, he is like those wild beasts roaming in the wilderness, he knows very well what dangers are, and he knows better how to avoid those dangers and let himself be safe.

So even though the army looked tired and embarrassed, he quickly smelled a dangerous smell from them, so strong that he got out of the way without even thinking about it.

The gates to the city of Rome were opened to Alexander.

Standing in front of the city gate, Alexander groaned slightly, he was so tired that he barely had the strength to take a step, and if he could, he would have Skop have someone pester him on his horse.

Just like after a long marathon, when the finish line is really approaching, it is easier to feel the torture of exhaustion.

But Alexander knew that he could not stop at this time, he had to use his own efforts to enter the city, and then to the Vatican and to Alexander VI, if the previous four days had been a trial, then now was the time for him to show the results of this trial.

He was destined to receive everyone's attention in Rome!

From Montina to Rome, Alexander arrived just in time.

No one knew how they got there, and no one knew what was going on in the minds of the soldiers who could follow Alexander to the city of Rome.

When they walked into the city gates and walked on the roads of Rome, the Romans, who had always been proud, chose to avoid the eyes that met with them, and when these soldiers from the southern mountains, whom they had previously looked down on, looked at them, the Romans chose to run away, because they couldn't stand the kind of gaze that made them feel angry, let alone being stared at by such a group of people.

The streets where the Agri passed suddenly became silent, and the Romans could not help but feel an indescribable oppression as they peered out through the cracks in their doors and windows, their curious and slightly wary gaze on the filthy but terrifying smell of the army.

This is the army from Montina?

Many people secretly speculated in their hearts that at such a time, a territorial army suddenly entered Rome, which could not help but make people talk and be suspicious.

Not only did Skop wisely choose not to confront Alexander, but he also wisely decided to tell Alexander everything he knew on the way to the Vatican.

"Everyone says the Pope has collapsed," Skop shook his head a little regretfully, he looked at Alexander, who was walking silently next to him, and suddenly lowered his voice and said, "There is a rumor that Giovanni was killed by his relatives, and there must be at least two people involved." ”

Skop said and shook two fingers, then muttered in a low voice, "I think I should advise my lady to leave the Roman territory as soon as possible for a while, this matter is too terrible to know who will be affected." ”

Alexander, who had not spoken, turned his head to look at Skop, as if to make sure that he was telling the truth, and then he suddenly said: "If I were you, I would not have left Rome at this time, and you must know that sometimes people who do not have the opportunity to defend themselves are often considered the best scapegoats." ”

Skop's face turned pale, he knew what Alexander was hinting at, which scared him a little.

It stands to reason that the family of France and the Borgia not only did not contradict each other, but even had a typical relationship of mutual dependence.

The Farnes wanted to use the position of Pope Alexander VI to maximize their family's interests, while the Borgias wanted to build on their relatively modest roots by drawing on the Farnes' deep connections in Italy.

But that doesn't mean the two families are really free from conflict.

If Julia Farne could bear a child to Alexander VI, then for the sake of the child, he or all of her half-siblings would be in the way.

So in order to remove these obstacles, even if Julia herself does nothing, who can guarantee that her Farne relatives will not do anything?

Such a reason for suspicion may sound far-fetched, but if it is raised, it is likely to burn like a prairie fire.

What's more, I'm afraid that someone will want to believe it, or prefer it to be the way it is.

As Alexander said, scapegoats are always found among those who cannot discern for themselves.

"It seems that I can't leave this city yet," Skop sighed helplessly, and then he looked at Alexandria a little strangely, "Then why did you come to Rome, no one should think that Giovanni was killed by you, you must know that he has been saying a lot of good things for you during this time, so that people will think that you are his brother-in-law." ”

Alexander glanced at Skop and ignored him, for he had already seen a familiar figure on the opposite street.

Nomelo stood alone on the side of the road, and in this extraordinary period when he had to bring a full guard when he went out with a little status, the Pope's secretary calmly faced the panicked Romans with a calm attitude that others could not understand.

It was only when he approached that Alexander could tell from Nomelo's sunken eye sockets that his spirit seemed to be on the verge of exhaustion.

Nomelo looked at the approaching Alexander with a look of disbelief, he knew that the Pope had sent someone to Montina, but he never imagined that on the sixth day of the murder, he was waiting for Alexander, not Caesar.

How many days does it take to get from Rome to Montina?

And how long does it take to get the news and then decide to go?

Nomelo looked past Alexander at the army behind him, and then his gaze fell again on Alexander's dusty face.

"I didn't expect to wait for you." Nomelo tried his best to make his voice appear natural, but the faint uneasiness that stretched out from his heart still made his tone a little harder, "Then do you need to take a shower first, it is very rude to go to see Your Majesty like this." ”

"I'm sure His Majesty the Pope won't care about that." Alexander did not hesitate to reject Nomerlo's suggestion: "I took my men for 4 days, not to bathe in the city of Rome. ”

Nomelo groaned, as if to weigh whether it was worth it to continue to stop, and in the end, like Skop, he chose to compromise.

"You can meet Your Majesty, but your troops are not allowed to enter the Vatican." Nomelo still insisted on the last chance to argue: "Since Charlemagne's time, no monarch or nobleman has led his army directly into the Vatican. ”

Alexander grinned, a row of white teeth on his dusty face, which made Nomelo feel as if he was laughing at his ability to lie.

"My army will be on standby outside the Angel Castle," Alexander smiled slightly, but the next sentence made Nomerlo, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, look stunned, "Just like the tigress of Forlì did back then." ”

Nomelo's eyes finally showed a hint of emotion, it was anger that had not appeared in a long time.

Caterina Sforza, the tigress of Forlì, once led troops to blockade Castel Sant'Angelo because of the death of her husband's uncle, Pope Sistus IV, which prevented the Cardinal Conference from entering the Vatican for 2 months!

The two-month lockdown was one of the most humiliating events in the history of the Vatican, so much so that even after more than a decade, people still avoided talking about it so as not to cause too much embarrassment.

Now that Alexander openly proposed to put the army on standby in Castel Sant'Angelo, for a while, both the Pope's private secretary and the nearby Skop couldn't help but think of the days when the Vatican people were so taboo.

It's almost July on the Tiber River, and as soon as we get closer, a cool breeze is already blowing from the river.

But perhaps because the murder just happened was related to the river, while feeling that it should have been refreshing and cool, the faint discomfort also made people always want to get away from the river as soon as possible.

Alexander kept his word.

Watching the army silently enter the fortress camp under Castel Sant'Angelo, Nomelo first breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked at Alexander with strange eyes.

"From here, you can control the main routes in and out of the Vatican." The secretary said seemingly casually.

"And I'm not that Caterina Sforza," Alexander didn't mean to answer, and then he thought for a moment and smiled softly, "It's funny to say, I'm somewhat related to that Foley's tigress." ”

Katerina Sforza's husband, Gittram Niori, was the nephew of Sistus IV, while Barentia's father, Rovere Sr., was a nephew of Sistus IV.

It's just that this seemingly distant-off relationship doesn't make the Rovere and Sforza family any closer.

On the contrary, in the recent Romagna War, the Vatican Alliance, with the participation of Genoese, taught the coalition with the participation of the Milanese a harsh lesson.

Such is the ridiculous relationship between the nobility of this era.

Listening to Alexander's words, Nomelo's gaze deepened.

Is this an implication that he had the support of the Genoese behind him? Or will he ally himself with Milan or even the Venetians if necessary?

Not knowing what Alexander was hinting at, Nomelo simply stopped talking to him, and just silently led the way.

Alexander, who was already familiar with the Sistine Chapel, followed Nomelo through the famous corridors and several rooms that would later become famous, and after a spiral staircase to the door of a room on the second floor at the back of the church, Nomelo stopped.

The secretary licked his lips and hesitated a little, and then he whispered, "Your Majesty has just lost his beloved son, so," Nomelo said after a pause, "be nice to him." ”

Alexander nodded silently, in fact, he had been pondering a question on the way, that is, why Alexander VI would have people summon him back.

The Pope must have hoped that Caesar would return to him at this time, or that Lucrezia would accompany him, or even that he wanted Geoffrey's bear child to comfort his painful heart, but why should he look for himself?

Alexander couldn't figure it out.

So when standing outside this door, Alexander's heart was not actually at peace.

With the secretary tapping and pushing the door open, Alexander stepped inside.

There was a soft sound of the door closing behind him, and now, there were only two people in the room.

Alexander VI sat alone in his rocking chair, the afternoon sun shining on him, which made the pope look as if he was covered in a layer of holy light.

Alexander walked slowly and came to a stop not far from the Pope, where he first bowed and then stood silently waiting for the Pope's reaction.

Without making him wait long, sensing the movement around him, the Pope slowly turned his head to look at Alexander.

When he saw the appearance of Alexander VI, Alexander was slightly stunned.

Old and weak, as Nomelo said, the Pope at this time was completely an old man who had lost his beloved son, not a villain known for his intrigue and greed and extravagance, when his eyes blinked, the sagging bags under his eyes made him look even older than his actual age, and the skin that had been exposed to age spots without makeup looked dry and yellow, which was completely different from the look that people usually saw always looking energetic.

"You came first."

A playful light slowly flashed in Alexander VI's originally godless eyes, and he looked at the young man in front of him for a while, and then leaned on the rocking chair to stand up.

The rocking chair shook back and forth, and the Pope swayed with him, so that his half-straight waist bent down again.

Alexander tried to go over and help him, but Alexander VI waved his hand and refused, he held the armrest again and pressed carefully, and finally stood up straight.

"Look, it's not that hard," Alexander VI smiled self-deprecatingly, and then he waved his hand to follow him, "You can see that you should be tired, but some things should be better as soon as possible." ”

The Pope stepped up the stairs and then walked behind his huge desk, where he had issued one great order after another concerning the fate of Christendom.

"I don't know when Caesar will return, maybe soon, but maybe he's not in a hurry," Alexander VI said and smiled self-deprecatingly, "Nomelo thinks I don't know what he's doing, but in fact, even if no one reports it to me, I can guess that he must be trying to clear Caesar's name." ”

"It's not a good idea," Alexander finally said, "and to do so is to admit that the man is Caesar." ”

The Pope's slack cheeks trembled slightly, since Giovanni was killed, no one dared to mention the murderer in front of him, because everyone was afraid that Caesar would inevitably be involved next.

But Alexander did not hesitate to say it, and even directly identified Caesar as "that man".

"You also think...... Was Caesar that person? Alexander VI stared at Alexander: "Tell me, is that what you think?" ”

Under the gaze of Alexander VI's suddenly fierce eyes, Alexander looked back without evasion.

"Your Majesty, the key is whether you think so yourself," Alexander's words made the Pope's originally sallow face suddenly appear with an abnormal flush, "Or does it matter whether that person is Caesar or not?" ”

The blush on the Pope's face deepened, and he even grabbed a heavy copper-pedested cross on the table a little out of shape, as if he would smash it directly out of anger in the next second!

But he finally let go of his hand, and the Pope slowly sat down to calm his emotions, and then raised his hand and beckoned Alexander with two fingers.

"In this city, everyone can be a murderer, even if it's not here."

The Pope's words made Alexander's heart sink, and he quickly looked over to meet Alexander VI's scrutinizing gaze.

"But you're different," the Pope said, looking at Alexander with a blank expression, "I don't know what happened in Reialo, but Giovanni's attitude towards you has changed since he returned, and he has praised you more than once for being not only a good soldier, but also for the rare tenacity of a diplomat, and according to him, it may be more difficult to negotiate with you than to win you on the battlefield." Speaking of which, Giovanni didn't like you in the past, but now he thinks you can be a good friend, and I remember even saying at one point that you and Lucrezia are a good match. ”

"The Duke's praise scares me."

Alexander said casually that he knew that the Pope was clearly not saying this.

Sure enough, Alexander VI continued: "Because of this, I think you are the only one who would not have a reason to want to kill Giovanni, because he is useful to you, so I will call you back." ”

Sure enough, although he had already guessed it, when the Pope himself said it, Alexander couldn't help but have a strange complex emotion in his heart.

A little relieved, but more of a faint throbbing.

"There are too many people in Rome who want to see the Borgia family now, and I don't know if someone is secretly plotting against my family, I need someone I can trust, at least someone who can't benefit from Giovanni's death, or the death of the rest of our family," the Pope stared into the eyes of Alexander VI, "This kind of person is only you now, that's why I called you back, I want you to temporarily serve as the commander of the city defense army in Rome from now on." ”

Speaking of this, the Pope continued, without waiting for Alexander to speak: "Don't forget, Lucrezia is also from the Borgia family, and she is my favorite daughter. ”

Alexander's mouth had just opened, and he paused.

Alexander VI's meaning was clear, even if it was not for the sake of the Borgia family, for the sake of Lucrezia, Alexander could not refuse this order.

If there were no Borgia family, or if the family had suffered some great disaster, then Lucrezia would undoubtedly have been involved in these troubles.

Giovanni is dead and someone will surely benefit from it, but what about Lucrezia, will it be the next target?

Now it seems that Alexander alone will not gain much from the death of the Borgias.

Even if it's someone from the Farnes? Wouldn't there be any benefit to be gained in it?

Alexander's mind quickly flashed through Skop's face.

He didn't expect that his casual words would really touch on something that everyone was trying to avoid.

Who would benefit from the death of Giovanni, or the rest of the Borgia family?

"My son is dead," Alexander VI's voice became low, so low that it would take a close ear to hear it, "I want to know who killed him, so help me find this murderer, whoever he is, just help me find him, and bring him to me, and I want to see his face." ”

Looking at the Pope, who was staring at the order on the table appointing him commander of the Roman city defenses, Alexander groaned slightly, then bowed.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Coming out of the papal chambers, Alexander left the basilica accompanied by Nomerlo, who had been waiting, and when he walked along the path behind Castel Sant'Angelo, and came to the outside of Palazzo Potico, he saw the two figures who had already heard the news and were waiting at the gate of Palazzo Potico.

Suddenly the people swooped up like butterflies in summer, followed by heartbreaking weeping.

"Alexander! Giovanni, dead! ”

Lucrezia's tears instantly dripped down Alexander's neck, and behind her, Jossa watched quietly from a distance as the two men embraced each other.