Alexander the pig leaned against the backrest of the bed, which was specially filled with soft feathers, and looked at the cabbage next to him, which had just been arched by himself, with a smile on his face.

The daughter had been taken away by the wet nurse, and Shelf was also downstairs instead of outside the door, and there were only two of them on the entire second floor.

Lucrezia, who was asleep, moved, and then gradually woke up.

She looked around a little puzzled, and then finally her blank gaze focused on Alexander's face.

"You're really back."

This is an affirmative sentence, and it seems that it is only at this time that she is truly sure that the people around her are real and not fantasy.

"I'm back."

Alexander answered, he suddenly felt that many words were superfluous at this time, and looked at Lucrezia, who was leaning next to him and seemed to be satisfied when he saw him appear, and he suddenly felt that among these women he owed the most was precisely the woman in front of him.

In Alexander's mind, Lucrezia is actually innocent, both in history and in the present, perhaps in the eyes of many people, her overly rich life and dazzling number of lovers prove how depraved this woman is, but in fact she is just a woman who longs to be loved.

Her world is actually very simple, she just wants to love and be loved, but two consecutive marriages have only made her a political tool and a victim of her father and brother, she longs for a stable and sweet home, but Alexander VI and his son ruthlessly took these beautiful desires away from her, whether it was the marriage with Giovanni Sforza who only fulfilled his obligations, or the love affair with Alfonso of Billy Silly, in the end she could not get rid of the Pope's father and son being ruthlessly destroyed in order to satisfy their purposes.

So she began to fill the wounded heart with debauchery, and used the short-term joy she got from her lover to cover up the fear of losing the people around her at any time, until she finally had the opportunity to completely break free from the control of her father and brother and marry away for the third time, and finally ended the fate of being a political bargaining chip for Alexander VI's father and son.

All this is the historical Lucrezia Borgia.

And now, although she still experienced an unhappy marriage to Giovanni Sforza, she no longer has the long-standing rumors of Pedro Cadron in her life, and she will never have anything to do with Alfonso, Duke of Billyselly, who is now the mother of the Duchess of Pisa and the lover of Alexander.

Looking at the woman in front of him, Alexander leaned over and whispered in her ear: "You don't have to be afraid of anything anymore, you will always live happily ever after in Pisa, and my daughter will become an admirable duchess." ”

Lucrezia listened silently without speaking, then twisted her head, curled up beside Alexander like a small animal, closed her eyes again and fell asleep gently.

The news of Alexander's sudden appearance in Pisa soon spread throughout the city, and the local nobles and important figures of the Chamber of Commerce immediately rushed to the Lucrezia Palace, and although the weather was cold, everyone's heart was warm, and when they met, everyone saw some kind of tacit look on the faces of others.

Rome, Naples, the Balkans, and now Lombardy, which has just heard about some of the situation, Alexander has repeatedly let his followers see the victories and brilliance he lacks, which makes these people who were originally speculative, passive, or even forced to follow him seem to see some kind of hope.

In exchange for victory after victory, the Trade Alliance took the opportunity to open the doors of those regions that were originally unwilling to accept them with gold coins, swords and cannons, and those places that took the initiative to join the Trade Zone, the huge wealth gathered by the great nobles grew even more wildly under the drive of the Trade Alliance.

But human greed is endless, and more wealth only leads to greater greed, and they begin to look to those places that refuse to accept trade alliances, for which they are lambs to the slaughter, and they are butchers with butchers' knives.

In the face of great temptation, no one can stop them from making profits, no matter who they are, and if anyone tries to stand up and stop them, they will be ruthlessly crushed into powder!

Now that Alexander had demonstrated the enormous potential of the trade alliance with his string of victories, the nobles and merchants were willing to spend more money to support the young count in his military and political adventures.

Only this time, these people are no longer satisfied with just getting enough money in return.

Alexander also knew that the pizza magnates were waiting for him, so he didn't disturb the tired Lucrezia, and quietly went outside, stepped on the soft carpet and walked through the corridor, standing at the staircase on the second floor, he saw Schell talking to the guards.

"How many people came?" Alexander asked softly.

"Many lords," Schell replied, accustomed to it, and when he saw Alexander's soft gesture, he quickly lowered his voice and said, "It seems that the nobles and rich people of the whole city have come, and I have told them that you will go to the Duke's Palace to meet them, as you commanded them before, and now everyone has left, except for a few who seem to be quite stubborn and refuse to leave." ”

Alexander nodded, he could guess who the so-called refusal to leave Schell was talking about, and those people were exactly what he wanted to see.

The current chief member of the Pisa parliament was a tall and fat man, and Alexander felt as if he were facing a brown bear standing up with him.

Such a man should have been on the battlefield instead of arguing with people in Parliament, but the Chief Councillor was happy with who he was now.

Immediately after Estelles announced the coronation of the Duke of Pisa, the parliament announced that it would no longer use the title of "speaker", but would instead be called "chief councillor".

This change made many Pisan people realize how brutal the restoration of the corrupt and depraved monarchy in Pisa was, and the members of the council were left without leaders, even the chief members were only part of the parliament rather than the leader of the council, which dissolved the possibility that the members of the parliament could stand up to the royal family, and the parliament could only serve as the mouthpiece of the royal family.

This was indeed a very uncomfortable result, at first there was a strong opposition in the Pisa parliament, some people feared that the overly strong monarchy would lead to Pisa being completely under the rule of the monarch and could not guarantee the rights of the people, but in the face of the strong oppression of Montina's army, the Pisa parliament finally made a compromise.

Today, however, this opposition still exists in the Parliament, but it is much smaller than it was then, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain in the Pisa Parliament.

That's because almost every one of these people, as the magnates of Pisa, has already received a sweet spot from the trade unions.

"My lord, we know that you have had a hard journey along the way, and we are sorry to disturb your rest, but the matter is a bit urgent, so we can only come and disturb you directly."

Even when the chief councillor sat down, he gave people a condescending look, which made Alexander, who was sitting opposite him, a little helpless, he could only wave his hand to show that he didn't mind, and then asked the chief councillor to continue.

"That's right, someone in Pisa has made a proposal to ask His Royal Highness the Duke to reconsider her title," the chief councillor said in a tone of 'this is none of my business, I'm just here to bring a word', and at the same time seemed to shrug his shoulders like two hills helplessly, "Many people think that His Royal Highness's title of Duke of Pisa and Protector of Florence is inappropriate, but should be changed to Duke and Protector of Pisa and Florence, of course, this is just a proposal, and the final decision is up to you and His Royal Highness the Duke." ”

The dukes and protectors of Pisa and Florence seem to be called in different order, but their actual meanings are very different.

For the first time, the Pisaans tried to legitimize and justify their rule over Florence.

Alexander blinked, his gaze fell on the innocent face of the chief councillor, from this innocent face that seemed to be helplessly involved in this matter, it was completely impossible to see that this proposal was actually actively promoted by the person in front of him, and even according to Ulliu's report, just to make this proposal enter the agenda process in the parliament, the chief councillor spent a lot of money to bribe every councilor he could get along.

The reason why he went out of his way to push for this bill was that the chief councillor was the largest wool merchant in Pisa, and Florence had the largest group of wool processing workshops in Tuscany.

This is an ambitious person, and he has more energy and courage to achieve his ambitions.

Alexander said this in his heart about the chief councillor.

The Medici family's many years in Florence have left behind a vast array of splendid works of art, a coveted wool processing system on a large scale.

At its largest, the steaming mist over the wool processing workshop, where thousands of workers worked at the same time, with its fishy smell of wool, that never dissipated, is a testament to the glory of Florence.

Even after the Medici family was expelled from Florence, and Savonarola was only a saint-like ruler who focused on the spiritual world and despised the enjoyment of reality, the scale of the Florentine wool processing industry, which was devastated and weakened, was still not comparable to that of other cities.

As the trade alliance expanded in the northern German city-states, a steady stream of wool, which was cheaper than elsewhere, was shipped from the north to southern Europe via Pisa, and the sheer size of Florence's wool mills became even more important.

Alexander looked at the chief councillor opposite him with interest, he knew that this kind of thing would happen sooner or later, but he didn't expect it to come so quickly.

History has proven countless times that when capital and politics are combined, capital becomes a stepping stone to politics, but when it is strong enough, capital tries to get rid of the identity of being exploited and tries to control politics in turn.

Because of this, when the Fugols owned most of the claims of the Holy Roman Empire many years later, the then Emperor Charles V did not remember the contribution of the Fugols to them over the years, but intensified his frenzied exploitation of the family's wealth in order to secure the Habsburgs' throne.

The man in front of him seemed to be trying to touch this thing that was taboo for any ruler.

Although his suggestion was arguably the earliest justification for the annexation of Florence, Alexander would not appreciate it.

It is impossible to be grateful to him.

Alexander looked at the chief councillor quietly until the councillor seemed to sense the oppression in the atmosphere.

"Chief Councillor, I thank you for all that you have been doing for the Duchess of Estles, and I haven't even forgotten that you were one of the first people to publicly express your support for my daughter to become Duke of Pisa," Alexander nodded to the councillor opposite, looking at the barely able to maintain composure on the councillor's face, Alexander then shook his head slightly, showing a hint of helplessness on his face, "But I don't understand why you are making such a suggestion, you must know that this proposal is very inappropriate, As a friend of the Gaumetic family, I could not accept such an offer. ”

"But you are also the father of His Royal Highness the Duke, and the regent of Pisa, in any capacity, you are obliged to seek your due benefits for His Royal Highness." The Chief Councillor was still not reconciled, he felt that he actually knew what the Count was thinking, and now his excuses and explanations were really just excuses for more reasonable reasons, and the Chief Councilor thought that he could fully satisfy Alexander's needs.

He began to find and provide all kinds of plausible or outright excuses for the annexation of Naples, and even brought out a Pisan who had briefly served as Florence's tribune in the early Roman period, and finally the councillor was quite excited and said, "If you can be more active, I can guarantee that the vast majority of the merchants of Pisa will be willing to pay for your military campaign, and with the strength of Montina's army, we all know that it will be a war without suspense......"

"No, it's just a simple war for money," Alexander interrupted the Chief Councillor, "and such a war is not in my interest. ”

As he said this, Alexander's gaze fell on the chief councilor's face.

"I know that you have gone to great lengths to get the wool mills of Florence, and even to the extent that you have spent a great deal of money to persuade them to get people to support your proposal, because you think that you can make a profit in the wool market, but you have forgotten that your family's interests are insignificant in front of the whole trade union, and if I were to start a war, it would be in the interests of the whole alliance, and before this great interest, everyone and everything must make way for it, And that includes your worthless wool mill, you know?! ”

The Chief Councillor looked at Alexander dumbfounded, and although he understood every word, he still couldn't believe that Alexander would threaten him so directly.

There is a reason why the chief councillor dared to stir up a public opinion in Pisa to try to annex Florence, in addition to being one of the most influential wealthy merchants in Pisa, and he deeply felt that the Pisan people were no longer satisfied with only earning the money of those foreign merchants locally, their appetite was getting bigger and bigger, and their vision was getting higher and higher, and with the gradual change of the primary and secondary status with Florence, the Pisan people's fear and jealousy of Florence from the heart had now evolved into a stronger desire to conquer. The more they fear that one day Florence will rise again, the more they want to belittle or even conquer that city, so many pisbians are already obsessed.

It was this extreme sentiment that pervaded the Pisan people that made the chief councillor see the opportunity to annex the Florentine wool processing industry, and he was convinced that this should also be Alexander's ambition, and that if he was willing to help Alexander fulfill his wish in this matter, it would be a miracle of God's grace for him and his family.

But now Alexander's reaction was completely unexpected, and the chief councilor's face showed embarrassment, disappointment, and a hint of vague anger and unwillingness.

Seeing the councilor's obvious unwillingness, Alexander pondered a little and waved his hand slightly to signal the councillor to lean closer.

"Listen, Councillor, I know you're eager to get help from me, and I'm not going to let you down, but whatever you do, you have to do what I want to do first, because don't forget that you are here today because of the Free Trade Alliance, and I am the one who created this Alliance, so what you can do is to get your share of the benefits under the rules of the Alliance, and if you don't understand this, I promise that you will soon find that not only is your business abandoned from the Free Trade Alliance, You and your family will not survive in Pisa, you will lose everything because of your reputation, and this is just the beginning for you, you can try to guess what will happen next. ”

Beads of sweat finally broke out on the chief councilor's forehead, and he knew that Alexander was not threatening but telling him the fact that if he was really removed from the Trade Union, he was well aware of what would await him.

That would be a more unacceptable outcome than bankruptcy.

"Do you know what you're going to do?" Alexander looked up slightly at the parliamentarian standing in front of him, although he was unusually tall, but at this time he looked so isolated and helpless.

"My lord, I think I know what to do." The chief councillor's rough-skinned cheeks trembled a few times before he finally spoke, and his tone no longer had the high-spirited spirit he had before, nor the emotions suppressed by unwillingness, but only a weak and helpless blank and helpless, "I will withdraw my proposal to the Pisa Council, and then I will ask His Royal Highness the Duke to allow me to resign as the chief councillor of the council." ”

Looking at the man in front of him who had fallen from the peak to the deep valley almost instantly, his face full of loss and confusion, Alexander did not show a trace of sympathy, because he knew that when this man stood in front of him and spoke, he was already making a decision about what price he was about to pay.

And Alexander knew better than anyone that this meeting at Lucrezia's residence was in fact a contest between capital and power, but this man was so carried away by the growth of his own wealth that he forgot the most crucial point, Alexander was not like other nobles who had to borrow heavily to achieve their goals, and as the founder of the free trade alliance, he himself was the biggest beneficiary of this behemoth.

Looking at the former Chief Councillor who staggered away amid the indifferent gazes of a few of his waiting companions, Alexander groaned slightly, then waved his hand for those who remained to stand down.

He didn't ask any more about the people's intentions, although he was sure that they had much the same purpose as the previous Chief Councillor, but he didn't want to get into everyone.

Capital is profit-seeking, and in fact, as the largest capitalist in the trade union, Alexander knows better than any of them that if the trade union wants to maintain this vigorous vitality, it must constantly expand outward.

The Chief Councillor was actually right, Alexander at this time was eager for a war that would bring great benefits to the Trade Alliance.

Hearing movement from upstairs, Alexander looked up and saw Lucrezia, who was standing at the top of the stairs looking at him.

He tilted his head slightly, then looked at Lucrezia and smiled.

"What are you laughing at?" Lucrezia wisely didn't ask about the Chief Councillor.

"I'm looking at your little head," Alexander said, holding out his hand to Lucrezia, who was already walking down the stairs, and when she reached the last staircase, Alexander stopped her so that he was standing exactly as tall as himself, and then he reached out and stroked the top of Lucrezia's head with thick hair, "I wondered what kind of crown would be worthy of such a beautiful little head." ”