The banquet at the Girpitz Palace ended in a chaotic, absurd, and even obscene flavor.

According to some rumors that later spread through the streets, the smell of male courtship at the banquet was even stronger than that of some circus beast cages, and it is said that Geoffrey's wife, Chassan, seemed to be attracted to this smell so much that she disappeared before the banquet was over, much to the anger of Geoffrey, so much so that the bear child not only searched for his wife in the palace, but even beat one of Giovanni's favored attendants who tried to stop him from rambling around.

However, Jeffrey's anger was not without reason, and according to some people, the liberator Gonzalo also disappeared, and when they were later found to have reappeared together, Gonzalo's refreshed appearance contrasted with the weakness of Xia San next to him.

Jeffrey left the Gilpitz Palace alone in a huff, while Chasan simply stayed with Giovanni, which made more people think about it, so much so that some people speculated that Shasan was trying to compare her old and new lover.

Alexander did not leave with Kotschakh, but walked slowly along the Tiber alone in the night.

Gonzalo had finally entered Rome, and the man was indeed synonymous with arrogance and arrogance, which made Alexander feel the tremendous pressure from this man, but he could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

At least at this time, it was obviously a good thing for the people of the Borgia family to deal with the gonzalo who was on a rampage everywhere.

Alexander didn't want to be a thorn in the side of the Borgia family, if not to stab themselves, but to be used to stab others.

The affair between Gonzalo and Chassan was a bit of a surprise to Alexander, but at the same time he had discovered that it seemed that Jeffrey was not so simple, at least the herald Skop seemed to be close to him.

It is also interesting to say that, as the illegitimate son of Alexander VI, his children seem to have a good relationship with their father's other young mistress, Julia Farne, and even with her relatives, Lucrezia is not in the least annoyed by Giulia Farne's rivalry with her mother, and Geoffrey even became close friends with Aunt Julia's lover, which makes Alexander feel that the Farnes are really not simple.

The cold Tiber River makes a gurgling sound in the middle of the night, and the bright moonlight shines on the water surface with layers of silvery sparkles, and the Tiber River at this time seems to be very calm, as if it is completely devoid of the rush that always flows forward during the day.

Alexander sat on a rock, and he needed to sober himself up.

It's been a year since he came to this era, and the transformation from a dejected boy from the East to a figure who has now made a name for himself in Rome may seem quite accomplished, but Alexander knows that this is not enough.

Agri's territory was destined to be a place of turmoil that always hung in suspense, and Kosenza was like a beast crouching on the high ground beside the plain of Agri, eyeing the land.

The reason for this is that once Tsusha gets married, Kosenza will become someone else's territory, and at that time, the lord of Kosencha, who was originally the guardian of Agri, will in turn become the potential enemy who poses the greatest threat to Agri.

After all, Agri had the largest productive land in all of Lower Italy, and it was obvious what it meant to have a productive land with a rich harvest in a south that did not have as much arable land as Lombardy and was almost entirely mountainous.

The thought of that beautiful "sister" made Alexander's lips smile slightly.

Alexander knew very well about Josha's suspicion of his identity, or the two of them actually had a very tacit understanding, neither of them broke through the last thin barrier, but to Alexander's surprise, he never thought that Josha not only had a high talent for business, but what was even more rare was that she also had a keen sense of the situation.

It's just that Alexander always felt that the ambiguous relationship between himself and Josha was like a huge vortex, and he didn't know if he would finally be able to get out of this vortex, or if he couldn't resist being sucked in and swallowed up completely.

Alexander shook his head slightly, he felt as if he had become a little sentimental since Sophia left, but it was clear that he shouldn't worry about these things at this time.

When he saw his portrait from the attackers on the way to the Sanilo mines, Alexander had already vaguely guessed that he might have fallen into a trap from the beginning, of course, the real target of this trap was not him, but the one who was supposed to be still in the dungeon of San Sebalon, but it didn't matter anymore, because he was now George Mordillo.

Are those people really from Castile?

Alexander thought it might be time to get some news from Gonzalo.

Although he knew that Gonzalo was Queen Isabella's first favorite, he was not worried that Gonzalo also knew or participated in those conspiracies.

Because with Gonzalo's character, he may be a dissolute playboy or an unruly minister, but to say that he is engaged in any kind of intrigue is not in his temperament.

With a gust of cold wind and a foul smell coming from his face, Alexander looked up into the distance and saw a faint light in the darkness.

That's where the bad smell came from.

Alexander knew that it was a Jewish workshop area, and that many Jewish goldsmiths tended to work late into the night, or perhaps only the darkness of the night would give them a little safety, especially at times like these.

In the wake of the Reconquista, Queen Isabella of Castile imposed a harsh Inquisition in her country, and with the Queen's support, the Church adopted a cruel policy against heretics not only within the Church, but also against infidels.

As a loyal courtier of the queen, Gonzalo naturally supported the queen unconditionally, so when facing Alexander VI, he not only asked the pope to show allegiance to his queen and the king, but also did not shy away from accusing the Vatican of being a little "soft-hearted" in its treatment of the Jews.

With the knowledge of the Jews in Rome, of course, they soon heard the disturbing news, and perhaps now the Jews were in a state of panic as to what to do with this sudden and terrible demon.

After all, this is a man who even the Pope would dare to openly denounce, and no one can guarantee that he will not suddenly go crazy and start a bloody massacre against the Jews in the city of Rome.

A carriage passed by a short distance from Alexander, and the people in the carriage couldn't help but look at it a little surprised when they saw a person sitting by the river so late, and when they saw Alexander's side face in the moonlight, the people sitting in the carriage immediately instinctively hid their faces in the darkness of the carriage.

Alexander also noticed the carriage, but he didn't know that the people in it were secretly watching him.

Watching the carriage gradually disappear under the chaotic and narrow eaves of the ghetto, Alexander couldn't help but wonder what kind of conspiracy money was going to weave in such a dark night.

In a nondescript house, candles were lit in the half-sunken basement, and the long, old but sturdy counter was used as a table, and several people sat in a circle without speaking, and several faces reflected in the swaying candlelight in the middle of the counter.

Footsteps rang out, and with the clatter of wooden staircases, two men in dark robes entered the basement.

When he saw the few Jews sitting around, Bishop Alfonso, who was walking behind, frowned slightly.

He would never have come to the ghetto again, let alone see them again, if it were not necessary.

Knowing that the collateral he had borrowed from the Jews was the legendary lost Triple Crown, Alfonso knew he might have fallen into Cleion's trap.

Borrowing money from the Jews was a trivial matter compared to the Triple Crown, and Alfonso didn't know how Clarion had anything to do with the Triple Crown, but he now knew that it was too late to get out of the way since he was involved.

So when the Masked Man came to him and said that the Jews had offered to see him, Alfonso agreed with only a little hesitation.

Seeing Alfonso, several Jews stood up one after another, looking very respectful.

They had heard that Alfonso had presided over the Blessed Mass in place of Alexander VI, and it was clear that the bishop was able to assume such an important role in the selection of the cardinal.

Alfonso was not pleased with the deferential attitude of the Jews, on the contrary, the Jewish businessmen with flattering smiles on their faces were like wriggling snakes.

Alfonso knew he would think that because of the triple crown.

Since the inexplicable theft of the triple crown, the Vatican has held several prayer masses as a sign of bad luck as it is considered a bad omen.

Hopes of a revelation from God were not realized, and the men sent out to search for the whereabouts of the Triple Crown did not bring back any news.

The precious crown of the Pope, the symbol of power on the head of Christendom's most noble see, mysteriously disappeared from this world for no apparent reason.

No one knows the whereabouts of that tiara, or who it is, or why they risked excommunication to steal it.

Although the Holy See then decided to recreate a more luxurious crown, everyone knew what the lost triple crown meant to the Holy See.

In addition to the legendary crown of thorns worn by Jesus Christ when he carried the cross and walked to the place of execution, the triple crown of the Holy See is the only crown in the world that can represent the highest authority of Christmas.

Before this crown, whether it is a noble king, a prominent duke, or even an emperor with the supreme glory of the secular world, bows his head and knees to the one who wears it.

Power, status, wealth and endless prosperity are no longer enough to describe the enormous power contained in the triple crown.

Whether it's the devotion of a fanatical believer who weeps bitterly at the sight of this crown, or the arrogance of a prominent nobleman who has to bow his arrogant head when confronted with it, the triple crown is the embodiment of an indescribable metaphorical power.

But such a priceless treasure that could make countless people crazy became collateral for borrowing 12,000 gold florins from a group of Jews, and then handed it over so easily.

Alfonso remembers the feeling he almost suffocated from surprise and shock when he saw the triple crown, and felt like his breath was going to stop because of the excitement.

Even after a long time, in the dead of night, Alfonso kept reminding himself that his fate had been linked to the 12,000 florins, or rather to the triple crown.

Alfonso hated the Jews, but he knew that everything was just to get the loan from them, but now he was annoyed by the faces of these people.

It's just that he can't help but come.

Just as his fate was inextricably linked to the Triple Crown, the relationship between these Jews and him had become entangled from the moment the Triple Crown appeared.

"My lord," said the oldest Jew, whose face was so wrinkled that it looked like a long dried orange peel, "we invite you in the hope of your help." ”

"I don't think there is any other reason," Alfonso whispered to himself, his eyes shining with impatience and anger, he took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "there is an agreement between us, you lend me money, and I will pay you interest, and we have nothing to do with it," he said, glaring at the old Jewish man angrily, "Or are you going to blackmail me?" ”

"Oh no, Bishop, we won't do that kind of thing, we won't be so stupid," the old man whispered, and he reached out to make an inviting gesture, pointed Alfonso to the counter, and then looked at Alfonso with slightly distracted eyes, "We need your help, but the experience of our ancestors tells us that if we want to reap, we must pay something." ”

The old Jewish man clapped his hands slightly as he spoke, and the Jews sitting around him bent down and took out a few heavy money bags from the secret door of the counter and placed them on the table.

Alfonso's heart skipped a beat when the money bag collided with the tabletop with a dull clatter.

"We are willing to offer you one more sum of money, Lord Bishop," said the old man with a smile, "and that will ensure that you will be able to accomplish your purpose more easily." ”

Looking at the heavy bulging purse on the counter, Alfonso's breathing couldn't help but increase slightly, he knew that it should be a lot of money, and he also believed that if he could have such a sum of money, maybe the cardinal's throne could really fall into his hands.

However, he also knew that this money was by no means so easy to get.

"What do you want me to do?"

After thinking for a while, Alfonso finally asked in a low voice.

The old Jewish man bowed his head humbly, and his face did not show a look of joy, but said in a more respectful tone: "We need your protection, Your Excellency, and we know what that Gonzalo will bring us, so we will help you become a cardinal, for only you can protect us." ”

Listening to the old man's words, looking at the money bags, and looking at the faces that appeared in the flickering lights, Alfonso suddenly felt like Adam in the Garden of Eden, who was tempted to eat the forbidden fruit, facing the snakes.