With a shrill wind, flakes of cold snowflakes drifted in through the half-hidden windows, and the snowflakes rippled back and forth to the ground, melting and disappearing before they touched the ground.

"Babbling~"

A cry of curiosity and incomprehension sounded in the room, and Estelles, who sat on the thick woolen carpet, looked at the shadows of the snowflakes that gradually disappeared without a trace, and let out strange sighs from time to time.

The wool blanket was thick and warm, and the firewood was burning in the fireplace, so the room was not cold, but rather hot.

Unable to see the scattered snowflakes, Estelles moved a little bored, and wanted to grow, but now her legs and feet were still a little weak, and there was no one to help, so she had no choice but to fall on the blanket after trying hard for a while.

It's just that the blanket is not very smooth, and one of the places is still high and raised, so Estelles just sat back and didn't continue to lie down, but because she felt that she was sitting on something, she twisted her fat little ass with some curiosity, and then pulled it hard!

The corner of the blanket was lifted at once, revealing a section of white shoulders and smooth arms underneath.

"Babbling~"

As if she had found something interesting, Estelles began to clutch at the blanket until a helpless sigh came from under the blanket.

Lucrezia sat up, wrapped the blanket around her chest, and looked at her daughter, who happened to be sitting in the recessed part of the bulging woolen blanket, and when she saw Estelles smile at the sight of her, Lucrezia reached out and picked her up.

"Is this kid always so active?" Alexander's sleepy voice came from under the blanket, and he rubbed some of his eyes that were still swollen, and they had been so crazy the night before that Estelles didn't know when she would wake up at night.

As a result, Alexander had to sit and watch Lucrezia put her daughter to sleep again before continuing the work that had been interrupted, only then they would have slept a little too late the night before.

It's just that he never thought that his daughter's spirit was so good that she woke up before dawn.

Despite this, Alexander did not let the nurse take Estelles away, but stayed in the room.

"Your daughter is strong, isn't she?" Lucrezia asked proudly, in this era, whether it is a noble or a commoner family, it is very common for children to die early, not to mention that a small infectious disease may take many young and fragile lives, even a little carelessness may lead to the early death of children.

Because of this, although Estelles learned to speak a little late, and she always seemed to be so simple, Lucrezia felt indescribably relieved to see that she could falter so early with the help of adults, and that she could still take more and more steady steps without shaking.

"It's your credit." Alexander complimented, he knew that Lucrezia's physical condition was actually very good, because in this history she had given birth to many children in her life, and almost all of them grew up smoothly, as for the history of her death in childbirth, Alexander thought that it was actually because of frequent childbirth caused too much damage to the body.

As far as he knows, there is no basic common sense in this era about women's pregnancy cultivation, and even men often act recklessly regardless of their wives' bodies not long after a woman gives birth to a child, which leads to the deterioration of many women's natural health over time, and the responsibility and obligation to have children for the sake of the family forces them to drag their bodies worse and worse, and experience the pain and danger of childbirth again and again.

Of course, Alexander would not let Lucrezia suffer such a crime, he took care of Lucrezia's body very carefully, and during the time when Lucrezia was pregnant, he was even more meticulous to make many people think that the count was a little too careful.

"It's a pity she's not very good at talking." Lucrezia said casually, and then quickly covered her mouth, she remembered the decisive and crisp way Estelles said "Alexander, pig", and now she thought that she even thought that her daughter was deliberately trying to make her ugly.

Alexander obviously remembered the awkward scene, the stunned look of the nanny standing by at the time, and he still remembers it clearly.

And at this time, the two saw Estelles who was being held in Lucrezia's arms, first looked at her mother with a serious face, and then looked back at Alexander, and after making sure that she had indeed found the right person, the duchess spoke again with a serious expression: "Ya ......"

"God." Lucrezia pressed her daughter's head to her chest with a quick hand, and even though she had begun to wean, the duchess was forced to taste the sweetness of breast milk again.

Alexander sat on the side and scratched the top of his head helplessly, he never thought that the first thing his daughter learned was not to call her father, but to be a "pig".

Lucrezia looked back at Alexander, and when she saw his helpless expression, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed at first, and then she couldn't help but laugh a little, and that look made Alexander feel that he would probably never forget this moment of warmth in his future life.

There was a knock on the door of the living room outside, Alexander put on his robe and walked over and opened the door, and when he saw Ulliu, who had appeared at the door with Shel, the snowflakes on his eyebrows had not yet been spent, Alexander raised his eyebrows, and then immediately closed the door and motioned for him to follow him into the corridor.

Ulliu had not previously returned to Pisa with Alexander, but had stayed in Pavia.

Those who were even more familiar with Alexander's side knew that Ulius was no ordinary personal servant, so it was only then that people realized that Alexander's importance to the University of Pavia was far more than they thought, and even Ofreil did not realize how much he cared about that university.

In addition to the medical school, the University of Pavia also has the earliest agricultural college in Europe and the semi-public astronomy major in Europe, which began with the study of astrology, which are all key links in the qualitative change from primitive classical disciplines to modern science in Europe in the 16th century.

So when Alexander ordered Ullius to stay in Pavia to oversee the relocation of the university, many people, including Ofleiuil, were surprised.

But now Ulliu appeared on Alexander's third day back in Pisa, which made Alexander realize that something must have happened.

"My lord, the French sent troops to Vigevano not far from Mulan on the same day that they sent their representatives for the peace talks," Uliu's tone was filled with excitement that could not be concealed, and his swarthy face was full of schadenfreude at all, "The Emperor had already sent someone to express his anger at the incident, and at the same time the Austrian army was rapidly moving towards Vigevano, and when I arrived, I heard that there had been a clash between them. ”

Speaking of this, Uliu lowered his voice as low as possible in an excited tone and said: "My lord, now for them the peace talks have become an excuse and an opportunity to take advantage of the opportunity to rest and mobilize the army, so that they will inevitably invest more troops, and their war is already inevitable. ”

Alexander waved his hand slightly to stop Ullius from continuing, he walked back and forth in the corridor for a few steps, not even feeling the coldness of his bare feet on the floor, and then Alexander stopped and looked at Ulliu: "That's what you're rushing back for?" ”

"Of course there is more to it than that," said Ulliu, glancing at the closed door behind Alexander, who followed him downstairs to the hall, and when the servant had hurriedly lit the extinguished fireplace in the hall, and holding the hot tea, Ulliu, whispered, "My lord, on the very day you left Pavia, our men intercepted a messenger sent by the Vatican to the French barracks. ”

As he spoke, Ulius handed Alexander a letter that had been opened, and after opening the letter, Alexander's eyes narrowed slightly, looking at the contents of the letter, although it was not familiar, it could be guessed from the tone of the letter.

The letter was written by Caesar to Louis XII, and at the beginning of the letter, Caesar gave Louis XII a detailed account of the reasons why he had not been able to meet the French army in Romene, and the key to this was of course anger and helplessness at Alexander's sabotage of his plans.

This answered a small question that had been on Alexander's mind for a long time.

Historically, Caesar took the opportunity to launch a war aimed at occupying and ruling Romagna after the French invasion of Italy, and in the following years, Caesar used a small but well-trained army to make waves in Central Italy, until Alexander VI died unexpectedly, and he gradually went downhill because of the loss of his backer.

Before that, Caesar's military adventures narrowly escaped success, allowing him to unify Central Italy in one fell swoop.

Many people think that Caesar's actions were actually in response to Louis XII, and that on several occasions in Caesar's successive campaigns, he did suddenly launch a campaign against his enemies when the French were in trouble in the north, and those times were not necessarily the best times to think about it.

This makes one wonder what promises Caesar had received from Louis XII to make him willing to take such an adventure for the sake of the French.

Now the letter gave Alexander some answers, and seeing that Caesar respectfully addressed Louis XII as "my brother and monarch", Alexander was relieved after a little surprise.

Louis XII was not only intent on plundering Italy's wealth and artistic treasures, or occupying and annexing several cities, but he clearly had stronger ambitions than Charles VIII.

"Louis is going to be king of Rome." Alexander said something to Ulliu, and when he saw Ulliu's lips pouting slightly, he continued to read.

Then he knew why Uliu had been in such a hurry to chase after Pizza with him.

Seeing that Alexander's face slowly became solemn, Ulliu stood cautiously to the side without making a sound.

"I'm Uliu, this messenger wasn't so coincidental that our soldiers met," Alexander slowly folded the letter and handed it to Uliu, "tell me what do you know?" ”

The Moorish man looked as if he was thinking about what to say, and then he said, "Yes, you know that I visited the husband of Mrs. Farne, Master Skop, on your orders, and originally intended to use the affair between Caderon and Giovanni's widow to blackmail him, but this Master Skop does not seem to be so willing to be blackmailed, and he prefers to protect his current position by strengthening his relationship with you. ”

"You're saying that Skop revealed it to you on his own initiative?" Alexander asked, and seeing Ulliu bending and bowing, Alexander raised his hand and patted the Moorish man lightly on the shoulder.

The complicated relationship between the Borgia family and Alexander made many people difficult to speak up because of various scruples even if they sometimes had doubts about the Pope's father and son, but Ulliu never seemed to think too much about it, so when he learned that Skop was willing to betray the Borgia family in order to change his own situation, Ulliu agreed to him without hesitation.

"Caesar hinted in this letter that an action was in the works, what do you think he wants to do?"

"It's hard to say, but judging from the repeated requests for Louis to help him in his letters, he should have something big to do this time." Ulliu recalled the contents of the letter, and then lowered his voice and said, "I beg your pardon, of course I would not suspect that Madame Lucrezia was involved in Caesar's conspiracy, but do you think he will find Madame, after all, whether it is Madame herself or Her Highness Estelles, it is enough to make many things more interesting." ”

Ulliu's words made Alexander nod slightly, Estelles's status as the Duke of Pisa is indeed enough to have a huge impact on many things, not to mention that she is now vaguely the only heir to the future Duchy of Romagna-Tuscany, and as long as Barentine does not give birth to children, Estles's status is almost certain.

So whatever Caesar wanted to do, finding Lucrezia's mother and daughter was almost certain.

Alexander glanced at Ulius with a look of deep meaning, and when he saw the Moors bowing respectfully, he wrapped his robe tightly in the cold.

"Whatever Caesar wants to do, he can't succeed, let alone let him disturb Lucrezia and Estelles, understand?"

"Of course, sir." Ulliu nodded, he knew that although he had not said something, the lord had already hinted that the safety and tranquility of Madame Lucrezia's mother and daughter was obviously the lord's greatest concern, and for this Ulliu felt that perhaps he might not want to avoid becoming a scapegoat.

"Caesar is not destined to live a peaceful life in Rome." Alexander was not surprised that Caesar might have to take action, on the contrary, he did not expect that this brother-in-law, who had always been decisive but somewhat impatient, would endure for so long after Ferrara's defeat, and the inaction for nearly half a year had even made many people forget about the pope's son.

Now, he was finally about to make a move, which made Alexander feel relieved.

"I just hope he's not too presumptuous," Alexander said, glancing at Ulliu, "after all, I don't want to see Lucrezia sad, but if he doesn't stop easily, it will all depend on how the situation develops." ”

Ulius listened silently, not saying a word other than bowing in response when necessary.

"And that Machiavelli," Alexander remembered the Florentine, "perhaps he can help you, knowing that many things are to be done in the great court, and this man can be your helper in this regard." ”

Uliuu saluted again and said that he knew that he was not at all surprised that Machiavelli had finally decided to openly join his master, on the contrary, he also felt that Machiavelli was a little too greedy, and if he hadn't thought about using Florence as a gift for his advancement, perhaps he would have taken refuge a year ago.

"Well, what you have to do now is to go and rest first," Alexander waved his hand at Ulliu, who looked wet because the snow had melted off his clothes, "and then you and Machiavelli would figure out what Caesar wanted to do." ”

At this, Alexander paused, and he remembered in his mind what Caesar had done during this period.

For Alexander, the history of reference has become increasingly obscured with his interventions, at least in the winter of 1500 when there was no battle for Milan between France and Austria, and Ludvico's brief restoration after being driven out of Milan was even shorter, and then the hapless Ludvico was driven out of Milan again by the French, which would be the last time he would see the rich and splendid city in his life.

And now, because of his involvement, although Ludevico's position in Milan is still precarious, but because of Montina's intervention and the Franco-Austrian army involuntarily involved in the winter battle, Milan is much safer for a while.

Although France and Austria agreed to the Milan peace talks proposed by Alexander, as Ulliu said, the peace talks have become a smokescreen for the two sides to deploy troops, and the wagon of war that has begun to run wildly can no longer be stopped.

History has become blurred, and Alexander can clearly feel that his grasp of the future is becoming more and more uncertain, and he believes that this advantage will become less and less obvious in the future, and he will have to control the future on his own.

What did Caesar really want to do, or did he already do something?

Alexander's mind searched for clues that could or had happened, until he suddenly heard Ulliu's barely audible cough.

The Moors were more elaborate in their manners than some of the chamberlains in the royal court, because of his good training in the East, so that he would not be so out of shape in the presence of his master.

Alexander immediately turned around and saw Lucrezia, who was standing at the top of the stairs with his daughter in his arms and looking down.

"What are you talking about Alexander?" Lucrezia asked.

"What did I say?" Alexander was a little confused.

"You mentioned Caesar."

"What?"

"Just now, when you were going around here, you were saying to yourself, 'What is Caesar up to?' and you were wondering about this?" Lucrezia asked suspiciously, and then, as if remembering something, she let out a low cry and then laughed, "I think I know the answer you want." ”

Alexander was stunned for a moment, watching Lucrezia walk down the stairs lightly with the child in his arms, Alexander immediately went over and hugged Lucrezia in his arms, and at the same time took the wide blanket from the Moorish man, who was already holding a thick blanket in both hands, and wrapped Lucrezia and his daughter together.

"Caesar is supposed to be preparing for his father's birthday." Seeing that Alexander was puzzled, Lucrezia explained, "You must know that my father's birthday is January 1st, but this day is going to be a New Year's mess, so we used to have to continue the celebration, and I heard you say that I think Caesar should be busy with this now." ”

Looking at Lucrezia's face full of joy and innocence, Alexander was speechless at first, and then couldn't help but hug their mother and daughter tightly with pity.