Don Juliomando looked at a letter he had just arrived. His face looked a little strange, and it seemed like a sarcasm. It seemed to be helpless. His secretary named Olibe Grisalo stood in front of him silently, waiting for the chief veteran to speak.

"So that's it?" Don Juliormando looked up at his secretary. "Don Bavi wants to talk to us, and he obviously thinks that he has mastered Andalusia. For him, it should be time for him to offer the offer."

"Yes, that duke was a little carried away." Grisalo nodded and admitted the views of the chief senator. Whether from the perspective of being a secretary of the parliamentary elder or a member of the Judah, Grisalo felt that Don Bavi's behavior was obviously a provocation. The purpose of Juana, who they tried their best to master, was to negotiate with Isabella, rather than to support Don Bavi's rebellion.

Moreover, since the beginning of working with Don Bavi, the noble parliament has clearly stated that they would support the demands made by the Andalusian nobles on the royal family, but would not shake the rule of the Astamara family.

But now, with the changes in the situation in Andalusia, Don Bavi obviously believes that he has taken the initiative, so his demands on the noble parliament have become more and more demanding.

He hoped to become the permanent consul of Andalusia, and at the same time required that this position be inherited by his family, a condition that was no different from an uncrowned king, even the noble parliament could not accept.

Don Juliomando was very clear about the current situation of the parliament. Toledo hated the old nobles for the Isabella couple to eliminate their noble privileges. This was also the main reason why the entire parliament decided to oppose them. However, the parliament would not agree to shake the rule of the Astamara family, because it not only concerns the safety of the Kingdom of Castile, but more importantly, if the status of the royal family is in danger, then the aristocratic parliament, which is complex but closely related to the royal family, will also face huge challenges.

The new nobles who emerged in a campaign to recover lost grounds have posed a huge threat to the original old noble forces. If Castilla falls into a separatist war again, the interests of the original old nobles will be harmed and violated no matter what the final result is.

Don Juliormando does not want to see a new Isabella appear in Andalusia. Although Don Bavi is now respectful to the parliament and promises to respect Toledo's interests, no one can guarantee whether he will keep such a promise once he really gains power in the future.

Just like the Isabella couple, they also promised to repay the nobles who made contributions to the regaining of lost lands, but after their victory they took the opportunity to support their confidants and constantly weaken the power of the old nobles. These were enough to make Don Juliomando alert.

"Maybe you can have a good talk with the Pope," Grisalo said cautiously, noticing Don Juliomando's look that was not very good at looking at him, so he straightened his back and took a light step back. He knew that the Chief Elder was considering this suggestion that he did not please him, but Grisalo was sure to convince the stubborn man. "You know that the Pope is not in a good situation now, and he probably won't return to the Vatican in his life."

"So you think he will not pose a threat to us? Just like this Don Bavi?" Don Juliormando asked, and when he saw the secretary shrugging and not answering, he raised the letter in his hand and looked at it again, and threw it aside in anger. "You know, Rodrigue Porgia is a very greedy person. If we cooperate with him, it is difficult to guarantee that he will not propose more unacceptable conditions."

"It's hard to say, but at least he's much easier to deal with than Don Bavi now. He's in trouble now, not to mention that he doesn't have an army, but this person," Grisalo pointed to the letter on the table. "He has enough strength to negotiate with us, and the most important thing is that he can indeed affect whether Juana can succeed to the throne."

"Oh, do you think he can do this?" Don Juliormando asked in confusion.

"According to some news, Don Bavi once publicly stated that he had the right to question Juana's inheritance. Although he still doesn't know why he said this, we have to be careful of what his plans have. As for the Pope, a greedy person may not be liked, but such a person is at least much pure."

The secretary's words made Don Juliomando ponder. Even though Don Bavi did not have the so-called basis for questioning Juana's inheritance, the army in his hands was enough to pose a direct threat. What's more, if he really said there was some evidence, then Juana, who was in the hands of the noble parliament, could really become a useless chess game.

So as Grisalot said, Alexander VI's greed is indeed incomparable to Don Bavi, and the status of the Iberian church is certainly not comparable to that of other parts of the European continent. At least no matter who becomes the king, the church will not be allowed to have the opportunity to confront the royal family.

So it is unlikely that Alexander VI would restore his influence in the Vatican in Iberia. If you think so, it would be much more cost-effective to cooperate with Alexander VI.

When Grisalot visited the Pope, Alexander VI was eating a dinner that satisfied him. To his surprise, he actually ate the famous Valencian "cookedo", a dish that uses vegetables, rabbit meat, chicken, venison, mashed figs, and a portion of daffodils that play a spicy seasoning role as the main ingredients, was stuffed under the hot wheat cake. When the knife and fork fell, the hot wheat cake was cut open, and the aroma of the chowder came out of the cut, and even the most picky people would drool.

This Valencian famous dish is not often eaten even in the Vatican. Here, looking at the chowder in the small bowl in front of you, Alexander VI was also happy and felt a completely different attitude from the parliament.

When meeting the nobles of the parliament before, Alexander VI clearly felt their indifference. Although those people were respectful and polite, the attitude of keeping others from a thousand miles away was still very obvious.

Although this small supper doesn't mean anything now, the Pope keenly sensed the subtle change from it.

The Pope enthusiastically recommended the signature dish of his hometown to Alexander. Seeing Alice's careful cut of wheat cakes on it, the Pope laughed at his "uninformed" while raising his wine glass to greet Grisallo who had just walked in.

"I hope you haven't disturbed you, and I hope you have a good appetite," the secretary bowed slightly to the father-in-law and son-in-law, then sat in the chair that the servant pulled for him and looked at the chowder in front of him. "To be honest, I don't like this very much, but I hope you are satisfied."

"I'm very satisfied, it's very authentic. I believe this dish can make the locals cheer even in Valencia."

Looking at the Pope in a good mood, Grisalot's eyes quickly turned over Alexander. In fact, what was somewhat different from what he and the chief senator said was that Grisalot not only wanted to work with the Pope, but also wanted to cooperate with the Duke of Roman Thesia.

The victory of the Romanesian Principal in Italy must not help but attract the attention of the Judahs, whether because he knew their secrets or because the emerging Principal had already attracted their attention, and the people of the Judahs believed that it would be profitable to cooperate with the young duke in the future.

After a thousand years of evolution, the Judahs had long lived up to their ideals. They are now just eager to gain greater benefits. Even if all of this is still used as an excuse for faith, this cannot conceal their pursuit of power.

It was a coincidence that the young Roman Thesia Duke came into their sight, but this did not prevent them from seeing this person as one of their future partners, just like Don Bavi and Cepes of Talansyvania, who had all cast their credit for these people, but now it seems that the strength this duke has shown so far seems to be more worthy of attention.

Grisalo was actually not optimistic about Don Bavi. Although the old nobles were willing to cooperate with Don Bavi for their needs, Grisalo felt that this person might not be able to succeed.

Even now, he is still not optimistic about Don Bavi's prospects. This is not only because the Andalusian coalition was beaten by Gonzalo before, but Grisaro always believed that Don Bavi might not be the opponent of Isabella.

But this young man named Alexander Juliant Combray was different. His army had just won the French army. More importantly, the strength of the Free Trade Union gradually showed in the Mediterranean was the real reason why the people of the Judahs valued him.

In addition, the identity of the Pope's son-in-law is also one of the reasons why the people of the Judah Council think that he has a key role. If they can penetrate into the top levels of the church, this is a goal that the people of the Judah Council have always dreamed of but never achieved. Even if Alexander VI is in such a situation now, if they can contact the people around him, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Judah Council.

Perhaps it is even because of their current situation that they can find a way to reach a tacit understanding with the Pope himself, and if so, it would be better.

"Your Majesty, you know that the Queen is not in good condition now, so the elders think it is necessary to propose that Princess Juana be regent at a critical moment, and even consider whether she should be allowed to inherit the throne directly."

Grisallo noticed that the Pope's slightly hunched back seemed to straighten up as he said this, and then he wanted to relax and continue to taste the wine in his hand.

"So is the Parliament asking His Majesty to revise the sermon before?" Alexander asked the Pope this question.

"There is indeed such a request. You know that this is related to the inheritance of Princess Juana," Grisalo said and added quickly. "But don't worry, you will compensate for all possible losses in Valencia, and you will receive a generous reward."

Alexander VI drank the wine in his hand without saying a word. Now he suddenly felt that it was really good to have a son-in-law who could speak eloquently and be considerate of him. Although this son-in-law is sometimes very unreliable and even habitually cheated on his father-in-law, he thought that this was the traditional skill of the Borgia family, so he no longer cared about this little thing.

Alexander didn't speak immediately, he was waiting for the secretary to continue speaking.

Sure enough, seeing that the couple had no reaction, Grisalo coughed and continued, "As for Princess Juana, I mean Enrique's daughter Juana, the chief veteran believes that the parliament should still determine the position of this princess in the Astamara family."

With a "bang", the glass of wine in the Pope's hand fell heavily on the table, and the splashed wine was everywhere. Alexander VI stared at the lobbyist in front of him with a gloomy face. Although he did not speak, his actions completely showed how angry he was.

"Your Majesty, I think you should go and rest." Alexander said to the Pope softly. Seeing that the Pope did not speak but nodded, he smiled apologetically to the secretary, and then accompanied Alexander VI to leave the restaurant.

After walking out the door, the Pope, who was originally full of anger, relaxed suddenly. He whispered to Alexander as he walked: "These damn Castilians are so stingy that they are disgusting. Do they really don't know what we want? Who cares about his little money? Do they think they are sending beggars?"

"Please forgive your Majesty. If Ferdinand is angry with the sermon, which causes your property in Valencia to be damaged, I think the approximate number may be between 600,000 and 800,000 Florin." Seeing the Pope's face suddenly appear astonished because of this number, Alexander did not forget to add, "Of course, if you are willing to convert it to Ladiana, there may not be much, but I believe that this situation will pass soon."

"Wait a minute, I don't remember that I have such a large amount of property in Valencia. Tell me what you did," Alexander VI first stared at his son-in-law suspiciously for a while, and then a sudden look appeared on his face. "That villa, tell me if it was the villa you asked someone to build for me?"

"It was a luxurious palace, and it was built in the name of Ferdinand for you. It was enough to prove how grateful the king was to you, how important your sermon was, so I think it was enough to make the nobles of Toledo reconsider our conditions."

Alexander VI smiled on his face. He held Alexander's hand hard and tried to put in his strength. At the same time, he whispered: "That's what it should be done. This is a Borgia. If we want us to work hard for them, we must pay the price. Borgia's price is very high."

It turned out that he was really learning, nodding his head, handing over the Pope to the servant who was serving beside him, and then turned back to the restaurant.

Grisalo, who had been waiting a little impatiently, immediately stood up. He felt that dealing with the duke was much easier than with the pope. This did not mean that he felt that this young man was better to deal with, but that both sides knew better what they needed.

"Please forgive the Duke, I wonder if you want Princess Juana to inherit the throne of Castilla?" Grisalo knew that Alexander should know who he pointed to Juana. "I have to say that this is not a good idea. If Juana really becomes the king of Portugal, she must give up the throne of Castilla according to the agreement between the two countries for many years. So your plan will not succeed."

As he said that, a trace of doubt arose in his heart. He didn't understand what the son-in-law and son-in-law spared so much effort to stand up for Enrique's daughter. Even if their plan was successful, what could they get?

Alexander, who walked into the room, ignored Grisalo, sat back to his seat, looked at the steaming chowder on the plate in front of him, picked up a knife and carefully picked up a piece of rabbit meat inside, and then put it in his mouth.

Because it is stuffed with other ingredients and the unique taste of rabbit meat is unique, although people's skills are really not satisfactory at this time, this unique risotto in Valencia made Alexander quite satisfied.

Grisalot did not bother Alexander, knowing that no matter what his identity it was, it could be a long negotiation.

"The Pope will not accept the alms. Maybe his situation is not very good, but if you ask carefully, you will know that the kings are still full of respect for His Majesty," Alexander said slowly, his eyes always staying on the risotto in front of him, as if he was more interested in the food in front of him than the topic being discussed. "Please go back and tell Don Juriormando, and ask him to publicly announce that Enrique's daughter Juana Astamara is the blood relative of Enrique IV and the orthodox royal family member of Castilia, and at the same time announce that the princess is blessed by Pope Alexander VI. If the Pope meets this request, you can get what you want."

"That's all?" Grisalo asked in confusion. He always felt that there was a conspiracy in it, and it was obvious, but he really couldn't figure out the mystery. However, after thinking about it, Grisalo decided that he should tell Alexander something in exchange for his favorable impression of the Judah, and it was believed that these news would soon spread. "Don Bavi wrote a letter to Don Juriormando, and some of the conditions mentioned in it annoyed the Chief Elder. Now the relationship between Toledo and Andalusia seems to be somewhat subtle."

"Thank you, Secretary," Alexander tilted his head a little, and missed a huge flower basket placed in the middle of the table, looking at Grisalo across the street seriously. "Believe me, you will be rewarded for your kindness today."

Looking at the smiley expression on Alexander's face when he said this, a strange feeling that was indescribable in Grisalo's heart surged. He felt that his expression seemed to be approving, but there was an indescribable irony. At that moment, he felt a very uncomfortable feeling in his heart.

The content of Don Bavi’s letter to Don Juliomando was soon leaked. Regarding the condition of “The Permanent Consul of Andalusia”, the Toledo nobles expressed their attitude with irrepressible anger and curses.

But they also knew very well that Don Bavi now has an advantage, and Gonzalo was sent to the north to deal with the French and Portuguese, which gave Don Bavi a rare opportunity, especially after he regained control of the lower reaches of the Guadal River, the support from the sea allowed him to quickly recover his previous losses, but also began to actively develop into the entire Andalusia.

At the same time, Toledo also received news that Isabella sent an envoy to prepare for a peace talk with Don Bavi, which made the Toledo nobles nervous again. They were very worried about the agreement between the Queen and Don Bavi. If so, Isabella, who was able to recover, would attack Toledo without mercy.

For a time, from Valliardo to Toledo, Don Bavi was the most talked about.

One day in September, a small canal cargo ship sailed downstream along the Tagus River.

The boat was filled with tempting golden oranges. This fruit from the Andalusia region in the south was huge. As long as you forcefully break the rough peel outside, you can see a piece of dark red flesh inside.

Now this season is a good time for this Andalusian orange harvest. Looking at this cargo ship that passed by, some merchants couldn't help but look envious.

"Walking forward is Toledo," said Rosacea to James, who was always alert on the deck, and he had been like this all the way. "Who are we going to hand that nun to?"

"Leave it to someone who can make you all rich." James turned around and looked at the hatch blocked by a large number of oranges.

There is a Moorish nun inside, but this is not the most important thing.

What matters is that this woman claims to be a prophet.
Chapter completed!