Joanna, the former queen of Naples, is not tall and looks very ordinary. In fact, she has a blood relationship with the dead Ferdinand. As Ferdinand's distant aunt, she became a widow less than a year after marrying her nephew. Alexander felt that this woman was indeed unlucky enough.

Although she was wearing a black mourning dress that was depressing and solemn, and her hair was specially supported by wooden support, the queen still looked weak. Her face was pale, her eyes were exhausted, and even her tone of hope to maintain dignity when she spoke was not firm enough.

However, Alexander would not underestimate the queen because of this. He knew that she might be in a difficult situation now, but as a descendant of the Aragon royal family, this woman may not be as simple as she looks.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to express my gratitude to you for your summons," Alexander bowed and bowed. His movements were very standard. He said that the high tuition fees were not in vain. At least he had learned something in the past few days in school. "His Majesty Ferdinand summoned me during his lifetime. Although I was fortunate to have been able to meet him for a long time, it was still one of the things that deserved my most gloriousness."

Joanna nodded. According to the rules, she had no need to speak more after the greetings she had just met. Even this kind of interview often began and ended. As the monarch, all she needed to do was stand there and listen to her ministers say a few irrelevant words of praise, and then bowed and retreated.

But now Joanne is a little curious about this young man and wants to know why he is coming to see her.

And she had this idea because she knew a little about the conflict between Alexander and Frederick. For the former queen, the unwillingness to be resentful due to the changes in her encounters made her vaguely think that as long as she was Frederick's enemy, she was her friend.

"So, you brought food to Naples?" Joanna asked meaninglessly, but at this time she could only say this. She could not easily express any dissatisfaction with Frederick, let alone a stranger.

"This is something that is equally honorable to me," Alexander saluted again. Although he felt bored by the frequent bent down and straightened, his movements were meticulous, because he knew that the queen should be observing him carefully at this time. For a woman who is so sensitive now, even a little bit of neglect may cause her dissatisfaction. He did not want the opportunity he had finally created to run away. "At that time, I thought that this would do my best to His Majesty Ferdinand and be appreciated by His Majesty, but I did not expect that it would be the result now."

Alexander's words made Joanna's eyes slightly move.

"This result is also possible. The prince will also appreciate you and reward you for your contributions to Naples." The queen said cautiously. She didn't know if she guessed correctly, but the young noble's dissatisfaction with Frederick was indeed beyond words.

Alexander felt a little bored. He hated this kind of nonsense after talking around for a long time, and he believed that Joanna should be able to guess what his attitude was, so he decided to make it clear: "Your Majesty, I hoped to be appreciated by King Ferdinand before, but this idea has not changed now, and now I hope to do something for you, which is also my respect for the former king."

Joanna looked at Alexander in surprise. She didn't expect that this young noble would say these words so boldly.

Although this is not a pledge to allegiance, it is also a bold act. After all, it is not very wise to give up the future king and show kindness to a former queen.

"So what are you going to do for me?" Joanna remained silent and told herself that she had to be careful, even if this person was so obvious that she expressed her disgust towards Frederick.

"Your Majesty, please forgive my mistreatment. I hope to offer you a meager gold as a sign of respect to the former king and you."

Joanna was stunned at first, then her face turned red.

When she discovered Ferdinand's poor financial situation, the queen almost went crazy. She never thought that her husband was not only full of everything and was in debt. The huge amount of IOU made her faint at that time. When she thought that she might become the first Queen of Naples to be swept out because she could not repay her debt, Joanna almost went as crazy as her husband.

But as the queen, her pride had to support the scene. Even though she knew that she might soon have to dismiss a large number of people because she could not even afford the salary of her servants, she still tried her best to maintain her pomp, because neither pride nor identity would be allowed to retreat.

However, when this embarrassing situation was pointed out, the blow caused by shame and humiliation immediately made her face red, and even her eyes became sharp when she looked at Alexander.

Could this person be here to humiliate me? Joanna thought angrily, but after looking at the young man who took the initiative to lower his head and did not look at her embarrassed look, she didn't know how to answer this for a moment.

Even if you think about it, Joanna would have the urge to escape from this city immediately.

This made her feel even more embarrassing than her husband's debt.

The attendant next to him was also shocked, and he did get some benefits from Alexander.

The deal with Modillo made Alexander's money bag bulge. Now he is not only no longer the poor Sicilian who just arrived in Naples, but on the contrary, because he has the food resources that are crucial to the Naples, he can already be described as abundance.

So he stuffed a large wallet to the servant who was passing the message, but even so, the servant was still frightened by his words.

"This is so rude, please pay attention to your words and deeds." The attendant came over and bowed to Joanna in a hurry, and at the same time stood in front of Alexander. He had decided to drive the man away immediately. Even if he had to return the wallet to him, he could never have any involvement with this man again, otherwise the errand might be lost.

Alexander ignored the attendant, but looked up at Joanna, whose face was still flushed. He said, "Your Majesty, please do not get me wrong. This is just my reverence for the former kings, and there is no unreasonable intention." When he said this, his tone was slightly heavier. "And I think you are obliged to accept this money, because as the queen of Naples, the responsibility you need to bear is incomparable to anyone. This money is by no means enjoyment but a greater responsibility and burden for you."

Joanna's red face looked a little better. Of course, she knew that what this person said was purely nonsense, but whether it was a bad excuse or the reasons he said that he could not compare to others' responsibilities, Joanna sounded at least much more pleasant to him.

The queen hesitated for a moment and finally signaled the attendant to retreat. Then she took the initiative to take the initiative to take the first step forward, raising her hand slightly to signal Alexander not to bow again.

"What do you mean by Yiwu and...responsibility?" Joanna asked.

Alexander breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was sure to convince the new widow who was facing difficulties, he could not guess for a while how proud and stubborn the queen would be. Now it seems that things have made progress.

"Your Majesty, King Ferdinand was the liberator of the liberation of Naples, but this is enough to make the Naples remember him forever," Alexander felt that he was speaking against his will, which made him somewhat despise himself. "And as his wife, you must be the king's long-cherished wish of continuing to do your best for Naples. So I took the liberty to offer you this money not for your personal enjoyment, but for you, I hope you will not have any other worries when you are doing your duty for Naples."

Joanna's eyes flashed with excitement. Since her husband's death, she heard bad news every day, and the people around her looked depressing. But the young man suddenly told her that she was not just finished, but that she could do a lot of things, which made Joanna's heart, which had already become cold, become active again.

"And are you willing to help me in these things?" The queen cleverly expressed her recognition of Alexander's words, and at the same time quickly gave her own rewards.

No one would foolishly think that others would help her for no reason, and Joanna knew it was time for her to express herself.

Alexander bowed slightly again and said, "Your Majesty, this is just my wish. If you need me in the future, I will definitely do my best for you without hesitation. Please allow me to surrender to you now."

Joanna was a little surprised, then nodded relievedly.

How could anyone who would bet on her at this time only care about the little bit of insignificant reward in front of her? What's more, she really can't come up with any decent things as bargaining chips now.

Looking at the back of Alexander who had already walked away, Joanna held a sealed document in her hand.

This was given to her by Alexander before leaving. Although she didn't see it, she knew that it should be a redemption in a very old bank in Naples.

As early as the mid-12th century, banks had appeared in many places on the Italian Peninsula. The old enemies of Venice and Genoa were experts in playing this kind of money game tool, while in Florence, a Metic family who started with usury but eventually became the most successful banker at that time.

Bankers in this era rely on the reputation of their family members or the entire family to attract customers in the local reputation. Although some people will inevitably make tricks, most bankers can still maintain a good reputation that is respectable for them, because reputation is a guarantee for them to continue their family career.

However, because of this, people in this era do not trust banks opened by foreigners. They are more willing to deposit money in banks of local merchants who know the truth, or simply hand over the money to guilds where they participate in business. This will not only have a place in the guild, but also draw dividends from the guild when they expire every year.

Modillo was not stingy. At least he was generous in buying food. Or he felt that it was cost-effective to spend some money to reshape a savior in the minds of the Naples. So when he got news from Ruosha that he knew that Alexander had controlled Agri and could provide him with enough food, he just calculated a little bit of how much Florin would have to be paid, and then generously agreed.

Modillo's deal was indeed very cost-effective. Not only did he save his reputation, he also successfully counterattacked and became a leader in the aristocratic house. As for the food needed by the Naples, of course, he could not pay for it alone. In fact, except for the first batch of food he spent a lot of money, the food later was bought by the Naples themselves.

He took this opportunity to find several very good agents in the grain traders' association in Naples, and then started to secretly manipulate grain prices.

This deal was really cost-effective, which was one of the reasons why Modillo was puzzled about Alexander but still struggled to draw conclusions.

Such a caring and capable young man, not to mention his nephew, even his son may not be satisfied with him so much.

Of course, for Modillo, monopolizing the food market in Naples is not something to be proud of. What he cares more about is how to realize the great plan in his heart.

In addition, his bankers who make people hate and fear have some instinctive vigilance.

Modilo always believed that those bankers should have greater purpose besides money, and even those who are the least ambitious among them will not be satisfied with counting their money in the end.

So he was full of caution and alertness towards them. When he heard that Alexander had deposited a large portion of his money in the bank, the Count also kindly reminded Alexander not to be too careless.

Alexander didn't know what the Earl thought of those "wealth-giving people", but he knew that the banking industry on the Italian Peninsula is now very complete, especially in places like Venice, where it seems to be born as a merchant, and it is developing rapidly.

Even many of the established rules are still industry standards that are regarded as a model by the banking industry even after centuries.

However, Alexander would have placed a large sum of money in the bank, not just for convenience, but for more things.

The conflict with Gonzalo did not make Alexander worry too much, because Gonzalo was an Aragonese after all.

But the incident of Frederick's impending succession aroused his vigilance.

Alexander didn't think Frederick would be a magnanimous person, so he had to prepare for the crisis that might arise.

Alexander believed that if Frederick was not a lunatic, he would not have done a foolish thing like public annexation of Agri.

Because although he was canonized by Naples, Alexander's possession of Agri is still different from being completely annexed by Naples.

Even all forces in southern Italy would not allow Naples to occupy the Agri Plain alone.

In fact, Alexander is now led by Agri, and is no different from Kosencha as Agri's guardian, but Alexander's rule over Agri is more direct and effective than Kosencha.

So Alexander didn't believe Frederick would do such a stupid thing unless he was ready to risk a direct conflict with the various southern Italian city-states, including Taranto.

But not moving Agri does not mean that Frederick has no other way.

At least if he was willing to take the risk of being criticized, he decided to confiscate Alexander's property, this one method alone would be enough to bring Alexander back to his original form.

It was through the money that Alexander could quickly penetrate from the remote Naples in Agri while maintaining his existing subordinates.

When he asked Maximo to send money to the watchtower without hesitation when he led the grain team to the city, he had almost nothing in his pocket except a small amount of money he borrowed from Kosencha!

Alexander's adventure was successful. When Naples was facing famine, he exchanged wheat for wealth that could make anyone jealous.

But he also knew that it was precisely because of this that he had become a nail and fat in the eyes of some people.

At least for whatever reason, Frederick was certainly willing to bite him.

It was precisely for this reason that Alexander decided to deposit most of his money into a bank that seemed to be quite reputable.

In the palace, Queen Joanna seemed relaxed, but in fact she was sitting nervously beside a half-open window. Her eyes glanced at the yard from time to time. Whenever she saw someone passing by, she immediately showed her attention, but then she collapsed slightly in disappointment.

After she returned from the palace, she ordered people to cash in the money. Although the amount of that money was not very large, it was enough to temporarily solve her current urgent problem.

She needed to use the money to pay off her husband's debts, even if she couldn't pay it off at once, it would be fine, because Joanna believed that if that Gombrey was not stupid, she should understand that it was impossible to get her trust with such money.

However, the person sent out had been away for a long time but still had not come back, which made Joanna feel a little nervous.

She believed that her people would not escape with the money, so it must be something wrong with the creditor.

Finally, the person she sent hurriedly appeared in the yard. When the man came to the queen who had already looked anxious, he took out the ticket with a strange look.

"What happened?" Joanna asked in surprise.

"Your Majesty, that man refused to accept the money," his subordinate replied strangely, "and he also made a request."

"What is he going to do?"
Chapter completed!