immortal person

Lorenzo had a high fever again shortly after.He was curled up in the bedding, his breathing was short and rapid, and he convulsed slightly like a dying animal.The maid and the doctor hurried in, politely but forcefully asking Giovanni to leave.The clasped hands were forced to loosen until the door closed in front of him, and the bloodstains left by the three leeches on Lorenzo's hands were still lingering in front of his eyes, as vivid as vermilion paint.He stood in front of the door for a long time before he realized that it was dusk.Giuliano had stood aside at some point and asked him to have dinner with the family members.

"We will pray for him together," said the young Medici.

"How long has he been like this?"

"What do you mean? Abnormal fever?" Giuliano said. "In the ten days since I came back, it has never stopped."

Giovanni was silent.

"Your bedroom has also been tidied up, the same one." After a pause, Giuliano said, "I hope you will stay—at least for the time being."

Giovanni looked at him: "Is this appropriate?"

"There's nothing inappropriate. You've been a family friend, you know," Giuliano said. "Or, just take that as my request. I think . . . he'd like me to."

They came to the second floor.In front of the familiar door, Giuliano signaled him to open his hand, and a copper key fell into his palm.It looks like it was frozen five years ago. The indigo velvet curtains, the cabinets with stone carvings and wood carvings, the furniture, furnishings, and even the familiar smell of pine wood are all the same as before.He had a hunch that no one had used the room since he left.

Giovanni looked at Giuliano, who was looking at him with blue eyes very similar to Lorenzo, and smiled briefly.

The banquet hall was still roughly as he remembered it, except for the ceiling, which had recently been painted dark blue, with gold and silver mosaics inlaid at the corners, like the dome of an ancient temple.Perhaps because of Lorenzo's illness, the faces of the courtiers present were all covered with a shadow, and there were almost no smiles.Many of them did not know Giovanni, others nodded at him.Poliziano waved to him from the side of the long table, beckoning him to sit next to him.The maids clothed their glasses and knives, and the aroma of honey, cheese, and venison wafted through the crowd.Polizia asked him about Lorenzo's situation, closed her eyes and shook her head, then turned the topic to the statues in the academy, and laughed after hearing "Perseus and Medusa".He showed a look of "as expected", looking unsurprised, and tapped the edge of the silver plate lightly with a table knife: "Sure enough, only you can always accurately hit the stories he likes-by the way, you The first sculptor to use mythology as the subject of that statue."

Before him, many people had thought hard about the sculpture in that position.The production of large-scale sculptures in public buildings in Florence is often subject to bidding by artisans. The workshops that intend to undertake this order will send the finished wax models to the judges, and let them choose the most satisfactory one.Not surprised, Giovanni just asked, "How do they do it?"

"That's the most conspicuous place in the entire academy, isn't it? No sculptor wants to put his work on it. During the months of bidding, many models were sent to the palace. I've seen some, " The Adoration of the Doctor is the most common theme of them all," Poliziano said, cutting up a plate of venison, "and His Highness dismissed them all with just one look."

Giovanni shook his head - he thought he knew the reason for Lorenzo's refusal.The ancient church fathers* and the stories of the Gospels are the closest subjects to "scholars" in the limited knowledge of artists accustomed to the orders of the church.The flattery is obvious. In The Adoration of the Magi, the three scholars who go to the stables of Bethlehem to worship Jesus are undoubtedly a metaphor for the scholars who come to Florence from all over the world today, and the Duke of Medici is implied as the savior.Of course that person would not accept such flattery.

"There have been more and more people like this over the years, I mean, people like that. Just yesterday, a new painting was brought into the palace, and guess what?" Poliziano said, "A young man Kneeling on the ground, holding the coat of arms with Lorenzo's name on it. A small nobleman commissioned Sandro to draw it - he insisted on presenting it to His Royal Highness in person, 'expressing loyalty'. These people." He sighed .

Giovanni saw clear worry in the bachelor's eyes, but his two years in the Holy See had given him the caution to avoid talking about sensitive topics. "Bidding," he asked, "what's the timing?"

"Two years ago, I think," said Poliziano, "when the academy was first built."

two years.Giovanni closed his eyes as he recalled the slightly abrupt empty platform.Who would let the most visible showcase in the main hall sit vacant for two years?

—perhaps he has kept the position, and has kept it for many years.

The man he was a few hours ago might have immediately denied his absurdity.But at this moment, he just shook his head, like the prayer promised by Hermes, the traveler before the illusion, he dared not reach out to touch it, for fear of disturbing the sudden dream.

The best doctors came to the palace: Tuscans, French, Greeks, healers who had been trained in nine years of academy, witch doctors and alchemists hidden in the alleys, they used strong-smelling bottles and jars pots, and repeatedly burned and fumigated grass leaves in the Duke's bedroom, thinking that this would "purify the air and the soul"-but Lorenzo never woke up.The debate about the disease has never stopped. Lorenzo did not suffer from edema, nor did he have the erythema commonly seen in patients with the disease. The guards who accompanied him to Perugia insisted that the Duke just rode through the gates piled up with corpses, and did not Any contact with people who are sick.So the doctors preliminarily concluded that this was not a plague, and it had nothing to do with the "cosmic elements" and "poison elements"*.In the end they all agreed that it was pneumonia, and that the duke had been exhausted for a long time, and his body was weak from the long journey.No one told the news to little Giulio, who cried after being denied access to Lorenzo's room for the fourth time.

"Is my father going to die?" he asked tearfully. "Is it because I'm not good enough?"

The disease that had taken his mother's life years earlier had once again cast its shadow over the Medici palace.Giovanni saw Giuliano gently pat the child on the back, but said nothing.No one can give him an answer at this moment.

The news spread quickly.

The Duke of Medici is like the lily flag on the city gate and the statue of David in the center of the square. People must see it to be sure that they are in stability and peace.He is the axis of all affairs in the city, the most critical cog. He has been ill for only a week, and the orderly turnover system under his arrangement and supervision has faintly begun to disintegrate.As a big businessman, he was the leader of the bankers' guild, and at the same time controlled several wool factories owned by the family, controlled the rise and fall of interest and the taxation of entry and exit; The "chief citizen", various proposals on defense, diplomacy and celebrations require his crucial vote to complete the decision-making.In just over ten days, the documents waiting for decision-making have piled up like a mountain, and even the signing of a covenant was forced to be postponed.Day after day, people from the ruling group gathered in the drawing room of the Medici Palace to express concern, comfort and complaints.François Pazzi, who arrived late on the sixth day, refused Giuliano's request to let him in, standing at the door and shouting: "I think we have a right to know how the Duke is doing - everyone wants to know, we Is there a need to proceed with the election of a new flag bearer, isn't it?"

There were quite a lot of people densely packed outside the palace gate, some of them were the guards brought by Pazzi, while others claimed to be supporters of the family, but they were actually just civilians who wanted to petition Lorenzo in person.The young duke has always been known for being close to the people, which caused him a lot of trouble while gaining support.When people were dissatisfied with the judgment of the eight-person court, or unwilling to obey the orders issued by the ruling group, they would knock on the palace door with luck and ask to see His Royal Highness Medici.They had been sitting motionless on the benches outside the palace gate for several days. After being driven away by the guards, they held on to the hitching rings on the wall to support themselves, insisting on waiting for the Duke to appear.Pazzi faced them, waving his hands: "What are you waiting for? Is he really so sick that he can't even take care of our citizens? Only God knows, whether he is just pretending to be sick - to avoid his attack." obligation!"

The guards tried to stop him, but his voice could no longer be muffled.People swarmed up like horseflies. They surrounded the palace, shouting Lorenzo's name and calling out their demands.Some whispered in the crowd that Lorenzo was being called an idler, a coward, a hypocrite, and "Hand over your title!" Some shouted, but most of them didn't pay attention.

Giovanni stood behind several courtiers to prevent them from angrily coming forward to reason with Pazzi.On the steps in front of the palace, Pazzi was still shouting, every sentence was like a slogan, repeated over and over again.Giuliano tried to shout out to the crowd, his voice seemed so small like a small wave in the tide: "Please be quiet! The Duke's life is not in danger—"

"We heard that he brought back the plague!" Patsy exclaimed.

The crowd was noisy.

"That's not the plague!" A look of annoyance appeared on Giuliano's face, he was not good at dealing with such situations, "Quiet! Listen to me—"

No one cared what he said.The people below gathered more and more, constantly pushing forward, and from time to time, people screamed when they were pushed down.The guards pulled iron chains to form the human wall in front of the palace, but they were like a dam before the embankment broke, already crumbling.The people shouted and crowded like a buzzing swarm until someone pointed upward and cried, "Look, my lord!"

Giuliano and Pazzi suddenly looked up, and Giovanni immediately ran to the stairs.On the semi-circular terrace on the second floor, a figure stood there. He just raised his left hand, and the crowd like boiling water below gradually became quiet, like a flock of sheep when the shepherd returns.

"Thank you," Giovanni heard his voice, low, calm and clear, "people of Florence, please allow me a moment to explain."

The duke, who had been ill for a long time, was standing here at some point, his thin body was covered by a large scarlet brocade robe.Under the setting sun, he supported his body on the railing, his back was still straight, and he held a stack of paperwork delivered these days in his hand.The blazing light of the setting sun lit up his face, and the warm light covered his collar and robe. He looked like the sculpture in Rome, Caesar when he was the consul.He apologized to the public, admitted that he was unwell, but promised to clear the backlog in the next few days.He had obviously read these documents in a hurry, listed the important events in them one by one, and assigned them to several members of the ruling group, including Pazzi, so that he could no longer refute it.Then he turned his attention to the petitioners -- some of whom he still remembers by name. "The promise of the Medici Palace is forever," he said, announcing that Giuliano and Poliziano would represent him in the coming days. part of his duties, "I thought my brother would be happy to serve you during this time."

Finally, he bowed down.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience I've caused you," he said.

After getting up, he nodded again, and ordered his attendants to distribute bread and wine to the people, in the name of "thanking them for their concern for the family".His name was called again, this time with cheers. The sound of "Long live the little red ball" echoed in the streets and alleys, like an invisible banner.Lorenzo turned back to the room, staggered suddenly, and almost fell to the ground.

Giovanni caught him before all the servants.He seemed to be taken aback when he saw Giovanni's face.After a brief moment of daze, Lorenzo raised his hand and smoothed the young man's frowning brows.

Like a burnt candle, he closed his eyes in Giovanni's arms.

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*Ancient Godfather: This refers to the great scholars of high morals and prestige in early Christianity, such as Tertullian and Augustine.

*These elements refer to the pathology of the "five elements" proposed by Paracelsus during the Renaissance: the cosmic element, the constitutional element, the spiritual element, the infectious element and the poisonous element.