immortal person

Throughout the night, one team after another of the guards poured out from the Medici Palace and poured into the streets one after another, like an undercurrent in the night.Without the approval of the ruling group, the family can only send people to search privately, but everyone has no hope for this.Giovanni stood in front of the palace gate, and the surrounding atmosphere was tense and chilling. In the silence, only the sound of soldiers trampling on the stagnant water could be heard.The palace was brightly lit, and he found Lorenzo in the study, where the Duke was resting on a soft couch with his eyes closed.There was a muffled and noisy sound of rain outside the window, and the candlelight was shaking violently on the reading table, as if being torn by invisible hands.Lorenzo touched his face, "You are soaked," he touched Giovanni's rain-soaked cloak, without asking where he was, "Go to sleep."

Giovanni shook his head.He pulled Lorenzo up, led him back to the bedroom without any explanation, and ordered him to lie down. "You're the one who needs to rest," said Giovanni, who must look radiant for the Duke's many public appearances to-morrow morning. "The soft armor is at the head of the bed. Promise me, put it on in the morning—and, Take your sword."

Lorenzo tried to reassure him. "This is the only thing you must promise me." And Giovanni stared at him. "Protect yourself. I need you to be safe."

After a while, Lorenzo held his hand and gently stroked his palm with his fingers.Giovanni squeezed him back hard, and didn't let go until he felt that the force might hurt him.He bowed his head and kissed Lorenzo quickly on the forehead, assuring him that he would be back soon.Then he left the room, walked through the corridor, and ran directly to the fourth floor.

His destination was the Medici's collection room.With his always outstanding memory, he quickly found what he needed in the closet, that precious piece of parchment.It was Brunelleschi's previous design for the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, and it still clearly bears the charcoal traces left by the master 30 years ago.As the cathedral of Florence, most of the indoor activities of Holy Week are held here.This prestigious church is known as one of the most beautiful buildings in Europe. It is extremely gorgeous and exquisite. Its interior hides many secret secret doors and winding tunnels like a medieval monastery.Apart from the designers and construction craftsmen, even the monks who have lived in it for a long time cannot claim to fully understand its mysteries.Like a labyrinth, he thought, God's house, but like a Minotaur's trick...

He dared not stake Lorenzo's safety on Pazzi's piety.Just the thought of Lorenzo being in danger took his breath away.

Half a quarter of an hour later, the sleeping apprentice in the attic was shaken awake.Giovanni bowed his head and whispered to him, and Pitty's face gradually turned pale, and then his eyes widened.Afterwards, Giovanni took the drawings and charcoal pencils, and came to the church under the cover of night.The priests had already locked the gates from within, but that was no longer a hindrance.He stood in the shadow of the street, looking up at the gargoyle by the eaves of the church. The heavy rain gradually stopped. Among the group sculptures in front of the arch, the four evangelists looked down at him, and the stars emerged from behind the dark clouds, like sympathetic eyes. .

The guards did not catch the tail of the conspiracy after all.They swore they caught every suspicious-looking man, scoured every nook and cranny of the city, not even a dusty alcove—and found nothing.Poliziano scolded them, Lorenzo said nothing.None of them were actually surprised.The conspirators were obvious, and after all the guards were unable to break into the nobles' homes without permission.

Good Friday is here.Florence began to quarrel before dawn, and there were more people walking on the streets than every day before: Good Friday is the most important time in Holy Week. Thousands of years ago, Jehovah's own son was fooled on this day. People were crucified.In the early morning, the celebration was held as usual, and the people gathered in the square saw the Duke appearing among them as promised, bathing with them in the light of God.Most of the citizens knew nothing about what happened last night. They only noticed that the Duke had a short sword hanging from his waist, and there were a few more guards with swords behind him.No one cared about these little episodes, it was a holy day of faith, and they were told that only God should be left in their hearts.Throughout the day, on the main street of Florence, people from various fraternities slowly move around the piazza over and over again, dressed in white, pulling the twine to the nape of their necks as they go, trying to imitate the walk of Christ Way of the Cross.The palanquin carrying the holy image was carried out from different churches, and boys dressed as angels stumbled along behind the holy litter, throwing flower petals at it.

"What a sight..."

Riario has not yet recovered enough to preside over the lengthy ceremony, and can only lean against the window of the Medici Palace, looking curiously at the crowd below: "Harmony, solemnity and tranquility. Even in the Vatican Palace, I rarely See people showing such pious expressions. Look at their sincere smiles! Aren’t you all moved by this?” He cast a dissatisfied glance at the maid beside him, “I forgive you, because people who live in happiness often don’t Know yourself! If I could, I would like to write a poem for Florence..."

He immediately found a pen and paper, and wrote a few lines muttering. "I need an expert," he raised his head after a moment and asked, "Where is Joe?" The maid shook her head shyly, and the butler was summoned later, but she also couldn't give an answer.No one knows of Mr Buonarrotti's whereabouts.

"Joe?"

Lorenzo looked around for a week, but still couldn't find a familiar figure.As midnight fell, the Mass-goers had all dressed in black and headed to the main church, and Giovanni was supposed to go with him.There is no curfew tonight, as the city's most prominent people will attend church vigils and lights-out services - the most special ritual of Holy Week, held only during Good Friday prayers.They will hear hymns and hymns, and witness the extinguishment and relighting of candles symbolizing the Lord's death and life.But Giovanni never appeared.Let's go, Giuliano urged him, and Lorenzo stopped looking and stepped forward.

It was a cold and windy night in early spring, mixed with fallen leaves and cold rain. People folded up their cloaks and hurried to the church.As the leaders of the citizens, Lorenzo and Giuliano walked in the front of the crowd. The priests in black greeted them at the door of the church and stretched out their hands silently. Then the guards of the family stopped in front of the bronze door and took off their coats. The swords were in their hands.Through the narrow entrance, Salviati stood in the center of the transept, facing them from a distance, and opened his arms to Lorenzo with a smile that could be called gracious.He called Lorenzo "the Lamb of the Lord," hugged him tightly, and let go of his arms before the duke frowned, giving Giuliano an equally warm, hard embrace.

The church was dark and silent, and the fifteen slender white candles on the altar were the only light in the darkness.They stand alone on the flannelette, with clouds of misty light diffused from the top.The Medici brothers knelt down in front of the cross of the altar together. Behind them, hundreds of nobles and citizens who entered the venue one by one lowered their knees one after another, chanting scriptures silently.Orsini then appeared. He put on the huge bishop's crown and the heavy crimson sacrificial cloak tonight, and climbed the steps to the altar.On the altar of the Eucharist were placed the Eucharist, the Holy Grail, and the Crucifix. The crimson liquid was contained in the cup. In the solemn darkness, it really looked like sticky blood.

Giuliano bumped his elbow lightly.Lorenzo realized that he was distracted.Giuliano watched him worriedly, and he gave him a brief smile reassuringly. The two looked at each other and bowed their heads humbly.

At this moment, the musician pressed the first note.The organ roared like a storm.

"By His chastisement we are safe; by His stripes we are healed."

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way, and God has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

Orsini's hoarse voice sounded from above. The Book of Isaiah, the passages are familiar to everyone present.The sacred atmosphere filled with the white smoke, as if inspired by the Holy Spirit, the seven dying words emerged in everyone's heart.They saw the crooked body and the upturned head of the Son of Man. He was muttering: "My God! Why have you forsaken me?..." The sound of the organ was loud and high, and the singing of the choir merged into the melody. At the end of the hymn, one of the candles on the altar is extinguished, implying the life of the "light of heaven" that is gradually passing away.After nine hymns, Lorenzo's knees were already aching. He opened his palms and found that his palms were covered with cold sweat at some point.

The melody was soaring again, hitting the ears like a thunderstorm like a torrent.Amid the grand and painful music, people tightened their shoulders, held their breath, and their minds were taken away by this sad, elegiac chant.In a vision, the displaced people knelt under the willows and wept at the sound of "Zion"; for the ruined temple they sang:

"She dwelt among the nations, and found no rest. All her pursuers overtook her in a narrow place."

"The glory of Zion is lost. Her princes are like deer that find no pasture. They are powerless to walk before their pursuers."

"He sent down fire from above, and he penetrated into my bones; he set a snare under my feet, and I fell."

"The yoke of my iniquity was bound by his hands, and like a yoke around my neck. He has weakened my strength. The Lord has delivered me into the hands of whom I cannot resist... Behold, O Lord, for I am in distress. Lord, watch over me, for I am in distress!"

With the last high note, the remaining candle flames were suddenly extinguished.

Absolute darkness descended on the church.What followed was a huge din, everyone stamping their feet, banging on the benches, making as much noise as they could. Strepitus, "The Loud Noise", an essential part of the ritual, symbolizes the earthquake, chaos and disorder brought about by the death of Jesus...

—but he heard footsteps.

Perhaps it was the intuition he cultivated as a hunter, Lorenzo turned his head abruptly, instinctively realizing something was wrong.Amidst the loud noises in the hall, he keenly caught a sudden sound of footsteps, three or five people, or more, he couldn't tell, many people were approaching in his direction.These men tiptoed like cats, but the sound of swords shaking at their side gave them away.They came from behind—no, even in front—from all sides—

"Giuliano!" Lorenzo roared.

Giuliano groped for his hand, shouting: "Orsini?! Capture the assassin!"—but where was the archbishop on the altar?The black-clothed priests have long since completely disappeared in the darkness.Lorenzo reached for the sword at his side, but found nothing; the weapon could not enter the church, where he had given it to the priest the moment he entered.He pulled Giuliano to stand up, without even having time to be afraid; the first scream of the night broke out suddenly at this time, and the people immersed in the ritual finally noticed something strange——when they all stopped, why did the noise not stop , the candle is still not lit? "Light it up!" Someone yelled, "Fathers! Light it up! Cardinal Orsini? Salviati?!"

He heard Poliziano's terrified cry: "Stop! Guards?! Guards!" Others screamed: "Axemen!" The footsteps suddenly became hurried and heavy, swift as horseshoes, "Beautiful Diqi is there!" A strange voice exploded not far away, followed by a sound of piercing through the air - he bent down to avoid it without thinking, but on the left, there was another killer - he only had time to see a piece of The bright knife light.

He felt no pain.

"elder brother……"

A body slammed onto him, convulsing, suddenly heavy and sticky.Lorenzo was trembling all over, he could hardly hug the body in his arms, and the hot blood flooded his hands in an instant.At this moment, they looked at each other, and he saw that pair of blue eyes that were exactly the same as his suddenly widened, and the whites of the eyes were very clear in the darkness.

With the last of his strength, Giuliano pushed him away, followed by "pooh" again and again.The blade pierced into the back of his neck and lower abdomen, blood gushed out immediately and splashed around, Lorenzo staggered back a step, a drop of blood splashed into his eyes.

His vision was blood red.Surrounded by screams one after another, the hot smell of human blood permeated the air.The temple is already hell.

[End of the second volume]

The author has something to say:

"The light of the world" refers to Christ. "You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden." From "The Bible·Gospel of Matthew"

Several passages are from the Bible "Isaiah" and "Lamentations of Jeremiah"

The specific order and details of the ceremony were altered for the plot of the service and did not fully follow the historical facts.