Vol 2 Chapter 27: Passing the Pass (Part 1)

Starting from Naples, passing through the pass of Mount Vesuvius on the east side, a road connects Naples to the interior.
Like most harbour cities, Naples has one of the most prosperous cities on the European continent because of its busy waterways and enviable geographical location.
And this road from Naples to the inland has become a bridge on the land for those who travel across the ocean and the wealth from the far east or Africa.
It's just that this road is now tightly blocked, and all travelers passing by will be closely checked, even the nobles.
A tall wooden pile was erected at the narrow pass of the volcano, and the carriage could only pass slowly through the gap between the wooden piles. In the slightly higher part of the narrow pass, a young man was frowning and standing in front of him. A middle-aged man.
"Your Highness, you know this is the Duke's order."
Although the young man looked very unhappy, the middle-aged man did not care much. For him, what is more important now than to please the young prince is to complete the order of Duke Frederick.
"Do you really think that Ruosha is related to this matter?" Prince Alfred asked angrily. "I know that the relationship between my father and Modillo is not good, but this has nothing to do with Ruosha, now she just wants Go back to Cosenza's home, but you actually want to attack her. "
"His Royal Highness is not an attack," the middle-aged man explained as patiently as possible. "We just hope to check the entourage of Miss Countess ..."
"But it's a great insult," Alfred interrupted the other's words angrily. "Although the Sicilian was with me, it made me very upset, but it's not the same thing. Others will say I am I'm taking the opportunity to find the man's stubble. This will make me humiliated, and it will also make Rusha despise me. I must never do such a humiliating thing. "
Who cares what others say about you? The middle-aged man cursed secretly in his heart. He was bored with the sentimentality of this prince, but now he ca n’t help but calm down the prince as much as he does n’t care about the prince ’s likes and dislikes. He is responsible for guarding.
"His Royal Highness, the death of Aragon ’s emissary is very serious," the middle-aged man ’s expression also changed from respectful to severe. "Although we do not know whether this matter is related to Count Modillo, no one will catch the murderer. It may be the accomplice of the murderer, and the count is the most suspicious. So we must check the team of the count, and as for the Sicilian messenger, we feel that the count has obviously deceived him.
"
"Are you saying that Ruosha lured that person?" Alfred stared at each other. "If you are not my father's most trusted person, I will immediately make you pay for these words."
"Your Highness, maybe these words made you uncomfortable, but in fact our Florentine is probably in the entourage of the Countess, and Sicily's Gumbre was used by her." The middle-aged man greeted Al without a flinch. Fred ’s gaze
So according to your father ’s order from His Royal Highness, the Countess ’s team must be inspected, including even the Countess herself and her substitutes. This order cannot be violated.

Alfred stared at each other with an ugly face. He did not expect that his father would give such an order. When he thought of the person he admired, he would accept such rude and even insulting treatment, but he had no way to stop it. The young prince couldn't help it. Feeling desperate for his weakness.
But he didn't dare to disobey his father's orders, because he knew exactly what would happen if he did that.
Seeing the prince leave with anger and frustration, the middle-aged man bowed slightly to his back, and then turned to order the soldiers who had already waited: "Ready to stop them as soon as the Countess's team appears," said Here, the middle-aged man paused slightly to look at the prince's distant back, and continued to say, "Don't be rude to Miss Countess, but be sure to search her team carefully."
Listening to the loud response of his men,
"Let's see if Modillo is smart and stupid as the Duke said."
Middle-aged people looked at the rugged mountain road leading to the foot of the mountain, and vaguely could see the slowly moving black spots on the road, which were waves of travelers coming to the pass.
And on a boulder higher, Prince Alfred also looked at the black dots that wriggled up and down, and he whispered in his mouth: "God bless you, don't do stupid things, Rusha."
Three or two travelers stopped in front of the pass and looked at the slow moving people in front of them. People could not help but whispered that the great power that Duke Frederick had in Naples, even King Ferdinand had to worry about it. There have even been rumors that during the war with the French, the generals of the Aragonese army openly declared that they would not accept Ferdinand ’s orders and would rather deal with Duke Frederick.
"It has to wait until," a young man complained impatiently. "I heard that Bologna has created a machine that can scratch his own hair, so the scratched wool is much faster than the scratching of the hair, but my If you continue to be so delayed along the way, maybe that kind of machinery is being preempted by others. "
"I heard about the machine as if it was made by a woman." The one walking in front turned back with interest and said, "Think about it, a woman."
"How is it possible for a woman to make that kind of thing?" A man with a rosy nose asked in disbelief. "How could a woman make anything other than the punishment of their punishment by giving birth to a child. Just like my wife," he Pointing her thumb at her carriage, "Give me six children, but she still doesn't understand anything."
"But that's true," the man shrugged in front of him. "Although I don't believe it, many people say it's the case, and I heard that the machine is very powerful, and only one person can do the work of three or four women workers. . "
"That's really amazing," the rosacea man mumbled, raised the hip flask and took a sip, then tucked the hip flask into the car. "The only thing my wife can compare with men is to drink two."
A few people beside him laughed arrogantly, but the young man who started out was more frustrated.
"If the machine was really that powerful, I would have to hurry, Bologna was too far away, maybe a smart person would have bought the machine by then, and then I would have to spend more money from that person. Bought. "
"But it's useless to complain here. Don't get in trouble at this time. Look at the soldiers," rosacea lowered his voice and persuaded the young man. "They're not easy to provoke."
The young man wanted to say something angrily, but when he looked at the kingdom army and even the Aragonese people on the side of the pass, he shut his mouth in a daze.
The team moved forward slowly. When these people finally walked to the wooden fence, everyone finally relieved with relief.
"God, I might be burnt if I wait any longer."
A traveling businessman said that he used to take out a few silver coins to pay for road tax, but his silver coins were directly hit on the ground, and the soft hat on the head was rudely opened.
"Check everyone carefully!"
A middle-aged man stood high and shouted to the soldiers below "Don't let go of any suspicious characters, this is His Royal Highness's order!"
The soldiers who were ordered were even more unscrupulous. They shoved everyone around, removed their hats, and overturned the curtains of the carriages. In the bursts of complaints, they even pulled the women out of the car. Pull it down.
"It's too barbaric." A follower beside the prince whispered, but he could see the prince's somber face again quickly silent.
"It's really barbaric."
Alfred shook his head in exasperation, but when he saw a soldier dragging a man with a rosacea and his staggering wife shouting something, suddenly a horn came from the mountain.
Suddenly Alfred's heart jumped. He looked down at the middle-aged man and saw that his father's confidant had taken someone from a height to the middle of the road, and was driving people near the fence to leave as soon as possible. Jumping off the boulder without any consideration.
There was pain in the on the rock pile, but Alfred didn't care so much, he knew that Miss Cosenza's team had arrived.
Seeing the messy scene in front, Ruosha sitting in the carriage showed an unpleasant look.
"This is the Duke's army," Zuosha said to Alexander, who was riding next to the car. "I think they must think we have hidden the Florentine."
"Why do you think so?" Alexander thought.
"It's very simple. Uncle Salon is the most suspicious now, and I happen to be back to the territory. If the Florentine is hidden in our team, this is definitely the best chance to escape."
Ruosha said while looking at Alexander and asked, "But I was just wondering, why do you ask to be a guest in my territory at this time?"
Looking at the countess's playful smile, Alexander had a slight headache. He didn't expect this "sister" to be so sensitive.
Although he shouldn't think that he really wanted to use her to send the Florentines out, but he reminded himself that he must also be careful. This sister is so clever.
"But whether or not the Florentines are hidden, I will not let them search my team."
Suosha suddenly said in a stubborn tone: "It's about the glory of my family, it's about the surname Modillo."
That would be the best, Alexander was secretly relieved, and he knew that the Countess would not be so easily allowed to be examined before she chose to go with her.
Next, it depends on whether this pass can pass. Alexander told himself that.
The presence of the Cosenza team made the original chaos of the soldiers even more chaotic. Some people who were inspected were driven past the pass, and the others behind were rushed to the side of the road.
As the previous flag-raising follower loudly reported, the team was blocked on the road and stopped.
"In the name of the Duke," the middle-aged man walked up to the Countess's rank and shouted, "Everyone was checked."
"Don't do that," Alfred ran over. He grabbed the middle-aged man's shoulder hard. "Let me go and say to Ruosha, you will only anger her."
"His Royal Highness, the order I got was to check everyone," the middle-aged man refused to make a move. He felt that he had endured the prince for too long. If it was not the identity of the other party that made him helpless, he had already ordered people to take this annoying The hung up and basked in the sun. "Please don't hinder me."
"Are you very proud of insulting Modillo's family?" Alfred asked in a low voice. "Or do you think that humiliating my future wife's family can get any benefit, don't forget that I will marry that girl in the future." "
"Then wait for you to become the Duke before ordering me."
The middle-aged man walked away after breaking away from Alfred's hand. He crossed the trumpeter in front, and when he came to a place not far from the carriage, he was blocked by Alexander who slowly drove the horse forward.
"Sir, I don't think you should block me," the middle-aged man saluted a little, then raised his head and looked at Alexander on the horse. "Your fellow Aragon has been shamefully killed. I believe you must want to be arrested more than anyone else. Live the murderer. "
"Actually he is not my compatriot," Alexander murmured, then reached out and shook his hand. "No, I can't agree with this. You know, if I flinched at this time, I would become a coward in front of the lady, so no matter if I was killed I do n’t care if it ’s Aragonese or Sicilian. "
"Another idiot who doesn't care about anything to please women," the middle-aged man cursed secretly. He looked at Alexander coldly, wondering if he should give the Sicilian kid somehow bad power. Alfred had already left. come.
"Although you are my enemy," the prince stared fiercely at Alexander. "But I stand with you in protecting Miss Cosenza's honor."
Alexander looked at Alfred somewhat unexpectedly. He really didn't expect the prince to get this out for the woman he admired. After all, although it was Frederick's son, he would be punished if he violated the Duke's order.
This has nothing to do with his father's favor, but if he doesn't, Frederick will face the embarrassment of being questioned by his men.
"I'm willing to fight with you side by side." Alexander nodded slightly, even if she was purely affectionate, but he was still moved by the prince's infatuation.
Just thinking that this kid might become his "brother-in-law" in the future, Alexander couldn't help but grin.
I don't know why, this thought made him very unhappy.
"Go forward in the name of the Duke!"
The middle-aged man drew his sword and began to move forward step by step, and behind him the soldiers slowly moved closer to the convoy.
"For Modillo, for the honor of Cosenza!"
The cavalry captain of the Modillo family escorting the convoy also pulled out his sword, and as he moved, a weapon came out of the sheath.
The middle-aged man's face was already ugly at this time. There were dozens of heavily armed soldiers behind him. These men could easily defeat the team of only a dozen people, including Earl of Cosenza.
But what stood in front of him was an Aragonese prince and an Aragonese messenger ~ EbookFREE.me ~ This made him afraid to order easily even if he wanted to make a move.
For a time, the two sides fell into a standoff before the gap.
The sun above the head shone hotly on everyone's face, and the sweat trickled down into the corners of the eyes, irritating the eyes. Some people wanted to wipe off the slimy sweat on their faces, but this little action caused a commotion.
Alexander raised his head slightly to look at the top of his head. He knew that the confrontation could not continue to stand still. As he figured out how to break the impasse, he first heard it, and then a series of horns continued to sound from the distant mountain road.
Alexander noticed that Alfred's face suddenly turned pale, and his hand holding the sword began to tremble slightly.
The middle-aged man on the opposite side has calmly raised his sword, with a satire on his face, and a somewhat pityful smile, but this pity seems more to Alfred, who is already at a loss.
Alexander slowly backed to the carriage.
"It's the Duke," Alexander heard Ruosha whisper in the car, "Frederick is here."