Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty-Four

Under the current circumstances, if he wanted to catch up with Aurelia, his only hope was to get Katerina's help.Clearly, she was much more concerned than Machiavelli was about the setback to their carefully planned scheme.This is because, for Machiavelli, this is nothing more than pursuing a beautiful woman to satisfy his desire.But for her, it involves the safety of her personal status.He could no longer count on that monk now.But Katerina, who had her own interest in the matter, was a reliable ally, and he had a firm faith in her resourcefulness as a woman.Disguise and deceit are as important to a woman as food and drink, and Machiavelli decides to see her again as she has such an obvious interest in making their plans work.Meeting one of the two solitary women was difficult, but fortunately he had Pierrot as his thread.Thinking of letting Piero go after Nina early in the morning, Machiavelli can't help but feel complacent about his foresight.

The next day he bought a fat fish at the market, and at a time when he was sure the fat man was in town on errands, Pierrot had it delivered to Caterina.It would be a pity if Piero could not see Caterina alone and arrange for Machiavelli an opportunity to meet her.Piero, as usual, performed his task competently and returned to tell Machiavelli that, after some hesitation, Caterina agreed to meet at the church of San Dominique sometime after three days, which she chose The location of the meeting shows that she is alert enough.Clearly, with her feminine instincts, she realized that Father Timoteo was no longer trustworthy, so he shouldn't have seen them together.

When Machiavelli came to St. Dominique's he had no idea what to do.But he wasn't too worried, because he was sure that Katerina would come up with some useful suggestions.He was just worried that the following plan would cost too much money.However, the good thing is that no matter how bad the situation is, he can borrow another sum of money from Bartolomeo. In the final analysis, Bartolomeo is just paying Machiavelli a sum of money. Machiavelli was ready to provide a corresponding service. There was no one in the church.Machiavelli told Caterina why he hadn't been on time for his appointment that night, how he had stood in the rain knocking on the door, and how he had caught the cold.

"I know, I know," Katerina said. "Piero told us what happened, and we were all very upset. Aurelia kept saying, poor man, if he dies from this disease, I will have a very bad conscience." "I have no will to die," said Machiavelli. "Even if I were at the gates of heaven, the mere thought of Aurelia would bring me back." "It's all very regrettable." "Let's stop thinking about the past. I'm back to health. I'm full of strength now. Let's think about the future. Our plan was aborted, so we'll have to make a new one. You're a wise woman, I It's hard to believe that you can't figure out the right way to fulfill all your wishes."

"Master Niccolo, I don't want to come today, I only came to see you because of Piero's plea." "He did mention that you were hesitant. I'm very puzzled by that." "No one wants to be the one to bring the bad news." "What do you mean?" cried Machiavelli. "It is impossible for Bartolomeo to have any doubts." "No, no, that's not what I meant. I meant Aurelia. I argued with her so long that I even fell on my knees to beg her. I still can't convince her. Oh, my poor friend, now The girls here are not the same as we used to be when we didn't even think about disobeying our parents."

"Don't mince words, ma'am. Tell me what you really think." "Aurelia refuses to play anymore, she will not meet your request." "But did you show her the consequences? Didn't you tell her what her situation would be like, and what your situation would be like, once Bartolomeo adopted his sister Constantine?" Mrs. Zha's son, and made Mrs. Constanza the mistress of the house?" "I said everything." "But what is the reason? Even for a woman, there is a reason for everything she does." "She now believes that because God intervened at the critical moment, she didn't commit that damned sin."

"Sin?" roared Machiavelli.In his excitement, he forgot that the place where they were talking was a sacred temple, and this temple required people to maintain basic etiquette. "Don't get angry with me, Lord Niccolo. It is not appropriate for a mother to persuade her daughter to do something against her conscience." "Don't blame me for being rude, ma'am, you're talking nonsense. You're an experienced woman, and she's just a young girl. It's your job to point out to her that when faced with two bad things, it's between the two. Not only reason, but even heaven, would allow us to choose a less destructive evil if we choose one of them, and who in his senses would refuse to commit a small crime, one that would bring considerable a pleasure, and a crime that ends in a great good?"

"It's no use, my lord. I know my daughter, she's as stubborn as a mule. She's made up her mind, and there's nothing I can do about it. She wants me to tell you that, in honor of your interest in her, she will keep And cherish the fine gloves and scarves you gave her, but she will not accept more gifts in the future, and I hope you will not give any more. She also hopes that from now on, you will not try to beg, directly or indirectly Met her. For my part, I will always remember your kindness with gratitude, and my only hope is to be able to make amends for the torment you have gone through."

She paused for a moment, and Machiavelli did not answer. "It is not necessary for you, a wise and experienced man, to remind you that women are fickle and uncertain. Even a prudent man will accept a lover's embrace if a man seizes his moment, but Even a slut will turn him down if he misses the moment. I'm saying goodbye and have a nice day." Caterina curtsies to Machiavelli.With his own discernment, a spectator might see sarcasm, resentment, or a minimum of civility not missing in this case.After saluting, Katerina left. Machiavelli really didn't understand.