It was a hot summer, and every breathing creature shivered under the scorching sun, and every ray of sunlight could turn the water in their bodies into sweat, which dripped down the skin.But if the poor want to survive, they have no choice but to bow their bodies in the sun and sweat more, or let the scorching dust rise up with the hooves and wheels of the horses, cover their bodies, and stick to their wet skin. In the world created by God, there will always be these two conditions of extreme pain and extreme comfort at the same time, as if because he created hell and heaven, he had to put them on earth at the same time as a countermeasure. Each person who has belonged to something after death makes a compensation respectively.

In the city-states far from the Adriatic Sea, wealthy residents could find their own way to extremely comfortable enjoyment, although there were no salty winds to help cool them down.As long as you avoid the sweltering heat of the city and spend a few months in villas and farms in the suburbs, you can welcome the cool autumn.In those tall and big houses, the ladies are weaving while watching the children, the maids are fanning them, fresh fruits are placed on the table, and the clay pots are cool spring water, the heat will never bother them peaceful. But Ferdinand Pepoli hated such days. When he saw his elder brother riding a horse over the haystacks in the yard for the fifth time, he finally couldn't help running to his mother and asking: "I want to go out, mother, I want to ride a horse!"

He is a beautiful boy, his facial features are very similar to the woman in front of him, his copper-colored hair hangs long beside his fair face, his big amber eyes are bright and flexible, and his slightly raised nose makes him look A little arrogant, but the rosy mouth made the whole face cute. The lady wearing a white turban looked up at her son, with a smile on her beautiful face: "No, dear." She put down the embroidery in her hand, "It's too hot outside, I don't want you to get sick." "I won't, Mom! Cosis has been riding for a while." "He is already fifteen years old, and you, my child," the lady patted his head, "you are only thirteen years old, and you can only touch the belly of a horse."

"I can ride Eslow." The boy didn't give up, he knew that the filly his father gave him was staying in the stable. "No, baby, there's no room for negotiation on this matter." The boy pursed his lips, looking sadly at his fellow brothers who were riding happily outside the window.He turned his head and shrugged with infinite regret: "Okay...uh, can I go to the study to read?" "Oh, that's a good idea." Your lady made a sign of the cross, "Thank the Lord you can find other pleasures, I hope you read more Gospels, it will be good for you."

"Is it the story of God again?" "And the saints, baby." The boy tries not to look bored: "I don't understand why I have to read stories that all look the same." "Because these stories all show that you have to believe in God to get his protection and care. You have to believe in him, baby, and you can only gain strength from God if you trust wholeheartedly. You need to be more firm on this point." The lady used The conversation ended in a pious tone, "Mrs. Gurado, please take the young master to the study." "Yes, ma'am." A middle-aged maid sitting beside the spinning wheel stood up, bowed to the hostess docilely, and then smiled at the boy: "Please come with me, Master Ferdinand."

The boy stood on tiptoe and kissed his mother's cheek, and walked out of the spacious room. On the long corridor, sunlight and shadows intertwine and extend to the end, and the surrounding is only the sound of clogs and clogs.Mrs. Gurado walked gracefully, and seemed very satisfied with the young master's choice of a quiet way of leisure. "You're a smart man, Master Ferdinand. Riding will make you feel hot and sweaty." She reassured, "Your Latin teacher will be here in thirty minutes, and he won't want to see your like." The boy wrinkled his nose towards the back of the front; of course he didn't intend to tell her that he was ready to sneak away when he reached the stairs; how could he let her go to the stable by the side door just around the corner Such a great opportunity.

Already able to see the door of the study, Ferdinand glanced secretly at the stairs, and just as he was about to make a small move, the maid suddenly stopped.The boy was taken aback—it can be discovered like this, does Mrs. Gurado have abilities that he doesn't know about? "Master Ferdinand." The round-faced maid turned around. "Ah... what?" The boy blinked, pretending to be nonchalant in some panic. "Master seems to be inside, and there are guests." Ferdinand craned his neck to look at the half-hidden door, through which his father's voice could be heard.

As if he had found a new joy, the boy nimbly rushed to the door regardless of the maid's obstruction, and put his copper-colored head closer: It was indeed the father who spoke, and an uncle in a red robe. Both of them looked unhappy.My father tapped the mahogany desk with his stubby fingers in the big jeweled ring, looking worried. "You say the Neapolitans have passed the Limino?" "Yes, sir." The uncle in red nodded anxiously, "They snatched it along the road, poured all the gold, jewels, porcelain and silk into their pockets, then took the food, killed the resisters, burned took their house . . . sir, it is dreadful!"

"They invaded the Papal State. This is the territory of God. Don't they have any fear?" "Ladislas is a madman, he doesn't care! All he wants is Italy!" "Where is His Majesty's army? This is his territory, he should protect us!" "Even Florence can't compete with him, His Majesty the Pope can only hold on to Rome now!" "My God! How fast are they?" "I'm afraid it will take three days to reach Bologna!" ... What they said was so strange that I couldn't understand it at all!Ferdinand shook his head impatiently: It seems that he can't go in now, does he really have to go back to that dreary room again?

Just when the cute boy was frustrated by this, the father accidentally saw the probing son: "Fio, what are you doing here?" The master pulled the child in, staring into those amber eyes, "Steal It's uneducated to listen, sir, I remember telling you." "I'm sorry, Dad." Ferdinand lowered his head, quickly glanced at the maid behind him, and then said in the most ashamed voice, "I don't want to do this... But I have to tell you, the weather is fine today, I might be able to ride Eslo ..." "Oh, yes, of course." Mr. Peppery waved his hand absently. "Go, go, now I have to talk to Mr. Puchoge about something important."

"Thank you." The boy finally got his wish and laughed, and rushed downstairs like the wind, completely unaware that the maid behind him was no longer paying attention to his little trick.Mrs. Gurado's eyes were full of fear, she lifted her skirt and ran quickly to the hostess' room... The sultry afternoon passed quickly, and when the bells for vespers floated from the church in the distance, Ferdinand, who had just taken a bath?Pipoli and the whole family knelt in the private chapel, and the bright light of the setting sun passed through the long painted windows, making the marble carved cross and Jesus colorful.The pale yellow candles are neatly arranged on the wooden shelf next to them, and the flames are jumping like fairies. Although there is no wind, they are still so restless, as if to prove that they are the only living things in this room object. The atmosphere today is a bit strange!The little boy with beautiful hair secretly opened his left eye and glanced around—— Unexpectedly, his behavior at noon was not punished, and his mother was busy praying; his father was always wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel; the maids and servants around were silent, and even Kosis had a straight face! Ferdinand looked at his brother next to him: he was like his father, with flaxen hair, ordinary features, and many freckles on the bridge of his nose, but he loved to laugh, and he could teach himself to shoot voles and foxes with a bow and arrow.But now this always cheerful young man frowned, his tightly clenched hands showed how hard he was praying. Finally, Ferdinand couldn't help tugging at the corner of his clothes. "Hush, be quiet—" Kosis ignored his younger brother's greeting, he still lowered his head and closed his eyes. Ferdinand had no choice but to turn his gaze to the tall cross: Jesus also closed his eyes, bowed his head, and silently accepted people's prayers, but he closed his eyes tightly, but he seemed to be unable to hear anything, and was unwilling to see anything. . That must hurt! The boy stared at Christ's hands; he screamed in pain when the knife cut his index finger last time, and being crucified should be even more painful.Why can a person who can't even protect himself protect everyone?Why would these people beg for peace and happiness from a crucified man?You know, he can't even reach out and make a hug.Ferdinand wanted to ask his mother, but he knew that his mother would reproach him for always thinking of strange things and being disrespectful to God. He sighed from the bottom of his heart, and prayed to the Father in heaven to end this evening prayer quickly: "In this way, I will definitely sing one more song of praise for you tomorrow. Amen..." In Ferdinand?In Pepoli's life, these were perhaps his biggest worries. He didn't hear the whispers of his parents after dinner, and of course he didn't care about the "Napolitans" as much as Kosis. The story, but her reading aloud tonight made him very dissatisfied, it was always intermittent, and it took a long time for the young master to slowly fall asleep amidst the complaints. However, what he didn't expect was that when he opened his eyes again, everything changed. "Clang!" The door was slammed open with a loud noise, waking up the little boy in his dream. Ferdinand rubbed his eyes and sat up, only to see his terrified mother. "Come on, Feo!" The mother, with her beautiful copper-colored hair loose, put on only her coat, "Come with me, we have to get out of here!" "What's the matter—" the boy turned his head in a daze, and there seemed to be a fire outside the window. "It's from Neapolitan! Here they come!" His mother picked him up and hurried downstairs. The child's amber eyes looked at the chaotic situation around him. Everyone was running for their lives with their things in their hands. Everything in his sight was shaking, and the chaotic footsteps made him flustered.He hugged his mother's neck tightly, not even daring to move. The best carriage in the family was parked in the middle of the yard. Father and Kossis threw the jewelry box and some suitcases in. Mrs. Gurado was helping, and the servants packed their things and ran out! Seeing him, his father shouted, "Okay, get in the car, we have to go now!" The fire outside the manor became brighter, someone was shouting, and Ferdinand heard a chaotic and dull sound slowly coming towards him, as if a giant was beating a big drum rhythmically.He hid his face on his mother's shoulder and stared at the door.Then gradually there was the sound of metal impacting, and it became louder and louder.The moment his mother picked him up and got into the carriage, the solid wooden door was knocked open, and four soldiers in full armor broke in. They were wearing clothes he had never seen before, holding spears in their hands. and sword.The servants scuttled like mice into the shadows, screaming. "Shut up!" yelled the intruders, and one of them stabbed the nearest manservant to death with his spear. Mother pressed Ferdinand's head hard, trying to curl up in the car as much as possible.The boy felt his heart beating like a pounding drum, and his throat hurt like hell.My mother kept shaking as she said the name of God over and over again. A soldier turned to look at the luxurious carriage, pushed up his blood-stained helmet, revealing a pair of greedy eyes. "Hello!" he asked with a strange accent, "that old man, what do you want to do? Run away?" Father's face turned pale in the firelight, and his hand, accustomed to holding a quill, began to tremble uncontrollably. "Want to run with the money, don't you?" The soldier jumped off his horse and grinned grimly. "Oh, that's no good. The money belongs to us now! You can't take it!" He came over and pushed his father away, stepped on the door of the carriage, and moved all the contents out.Father grabbed Kosis, who was about to rush over, and kept calling his name, trying to appease his anger in vain. Ferdinand clutched his mother's clothes tightly, watching the man's thick hands coming in and out.When he took out the last bag of gold coins, his bloodshot eyes finally turned to his side, and the malicious gaze made him shudder. "Hey!" the soldier turned his head and called out to his companions, "Look what else is hidden inside, what a beauty!" There was an excited response from outside the carriage, and Ferdinand heard his father shout, "No, please, don't... for God's sake—" The words were interrupted by the sound of fists and metal hitting the body, and Kosis roared, followed by several light clicks. Ferdinand had never been so frightened, as if someone had pinched his heart, and he finally cried out desperately. Several pairs of rough hands stretched in, and the mother screamed and was dragged out by their hair.He hugged his mother's neck tightly and bit her clothes with his teeth. "There's another little thing!" Someone was laughing above his head, and he felt his neck being strangled, so he couldn't help but yelled.A huge force caused him to fly backward suddenly, hitting the wheel with a thud, and his eyes were pitch black. "Feo!" His mother called his name sadly, and he lay on the ground, feeling the burning pain in the back of his head and arms.Some wet things blocked his left eye, he struggled to hold his head up, trying to see everything in front of him: Father and Kosis lay motionless on the ground, their heads had been smashed with several holes, and pools of blood flowed all over their faces; Mrs. Girardeau lay motionless by the side, and all the servants ran away. ... and mother, she was held down by those soldiers, and Ferdinand could only hear her screaming continuously: "God, god... let me go, for god's sake..." Before falling into darkness, the boy screamed in his heart: God can't save us, mother, he can't! ... The hellish noise slowly disappeared after a long period of time, and everything around it returned to silence. Ferdinand could hardly feel the wound on his head and the pain of his broken arm. His head was heavy, but he knew that a few steps away lay the bodies of his father and brother, and on the other side was his mother, disheveled and cut open. Throat, blood soaked the soil under his body.His home was burning, and the orange-red flames almost dried up the water in his body, and he couldn't shed a single tear.When the fire gradually diminished, the eastern sky revealed a little light, and the morning glow was as bright red as blood. The smell of burnt and blood mixed in the morning wind and poured straight into the nose. At this time, there was a rustling sound not far away, and Mrs. Gurado, who had fallen on the ground, miraculously woke up, with some wounds on her red and swollen forehead—she was just knocked out by the robbers. The loyal maid almost went into shock when she saw her master's body. She crawled over with her limp legs, and hugged the only survivor into her arms: "Master Ferdinand... oh, thank God... you still It's great, it's great to be alive!" And the boy bit his lip and bled--why thank him!He didn't protect me!Didn't protect everyone! Looking at the mess in the yard, the maid quickly wiped away her tears and hugged the injured little master: "Let's go, master, let's get out of here quickly! The Neapolitans are still nearby, let's go to a safe place!" She carefully looked around, then stumbled and ran back. Ferdinand turned his head. From Mrs. Girardo's arms, he could see the burning home behind him, as well as the cold corpses of his parents and brother. The whole world seemed to be shaking, and it was getting farther and farther away from him. Head dizzy, everything is collapsing.The moment he stepped out of the back door, the low fence covered everything, and he closed his eyes, hoping that everything was just a nightmare. The Neapolitans did not occupy Bologna for a long time. Although they robbed everything of value and confidently continued to march towards Genoa, when they were at war with Florence, there was news of Ladisola The news of Si's serious illness, so those jackal-like armies withdrew, slowly leaving some city-states they finally occupied, leaving a piece of scorched earth. The kind Mrs. Gurado rescued the only survivor of the Pepoli family and took him back to her own home, the small house in the city of Bologna.Because of its poverty and shabbiness, none of the Neapolitan soldiers paid attention to it, and it suffered far more than the splendid noble mansion. Madame Gurado and her husband - an honest horse dealer - tended to the wounded Ferdinand with tender care.The bandages on his head and arms have not been removed, and the wounds are slowly healing.But what worries the kind-hearted couple is that the beautiful boy does not seem to be the same as before: the beautiful copper-colored hair has lost its luster, and the fair and beautiful face is also thinning. The most obvious thing is that the amber couple The white eyes were completely dazed and dull, without any trace of the cleverness of the past.Of course they attribute this change to his head injury and poor mental stimulation. After numerous discussions, the couple felt that the most important thing now was to find a suitable guardian for the orphan.If they could get him back on track as much as possible, it might gradually ease his pain, a task that was clearly difficult for them.Mrs. Gurado thinks that the only way to find Master Ferdinand's godfather, Bishop Cabes in the Church of Santa Maria in Ravenna, is also a good friend of the master before his death, and the only person who can help them now. So the couple took the poor child on the road in a carriage. It took more than a week to get from Bologna to Lavin, and by the time the three of them arrived at Santa Maria, it was dark and raining heavily. The tall spire of the church is hidden in the dark cloud-covered night sky, and the surrounding is very quiet, only the patter of raindrops hitting the leaves and the ground can be heard.This building belonging to God is more majestic in the dark, with a terrifying power, it seems that anyone standing outside the gate can only choose to bow their heads and surrender to the invisible god. The couple parked the carriage in the yard tremblingly, and a priest held a candlestick and led them into the room on the second floor. It was a large study, full of thick parchment scrolls, smelling musty, and the walls were decorated with frescoes of heaven, with the Madonna of Mercy in the center.Huge tallow candles lit the central place brightly.The skinny Bishop Kabes came out from behind the huge desk to receive them. He was wearing a thick night-like monk's robe, with a stooped old body and a bright cross hanging on his chest. The Girardos took Ferdinand and made the sign of the cross devoutly, and kissed the ring on the bishop's hand.The dry old man stroked the boy's hair, then sat down and asked the couple to explain their visit.After listening to the tragic narration, the priest couldn't help showing an expression of infinite pity. "I understand, what an unfortunate child." The bishop turned his cloudy eyes to the boy who had been hanging his head, and asked in a flat tone, "So there is no one in the Pepoli family, is it?" "Yes, my lord." Mrs. Curado wiped her tears, "Master was originally the only son, so Master Ferdinand is now the only heir. The Neapolitans took away the master's money, but the land is still there, and the land is enough to support the young master." All your life, you know, what does a child this big have to live on." "God is merciful." The bishop said slowly, "Since he let the child live, he can certainly let him get what he deserves...but..." He looked intently at the child curled up The child on the chair, "He seems a little uncomfortable..." "Oh, my lord!" exclaimed Monsieur Gurardeau, "forgive Master Ferdinand, who has been wounded in the head and frightened again! What child can bear to have his relatives murdered before his eyes?" The bishop walked over slowly, knelt down and observed the boy's eyes carefully, but in the end he did not see any evidence of rationality in the amber eyes.The child sat stiffly, seemingly unresponsive to everything in front of him. He sighed and stood up. "You are good people," the bishop said to the couple. "God will bless you. I will definitely take good care of this poor child... Now go and rest for a while." The bishop ordered a priest to come in and show Madame Gurado and her husband to the guest room, and they kissed the ring on his finger gratefully, and went out. The wooden door closed with a snap, and the wind that came in through the crack of the door shook the candle flame a few times. The bishop stared silently at Ferdinand who was sitting there, and after a while, he stepped up and slapped him suddenly. The boy fell to the floor all of a sudden, but he didn't react at all, just fell there blankly, maintaining the posture of falling.The bishop let out a strange laugh like a crow, walked to the wall decorated with murals, and opened a secret door. A middle-aged man in priestly attire walked out of the dark secret door. He saluted the bishop respectfully and looked at the boy on the ground. "My lord, did you call me?" "You heard it all, Ferron. Look, this little thing is really stupid!" The bishop smiled smugly, "I thought he was a bit weird from the beginning, but now it seems that he is really useless. " "Yes, my lord, but..." the priest nodded, "...do you think what the couple just said is true?" "Of course it is true." The old man said in a sharp tone that was completely different from just now. "I have heard about the burning of the Peiboli family's manor. Several corpses were found there. They are the three masters of their family and A servant, but none of the little one." "But must he be Pepoli's youngest son? In case those two were just here to lie to you..." "No, no." The old man raised the boy's head with his wrinkled hands, "Look, how much he looks like his beautiful mother, and this copper-colored hair, such a rare hair color is amazing. It's hard to find. His father once paid a lot of money to invite me to attend his baptism in order to please the church, how could I forget this godson?" There was a flattering smile on the priest's face: "That's good, my lord. This is a good opportunity God has given you! The Pepoli family controls most of the land in Bologna. If you can get it, then—" "No, no, Ferron, you think too simply." The bishop curled his lips, "Since Nicholas III and His Majesty Boniface VIII, Rome has no power to control Bologna, because that At that time, the Peipoli family was too powerful, and they didn’t pay attention to the church at all. But later, God punished them. They used to have only one male for several generations, and now they have even reached the point where there is only one single seedling left. If this If the little thing is gone, then all the land in Bologna can be taken over to the church, which will make the idiots of the Holy See very happy. If I hand over these lands to His Majesty the Pope alone, he will even be willing to use a cardinal It's much more interesting than being a dull guardian; besides, lands far from Ravenna are difficult to manage." The priest showed an expression of sudden realization: "My lord bishop's consideration is indeed much wiser, then..." His thick yellow eyebrows frowned again, "What about the person who sent him here?" Cardbes Bishop walked to the window, a flash of lightning pierced the black sky, illuminating his mummy-like face with a terrifying bluish-white color, and the dull thunder came from afar. "Listen, Ferron, it's raining. In such bad weather, no one can guarantee that there will be no accidents in the carriage on the mountain road..." The priest was stunned for a moment, and then echoed maliciously: "Yes, sir. Who would like to go out to work at this time, but I think Tang Klein, who guards the cellar, would be happy to earn a few gold coins. God's servants serve much. Then this child..." Two cold eyes fell on Ferdinand at the same time. The bishop came over and squatted down, gently stroking the smooth and white cheek like porcelain: "The Lord is merciful to him, and this appearance can save his life. Ferron , send him to the Luvatos monastery in Ancona, the abbot will take good care of a boy like him..." When the laughter echoed in the spacious study, the amber eyes looked at the Virgin on the wall, seemed to flicker for a moment, and then became lifeless again.