- These are happy times for the Medici. Lorenzo and Clarice have had a baby, and the new alliance with Francesco Pazzi guarantees a solid political axis for Florence, with Venice and Milan.
- Pope Sixtus IV shocks the Medici by forcing Milan's duke Galeazzo Sforza by threat of excommunication to annul the sale of the conquered city Imola, re-destined as wedding present for a papal nephew. At his mother 's request, Lorenzo offers 'side-tracked' Giuliano the post of governor of Volterra, but he declines, saying rightly Francesco was the first choice anyway, and admits he prefers Florentine society, notably his affair with Simonetta Vespucci, co-model for adoring Boticelli, but that project is canceled when her husband smells an adulterous rat. At the christening of Guglielmo's baby, Jacopo poisons godfather Francesco's trust in the Medici's by focusing on his arranged wife's 'complicity'. The Pazzi's arrange for the papal accounts to be withdrawn from the Medici bank, but Lorenzo manages to split off the more lucrative alum contracts.—KGF Vissers
- Exactly a year after, Lorenzo and Clarice are blessed with a son whom they named Piero de' Medici, while Francesco de' Pazzi who is now married to Novella Foscarri along with Bianca, who's pregnant as well become Piero's godparents, which seemed much to Giuliano's dismay as he never liked the idea of Francesco being too involved in their family or with Lorenzo. While the christening ceremony was being held, Lorenzo informs his mother and Luca Soderini regarding his intentions to buy the city of Imola which has been captured by the duchy of Milan recently so that the trade being done from Bologna can be brought to the newly bought place to augment the financial benefits for the bank and chances of employment for the Imolese citizens. Therefore Lorenzo leaves for Milan to attend Duke Sforza's daughter Caterina Sforza's (a girl of 12) wedding with Pope Sixtus's nephew Girolamo Riario, later Lorenzo explains himself to be interested in buying the city and offers 100,000 florins to the Duke for Milan. Meanwhile Jacopo and Salviati upon finding of Lorenzo's interest in Imola try to persuade the Pope to buy the city instead in order to enhance the papal influence and also as a wedding gift for his own nephew Riario. Lorenzo after making a promising deal with the Milanese duchy returns Florence and upon his mother's insistence offers Giuliano to govern Imola on their family's behalf but faces an antagonizing behavior from his brother who wishes to stay within the Florentine society due to his affair with the co-model Simonetta Vespucci and also because of his jealousy for Francesco Pazzi whom Giuliano believed would be given the city anyway. Francesco who is then offered the city accepts the offer thus also proving to be Lorenzo's good ally. While Sandro's painting nears it's end Marco Vespucci smells an affair of his wife with the painter and keeps his wife from visiting the painter's workshop again. Upon finding out Giuliano gets worried about his lover who now wishes to end their adulterous act, while also being in an argument with Sandro who blames him for his incomplete portray of Venus. On the other hand the relationship between Francesco and Jacopo is much rocky as Francesco keeps on extending his support for the Medici in the Priori, and to gain his support once again, as Jacopo himself does not own any heir and the future of Pazzi bank seemed unpromising, he invites Novella at his house to gain her sympathy while also figuring out that she has never been a close friend to Bianca (as claimed by Lorenzo once), and despite the cold behavior he faced from the Pazzi brothers, Jacopo starts to sabotage the peaceful marriage of Francesco by proving that his wife has always been too close to Lorenzo and seems much curious when it comes to the affairs of their bank as she somehow spies for Lorenzo. Meanwhile, after Salviati succeeds in persuading the Pope over Imola, he threatens the Duke Sforza on behalf of the papacy of excommunication if the city would be sold to the Medici, which resulted in the Duke reluctantly agreeing to sell the city to the papacy on a much lower price. In order to have money to buy Imola the Pope seeks a loan from the Medici bank but being adamant on buying the city for himself Lorenzo rejects to grant the Pope a loan, over which the relationship between the Medici and Pope are worsened. At first denying to believe such idle accusations about Novella, Francesco later starts to believe and becomes disappointed enough that he sent her back to Venice to annul their marriage. And taking advantage of the situation between the papacy and the Medicis, Pazzi bank offers to grant the loan needed to buy the city to the Pope, while Francesco goes on to end every remaining relations with Lorenzo. During all this Bianca gives birth to a daughter, much to the joy for the Medici household, while the Pope, disappointed by the Medici Bank, transfers his accounts to the Pazzi bank but Lorenzo trickily splits the more promising alum trade accounts and thus secures them for the Medici Bank, much to the Pazzis' anger.
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