Pope Callixtus III's life had not yet faded, but everyone who came to Rome knew that this ambitious Pope was nearing the end of his life.
He would always be remembered for his efforts in convening the Crusade to expel the Ottoman, a great achievement that would make him one of the greatest Popes in history.
What worried him most was France's invasion of Naples; he feared that France would once again try to control the Church.
But now he was too weak to ponder these issues, able only to trust in the wisdom of those who would come after him.
On a muggy evening in mid-June 1458, eighteen members of the College of Cardinals, clad in scarlet robes, walked through the Papal Palace in the Vatican, the hems of their luxurious red robes sweeping over the damp stone bricks, with only the faint sound of burning torches and footsteps in the silent corridor.
They were all the members of the College of Cardinals participating in the election of the new Pope.
Nine Italian Cardinals, five French Cardinals, two Aragonese Cardinals, one Castilian Cardinal, and the Holy Roman Empire's Cardinal Nicholas.
England's only Cardinal had announced his renunciation of voting rights due to being busy mediating the escalating civil war within his country.
Poland's Cardinal had been stripped of his voting rights due to conflicts with the Holy See.
Almost all legitimate Cardinals from across Europe were gathered here, where they would elect Pope Callixtus III's successor.
Now, the critically ill Pope Callixtus III suddenly regained some vigor, and he summoned the Cardinals who had rushed from various parts of Europe in the dead of night.
After a secret entrustment, the members of the College of Cardinals left the Pope's residence with dejected expressions, but only they themselves knew what each of them was thinking.
Nicholas stood before an unfinished nameless chapel in the Vatican, moonlight flowing through his graying hair.
The fifty-seven-year-old Cardinal gazed at this simple chapel, beginning to recall the storms he had weathered throughout his life.
His childhood was not happy; for some reason, he left home at a young age and, with the patronage of an Earl, entered the Brethren of the Common Life to study.
Here, he learned much, and his religious fervor grew daily.
After many years of diligent study, he entered the University of Heidelberg in Palatinate to study literature, and a year later transferred to the University of Padua to study canon law.
Soon, he obtained a doctorate in law and began to work in legal litigation.
However, he was a clumsy lawyer, often failing in lawsuits, which led to no one wanting to hire him for defense.
In desperation, Nicholas shifted his focus to the study and teaching of theology and philosophy, and entered the Church to serve.
In 1431, like Aeneas, he participated in the Council of Basel as a secretary to a Cardinal.
However, Aeneas stayed at the Council of Basel until 1443, accepting Albrecht II's invitation to the Vienna court, and was therefore considered one of the culprits of the schism in the Holy See.
Nicholas, on the other hand, gained Pope Nicholas V's appreciation through some of his statements and propositions as early as 1435, and followed the Pope in leaving Basel after the schism of the Holy See.
This wise choice elevated his position in the Church.
For more than a decade thereafter, he engaged in theological research while striving to heal the schism within the Western Church.
During this period, he also served as a representative of the Western Church, traveling to Constantinople and meeting the then Orthodox Patriarch.
This was also the last visit the Roman Holy See made to the Eastern Roman Empire before its fall.
It can be said that his main work during this period was to try to resolve the internal schism of the Western Church and the Great Schism between the Eastern and Western Churches, although these efforts ultimately yielded only less than ideal results.
In 1447, Nicholas V became the new Pope, the Council of Basel disbanded itself, and Nicholas was promoted to one of the few Cardinals in the German region due to his merits.
A year later, he was appointed Imperial Legate, his position within the Empire second only to the Archbishop of Mainz.
Of course, this refers to his position within the Church hierarchy, not the Imperial political system.
He was responsible for many tasks, primarily promoting limited Church reforms and selling indulgences.
This contradictory behavior confused him.
On the one hand, promoting Church reform was to eradicate corruption within the Church.
On the other hand, selling indulgences constantly exacerbated the corruption of the Church and also increased the burden on the people within the Empire.
In 1452, he resigned from his position as Imperial Legate and went to the Lower Saxony region to serve as Prince-Bishop of Brixen, until now, he has once again returned to Rome, about to participate in the election of the new Pope.
Undoubtedly, the Holy See needed change, just like the Empire.
Nicholas snapped out of his memories, realizing that the Emperor's assistant had arrived by his side at some unknown time.
"Cardinal Guillaume and most of the Italian Cardinals are asking for one to two thousand florins."
The Austrian's whisper seeped from the shadows; in his hand were several scrolls containing agreements signed with several Cardinals.
Nicholas nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.
"Cardinal Rodrigo and Cardinal Julian are both nephews of Pope Callixtus III, Aragonese; they hold important positions in the Church and own many Church properties thanks to the Pope's promotion, so money cannot move them."
"What methods did you use?"
Nicholas frowned slightly, he had a premonition that what his assistant was about to say would make him uncomfortable—in fact, just hearing the names Rodrigo and Julian was enough to disgust him.
These two fellows were both under 30 years old, and their becoming esteemed Cardinals was entirely due to their uncle, Pope Callixtus III.
These two fellows were the best proof of the Church's corruption.
The assistant smiled faintly and replied, "We heard that these two Cardinals appreciate beauty, so we spent money in Siena to buy several beautiful dancers and sent them over, and promised to send them a few more Oriental beauties—actually just some Cypriot women—plus some small gifts, and they finally agreed to cast their vote for you."
"Shameless! Absurd!"
Nicholas was shocked. Were they really talking about so-called Cardinals?
So greedy, so dissolute, perhaps if you stripped away their outer layer, these people's lives would be no different from those of maggots.
The assistant suppressed a smile and continued, "Cardinal Enrique of the Kingdom of Castile has even more unique tastes; he prefers handsome young men. In any case, this matter has also been settled… Please calm down, Your Eminence, not everyone is as noble in character as you, unmoved by these worldly things."
His words, far from comforting Nicholas, made him even more enraged, and even somewhat ashamed that he was working with such a group of people.
"The French Bishops were not easy to bribe, but we still managed to move the discerning Archbishop of Lyon and another French Cardinal with precious spices and silk; the Cardinal of Paris refused to meet our representatives, and the remaining two French Cardinals were also unwilling to vote for you. We did our best."
"This is enough. You have worked hard. Remember to maintain secrecy."
"Yes. Also, the Orsini Family, having suffered significant losses in Naples, harbors animosity towards the Emperor; they might cause trouble, while the Colonna Family is willing to support your election as the new Pope. This 'holy' election might drag on for a while, so I hope you will take care of your health."
The assistant mentioned this, and only then did Nicholas remember that there were two major families in Rome, their influence extending throughout Italy.
They could even influence Papal elections, and these would be his enemies to deal with in the future.
As for the assistant's latter half of the reminder, he naturally knew what it meant.
According to custom, the Papal election would last a maximum of nine days. After each vote, the ballots would be counted, and a candidate would be officially declared Pope only if they received more than two-thirds plus one vote of the total number of Cardinals.
In the upcoming election, Nicholas would need to secure 13 votes to be declared elected.
If this standard was not met, voting would have to be repeated continuously; historically, there had even been the peculiar sight of thirty rounds of voting.
To avoid such a situation, the Church reformed the election process: voting would take place in a closed space, and the Cardinals would need to elect a new Pope within nine days.
For the first three days, the Church would provide normal meals.
For the next five days, the Church would provide only one meal per day.
On the last day, the food would consist of only a very small piece of dry bread and water.
If no one received enough votes by the ninth day, the priest responsible for reading the ballots would count the votes of all candidates and declare the one with the most votes as the new Pope.
If the Orsini Family was determined to prevent Nicholas from being elected, the stance of those Italian Bishops would certainly become wavering, and the duration of this election would become uncertain.
Nicholas was mentally prepared for hunger; he was almost the oldest among the College of Cardinals, but he could still endure a few days of hunger.