Augustus Road

"All the burdens have been transferred from the poor to the rich, so the glory naturally belongs to the rich." - Levi

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"Oh, oh, my Lord the Chief Advocate, you tonight, without evidence, slandered a citizen who was bent on seeking the welfare of the city of Rome. My ancestor Seggius, but with Aeneas (Rome) The ancestors of mankind (who escaped from the fallen city of Troy) came to this place together. You, a knight of barbarian origin, are not qualified to accuse me." Catiline said with a sneer, "My family is on this land. , Born and died here, little Cicero, when did you come to Rome? Twenty years ago, thirty years ago? Has anyone in your family ever served as a senator?" Catiline then asked those present. All the people made gestures, "Look at my right hand. My great-grandfather had his right hand cut off by the enemy when he fought with the Punic general Hannibal. Then he said he should die and asked the military doctor to give it to him." I installed a fake iron hand and continued to fight the enemy to the death - the blood of my ancestors is still pulsing in my right hand. I swear that I will use it to bring happiness to everyone in Rome, whether they are nobles or commoners. Glory and dignity!" At this time, some nobles in the Apollo Hall and the large group of young people behind Catiline began to shout slogans enthusiastically.

"Has your right hand, which is pulsating with glorious blood, also untied your daughter's shirt?" Cicero immediately boycotted, because there have been rumors in Rome that this man named Catiline even violated his own child. daughter.

Hearing Cicero's harsh sarcasm, Catiline's followers were furious, and even the nobles present shook their heads. Although Cicero's words could be successful for a while, but a knight was still running for the next consulship. To actually use such words to attack Catiline, who was born in an ancient aristocratic family, makes people feel that he is avenging public revenge.

Hearing such gossip, Claudia covered her mouth and laughed. Although she may have heard these things in the boudoir of a noble lady, she felt that these words would not be spoken in the mouths of men involved in politics. When it comes out, it has a different flavor.

Calabis looked at the reactions of Caesar and Crassus. The two seemed to have no attitude. They retreated to the corner and continued to whisper to the lady, seemingly commenting on the confrontation.

Seeing the reaction at the scene, Cicero also felt that he was used to being a lawyer and a legal officer, and his words subconsciously appeared aggressive and mean. Instead, he fell into Catiline's trick of luring the enemy. In order to save the situation, he He cleared his throat and said: "Yes, Lucius Catiline, you are indeed from a noble family, and I also admit that you are a strong enemy. However, I sincerely remind you that after you resigned as governor of Africa, the local The people's complaint group accusing you of wealth-grabbing and corruption has been staying in Rome to bite you, but the rules of the consul election stipulate that those who are involved in lawsuits are not eligible to run. "

"Thank you for the reminder. I also hope that when you are in charge of this case, you can treat it fairly and have a bit of fair competition." Catiline said nonchalantly.

Cicero said, "No, what I'm actually saying is, if you want, I can be your defense attorney."

At this time, everyone was in an uproar again. Cicero actually wanted to be the defense lawyer for his political opponents, but Calabis vaguely felt that Cicero was not a low-handed person: if Catiline agreed, then Cicero would definitely win the victory of disinterestedness. If Catiline refuses, he will automatically lose the qualification to run, let alone Cicero's opponent.

Catiline looked at Cicero for a while, laughed, and replied: "From the perspective of your opponent, I praise you. But out of the dignity of the nobility, I reject you. A natural nobleman does not need a knight to defend him. The goddess of justice will acquit me!" As soon as Catiline finished speaking, there was a wave of applause in the hall, which seemed to be for Catiline and Cicero.

After the two shook hands and made peace, the banquet continued. Claudia, who had just seen Calabis applauding enthusiastically, made a look of disdain, then laughed again and said: "Calabis, do you think this is the case?" Can the blood-stained sand of the Colosseum be cleaned? It was just a wrestling match between the two of them."

"I know, but I don't understand. Are Catiline and Cicero the only candidates for consulship the following year?"

Claudia held her chin up with great interest and said: "You little guy from a foreign race, now I can tell you the rules and procedures of this Colosseum as a gift to welcome you to Rome."

"Have you seen that pale Catiline who killed his brother and his daughter? Outstanding abilities and evil nature coexisted in him. Don't look at him bragging about his family status. His family has long been in decline. In a hundred years, he only served as a legion commander, a legal officer, and a branch officer. What a pale record of service! He was eager to restore the honor of his family. He was crazy about Sulla before. During the civil war, after hearing that he killed public enemies, , carrying the bloody and breathing head, swaggering through the city a few years ago when he was the governor of Africa, he amassed a fortune of tens of millions of sesterces. Now he came to Rome to run for office, and he was bound to win. Of course, Africa was also following him. The public’s accusation against him was that we nicknamed him ‘Mad Man’.”

"Oh, that Cicero, he is also a favorite for the coming year. Yes, he and Catiline had served in Sulla's legions before, but Catiline was a famous battle hero at the time, and he was a weakling , he was weak, weak, skinny, and afraid of hearing the horn of charge. It didn't take long before he sadly left the legion midway, devoted himself to the eloquence that suited him, and showed his talents in the French court. Now every lawyer is afraid of meeting him. He relies on By defending and prosecuting, he accumulated huge political capital and popularity. Moreover, unlike Catiline who focused on winning over the lower class people, Cicero was more favored by middle-class free citizens like Carabis, shopkeepers, contractors, and others. Public servants and brokers gathered behind him, and the wealthy people he defended were all over the city. Moreover, he was very upright and honest, and could refuse parties and pleasures. This was what I hated most about him when he was governor in other provinces. He only received a bribe of two million sesterces, and after returning to the city, his political opponents did not bother to prosecute him. However, his weakness was that he was born in a knight family of Alpino and was not a descendant of the Romans at all. He lacked the skills in Rome. A reliable ally, although he has close friendships with Crassus, Luculas, Caesar, and Cato the Younger, we all call him 'Xinjin'."

Then, Claudia pointed with her jade finger at a tall, rough and fat man in a corner, surrounded by a group of people, and said: "Actually, that guy is also participating in the competition for the consulship next year. His name is Gaio. Neruda, oh, yes, he also participated in Sulla's legion and fought against Mithridates. He was stationed in Greece for a long time and specialized in plundering the wealth of the Greeks. He was prosecuted and exiled for this. Now he's back again." Then, Calabis saw Neruda laughing, raised his feet slightly to the people watching him, then put his toes down and said, "About the robbery of Greece. I have already apologized to the Senate and the Citizens' Assembly for the incident at the Temple of Delphi. This is how I apologized. Aren't all the kids in Rome using this posture to apologize? "How can I do that?" The people around also laughed.

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