Augustus Road

"Silence is of no use. The first one to tell the truth is always the one who is eligible to receive the reward." - This is what the wife of the slave Milicus encouraged her husband before betraying her master's plan to assassinate Nero.

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Yes, Lepidus, who was waiting under the Temple of Jupiter, heard it right. His patron Luculas "Tuna" also wanted to be a candidate to compete with Caesar. He really didn't expect that Cato would still retain such a hand. He didn't know whether the patron was simply repaying Cato for the help he had given him back then, or whether it was because of his consistent political stance (his patron was naturally an aristocratic party, and Su Followers of Ra), he was going to have a fight with Caesar anyway.

As for the other Byblos, in the eyes of Lepidus, it is just a "symbol". The most distressing phenomenon for him now has appeared, that is, the choice between friendship and interests.

Caesar walked down the steps and handed the bronze plate of the candidate list to Lepidus meaningfully, and then succinctly uttered a sentence from his mouth, "How?"

Who would have thought that Lepidus did not think for too long and returned the bronze plate to Caesar, saying firmly: "I'm sorry, I must go back to help my patron."

"Yes, thank you for paving the road." Caesar's expression was very indifferent, and he didn't say much. He seemed to be indifferent to Lepidus' move, but his sentence "should" had a far-reaching and unpredictable meaning. Whether Lepidus should be loyal to his patron, or whether Lepidus could leave his own group, Caesar did not give a clear answer in the end. Then he put on a pure white robe and slowly walked down the Capitol Hill. The rest of his friends also looked at Lepidus who was standing still in amazement, wondering why this man left Caesar when it was easiest to share the glory - now all idiots know that Caesar will definitely take office as the next consul, at most The Senate will choose between Luculas and Byblos, and they will fight for power with Caesar as a duopoly. This guy is only less than thirty years old, and he will actually waste the great room for advancement in the next year to follow A rich but powerless old aristocrat is really inexplicable.

In the villa in Apilon, Lepidus had been very depressed and silent since he came back from the Capitol. He would leave his children to the nanny, and then sit in the boat with the doctor Timothy with pigtails and let the little pigeons Paluma paddled quietly in the small mountain lake. The reflections of various miscellaneous trees in late autumn were swaying on the water, and there were also clumps of extremely long aquatic plants emerging from the water. The refreshing wind was swaying. Lepidus asked for the herbs taken by the shelter from Kelly and handed them to Timothy. After sniffing them, he shook his head and said, "If you take this medicine for too long, you will completely lose your mind." ”

"I heard from Kelly that the patron insisted on taking this medicine. Does he know the poisonous nature of this herb? But at least I have warned the patron about the poisonous nature of this medicine many times before, but the patron never listened. , this medicine must have great trust from the patron. In addition, according to the informant, little Cato has been in and out of the patron's Prema villa very frequently recently, but I think he is most likely to persuade the patron to participate in the election—— Hey, did you listen to me?" Li Bida analyzed it for a long time, but saw Timothy sitting at the stern of the boat, concentrating on fishing, and couldn't help but get angry. At this moment, Little Pigeon intervened, "According to the adoptive father's instructions. Analysis, I can make a judgment.”

"Oh, you say."

"If this were a normal walnut game, Tuna would be elected along with Caesar."

Lepidus looked at Little Pigeon's face with some confusion, and then he understood that Little Pigeon was right: the rumors of his patron's mental disorder should have been known to well-informed people in Rome. Cato had been his patron for many years. Friends would not be unaware of this, and Caesar had no reason to remain in the dark. For Cato the Younger and the aristocratic party, Luculas was famous, but now he had a bad mind, almost the same as his brother Marcus. But is there anyone more suitable to be a consul than a man with a mind that doesn't make the decision? Even the cost of feeding is saved. For Caesar, Luculas's physical condition bothered him more than usual, because after being elected, his battle with the aristocratic party was about to become fierce, and it was often he and Luculas who were on the table. In a fierce battle between people, who wants to bear the infamy of fighting against idiots? To say "win without force" would be considered mild.

After taking a long breath, Lepidus fell quietly on the deck of the boat, looked at the high blue sky, and was stunned. After a long time, he said to the little pigeon: "Now, I'm afraid it's time to really make a choice."

In the middle of the night, Bodie lay tenderly on her man's chest, wiping the sweat from his body, "I think I have become too fast. In the past, I would be very frightened but very serious about picking up the sword, in order to... Protecting your family, you, the little pigeon, Leo and Corinna, are like ferocious little animals living in a warm nest underground; but now I take the initiative to risk the backlash to attack and bite other people's flesh and blood "To me, killing someone is like crushing an ant. It's not enough for me to become a ferocious and greedy coyote. I'm afraid I'm about to lose my personality."

Bodi touched Lepidus' eyes, wrapped him in a blanket, and said with a smile: "Your eyes are still as black as agate and as clear as the lake of Mount Apillon. They have not changed. They are still the same as when you were in Lycdania. I have heard about your troubles these days. Listen to men and do what you think is right. Even if I have calculated Portia, I still think that Portia's sister is vain. Even if she gets her father's consent to marry Pompey, she will be divorced and come back with a runny nose and a dowry alone in the future."

Under the candlelight, Lepidus touched Bodi's smooth and plump back and made up his mind secretly.

The next day, he appeared in Crassus's quiet mansion in a low-key manner. "You want me to persuade Luculas to give up the election? I can't do that, because Tuna and Caesar being elected together is the biggest win-win for me. When the fight comes, both sides will have to ask me for help. That Bibrus is not my kind of person. I have no interest in his election." Crassus was in the room where the financial slaves were concentrated. He carefully observed the abacus hanging on the wall and checked whether it was secretly tampered by the slaves. He was always very sensitive to such details.

"But once my master is elected, I will be in a dilemma." Lepidar insisted calmly.

"What do you need to be embarrassed about? Bet on both sides. Sometimes I doubt how you came up with such superb business skills?" Crassus said a little unhappy, and he seemed very uninterested in Lepidar's suggestions.

"Dear Mr. Crassus, do you still hope to carry out an expedition that can bring real honor to yourself and your family in your lifetime, just like Pompey's elimination of pirates and the destruction of the Kingdom of Pontus!" Lepidus suddenly raised his voice. This disrespectful tone immediately made the financial slaves present feel like they were facing a great enemy. They all looked at the two men in horror, thinking that a storm was coming. (To be continued.)