Augustus Road

"We are so picky that we can only walk on gold." - Seneca

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Around the courtyard, people standing, lying, sitting on pallets, and standing under parasols and ceilings were like a colony of ants. The followers of Pompey and Claudius were mixed in the crowd, interacting with each other. The conspiracy was pushing, and everyone was full of "interest and expectation" about the outcome of the case of Claudius' death. Of course, all the nobles and senators were also worried that if this case was not handled well, the remaining half of Rome would be Urban areas will also be burned.

Therefore, after Pompey consulted the Senate, their meeting places were not fixed now. In many cases they could only meet in private residences. He received an order to "rectify the order of the court", and Banks and Sulpicius The two consuls also approved this temporary appointment: Capua's "Hare" Legion and the City Legion were ordered to enter the city under martial law, and a total of two thousand elite soldiers were selected to guard the hills and temples in full force. and both sides of the street to prevent another accident from happening during the interrogation of Terry Ali.

The first person to enter the court along the main square was Triali. He first hid in a nearby manor, and later got wind of Pompey, so he came out to be interrogated. Unlike all the prisoners, he was full of innocence and pardon. Confident, when walking on the street, not only his hair was carefully trimmed and washed, but he also wore a normal knight's cloak instead of the mourning clothes that traditional criminals wear to beg for mercy. His gang members gathered on both sides of the road to help him and another defendant Yi Gnartius shouted in support.

Then, Hersius, who "seemed to suddenly emerge from the sewers of Rome", faced the ridicule of the people, knights and nobles, because no one believed that he could defeat Cicero in court. This was even a standard Latin man. A bastard who can't even speak a good word. He accepted the position of prosecutor purely out of the idea of ​​"making a bad name". Even though he was ridiculed by Rulang, he entered the court with confidence.

In the end, it was Cicero who arrived belatedly. Although he had just exerted his confidence. But when he saw the two sides of the main road leading to the main square. Whether on the terrace or on the hill. They were all occupied by soldiers armed with swords and shields, and he began to feel frightened again, even though these weapons were not aimed at him, when he walked to the flower market around the corner. Suddenly, he saw Claudius's widow and sister, dressed in black mourning clothes, staring at him like witches, constantly carving on the lead with hairpins, muttering words, while the servant next to him was writing. Rolls of papyrus were placed in the small stove. The gray-black smoke was flying like snow, and he felt his head was buzzing, and his ears were filled with the sounds of curses, howls, and weapons fighting. He was a little confused.

Lepidus did not go to see the whole debate in person. Because he had already predicted the outcome, he was always in his apartment on Ciucola Street (although it was small and Lepider had many properties under his name, he still liked to handle official business here), writing secret letters to all parties. Below the apartment, a dozen Moorish slaves with fast feet were waiting there, ready to deliver the letter as quickly as possible.

About two days later, a Moor ran over and told Lepidus the final result: "Cicero's performance was extremely poor. He seemed to be under great pressure and worried. He was even refuted by Hersius. Several times, he even hesitated, much to the disappointment of the young people who came to watch. In the end, he could only win the case by using Hersius' brogue to attack him - but Triali was still guilty. , was exiled to Masseria for one year, and Ignatius was exiled to Sagantan for three years, and during his exile he was not allowed to run for any public office.”

Lepidus put down the hook pen and laughed, and all the procedures unfolded according to the script he planned.

It didn’t take long for Roman citizens to understand that the court debate over Claudius’ death could be said to be a “win-win” situation. Cicero still married the young Barlilia, a young lady from the Fabian family, and received a dowry of no less than half a million drachma silver coins. The new wife was not at all as unruly and unreasonable as the previous Lenchardt, and She was gentle and virtuous, and took the initiative to hand over all the dowry to Cicero for management. The old Cicero, who was wearing the groom's crown, was trembling with excitement. He immediately used the money to buy a large number of books and purchased several high-end apartments. He also gave away 30,000 silver coins to his married daughter as personal money. In short, he vowed to protect his second marriage "like he protects his own eyes and tongue."

Although he thought he had "defeated" his ex-wife who abandoned him, Cicero was still worried. From Claudius's mansion on the hill next to him, screams of hatred and screams could be heard every day. Relatives and party members were probably discussing how to put themselves to death all the time, because Fulivia had sworn that anyone who dared to defend her husband's murderer would have his head and hands chopped off and nailed to death sooner or later. In the main square.

Fortunately, Pompey soon reciprocated the favor. According to insider reports, Lepidus learned that Pompey had privately decided that if his side wins the consul election in the coming year, Cicero will be appointed governor of Asia Minor, where the war has now subsided. , pirates are extinct. As long as Cicero is not crazy or mad, he can easily obtain a "reasonable income" of 800 to 10 million sesterces after his term of office by selling allies and sealing titles, or using tax collectors a little.

"As soon as spring comes, we can leave the dangerous city of Rome! When the wind is calm, we will sail back to the beautiful Tiber River." Cicero held this wonderful idea, waiting quietly, and preparing his staff. He always believed that this defense was right, and Lenchart was a stupid woman.

Helsius also became "famous". Although he was not famous, many people remembered his name. He was no longer transparent in the political arena. It is said that the families of Caesar and Claudius began to support him behind the scenes, and Helsius was obviously unwilling to stop there: in the eyes of many elders, his brilliance was far inferior to Claudius, so when he suddenly registered as a candidate for consul next year on Capitoline Hill, even Cato the Younger found it incredible!

"Claudius is fine, but what is the deeper meaning of Caesar and Lepidus choosing this guy as a pawn? Are they counting on this Sicilian bumpkin to reverse the situation?" In the town of Alba, in Pompey's mansion, Cato the Younger paced back and forth anxiously, repeatedly asking this question.

Pompey thought that this person was completely worrying: "Because Caesar is now helpless, but we still have to be cautious to prevent him from sending legion soldiers back to vote. If he really makes Helcius the consul, it will be troublesome. I don't want to have a deputy consul in Rome next year to hinder him."

"You don't have to worry about this at all!" said Cato the Younger with confidence.