Augustus Road

"As long as he can be king, let him kill me." - Agrippina, the mother of Roman Emperor Nero, told the fortune teller who warned the baby after Nero was born Will kill her in the future

I remember that when he was a child, he once went to his father's friend's house to play. A domineering big boy locked a weak but delicate child in a room and prepared to bully him wantonly. His friend took him and escaped.

Now in the eyes of little Cato, Pompey and this Demetrius are both guys with such dirty and damn habits. I even lost my mind and wanted to marry my daughter to him!

However, Brutus and several of his uncle's friends did not understand the reason at this time. They simply felt that General Pompey was enthusiastic and considerate about his guests. Several horses ran out of the courtyard and took their mules, horses or donkeys to the stables. After being held in the house, they came down and carefully flicked the dust around them in place.

The most passionate scene appeared. A professional groomsman in this villa, with an impressive and funny beard, a bright garland on his head, holding a beautifully carved wooden staff in his hand, his eyes widened and screamed from He rushed out of the queue, as if seeing his long-lost biological father, and without any explanation he hugged the back of little Cato's neck, causing the other party to struggle hard, but his kisses still hit little Cato's cheek like raindrops. After a while of entanglement, the best man held Cato's shoulders with both hands and began to look at him. His expression changed very quickly, and he said something that made Cato explode: "You are Demetrius." Your Excellency's lead servant? Welcome, the master must be not far behind. When can he come to this villa? "

Hearing the words of the best man, Brutus stood there dumbly, while some of Cato's friends present already understood that this was a ridiculous misunderstanding. After whispering to each other, they burst into laughter. Tu pushed the groomsman away, his hands shaking with anger. Yes, Pompey and this slave named Demetrius were openly insulting him and the honor of his family. He suddenly felt that it was wrong. They went to see the wax figures of their ancestors. Pompey was just a country man, and Demetrius was said to be just a Jewish slave from Galilee. How dare they... Is this what Pompey meant by sincerity? ?

No, no matter what the truth is, Brutus, a naive boy, was deceived. This child was more enlightened than me. When he was thinking about the problem, he seemed to have completely forgotten that Pompey was his father-killing enemy, so I was also fooled. But now I still have a chance to win back the victory, that is, publicly reject Pompey's proposal for my daughter, and publicize this matter through the mouth of my friends.

"Ah, poor man!" Cato finally muttered these words without saying anything to anyone present, including his friends. He turned around and left, glaring at Brutus fiercely. One glance.

Returning to his simple house, little Cato exploded completely. He slapped his wife and maid several times, and broke the utensils on the shelves at home. His two daughters were so frightened that their faces turned pale. They hugged each other and trembled in front of the loom. They had hoped that their father and brother-in-law would bring a good response to General Pompey, but now they did not even dare to cry. But Cato's anger erupted quickly and disappeared quickly, because he had always regulated himself according to the essence of Stoicism and lived a moderate life. He calmed down quietly on the couch for a while. Time, and then said to the confidential slave next to him: "If Pompey comes to ask anything, just say that Cato believes that his triumphant roundabout tactics on the battlefield cannot break through the boudoir of the Cato family!"

At this time, the two daughters in the inner room finally couldn't help but scream loudly...

A few days later, Lepidus got the news that the marriage was "completely obsolete". The depressed Brutus told him personally. Pompey also expressed his shock and confusion after learning the other party's answer. , he said that he did not understand what he had done wrong, causing Cato to treat him so mercilessly. Of course, Lepidus also made a very annoyed expression, "I really didn't expect that Demetrius's face would change so quickly. It is probably his arrogance that destroyed the well-being of the country. For this matter, I and I Potty felt guilty."

"No, no, I heard that this Jew is such a virtuous man. He relies on his shrewdness and ability to ignore anyone. When Cicero went to visit Pompey last time, I heard that this Jew did it in front of all the guests. He pulled his shirt to his ears and lay on the couch, looking rude and uncivilized. This angered Cicero, so he wrote a satirical description of it in his article. Tu clearly put the main responsibility on Demetrius, who was unable to explain himself. Then Lepidus took the opportunity to comfort him, and Brutus also said that he was about to go to Greece to study in various places, and he would be afraid of returning to Rome. It would be two or three years later, and he sincerely hoped that after he left, Poti could absorb Portia into her fraternity group, because he had already regarded Lepidus as "a comrade who served and fought together in the legion."

Soon, Brutus left his new wife, his mother and the city of Rome in a unhappy mood, and headed east.

Lepidus did this matter very neatly and beautifully. When Caesar who stayed in the port of Ostia knew about it, he would definitely praise his ability. Now Pompey must be extremely angry because of Cato's refusal to marry. He should need A "friend" like Caesar.

But because the deadline was approaching, Lepidus' second top priority was to help Caesar go to Mount Catopil as soon as possible to register as a candidate for consulship.

This is exactly what Lepidus said to Caesar at the time, you need a large-scale hot event that can attract the whole city of Rome, forcing the Senate to vote on your proposal, so that Cato the Younger's procrastination strategy will fail.

Therefore, as quickly as possible, Lepidus arrived at the villa of Claudius and his brother on the Palatine Hill. Claudius spent the day in the streets of Rome, wearing the unique cloak and boots of the tribune, loudly speaking for the law and the people. He screamed, held a banquet here at night, drank heavily with Curio, Antony and other bad friends, took emetics, and connected various atrocities or conspiracies. According to Cicero, "Grease and rotten Piles of fleshy vomit lay at their feet."

As a result, tonight, when Lepidus just pushed open the bronze door (Claudius was appointed as the tribune of the people, according to the provisions of Roman law, the door of his house must always be open to admit any citizens who have appeals), he saw There was an incredible scene at the tribune's banquet: under the cloister of the garden, Claudius roared loudly and chased the stout Antony with a dagger, seemingly because the other party's rape of his wife Fulivia was revealed. The two sides continued to exchange insults through the dissuading crowd, threatening to kill each other, and the friendship between the former "Three Dance Kings" would be completely broken. Before this farce, the short Curio supported Fulivia, who was crying and ashamed, and whispered comfort to the young woman beside the chaotic banquet. As for Claudius' sister Claudia, she could only Pulling his own hair, he yelled for his brother's wonderful fight with Anthony. (To be continued.)