Augustus Road

In the secret letter, Caesar said, "I am in imminent danger now. You must not trust Pompey again. Even if I still have to compromise on the surface in order to put him in a passive state in public opinion, now that he has formed an alliance with Cato the Younger, he is our enemy. Pompey's plan is this. Because I am now serving as the chief executive of the province of Gaul, public officials of this level will not be prosecuted by anyone during their term of office, so I am absolutely safe during my term of office. But next year (BC 55), my five-year term as governor of Gaul will end. Then, even if the Senate agrees to appoint me as the consul for the next year, it is just a trap. Why? After the term ends, one of the two consuls of the year will be elected to succeed me as governor, but if I want to run for the consul next year, I must go to the Capitoline Hill to register as a candidate. I think you, Lepidus, have already known this. I am very familiar with it, but the registration work should have been completed by then, so my identity at that time is just an ordinary person with no power or public office. "

"In that case, Cato the Younger, Bibrus, and even Pompey, anyone who hates me, will kill me easily. Without the legion and power by my side, I can only go to the court they set up, without any ability to fight back. Otherwise, there is another way out, that is, "self-exile", giving up nationality and identity, exiling to a wild land, and dying in a cowardly way!" When Caesar wrote the words "cowardly way", he obviously used unusual force to hook the pen.

Seeing this, Li Bi Da frowned, picked up the basin of litchi snails, ate two bites, and then observed Caesar's "solution": After the small triumphal ceremony in Rome, you must connect the tribunes at any cost. Jointly pass a bill, that is, a plan that allows me to obtain the qualification of a candidate for consul without returning to Rome to register, so that I can achieve a seamless connection between leaving the governor and taking office as consul. Let the opponent have no chance to take advantage.

In addition, Caesar also specifically instructed Lepidus not to irritate Pompey during the triumphal ceremony. He should not only properly satisfy Pompey's self-esteem, but also not let him be arrogant. Losing one of the two would make Pompey emotionally unstable. "Everything will be settled after my daughter Julia gives birth. Pompey's attention will inevitably be diverted, and the situation will naturally stabilize and ease at that time."

"Stabilize and ease..." Lepidus wiped his mouth, smiled secretly, and then raised Caesar's secret letter, letting it slowly burn into a ball of black ash in the candlelight, and then snorted a little cold air from his nostrils.

The city of Rome has temporarily given up the street fighting. The people turned their attention to the inauguration ceremony of the Pompey Theater. Outside, there were crowds of people playing, and lanterns and torches as numerous as stars, and the residence of Claudius, the tribune, on the Palatine Hill. After listening to what Lepidus said, the brother and sister almost simultaneously slapped the table and shouted in surprise, "What! You want me (my brother) to run for the consul next year?"

Lepidus nodded nonchalantly, indicating that his proposal was not a joke.

"But I'm still four years away from the age!" Claudius did not deny that he had such an idea, but he was embarrassed by the age limit, because according to convention, candidates for the consul must be over 40 years old. Fulvia and Claudia next to them were whispering nervously. Although the sister knew that Lepidus, the nobleman, would sooner or later help her brother to the highest position, she did not expect happiness to come so suddenly.

"That's just a convention, not an absolute decree. There is no such thing in the world. The current laws of the Republic follow the laws established during Sulla's dictatorship, including the provisions that weaken the power of the tribunes. They were all passed when Sulla was alive. Twenty or thirty years have passed now, so it can be changed." Lepidus encouraged him lightly, "Claudius, you should know how much I envy you. You and the civilian upstarts like Crassus and Pompey can take the tribune route; the ancient noble families like Caesar and Catiline can take the priest route. You can all achieve... The consul is a high position. Although I inherited the name of the Emilian clan, I can only rely on temporary rewards and get a finance official to fill the number. In the future, I will inevitably enter the Senate to end my official career. So I have to choose friends who can support each other behind the scenes. Claudius, I can't think of a more suitable candidate than you for the time being. We have fought side by side in the East and shared life and death in Rome together. What's more, your sister is my former mistress. "Over there, Claudia burst into tears when she heard this, and cried to Lepidus with relief, "My sweet and lovely little patron."

"But, I heard that this time Cato the Younger will once again promote his brother-in-law Domitius, and Pompey will promote Marcellus. These two are the vanguards against Caesar. Other senators such as Cruz, Mireo, Bolus, etc. are on Cato the Younger's side. Even Cicero and Aetius may be on their side. It is clear that they want to settle accounts with Caesar. The situation is very unfavorable. If I come in at this time, I will become the target of public criticism." It seems that Claudius's head is not fainted, and he can still consider the interests.

"Don't worry, I was able to help Caesar ascend to the position of consul, and naturally you can do the same. What's more, I am much more powerful now than before." Lepidus' words inexplicably gave the siblings great confidence, just like a shot of chicken blood. After saying this, Lepidus wiped his hands with a silk scarf, and politely asked Claudius to consider this issue, and then said goodbye and left.

After a few market days, the news that Claudius was going to run for the consul next year spread like wildfire. At this time, no one did not believe that Rome was about to fall into an endless disaster. Thunder rumbled in the sky, sweeping over the city, bringing with it the punishment of Jupiter. Now it was not only the conflict between Caesar and Pompey and Cato the Younger, but even Claudius, who was obviously not old enough, joined the battle. All citizens felt that volcanic lava was flowing under their feet and could burst out at any time.

"Immediately propose a motion to the Senate, immediately! Tell the current consuls to pass an imperial decree to strictly limit the qualifications of candidates next year. Only those who have served as chief executives in local provinces are eligible to run for election." In the Alba Villa, the furious Pompey, with a mighty entourage, accompanied by Cato the Younger and Demetrius, walked quickly towards the direction of Rome in the morning light.

"Strike first and gain the upper hand. Mobilize everyone now to occupy the Roman Forum and prevent Pompey from coming in. Don't give him the chance to propose any motion." On the street over there, Claudius and Lepidus, who had been prepared, shouted to all their followers. All the hooligans, both men and women, imitated the legion's way, shouting "Arm up!" and then, unstoppable, they rushed along the avenue towards the direction of the Forum to the rumbling drumbeats. The residents along the way took shelter on both sides of the road as if they had seen evil spirits.