Augustus Road

After just a few minutes of observation, Lepidus became very interested in this big fat man. The conversation between him and the slave did not speak standard Latin, but was mixed with a deep Sicilian brogue, which showed that he It is impossible for him to come from a noble family in the Roman state, but since he came to participate in this gathering, it proves that his official rank is not very low, at least equal to his own. His fat body shows that he is a glutton and vulgar guy. , had poor self-control, and must have been involved in corruption and fraud, because politicians in Rome who were a little self-conscious would burn fat in the arena and gymnasium to achieve a well-proportioned figure.

Finally, he always buys cheap water scooped from the aqueduct instead of drinks mixed with honey or grape juice from high-end taverns, which shows that the fat man is very strapped for money now.

The officials at the meeting were preparing to leave one after another. The fat man was drinking his seventh glass of water from the sea and complaining in his dialect about the boring weather in Rome that was sometimes dry and sometimes humid. At this moment, a slave he didn't recognize wearing high-end silk clothes appeared. , brought him a glass of ice-cold pineapple wine through the fence, with some refreshing and delicious adzuki beans in it. The fat man hesitated for a moment, then drank the water in one gulp, and then felt that all the pores in his body were singing loudly, from head to toe. Extremely refreshing and indescribably ironing.

Then he looked at the water glass in his hand. The surface was made of silver with fine reliefs. The rim of the cup was inlaid with gold, which suited his temperament. At this moment, he turned around and saw the slender Li Bida. He was walking towards him with a smile, "If you want to say that I drank the wrong drink, then I have to admit it, but this drink is so delicious." The fat man replied, smacking his mouth.

"No, no, don't worry. You didn't drink wrongly. This is what I invited you to do. I feel honored to honor you." Lepida then snapped his fingers at the slave, and the guy immediately ran away. He was standing opposite the fence holding a silver plate. The fat man looked carefully and saw the exquisite silver plate, silver kettle, and three silver cups. It happened to be a set with the one in my hand. On the plate were beautifully assembled mussels. "Do you like it? Can I give it to you? If you are willing, I also have a wine glass made of fluorite in my mansion. It’s available for your appreciation.”

The fat man swallowed a big mouthful of spit. You must know that this set of silver tableware inlaid with gold must be worth three thousand drachmas. He was a little incoherent under the excitement. He hurriedly pulled up his huge body and shook hands with Lepidus. "Knight of Syracuse, current governor Hersius."

"Lepidus of Sardinia, Duzhiguan." The other party's answer was concise, but not without enthusiasm.

"Colleagues like us should have met and gotten to know each other a long time ago. I know your wife's grandfather. I was just a small businessman who followed the army back then." Hersius hurriedly cultivated friendship. These words made Lepidus think that this fat man He is not very stupid. From his appearance, one can tell at a glance that he is definitely not the father of old Li Bida, but can only be the son-in-law and adopted son.

On the way out of the university grounds, the two of them talked more and more about each other. Although Lepidus was troubled by Hersius's dialect, he could still listen with a smile - Hersius, who previously relied on the power of the ancient Fabian family to pay taxes for their family in various provinces, He accumulated a fortune worth millions of sesterces, and then became ambitious. Entering the political arena in Rome, I found that politics is very different from the business world. Everyone has no spirit of contract and goes back on their word. Three years ago he bribed himself to become the treasurer of the province of Macedonia. As a result, after his term of office expired, he actually wanted to run for the consulship. In the end, not only was his dream shattered, but he was also regarded as a blocker by the second consul Sulpicius. He became a defendant in the court, and most of his family property was wiped out in an instant. In the end, Fabian finally The family still cared about him and gave him the status of a branch official. In short, in a few years, he was going to enter the Senate and wait for death.

Well, this kind of person is Lepidus' favorite. His career is at a low point and he has unrealistic illusions. Even if you throw him a straight hook without bait now, he will rush forward and bite him until the corner of his mouth bleeds.

"Go and have a look at my villa at Fauna Manor!" At the fork in the road, Lepidus suddenly suggested enthusiastically, "It's at the intersection of the avenues near the Coligny Gate."

Since he had previously collected the expensive silverware, Hersius could not refuse, so he took his slaves and strolled towards the manor villa that the other party mentioned.

There is a saying in Rome, "Once a guest comes to the door, the host should waste no time showing off his most expensive silverware." This is not only an attitude of hospitality, but also a kind of self-showing and satisfaction. But what Lepidus showed was not just silverware. After Hersius entered the gate, he was stunned by the complex and overlapping colonnade of the front hall of the villa, which was half Dorian and half Ioan. In the Nian style, marble-lined ditches surround the entire courtyard, and gardeners are watering neatly arranged flowers. In the center of the front yard, a pure gold statue of a dancing god stands, surrounded by stone chairs for rest.

"I'll take you around the living room." A group of beautiful dancers, under the instruction of the master, took Hersius's hand and led him into the hall with sixteen luxurious rooms, all of which were dazzling. The mosaic murals included mythological stories, various animals, and festival customs. Thanks to someone’s guidance, Hersius entered the restaurants on the left and right from the maze-like hall, one was the winter restaurant and the other was the summer restaurant. , the former has a luxurious fireplace, the latter has lush plants, and at the end is a semicircular bedroom. Everything in it is made of gold and silver - closets, wardrobes, couches and bed frames, and this bedroom and a secret bathroom Connected, when Hersius walked into the bathroom made of Numidian mirror marble, two huge murals were displayed in front of him.

They are all painted by famous hands, and they are all "sexually themed". This is common in the Roman art world, but it also makes Hersius, a bumpkin, blood boiling. One has a gold background, and the picture is probably about a young adult. A couple wearing flower crowns, the man is holding the woman's plump breasts; the other one has an obsidian background, deliberately made in the style of a Greek pottery painting, it is a group of men molesting another group of men (obviously young) at a banquet valet) scenario.

Like a serious art connoisseur, Hersius stood between the two paintings, looking left and right, and finally stood in front of the golden painting for a long time and refused to leave. Occasionally he uttered some nonsense appreciation language, all of which were He heard arty opinions from the market or low-end taverns, but this move easily allowed Lepidus to seize this person's weakness:

"After all, he is from the Sicilian countryside and is not interested in the ancient Greek philosophy of men. I already understand what he likes."