[Ancient Rome] How to Divorce the Tyrant Nero

Hearing the news that little Agrippina had died, Nero didn't feel sad, and even wanted to open a bottle of good wine to celebrate.

After Nero's throne was confirmed, Brittanicus was personally escorted by Narcissus to the little Dominia's house so that no one would threaten his life.In this regard, Octavia felt that the person most likely to threaten the life of Brittanicus happened to be himself.Nero, on the other hand, was discussing his enthronement ceremony with Otto, thinking about how to excite and shock people all over Rome.

"That must be the best performance in history." Nero said proudly at Otto's house, "At that time, I will come to the world like Dionysus and become the representative of Jupiter in the world."

"I will be the god of wealth, the god of carnival, the god of power, and the king of the gods." Nero said of the heat, and he stood on the table and stretched his arms, as if he could embrace the whole world: "Octavia Will ride with me in the victory car and be cheered by everyone."

"Wait, you want to take Octavia to participate in the parade?" Otto said in amazement: "This is not in line with the rules, no matter it is the Republic period or the Empire period, there has never been a woman sitting on a parade float , and still in the same car as the emperor."

"But Octavia is my fiancee." Nero said disapprovingly: "Marcus Barbatus suggested that I take Octavia on a tour, because she is the daughter of Claudius, so It can strengthen my inheritance legitimacy."

"Fart, the legitimacy of your inheritance comes from your blood, not whose daughter you married." Otto was really amused by Marcus Barbatus's sophistry, and at the same time, he was also amused by Nero's stupidity. The degree has a new understanding: "Marcus Barbatus failed to make his grandson the emperor, so he could only find a puppet to stabilize the elder who was sinned by Britannicus."

Otto didn't know that Octavia had asked Nero to listen in on her conversation with Pompeo Sabina, or that he thought he could easily control Nero like Octavia, so that the emperor's scepter For your own use: "Nero, you should really take good care of Octavia. I have never seen a woman who is as keen on chasing power and gaining publicity as she is."

"Why, you hate Octavia?" In the past, Nero would have believed everything Otto said, but when he listened to the conversation between Octavia and Pompeo Sabina , and after he witnessed what Brittanicus did to Octavia, he began to doubt the loyalty of those around him.

Especially someone like Otto who could touch and hurt him at will.

"Otto, I recently discovered something rather interesting."

"what's up?"

"Those who don't like Octavia have thought of hurting me."

Otto's shoulders stiffened, and for the first time ever, he saw coldness in Nero's eyes.

"Take care of your own wife." Nero, who was distracted by Otto, warned: "She has an inappropriate long tongue, and you are also a person who is easily deceived by your wife."

It wasn't until some time after Nero left that Otto realized what had happened between himself and the emperor, and was so frightened that he was sweating profusely.

As the saying goes, being with a king is like being with a tiger.

At this moment, Otto finally understood his father's warning to him, and at the same time thought of the fate of Pallas and Kelponia.

Of course, Otto was not the only one who was disturbed.

On the way home, Nero would always think of what Otto and Pompeo Sabina said, and he would suddenly have a headache and almost fall off the sedan chair.

"Your Majesty, what's the matter with you?" Nero's entourage hurriedly stopped the bearers, then raised layers of curtains, and looked at the little emperor's face: "Do you need me to call you a doctor?"

"No need." Nero propped his forehead with his right hand, with a painful expression on his face: "Find me some tranquilizer, remember to keep it from Octavia."

"Yes." The follower replied cautiously, and then watched Nero rub his temples fiercely, returning to his usual appearance.

…………… I am the dividing line………………

"I have a present for you." Octavia brings Nero a crown before his coronation parade.

The branches above the base of the leaves of solid gold are inlaid with the twelve main gods in relief, and gems and pearls are used for the petals and dewdrops on the leaves.

Because the level of craftsmanship in this era is not high, the leaves and birds made of gold are not very realistic, and even gems are like dull stones covered with fine gray, so Octavia asked people to give gems And the pearls are painted so that they look better in the sun and don't fade easily.

"This is quite a novelty." Nero put on the crown carefully, and looked around in front of the unclear mirror: "In the past, I always wore the laurel crown directly. This is the first time that I wear a tiara like a woman."

"Isn't that good?" Octavia asked, "Put wealth on your head so that everyone knows your status and power. If you don't have gold clothes and jade ornaments, the so-called emperor is just a child's game title. "

"I'm afraid the elders will say that I look like an Egyptian." Nero could see that he liked the crown very much, but when he thought of those old-fashioned people who love to oppose others, he hesitated.

"What is there to criticize?" Octavia pretended to be puzzled: "There is no Egyptian element in this crown. If you insist on saying that it has something to do with Egypt, it is probably because gold and gems were produced in Egypt, and then There are only Egyptians among the craftsmen who participated in the production."

Nero also felt very reasonable after hearing this, and planned to find someone to design a few golden crowns to replace the laurel crowns after the parade was over.

Octavia also made herself the same crown as Nero.

She wanted to use this to show that she had the same status and ruling power as Nero—although in some people's eyes, Octavia's idea of ​​wanting to rule was a joke, but it did not prevent Octavia from deliberately guiding People think so.

And she also prepared [-] Aspen coins as a lottery for Nero's enthronement parade.

"Go to the box of the Senate, and write down who is picking my fault after the parade." Octavia knows that money can buy common people, but it can't buy those who are full. Elder, so I specially invited Titus and Callistus to wait on the seats of the elders: "After Nero came to power, I will find an official position for you. Also, the son of Elius and those who are far away in Britain Dory Fluorus will also be promoted to the official position, you can find a chance to operate it."

"Yes." Titus and Callistus adhered to the principle of eating meat with Octavia, and never asked Octavia what her intentions were, and just did what was ordered.

And on the enthronement parade, apart from Nero and Octavia, there were quite a few people with weird hearts.

The elders are not optimistic about Nero's ascension to the throne, but compared to Britannicus, Nero behaved more normally, and he didn't have so many troubles, it's just...

"Did he listen to little Valeria too much?" A certain elder was a little dissatisfied when talking with Seneca: "Cooperating with the free people we just sent away a group of fake tigers, they will be oppressed by women." On the head? At this point, Little Domitius is really like Claudius, he is a guy with soft ears."

"Your Excellency Vestinus, it is a great crime to criticize the emperor. You don't want to be crucified and then let the vultures eat you up!" Seneca never revealed his political intentions in front of outsiders. , because the experience of being hunted down by the emperor twice gave him a deep understanding of the importance of controlling his tongue.

Besides, Octavia is not a kind and gentle person.

At least Seneca has always believed that little Agrippina was killed by Octavia, rather than dying for Claudius as the outside world advertised.

This is simply ridiculous.

Seneca had never heard a funnier joke than this, but the real fall from Seneca's three views was yet to come.

After the enthronement, Nero announced that he would grant Octavia the title of "Augusta", and promised to print her head on the new currency, and at the same time let the craftsmen engrave it with him, Octavia, and the elders On the record mural, to declare the three powers of Roman rule.

"This is simply ridiculous." The governor of the Jewish province, Gacius Florus, who came back to attend the emperor's enthronement ceremony, said boldly: "If the emperor's funeral is held today, then the little Valeria There is nothing wrong with being sealed, or..."

Gacius Florus looked at the young emperor with contempt, and said sarcastically, "In the eyes of your fiancée, you are already dead."

"Get out." After the parade, Nero threw the crown on his head directly on the forehead of Gacius Florus, and at the same time he beat his eyebrows with blood, he also threw the crown that belonged to him. The piece of Jupiter is knocked out at a corner, leaving a small gap in the neck of the relief, as if it had been beheaded.

"The little emperors these days are people who can't listen to the truth, and it's no wonder that the lunatics of the Claudius family are all people who only know how to behave in a nest." Gacius Florus left the celebration ceremony after his ascension to the throne in public , leaving words that seemed to be mocking, and that seemed to be prophecy: "The throne of your family will be brought by a woman, and it will also be ended by a woman."

"Stupid Emperor Nero, your connivance to little Valeria today will definitely cause her to be rampant and press every step of the way."

The lingering sound of Gacius Florus lingered in the ears of every elder who participated in the ceremony, causing them to look at Octavia involuntarily. The latter took a sip of wine calmly and wrote lightly: "I listen It is said that Gesius Florus was reprimanded by the Governor of Syria for looting the Jewish Temple, which almost caused a rebellion in the Jewish Province."

Unlike Messalina's pride and recklessness, Octavia always maintains a gentle and decent image in front of outsiders, making those slanders about her dissipate the moment she sees her in person: "Maybe it's because The Judaic Princess Regent Berenice publicly resisted the tyranny of Gacius Florus, which caused him to have a natural resentment towards women."

"Then I would like to ask little Valeria, do you agree that women should maintain traditional virtues instead of expressing their political intentions in public?" Vestinus, who couldn't hold back, pressed on step by step: "Or, do you imagine Like Princess Berenice, monopolize power."

These words can be said to be extremely cruel, and even Octavia was a little shaken.

If she admits it, it proves that she has the intention of usurping, and she will be attacked by the elders.

If it is opposed, it is duplicity, and if it spreads out, it will chill the hearts of some radical Matronas.

Thinking of this, Octavia grabbed the wine glass tightly and argued, "The goddess of worry created man, so she possessed him during her lifetime, but Jupiter accepted man, so she possessed him after death."

"Men and women's interpretation of power should be like worrying about the distribution of human beings by goddesses and Jupiter. As the product of the gods, we should conform to their ideas, rather than presumptuously adding our own understanding."

The author has something to say:

Seneca: Tiberius hated him, Caligula hated him, and finally Nero killed him.

Gesius Florus: The governor of the Jewish province, who caused a rebellion in the Jewish province out of personal interests.

Vestinus: Stiana, Messalina (right transliteration Messalina, here for the sake of distinction, changed the translation)

Princess Berenice: The Jewish princess, who is said to be Titus' lover, very smart, and once served as Titus' political adviser.