"It's been a month! It's been a whole month, Cleopatra, there is no need to check it anymore, and there is no need to check it again, and tomorrow I will gather my great army and march to Rome along the Via Appia. Apis is a thief, a thief, stealing property that belongs to me right under my nose. I have enough legions to conquer him, so why bother. ”

In the cool autumn of Campania, Marc Antony finally had enough to bear, he saw that Rome was still strong under his economic exploitation and sanctions, and the city not only did not lose its vitality and vitality due to economic deprivation, on the contrary, under the manipulation and instigation of Apis, the opposition of the Roman people to himself became more and more intense. Anthony could no longer stand this quiet situation. Less than a year after the peace treaty was signed, Alexander's Roman legions, Egyptian armies, and Syrian auxiliaries were already on the table, ready to attack Rome at any time, assembled by Antony.

At the same time, the queen has reached the first few days of labor. Another thorny question came to Anthony......

"I want to name our child Marquez. Anthony. ”

On the balcony of the mansion in early autumn, Cleopatra sat on a chaise longue with a big belly, staring at Anthony with a "charming" smile.

"No, this kid can't be in my name."

Cleopatra, like an experienced mountain lion, drove Antony into a corner, to the end. Then, Anthony, who could not escape, could only refuse the queen's proposal in person.

"Why? Anthony, he's your child, I've asked a wizard for divination, he's a boy, he's definitely going to be a warrior, or a general. ”

Cleopatra was actually not too surprised by Antony's answer. Antony had been running away from the problem for months, and Cleopatra could see that she was just unwilling to settle the conflict, and now, as Antony prepared to leave for Rome and was about to give birth, she had to solve the problem.

"No, you still don't know Rome too well, you don't know the Romans. The queen of Egypt, I will tell you now, what will be the consequences of acknowledging that this child was born of me. The Romans, especially the citizens of Rome, will regard me as an enemy, and what Apis has been doing now, is not that, they insult me, they vilify me, they say that I am no longer a Roman, so that all the citizens of the republic will turn against me, and at this time, I admit that this child is mine, then, no doubt, this voice of public opinion is aggravated. You know, now is the time for me to go to Rome, and at this time I need the support of the people, even if I don't, don't help my opponents, and you, at this time, are causing trouble for me! ”

Cornered with no way out, Anthony answered the queen's question irritably. He loved Cleopatra, her wisdom and intelligence, her flesh and body, her grace and generosity, but not her ambition, and Antony could see that the queen did not care what the Romans thought of, she only wanted her own position and power. In other words, even if Antony had conquered Rome without the status of Egypt, it would have been better for Cleopatra not to conquer such a conquest.

"Anthony, do you think this is causing trouble for you? I have conceived a child for you, taken care of the economy and government affairs for you, transported Alexander, Egypt's food and material resources to Brindisi, and managed many relations with the eastern countries for you, and now I just want to get a good name for our children, do you think that I am blackmailing you and causing trouble for you? ”

Cleopatra said, looking at Anthony with sad eyes, and this look made Antony's hard heart soften again. Mark Antony, who could execute his enemies on the battlefield with the most brutal means, could not face the weak and sad eyes of Cleopatra at home. The queen also knew that it was her most effective poisonous needle, pricking Anthony's sensitive and weak nerves.

"Okay, okay, I said the wrong thing, dear. But this matter cannot be decided so hastily. When I leave for Rome, we'll have a good discussion. ”

Anthony calmed down slightly, and his tone became gentle and softened. Leaned down and stroked Cleopatra's shoulder.

"You still haven't given me a guarantee, all I want is a guarantee, Anthony."

Cleopatra was not satisfied with Antony's ambiguous answer. Her stomach could give birth at any time, and she had to take advantage of this time to force Anthony to answer.

"And what guarantees do you want?"

"I just want you to tell everyone that this child is yours. It's as simple as that. ”

"The opinion of the Romans is not a problem at all, it doesn't matter, Antony. You are about to conquer Rome, and when the time comes, Rome will become your prey, they will submit to your rule, and public opinion will become your slave and tool. Legion and force are the most important, and nothing else matters. What I care about is your reputation, Anthony, do you want to hear people talk behind your back, about your wife and the court servant giving birth to a child? If not, how can the origin of this child be explained? ”

Cleopatra is like a cunning viper, she gently and slowly wraps around the strong Antony, like her prey, so that Anthony cannot escape. And this is indeed a very real question, if the queen's child is not Anthony's, then whose is it? What a humiliating and shameless thing it is for one's wife to have an affair with a lowly slave and give birth to a child.

"Oh, no! Damn it! ”

Anthony was about to go crazy, a big war was in front of him, and in the rear, his wife, who was also his most loyal ally, was watching the fire from the other side, forcing himself to admit the child's origins.

"Well, well, I assure you, my dear Highness the Queen, that I will declare to the people that this child is my flesh and blood. But now, I'm going to Rome. Before this battle, I don't want any news about this kid to come out and affect the outcome of this battle. My wife, you are so clever that you should know what I mean, and know which is more important. Rome had to be conquered. ”

With pity and anger, Anthony said bitterly.

"Well, one promise of yours is enough, Anthony, and I know you never break your word. Go to the front and fight, I will give birth to this child safely, he is the fruit of our love, and he will witness the day when his father conquered Rome. ”

Cleopatra said, kissing Antony on the cheek tenderly......