In the middle of winter, when Apis returned to Rome tired, the great Eternal City no longer regained its former prosperity and was filled with a desolate and murderous atmosphere. In the corner of the www.biquge.info street, hungry women and children hid in the corners, and their hollow and hopeless eyes were stretched out to watch the magnificent passage of Appis and his party. Without Cicero's majestic introduction, no one would have known that the team of people passing in front of them was the legendary Roman figure Apis.

When entering Rome, Apis did not go to Octavian first, but returned home first to see Tertilla. I haven't seen my wife in this world for such a long time. When the Roman legions went on the expedition, the family members should be at home and could not go with the army, and Apis had to lead by example, so during the year of the German conquest, Tertila was left alone at home for almost a long time. As for the chaotic private lives of the Roman aristocracy, Apis believed that his wife would not do that. At least, more than half of the people in the entire mansion have received their own favors. So......

"I've heard that Brutus is about to run the corner."

"I've heard about ...... too"

"Dear Tertila, you ......"

It had not been seen for a long time, and after a long time of dispersing the servants, Tertila sat at the head of the bed and talked sadly about what was happening in front of him. Seeing his wife's melancholy face, Apis couldn't let go. It should be said that when a person has real feelings for his partner and sees her sad and sad, he will also be sad. This was Appis's mood at this time. It's just that Tertira knows that her husband can't do anything about it. Brutus was clamoring for two of the most powerful men in the Roman world, Octavian, the heir of Julius Caesar, and Mark Antony, the supreme commander of the Roman legions. And there is another thing that Apis never dared to let Tertila know, that is, when Brutus rashly attacked Octavian when he was not fully prepared, he actually let Cicero make trouble of it, which now seems to be as filthy as a bed bug in the sewers, but in terms of the position and situation at that time, it was also helpless.

"Don't blame yourself, my husband Appis, I know you can't do anything about it, my brother Brutus will be where he is today, it was his own mistake that he made in the first place......"

Tertilla said, gently stroking Appis's face with her right hand. There is full tenderness in his eyes, but there is a hint of sadness. Apis also grasped Tertilla's slender wrist, feeling the warm breath spread through his fingertips, and for a moment, Apis felt a deep sense of self-reproach leaping in his heart, but politics is like this, and sometimes, in front of your relatives and interests, you have to sacrifice the former to protect the latter. And you can't tell them the truth...... The world is so cruel.

……

After seeing Tertira, Cicero knocked on the door of Appis's house in the Capidor mountain villa that night, dressed in a heavy outfit. When the door opened, the guards could barely recognize who this "bad old man" was. In the cold wind, Cicero wore a heavy linen cloak and crutches, and his hair was clumped like an old beggar on a street corner, and then he removed the cloak, and the fire made the guards see the respectable face.

"Cicero, my best friend, my teacher and elder, alas, you don't have to hide yourself like this anymore, Octavian and Antony already know that we are allies. Octavian's return to Rome this time was ostensibly aimed at you, but in fact, it was aimed at me. My power grew stronger and more presupial in the north, which threatened their rule in Rome. That's it. ”

Cicero was invited into the house, and by the warm fire, Appis sipped a drink and spoke calmly.

"So what should we do now? Five senators in the Senate had already died at the hands of Octavian's executioners, and their property was confiscated immediately after their deaths. This time Octavian and Antony joined forces to clean up the Senate, which had little to resist. ”

Unable to answer in the affirmative, Cicero asked anxiously. He has endless assets, and the more possessions he has, the more fearful he is of death. Appis understood his feelings.

"I know, Cicero, don't be in a hurry, I'll talk to Octavian about it tomorrow. The old triumvirate has long since broken down, and the new triumvirate has just emerged. Octavian and Antony were ostensibly allies, but in reality, they each did not submit to the other's power, and they were eager to weaken each other if they had the opportunity. And now, on the surface, I am not supporting either side, but in fact I have become the focus of their contention. I'll go to Octavian tomorrow and find out what he does, and see how he reacts. At least, even if it is a personal relationship, there is no estrangement between me and him, and he will not do anything to me. ”

In the face of Cicero's anxious emotions, Appis tried to calm it as much as he could. That night, Cicero lay down at Appis' house as if he had found refuge......

……

"My old friend, are you here for Cicero?"

The next day, when Appis arrived at Octavian's temporary residence in Rome with a generous gift and a smile, the young Octavian was very direct and straightforward. After only a year's absence, Apis saw that Octavian had grown a lot, and that the richer and more brutal experiences of his peers had made this weak Roman aristocratic youth look mature and cold. He carried on his shoulders the hope of Caesar, the ardent hope of a hundred thousand Roman legionnaires. Under such high pressure, a person is so crushed and destroyed, or he works hard and becomes the mainstay of the times, and Octavian is such a figure.

It's just that now, Apis and Octavian have come together because of a conflict of interests. Back when he first met Octavia and heard that she was Octavian's sister, at that time, Apis felt how envious Octavian was, and even admired Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Who would have thought that a few years later, everything would be turned upside down.

"Yes, Octavian."

In the face of Octavian's calm question, Apis also responded calmly. The atmosphere at the scene was not tense or tense, but it was like an undersurge of countless swords, which was terrifying. Octavian wanted to kill Cicero, Antony to be exact, but Apis was unwilling.

"Come, Appis, sit down and talk about it. In fact, the assassination of Cicero is not what I meant......"

Octavian said, with a faint smile......