"Giving the land to a lazy slave is like handing it over to an executioner for execution." - Italian agronomist Varro

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"Your Excellency Fonteus, Your Excellency Fonteus!" In the post room, Mecenas called out to Fonteus, the youngest of Caesar's most personal subordinate, and then handed him a note, "Send a herald of the vanguard at once, and send the young Caesar's personal letter to His Excellency the High Priest of the city." ”

Fonteius hurriedly took it and went to the outer courtyard to arrange for the messenger to be delivered, while Octavian hesitated in front of the manger, brushing his beloved horse with a brush, and constantly saying to the returning Mecenas, "As soon as we become the second consul, we will ask the Executive Yuan to allocate special funds for the war, and then we will no longer have to worry about the problem of food and wages, and I will be able to settle Brutus in half a year or a year." ”

Mecenas also made many encouraging words, and painted a picture that if he went to Rome in a few days, the family of Julius and the family of Aemilius would naturally monopolize the two consuls, and everyone else would have to stand aside.

When, three days later, Caesar the Younger, came to Ostia to stay, a special "Great Triumph" was unfolding in the city: according to the permission of the original Senate, Lybida was awarded a twenty-four day "Thanksgiving Sacrifice" and a great triumph for the great victories of the Mauritanians and the Getulians for the exploits of Numidia and Spain.

However, directly after Li Bida returned, he personally went to the Senate and refused the grand triumphal ceremony, but the "thank-you sacrifice" was carried out as usual, and the high priest announced that he would take out two thousand talents alone. It was used for these twenty-four days of free feasting for the inhabitants of Rome. and a competitive tournament in which 5,000 sword slaves participated. and the renovation of the temple complex in the Grand Place.

After the inhabitants had filled the squares and alleys with their tables and drank their free wine and bread with pleasure, Lybida and his son Leo, under the protection of the guards, came to the corner of the bull market leading to the main square, "Go Leo, what you want to express is good for the whole city, do not be afraid of anything." Go ahead and speak! Leo bowed, and then he crossed the marble-paved square road, ascended to the bow podium, and announced to everyone:

Formerly Julius. When Caesar was in power, because of financial difficulties, he reduced the number of people who were entitled to free rations of food in Rome from 300,000 to 100,000, and now that peace is about to come, I raised the number back to 300,000 in my capacity as tribune!

Leo's words had just come out. Overwhelmed by the cheers of the tidal waves, all the inhabitants raised their glasses. Shouting the slogan Long live King Numa and long live the Emilius family. Then Leo did not shy away from shouting, "Please contribute to my father's campaign, please contribute to the campaign of Young Caesar!" ”

So, in the streets of the moment, no one doubts who the elected consul of the coming year will be in the end?

Octavian, however, entered the gates of Rome in this spring breeze, and Lypita specially arranged for a guard of honour and the people concerned (of course, a considerable commission had to be paid) to welcome him, and in the fluttering petals, young Caesar came to his former home in Niushou Street with some kind of glory in fine clothes, and was the first to visit his mother and stepfather, and he was ready to go to Prima the next day, and then to pay homage to his guardian and brother, although he had previously been acting as Archcounsel, There were some small conflicts with the guardian, but that is all in the past, and the current situation is that "the guardian cannot do without my banner, and I also need the guardian's assistance in terms of military power and money".

"As for Corinna, as long as I marry her, I will not treat her badly—not to mention that Corinna's dowry is extremely rich, and her appearance and character are also very good."

In the mansion, Octavian came to the main hall and hugged and kissed his mother, Attia, who had come to greet him, and then his stepfather Phillips and his son Phillips Jr. came back from the house on the other side, saying, "Oh, Turinus, you are back." ”

Octavian smiled and stepped forward, first hugging little Phillips, and then kissing his stepfather's ring, "How? As a patriarch, he just returned from the meeting? It looks very energetic. ”

The stepfather laughed, then lifted his robe a few times, and in a mysterious and unpredictable tone, patted the young Caesar on the back, and said as he walked towards the central hall, "How can there be no spirit?" Now the Senate only needs to stamp someone's proposals and ideas without interruption, and the entire nine hundred people are the maidservants of a certain family, and I don't need to bother to say anything, and I don't need to waste my energy thinking about anything, someone has replaced the brains of nine hundred people. ”

"There's nothing wrong with that, after all, it's much faster to do things." At this time, the young Caesar was reluctant to continue to say that the guardian was not.

"I didn't expect it, I didn't expect Turinus, have you also become a supporter of the monarchy?" The stepfather continued to joke, "Joke and joke, I am also the one who likes to say these jokes the most, Turinus, you must not sue your guardian, otherwise my official rank will not be guaranteed." ”

"The relationship between the stepfather and the guardian is quite good, how could he not know that what you said was all a joke? Why do you need me to stir my lips and tongue in the middle! ”

This sentence was very useful to Phillips, and he immediately went to the middle hall and said to Attia that he should cash out all the assets in the family and fully support my stepson's campaign.

As a result, at the time of the dinner, the slaves of the door suddenly came in a panic and told the masters, "There is a strange and uninvited guest outside."

"The so-called strange shape, that's what I mean." Before Caesar could reply, the mysterious guest actually broke in directly, and then took off the cloak that covered his head, revealing a strange and ugly face.

"It's Curio, it's you!" Young Caesar couldn't help but cry out in frustration.

The frescoes in the hall, because of their age, showed gray colors in the lamplight, and Curio sat on the couch without saying a word, looking at the young Caesar, "Tell the two of you to go out." Curio said coldly, "I just want you to stay here alone." ”

The two people that Curio said were Mecenas and Fonteus, and the young Caesar patted his knees and shook his head, meaning that they would do what Curio said, and temporarily retreat outside to wait, "Okay, what are you here to do?" Did you come with the idea of Anthony the Father? ”

"No, I didn't give anyone an idea, Anthony? He's now discouraged, and spends his days touring around southern Gaul with Fulivia—well, to be more precise, I'm here to save you, young Caesar. Curio sneered and said.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any immediate danger, I need you to come all the way and risk being discovered by Li Bida's secret agent, to remind me of a false and unexistent thing." Young Caesar disagreed, and then he made a gesture to send the guest away. (To be continued......)