"Ever since the Roman city-state was lifted out of poverty, murder and prostitution have been practising." - "Satirical Poems"

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Cato the Younger's words provoked panic and wailing among many of the senators, and the knights and wealthy townspeople who had been instructed in advance to gather outside the temple, although they were not qualified to attend, had been watching the situation from outside, and when they heard of Pompey's "great gains", they also collectively shouted in anger - because they had not reaped the benefits they deserved in this protracted war (Lucuras had expelled the tax collectors, and Pompey had brought only a small number of knights and house slaves loyal to him, scraping the ground in Asia Minor and the Yukxing Sea, no one else is allowed to touch it), so at the secret behest of Crassus, he came here to make trouble and put pressure on the Senate.

Immediately, even Neruda, who had the power of rotation (the two Roman consuls took turns to handle specific government affairs for a month), had to ignore Cicero's opposition, and at the insistence of most of the people, passed the dispatch of a group of knight-dominated inspectors to Ponticabion to investigate the source and direction of Pompey's property, but this resolution also needed the approval of the procurator Crassus and the archjuris Caesar (Caesar, with further funding from Calabis and others, had now assumed the position of archjury).

But after searching for a long time in the Senate, I didn't find these two people.

zuihou, or Crassus's house slave, came in with a message outside: "I heard that Pompey is about to land and return in Italy with ten legions and 60,000 soldiers, and His Excellency Crassus has taken refuge in a foreign villa in a sedan chair a few days ago. He said that the city of Rome was about to encounter an enemy even more terrible than Catiline. He also said that he would sell and recover all the assets in the city as soon as possible. It is also necessary to collect all debts as soon as possible, and be prepared to recruit private soldiers at any time to deal with possible future changes. "This is really sad news, who in the Senate does not take a stake in the property of Crassus? And how many are not in debt to Crassus?

Then everyone went to the Grand Counsel, but there was no information, and in a corner, someone said: "Your Excellency Caesar thinks that he owes too much debt, and he is being pursued by the debt claimant." In the past few days, he did not deal with the official documents, nor did he return to the official residence on Jucorah Street, and disappeared completely. ”

At this time, the Senate was suddenly dumbfounded.

But in the city of Rome, the commoners were immersed in a state of rejoicing, the shadow and panic of the Catiline conspiracy had largely dissipated, all kinds of political rumors and family shortcomings, boudoir secrets were spread in the squares, brothels, and taverns, and now it was the annual grand "Grape Festival", which was a good time for indulgence, and the women of noble or commoner birth in the city wore all kinds of strange costumes. Some were embroidered with gold edges, and some were with feathers. Carrying all kinds of sachets and handbags, the fat powder on the face was as if the ulcers were growing outward, so that many people could not tell the difference between them and the prostitutes from Miletus and Rhode Island. The men, with their slaves and wine, and dozens of sestries, flocked to the temple of love, where the customary "great temple fair of prostitutes" was being held - prostitutes from all over Rome would gather at the temple on these days to offer tribute and incense, begging for the protection of Eros, so that they would continue to be beautiful, and master all kinds of seduction and humorous techniques, Venus protected only two types of women in the city of Rome, chaste women and prostitutes who sold their flesh, and after the sacrifice was completed, these prostitutes had to take off their clothes according to custom, Shirtless, passing through the streets and crowds of onlookers.

For the men of Rome, the best time to watch the temple fair is at noon, when the sun is at its best, and most of the ugly and obese prostitutes are in the early hours of the morning, quietly after the sacrifice, and only the slender and youthful and beautiful will show their bewitching side in broad daylight at noon, in order to win the favor and support of the rich man or nobleman, the whole scene is the same as a military parade, full of contracts and silver coins in exchange, because these prostitutes are caught in the crowd, Wait for opportunities to observe and attract potential buyers.

When several of the leading prostitutes that Printhia had deliberately cultivated appeared in the crowd dressed in gaudy makeup, the whole scene of the temple fair and the "military parade" reached a climax, and the men, old and young, rich and poor, shouted slogans, and many of the guys began to jerk off the half-naked prostitutes with their hands on the street. In the crowd, Printhia sat in a gorgeous sedan chair, with a smile like success, she was also so beautiful when she was young, she had accepted the support of three knights and two senators at the same time, and every month she arranged a good day to provide them with door-to-door service, even so she still had no less energy, and served the gold lord so much that she earned no more than 10,000 drachmas a month. Soon, she also ran the bustard's business, no longer willing to be in the lower reaches of this food chain, but flirted with politicians, frequently appeared at various banquets, introduced the top names under her name, not only made them sell their bodies, but also instructed them to inquire about political secrets and sell information at a greater price.

For example, she tricked Syra. Gao Nerlius. Even Turus, i.e. Marco. Anthony's adoptive father, who sold the information to Calabis; But then she betrayed Calabis to Cicero and Cato the Younger, though the two did not bring down the stranger together. So much so that in her heart, there was even a little admiration for Calabis.

At this moment, there was a burst of angry scolding in the crowd, and it turned out that in the queue of Printhia's top cards, there was an old and ugly old prostitute, with dry skin, and her breasts hanging down from her chest like an empty sack, and she also followed these slender heads with dignity, and waved at the crowd, and the men suddenly felt that the wine was sour, and they shouted, and even rushed forward, and beat and expelled the poor old prostitute in front of Venus, the goddess of love.

Printhia's face also began to become unhappy, and she called Domu, who was standing aside, "Didn't you take responsibility for this old Gaia's affairs, she is now ugly, old and sick, and she should have been sent to the countryside or the general store of an apartment somewhere to retire." ”

"However, I didn't ask her to appear at the Grape Festival temple fair, she was short of money for treatment, and her mind was not clear, probably so." Domuja knew how beautiful she had been, and her cheeks were as rosy as the wine of her native Taranto, but she had been deceived and beaten again and again, and she had become what she was now, she was not fit to be a prostitute, and she could not tell the difference between flesh and real emotion. Domuwai sympathized with her and secretly sent her some money, but this Gaia was still crazy, and she was worried about how to cover up this crazy old woman, and everyone knew Printhia's methods.

It wasn't until a limping boy cut through the crowd and stuffed a plump purse into Gaia's hand, making the salivating Gaia smile that the crowd calmed down, and Domuwai looked at the boy in surprise, "Isn't this the adopted son of Calabis?" (To be continued......)