I didn't finish it today, but I'm sorry for tomorrow morning.

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His grandfather, Ruzius, was there, bent over and supervising a craftsman painting on the walls, and instead of choosing the flowers, birds, still lifes or portraits that were commonly used at the time, Ruzius chose the scenery he had seen when he was exiled to Corsica, a vast ocean, with dolphins following ships, seabirds hovering over, and turquoise islands like jewels set in the sea.

Marcus remembers the fresco, but it was completed when Marcus was eighteen years old, 800 years after the founding of the city, Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus's adoptive father, Emperor Claudius had been poisoned and died the year before, and as his titular eldest son, Nero succeeded him - Shortly after the fresco was completed, Claudius' son Britanicus was poisoned by Nero at a dinner party, because Nero's mother threatened her son that if he did not obey, she would make Brittany Emperor of Rome, perhaps it was just a woman's false threat, but for Nero, it was arguably the most vulnerable part of his heart, and his response was swift and ferocious.

Marcus was also present at the dinner, and he remembered that they had first drunk a very salty soup, so salty that one wondered if anyone was going to murder Nero, and inevitably, they asked for water afterwards, and the spring itself was very cold, and ice cubes were added, and they were nothing but feeling a little uncomfortable, except that Britanicus fell, and he pressed his throat in pain, and stretched out his hand to ask them for help, but the guards behind them immediately drew their daggers, and Marcus had to watch Brittanycus being carried away by several slaves, and the emperor declared that Brittanycus was guilty of epilepsyMarcus didn't know what kind of epilepsy looked like he had been poisoned - Britanicus died the next day.

"Marcus?" Luzius was surprised when he saw him, "Why are you here, why haven't you dressed yet?

Marcus then noticed that although Ruzius was concerned about the progress of the courtyard frescoes, he was far away from the walls so that paint and dust would not contaminate his clothes, and he was wearing a fine linen kunica (a collarless pullover tune) and a Greek cloak, and his trimmed toga was not changed until he went out, and the same was true of Marcus's white toga, but he was not even changing into a kunica now, but was naked, with a piece of cotton wrapped around his waist, no wonder he heard the women screaming when he ran into the room just now.

As soon as he heard the name of the emperor, or Nero, Marcus could not contain his anger, he clenched his fists, bowed his head, and said, "Sorry, grandfather, I will change it immediately." ”

It is impossible for Ruzius not to be aware of his grandson's abnormality, and when he went with Marcus to the Palatine Mountains, he sat him in a sedan chair with him, "What is the matter, my grandson," he asked, "why are you in a trance, and your expression is sad, what hurts you, and makes you so desperate?"

Marcus looked up, almost pouring out the words in his heart to his beloved grandfather, but the moment he opened his lips, a terrible thought seized him—his grandfather might have thought he was insane, so he simply said, "I had a nightmare." ”

"A nightmare?" Ruzius couldn't help frowning, if Marcus really encountered something that couldn't be solved, as the emperor's teacher, he could ask for his forgiveness in front of the emperor because of Marcus's absence, but a nightmare?

"What did you dream about?"

I dreamed of a bloodthirsty monster devouring all of Rome in a raging fire, and Marcus said in his heart, "I forgot." He said.

Ruzius hesitated for a moment, this was the first time Marcus had met the Emperor, the Emperor was the same age as Marcus, if possible, he wanted Marcus to be Nero's companion or bodyguard, the friendship forged by the young man was stronger and more reliable than the covenant made by the elders, he had to abandon it for nearly twenty years because of illness in his youth, and when his student became Emperor, he was already old, and Marcus was his heir compared to his dull son.

"If you're still not feeling well...... "You can go back first," but before he could say this, Marcus immediately interrupted his grandfather.

"No," he said, "grandfather, I would like to see the Emperor, I would like to see the Emperor!"

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There are three palace complexes in Rome, the palace complex on Palatine Hill in the center of Rome, the Palace of Adrian in the east of Rome, and the Palace of Diocletian in Split, the old capital of Rome. Nero did not like any of them, because for him they were completely incommensurate with his greatness, and he had always wanted to expand the palace complex in the center of Rome, but he could not succeed because the civilian dwellings near the palace were too dense, and the great fire of Rome fourteen years later satisfied his vanity - after thousands of people left for the underworld and tens of thousands were displaced, he built his "Golden Palace" on a ruin Stretching from the Kerian Hills to the Augustinian Square, the Palatine to the Mizenath Gardens are full of bronze statues, fountains, artificial rivers, lakes, marble domes and gold inlays...... At that time, there were people who mocked how to be a good Roman citizen ?—— leave Rome.

Along the way, Marcus's mind is in a mess, what made him go back in time......? When almost everything could be redeemed, he held his grandfather's hand, his heart trembled, at this time, Nero had not yet revealed his tyrannical nature, on the surface, he was a gentle and a little cowardly big child, in order to show respect, such a banquet, Ruzius's couch was not far from the emperor's couch, he could have held a dagger that cut through the flesh, and stabbed Nero in the heart, then all the tragedies would not happen again.

The thought stirred his heart, and young Marcus was even a little dizzy, he did not know when they arrived at the palace of Tirbidius, this palace was not as beautiful as the other two, Nero rarely chose this place, at least Marcus was very strange to this place, he and his father washed their feet under the service of slaves, changed into comfortable robes, and went to the rectangular dining room, which the Romans called Trikrinium, and the other two guests arrived before them, they were Pallas (who also worked for Nero's adoptive father), and the chief of the guard, Sextus Bruce, and they were accompanied by several teenagers, similar in age to MarcusMarcus immediately recognized that several of them had later become Nero's playmates with him, and that they had studied together, swam together, rode horses together, wandered together in the dark of Rome, and ...... together Doing bad things, like theft, fighting, molesting women, at that time, they were so young and arrogant that they didn't even realize that they were sinning, no, it should be said, from that time Nero was smiling and watching them unconsciously degenerate. All this time had passed, and Marcus still remembered the sad and desperate look on his grandfather as he flipped through the dossier relating to him, a noble and poor old man who had not been able to get a good student or a good grandson.

The Empress Dowager Agrippina the Younger arrived before the Emperor, Marcus looked up, and it was rumored that Nero had killed her because her mother had interfered too much in state affairs, and that she had a relationship with Nero that was more intimate than mother and son, both of which were true, and if they were not related by blood, they would have been a match made in heaven.

Perhaps because Marcus had been watching her for so long, little Agrippina immediately noticed the boy, and instead of being dismayed, she winked gracefully at the boy. Even though he knew that little Agrippina was a colorful viper, Marcus had to admit that she did have a beauty that ordinary women could not match, and that this beauty would almost suffocate a healthy person to death - she was about to turn forty years old this year, and she was a rose in full bloom, all the colors and aromas had settled, making her smell like a glass of wine that had been stored for a long time.

Little Agrippina had only come to see the young men who were about to become friends of the Emperor, and she did not linger long in the dining room, and as she walked out, the chief of the guard, Sextus, followed after her, and Marcus saw it, and immediately made an excuse to follow him, and he saw the Queen Mother kissing her lover in front of a bush of roses, and then the breeze brought the scent of roses and the messy words at the same time—Marcus heard only two key words, the Emperor and Britanicus.

Brittany was Claudius' own son, the true emperor of Rome, but his inheritance was taken away when Agrippina the Younger tempted Claudius to adopt Nero as his adopted son, and even so, Agrippina the Younger and Nero still regarded Brittany as their most dangerous enemy, and after Brittany died, people were not surprised at all, wasn't this something that should have happened a long time ago?

Marcus's heart beat violently, could it be that Brittany's death was preceded by his rebirth, or was this the task given to him by the gods?

"By the way," Lucius suddenly leaned over and whispered in his grandson's ear, "When the emperor comes, don't say that he looks similar to the empress dowager." ”

Marcus nodded subconsciously, and then he looked at his grandfather strangely, what made him think so, Nero was the son of the beautiful little Agrippina, but he was a mediocre man of appearance, with a flat forehead, a short chin, a large nose, and rough skin, and it was precisely because of this that he often imagined that he was as handsome as Apollo and as charming as Venus, and thought that everyone longed for his favor.

"Why?" he asked in the same low voice.

Ruzius was reluctant to tell him at this time, but it was his negligence: "Because he did not like the face of little Agrippina." ”

At this time, the emperor of Rome had already walked in, and everyone was saluting him, and Marcus was no exception, and when he looked up, he felt a hundred and twenty thousand points of confusion, who was it? It should be Nero who sat on the throne (it stands to reason that sitting on the throne should be the most honorable guest, but the emperor is different after all), and Marcus even recognized the young man who followed him as Britannicus, but Nero ...... Not the Nero he knew at all!

It was a slender, girl-like young man, with a face very similar to that of little Agrippina, and a serious expression, but when he saw Ruzius, his gaze became a little more gentle, "Please be seated, everyone." He said, "It's just a family-like banquet, so please don't be too formal." It was a tone that Marcus had never heard before, low and gentle, full of emotion, completely different from Nero's rude and hoarse voice like the howl of a wild beast, and if Nero had such a good voice, he would not have to rely on the power of the emperor and the temptation of gold, and he could easily win the crown in singing or drama.

It is not only his face and voice that bring Marcus a strange feeling, his clothes are not luxurious, the ornaments are very simple, the food, wine, and sweet water placed in front of him and everyone are small and delicate, and most of them are mainly fruits and vegetables, it is commendable that the shells and fish in the sea are very fresh, and the meat is very crispy and delicious, and there are two kinds of soups that Marcus remembers, pea soup and fish soup, either of which are not salty at all, light and delicious. And during the whole feast, Nero did not drink wine, but only the water of the spring, which was heated and cooled.

But to Marcus's greatest surprise, Brittany apparently loved and relied on his nominal brother and had been clinging to him, and Nero had indulged in allowing him to share a meal with him, drink from a cup with him, and eat on a plate.

"What's so strange about that," said Ruzius on the way back, "in order to prevent Agrippina the Younger from poisoning Brittany, Nero began to share food with Brittany before Claudius died," and the old man smiled meaninglessly, "Have you noticed that the Emperor drank only spring water, and that his food was very light and tended to be plain, with little spice except salt......? The poisoning almost killed him, and since then his body has become very weak, and the cold and heat, fatigue and agitation will make him sick, and he cannot ride a horse, nor can he travel long distances, nor can he eat too much, nor can he be too oily, nor can he drink alcohol...... And ......" Luzius whispered, "Don't indulge in ......" he didn't want his grandson to know about this, but it would be bad if his grandson rashly dragged the emperor to a brothel.

"Then he must have lost a lot of fun. Marcus muttered.