Chapter 3 Farewell Turinus (Part 1)
"In the eyes of our descendants, we are ignorant." -Pliny
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In the entire dungeon, only the noise of the wind in the corridor and the strange sound of bats flapping their wings were left.
"Perhaps you should speak more clearly, Leo - share your troubles with friends." Turinus smiled again, and once again stretched out his hand expressing begging and friendship through the iron bars, hoping that he would benefit from it. Ao was able to hold his hand again, but the other person didn't.
"No, no, I think you are a really smart man, Turinus. In fact, when you were in court, even before you saw little Phillips, you should have understood that the manipulator behind all this was not Others." Leo slowly took two steps back, as if avoiding a beast in an iron cage, "There is only one person in this world who can set up such a perfect plan for you. The only one. My father, Lepidus."
Turinus' smile was still frozen on his face. He looked at Leo over there in the light of the fire. After a long time, he continued to laugh, his face covered with stubble, "It doesn't matter Leo, I have said that I have no hatred towards your family at all, not in the past, not now, and not in the future. If the guardian wants to punish me, it is simply a casual thing. I will never hold a grudge. Absolutely not." After saying that, the ingratiating smile on Turinus's face became more obvious, and his ingratiating laughter echoed throughout the dungeon.
"Don't continue to be confused, Turinus, you clearly remember it in your heart. Yes. There are very few people who have a clear plan for their father in their hearts. Cicero was the one who ordered it. Because this orator is in I owed my father a great debt during the previous massacres; it was he who ordered Fonteyus, for you may now know that when Caesar dismissed this military tribune, it was my father who Give him money, find a way to restore everything he has, and place him next to you. He has already been my father's loyal soldier; no, Maecenas was also ordered by my father. He didn't even need to be ordered, he was loyal from the beginning. My father's minion, from the moment he was born, Maecenas' father, Cames, tattooed his body with the words 'Always loyal to King Numa', not to mention that he has always been in love with Corinne; Phillips The father and the son were also instigated by their father. As early as half a year ago, my father reached an agreement with them through connections, and the condition for trapping you was that his son and I would serve as senior municipal officials. I believe you should have figured it out during the few days and nights you were imprisoned here."
Turinus, who was holding the iron bars in his hands, was breathing heavily. He hoped that Leo would stop narrating, "Dear dear friend, I just said that I don't care about all this, as long as the guardian's anger and anger are eliminated. Just forgive me. Three years, five years, Corinna, if Maecenas wants to pursue her, then go ahead. I am no longer worthy of loving her. Now, Leo, I just hope you can help, help. I'm going out from here."
"Go out? Yes, go out. If you think being exiled is okay, then I will tell you the truth. After receiving my father's instructions, Fonteus immediately launched the twin army, but he also informed the news in advance. It was conveyed to General Trureas, whom my father promised that he would one day become conqueror and governor of Britain—so that the mutiny was nothing more than an act, a real bloody drama, without an audience but only actors. My father, Mecenas, used the second consul’s marriage to Corinna as a bait to lure you back to Rome. Then, the Phillips and his son became the real killer.”
"That's enough! Leo, don't continue to say these unnecessary words. Yes, I understand everything now. Maybe my wisdom is just two or three days late, but now everything has passed. What I beg for is just Guardian’s understanding and forgiveness.”
"There will be no more understanding, Turinus, you are more naive now than I was before, why don't you continue to think about it now, now that your father has extended his sword to you, at that decisive moment, will you still Does such a word exist? No, not anymore. Your end has been decided. You will be exiled and imprisoned on the island of Malta for life. There will be no three or five years. If my father continues to live in this world, you will never return to Rome. Come." Leo interrupted Turinus's speech, and this sentence shattered the other person's spine and vision, completely.
"Then what happens after your father dies!" Turinus finally couldn't bear it anymore, and his pale face turned red. "Think about it, we were in our prime at that time, and we would join hands as friends to rule this country, and The greatest nation in the world!”
Then Turinus kept calling Leo's name, asking him to think about it, but after a moment of silence, Leo said, "I am my father's son. I don't care what my surname is, Aemilius." , or Julius, or Cornelius? Who cares about this? I am my father's son. Maybe Corinna doesn't understand this concept now, but I already understand that I was like this on the thunderous night yesterday. To my father, if you must get the answer now, then I will tell you that I have also tricked you, Turinus. That is, I deceived your sister and deliberately used my father's money to bribe the jury. This actually confirms your crime. Of course the people will say, 'Look, if Turinus is not guilty, then why did he bribe the judge?' You are innocent, but you must be guilty."
"You hurt me too, you hurt me too..." Turinus opened his mouth and trembled all over. He was thinking about why, but Leo then answered for him simply, " It’s the person you look down on, that is, my biological mother. She told me how much hardship and danger my father went through in order to protect me when I was still in my mother’s womb. My mother would never lie, even if my father was never there. I said it to me before. We have all reached an age where we are no longer young, so Turinus, your dreams are buried in this dark and damp dungeon of Turlianum, dissipated in the currents of Malta's sea water. Well, because your destiny and mine cannot coexist, isn't this what the Roman chariot race tells us? A track will never accommodate two racers galloping side by side. Now, I, Leo, will do it in the name of my father. , continue to follow the track of this country, I didn’t harm you, this was just a secret battle, you lost, my father and I won, it’s that simple.”
Then Leo slowly raised the tip of the whip in his hand from his cloak and pointed it at Turinus sitting over there, "If it were you standing outside the dungeon now, you would definitely have no mercy for me. Yes, right?" (To be continued...)