Chapter 14: The Account Book of Jiatu (Part 2)

"Let the vulture come to purify this dirty and despicable guy, and also to warn everyone that if the slave tries to climb higher, it will be equal to trampling the master under his feet, so it is best not to have such an idea." Brutus moved the iron rod to He threw it on the ground, then used the sleeve of his robe to wipe the blood spattered on his body slightly, and chased after his uncle.

Three days later, Cato the Younger's huge ship slowly sailed away from Corfu. Standing on the cliff by the sea, Ascher had no nose, his face was livid from cold and hunger, and he was covered with a tattered blanket. (Left to her by a pity oarsman), standing barefoot on the rock, watching the gradually blurring shadows of all the fleets, surrounded by the cold wind and circling vultures.

When Cato's procession went up the Tiber River, Claudius in the Temple of Virtue had already taken out a letter from afar. On it was the handwriting of Lepidus, "Everything is done, remember, and kill it." Cato the Younger, he is obviously going to run for consulship next year and destroy him.”

Claudius's handsome face smiled even more happily, and he handed the letter to Caesar's cronies Ebro and Basatus who were beside him. The other party also laughed after reading it, "Everyone, what we need is a grand welcome ceremony. Everyone was neatly dressed and wearing beautiful garlands of spring flowers to greet our former Advocate like a victorious general."

At the port of Ostia where the Tiber River flows into the Roman city, Cato's fleet passed by amidst the joy of everyone. Both sides of the bank were crowded with senators, citizens, and priests who came to greet the fleet. They extended their arms eagerly to the fleet. I hope that Cato, who has made great achievements from the East, can stand on the bow of the ship, or get off the boat, and say hello to them, even if he smiles and waves, but when everyone sees the giant six-wheeled ship that Cato is riding on, There was no one on the deck of the royal flagship (which he took over from Ptolemy in Cyprus). Only the oars were constantly paddling the cold water of the Tiber River, just heading forward. The Romans were eager to see their heroes, But I was more eager to interact with the heroes, but Cato obviously disappointed everyone, so many people's chants became listless.

But many excited voices came from the crowd, "Cato is really a grand triumph this time. He has achieved great benefits for the Republic. It is said that the wealth brought back from Cyprus alone amounts to 7,000 talents." "

Many people laughed scornfully at this. The great Pompey conquered the entire East and brought back only 20,000 talents to Rome. How could a small island country have so much loot?

"Romans never like to lie. I have relatives who are serving in the legions who know the inside story. There will be false rumors when they come back. That's why Cato ignored the welcoming crowd and went straight towards the Temple of Saturn, hoping to get the goods as soon as possible. If you don’t believe it, let’s take a look right away.”

These words spread extremely quickly, and soon the welcoming crowd found a new point of excitement, which was to see whether the seven thousand talents brought back by Cato Cato were indeed true. Many people They also placed bets on each other, and thousands of citizens soon crowded on the high ground and square next to the Temple of Saturn. They had no reason to be unhappy - if they really brought back seven thousand talents, then they would immediately There will be giant sword-fighting competitions, racing competitions, and a large number of free rewards for the poor. Didn’t Julius Caesar and Gnaeus Pompey do this, and neither did Cato the Younger. There should be an exception!

When the long team carrying wooden cabinets began to walk from the pier to the street of the Temple of Saturn, people cheered excitedly when they saw this huge formation. Sure enough, the previous rumors were true. There were so many wooden cabinets inside. It was so full of coins that it probably couldn't be moved in a day or a night. It actually amounted to seven or eight thousand talents.

When Cato the Younger got off the royal flagship and saw the filth in the streets of Rome, the winding and narrow streets and the disheveled welcoming crowds, he sighed, "I have been away for more than a year and come back, and Rome is still so ugly. ." After that, he took Brutus and Cassio to the Temple of Saturn amidst the cheers of the crowd.

Sure enough, in front of the porch of the Temple of Saturn under the setting sun, Claudius, Basatus, Ebro and others were all wearing robes, standing there, looking at the arrival of Cato and the others with false smiles, and On the other side were his father-in-law Philippas, his friend Cicero and others, who were blocked by a mob from outside the boundary of the Temple of Saturn.

"This is the biggest miracle, isn't it? I knew you could do it, and that's why I overcame all the objections and allowed you to go to Cyprus to take up your post." Claudius opened his arms, walked down the steps, and enthusiastically wanted to come forward and meet Xiaojia. Trying to hug him, Brutus pushed him away, "Wow, this is not very friendly. My dear philosopher friend, when your wife was in Rome, I was very concerned about her health and even asked my slave to send her away. The medicine is gone." Claudius raised his hands high and said with a smile.

"Did your sister provide the medicine? I heard that she has made a lot of money in the Baie and Suburra districts." Brutus countered.

"Don't be like this. I am very grateful to the tribunes for welcoming me, a sinner, in front of the temple. There is also some delicious Cyprus country wine on the boat. I will give it to you as a small gift soon." After saying this, Cato took the initiative to talk to Claudius They hugged each other and kissed each other gently. Then Ebro pretended to be even more excited than Claudius, walked down and said to young Cato, "The whole republic admires your achievements. We are going to apply to the Senate through the People's Assembly so that you can also appear on daily occasions. You can wear purple-trimmed robes, and there is an additional seat for an officer, which you can take without having to run for office.”

Cato the Younger listened to all this with a modest smile, while Cicero, who was blocked by the mob, raised his fist and roared, "My friend Cato the Younger, don't believe their tricks. Claudius, the villain, is now a dog in trouble. As long as you say it in the Senate, you can deprive him of his position as tribune and exile him! Because he was not a qualified tribune, he got the position through abnormal procedures. Go ahead, my friend!" Cicero encouraged, "All his documents in the Capitoline Hill have been destroyed, and he has no support at all."

"I will sue you for privately burning state documents!" At this time, Claudius also pointed at Cicero and scolded him loudly, and the scene began to become chaotic.

"Well!" said Cato the Younger with dignity, "I will not accuse any tribunes. They are the cornerstone of Roman civil government, the supervisors and good friends of the Republic. If Claudius lost his legal name because his documents were destroyed, then the burning of my spoils account book means that I have also been doing illegal things on the island of Cyprus this year?" (To be continued.)