Chapter 4 Will (Part 1)

"Don't rust." - Tocqueville, an ancient Roman philosopher

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When Domus walked to the outer corridor of the courtyard with her skirt lifted, Lepidus was stroking the wax statue of the Lord. Now Luculas was finally under the same roof with his ancestors. "Is Marcus still shutting himself up?" Lepidus asked when he saw Domus sweating.

"He spends the whole day in the crocodile pool, bathroom, pet room, and his own chess and card room. He doesn't mention his brother, and doesn't allow anyone to mention his brother."

"Give him some time..." Lepidus said, and walked to the garden, shaking the powder on his hands, where Cyrene was sitting on a stone chair, looking at the beautiful scenery of the Apollo Restaurant and the artificial lake. Then Lepidus waved his hand, and Matthias put a stack of bronze tubes at the feet of the philosopher with great effort, "Wow, maybe you mean that I have to spend the rest of my life sorting out the works of your master."

"We have no choice, because we are both free men he trusts, right? When the will reader and the virgin come to this courtyard, I will distribute the four thousand talents of the master." Lepidus exhaled and stood by the lake.

Domu behind him had a complicated expression and was staring at his back.

"Oh, maybe I should listen to your distribution method."

"Two thousand talents belong to Marcus, Kelly, and the entire Prima Villa; one thousand two hundred talents are divided between Tuna's ex-wife Claudia, and the remaining eight hundred talents. Four hundred belong to you. And four hundred belong to the reader of the will. Little Cato."

Cyrene laughed, and then said that this is the most playful way to deal with the inheritance in all these years since I entered Rome. Dear Carapis, you may be able to turn the funeral into a one-act comedy. Lepidus also laughed with his head down, and then said to Cyrene, how about the four hundred talents of funds. Is it enough for you to spend the rest of your days in Prima's study?

"Yes, this is necessary money. Literature in this world is too expensive. A town can be called a civilized capital as long as it has a few volumes of books written three hundred years ago. General Luculas' life only needs me to turn it into Greek and write it on vellum. His name will eventually be immortal in the long river." After saying that, Tyranion easily picked up the bronze tubes one by one. He walked towards the direction of the study.

At this moment, in the corridor of the Temple of Vesta. Zou Yi, wearing an Ionian wavy long skirt, stood in front of the closet in the Holy Treasury with a little nervousness, and her toes were raised and lowered playfully. Li Xiliya in front of her calmly took out the wills from the closet one by one, identified them, and took out the tuna one separately, then turned to Zou Yi and said calmly, "This time you can follow me to the mansion of Cato the Younger. The reader named on the cover of the will is him."

Zou Yi took this trip very seriously. Although she had to dedicate her chastity to the God of the Kitchen for decades, after submitting the will this time, she was officially recognized as a virgin. Her life was monotonous and respected, and she could finally take the first step. At this moment, she was only nineteen years old.

At this moment, the man in black suddenly appeared at the door of the Holy Treasury Hall. He was a little hunched and brought his entourage of strong men. He stood behind the flowers outside and looked at Zou Yi and Li Xiliya who walked out from inside, but he didn't say a word or make any movements. Li Xiliya walked over almost without looking around, not noticing anything unusual, but Zou Yi looked at the man in black with extreme anxiety, and then quickened his pace in fear, following Li Xiliya.

On the street, no matter whether it was nobles or foreign slaves, they all made way for the two virgins with extreme respect, because no matter what, they were the most respected women in Rome. They could even accompany the consuls and high priests, sit in the head seats, and watch the most brutal gladiatorial performances.

Soon, Cato's mansion arrived. When Li Xiliya entered, she was surprised to see that little Cato was also feeding fish in front of a newly dug fish pond. Beside him were Brutus and Cassius. The corners of this man's eyes were red, and he must be mourning his deceased friend, but due to his status as a will reader, it was not convenient for him to go to pay his respects. After paying respects to the virgins, Cato took the will and politely invited the virgins to take a short rest in the courtyard. After calling out his friends, he would naturally go to Prima with the two virgins to read the will of Tuna in public.

When Cato's friends walked out of the inner court, Li Xilia's face was calm, but Zoi could not hide her panic and surprise. She actually cared about the foreign patron of the deceased Tuna. She always felt that her pupils and eyes were somewhat similar to each other, but it was funny to think about it. It was just black pupils, and half of the residents in Rome were like this.

Okay, okay, my thoughts were confused again. Could this be the friend that Cato said he was going to mourn with? Zoi saw the great Pompey, the Pompey with a tuft of curly hair on his forehead, and a thin and handsome Jewish slave beside him. There was also a woman wearing a black mourning robe, but still couldn't cover up her heavy makeup, with a noble but lewd smile on her lips. Behind Pompey, there were several other people dressed in noble clothes, talking quickly.

"As the reader of Tuna's will, I feel sad, but also feel the warmth of trust." Cato the Younger said to Pompey with a choked voice, shaking the will in his hand.

"You should mourn less. It is well known that you are the pillar of the Republic, and as the censor of the Senate next year, I must prevent you from mourning too much." Pompey flattered with a fake smile, "So, can we set off? Respected Cato, oh, and the respected virgin Licilia." At this time, Brutus, who was standing behind Cato, looked a little embarrassed. He looked at Cassius and his uncle with an expression of "Is this really okay?", and then his eyes stole a glance at Portia who secretly poked her head out between the columns over there, and she pressed her hands tightly on her chest full of anxiety.

"Cicero doesn't want to come?" Pompey asked suddenly as he walked behind Cato when he walked out of the house.

"He mocked me for betraying my friend, but even if Tuna was my friend when he was alive, so what? I must eliminate anyone who will endanger the foundation of the Republic. Great Pompey, you should also turn back in time and draw a clear line with the other two. How can you fight against the republican tradition that has lasted for hundreds of years? Don't forget your contribution to the Roman people. I don't want them to use words like dictator and tyrant to "remember" you after you die." Cato replied coldly. It seems that even if Cicero wanted to cling to Pompey in private, he later considered that such behavior would betray the dead Tuna and damage his own reputation. Even Lenchart did not agree with him doing so, so he stayed indoors and remained silent. (To be continued...)