The one who spoke was the emperor of the Roman Empire, Commodus. Hence, Sartonilos could not disobey the emperor's order. He looked at Zhang Heng with a gloomy gaze, and he had no choice but to return to his original position.
Sartonilos could feel that although Commodus was trying to mediate, he was obviously biased toward Zhang Heng. However, he was not a fool, and he soon figured out why Commodus did that. At the last moment of the battle, Zhang Heng made a knife-hand gesture and slashed his neck. If Zhang Heng was holding a knife or a sword in his hand, there was no doubt that he would be a dead body by now.
However, Sartonilos had to admit that it was a trick. After all, the two were fighting bare-handed. Naturally, Sartonilos would not guard against a sword or a knife. If Zhang Heng did not do that, he might inflict more serious damage on him before he could react. However, it would be difficult to kill him. After all, the two would still have to fight each other.
Now, he could only suffer in silence. On the other hand, Zhang Heng had successfully changed Commodus's first impression of him. Previously, Commodus thought that Zhang Heng was a little reckless. Now, Commodus thought that Zhang Heng was brave and good at fighting. Moreover, Commodus thought that Zhang Heng was a rare quality, not to mention that he was just a gladiator.
So after the battle, Commodus patted Zhang Heng on the shoulder, "Your name is Zhang Heng, right? I heard that you are from the far east, the ancient empire that produces silk. You fought well. I will remember your name. I am looking forward to your performance in the arena."
"As you wish, Your Majesty," Zhang Heng said.
Commodus seemed to want to say something, but he hesitated. In the end, he did not say anything. After witnessing an intense and exciting battle, he seemed to be satisfied. After that, he listened to the introduction of the new gladiator, and he was a little absent-minded.
Dior noticed his reaction and waved his hand to dismiss the other gladiator school masters.
"I asked someone to prepare desserts and fruits, and a group of excellent dancers …"
"Oh," the young emperor raised his eyebrows when he heard what Dior said, "I have been out for a while. Thank you for your hospitality. Christina is not feeling well tonight. I think we should leave first."
"Of course," Dior said, "The queen's health is the most important thing." As he spoke, he personally sent Commodus and Christina out of the door. After that, he and the young emperor stood at the door and chatted privately.
Zhang Heng tried to prick up his ears, but because of the distance, no one could hear what they were talking about.
However, at the next moment, another slightly hoarse and lazy voice rang in his ear. "Heh, so, you're the Asian who rose to fame in the Victor Arena?"
Zhang Heng looked up and saw a woman. She looked to be in her thirties, but her skin was well-maintained. Like a teenage girl in this era, she had a slightly chubby face that gave her an innocent girlish vibe. However, her eyes revealed a cold look from time to time, and her slightly upturned lips showed that she had an extraordinary status. This could also be seen from the way the other female guests treated her.
When they were watching the battle, the other female guests were basically standing beside her and Christina.
She wore a very thin metal mesh covering her head, and other than the metal mesh and the wedding ring on her right hand, she had no other accessories on her body.
Zhang Heng roughly guessed the identity of the other party, and it gave him a headache. He did not want to have anything to do with this person in front of him.
However, things did not go as he wished. When the other party saw that he was silent, she did not leave. Instead, she moved her face closer to Zhang Heng. There was the fragrance of rose petals on her body, and the hot breath she exhaled touched Zhang Heng's ear. "Hehe, do you think everyone else is a fool? They can't see through you. Tell me, Asian, what is your purpose in approaching my brother? Be careful, and don't lie. Otherwise, I will ask the guards to drag you out and behead you. You know who I am, right? Then you should also know that I'm not just scaring you. "
Zhang Heng was helpless. At this point, he could only answer, "Yes, dear Augusta."
At this moment, standing in front of Zhang Heng was the most distinguished woman in the entire Roman Empire. She was Aurelius's eldest daughter and Commodus's sister, Lucilla. She was also the only woman with the title of Augusta after her mother's death.
The title Augusta corresponded to Augustus, roughly equivalent to the meaning of queen. It was also the highest title that women in the entire Roman Empire could receive.
When Lucilla received this title, she was still the wife of Lucius. At that time, Rome was ruled by Lucius and Aurelius. However, Lucius died of illness not long after that. After that, Aurelius arranged for Lucilla to marry Pompeo Nus.
However, there were rumors that Lucilla was not very satisfied with her second marriage. Although her current husband was a powerful figure in the military, his status was still incomparable to the previous emperor, Lucius. Lucilla was demoted from a queen to a governor's wife. Fortunately, she still retained the title Augusta.
And she seemed to value this title very much. When she heard Zhang Heng address her as Augusta, a smile finally appeared on her face, and her tone softened a little. "You haven't answered my question yet, gladiator."
"What do you think a gladiator wants the most?" Zhang Heng asked rhetorically.
"Freedom?" Lucilla raised her eyebrows. "All gladiators want freedom, but no, I don't think this is why you approached my brother."
Zhang Heng's eyelids twitched. He almost thought that something had gone wrong with the old trainer, causing his identity to be exposed. Fortunately, Lucilla quickly continued, "The people who came here tonight, regardless of their status, have only one purpose." She paused and slowly spat out two words. "Power. Admit it. You want more than just freedom. You must have heard the story about my brother. Hmph, he always has some unrealistic expectations of the people at the bottom. Now, the two most trusted advisers around him are not aristocrats. "
"You have a pair of sharp eyes," Zhang Heng admitted.
"No, I just have a good nose, and I can smell the scent of people who want to climb up the social ladder," Lucilla said angrily. "But my brother has a lot of people around him now. If you want power and freedom, maybe you can consider going in another direction."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
