To be fair, the gladiatorial performance on the first day was quite exciting. The gladiators who participated in this performance were very powerful, and they were quite famous in their respective gladiator schools or in the local area. When they fought, they used all their skills. From a spectator's point of view, it was quite pleasing to the eye.
Of course, all of this happened before Zhang Heng made his appearance.
With two performances, Zhang Heng successfully raised the audience's viewing experience to another level. So, the gladiators who came on the stage after him were unlucky. No matter how hard they fought, and even sacrificed themselves, they could not get the cheers and screams that they deserved. That was because most of the audience were still immersed in the previous bullfighting performance.
When they turned their attention back to Zhang Heng, they found that the battles did not seem to be as exciting as before.
However, they had already asked Zhang Heng to return to the arena once. This time, they were too embarrassed to ask Zhang Heng to fight three times in a row. After the performance, they began to frantically inquire more about this mysterious eastern gladiator.
So on this day, everyone in the streets of Rome was talking about one name. So much so that the other gladiators who fought together with Zhang Heng were ignored. It was a pity that this was not the Internet era. Otherwise, Zhang Heng would have become famous throughout the Roman Empire with these two explosive performances.
After the first day's performance ended, Zhang Heng welcomed an unexpected guest.
Commodus.
According to Zhang Heng's original plan, the young emperor was supposed to visit him after the bullfighting performance two days later. However, he did not expect that Commodus could not calm down for a long time after watching the exciting bullfighting performance. So, he went to Mark Reuss's gladiator school that night.
Commodus had changed into an ordinary person's outfit, and he only brought four guards with him. When he showed up, Mark Reuss was almost scared to death.
The owner of the gladiator school quickly asked someone to prepare tea and snacks, but Commodus refused.
The young emperor rubbed his hands excitedly, "I'm here to look for Zhang Heng. Is he here?"
"Of course, I will send someone to ask him to see you, Your Majesty," Mark Reuss said respectfully.
"No, no, no. I'm a guest. I should be the one looking for him. You can send someone to bring me to his residence. I want to talk to him alone."
"This …" Mark Reuss's heart skipped a beat when he heard what Commodus said. What he feared the most had happened. Zhang Heng had become Commodus's friend. If that was the case, he would no longer be able to control Zhang Heng.
In fact, the reason why Mark Reuss stayed at the gladiator school and did not go home was to see Zhang Heng. He wanted to find a way to control Zhang Heng again before the latter won the championship and attracted the emperor's attention.
Mark Reuss did not ask for much from Zhang Heng now. He had always treated Zhang Heng as a cash cow. As long as Zhang Heng was willing to work for him sincerely for three years, he was willing to return his freedom to this easterner after three years. Although it was painful, Mark Reuss had to admit that this might be the best solution for him at this stage.
And he was not afraid that Zhang Heng would not agree to his request. No matter what, he was Zhang Heng's master, and he controlled Zhang Heng's life and death. Even Commodus could not change that. In the end, if Mark Reuss insisted on killing Zhang Heng, the Basilica Julia would definitely rule him as the winner.
However, it did not mean that Mark Reuss dared to offend Commodus, the emperor of the Roman Empire. The two of them were not on the same level at all. Mark Reuss might have the final say in the gladiator school, but he was not qualified to speak in front of the real dignitaries. If Commodus did not come tonight, Mark Reuss could still pretend to be ignorant. Now that Commodus came to visit Zhang Heng in person, no matter what the reason was, the meaning behind it was very different.
Mark Reuss had also lost his last chance to threaten Zhang Heng. Of course, these thoughts only flashed in his mind once. Mark Reuss did not dare to refuse Commodus's request. So, he quickly asked someone to bring the young emperor to see Zhang Heng.
When Commodus arrived outside Zhang Heng's house, he happened to bump into Zhang Heng's slave girl who came out to collect the clothes. Commodus and his guards were not wearing any formal clothes that could show off their identities. So, Zhang Heng's slave girl thought that they were fanatical "fans" who sneaked in to see the gladiator she admired.
This kind of thing had happened before. Gladiators were the most popular idols of this era, and it was inevitable that they would encounter all kinds of harassment. Of course, the slave girl was not qualified to watch today's gladiatorial performance. However, she heard about Zhang Heng's amazing performance. While she was proud of him, she also felt a heavy burden on her shoulders.
Living with Zhang Heng was also her happiest time. She was born in Rome, and her family wasn't exactly rich, but they weren't exactly poor either. Unfortunately, good times didn't last long. Not long after she was born, her father committed a crime. Not only did he lose his life, but his wife and daughter were also enslaved.
However, she did not think that her life was that miserable. Maybe it was because she was too young at that time, and she could not feel the pain brought by the great changes. She was already a slave since she was sensible. So, she accepted this fact easily. She also knew what fate awaited her in the future. So when she was assigned to serve Zhang Heng, she was already prepared for all kinds of things.
However, she did not expect her new master to be a very special person.
Although Zhang Heng looked a little cold and did not like to talk when he came home, he would ask her if she was cold when she slept on the ground. Recently, he even built a low bed for her when he had time. The slave girl was overwhelmed by Zhang Heng's favor, and her heart was filled with sweetness for a few days. It also made her more determined to take care of Zhang Heng.
So at this moment, she firmly stood in front of Commodus and others and said fiercely, "Stop, stop. Who are you? Where did you come from? Don't you know that outsiders are not allowed to come in here?"
"Who are we?" Commodus raised his eyebrows, feeling a little funny. He then took out a Sestertius coin from his arms and threw it to the slave girl.
"Bribery is useless," the slave girl said with her chest puffed up, looking like she was not tempted by money.
"It's not a bribe. Look at that coin. This is a sample coin. If everything goes well, the new coins will be minted according to this sample coin."
"Huh?" The slave girl looked down at the copper coin in her hand, a little puzzled. "Why does the person on this coin look a little like you?"
"Just a little?" Commodus frowned. "It seems that I have to make a few more versions to compare."
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