Although Lucilla temporarily dispelled the idea of suicide under Zhang Heng's persuasion, her heart was still full of anxiety, especially when she saw Zhang Heng's wanted posters posted almost all over the city the next morning. Under such circumstances, let alone getting close to the target, even walking on the street became more and more difficult.
And as time went by, Zhang Heng's situation would only become more and more dangerous.
Since that night, the two had lost contact with each other. Lucilla did not know if Zhang Heng was still alive, and if he was, how long could he hide? She knew that Zhang Heng had his own forces in the southeast city. However, the bounty on the wanted posters was enough to turn anyone into a traitor, not to mention that the people in the southeast city had no sense of honor. As long as the money was enough, those poor people would even betray their own fathers. And now, Zhang Heng had lost his position by Commodus's side. In other words, now was the time when his control was at its weakest.
Lucilla did not know how Zhang Heng would restrain his men from betraying him.
In fact, Lucilla felt that it was more likely that Zhang Heng had escaped from Rome. This was the only way to explain why he neither came to see her nor was he caught.
Thinking of this, Lucilla's heart sank.
At this time, a hand wrapped around her body, and Pompeo Nuss's voice came from behind her. It was as gentle as ever, "What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
Lucilla retracted her gaze from the street downstairs and forced a smile, "It's nothing. I was just thinking that Saturnalia will be in a few days."
"Oh, yes, Saturnalia." Pompeo Nuss nodded, "I heard that there will be a grand celebration in Trajan's Square on that day. Maybe we can go there and have some fun."
"Yes, that's right." Lucilla dealt with her husband absent-mindedly.
"But now, my dear, we have to go to the Victor Arena to watch the gladiatorial show." Pompeo Nuss picked up the necklace on the table, put it on Lucilla, and tidied her hair. "It's a pity that your favorite easterner can no longer perform in the Victor Arena. Fortunately, we still have the giant Terufelos to watch. We have to hurry, or we won't be able to make it in time for the show to start."
"I'll be done soon. Why don't you wait for me downstairs?"
"Okay." Pompeo Nuss smiled and kissed Lucilla's forehead again. After that, he opened the door.
However, as soon as he took a step forward, he froze in place. After that, he slowly retreated back into the room. Lucilla frowned when she heard the footsteps behind her. She then turned around and said, "What's wrong? Did you forget something?"
However, the next moment, she saw a man dressed as a servant holding a dagger against Pompeo Nuss' chest. A chill suddenly rose in Lucilla's heart. She obviously did not expect the Hounds' assassin to come so quickly. "If you have something to do with me," she said. "It has nothing to do with him. He doesn't know anything."
"No, I'm afraid this matter has a lot to do with him," said the assassin dressed as a servant. It was Zhang Heng.
"You haven't left Rome yet?" Lucilla was stunned.
"Yes, our agreement hasn't been fulfilled yet. Of course, I won't leave," Zhang Heng said. "I have helped you kill Altrus, but the leader of the Hounds usually stays in the barracks. It's not easy to kill him. And after I kill Altrus, he will definitely increase his vigilance. Fortunately, I know a perfect opportunity to avoid all his men and guards. And that is when he returns home from the barracks."
"Wait, are you saying that my husband is the leader of the Hounds?" Lucilla looked incredulous. "How is this possible? This is just a lie you made up to enter the library, right?"
"Unfortunately, no. To be honest, I have never doubted him before because he has an almost perfect disguise. He is Aurelius's confidant, your husband, the number one figure in the military, and he has always been known for his gentle personality. At the same time, he hardly participates in any faction battles. Under normal circumstances, no one would associate him with the leader of the Hounds. I won't either."
Zhang Heng paused and continued, "But a few months ago, when I was still in the southeast city, I was assassinated. At that time, I was more inclined to think that the assassin was sent by Clint because he had always been a little jealous of Commodus's favor toward me. It was not until a few days ago that I met the person who hired the assassin. It was a centurion named Herto, and I learned that he had worked under your husband for a long time. And when someone mentioned his relationship with your husband, he looked a little flustered. That made me realize that your husband might not be as simple as he seemed.
"But until then, I still didn't think he would be the leader of the Hounds. First of all, the person who assassinated me was not from the Hounds. Secondly, the timing of the assassination was not revealed at that time. No matter who hired the assassin, they obviously didn't want to kill me because I was a candidate for the Balance Blade. In fact, I still don't have an answer to this question until now," Zhang Heng said while looking at Pompeo Nuss in front of him.
Pompeo Nuss, however, just listened quietly and did not say anything.
So Zhang Heng continued, "But this incident made me know that the person behind Herto was your husband. As I said earlier, up to this time, I still only know the identities of you and Altrus. I don't know who the leader of the Hounds is. So, I did not plan to stay in Rome anymore.
"I have a friend named Varro. I … Well, I met him in the gladiator school. Before he became a slave, he was an antique dealer. Later, his wife and his best friend teamed up to cheat him of all his assets. After that, I hired someone to help him investigate it. I found out that this matter was not as simple as it seemed. Whether it was his wife or his best friend, they were just working for someone else. The mastermind behind the whole thing is a senator named Pellegrino, and this is not the first time he has done this kind of thing."
"What are you trying to say?" Lucilla did not know why Zhang Heng suddenly changed the topic to a civilian.
After the fake Altrus was assassinated, the Balance Blade did not contact me. I knew that you were not in a good situation. After waiting for another two days, I was ready to escape. At that time, I thought that since I was going to escape, I might as well solve my friend's problem. After all, Varo and I got along quite well in the gladiator school. So, I decided to do him a favor for the last time. "
Le Wen's mobile version:
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.
