CH 57

Chapter 57:  The Aftermath of the Incident

The Senate, faced with the shocking election result, was almost in a state of panic.

The elected consuls had gone to the temple to worship that day, so they did not attend the Senate meeting.

Without the parties involved, the meeting was filled with accusations from the beginning.

“How could that man Catiline be elected as consul! What did the Senate do!”

“You are also a senator! What did you do!”

“What, you? Are you saying that to me now?”

The atmosphere was so tense that it seemed like a brawl would break out.

Cicero, the consul who couldn’t stand it anymore, got up from his seat and shouted nervously.

“What’s the point of arguing about who is responsible now! When I proposed a vote to ban Catiline from running as a candidate in the first place, what choice did you make? You overwhelmingly agreed then, so this is something that all of us in the Senate have to share responsibility for. Am I wrong?”

When Cicero looked at the fighting senators alternately, they felt embarrassed and sat down again.

Cicero, who thought that the meeting had calmed down, took a deep breath and continued.

“Honorable senators. Let me say it again, this is not the time for us to cause discord among ourselves. We have to decide our course of action while Catiline is away.”

Even Cato, who was not on good terms with Cicero, agreed with him this time.

Cato’s loud voice filled the spacious meeting room as he got the right to speak.

“The consul is right! Catiline has made a pledge that ignores the foundation of Roman law and won the election. We can’t let such an absurd bill as debt cancellation be proposed.”

Claudius Pulcher, who had just entered the Senate, tilted his head and asked.

“But even if Catiline kicks up a fuss, there is no way such a bill will pass, right? It seems to me that all we have to do is for Silanus to exercise his veto power until the end. Even if Silanus doesn’t do it, one of the tribunes will. I think you’re making a fuss over nothing…”

A few senators seemed to agree with Pulcher’s words.

Cato touched his forehead with his hand and lamented.

“Are there still people who don’t understand the seriousness of the situation? I’ll say it once, so listen carefully. The perception that there is no problem because we can exercise our veto power is absurd! The problem is that such a bill as debt cancellation is proposed in the first place!”

“…The bill proposal itself is a problem?”

“Exactly. Have you already forgotten what happened during the Gracchi brothers’ time?”

Most of the senators understood Cato’s words and nodded their heads.

In the past, the Gracchi brothers tried to reform the land law, which was a contradiction of Rome, and struggled to pass it despite the opposition of the Senate.

The tribune had legislative power just like the consul, so it was possible for them to confront the Senate head-on.

In the end, the Senate resorted to an emergency measure called senatus consultum ultimum to stop the Gracchi brothers.

When senatus consultum ultimum was invoked, all rights of Roman citizens were suspended under the pretext of protecting the republic.

Even tribunes who were guaranteed inviolability were no exception.

The Senate executed the Gracchi brothers and their supporters without trial by using this ultimate consultation.

But senatus consultum ultimum was an extralegal authority that was not specified in Roman law.

Senators who were well-versed and discerning in law hoped that this authority would not be used.

It was also absurd to invoke senatus consultum ultimum against consuls who were representatives of senators in the first place.

Cicero, who was a representative of senators well-versed in law, took over Cato’s words with a worried expression.

“What’s more serious than during the Gracchi brothers’ time is that someone who proposes such an absurd bill is a consul of the Senate. What do you think will happen if such a bill is proposed in the name of consul, Rome’s highest office?”

Pulcher was convinced to some extent, but he still raised one last objection.

“But it’s also true that it’s different from during the Gracchi brothers’ time. The land law received overwhelming support from commoners, but debt cancellation would only be welcomed by those in debt.”

“Imagine how fierce those in debt will respond. There are at least thousands of people struggling with debt in Rome. And if the rumor spreads, debtors from all over the Italian peninsula will flock here.”

The faces of the senators who realized the situation hardened.

Come to think of it, it could turn into a serious social problem.

Furious Cato looked around the senators who had finally understood the seriousness of the matter with contempt.

“Do you understand now? Until now, those who had a lot of debt probably thought they had no choice but to live with it. But then Catiline came along as a lifeline for them. What does it matter whether it’s rotten or not? They will rush in with their eyes turned upside down as soon as they see a chance to survive. There are even some reckless people in this Senate who enjoy luxury with other people’s money.”

Cato paused for a moment and looked at Caesar.

The eyes of the other senators naturally focused on Caesar.

A strange atmosphere engulfed the meeting room.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t just commoners who had to side with Catiline.

There was a high possibility that nobles who were in debt also secretly supported Catiline, and no one knew how much debt Caesar had.

They looked at Caesar with a look that said, ‘You’re on Catiline’s side too, aren’t you?’

Even in such an uncomfortable atmosphere, Caesar calmly scratched his head with his finger.

This made Cato even more displeased.

“Do you have nothing to say because I hit the nail on the head?”

The reason why Cato hated Caesar was not only because he thought he was a threat to the republic.

There was also a personal reason.

Cato, who considered living frugally as a virtue of the Stoic school, saw Caesar as an embodiment of indulgence.

He would have tolerated him if he had been like Crassus, who had been rich from the beginning.

Besides, Crassus had been doing a lot of charity work lately and gaining people’s hearts.

Of course, Caesar also held splendid gladiator games and distributed wheat to the citizens when he was praetor.

But that was all done with other people’s money, not with Caesar’s own money.

What’s more, Cato didn’t like the fact that his sister-in-law Servilia was in a romantic relationship with Caesar.

Servilia, the mother of Brutus, was passionately longing for Caesar despite having a husband.

Caesar also enjoyed a scandalous affair with her, despite having a wife.

Cato could not tolerate this outrageous behavior.

He could not believe that such a man had been elected as the chief priest and then as the praetor.

“Caesar, I know you have a huge debt, no less than Catiline. I assume you would support his debt cancellation bill more than anyone else. Am I wrong?”

Caesar slightly furrowed his brow, but that was all.

He calmly faced the suspicious glances of the senators and opened his mouth.

“It seems that you are too excited, my wise colleague Porcius Cato, and you have missed an important point. It is too simple to argue that I would welcome debt cancellation because I have too much debt.

Rather, people like me who have a lot of debt cannot oppose such a radical bill. Let’s assume that the bill passes. Do you think the creditors who lent hundreds of thousands or millions of sesterces would give up their money because the law has changed?”

Caesar looked at Crassus, who had not said a word until now, and asked.

“Crassus, would you be able to write off the money you lent me if the bill passes?”

“That’s nonsense. How much did I lend you? Do you think I’ll swallow it? I’ll recover it by any means.”

Caesar nodded satisfactorily. He turned his head to Cato again.

“You see. It’s not everything that the bill passes. If such an absurd law passes, Rome’s economy will collapse immediately. The creditors who are robbed of their money will resort to armed force to collect their debts. The debtors will resist. People like me who owe a lot of money will not be able to guarantee their lives. When the situation is bound to be like this, do you think I would support Catiline’s actions?”

“······.”

Cato bit his lips and could not say a word of rebuttal.

The other senators also withdrew their doubtful eyes and turned their direction to discuss how to stop Catiline.

Lucullus, who had returned from the east and resumed his activities eagerly, suggested a plan.

“I think the best way right now is to invalidate Catiline’s election itself. He must have been desperate for this last election, so he might have done something unreasonable. If we dig deeper, we might find some violations of the election law.”

It seemed reasonable, but Cicero shook his head and let out a long sigh.

“I’ve already investigated thoroughly for any violations of the election law as soon as Catiline was elected. He is very meticulous in his basics unlike his frivolous promises. He ran the election very strictly and conventionally.”

“Hmm… Then do we have to watch him become a consul with our eyes open?”

“Unfortunately, for now… we have to watch him. But we still have to keep looking for any grounds to invalidate his election. Let’s mobilize all the censors.”

No matter how much they discussed, there was no good way for now.

They could only hope that a breakthrough would come before next year when Catiline’s term began.

The solemn senate hall was filled with heavy sighs of the senators who had headaches.

※※※※

While the senate was in full swing, Marcus was also racking his brains in his office.

Julia, Danae, and Septimius were guarding him with meaningful expressions.

All three of them had ‘I didn’t expect this’ on their faces.

Marcus tried not to show his confusion and reviewed the situation.

‘How did this happen?’

He did not expect everything to go according to history.

He always kept in mind the possibility of various variables and thought of countermeasures.

But he did not expect such a big change to happen for an unexpected reason.

The variable he predicted was at most Morena being convicted of violating the election law.

He was even prepared to pull out a not guilty verdict by bribing witnesses for that case.

But he never imagined that he would lose the election by being involved in match-fixing.

‘Morena, that guy would have become a consul if he had just stayed still.’

It is an unchanging truth that excessive greed ruins one’s fate in both ancient and modern times.

The problem is that Morena did not ruin his own fate alone, but also plunged Rome’s politics into chaos.

He had no idea how to fix this situation.

Contrary to Marcus’s mind, the reaction around him was only relaxed.

Septimius smiled contentedly with a slight surprise and opened his mouth.

“Catiline has been elected as a consul and the outside is quite chaotic. It’s natural, since no one would have predicted it.”

Danae continued.

“You must have known that this would happen, so you lent money to Catiline for the election, right?

When Marcus looked at their reactions, they seemed to really believe it.

Only Julia looked at him with a mixture of surprise and doubt.

“Did you really foresee this situation, Marcus? That’s why you said Rome’s politics would be chaotic after the election…”

Marcus secretly praised his past self for not revealing everything.

It was the best choice to just say that the election results would cause a big wave and to be careful of safety.

Marcus smiled casually with all his practice and nodded slightly.

“Of course I predicted everything. That’s why I lent money to Catiline.”

“Wow…”

A voice of admiration and respect came out of Julia’s mouth.

Danae shrugged her shoulders as if she knew it.

“Even when Lucullus was winning battles in the east, you predicted that the price of wheat would skyrocket in a few years. You must have easily known something like this would happen.”

“Well, yes.”

Marcus was proud of himself for not showing any change in his expression.

It was all thanks to his hard training.

“Then the future developments are also in your palm. I wonder what grand scheme you have drawn this time…”

Septimius’s words were overflowing with reverence, and Marcus felt sick to his stomach.

But he couldn’t admit the truth now.

He had to be recognized by his subordinates as a superhuman who controlled everything perfectly.

He had been acting like that all along, and he couldn’t show any weakness here.

Unaware of his mind, Danae threw a difficult question.

“Then what should we do now? We need to know how the situation will unfold so we can move in a way that helps you.”

“Hmm… Well, I want to hear your thoughts first. How do you think Rome’s politics will go?”

“I don’t know. Many people say that Catiline will propose a bill to cancel the debts. But I personally doubt it. Even if he does, the other consul or the tribune will surely veto it. It seems better to just give up on an impossible bill than to keep pushing it.”

“No, that’s not it.”

Julia immediately rejected Danae’s reasoning.

She explained to Danae, who looked at her with a puzzled face.

“Most of Catiline’s supporters are debtors who owe a lot of money. He has to keep his supporters happy now that he has become a consul with their support. If he pretends he doesn’t know anything after being elected, he might be assassinated by his angry supporters, don’t you think?”

“Oh, I see. Catiline’s supporters are especially fierce, so he has to listen to them…”

“He has no political life if he abandons his supporters. He has two choices: either confront the senate or betray his supporters and end his political life. And he will probably choose to confront the senate with a high probability.”

Marcus’s thoughts were the same as Julia’s.

Catiline was already on the tiger’s back.

He had no choice but to go forward, whether it was death or rice.

“Julia is right. Catiline has no choice but to propose the debt cancellation bill vigorously. This is the predetermined future.”

“Then there will be a huge social chaos… What kind of move are you going to make, Marcus?”

This time, Julia asked a question that she couldn’t answer herself.

She looked at him with a longing for guidance in her sparkling eyes.

Marcus had three options to solve this situation.

He was not sure which one to choose yet.

At this moment of dilemma, an unexpected hand of salvation came.

A slave who entered the office carefully informed him of a guest.

“Sir, Catiline, who has been elected as a consul, says he has something urgent to discuss with you.”

“Really? Take him to the reception room right away.”

Marcus secretly rejoiced and asked Julia for permission.

“Let’s continue our conversation after I send the guest away.”

“Yes. I’ll also think about your intentions in the meantime.”

Marcus left the office and headed straight to the reception room.

Catiline, who had arrived earlier, seemed very restless.

He brightened up when he saw Marcus’s face and came over and grabbed both of his hands.

“Thank you for making time for me.”

“Thank you? You are the one who has been elected as a consul. I have to put everything aside and welcome you no matter how busy I am. By the way, congratulations on your election.”

“Ah… yes, thank you very much. I wouldn’t be here without you. I’ll definitely pay back the money I borrowed from you.”

“Haha, as long as you pay me back for sure, you can repay me at your leisure. Anyway, what did you want to discuss with me urgently?”

He had a rough idea of what Catiline was troubled by.

It must be frustrating for him to be in a situation where he couldn’t do anything as Julia guessed.

Catiline looked around cautiously and sighed deeply, then poured out his desperate feelings.

“Please help me out, please.”