Chapter 54: Aftermath of Disaster (1)
Faced with the shocking election results, the Senate was almost in a state of chaos.
On this day, he was absent from the Senate meeting because the consuls-elect went to worship at the temple.
Since no parties were involved, loud voices, marked with criticism from the beginning, were rampant in the hall.
"How could Catilina ever be elected consul! What the hell did the senate do!"
"But you're not a senator either! Tell me what you did first!"
"What, you? Something like that to me now?"
The atmosphere was fierce, as if a scuffle would break out.
Consul Cicero, who couldn't watch it, got up from his seat nervously and shouted.
"What is the point of coming now and figuring out who is responsible! What choice did you make when I voted in the first place to ban Catilina from registering as a candidate? Since we overwhelmingly approved at that time, all the senators should share the responsibility for this case. Am I wrong?"
As Cicero alternately looked at the senators fighting, they sat down again, embarrassed.
Cicero, who thought the hall had calmed down, continued with a deep breath.
"Dear senators. Again, this is not the time to stir up trouble among ourselves. With Catilina away, we must decide our course of action."
Even Cato, who was not on good terms with Cicero, sided with him this time.
After gaining the right to speak, Cato's clear voice filled the large meeting room.
"The consul is right! Catilina was elected on a promise to defy the foundations of Roman law. We should not allow such a ridiculous law to be proposed to write off the entire debt."
Claudius Pulcher, who had just entered the Senate, asked, tilting his head.
"But no matter how hard Catilina tries, such a bill cannot be passed, right? I think the bill will be rejected if Silanus, the consul, exercises his veto until the end. Even if you don't veto it, someone in the tribune will. I think he's making a fuss for no reason...…."
A small number of senators showed signs of agreement with Pulcher's words.
Cato lamented, touching his forehead with his hand.
"There are still so many people who don't understand the seriousness of the issue. I'll just say it once, so listen carefully. The perception that there is no problem because you can exercise the right to veto is absurd! It is a problem that a bill such as debt relief is proposed in the first place!"
"... Is the bill itself a problem?"
"That's exactly right. Have you already forgotten the events of the Gracchus brothers?"
The majority of senators understood Cato's words and nodded.
In the past, the Gracchus brothers, who tried to reform the Roman contradiction of the Farmland Act, attempted to pass the Farmland Act despite opposition from the Senate.
Since the tribune had the same legislative power as the consul, it was possible to confront the senate face to face.
In the end, the Senate mobilized an unreasonable means called the Senatus Consultum Ultimum (Final Decree of the Senate) to stop the Gracchus brothers.
When the Senate's final decree is invoked, all rights of Roman citizens are suspended in the name of protecting the republic.
Even the tribune, which was guaranteed personal inviolability, was no exception.
The Senate invoked this final decree and summarily disposed of the Gracchus brothers and their supporters without trial.
However, the Senate's final decree was an extra-legal authority, which it did not specify anywhere in Roman law.
Law-savvy and sensible senators were hoping that they would not use this authority.
In the first place, it makes no sense to invoke a final decree against the consul, who is the representative of the senator.
Cicero, a representative of a law-savvy senator, received Cato's words with a concerned look on his face.
"What is more serious than the Gracchus brothers is that the consul of the Senate is the one who will propose the ridiculous bill. What happens if such a bill is proposed in the name of the consul, the highest official in Rome?"
Pulcher was also roughly convinced but still threw one last objection.
"However, it is also true that the case is different from that of the Gracchus brothers. The Farmland Act was overwhelmingly supported by the plebeian, but debt relief would be welcomed by those who owe it."
"Imagine how strong the response of those who owe it will be. Those suffering from debt in Rome exceed a thousand units. If rumors spread there, debtors will flock from all over the Italian Peninsula."
The faces of the senators who grasped the situation hardened.
When they heard it, they had a hunch that it could lead to a pretty big social problem.
Angered, Cato looked around as if he was pathetic at senators who now understood the seriousness of the matter.
"Now you understand? So far, people with huge debts would have just lived their lives thinking they couldn't help it. But they had a lifeline called Catilina. What does it matter if it's a rotten rope or not. Those who have the slightest chance of survival will turn their eyes upside down and run. There are senseless people here in the Senate who enjoy luxury with other people's money right now."
Cato paused and looked toward Caesar.
The eyes of other senators naturally focused on Caesar.
A strange atmosphere encroached on the hall.
Come to think of it; there was no law that only the plebeian should sympathize with Catilina.
There was a high possibility that the debt-stricken aristocrats were also supporting Catilina at heart, and there were no senators who were unaware of how deeply indebted Caesar was.
They glanced at Caesar with the look of 'Aren't you also part of Catilina?'
Caesar calmly scratched his head with his fingers despite such an uncomfortable atmosphere.
Cato, who didn't like this look more, grinned.
"Don't you have anything to say since you hit the nail on the head?"
The reason Cato dislikes Caesar is not just because he thought he would be a threat to the Republic.
There were personal reasons as well as public reasons.
In the eyes of Cato, a Stoic school that makes a living frugally a virtue, Caesar was self-indulgent.
People like Crassus, who had a lot of money from the beginning, were worth watching.
On top of that, Crassus has recently been gaining popularity by doing a lot of charity work.
Of course, Caesar also held a spectacular gladiator match and sprinkled wheat on the citizens when he was an aedile.
But it was all done with other people's money, not with Caesar's own money.
Above all, Cato did not like the fact that his half-sister, Servilia, was in a romantic relationship with Caesar.
Servilia, the mother of Brutus, was passionately in love with Caesar even though she had a husband.
Caesar also openly enjoyed secret meetings with her even though he had a wife.
Cato simply couldn't tolerate this shameless behavior.
He couldn't believe that such a person was elected as the Pontifex Maximus and the Praetor.
"Caesar, I know that you owe as much debt as Catilina. If Catilina had to write up the debt-relief bill, you would support him more enthusiastically than anyone else. Am I wrong?"
Caesar narrowed it down very slightly, but that was all.
He opened his mouth, slowly accepting the senators' suspicious gaze toward him.
"I think you missed the point, perhaps because your wise comrade, Porcius Cato, was so excited. It's too simple to say that you'll welcome debt relief because you have too much debt. On the contrary, debtors like me cannot welcome such a radical bill. Let's suppose that the bill is passed. Will creditors who have lent as little as hundreds of thousands to as many millions Sestertius to give up the money they have to keep clean now that the law has changed?"
Caesar looked up at Crassus, who had not said a word until now.
"Mr. Crassus, if that bill passes, will you be able to relinquish the money you lent me?"
"That's ridiculous. How much money did I lend you and you're going to knock it down? We'll take it back at all costs."
Caesar nodded satisfactorily. He turned to Cato again.
"Look. The passing of the law is not all. If that ridiculous law is passed, Rome's economy will collapse immediately. The creditors who are blinded by money will be forced to collect by armed forces. The debtors will resist. People with huge debts like me can't guarantee their lives. I know this is what will happen, but will I support Catilina's actions?"
"...."
Cato chewed his lips but could not refute a single word.
Other senators also turned to discuss how to stop Catilina, leaving their suspicious eyes.
Lucullus, who returned from the East and actively resumed his activities, suggested one way.
"I think the best way is to nullify Catilina's election itself. He might have engaged in excessive activities because he would have participated in the election with the determination that this would be the last time. How many reasons will there be for election law violations if we dig?"
It seemed a reasonable opinion, but Cicero shook his head and threw a long sigh.
"As soon as Catilina was elected, we've thoroughly investigated his violations of election laws. Unlike his empty promises, he has a straight nature in the basics. The election was held in a very rigid way."
"Turn it off... So we have to keep our eyes open and watch him rise to the rank of consul?"
"Unfortunately, for now... we'll have to wait and see. Still, we should continue to investigate whether there is any way to nullify his election. I'll have the aediles in full force."
No matter how much they put their heads together, there was no sharp way at the moment.
They just hoped that somehow a breakthrough would come before next year when Catilina's term began.
The Curia Hostilia was filled with heavy sighs of senators with their heads wrapped around it.
* * *
At the height of the meeting in the Senate, Marcus was also struggling in his office.
Julia and Danae, Septimus, were guarding his surroundings with a meaningful expressions.
All three people's faces clearly showed their feelings, 'I didn't know this would happen.'
Marcus looked back on the current situation by taking care of his facial expression so as not to show his embarrassment.
'How did this happen?'
From the beginning, he didn't think that all the situations would flow into history.
He always kept in mind the possibility of various variables and thought of countermeasures.
However, he did not assume that such a big change now occurred for completely unexpected reasons.
Marcus predicted that, at most, Murena was guilty of violating the election law.
The party had even prepared to exonerate witnesses by bribing them in preparation for the incident.
But he never imagined that he would lose the election because of his involvement in match-fixing.
'If only I had let this man go, he would have been a consul.'
The fact that excessive greed ruins one's life is a truth that does not change throughout all ages.
The problem is that Murena did not only ruin his own life but also threw Roman politics into chaos.
He doesn't know how to deal with this at the moment.
In contrast to Marcus' restless mind, the reaction of the people around him was only relaxing.
Even though he was somewhat surprised, Septimus opened his mouth with a happy smile.
"Catilina was elected consul, and it seemed quite chaotic outside. It's natural because no one would have predicted it."
Danae went on.
"You knew this was going to happen, and you lent Catilina the money for his election."
Marcus looked at the two people's countenance and seemed to really believe so.
Only Julia was tilting her head with a look of surprise and doubt mixed in half.
"Were you really expecting this to happen? And after the elections, the Roman political situation will be in chaos."
Marcus wanted to praise himself with all his might in the past for not telling everything in his heart.
It was the best choice to say that you should pay attention to safety as he will cause a big stir as a result of the election.
Marcus nodded slightly, smiling a relaxed smile that he had practiced with great care.
"Of... course everything was being predicted. That's why I loaned money to Catilina."
"Oh, my gods..."
A voice of respect and admiration leaked from Julia's mouth.
Danae shrugged as if she thought she would.
"You predicted that the price of wheat would skyrocket in a few years, even when Lucullus won a winning streak in the East. Of course, this is what happened. You could have known it easily."
"....well, yes."
Marcus was proud of himself for not even showing facial movements.
This was all thanks to the usual bloody training.
"I guess the next development is in the palm of your hand. How great a plan you have drawn this time..."
At the words of Septimus overflowing with reverence, Marcus felt a tingling stomach.
But now, he couldn't confess that he didn't know the truth at all.
His subordinates must perceive Marcus as a super figure who controls all situations perfectly.
Since he has been acting like that all the time, he hasn't been able to show a gap here.
Danae, who cannot understand his feelings, has been asking a difficult question.
"So, how do we move now? I think I can move in a way that helps you by knowing what's going on."
"Hmm... Yeah? But I'd like to hear your thoughts first. How do you expect the Roman political system to evolve?"
"I don't know. Many people say that Catilina will propose a bill to cancel their debts, which I personally doubt. At that point, of course, other consul and tribunes will exercise their veto power. I think I can just give up neatly rather than pushing ahead with a law that's not likely."
"No, I don't think so."
Julia immediately dismissed Danae's reasoning.
Julia told Danae, who looked at her with a questionable face, why.
"The majority of the supporters of Catilina are the debtors who are heavily in debt. Catilina can't abandon his supporters, as long as he's in the power with their support. If you pretend you don't know you're elected, you'll have to worry about being assassinated by your evil supporters."
"Oh, I see. Catilina's supporters must be especially strong, but do you have to accept the wishes of those people...…."
"If you give up your support base, your life as a politician ends with that. The only way for him is to confront the Senate or betray his supporters by ending his political life. There's nothing but these two. And they will probably choose a path to confront the Senate with a high probability."
Marcus thought the same as Julia.
Catilina had already been on the back of a tiger.
Whether it's become porridge or rice, we have no choice but to go forward.
"Just as Julia said. Catilina has no choice but to propose a bill to cancel the debt. This is the future ahead."
"Then there will naturally be a great social disruption.... What kind of goal is Marcus trying to take here?"
This time, Julia asked a question that she could not answer.
She starkly felt the desire to gain instruction in her sparkling eyes.
There were three main ways Marcus could take to resolve the situation.
He was still unsure which of these three measures to move.
As soon as Marcus, who was in a difficult situation, was at a crossroads of choice, an unexpected hand of salvation came.
A slave who carefully entered the tabernum informed the news that a guest had come.
"Young master, Mr. Catilina, who has just been elected Consul, says he has a great deal to discuss with him."
"Really? Show him to the atrium right away."
Marcus, who sang the joy of his heart, rose from his seat and asked Julia for understanding.
"Let's talk about it after the guests are gone."
"Yes. I'll think about your intentions in my own way."
After leaving the tabernum, Marcus went straight to the atrium.
Catilina, who had arrived earlier, somehow seemed very restless.
After checking Marcus's face, he approached with a happy look and suddenly grabbed both hands.
"Thank you so much for your time."
"Thank you. You're elected consul, and no matter how busy you are, you have to put everything aside and serve them. By the way, congratulations on your election."
"Ahhh.... Yeah, thanks a lot. I wouldn't have been here without you. I'll pay you back the money I borrowed from you."
"Haha, as long as you're sure to pay it back, you can pay it back with ease. By the way, what are you trying to discuss urgently?"
It was roughly expected what problems Catilina would have in trouble.
According to Julia's reasoning, it would be frustrating because he cannot do this or that.
Catilina, who was looking around, sighed for the ground to go out and expressed his desperation.
"Please, help me."
* * *
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