48 Hours a Day

Zhang Heng did not expect that Commodus would come to him so soon. Logically speaking, it would take at least two days for the report to reach the emperor after it was delivered. Meanwhile, Zhang Heng took a break. He brought the slave girl to wander around Rome.

They first went to Perfume Street.

The slave girl was a little curious. She saw Zhang Heng opening a bottle of perfume on the shelf and put it back after sniffing it. “Why did you put it back? Don’t you like it?” the slave girl blinked her eyes and asked.

“Oh, no. I just needed a little whiff,” he said, picking up a bottle and paying for it. He then tossed the bottle of perfume to the slave girl. “I’ll give it to you.”

“Really?” The slave girl took the perfume joyfully. While Zhang Heng was not paying attention to her, she opened it and applied the perfume to her hair.

Next, the two walked out of the perfume shop. They went to Matius Square for a quick walk before heading to the Portico of Octavia. Located at a good distance from the city center, there were no markets or insulae in this area. Instead, the place was covered by large areas of green grass, temples, and sculptures. It was an excellent location for leisure and travel.

The monumental portico surrounded the verdant atrium. In the center of it was the temple of King Jupiter and Queen Juno. The frescoes and stucco portraits at the portico told ancient myths and legendary tales related to them. From afar, they could also see Alexander’s bronze statue. Travelers and believers that crossed the portico and stopped in front of the statues could feel the solemnness and tranquility of the place.

The slave girl found a spot on the grass and sat down. She then took out the lunch that she prepared earlier and chatted with Zhang Heng. When the slave girl worked in the Victor Arena, she had never thought about the meaning of happiness. But at this moment, she felt that she could reach out and grasp it.

“Are things going well with the patrol team?” the slave girl asked while taking a bite of the bread.

“Well, although there have been some hiccups, everything did go according to my plan,” Zhang Heng said. “You can perhaps say that it is going way smoother than I thought.”

“So, are you going to work for the emperor next?”

“That would be the case if there are no more hiccups to my plan,” Zhang Heng nodded.

“That’s great! You can expose Clint’s true nature to the emperor then.”

The slave girl was still thinking about Clint, the two-faced villain.

Zhang Heng laughed when he heard what she said. “It’s not that simple. It doesn’t mean the emperor will believe me.”

“I believe you. Fully,” the slave girl said with conviction. “You are more credible than Clint. No, I shouldn’t compare you to him because he isn’t worthy of that.”

“That’s because you have lived with me for a long time.” Zhang Heng shook his head and said, “You don’t have to worry about me. I am not afraid of Clint. I’m not his target. In the future, we will even have more opportunities to work together.”

The slave girl had a lot of questions after she heard Zhang Heng’s explanation. She then pursed her lips and was about to say something, but she suddenly saw Clint. He was walking towards her with a few guards. The slave girl was taken aback, thinking that Clint must be dabbling with witchcraft. She assumed that he had heard everything that she had just said about him and was now about to arrest her. Hence she hurriedly ran and hid behind Zhang Heng.

“It seems like you get to relax today. It is truly enviable, but I am afraid you will now have to say goodbye to a day like this,” Clint said to Zhang Heng with a smile.

“Hmm?”

“His Majesty, the Emperor is delighted with your performance in the southeast city. So, he asked me to take you to the palace to meet him. Finding you was rather difficult. I went to your residence, and I saw no one. After that, I went to the patrol station, and they told me that you were on an outing. So, I thought you might be here. It seems I’m in luck. Come with me. Don’t make the emperor wait for you,” Clint said.

Zhang Heng stood up from the grass and said to the slave girl behind him, “That’s it. I think we have to end the day here. You can head home first.”

“Okay. Watch out for yourself,” the slave girl whispered into Zhang Heng’s ears, stealing a glance at Clint.

After that, Zhang Heng entered a carriage with Clint, and they went on their way to the palace. But before they could enter, Clint asked the coachman to park the carriage in a place where no one would notice.

Clint then cleared his throat and said, “I know you’ve heard some rumors…”

“What rumors?” Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows.

“For example, only the unlucky ones who have offended the higher-ups or those without proper background would be sent to the patrol station in the southeast city. It is like a place you get sent to if you’re exiled from Rome..”

“Oh, I…”

Before Zhang Heng could speak his mind, Clint interrupted him.

“This is true. Although this statement is inaccurate, it is not far off. The problem in the southeast city has been around for a long time. Honestly, neither the emperor nor I expected anyone to solve the trouble there.”

“Neither did I. I reached an agreement with the major forces there, hoping to reduce crime,” Zhang Heng said.

“You are too modest. In short, I wanted to send you to the Tiber River’s north bank because it has the best security in Rome. You can easily complete the tasks assigned by the Emperor. But as you know, I was forced to make a move when we were talking halfway that day. I had something urgent to deal with. So I had to leave Pannonax in charge of this. A few days later, I got shocked when I learned you were assigned to the southeast.”

Clint’s face showed a touch of guilt, “Forgive me. I didn’t look for you after that because I didn’t know how to face you. I’m trying to say that the Emperor had put me in charge of this matter because he trusts me. However, you were assigned to the southeast area in the end. Undoubtedly, I share a great deal of responsibility when it comes to this. For the next few days, I did not stay idle. I did something for you instead.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I investigated Pannonax, and guess what?”

“How did it go?”

Clint lowered his voice and moved closer to Zhang Heng’s ear. “I found out that he works for Altrus. He hides it well. They only communicate via correspondence, and the letters are burned once read. So, my people tried their best, intercepting a letter that Pannonax could not send out in time. Read it.”

Clint stuffed a papyrus with the wall of words on it into Zhang Heng’s hand. He also handed Zhang Heng a letter written by Pennonax to his family. It allowed Zhang Heng to compare the handwriting. He then asked with concern, “If I may I ask, any grudges between you and Altrus? I don’t know why he’s targeting you.”

“I don’t have a clue,” Zhang Heng said, “I heard that Altrus is a very mysterious person. No one has really seen him before. I don’t even know what he looks like. How can I offend him?”

“That’s what I thought,” Clint nodded, “Just be careful. Although we all serve the emperor, some would inevitably brew malicious thoughts. You should always pay attention to your safety. I heard that some who work for Altrus hide in the shadows, supposedly doing his dirty work. If you encounter any trouble in the future, you can come to me. I am hoping I can compensate for what I’ve done to you.”