Flavian Amphitheatre

Flavian Amphitheatre

Seeing Zhang Heng and Lucilla chatting so intimately, the other gladiators all showed looks of envy.

She was the highest-born woman in the entire Empire. More importantly, though she was already in her early thirties, Lucilla had maintained both her figure and her looks remarkably well. Some gladiators were somewhat reluctant to sell their charm, but if the target were Lucilla, probably no one could refuse.

Zhang Heng himself, however, was deeply wary of this unexpected romantic fortune. The reason was simple: according to the course of history, Lucilla would become involved in the assassination of her own younger brother, Commodus, a little over a year from now.

Later generations found the assassination difficult to understand. As a woman, Lucilla was the former emperor's daughter, the current emperor's sister, and Commodus's only close blood relative. She already had nearly everything she could want. It was unlikely that she could go any further and become emperor herself, so the assassination she led offered her little benefit.

There were also many blunders in its planning. For instance, she actually kept her husband in the dark. He was a powerful figure in the military, and if she had brought him into the plot, they would have had some room to retreat whether it succeeded or failed. Yet her husband, Pompeianus, remained completely unaware from beginning to end. Lucilla ultimately chose her cousin, Ummidius Quadratus, as her accomplice.

He was a senator whose standing in the Senate was second only to Dio's, and he influenced more than a hundred seats. Politically, he was indeed a valuable ally, but unfortunately, neither he nor Lucilla was particularly skilled at plotting political assassinations.

In the end, they recruited Pompeianus's nephew, Quintianus, as the assassin, which was the greatest blunder of the entire plan. The man