Attack Me

Zhang Heng heard an argument outside and recognized Commodus's voice among it, so he stepped out of the house.

"Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty?" Little Female Slave jumped in fright. "Wait, you can't really be..."

"No one in Rome would dare impersonate the emperor." Commodus waved for the guards at his side to stand aside, while Zhang Heng had Little Female Slave return inside first.

"What brings Your Majesty to see me so late?"

It was a good question. Commodus himself did not know why he had wanted to see Zhang Heng so badly.

After watching the bullfighting performance that afternoon, he had been unable to calm his emotions for a long while. Zhang Heng's heroic figure atop the bull kept surfacing in his mind. On top of that, he had just received some bad news: there seemed to be undercurrents in the Senate. Some people smiled at him openly but were secretly gathering others together, though no one knew what they intended to do. Feeling somewhat irritated, Commodus left the palace and wandered here on foot.

Of course, he could not tell an outsider about such matters.

Commodus had been about to congratulate Zhang Heng on his earlier gladiatorial performance when Zhang Heng spoke first. "Your Majesty appears to have something troubling you."

"How did you know? Can you read minds?" Commodus asked in surprise.

Zhang Heng did not answer. He turned and went back inside, then emerged a moment later carrying two practice swords. He tossed one of them to Commodus.

"Hm?" Commodus caught the wooden sword, somewhat surprised.

"Attack me," Zhang Heng said, gripping the other wooden sword.

"Uh, I don't know how to fight as a gladiator." As though he had picked up something scalding hot, Commodus hurriedly tried to return the wooden sword in his hand.