Chapter 860: Necklace
Klind and Zhang Heng left Commodus's study one after the other.
Zhang Heng followed the way he had come and descended the steps. As he crossed the garden in the front courtyard, he heard a burst of girlish laughter coming from nearby.
Zhang Heng stopped and saw Empress Crispinus and Lucilla, Commodus's sister, walking arm in arm from behind a flower bed, chatting and laughing.
The two women also stopped when they saw him. A playful glint flashed through Lucilla's eyes. "Oh, what a fortunate day. To think we have the honor of encountering the Flavian Amphitheatre's champion gladiator."
Crispinus clearly also had a deep impression of the Eastern man before her, but she was far more reserved than Lucilla. She merely offered Zhang Heng a few words of encouragement before preparing to continue onward. Yet the next moment, Lucilla grabbed her arm and pulled Crispinus back. "Haven't you always complained to me that palace life is boring?"
"Yes. Commodus is as diligent as his father was. He is a good emperor, always worrying about all sorts of things—worrying that his subjects might go hungry, worrying that the soldiers fighting for the empire might not receive sufficient rewards... So after we married, he did not spend much time with me." Though Crispinus tried her best to speak well of her husband, a trace of resentment could still be heard in her tone.
"Mm, men are like that. All they see is power and politics. That's why we women have to learn how to find our own entertainment," Lucilla said.
"What entertainment?" Crispinus asked, somewhat puzzled.
"With the Flavian Amphitheatre's champion gladiator right in front of us, are you afraid we won't find any entertainment?" Lucilla's gaze traveled over Zhang Heng's face and chest.
"Sorry, but I am