Chapter 135: Pharaoh 3
Gnaeus’s affair was settled for the time being, but the situation was not completely resolved.
The fate of Theos Philopater, who had conspired with Gnaeus, had not been decided yet.
In Egypt, anyone who defied the authority of the living god, the Pharaoh, could not escape death.
But it was unreasonable to think that a child who had not even reached ten years old had caused such a thing by his own will.
Auletes, who had heard this fact in advance, could not easily make a decision on what to do with him.
Marcus, who had anticipated this, had suggested a good solution to Auletes beforehand.
“Why don’t you take this opportunity to root out all the rotten eunuchs in Alexandria? This whole thing was led by the eunuch faction that wanted to seize power. Among them, I think Potius, who is attached to the prince’s side, is the main culprit.”
“···You mean to pin all the blame on the eunuchs?”
“No, I mean it. Potius must have been deeply involved in this matter. The eunuchs are of no help in stabilizing the current political situation in Egypt. As long as they are attached to the palace, this kind of thing will continue to happen. Do you need to take the risk?”
“Well···You’re right.”
Auletes, who had been pondering for a long time, finally decided to follow Marcus’s suggestion yesterday.
He had not objected to Gnaeus’s punishment because it had been agreed from the beginning to do so.
Auletes looked back at Marcus, who was looking down at Gnaeus indifferently.
He couldn’t help but admire his expression, which was calm and composed.
‘How many moves ahead did he see···Usually, when things go according to one’s plan, one would show some emotion on one’s face.’
Gnaeus, who was tasting a bitter feeling, did not know.
He had never had a chance to fall and take all the responsibility.
The whole process was staged to save Pompey’s face and make him owe him a favor.
Auletes also cooperated with Marcus’s plan because it was beneficial for him as well.
He always admired his brilliant planning and execution skills.
While he was lost in thought for a moment, the door of the reception room opened and soldiers dragged Potius in.
“We have brought the criminal under the command of Pharaoh. As you said, we found this document in Potius’s personal residence.”
Auletes glanced at the document handed by the soldier and his eyes were filled with anger and killing intent.
“You dared to deceive the royal family and touch the personal property of the former pharaohs for your own greed.
And you even conspired with a foreign nobleman and made a secret pact for this purpose. You can be said to be more wicked than anyone else.
I don’t see this as a mere mischief of Potius. The eunuchs have received a lot of power and authority from the former pharaohs, but they have mistaken it as their own power and acted as they pleased.
As a representative of Serapis god, I hereby sentence Potius to death and confiscate all his property to the national treasury. I also abolish the custom of appointing eunuchs as royal tutors from today.”
“It’s unfair! Pharaoh, execution? I have been loyal to the royal family all along. How can you······.”
“You were not loyal, but parasitic on the royal family.”
Marcus’s cold rebuke made Auletes nod as if he agreed.
Potius looked around with a pale face.
He saw Gnaeus, who still knelt down and did not raise his head.
He understood everything that had happened.
There was no one here who would take his side.
Marcus had intended to get rid of the eunuchs from the beginning using this incident as an excuse.
Pompey, no matter how estranged he was from his son, valued his son more than the eunuchs of Egypt.
Auletes also thought it was better to sweep away the thorn in his eye, the eunuch faction, than to punish his young son.
“Marcus, and Pompey. Will you support my decision whatever I do to him?”
“Of course. The judgment for an Egyptian should be made by you, Pharaoh, who is the master of Egypt.”
Marcus and Pompey followed Cicero’s statement that they would respect Pharaoh’s will.
Auletes nodded with satisfaction.
It was not easy to get rid of the eunuchs who had deeply rooted themselves in Alexandria’s power center.
If Auletes pushed them alone, they might resist together and even counterattack him.
But it was different if Marcus and Pompey backed him up.
There were already three legions that they had brought to Alexandria.
As long as he had the justification for the purge, there was no need to hesitate.
The reason why the Egyptian royals were always arrogant and lacked the ability to grasp reality was the responsibility of the eunuchs who were in charge of their education.
The eunuchs only thought about making the royals they educated into pharaohs and grabbing power.
What was important to them was not the future of Egypt, but securing their position.
Therefore, the ones who would ascend to the throne of pharaoh should never be too smart beyond necessity.
The eunuchs had stimulated their vanity from a young age and made them inflated with pride.
If anyone was educated like this from childhood, it would be hard to form a proper personality.
They had to be either outstanding enough to not be swayed by the eunuchs, like Cleopatra, or meet someone who would broaden their horizons before their minds hardened, like Arsinoe.
If Marcus had not visited Egypt, Arsinoe would have grown up as a royal full of arrogance, just like in history.
Potius tried to struggle and resist, but it was impossible to overturn the verdict that had already been decided.
He glared at Marcus with burning eyes and shouted.
“You! Everything went wrong since you Romans came! This wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for you. No matter how much you trample on us, the fact that we have supported Alexandria until now will not disappear! Do you understand, you Roman bastards!”
“That’s a touching last word. I’ll have it engraved on your tombstone.”
Potius tried to spit out more curses at Marcus’s sarcastic reply, but the soldiers’ fists were faster.
He was hit in the abdomen and quieted down.
He was dragged away somewhere, limp.
After the commotion was over, Pompey suggested that they finish the detailed discussion on the expedition.
Marcus and Auletes agreed that there was no need to bother making another place.
Everyone except the three parties of the negotiation and Cicero, who was an observer, left the reception room.
“First of all, I apologize once again for the unpleasant incident that occurred.”
Pompey apologized again to Auletes and Marcus before starting the formal meeting.
“I promise you here and now. I have no intention of asking Egypt for anything other than food support for this expedition. And even if the punishment of Aqsum is successfully completed, I swear that I will not exert any pressure on Egypt.”
“That’s very clear of you. It’s not a big burden for us if you only want food support. But there is one thing I need to ask for your understanding in advance. As you know, farming is not always predictable. Especially in Egypt, the harvest depends on the level of flooding of the Nile River, so there are more variables.
“Yes. I know that. But I also know that Egypt always keeps a stockpile of grain. I think it’s not impossible to get food support unless there is a severe drought.”
“It’s fine if it’s just for feeding the Roman army. But if there is a famine, the amount of wheat going to Rome will have to be reduced. If that’s a problem, you can postpone the expedition until next year when there is not enough harvest.”
“···That’s not a very pleasant situation. I’m the type who prepares detailed plans months in advance. It’s hard for me to change my schedule spontaneously.”
“I’ll solve that problem for you.”
Marcus, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.
Pompey’s face brightened at his timely help.
“Oh, will you?”
“I can send grain from Mesopotamia to Rome from next year at least. Unless there is a climatic disaster that causes famine in both Mesopotamia and Egypt, you won’t have to worry about food problems. You can just focus on your expedition, Magnus.”
“I don’t know how to express my gratitude for this convenience. Fine, let’s settle everything here, including what I owe you for making up for my son’s rudeness. Do you have anything you want?”
“I haven’t thought of anything yet.”
Pompey tapped his finger on the map marked with the Red Sea.
“Then let me suggest something for you. I’ll let your family and all the merchants who receive your patronage use the trade route of the Red Sea as much as they want. In other words, you don’t have to pay any tolls or port fees when you pass through Aqsum’s territory. Cicero, will there be any problem if I pass this bill when I form a commission?”
“The Senate has delegated full authority to form a commission to the great Pompey for this matter. As long as it does not limit the rights of Roman citizens and senators, you can do whatever you want.”
“That’s reassuring. How about it, Marcus? Isn’t this enough as a compensation for making up for my son’s rudeness?”
It was an offer beyond his imagination.
Marcus was speechless for a moment.
If the person who said this was not Pompey, he would have doubted that there was a trap behind it.
He had originally planned to ask for a reduction of tolls.
But he said he would not charge any fees at all.
That was a huge privilege.
If he told this news to his clients, they would kneel down and praise Marcus’s name again.
“I accept your generous offer with gratitude.”
“I’m glad you like it. Now that I have nothing to worry about, I can devote myself to the expedition.”
Pompey clapped his hands with a satisfied smile.
The meeting continued smoothly after that.
Auletes and Marcus cooperated with Pompey as much as possible, and Cicero did not raise any objections.
Finally, Auletes’s seal was stamped on the treaty, and Cicero agreed to give effect to this treaty in the name of the Senate.
The preparations were over.
The hero who had influenced an era had finished preparing to ride the wind of the times and head to the upper Nile.
※※※※
After the meeting was over, Cicero said he wanted to see the Alexandria Library and left first.
Marcus left the building with Auletes and leisurely rode a carriage to the pharaoh’s palace.
Auletes did not say a word until he returned to his spacious room.
And finally, when he was left alone with him, he poured out his words as if he had been waiting.
“Did everything go according to your plan this time?”
“Not everything.”
Marcus chuckled and drank a mixture of water and wine.
“From what I see, it seems like the best possible outcome.”
“Yes. Things went better than I expected. That means it didn’t go exactly as planned.”
“···I still feel stunned.”
Auletes recalled the memory of when he met Marcus alone for the first time.
It was supposed to be a place where they discussed the succession issue.
But Marcus made an unexpected proposal in response to Auletes’s request to choose one of Cleopatra and Arsinoe.
He suggested using Gnaius and Potius to secure the succession more stably.
He doubted that things would go that way when he heard the explanation, but now it was proven by the result.
It felt like he was possessed by a ghost.
“How did you think that Gnaeus would contact Potius from then on? You hadn’t even found any evidence at that time.”
“Gnaeus had a huge inferiority complex towards me and wanted to achieve something in this expedition. There was also evidence that he was trying to use Egypt’s succession issue. It was easy to predict that he would collude with the eunuchs who lost their position because of me.”
“···Is that so?”
Auletes still shook his head, but Marcus knew Potius’s personality well in advance.
He was a man who had tried to gain power by clinging to Ptolemy XIII in history.
There was no way he could endure being pushed to the corner of power in the current situation.
Even if Gnaius had not contacted him first, he would have probably moved from his side.
“It’s not hard to predict the actions of those who are blinded by inferiority and lust for power. Their goals are obvious and they don’t see their surroundings when they are immersed in their plans.”
“As expected, cooperating with you was the best decision of my life. The eunuchs who tried to manipulate the royals as they pleased have been swept away, so Egypt’s politics will be healthier from now on. Actually, I didn’t like them very much.”
“You will have to come up with a concrete plan for how to educate the royals from now on. Those who have inherited the blood of the royal family have a duty to grow up with a more balanced perspective than now.”
Marcus’s reason for getting rid of the eunuchs was not just for Auletes’s sake.
Egypt had to be under his influence for a long time.
If the royals remained ignorant of the world, there would be endless turmoil.
The formation of one’s identity and personality is greatly influenced by education in childhood.
So he needed to install pro-Roman people in charge of the royals’ education.
He had thought about absorbing the eunuch faction at first, but they basically felt that their vested interests were taken away by Rome.
And they had stubbornness and dogmatism that had been passed down for generations.
He decided that it would be better to sweep them away cleanly than to capture them like other eastern nobles.
“By the way, about my successors that I mentioned last time······.”
Auletes stirred his cup slowly and continued.
“What do you think is best? Since we’ve blocked Pompey’s family and the eunuchs’ intervention, should we proceed as we discussed last time?”
“There is only one option left, so there is no need to worry.”
“···Yeah. That’s right, isn’t it?”
“Of course. Prince Theos Philopator did something unforgivable, even if he was swayed by the eunuchs. He may not have been punished directly because he is still young, but if this incident becomes widely known, do you think the priests will accept him as pharaoh?”
Auletes took a deep breath and nodded slowly.
Marcus drank a sip of wine and said calmly.
“Historically, even if there was no suitable male for pharaoh, women co-ruled. Just look at Berenice, she also made her mother a co-ruler.”
“That was because the princes were almost babies then.”
“Even now, if Prince Theos Philopator is deposed, there are only two legitimate successors: Princess Cleopatra and Princess Arsinoe. The priests and nobles will have no reason to oppose it.”
“···As always, you make sure to secure your legitimacy before your interests.”
Auletes got a clear answer on the successor issue.
Marcus’s intention was obvious.
He did not choose one of Cleopatra and Arsinoe.
He put them both as candidates for now, and decided to see who would give him the real power later.
“I will do my best to help Egypt enjoy stable peace in the future.”
“···Sometimes I wonder. What does it feel like to serve a king like you? It must be different from how my servants feel.”
“There is no king in Rome. No matter how high I rise, I will only be a citizen with a slightly more special position.”
“···If you say so······.”
Auletes knew well that the word king was taboo in Rome.
But he was sure that the man in front of him was the closest to an emperor than anyone else.
Auletes suddenly wondered what it would be like for a huge empire like Rome to be ruled by a single ruler.
Marcus smiled faintly, as usual, with an inscrutable face.
< 135. Pharaoh 3> End
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