Chapter 1021 Cleopatra’s Gift

Chapter 1021: 1021 Cleopatra’s Gift

"Greetings, Your Majesty! Hutuhacha greets Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Hutuhacha had clearly done his research beforehand; upon meeting, he immediately knelt on both knees, displaying extreme humility.

Facing the legendary figure who could defeat an army of 300,000 with only 100,000, the current Emperor of Qin—the most legendary figure in Eurasia—even invaders had to give him a thumbs-up in agreement.

"There’s an old saying in the East: ’Unsolicited kindness is either a trick or a theft.’

Besides, Qin and Ptolemy are still at war. Speak your mind!"

Lu Ming didn’t hold back. The best way to deal with the legacy of pirate civilization was to crush them with overwhelming force, then look down on them. The stronger and more arrogant they were, the more submissive they would become.

It might sound unbelievable, but these people were just that shameless.

They wouldn’t listen to reason; they were like donkeys, only obeying force.

Hutuhacha smiled awkwardly, still kneeling on the ground, not daring to rise.

He was overwhelmed by the powerful aura emanating from him, and Lu Ming also felt an urge to prostrate himself in worship.

"The Pharaoh is seriously ill. The last military campaign was to repay the favor the Pharaoh had done for the Senate’s assistance.

This time, we’ve come to show that the Ptolemaic Dynasty is willing to submit to the Qin Kingdom, to pay annual tribute, and to bring generous gifts. We beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness for our previous ignorance and sins."

Lu Ming had absolutely no interest in whether the Pharaoh was dying.

Egypt had its own civilization, but it wasn’t particularly wealthy; occupying it would be pointless.

Egypt was in Africa, and Africa had abundant resources.

But now wasn’t the time to exploit them; he himself needed to develop Africa and the Middle East.

Besides, most of Africa’s resources were concentrated inland, so going to Africa now was unnecessary and a waste of resources and manpower.

"Heh, good that you know.

Go back and tell your Pharaoh to immediately send 200,000 slaves, 10,000 catties of grain, and 3,000 taels of gold jewelry.

Grebo, you’re in charge of supervising this. If even a single item is missing, I’ll wipe you out and then destroy the Ptolemaic Dynasty!"

Lu Ming showed no mercy. He had no point in talking to these barbarians; he’d just start killing them until they submitted.

Africa was vast and rich; he wasn’t worried about them not being able to gather the supplies.

If they couldn’t gather them, then he’d find a way. Otherwise, what was the point of keeping them around?

"Yes, Master."

Grebo completely considered himself a slave. In the past six months, he’d thoroughly mastered how to exploit them.

He could even request military support—those ruthless soldiers.

Every time, he dared not meet their gaze, fearing they might kill him at the slightest provocation.

Hutuhacha pouted, unable to utter a rebuttal. "Yes, Your Majesty, I will return immediately to tell the Pharaoh.

The gifts we sent are outside the palace; please accept them as a small token of our appreciation."

"I know. You may leave. I haven’t prepared any food for you. Get out!"

Lu Ming used the word "get out" without any politeness. He was always so assertive when dealing with barbarian tribes.

Soon, someone went to accept the gifts from the delegation and inspected them.

One gift was reported to Grebo. Grebo’s expression was strange; he didn’t dare look at it and instead told his ex-husband, Ilya.

"Oh, isn’t this the imposing Consul? What brings you here?"

Ilya, heavily pregnant, was in the palace.

Soldiers guarded her; she was in charge of some palace affairs.

She held Grebo, her ex-husband, in utter contempt.

Grebo was incredibly aggrieved. He thought he had finally gotten rid of Ilya, but instead, she had latched onto her master and was now defecating on his head again, even asking him for tissues to wipe her bottom and throwing the used tissues into his mouth.

What an humiliation!

Every meeting was filled with sarcasm and mockery.

Over time, Grebo got used to it.

Because Lu Ming still doted on Ilya, he didn’t dare to act recklessly, keeping his resentment to himself.

"Cleopatra was among the gifts presented by this delegation."

"Hmm? That slut was among them?"

Ilya’s attention was immediately drawn.

Although sarcasm and mockery were her pleasure and a means of revenge,

Cleopatra’s appearance made her wary.

She knew how lecherous Lu Ming was, and she also knew Cleopatra’s methods.

Despite the vast distance between Rome and Egypt, they maintained a long-standing cooperative relationship.

Even the Pharaoh’s wife was the daughter of a member of the Senate, ensuring close ties between the two sides.

Both sides benefited from this mutually beneficial arrangement, resulting in a successful collaboration.

Cleopatra was a beautiful young woman who received her education in Rome from a young age, thus gaining considerable knowledge.

She was exceptionally beautiful, blossoming into a graceful young woman. Her naturally dark, wheat-colored skin, characteristic of Egyptians, gave her a unique and alluring charm.

As a privileged daughter of heaven, she was shrewd and ambitious.

Even as a child, she stood out from her peers.

It wasn’t that she lacked suitors; rather, she was already engaged to her younger brother, her own brother!

When her father, Ptolemy XII, was still alive, he had designated his eldest son, Cleopatra XIII, to rule alongside Cleopatra VII.

However, according to Egyptian law at the time, Cleopatra VII needed to marry her younger brother, Cleopatra XIII, to participate in politics.

For an older sister to marry her younger brother—wasn’t that utterly absurd?

It was simply incomprehensible.

However, in Egypt at that time, marriage between siblings was a perfectly normal occurrence.

The Egyptian pharaohs believed that only marriage between direct relatives could guarantee the purity of the dynasty’s bloodline.

Incest was also not a big deal in Rome; promiscuity was secondary; women were meant to be penetrated by men.

Whether the woman was a mother, grandmother, sister, or aunt was unimportant.

Marrying into Rome was a way to consolidate power and status...

And arranging marriages between daughters and sons was also for the same purpose—to consolidate power and status.

At that time, Cleopatra had returned home after her studies to prepare for her marriage, but the pharaoh was still alive. She was merely acting as an advisor, attempting to rule for the time being.

As a woman with immense ambition, she preferred autocracy and disliked sharing power with others, even her own brother.

Pharaoh XIII, of course, knew his sister’s character.

However, he was also such a person, disliking having anyone share power with him.

Thus, disregarding familial ties, the two engaged in a fierce power struggle.

In Egypt at that time, when it came to political power, there was no room for kinship or conscience; only the strong and the weak existed.

Later, with the help of his confidants, Ptolemy XIII drove Cleopatra VII out of Alexandria.