Domina (2021–…): Season 2, Episode 1 - Conspiracy - full transcript
Livia and Gaius return to famine in Rome; Gaius starts a succession race.
Our family fought
to establish the Republic,
but now, I think we'll have
to fight again to keep it.
But, to
restore the Republic,
we first have to destroy it.
The Republic was
corrupt and lazy.
We can achieve so much more.
I want to be a god.
Today I ask
you to make burning pains
in the womb of Livia Drusilla.
Let the baby of Gaius Julius
in the womb of Livia Drusilla
die in writhing agony.
May I ask a favor?
The boys. You want
me to adopt them.
Just look out for them.
Power must go to someone
who would give it
back to the Senate.
You're not talking
about me, are you?
I'm talking about Drusus.
Gaius Julius Silanus
tells me that two nights ago,
you broke into his house
to debauch a slave girl.
It was his daughter
I was debauching.
Drusus!
I put
you where you are,
and Livia kept you there!
Shame on you to get rid of
her the minute she's no use!
How long have you known?
Does my father know?
Of course not. Julius would
never see you or Rome again.
There are rules, even
for people like us.
I'm going to now adopt Marcellus
as my son and heir.
Thank you,
Father.
Clarify his position
to the Senate publicly.
I agree.
Well, I don't think that
Gaius needs our approval.
This isn't about
protecting the boys.
This is about power.
Marcellus has to go first.
He can never take power, never.
Marcellus.
No, Marcellus!
Marcellus, no, no, no, no, no.
Gaius, I have
something terrible to tell you.
It's about Livia and Marcellus
and Antigone and Tycho.
They killed my son.
We have
to destroy her.
Do you think I killed him?
Means, motive, and
opportunity, Livia.
You had all three.
Julia, you're out
of mourning for Marcellus,
so obviously it's time
for your next marriage.
And I can think of nobody better
than my brother, Marcus Agrippa.
Neither can I.
Marcella, you'll marry Iullus.
While I live,
Antigone will never be
sent away from this house.
I will never forget you.
I'm Livia Drusilla
of the Claudi.
I don't break my
word, and I don't run.
I love you,
Livia Drusilla.
I love you, too.
Fuck.
We made it.
I just want a bath.
About that...
It won't take long.
You want to know
what's really going on?
You go to a whorehouse.
We've been away a long time.
You get things you don't get
from official dispatches.
I just wanna know what
the people are thinking.
Well, I don't care what
the fuck they're thinking.
I just want a bath.
Just a quick drink. No
one will recognize us.
You're always telling me
to listen to the people.
Great.
Hey, you.
If you want to pimp
your woman in here,
you have to pay the house.
You can have me for six asses,
in a private room,
any way you want.
And there's boys, of course.
Just some wine, and
something to eat.
There's nothing to
eat here, you ass!
There's a famine.
Where have you been?
There's no bread anywhere. The
grain stores are all empty.
And where's fucking Augustus?
Off east somewhere
the last three years.
Doesn't give a fuck about us.
If that fuck Augustus
and his slut of a wife
show their faces in Rome now,
they'd be thrown in
the fucking Tiber!
So now you know what
the people are thinking.
Let's go.
Hey! You owe me for the wine.
- Drink it yourself. Argh!
- Hey!
Gaius!
Gaius!
Livia!
Gaius!
Livia!
Get back here!
Try to fuck off without paying!
Get off me!
Break it up!
Arrest both those bitches!
- Enough!
- Get off me!
- Gaius!
- Uhh!
Tiberius!
Excuse me, Vipsania.
Tiberius, it's your mother.
Drusus.
Tiberius.
Fuck off!
They're back, Gaius and Mother.
What?
Oh, fuck!
She's lost.
The fuckers aren't
due back for months.
Stepfather!
By the river in the Thirteenth!
We'll find her!
What the fuck are
you staring at?
Have you seen a woman?!
Dark hair!
She was in a fight
with a whore earlier!
Didn't see anything.
Where's my fucking wife?
The watchmen stole
your bracelets.
Were they really gold?
They were my mother's.
Hey!
Hey, you! You!
I'm Livia, the wife of Augustus!
Shut your trap!
Shit!
Are you a whore?
What?! No.
I'm going
to be a whore.
I'm going to have a new
dress and loads to eat.
Can we send messages
out of here?
If you have money.
If you don't, you'll go
to the market tomorrow.
What market?
The slave market.
The watchmen sell you there.
They're not supposed
to, but they do.
Unless you have money.
They can't sell
me. I'm a citizen.
Can you prove it?
Me neither.
You should get
some sleep, Livia.
You want to look
your best tomorrow,
or you might get
bought for the fields.
You don't want to
end up in the fields.
Nobody lasts long there.
We're at the market.
I've never been, have you?
Hey. Hurry up.
Why are you here anyway?
I got caught stealing
bread off Faustus.
He collects the poop
for the tanneries.
Do you know him?
I thought there
wasn't any bread.
There isn't.
Unless you know where it is.
Faustus always has bread.
Move.
Whorehouse.
Whorehouse.
Fields.
I'm sorry, Livia.
- Hey, what's your name?
- Ursa!
Move.
Pretty Roman girl,
native speaker.
Certified healthy virgin
ready for the brothel,
light work in the house.
What shall we start with?
5,000.
5,000.
Five and a half?
Five and a half. 6,000?
6,000! Six and a half?
She's still a bargain,
six and a half?
Sold, 6,000.
Younger
than she looks.
This one offers
years of experience.
Smile, you bitch,
or I'll flog your
arse right here.
Tough and scrawny,
she won't cost much to feed,
always a consideration,
especially in a famine.
Treated properly, will give
you years of excellent service
in the kitchen or in the fields.
What shall we start with?
- 1,000?
- Too much.
1,000, anybody.
Darius. That old bag
is the exact image of
Livia Drusilla, huh?
A bargain at 950.
It's incredible,
the resemblance,
apart from the black
eye, of course.
Seriously? 950.
I should buy her
as a wedding gift
for Tiberius and Vipsania.
900.
Or maybe not.
900.
I am Livia, daughter
of Marcus Livius
and the wife of Caesar Augustus.
Livia?
And I will give 50,000 in silver
to anyone who takes a
message to my husband.
And a sense of humor.
800, priced to clear.
Livia...
- 500!
- Livia!
- Piso!
- Livia!
I am Gaius Calpernius Piso!
Cut this woman loose, now!
- Cut her loose.
- What took you so long, huh?
I was waiting for the
price to bottom out.
You! I want that last
girl back here now!
Livia! What the fuck happened?
You wanted to know what
people are thinking.
That'swhat happened!
We were up all night
looking for you.
- Good!
- Livia!
It's a full-scale
fucking famine.
I can't rule Rome
if I can't feed it.
I know.
I've summoned the
grain prefects.
- I want you to listen in.
- Well, I'll be in the bath!
Burn that fucking
whorehouse to the ground!
You must be Aelina. Hmm?
I'm Livia.
Tycho.
You gave us a fright.
Oh...
She's so beautiful.
Yeah.
So like Antigone.
She left something for you.
She had a little time at the end
to... well, make preparations.
She said she would wait for you
by the river in the underworld,
and she wanted you to have this.
Her poisons.
Yes, she said you were
bound to need them.
Ah, er, forgive me, I...
There's something that I never
dared ask you in a letter.
Deep down, Gaius knows
we killed Marcellus.
But he doesn't
care. Not enough.
Not while I'm useful, and
I will always be useful.
So we're all right?
If we weren't, we'd be dead.
Octavia still wears black
for Marcellus... every day.
We had no choice.
I did.
I'm going to need
your help today.
The grain prefects, Dominus,
Titus Cloelius Siculus
and Marcus Cassius Elva...
I know who they are.
On behalf of the Senate
and the people of Rome,
Augustus, welcome back.
I trust we find you well
after your long and
glorious voyage.
The State, the City of Rome,
all of it, everything, me,
rests on a single
unspoken agreement.
Half a million shit-poor Romans
agree to let a few
hundred senators
live in luxury right
in front of them. Why?
Because, we agree to give them
the bread they need, free,
every day of the year.
And that is why
they don't tear us
and our families
to fucking pieces
in our beds.
With respect, Augustus,
the autumn storms have
never been this bad,
and we can't
control the weather.
The transports from Sicily
and Egypt are losing
six out of seven ships.
The warehouses at
Ostia are empty.
As soon as anything
comes into the port,
we bring it straight
up the river.
It's the ship owners, Augustus.
They've let us down completely.
You're the
grain prefect...
An office I created
after the last famine
to make sure it
never happens again.
I appointed you both.
I trusted you both.
You've failed me.
Get out.
Drusus Nero, Tiberius
Nero, Iullus Antonius.
Is it true the nightwatch sold
mother off in the slave market?
Not a single fucking bid.
I wish I'd been there.
Where's Domitius?
Out on Octavia's
estate with my sister,
but I've sent for him.
Any news of Agrippa?
Due to leave Spain ten days ago,
but the winds have
been against him.
One of you should have
warned me about this famine.
What could you have done?
We didn't
want to worry you.
And besides, the grain
prefects were constantly saying
it was about to get better.
Well, you three are
the new grain prefects.
We're going to
the port at Ostia,
having all the
warehouses searched.
All of them?
We'll find the grain
merchants there,
see what they have to say.
And, Tiberius,
assemble the Senate.
Emergency session.
There's hardly anyone here.
They've all left Rome.
You should keep
your doors locked.
Grain prefects, fuck.
It shows he trusts us.
It's a chance to impress.
No, it isn't. If it was
a chance to impress,
fucking Domitius would be here.
He's right.
Yes, he is.
Two cohorts of Praetorians
into the city, my authority.
Spread them round
the district. Go.
I didn't know
Octavia was in Rome.
Yes, and someone's
told her about Gemina.
If I were you, I'd move
her out of the house
before Mother finds out.
If I were you, I'd
be more worried about
what Mother thinks of
your wife.
Right. And that's
why you're Drusus.
- If you could just...
- Right.
Octavia.
Lady.
I've chosen not to speak
to my brother about this,
unless, of course,
it becomes necessary.
Your son Drusus,
he's openly living with
his German concubine
in the house that he
bought next to mine.
Now, of course, if he
were simply using a slave,
one couldn't object.
But he freed her recently.
The girl now rides around in
a chair covered in jewelry,
as if they were married.
Drusus is engaged to
my daughter, Antonina.
This behavior is offensive
and disrespectful to our family.
I will deal with it.
Hmm.
Unless, of course, you'd
prefer to cancel the betrothal?
Did you
know about Drusus?
Ah, well...
Livia, I had
the watchmen flogged.
- Here are your bracelets.
- Oh, thank you!
And, uh...
Ursa.
Where do you live?
In the City of the Dead.
There's an old tomb there
some of us sleep in.
You told me there's
bread in Rome
if you know where to look.
Doyou know where to look?
Do I get to go back to
my whorehouse after?
No.
Can I keep the dress?
I see your thinking.
If there's some bread
we don't know about...
- Come on, this way!
- There's some grain
we don't know about.
And if there's some grain
we don't know about,
then what else
don't we know about?
And why don't we know it?
Here! This is where
Faustus lives.
That's him! Faustus, there!
Fuck!
Prime Egyptian grain.
Where is he getting it?
Get it handed out,
Tycho, and find Faustus, now.
I'm sorry, I forget, you don't
work for me anymore. Sorry.
No, I'd love to find him.
Ursa?
Here he is, finally.
We agreed,
we don't meet in public.
It's an emergency.
Fucking Augustus is back!
I know.
The idea was to get out
clean before he came back.
It was. That's right.
We have to release the grain.
- All of it, now.
- If we do that,
the price will collapse
and Augustus will
start asking questions.
He's right.
We'll bring in more
grain gradually
until everything
goes back to normal.
We just have to hold our nerve.
It's all
right for you.
Augustus hates us now.
Our careers are over.
You wanted the money.
If I go down, I won't go alone.
I'm losing confidence
in Siculus.
Vipsania.
You've
got a black eye.
Where is she?
Ow!
Out. I'm sorry to
interrupt your waxing.
What are you doing?
Who do you think you are?
My son Drusus is engaged
to the niece of Augustus.
Next year, they will marry.
In the meantime, he cannot
live openly with a woman.
I am the daughter of a king.
Not anymore.
And I don't take
orders from anyone.
You will take them
from me. Pack your things.
You will live on my
estate outside of Rome
until I find you a husband.
I'm not leaving Drusus.
And I'm not leaving Rome.
Drusus set me free.
I can do what I want.
And this is his house,
not yours. Old woman.
Walk with me.
As, uh, the wife of Tiberius,
you will have a
high public profile.
Yeah, I don't care
about any of that.
Well, you will set an
example to the women of Rome
by not snooping behind curtains
and, of course, by supporting
your husband in his career.
Tiberius isn't
interested in that.
Neither am I.
We can't wait to leave Rome.
We're gonna build a big
house in the country
without a road, so no
one else can find it.
No, you're not.
You were
always a weird, little kid.
I just went straight to her.
That's all I did. I didn't...
Domitius, there you are!
We were worried about you.
Will you send for Antonia,
tell her that her
husband's here?
Guess
what, Domitius.
Uncle and Livia are back,
and Mother tore into her
about Drusus and
his German slut.
I did not!
Oh, Antonia! I did
not tear into her.
I wish
I'd been there.
Darling,
do sit down.
It's not the girl's
fault, any of it.
I feel sorry for her.
What about Antonina,
do you feel sorry for her?
As her fiancé beasts himself
in front of everyone we know?
I mean, really, this
perpetual niceness!
I find it insufferable,
and I don't know
where you get it from.
Is Iullus here?
He sent me a note.
Iullus?
Uncle made him a grain prefect,
so, obviously, the
fun's as good as over.
Marcella, stop being so mean
about your poor husband.
Marcella's mean about everyone.
So Iullus is a prefect now.
What else has happened?
Did you find Faustus?
No, he's gone to ground.
- And the girl?
- No.
It's your move, Livia.
So, I went to the
public treasury
and had a look at the
last census records.
Faustus is listed at his address
as a freed man
under his full name,
Titus Cornelius Faustus,
which as you know, means
he was once the slave
of Titus Cornelius Siculus,
the grain prefect.
Fucking hell!
Augustus, welcome back.
Domitius.
Did you find anything?
The warehouses at
the port were empty,
and the merchants are blaming
the weather and each other.
Piso! What are you doing here?
Ah, just trying
to stay relevant.
I've got a message
from your wife.
At least one of the grain
prefects is corrupt.
Siculus has been supplying one
of his ex-slaves with grain.
Lots of grain.
I can't believe it.
So, what does that mean exactly?
Well, it means
there's grain here,
and, if you know
where it is, it means
the grain prefect has
been lying to Rome,
and if he's lying to Rome
about that, what else is a lie?
And if one of the
prefects is lying,
how can we trust the other one?
The price of grain
is astronomical.
So we have to consider
the probability
that this isn't a famine.
It's a conspiracy.
With your permission, I'll
have the prefects arrested.
Alive.
I need them alive,
especially Siculus.
They're no good to me dead.
You two go and
greet your mother.
Tiberius. You've changed.
Mother.
You, however, have not.
Nice black eye, Mother.
Should've seen the waitress.
The German is unacceptable.
All right.
I'll get her an apartment.
It's too
late for that.
Get her out of Rome by
dawn tomorrow, or I will.
I will find her an apartment
on the other side of the city.
She is not to be touched.
I left you in charge
of your brother.
What are you going to do?
Octavia's new son-in-law,
what do you make of him?
- Domitius?
- Hmm.
He's ruthless,
ambitious, and clever.
The son you never had.
I knew his father.
Tried to kill him once.
He changed sides three
times in the civil war.
No one could trust him.
He was always trying to fuck me.
With Domitius, we go carefully.
Out.
Augustus has ordered
your arrest, both of you.
What? Why?
'Cause you got caught
secretly giving grain to
your family dependents,
which has raised questions
about your probity.
I won't say anything.
You'll betray us both.
I'll get away. I'll take a ship.
I'm afraid that won't do.
No!
Shut him up!
Shh! Shh!
An honorable suicide.
How much of the
blame can he take?
You need to get out
of Rome until we know.
Without you or Siculus,
they have nothing.
I, er... I will not be attending
the dinner at my
brother's house.
I shall be returning to
the country tomorrow,
so would you please
present my excuses?
- Mother?
- Mmm?
Your difficulty with
Olivia must be resolved.
For the family.
Your daughter's marrying
her son next year.
Hmm. A lot can
happen before then.
Her difficulty with
Livia, as you put it,
was my brother's murder,
and unlike you, I'm not
about to forgive or forget.
There's no proof that Livia
had anything to do with it.
I can never work out if you're
naive or just stupid, Antonia.
I won't let anything
happen to you.
Ever.
I love you, Drusus.
I'm not coming to the dinner.
We are going out
gambling, at Vilbia's.
That will be all.
Can I speak to you, Drusus?
What?
My very first memory,
as a tiny child, is Mother,
smashing a man's
head in with a rock.
She was soaked in his blood.
Her breasts, her
arms, her hands...
His face was just pulp.
I'm not giving up Gemina.
You can't not come to dinner.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
I have to pay my respects.
You should stay home.
I won't be long.
Was that true... your memory?
She was... sublime.
That was, like, seven,
maybe five years ago.
Yeah. It feels like forever ago,
but it's just still so strange.
I've never seen the
city like it, you know?
Oh, please stop moaning,
Antonia. Even I've had enough.
- Antonia.
- Drusus?
Marcella.
How are we doing?
Fairly well.
Let's find something
cheerful to talk about.
Vipsania!
What?
I know. Forget about it.
New fucking olives are
the ones I told them...
three years ago.
- They just taste like that.
- It's a real problem, you know.
The Greeks always harvest
too late, these days.
What's
she doing here?
He's not bringing his
slut to dinner with us.
- Drusus...
- Hello. What's for dinner?
No, no, no.
Who the fuck is that?
He dishonors my sister with
that whore from Germania.
Livia.
Oh, dear.
Did you know about Drusus?
I'm dealing with it.
He disrespects my
niece. My family!
It's not his fault there
is a famine. It's yours!
I told you three
years was too long!
Don't change the subject!
This isthe subject!
You lost control and
you turn on my son
because it's easy and you can.
You've never been weak. Don't
start now. I despise it.
Is this an enormous
fucking row about Drusus?
Because I think we've
got bigger problems.
Agrippa!
Father...
I've never seen Rome like this.
Are we going to be all right?
Of course.
- Fuck.
- Livia.
You're unpopular.
Praetorians on the streets.
Mobs stoning the Watchmen.
You know the Aurelian
Gate's on fire?
Just give us a minute, yeah?
Okay.
- Vipsania!
- Yes?
How's marriage?
I really like sex, but
I can't stand Livia.
Right.
You're
right about Drusus.
But nothing has changed.
The plan is the same.
We make you a god.
We train up the boys.
We kill anyone who gets
in your way, together.
I wish I didn't
fucking love you.
Love makes us weak.
Hmm. A luxury we can't afford.
No, not right now.
I'll deal with Drusus.
You have other problems.
He's fast asleep.
Did you find them?
That fuck, Siculus,
just killed himself
in a whorehouse.
And
Elva's run for it.
They were well-informed.
I searched his house,
and I did leave guards
there in case he returns.
I sent men to all the gates,
but he might have got out.
Oh, he might have got out?
Of course he fucking
got out! What the fuck?
- What was I supposed to do?
- You were supposed to find them,
because without those
fucking prefects,
we've got no fucking leads
and no fucking grain!
At least we know
who's behind it.
People
can't eat that.
If we don't find some bread
in the next couple of days,
you and me are fucked.
Enough. We'll be
along in a minute.
They werewell-informed.
Could you not have just
kept your fucking mouth shut
about Drusus?
Without your marriage to
me, Iullus, you're nothing.
Try and remember that.
Sorry, not disturbing
you, are we?
All right, look.
We know that harvests in
Egypt and Sicily were good.
Good enough.
Let's assume Elva and
Siculus and whoever else
buy as much as they
can and then somehow
stop it from coming to Rome.
Well, the price shoots up.
They feed it in slowly,
keeping the price high.
They'd need the grain merchants
in on that, the big ones anyway.
The City's paying a fortune
so they don't complain.
My treasury's
fucking dry.
Where the fuck are
they keeping the grain?
That's millions of clay
jars we're talking about.
You can't hide that in
your fucking atrium.
All the warehouses at the
port are empty. We checked.
And the river transports.
Then where the fuck is it?
It's gotta be somewhere!
It can't still be
in fucking Egypt.
I know where it is.
I mean, not exactly,
but where to look.
Were you thinking of telling us?
Well, it's kind of
obvious, isn't it,
if you think about it?
So, uh, the German
is now a problem.
Gaius won't allow her.
Drusus won't give her up.
She has to disappear, for good.
I'll summon the Friends.
I don't want her killed.
Then how does she disappear?
Uh... It's not pretty.
It never is.
Get the fuck
off her! Leave me alone!
Stay here.
Tiberius.
Mother.
Get
the fuck off! Get off!
Is it always like this?
I told you. She's a monster.
We can't stay here,
Tiberius. We'll drown.
We'll never escape.
Nobody does.
You don't know Mother.
I'm Mother now.
You swore an oath
to your mother and me and
your fucking ancestors
to restore the Republic
after Augustus dies.
If he ever sees you as
a threat or a problem,
you'll be dead.
You certainly won't
inherit his power,
and without that,
you'll never get the chance to
give democracy back to Rome.
You put everything
at risk for a girl?
Is she dead, Piso?
Yes, Drusus. She is.
800.900.
Anybody for a thousand?
Sold! For 900.
An absolutely prime
female in perfect health.
Fluent Latin speaker,
and originally descended
from German royalty,
plus an expert in
all the arts of love.
You don't often get
something of this quality
out here in Sutrium.
The bidding starts at 8,000.
8,000. Do I hear nine?
You were right.
It wasn't pretty.
Ursa, you belong to me now.
You will live with
my friend Piso,
in his house outside Rome.
- Will I be a whore?
- No... No!
You will learn how
to read and write
and heal people with herbs.
What?
You can have a new dress.
Thank you, Tycho,
for your help and
for everything.
I was thinking...
now you're back, you might
need someone to look after you.
Like I did before.
But you have your
estate, your new life.
After I lost Antigone,
it was never the same.
I just...
I was bored to fucking tears.
Rest the horses.
Listen, I never wanted
to ask in writing,
but how are you and Livia now?
What do you mean?
Well, your wife poisoned
your nephew, brother.
Some men might find
that irritating.
Is it forgiven?
Oh, but not forgotten,
is it, brother?
It rankles still.
It itches.
We need to find higher ground.
Good to talk.
Oh, what
have we here, brother?
Looks like the entire
Egyptian grain fleet,
are happily at anchor.
She wasright.
Livia.
Get that
fucking grain to Rome.
I was just remembering when
we used to be generals here,
leading our armies across the
water to glorious victories
over our sisters and our dogs.
Augustus found the
grain transports.
I'd have to be in on it.
I am the only person still alive
who knows that
you were involved.
I'll never betray you.
I know.
My will is in the house.
It hurts.
Not long now.
Gladiators
in a blonde wig!
Domitius.
Where've you been?
You just missed the
big rally at the Forum.
It was
packed with people,
and Uncle made a speech
and everyone cheered him,
and then they threw hundreds of
loaves of bread into the mob.
You should've seen the fighting.
It was better than the Games.
I'm just so glad that
the famine is over.
I know. Stuck indoors
the whole time,
all the shops shut.
She meant all those
people starving, I think.
When the dust settles,
I'd like to be part
of the investigation.
What investigation?
Well, obviously
we're going after
everyone involved
in the conspiracy.
No. We're covering it all up.
If it got out about
the conspiracy,
Augustus would look weak
for letting it happen.
Yes. And foolish.
But if it doesn't,
he looks like a god
for ending the famine.
- That's smart.
- Yeah.
Not my idea.
Boys.
This has been
on my mind for a while,
while I was away.
Iullus, Tiberius,
Drusus, and now Domitius.
You are my sons.
And though it suits me
to pretend otherwise...
the Republic is dead.
It's never coming back.
So, for better or
worse, I am now Rome.
And when I die, Rome
will come to you...
all of you...
if you want it.
But if you want it,
you need to show
me you're ready.
Well, it's lucky
I'm not ambitious.
Much safer to hide in the shade.
Take it from me.
Good news for you, Iullus.
I'm pregnant again,
so it's safe for us
to see each other.
Goodnight, Iullus.
It's not exactly safe.
I miss you.
- The usual place, tomorrow?
- The fifth hour.
You still need to
manage Agrippa.
Sweet of you to let Piso
and Tycho take the credit,
for Siculus.
A woman has to know her place.
Come to bed.
It might be a while.
Wake me up.
Gaius has started the
race to succeed him.
It will be dangerous.
Are you sure this
is what you want?
We'll need to rebuild
the spy network.
Someone very smart
was behind the famine,
behind the grain prefects.
Someone with vision.
He will have to be
found... quietly.
Please!
Your new master's inside.
to establish the Republic,
but now, I think we'll have
to fight again to keep it.
But, to
restore the Republic,
we first have to destroy it.
The Republic was
corrupt and lazy.
We can achieve so much more.
I want to be a god.
Today I ask
you to make burning pains
in the womb of Livia Drusilla.
Let the baby of Gaius Julius
in the womb of Livia Drusilla
die in writhing agony.
May I ask a favor?
The boys. You want
me to adopt them.
Just look out for them.
Power must go to someone
who would give it
back to the Senate.
You're not talking
about me, are you?
I'm talking about Drusus.
Gaius Julius Silanus
tells me that two nights ago,
you broke into his house
to debauch a slave girl.
It was his daughter
I was debauching.
Drusus!
I put
you where you are,
and Livia kept you there!
Shame on you to get rid of
her the minute she's no use!
How long have you known?
Does my father know?
Of course not. Julius would
never see you or Rome again.
There are rules, even
for people like us.
I'm going to now adopt Marcellus
as my son and heir.
Thank you,
Father.
Clarify his position
to the Senate publicly.
I agree.
Well, I don't think that
Gaius needs our approval.
This isn't about
protecting the boys.
This is about power.
Marcellus has to go first.
He can never take power, never.
Marcellus.
No, Marcellus!
Marcellus, no, no, no, no, no.
Gaius, I have
something terrible to tell you.
It's about Livia and Marcellus
and Antigone and Tycho.
They killed my son.
We have
to destroy her.
Do you think I killed him?
Means, motive, and
opportunity, Livia.
You had all three.
Julia, you're out
of mourning for Marcellus,
so obviously it's time
for your next marriage.
And I can think of nobody better
than my brother, Marcus Agrippa.
Neither can I.
Marcella, you'll marry Iullus.
While I live,
Antigone will never be
sent away from this house.
I will never forget you.
I'm Livia Drusilla
of the Claudi.
I don't break my
word, and I don't run.
I love you,
Livia Drusilla.
I love you, too.
Fuck.
We made it.
I just want a bath.
About that...
It won't take long.
You want to know
what's really going on?
You go to a whorehouse.
We've been away a long time.
You get things you don't get
from official dispatches.
I just wanna know what
the people are thinking.
Well, I don't care what
the fuck they're thinking.
I just want a bath.
Just a quick drink. No
one will recognize us.
You're always telling me
to listen to the people.
Great.
Hey, you.
If you want to pimp
your woman in here,
you have to pay the house.
You can have me for six asses,
in a private room,
any way you want.
And there's boys, of course.
Just some wine, and
something to eat.
There's nothing to
eat here, you ass!
There's a famine.
Where have you been?
There's no bread anywhere. The
grain stores are all empty.
And where's fucking Augustus?
Off east somewhere
the last three years.
Doesn't give a fuck about us.
If that fuck Augustus
and his slut of a wife
show their faces in Rome now,
they'd be thrown in
the fucking Tiber!
So now you know what
the people are thinking.
Let's go.
Hey! You owe me for the wine.
- Drink it yourself. Argh!
- Hey!
Gaius!
Gaius!
Livia!
Gaius!
Livia!
Get back here!
Try to fuck off without paying!
Get off me!
Break it up!
Arrest both those bitches!
- Enough!
- Get off me!
- Gaius!
- Uhh!
Tiberius!
Excuse me, Vipsania.
Tiberius, it's your mother.
Drusus.
Tiberius.
Fuck off!
They're back, Gaius and Mother.
What?
Oh, fuck!
She's lost.
The fuckers aren't
due back for months.
Stepfather!
By the river in the Thirteenth!
We'll find her!
What the fuck are
you staring at?
Have you seen a woman?!
Dark hair!
She was in a fight
with a whore earlier!
Didn't see anything.
Where's my fucking wife?
The watchmen stole
your bracelets.
Were they really gold?
They were my mother's.
Hey!
Hey, you! You!
I'm Livia, the wife of Augustus!
Shut your trap!
Shit!
Are you a whore?
What?! No.
I'm going
to be a whore.
I'm going to have a new
dress and loads to eat.
Can we send messages
out of here?
If you have money.
If you don't, you'll go
to the market tomorrow.
What market?
The slave market.
The watchmen sell you there.
They're not supposed
to, but they do.
Unless you have money.
They can't sell
me. I'm a citizen.
Can you prove it?
Me neither.
You should get
some sleep, Livia.
You want to look
your best tomorrow,
or you might get
bought for the fields.
You don't want to
end up in the fields.
Nobody lasts long there.
We're at the market.
I've never been, have you?
Hey. Hurry up.
Why are you here anyway?
I got caught stealing
bread off Faustus.
He collects the poop
for the tanneries.
Do you know him?
I thought there
wasn't any bread.
There isn't.
Unless you know where it is.
Faustus always has bread.
Move.
Whorehouse.
Whorehouse.
Fields.
I'm sorry, Livia.
- Hey, what's your name?
- Ursa!
Move.
Pretty Roman girl,
native speaker.
Certified healthy virgin
ready for the brothel,
light work in the house.
What shall we start with?
5,000.
5,000.
Five and a half?
Five and a half. 6,000?
6,000! Six and a half?
She's still a bargain,
six and a half?
Sold, 6,000.
Younger
than she looks.
This one offers
years of experience.
Smile, you bitch,
or I'll flog your
arse right here.
Tough and scrawny,
she won't cost much to feed,
always a consideration,
especially in a famine.
Treated properly, will give
you years of excellent service
in the kitchen or in the fields.
What shall we start with?
- 1,000?
- Too much.
1,000, anybody.
Darius. That old bag
is the exact image of
Livia Drusilla, huh?
A bargain at 950.
It's incredible,
the resemblance,
apart from the black
eye, of course.
Seriously? 950.
I should buy her
as a wedding gift
for Tiberius and Vipsania.
900.
Or maybe not.
900.
I am Livia, daughter
of Marcus Livius
and the wife of Caesar Augustus.
Livia?
And I will give 50,000 in silver
to anyone who takes a
message to my husband.
And a sense of humor.
800, priced to clear.
Livia...
- 500!
- Livia!
- Piso!
- Livia!
I am Gaius Calpernius Piso!
Cut this woman loose, now!
- Cut her loose.
- What took you so long, huh?
I was waiting for the
price to bottom out.
You! I want that last
girl back here now!
Livia! What the fuck happened?
You wanted to know what
people are thinking.
That'swhat happened!
We were up all night
looking for you.
- Good!
- Livia!
It's a full-scale
fucking famine.
I can't rule Rome
if I can't feed it.
I know.
I've summoned the
grain prefects.
- I want you to listen in.
- Well, I'll be in the bath!
Burn that fucking
whorehouse to the ground!
You must be Aelina. Hmm?
I'm Livia.
Tycho.
You gave us a fright.
Oh...
She's so beautiful.
Yeah.
So like Antigone.
She left something for you.
She had a little time at the end
to... well, make preparations.
She said she would wait for you
by the river in the underworld,
and she wanted you to have this.
Her poisons.
Yes, she said you were
bound to need them.
Ah, er, forgive me, I...
There's something that I never
dared ask you in a letter.
Deep down, Gaius knows
we killed Marcellus.
But he doesn't
care. Not enough.
Not while I'm useful, and
I will always be useful.
So we're all right?
If we weren't, we'd be dead.
Octavia still wears black
for Marcellus... every day.
We had no choice.
I did.
I'm going to need
your help today.
The grain prefects, Dominus,
Titus Cloelius Siculus
and Marcus Cassius Elva...
I know who they are.
On behalf of the Senate
and the people of Rome,
Augustus, welcome back.
I trust we find you well
after your long and
glorious voyage.
The State, the City of Rome,
all of it, everything, me,
rests on a single
unspoken agreement.
Half a million shit-poor Romans
agree to let a few
hundred senators
live in luxury right
in front of them. Why?
Because, we agree to give them
the bread they need, free,
every day of the year.
And that is why
they don't tear us
and our families
to fucking pieces
in our beds.
With respect, Augustus,
the autumn storms have
never been this bad,
and we can't
control the weather.
The transports from Sicily
and Egypt are losing
six out of seven ships.
The warehouses at
Ostia are empty.
As soon as anything
comes into the port,
we bring it straight
up the river.
It's the ship owners, Augustus.
They've let us down completely.
You're the
grain prefect...
An office I created
after the last famine
to make sure it
never happens again.
I appointed you both.
I trusted you both.
You've failed me.
Get out.
Drusus Nero, Tiberius
Nero, Iullus Antonius.
Is it true the nightwatch sold
mother off in the slave market?
Not a single fucking bid.
I wish I'd been there.
Where's Domitius?
Out on Octavia's
estate with my sister,
but I've sent for him.
Any news of Agrippa?
Due to leave Spain ten days ago,
but the winds have
been against him.
One of you should have
warned me about this famine.
What could you have done?
We didn't
want to worry you.
And besides, the grain
prefects were constantly saying
it was about to get better.
Well, you three are
the new grain prefects.
We're going to
the port at Ostia,
having all the
warehouses searched.
All of them?
We'll find the grain
merchants there,
see what they have to say.
And, Tiberius,
assemble the Senate.
Emergency session.
There's hardly anyone here.
They've all left Rome.
You should keep
your doors locked.
Grain prefects, fuck.
It shows he trusts us.
It's a chance to impress.
No, it isn't. If it was
a chance to impress,
fucking Domitius would be here.
He's right.
Yes, he is.
Two cohorts of Praetorians
into the city, my authority.
Spread them round
the district. Go.
I didn't know
Octavia was in Rome.
Yes, and someone's
told her about Gemina.
If I were you, I'd move
her out of the house
before Mother finds out.
If I were you, I'd
be more worried about
what Mother thinks of
your wife.
Right. And that's
why you're Drusus.
- If you could just...
- Right.
Octavia.
Lady.
I've chosen not to speak
to my brother about this,
unless, of course,
it becomes necessary.
Your son Drusus,
he's openly living with
his German concubine
in the house that he
bought next to mine.
Now, of course, if he
were simply using a slave,
one couldn't object.
But he freed her recently.
The girl now rides around in
a chair covered in jewelry,
as if they were married.
Drusus is engaged to
my daughter, Antonina.
This behavior is offensive
and disrespectful to our family.
I will deal with it.
Hmm.
Unless, of course, you'd
prefer to cancel the betrothal?
Did you
know about Drusus?
Ah, well...
Livia, I had
the watchmen flogged.
- Here are your bracelets.
- Oh, thank you!
And, uh...
Ursa.
Where do you live?
In the City of the Dead.
There's an old tomb there
some of us sleep in.
You told me there's
bread in Rome
if you know where to look.
Doyou know where to look?
Do I get to go back to
my whorehouse after?
No.
Can I keep the dress?
I see your thinking.
If there's some bread
we don't know about...
- Come on, this way!
- There's some grain
we don't know about.
And if there's some grain
we don't know about,
then what else
don't we know about?
And why don't we know it?
Here! This is where
Faustus lives.
That's him! Faustus, there!
Fuck!
Prime Egyptian grain.
Where is he getting it?
Get it handed out,
Tycho, and find Faustus, now.
I'm sorry, I forget, you don't
work for me anymore. Sorry.
No, I'd love to find him.
Ursa?
Here he is, finally.
We agreed,
we don't meet in public.
It's an emergency.
Fucking Augustus is back!
I know.
The idea was to get out
clean before he came back.
It was. That's right.
We have to release the grain.
- All of it, now.
- If we do that,
the price will collapse
and Augustus will
start asking questions.
He's right.
We'll bring in more
grain gradually
until everything
goes back to normal.
We just have to hold our nerve.
It's all
right for you.
Augustus hates us now.
Our careers are over.
You wanted the money.
If I go down, I won't go alone.
I'm losing confidence
in Siculus.
Vipsania.
You've
got a black eye.
Where is she?
Ow!
Out. I'm sorry to
interrupt your waxing.
What are you doing?
Who do you think you are?
My son Drusus is engaged
to the niece of Augustus.
Next year, they will marry.
In the meantime, he cannot
live openly with a woman.
I am the daughter of a king.
Not anymore.
And I don't take
orders from anyone.
You will take them
from me. Pack your things.
You will live on my
estate outside of Rome
until I find you a husband.
I'm not leaving Drusus.
And I'm not leaving Rome.
Drusus set me free.
I can do what I want.
And this is his house,
not yours. Old woman.
Walk with me.
As, uh, the wife of Tiberius,
you will have a
high public profile.
Yeah, I don't care
about any of that.
Well, you will set an
example to the women of Rome
by not snooping behind curtains
and, of course, by supporting
your husband in his career.
Tiberius isn't
interested in that.
Neither am I.
We can't wait to leave Rome.
We're gonna build a big
house in the country
without a road, so no
one else can find it.
No, you're not.
You were
always a weird, little kid.
I just went straight to her.
That's all I did. I didn't...
Domitius, there you are!
We were worried about you.
Will you send for Antonia,
tell her that her
husband's here?
Guess
what, Domitius.
Uncle and Livia are back,
and Mother tore into her
about Drusus and
his German slut.
I did not!
Oh, Antonia! I did
not tear into her.
I wish
I'd been there.
Darling,
do sit down.
It's not the girl's
fault, any of it.
I feel sorry for her.
What about Antonina,
do you feel sorry for her?
As her fiancé beasts himself
in front of everyone we know?
I mean, really, this
perpetual niceness!
I find it insufferable,
and I don't know
where you get it from.
Is Iullus here?
He sent me a note.
Iullus?
Uncle made him a grain prefect,
so, obviously, the
fun's as good as over.
Marcella, stop being so mean
about your poor husband.
Marcella's mean about everyone.
So Iullus is a prefect now.
What else has happened?
Did you find Faustus?
No, he's gone to ground.
- And the girl?
- No.
It's your move, Livia.
So, I went to the
public treasury
and had a look at the
last census records.
Faustus is listed at his address
as a freed man
under his full name,
Titus Cornelius Faustus,
which as you know, means
he was once the slave
of Titus Cornelius Siculus,
the grain prefect.
Fucking hell!
Augustus, welcome back.
Domitius.
Did you find anything?
The warehouses at
the port were empty,
and the merchants are blaming
the weather and each other.
Piso! What are you doing here?
Ah, just trying
to stay relevant.
I've got a message
from your wife.
At least one of the grain
prefects is corrupt.
Siculus has been supplying one
of his ex-slaves with grain.
Lots of grain.
I can't believe it.
So, what does that mean exactly?
Well, it means
there's grain here,
and, if you know
where it is, it means
the grain prefect has
been lying to Rome,
and if he's lying to Rome
about that, what else is a lie?
And if one of the
prefects is lying,
how can we trust the other one?
The price of grain
is astronomical.
So we have to consider
the probability
that this isn't a famine.
It's a conspiracy.
With your permission, I'll
have the prefects arrested.
Alive.
I need them alive,
especially Siculus.
They're no good to me dead.
You two go and
greet your mother.
Tiberius. You've changed.
Mother.
You, however, have not.
Nice black eye, Mother.
Should've seen the waitress.
The German is unacceptable.
All right.
I'll get her an apartment.
It's too
late for that.
Get her out of Rome by
dawn tomorrow, or I will.
I will find her an apartment
on the other side of the city.
She is not to be touched.
I left you in charge
of your brother.
What are you going to do?
Octavia's new son-in-law,
what do you make of him?
- Domitius?
- Hmm.
He's ruthless,
ambitious, and clever.
The son you never had.
I knew his father.
Tried to kill him once.
He changed sides three
times in the civil war.
No one could trust him.
He was always trying to fuck me.
With Domitius, we go carefully.
Out.
Augustus has ordered
your arrest, both of you.
What? Why?
'Cause you got caught
secretly giving grain to
your family dependents,
which has raised questions
about your probity.
I won't say anything.
You'll betray us both.
I'll get away. I'll take a ship.
I'm afraid that won't do.
No!
Shut him up!
Shh! Shh!
An honorable suicide.
How much of the
blame can he take?
You need to get out
of Rome until we know.
Without you or Siculus,
they have nothing.
I, er... I will not be attending
the dinner at my
brother's house.
I shall be returning to
the country tomorrow,
so would you please
present my excuses?
- Mother?
- Mmm?
Your difficulty with
Olivia must be resolved.
For the family.
Your daughter's marrying
her son next year.
Hmm. A lot can
happen before then.
Her difficulty with
Livia, as you put it,
was my brother's murder,
and unlike you, I'm not
about to forgive or forget.
There's no proof that Livia
had anything to do with it.
I can never work out if you're
naive or just stupid, Antonia.
I won't let anything
happen to you.
Ever.
I love you, Drusus.
I'm not coming to the dinner.
We are going out
gambling, at Vilbia's.
That will be all.
Can I speak to you, Drusus?
What?
My very first memory,
as a tiny child, is Mother,
smashing a man's
head in with a rock.
She was soaked in his blood.
Her breasts, her
arms, her hands...
His face was just pulp.
I'm not giving up Gemina.
You can't not come to dinner.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
I have to pay my respects.
You should stay home.
I won't be long.
Was that true... your memory?
She was... sublime.
That was, like, seven,
maybe five years ago.
Yeah. It feels like forever ago,
but it's just still so strange.
I've never seen the
city like it, you know?
Oh, please stop moaning,
Antonia. Even I've had enough.
- Antonia.
- Drusus?
Marcella.
How are we doing?
Fairly well.
Let's find something
cheerful to talk about.
Vipsania!
What?
I know. Forget about it.
New fucking olives are
the ones I told them...
three years ago.
- They just taste like that.
- It's a real problem, you know.
The Greeks always harvest
too late, these days.
What's
she doing here?
He's not bringing his
slut to dinner with us.
- Drusus...
- Hello. What's for dinner?
No, no, no.
Who the fuck is that?
He dishonors my sister with
that whore from Germania.
Livia.
Oh, dear.
Did you know about Drusus?
I'm dealing with it.
He disrespects my
niece. My family!
It's not his fault there
is a famine. It's yours!
I told you three
years was too long!
Don't change the subject!
This isthe subject!
You lost control and
you turn on my son
because it's easy and you can.
You've never been weak. Don't
start now. I despise it.
Is this an enormous
fucking row about Drusus?
Because I think we've
got bigger problems.
Agrippa!
Father...
I've never seen Rome like this.
Are we going to be all right?
Of course.
- Fuck.
- Livia.
You're unpopular.
Praetorians on the streets.
Mobs stoning the Watchmen.
You know the Aurelian
Gate's on fire?
Just give us a minute, yeah?
Okay.
- Vipsania!
- Yes?
How's marriage?
I really like sex, but
I can't stand Livia.
Right.
You're
right about Drusus.
But nothing has changed.
The plan is the same.
We make you a god.
We train up the boys.
We kill anyone who gets
in your way, together.
I wish I didn't
fucking love you.
Love makes us weak.
Hmm. A luxury we can't afford.
No, not right now.
I'll deal with Drusus.
You have other problems.
He's fast asleep.
Did you find them?
That fuck, Siculus,
just killed himself
in a whorehouse.
And
Elva's run for it.
They were well-informed.
I searched his house,
and I did leave guards
there in case he returns.
I sent men to all the gates,
but he might have got out.
Oh, he might have got out?
Of course he fucking
got out! What the fuck?
- What was I supposed to do?
- You were supposed to find them,
because without those
fucking prefects,
we've got no fucking leads
and no fucking grain!
At least we know
who's behind it.
People
can't eat that.
If we don't find some bread
in the next couple of days,
you and me are fucked.
Enough. We'll be
along in a minute.
They werewell-informed.
Could you not have just
kept your fucking mouth shut
about Drusus?
Without your marriage to
me, Iullus, you're nothing.
Try and remember that.
Sorry, not disturbing
you, are we?
All right, look.
We know that harvests in
Egypt and Sicily were good.
Good enough.
Let's assume Elva and
Siculus and whoever else
buy as much as they
can and then somehow
stop it from coming to Rome.
Well, the price shoots up.
They feed it in slowly,
keeping the price high.
They'd need the grain merchants
in on that, the big ones anyway.
The City's paying a fortune
so they don't complain.
My treasury's
fucking dry.
Where the fuck are
they keeping the grain?
That's millions of clay
jars we're talking about.
You can't hide that in
your fucking atrium.
All the warehouses at the
port are empty. We checked.
And the river transports.
Then where the fuck is it?
It's gotta be somewhere!
It can't still be
in fucking Egypt.
I know where it is.
I mean, not exactly,
but where to look.
Were you thinking of telling us?
Well, it's kind of
obvious, isn't it,
if you think about it?
So, uh, the German
is now a problem.
Gaius won't allow her.
Drusus won't give her up.
She has to disappear, for good.
I'll summon the Friends.
I don't want her killed.
Then how does she disappear?
Uh... It's not pretty.
It never is.
Get the fuck
off her! Leave me alone!
Stay here.
Tiberius.
Mother.
Get
the fuck off! Get off!
Is it always like this?
I told you. She's a monster.
We can't stay here,
Tiberius. We'll drown.
We'll never escape.
Nobody does.
You don't know Mother.
I'm Mother now.
You swore an oath
to your mother and me and
your fucking ancestors
to restore the Republic
after Augustus dies.
If he ever sees you as
a threat or a problem,
you'll be dead.
You certainly won't
inherit his power,
and without that,
you'll never get the chance to
give democracy back to Rome.
You put everything
at risk for a girl?
Is she dead, Piso?
Yes, Drusus. She is.
800.900.
Anybody for a thousand?
Sold! For 900.
An absolutely prime
female in perfect health.
Fluent Latin speaker,
and originally descended
from German royalty,
plus an expert in
all the arts of love.
You don't often get
something of this quality
out here in Sutrium.
The bidding starts at 8,000.
8,000. Do I hear nine?
You were right.
It wasn't pretty.
Ursa, you belong to me now.
You will live with
my friend Piso,
in his house outside Rome.
- Will I be a whore?
- No... No!
You will learn how
to read and write
and heal people with herbs.
What?
You can have a new dress.
Thank you, Tycho,
for your help and
for everything.
I was thinking...
now you're back, you might
need someone to look after you.
Like I did before.
But you have your
estate, your new life.
After I lost Antigone,
it was never the same.
I just...
I was bored to fucking tears.
Rest the horses.
Listen, I never wanted
to ask in writing,
but how are you and Livia now?
What do you mean?
Well, your wife poisoned
your nephew, brother.
Some men might find
that irritating.
Is it forgiven?
Oh, but not forgotten,
is it, brother?
It rankles still.
It itches.
We need to find higher ground.
Good to talk.
Oh, what
have we here, brother?
Looks like the entire
Egyptian grain fleet,
are happily at anchor.
She wasright.
Livia.
Get that
fucking grain to Rome.
I was just remembering when
we used to be generals here,
leading our armies across the
water to glorious victories
over our sisters and our dogs.
Augustus found the
grain transports.
I'd have to be in on it.
I am the only person still alive
who knows that
you were involved.
I'll never betray you.
I know.
My will is in the house.
It hurts.
Not long now.
Gladiators
in a blonde wig!
Domitius.
Where've you been?
You just missed the
big rally at the Forum.
It was
packed with people,
and Uncle made a speech
and everyone cheered him,
and then they threw hundreds of
loaves of bread into the mob.
You should've seen the fighting.
It was better than the Games.
I'm just so glad that
the famine is over.
I know. Stuck indoors
the whole time,
all the shops shut.
She meant all those
people starving, I think.
When the dust settles,
I'd like to be part
of the investigation.
What investigation?
Well, obviously
we're going after
everyone involved
in the conspiracy.
No. We're covering it all up.
If it got out about
the conspiracy,
Augustus would look weak
for letting it happen.
Yes. And foolish.
But if it doesn't,
he looks like a god
for ending the famine.
- That's smart.
- Yeah.
Not my idea.
Boys.
This has been
on my mind for a while,
while I was away.
Iullus, Tiberius,
Drusus, and now Domitius.
You are my sons.
And though it suits me
to pretend otherwise...
the Republic is dead.
It's never coming back.
So, for better or
worse, I am now Rome.
And when I die, Rome
will come to you...
all of you...
if you want it.
But if you want it,
you need to show
me you're ready.
Well, it's lucky
I'm not ambitious.
Much safer to hide in the shade.
Take it from me.
Good news for you, Iullus.
I'm pregnant again,
so it's safe for us
to see each other.
Goodnight, Iullus.
It's not exactly safe.
I miss you.
- The usual place, tomorrow?
- The fifth hour.
You still need to
manage Agrippa.
Sweet of you to let Piso
and Tycho take the credit,
for Siculus.
A woman has to know her place.
Come to bed.
It might be a while.
Wake me up.
Gaius has started the
race to succeed him.
It will be dangerous.
Are you sure this
is what you want?
We'll need to rebuild
the spy network.
Someone very smart
was behind the famine,
behind the grain prefects.
Someone with vision.
He will have to be
found... quietly.
Please!
Your new master's inside.