“You are offering to help me?”
“That’s right, young Caesar.”
Pompey nodded.
“Actually, I’ve tried your famous Palmolive myself. It was very soft and effective, just like the rumors say. It’s dozens of times better than washing with just olive oil.”
“I’m glad you liked my Palmolive.”
“There’s a rumor that you received a revelation from Goddess Vesta to create the sacred Palmolive. Is that true?”
At his question, I shook my head.
Better to keep it vague.
“Well. I have never started such a rumor. Though I do regularly donate Palmolive to the Vestal Virgins.”
“Right, you must have done so out of pure goodwill.”
Pompey shrugged as if to say I didn’t need to answer explicitly.
“Haha, so that’s how the rumor started. Anyway, counterfeiters passing off fake Palmolive aren’t just harming you personally. They’re stealing from the public.”
“Senator Cicero told me the same thing yesterday.”
“Cicero said that? Still all talk, as ever. A man who can’t actually take action.”
Pompey continued.
“The trademark bill you floated at the Senaculum yesterday was an excellent proposal to catch such swindlers. Of course, the haughty Senate failed to see its importance as always.”
He said.
“I think that law is absolutely necessary for the public interest of all Rome.”
He finished with a mild smile. At that, I couldn’t help asking.
Why is he trying to help me?
For a politician, the phrase ‘for the public interest’ was merely a formal comment to package private interest.
Right now, I had to find out Pompey’s true intentions.
I chose my words carefully.
“I am truly grateful that you agree with my opinion, sir Pompey. But I can’t help having doubts.”
“Doubts?”
I nodded.
I needed to take a direct approach instead of beating around the bush here.
Pompey was a man known for his pride bordering on vanity.
Unlike other senators, Pompey, with his military temperament, was highly likely to reveal his intention confidently.
“I would like to know why you are going to the trouble of helping me.”
Pompey was silent for a moment.
Just as I thought I might have been too bold, he burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahaha, I like your honesty, my friend. Didn’t I tell you earlier? For the public interest of Rome.”
Staring straight into my eyes, he continued.
“I have lived on the battlefield since I was young.”
Pompey’s hand went to his belt out of habit, as if reaching for a scabbard that wasn’t there.
“When I was young, I faced rebels in Hispania, and later pirates on the sea. As such, I can recognize a good warrior at a glance.”
He raised a finger and pointed at me.
“And in my view, you are currently the best warrior in Rome.”
“But I am not very skilled in swordsmanship.”
“You don’t necessarily have to wield a sword to be a warrior. Your battle with Cato yesterday was just like a warrior swinging a sword on the battlefield. I know that you and your father are close with Crassus. But is there any reason we cannot be friends because of that? Your father supported my bid for the consulship, after all.”
Pompey said.
“Since you asked honestly, I will answer honestly as well. If your trademark law passes, we will need a separate institution to receive trademark applications and examine them, right?”
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“Yes, that is correct.”
As Pompey said, to enforce the trademark law, it was necessary for a credible institution to approve and manage trademark rights.
“I want that authority given to the Tribunes.”
So that was it.
Pompey didn’t have proper allies within the Senate.
He was mainly checking the Senate through the Popular Assembly and the Tribunes.
If the authority to approve and supervise trademarks were given to the Tribunes, his influence would increase that much.
“So, will you accept my favor?”
“Of course. How could I refuse the help of an honorable person like you?”
Giving the authority to the Tribunes wasn’t a bad choice from my perspective either.
That was a price I could pay.
“Please stop with the humble pretenses. Thinking about what you said to Cato yesterday, ‘honorable’ sounds like an insult now.”
Pompey burst into laughter again.
“Talking with you like this makes me feel like I’m dealing with a seasoned old senator, not a young boy.”
“That is undeserved praise.”
Pompey’s offer didn’t feel like a trap. Gaining my favor and strengthening the authority of the Tribunes were enough for him.
A simple, straightforward answer—typical of Pompey.
With my father in Hispania right now, fighting a legislative battle on my own was close to impossible.
“Then how do you plan to help me?”
“Good. Now to the real matter.” He rubbed his hands together.
“As you know, the Senate isn’t the only path to a law in Rome. The Senate can recommend—nothing more.”
“You mean the tribunes.”
“You catch on quickly.”
He nodded as if satisfied.
In Rome, the Tribune was a unique position in many ways.
Created to counter the Senate, the tribunate carried immense power.
In theory, Tribunes could enact laws through the Popular Assembly and veto Senate decisions.
Not only that, but they also possessed sacrosanctitas, meaning no one could harm them during their term.
The famous Gracchus brothers also tried to implement various reform policies by suppressing the Senate using this Tribune position.
In the end, the Senate had the Gracchi—and their allies—killed. While I was lost in thought, Pompey continued.
"Since you are of Patrician blood, you cannot intervene in the Plebeian Council. But I have a man I can turn to—a Tribune named Aquilius. He is a friend who served under me as a commander for decades. He would be more than happy to propose your trademark law for a vote in the assembly."
“Then we can pass the law without the Senate’s consent.”
“Exactly.”
Pompey nodded.
There were already precedents of numerous Tribunes enacting laws in this way before.
It was a much better method than the Senate, which would take forever no matter how much I lobbied.
“But there is one problem.”
Pompey said.
“Not all Tribunes are under my command. They are all loyal to their respective patrons.”
“You mean other Tribunes might oppose this bill.”
“Probably. If even one of them opposes, the law cannot pass.”
As he said, if even one Tribune opposes, the bill cannot pass.
Especially Cato, who argued with me yesterday, would surely order the Tribunes under him to exercise their veto power.
Then isn’t it virtually impossible?
No.
I was a person who lived in the future.
Then I’d use a twenty-first-century playbook.
“There is nothing scarier in this world than the anger of victims who have been scammed.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Hearing my words, Pompey tilted his head.
“Tribunes exist to answer to the People. That’s the whole point.”
The will of Roman citizens.
That was my weapon.
***
“First, I will gather the victims who were scammed by fake Palmolive and call a public gathering.”
“Then at least hundreds of people could gather.”
My mother fell quiet, thinking.
The instant Pompey left, I sought her counsel.
“Then, as you said Lucius, the Tribunes won’t be able to ignore it either. Since there is no valid reason to oppose the enactment of the trademark law.”
“And if the trademark law is enacted, it will also enhance the authority and power of the Tribunes.”
If the Tribunes take charge of executing the trademark law as Pompey suggested, that would be the case.
But some Tribunes following the Senate’s orders would surely oppose it to the end.
The key was how much citizen will I could gather.
If hundreds or thousands gather, no Tribune could easily ignore it.
“But most citizens won’t be very interested in the enactment of the trademark law.”
Mother said.
“Even if they were scammed, if it wasn’t a large amount, they would just curse and move on. It’s a common occurrence in Rome, isn’t it?”
“Going out to a rally is not an easy task.”
Mother was right.
To go out to a rally, one has to stop their livelihood.
Unless someone pays them, there was no reason to waste their time for a few days.
But I couldn’t hire citizens either.
“If I pay money to hire the crowd, I will be proving Cato right.”
“Holding a large-scale protest in Rome without any compensation. That won’t be easy.”
Mother sighed.
“People tend not to step forward unless it benefits them.”
“I’ll have to think of more ways for now.”
Gathering victims to hold a large-scale protest was a method that worked well enough in the 21st century.
But the problem was that this was Rome.
Social media or the internet to organize protesters did not exist yet.
News, television, and radio were the same.
Then how can I organize protesters?
"Maybe I should think on this some more."
A few days passed like that, and Felix brought completely unexpected news.
“Bathhouse and laundry owners from all over Rome have flocked here?”
“Half the city’s owners showed up.”
Felix said, gasping for breath.
“They say they want to help pass your trademark law somehow, Young Master.”
“Bathhouses and laundries.”
I muttered.
They were the first ones I supplied Palmolive to.
Why did they step forward directly like this?
The answer was simple if I thought about it.
“If this trademark law doesn’t pass, they’ll be the ones who lose the most.”
“There’s a rumor you might shut down Palmolive if things get ugly, Young Master.”
“This is a golden opportunity for us, Felix.”
I rose to my feet.
As I stepped outside, a low murmur met me. A crowd had gathered—easily hundreds strong.
I never expected prioritizing the bathhouses and laundries would lead to this.
This wasn’t just a crowd. These were angry citizens—far more powerful than any mob that money could buy.
“Bring their representatives into the atrium,” I said. “Let’s bring them to our side.”
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