The Tribunal, Part 2

Wedno sat centered in his chair, letting out a cold snort. “Francis, as a Divine Scion, you have committed so many monstrous crimes, unforgivable in their severity! I must personally preside over your trial! These esteemed dignitaries are here only because they are disgusted by your transgressions, to witness firsthand how you will be brought to justice! They are here to bear witness!”

Du Chen smiled. Just then, Buzer shoved him from behind. “Kneel!”

“Within the Empire, apart from the Holy Church and His Majesty, no one else has the right to demand I kneel! Do you presume yourself to be more esteemed than the Holy Church and the Emperor?!” Du Chen glared at him. Buzer, enraged, extended his leg to kick Du Chen.

“Buzer, enough!” Wedno stared at Du Chen with a cold sneer, waving Buzer to step aside, and sternly questioned, “Francis, will you not immediately prostrate yourself and admit your crimes?”

“My crimes? Heh! Esteemed Minister of Rites, pray tell me what exactly I’m supposed to have done, alright?” Du Chen’s words were a veiled mockery of Wedno.

“Hmph, you’ve only been in the Imperial Capital for a mere half-day, yet you’ve already committed an unforgivable offense! And before you left the Imperial Capital for your studies, your record was already replete with heinous deeds, utterly outrageous!”

Wedno spared no effort in accusing Du Chen, adopting an air of righteous indignation, presenting himself as an awe-inspiring and impartial chief justice!

Du Chen ignored Wedno, suddenly looking up at the sculpture of the scales of justice behind the tribunal stand, representing fairness and impartiality. He mused inwardly, *In my past life, people used to say that for politicians, a baseless accusation was enough to condemn someone to death. Heh, today, I’m experiencing that firsthand!*

“Minister of Rites, you are the Empire’s highest judge, and your words should be backed by evidence! Please present the evidence for me to see! This is my right,” Du Chen said calmly.

“Of course, evidence is the cornerstone of my judgments! Had the evidence not been conclusive, I would not have requested Admiral Kirisek to send men to arrest you!” Wedno patted a thick stack of dossiers on the table, stating gravely, “Let’s set aside your crimes before your studies for now, and focus solely on the numerous offenses you’ve committed since returning to Saint John City!”

He tossed a dossier at Du Chen’s feet and sternly interrogated him, “On the evening of September 13th, you entered Saint John City! You nearly clashed with Versailles Guards in Saint Bovin Square, after which Godfather Ferdinand brought you into the Cathedral!”

Du Chen nodded. Many pedestrians in Saint Bovin Square had witnessed this event; it was common knowledge throughout the city. However, what happened next was known only to a select few, a secret that transpired in the dead of night!

“Yet, at five o’clock the next morning, as the sun was just rising, someone saw you helping commoners repair houses in the Southern District! This proves you left Saint John Cathedral that very night! Speak! What were you doing after leaving the Cathedral, before you began helping the poor the next day?!”

Du Chen looked at Wedno in surprise. “My dear Minister of Rites, surely you’re not implying that I committed some unforgivable crime during that time, are you?!”

Wedno chuckled. “What, you can’t explain yourself? I’ll tell you. That night, after you left Saint John Cathedral, you cruelly murdered a low-ranking noble in the Fifth Street of the Southern District… and after killing that noble, you even, outrageously, raped and murdered his beautiful fiancée!!”

…

At this moment, a dense crowd had gathered in Saint Bovin Square, so large that even the Palace of Versailles and the Cathedral, situated at opposite ends of the square, were stirred.

Among the crowd, a white-haired old man in his sixties stood on his pushcart, shouting loudly, “I don’t want to say too much, nor do I dare speak carelessly beneath the statue of Ancestor Bovin… This time last year, like all of you, I relied on my pushcart to deliver vegetables in the streets of the Southern District to make ends meet. But now, like you, I am well-fed and warmly clothed! Who gave us all this?!”

The wrinkles on his face contorted, his complexion flushed, and his breathing was no longer calm from speaking so loudly. But old Matthew still bellowed with all his might, “Everyone knows what kind of person Lord Francis is! Who among us hasn’t received his benevolence?! Because of Lord Francis’s kindness, our wives and children haven’t starved, old men like me haven’t been left to wander the streets, and most of us have transformed from beggars into laborers, no longer enduring others’ disdain!”

“Just think, what would we be like without Lord Francis? Old Larry!” He pointed at a man. “Last year, you collapsed in the streets of the northern city. It was pouring rain, you were covered in mud, and you were dying of illness. No one wanted to bother with a lowly beggar like you, not even an ordinary commoner. Who carried you for three streets and took you to a clinic?! Abru, your daughter’s illness is completely cured, isn’t it? So, you haven’t forgotten who, in the dead of night, found the best, and most expensive, priest in the Imperial Capital for your daughter?! Your family couldn’t even afford a single meal then! It was Lord Francis who paid for all her medicine! And you, Sharon, when you were falsely accused by the City Watch, who led people to confront those vicious City Watch soldiers for three hours, rescuing you from the dungeon and giving you a new lease on life?!”

Old Matthew pointed to each person. Finally, he raised his hand high. “But now, Lord Francis has been arrested by the City Watch, and Lord Wedno intends to put him on trial!”

The crowd’s emotions instantly erupted into indignation.

“Everyone knows what the City Watch is like! And that Lord Wedno… I, old Matthew, am going all out and speaking the plain truth beneath the statue of Ancestor Bovin: Last year, if not for Lord Francis, I would have been beaten to death by Wedno’s son, Kaman! Now, these people claim Lord Francis is guilty and want to put him on trial. Do you believe the benevolent Lord Francis would commit such crimes?!”

“We don’t believe it!” The thunderous sound echoed far and wide, shaking the heavens.

“You dignitaries across the way!” Old Matthew cried out. “We dare not defy Imperial law, but we demand to witness the trial process with our own eyes! We don’t believe Lord Francis would commit a crime!”

“We want to see it with our own eyes!” The voices of thousands merged, piercing the clouds.

The soldiers maintaining order in the square immediately tensed. A leader roared, “This is Saint Bovin Square! Disperse at once, or else…”

“Or else? Or else what do you dare do?” A kindly voice resonated across the square. Godfather Ferdinand emerged from the Cathedral. “Brave warriors, these angry people are expressing their reasonable requests, and God will not fault them, for God has granted them this reasonable and legitimate right!”

Ferdinand’s words immediately earned him glances of goodwill and gratitude from the commoners. He smiled and bestowed blessings as he walked toward the Palace of Versailles. “Indeed, the Holy Church will not interfere with Lanning’s internal affairs. However, brave warriors, please wait a moment. I, Ferdinand, shall, in the name of God, request His Majesty Bargnar to make this trial public…”

“Praise the Holy Church! Praise the Pontiff, praise Godfather Ferdinand!” The commoners, under the rule of divine authority, were instantly filled with hope. *God’s representative, Godfather Ferdinand, says we’ve done nothing wrong, so we will surely continue!*

…

Inside the tribunal hall, Du Chen was furious. *Damn it, you can frame me for anything else, but not with the crime of rape and murder! I… I wish I could… but would I dare?*

Du Chen’s angry gaze filled Wedno with triumph, and he continued, “I am the Minister of Imperial Rites, and I will certainly act according to the law! Francis, I have ample evidence to prove your crimes!”

Wedno sneered inwardly, *When it comes to fabricating false cases, who can surpass me, the Empire’s Chief Justice?! Francis, you’re finished. Are there many commoners outside? Ha, they even demand a public trial, excellent, absolutely excellent! I will utterly ruin your reputation before everyone and pronounce your death sentence on the spot!*

*Hmph, commoners… synonymous with ignorant gullibility. They are too easily deceived. My experience in handling such situations is more than sufficient!*

*Francis, just wait and see. Before long, these commoners who now view you as an embodiment of virtue will completely change their tune and loudly condemn your hypocrisy and evil!*

Just then, two Versailles Guards entered the tribunal hall. “By Imperial Edict, Lord Wedno, His Majesty demands you explain everything that is currently happening. Furthermore, His Majesty has granted Godfather Ferdinand’s request and orders you to conduct Francis’s public trial beneath the statue of Ancestor Bovin! His Majesty and the Godfather will preside over the hearing!”

Facing the Royal Guards delivering the edict, Wedno and all the dignitaries present stood up. After hearing the contents of the edict, Wedno smiled, “Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will provide you with a satisfactory answer!”

The Versailles Royal Guards, one of Lanning’s Three Great Legions, quickly cordoned off Saint Bovin Square. Moreover, the Third Prince, who had been training troops outside the city, was urgently recalled to the Imperial Capital, ordered to lead his Imperial Retinue to seal off the entire central Imperial District of Saint John City.

When the Imperial Capital’s high-ranking officials, who had rushed over upon receiving the news, saw the scene before them, those with keen political acumen among them all felt a tremor in their hearts. The political turmoil in Lanning, it seemed, would reach a resolution today!

Wedno presided over the trial at the entrance of the Palace of Versailles. His Majesty Bargnar and Godfather Ferdinand sat high on the palace’s gate tower, observing. The commoners gathered near the newly erected tribunal stand in Saint Bovin Square, separated from it by a cordon formed by the Royal Guards.

Bowing deeply to His Majesty on the gate tower, Wedno once again loudly declared Du Chen’s “crimes,” then announced in a clear voice, “Your Majesty, now I shall prove to you, and to all the subjects of Lanning, that Francis is guilty! I have ample evidence to demonstrate that in the early hours of September 13th, Francis clashed with a noble and cruelly murdered him! Of course, I cannot deny that the character of that noble was as despicable as Francis’s, but that absolutely does not constitute a reason for Francis to murder him…”

Bargnar scratched his head, an utterly un-emperor-like gesture, but he couldn’t help himself!

*Indeed, in the early hours of September 13th, a noble nearly clashed with Francis, but was his character despicable? Damn it, Wedno, you bastard, I’ll kill you later! That night, Francis was with your Emperor, me, Bargnar, at a secret royal banquet! Drinking together?*