APTnovel Chapter 53 A Just Trial
Chapter 53 A Just Trial
Weasley and the little girl were escorted by soldiers onto a carriage, which then began to move forward. Weasley had no idea what his and the little girl's ultimate fate would be, just as the carriage was traveling on the road and he had no idea where it was going.
"Sir, everything has been taken care of," Hayes reported.
Wailing and indistinct curses echoed from the Weasley Clinic behind him, and blood overflowed from the doorway. Jiang Shuzhou shook the blood off his knife, nodded in understanding upon hearing this, and then asked.
"Where's Weasley? Detain him for now. Give him the mission report after you finish writing it, and I'll review it before submitting it."
"Yes, sir."
Hayes readily agreed.
Jiang Shuzhou quickly received the first draft of the mission report, casually made some minor corrections to make some awkward phrasing, and then began to drastically revise and delete parts of the report.
It's time to showcase the art of language.
What does "taking in twenty-eight believers" mean? It should be changed to "being forced to take in more than twenty believers"!
What does "knowingly" mean? Change it to "vaguely knowing".
There were many similar maneuvers. Jiang Shuzhou fully demonstrated his literary skills as a Chinese person, displaying linguistic artistry with ease and employing subtle and euphemistic writing techniques that were truly remarkable.
A mission report, originally accusing Dr. Weasley of practicing medicine illegally and protecting believers, was changed by Jiang Shuzhou to portray it as him voluntarily saving people for free out of compassion, and the protection of believers as being forced to take them in. During this time, he repeatedly tried to report to the relevant authorities, but was instead placed under house arrest in the clinic by the believers.
Even the scene where he was attacked by the old man at the end was included in Jiang Shuzhou's writing to corroborate the previous content.
After making the revisions, Jiang Shuzhou handed the report to Hayes.
"Can you see anything that doesn't match the facts?"
Hayes took a look and couldn't help but gasp a few times.
This ability to distort the truth is too strong. The key is that there is not a single part that is inconsistent with the facts. They just changed the wording and completely overturned the original characterization of the whole incident.
"My lord, I have no objection."
During this mission, Hayes witnessed firsthand the cruelty and cunning of his superior. Now, he has no intention of disobeying him at all. If he were to offend this person, the superior could easily pin a few charges on him when writing the report, and he would have nowhere to turn to cry.
Hayes signed the report quickly and respectfully handed it back.
"That's right, you can rest assured, you'll receive your due reward."
Seeing that Hayes was frightened by his methods, Jiang Shuzhou casually reassured him, saying that a combination of kindness and severity was the best approach. Besides, Jiang Shuzhou hadn't paid anything; the money came from the finance department, and he hadn't overstated anything.
"My lord, I am deeply grateful."
Although Jiang Shuzhou doesn't need to pay for the reward, don't forget who calls the shots in the Mage Alliance. If Jiang Shuzhou doesn't put in a good word for him, half of the money will probably end up in someone else's pocket.
Of course, even if you've made arrangements, it's not guaranteed. It's an unspoken rule that if you build a good relationship with your mage leader, he'll naturally put in a good word for you.
If the relationship isn't good...
Sitting in the carriage on the way to the arbitration bureau, Jiang Shuzhou began to think about what to do next.
Jiang Shuzhou still felt a bit of a headache, mainly because of the little girl.
As is well known, although the Velisco policy is special, allowing even believers in the gods to live in refugee camps, believers of the god of protection are not included in this under the unspoken rules.
However, there was still room for maneuver. Jiang Shuzhou remembered that the Mage Alliance was more lenient towards underage believers, since children's values were not yet formed, just like that little girl who still had a conscience.
With a little effort, we might be able to dump them all into refugee camps.
Soon after Jiang Shuzhou submitted his mission report, the trial was about to begin.
Once again, Jiang Shuzhou sat in the judge's seat, accompanied by his two old partners, Master Jiawei and Master Ji'an.
The two parties seated below are the plaintiff Hayes and his lawyer, and the defendant Weasley and the little girl and their lawyer.
Because this case involved believers, the trial was directly handled by the sorcerers. Due to a shortage of manpower, Jiang Shuzhou, who should have been sitting in the plaintiff's seat as the public prosecutor's representative, took the judge's position.
As for the plaintiff's seat?
Then we'll have to trouble Captain Hayes; he'll apply for a subsidy for Hayes.
This hearing was different from the last one. Both lawyers had been instructed in advance, so even when the hearing officially began, both lawyers remained silent.
This trial had nothing to do with them; it was merely an internal discussion among the three sorcerers, or rather, they dared not participate. It involved believers, a topic that neither the plaintiff nor the defendant's lawyers could touch.
Court review initiated!
"The documents say you once considered reporting this to the authorities. Is that true?"
Master Javier launched the first attack! He started by detecting lies and directly questioned the defendant.
"I...do have that thought."
What? It's the truth!
Mage Javi's aggressiveness has decreased!
"Is it true that you helped these believers out of compassion, as the material states?"
Magus Jian launches an attack! The same tactic, Lie Detection has really been weakened; mages nowadays can't even speak without it.
"Yes, I couldn't bear to do it, so I saved them."
It's actually true!
The fact that an ordinary person could possess such a high level of morality greatly shocked Master Ji'an's worldview, no less so than when he witnessed marital rape.
"You didn't take a single penny from these people?!"
Unconvinced, Ji'an asked again.
"Yes, sir, they have no money to give me either."
It's the truth again!
Master Jian fell silent, deeply moved. He had never expected that there would be such a morally upright person within his Mage Alliance; this had a profound impact on him.
Have you ever been morally coerced by some believers into taking you in?
Jiang Shuzhou was about to unleash his power, employing the classic lie-detection tactic once again. However, this was all for show. Following Jiang Shuzhou's questioning style, even if asked a hundred times, the answer would still be one of coercion.
"My lord, I..."
Clearly, Dr. Weasley's will to live wasn't very strong, as he actually intended to make things clear.
"Answer me! Look me in the eyes! Don't spout nonsense!"
Jiang Shuzhou's decision was irreversible, even by Weasley himself. Seeing that Weasley had already made his move, he prepared to put some pressure on this highly moral man.
"Yes...yes."
It worked!
The two mages were even more shocked. Their detection lie hadn't expired yet; it turned out to be true.
Incredibly, Javier and Gian questioned Weasley again about some details, such as whether the old man really intended to attack him and whether the little girl's intervention was true.
After receiving an affirmative answer, the two monks were visibly moved, clearly showing that they had felt compassion.
At this point, saving Weasley shouldn't be a problem, but saving the little girl might be more difficult.
After all, she was the most conscientious of all the believers, and the only one who stood up; her faith had not completely corrupted her pure heart.
Although Jiang Shuzhou thought this way, the other two mages did not. After all, they were believers of the God of Protection. Just as gods instill hatred in their believers, the Mage Alliance also hated the gods, especially the God of Protection and the Goddess of the Magic Network.
It's time to show off our skills!
It's time to share my insights and persuade the two monks.
"Gentlemen! Listen carefully to what I have to say!"
Why do we abhor gods? Why do we abhor believers? Is it merely instinct? No! It stems from our disgust for the enslavement of the human mind by gods! It arises from our yearning for freedom! It arises from our thirst for truth!
"Now, look at this young mortal, what do you see?"
Everyone present turned their attention to the silent little girl in Weasley's arms, who hadn't uttered a single word since she was pushed out.
At that moment, she seemed to sense gazes fixed on her from all directions, some with malice, some with pity, and some with indifference. This feeling made her body tremble.
Noticing the trembling of the person in his arms, Dr. Weasley gently stroked the little girl's back to comfort her.
"What you see may be a soul corrupted by the gods, but I see a noble and indomitable soul struggling in the mire!"
"Think about it! Why are those believers unwilling to exchange their lives for the life of their savior? Because their souls have been corrupted! They have chosen to fall, abandoning their human morality and willingly becoming slaves to the gods!"
"Only she, this young child, is still struggling. Are we, as monks, to watch a child sink deeper into the mire without trying to save her?"
"Moreover, she proved to us with her courage that she is not without humanity! It is not the fault of a virtuous person to be born in a country of petty people."
"Being born into enslavement is not her fault; her courage to resist is her struggle. Erasing a life is easy, but saving one is difficult. But isn't that what it means to be a mage? Facing difficulties head-on, overcoming numerous obstacles, only then can one finally glimpse the truth!"
As soon as he finished speaking, applause broke out, first from the two mages beside him, then from Hayes, and then from everyone else.
"That's absolutely right!"
This is Master Javi.
"As expected of Master Navis, his words are profound."
This is Master Ji'an.
"loyalty!"
This is Hayes.
I feel incredibly strong now; I could easily go to a beer hall.
With this combination of attacks, who can withstand it?
And that was exactly what happened; Dr. Weasley was lifted high and then gently lowered.
Weasley was sentenced to 30 years in prison, suspended for 30 years, which meant he would not have to spend a single day in jail. Furthermore, his clinic's license was revoked because his condition was no longer suitable for him to run a clinic.
Considering that Weasley needed money to survive, and at Jiang Shuzhou's urging, the judges decided to place Dr. Weasley in the clinic within the refugee camp.
Because of the aversion to believers, there is a severe shortage of doctors in the refugee camps, and the doctor-patient relationship is even more tense, with patients and doctors often getting into fights for various reasons.
Arranging for Weasley to be put in there was also a form of house arrest. After all, Weasley had taken in so many believers, and being able to serve as a doctor in the refugee camp was putting him to good use. He could do whatever he wanted in there; it was his duty, after all.
The little girl's sentence was not so easy; the three of them discussed it for a long time before making a decision.
This was mainly because Master Jiawei was actually planning to adopt her. Perhaps because Jiang Shuzhou's words were so persuasive, Master Jiawei even intended to act as her guarantor and no longer planned to send her to the refugee camp.
It took a lot of persuasion from Jiang Shuzhou and Ji'an to finally convince Jia Wei to stop. Otherwise, Jiang Shuzhou would have been in serious trouble. Who would have thought that the monk was so easy to fool? He was completely fooled by Jia Wei.
The little girl was sentenced to be sent to a refugee camp. Because she was still young, and to prevent anything bad from happening, Jiang Shuzhou suggested that Dr. Weasley become the little girl's guardian, since they were all living in the refugee camp anyway.
The proposal was approved.
The case was concluded under these circumstances, with neither lawyer saying a word. Jiang Shuzhou won the MVP award with a speech in court, while Wesley and the little girl were simply carried to victory.
The Mage Alliance's court never disappoints, and this time was no exception. Although the mages didn't understand the law, they were all decent people. Although the trial was still not very formal, the outcome was good.
Jiang Shuzhou saved Weasley's life, successfully raising the moral standards of the Mage Alliance and incidentally boosting his own conscience, allowing him to squander his wealth freely from now on.