The Stumbling Block

"What do you want to discuss?" Weijinie turned to Dibore, looking at him with surprise and suspicion. "There's no need for any remonstrance regarding this bill; the only conclusion is that it should not be Registration!"

Dibore gestured towards the dense crowd of protesters outside the window. "Dean, please listen to their voices. Perhaps we should make some changes in this matter."

The judge sitting opposite him, whose face was half-covered in dark circles, rubbed his bloodshot eyes, yawned, and nodded. "I think this matter needs to be resolved... Making some adjustments to the bill's provisions is not out of the question."

He barely slept a wink last night because every few minutes someone would throw stones at his Villa, breaking several Glass and scaring the women and children inside, who cried all night.

On his way to the High Court this morning, the rooftops on both sides of the street were filled with citizens who were cursing and throwing tiles at his Carriage, injuring the driver's hands.

He no longer cares about any laws or regulations; he just hopes these troublemakers will disperse as soon as possible so that his home can have peace.

So once Dibore started, he immediately considered seconding the motion.

The other judge, who was of short stature, also nodded slightly, almost unconsciously.

The judge with the Hook-Nosed Judge beside Weijinie frowned and said, "You want us to listen to those lowly people outside, and then put all the respectable people in a difficult position?"

"If this bill is beneficial, then decent people shouldn't be made to suffer." The judge, whose eyes had been filled with surprise, said this and gave Dibore a look.

The latter closed the bill text in front of him, looked around at everyone, and said, "If no one wants to discuss the bill's provisions, then let's just vote."

Weijinie's gaze swept across the two men's faces, and he said coldly, "Do you know what you're saying? Rejecting this bill is the consensus of all the Nobility; there's no need for a vote!"

"It's not a consensus," Dibore shook his head. "Let's have the senior members of parliament vote."

The so-called "key members of parliament" are the core judges of the High Court's internal deliberative body. There are currently six of them, and they have extensive powers, including the ability to convene meetings and decide on most of the court's affairs.

As he spoke, Dibore raised his hand first. "I believe the Tax Law allows for Registration."

The judge, whose expression was perpetually one of surprise, raised his hand and said, "I agree."

The judge, with dark circles under his eyes, hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised his hand, recalling how the High Court had become almost a symbol of evil and corruption, and how even prostitutes had refused to serve him the day before.

The defection of three key members of parliament instantly shifted the political climate in the Meeting Hall.

The short judge, already exasperated by the protesters, glanced around and was about to raise his hand when Weijinie suddenly stood up and shouted, "I will absolutely not allow this bill to be Registration!"

He pointed at "Dark Circles": "Count Vadier, who supported your becoming Grand Justice? Are you betraying them?!"

He then looked at the shortest judge. "Viscount Aulard Viscount, I must remind you of Duke of Aiguillon's attitude towards the bill!"

As the president of the High Court, Weijinie was quite authoritative, and his few words made Judge Viscount Aulard tremble and hastily withdraw his hand.

Judge Count Vadier struggled, his right hand flailing back and forth several times, unsure of what to do.

Dibore also stood up, protesting, "I protest! Count Weijinie, you are threatening freedom of voting!"

Weijinie finally waited until Count Vadier lowered his raised hand back onto the table, then, ignoring Dibore, waved his hand with a dark expression. "That's enough for today, meeting adjourned."

Royal Palace.

The Duke of Orléans frowned as he looked at the Pamphlets pamphlet in his hand, shaking his head. "Viscount Laclos, this is too little. You need to give me at least 3,000 words to boost sales."

Standing before him, Viscount Laclos said with a pained expression, "Duke Grace, I am truly powerless. I spent the entire night writing this."

He glanced at the man beside him who looked somewhat Italy: "Mr. Brisot hasn't even submitted his manuscript..."

The Duke of Orléans grabbed a thick Pamphlets from the side, his voice trembling with anger. "But their novels here have over 7,000 words! At this rate, who will buy ours?!"

Viscount Laclos and Brisot were also extremely frustrated; they were both considered outstanding contemporary novelists.

The former, in particular, became a sensation in Paris with his book "Dangerous Liaisons," prompting countless France Writers to Riga "dangerous" or "relationships" in their book titles in an attempt to capitalize on his popularity.

He also prepared a wonderful novel for the Duke of Orléans ' Pamphlets.

But his writing speed quickly became unsustainable. At his previous pace, he could only manage 3,000 words of plot per week at most. Now, the Duke of Orléans wanted him to complete that amount in three days, which was simply impossible!

He simply couldn't understand how those guys with pen names like "Silkworm and Potato" and "Octopus in the Water" could easily write over 7,000 words every three days! Didn't they need to come up with any ideas?!

For the first time in recent days, Viscount Laclos began to doubt his own writing talent.

As for Brisot, he's already given up and is preparing to change careers...

The Duke of Orléans knew he had lost control of public opinion, as evidenced by the growing number of protesters gathering outside the High Court.

But he was utterly powerless to retaliate.

Just as he was feeling troubled, the butler knocked on the door and announced, "Sir, Mr. Alexis has arrived and says he has something important to discuss."

The Duke of Orléans was somewhat surprised. Alexis was a confidant of Grand Justice Vezinier; what could possibly be going on with the High Court?

After Alexis finished speaking in the Study, he was immediately shocked—someone had voted to approve the Tax Law for Registration! This was utterly insane!

The High Court, which was originally considered the strongest bulwark against Royal Power, has developed cracks!

He hurriedly instructed his butler to invite the members of the Assembly of Notables ' meeting to the Royal Palace.

Versailles Palace.

Joseph opened the unsigned letter and read it carefully.

The letter was short, briefly describing the High Court's vote on the Tax Law that day. Although it nearly passed, it was ultimately suppressed by Weijinie, who used his power as the court's president.

The letter concluded by saying they would continue to try to find a solution.

Joseph frowned. He hadn't expected that, despite his overwhelming advantage, the Noble Group would shamelessly try to hold off the bill by relying on the position of a dean.

However, the dean election won't be until two years later, and I don't have that much time.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his mind racing. Therefore, the immediate priority was to remove Weijinie, this stumbling block.

Many thanks to Zhan6jiang, Zimu, and reader 20230707210738733 for their generous donations to this book! Tian Hai Shan is deeply grateful!

(End of this chapter)