Finding You a Father
After the judges of the Plenary Court delivered their verdict, a Court Official came forward and showed everyone the Edict issued by His Majesty the King —that the Plenary Court would be responsible for trying all cases involving Weijinie.
A burst of cheers immediately erupted from the crowd.
"Judicial power! The Plenary Court now has judicial power!"
Long live His Majesty the King!
Long live France!
"God bless the people of France!"
"Severely punish this shameless judge!"
The judges of the High Court witnessed all of this from the building behind. In the past, such Edict that interfered with judicial power would certainly have been met with their objections, but at this moment, they could only grit their teeth and accept it.
The crowd outside was in a state of high agitation; anyone who dared to object to the Plenary Court's power of judgment would be torn to pieces by the mob.
Despite being surrounded by hundreds of Police, the judges knew that even if they were torn to pieces, the Police wouldn't care.
The Plenary Court was extremely efficient; in just one day, it overturned six old cases previously tried by Weijinie. The victims cried out, shouting "Thank God!" and "Long live the King!" Many were so moved that they fainted on the spot.
No one cares about the crimes Weijinie has committed; they're already countless.
The following day, the Plenary Court retried all eleven cases involving Weijinie.
In fact, there were more cases that needed to be retried, but some cases were minor or the case files had been lost. The judges of the Plenary Court strictly adhered to His Crown Prince's request to close the cases as soon as possible, so they temporarily ignored these cases.
Eleven major cases are enough to warrant severe sentences.
In one particular case, Weijinie was accused of conspiring with the defendant to kill a witness in prison, and the entire murder charge was pinned on Weijinie.
The latter's Lawyer did not raise any objections from beginning to end.
At 4 p. m. that day, the oldest judge picked up the verdict, read a long list of Weijinie's various crimes, and then loudly proclaimed, "Sentenced to Decapitation!"
The emotions of the onlookers erupted like a volcano! Cheers and shouts of approval continued for more than ten minutes without stopping. Many people spontaneously began to run through the Paris Street, spreading the good news as soon as possible.
Marat, who was sitting on the windowsill of a shop in the distance, braced himself with his right hand and leaped down, patting his trousers and sneering, "Decapitation? Humph! That kind of guy only deserves hanging!"
At present, the Guillotine, as a relatively painless method of death, is only "enjoyed" by Nobility; those of lower status can only be sentenced to hanging.
Upon receiving news of Weijinie's Decapitation, Denico, at the Paris Business Daily Newspaper Office, immediately followed Joseph's prior instructions, took out the prepared manuscript, and began instructing the workers to print it.
The front-page headline of Paris Business Daily was "The High Court has too much power; who should oversee it?"
The front page of * News and Pictures, "High Court's interference in government affairs is extremely harmful!"
Meanwhile, Marat, Desmoulins, and others were also working at top speed to draft press releases, including details of the Weijinie case, discussions on why the High Court had become so corrupt, and the positive role of the Royal Plenipotentiary Court.
These articles were then sent to various Newspaper Office — the High Court is now in such a state of chaos that its subordinate News Censorship agencies have come to a standstill, leaving newspapers virtually unregulated and allowing any kind of news to be published.
Thus, under the overwhelming bombardment of public opinion, almost everyone in Paris was talking about the High Court.
The number of protesters outside the courthouse has decreased significantly, but nearly a hundred people are still gathered there, demanding a thorough investigation of the judges other than Weijinie.
Soon, even at the Versailles Palace, discussions about the High Court and the Weijinie case were in full swing.
After Joseph had waited for the public opinion to ferment sufficiently, he and Brienne went to Queen Mary to prepare to drive the final nail into the coffin of the High Court.
In the Tea Room, the Queen first praised Brienne: "Archbishop Brienne, your outstanding and fruitful work has brought hope to the State Finances. I must express my gratitude for your efforts in drafting the Tax Law."
She had seen Brienne three times recently, and each time she praised him in different ways. It was because she had been holding back so much frustration over the bill.
Brienne bowed and said, "It is an honor for me to do what I can for the great France. In fact, the passage of this bill Dadu due to His Highness the Crown Prince."
Queen Mary smiled and nodded, taking it as him flattering the Crown Prince.
She believed her son must have played a significant role in this matter, but he was still just a teenager, so the real mastermind behind it all must have been the veteran minister, Brienne.
Joseph gave Brienne a wink, and the latter quickly handed the bill to the Queen: "Your Majesty, this is a new bill drafted by me and His Crown Prince. Please take a look."
Queen Mary took the few pages of documents, opened them, and asked curiously, "What are they about?"
Brienne quickly replied, "Recently, public opinion has highly praised the role played by the Royal Plenipotentiary Court in the Weijinie case. I believe that the Plenary Court can effectively supervise the High Court to prevent similar cases from recurring."
Queen Mary examined the bill in her hand and saw that its main content was to grant the Supreme Plenary Court powers to supervise the High Court, specifically including the ability to conduct searches, audits, prosecutions, and judgments on the High Court.
It was also suggested that the Royal Plenipotentiary Court be renamed the Royal Supreme Court to indicate that it is the superior body of the High Court.
In addition, the bill also states that, due to the High Court's excessive interference in administrative affairs, its control over News Censorship agencies will be eliminated so that the court can focus on Judiciary matters.
Queen Mary couldn't help but smile – the High Court had "bullied" her for so long, it would be perfect to have a superior body assigned to it!
However, she immediately expressed her concern. "Archbishop Brienne, your bill also needs to be submitted to the High Court for Registration. How could they possibly agree to such an arrangement?"
Joseph smiled slightly and said, "As long as you sign the bill, I guarantee the High Court will pass it."
The Queen looked at her son in surprise, then at Brienne, and seeing that both of them looked very confident, she immediately picked up a pen and signed her name, and then asked the scribe to take it to Louis XVI for signature and seal.
The Paris High Court.
In the Meeting Room on the third floor, five senior members of parliament stared at the bills in front of them, most of them with gloomy faces.
This bill is tantamount to putting a noose around the neck of the High Court. The end of the noose is held by the Royal Plenipotentiary Court —oh, now called the Royal Supreme Court. With a single pull, the High Court can suffocate!
Grand Justice Luau, with his Hook-Nosed Judge, slammed his fist on the table and gritted his teeth, saying, "This kind of bill must never be Registration!"
(End of this chapter)
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