The Crown Prince of France - Chapter 96

Chapter 96: Finding You a Father

After the ruling by the judges of the Royal Court of Justice was announced, a court official stepped forward and presented to the public a decree issued by His Majesty the King—declaring that the Royal Court of Justice would be responsible for judging all cases related to Vezinier.

The crowd immediately erupted in cheers: "Judicial authority! The Royal Court of Justice has judicial authority now!"

"Long live His Majesty the King!"

"Long live France!"

"God bless the people of France!"

"Severely punish the shameless judges!"

The judges of the High Court were watching this scene from the building behind them. In the past, such a decree encroaching upon judicial authority would have been met with their objections, but in this moment, they could only hold their noses and accept it.

The crowd outside was in an uproar. Anyone who dared to oppose the Royal Court of Justice's ruling would be torn apart by the mob in an instant.

Although there were over a hundred policemen stationed nearby, the judges knew full well that, even if they were torn to pieces, the police would pay no attention.

The Royal Court of Justice was operating with impressive efficiency. In just one day, it had overturned six of Vezinier's old cases. The victims cried out in gratitude, shouting "Thank God" and "Long live the King," with many so overcome with emotion that they fainted on the spot.

As for Vezinier's crimes, no one cared about them anymore—after all, there were already countless charges against him.

The next day, the Royal Court of Justice had finished reviewing all eleven of Vezinier's cases.

There had originally been plans to review more cases, but some were of a lighter nature or the files had been lost. The judges of the Royal Court of Justice strictly adhered to the Crown Prince's directive to close cases as quickly as possible, and therefore, these were temporarily overlooked.

Eleven major cases were enough to issue heavy sentences.

One of these cases stood out in particular: Vezinier was accused of being involved in the murder of a prison witness, and the entire murder charge was placed squarely on his shoulders.

The defendant's lawyer had never once objected to the charges.

At 4 PM that afternoon, the oldest judge took the verdict in hand, first reading out a long list of Vezinier's various crimes before proclaiming loudly, "Sentence—beheading!"

The citizens watching the proceedings exploded with emotion! Cheers and applause echoed for over ten minutes without stopping. Many people began running through the streets of Paris, spreading the good news as quickly as they could.

Marat, sitting on the windowsill of a shop in the distance, pushed himself up, leaped down, and slapped his pants, snorting, "Beheading? Hmph! That kind of person deserves hanging!"

At this time, the guillotine, as a method of execution with less suffering, was reserved only for nobles. Commoners could only be sentenced to hanging.

At the Paris Business News office, Denico received the news of Vezinier's beheading sentence and immediately took out the pre-prepared manuscript, as instructed by Joseph, and began to direct workers to start printing.

The headline of the Paris Business News was "The High Court Has Too Much Power—Who Should Oversee It?"

The News and Pictures Report had the headline "The High Court's Interference in Political Affairs is a Major Threat!"

Meanwhile, Marat, Demoulin, and others were quickly writing their articles, discussing the details of Vezinier's case, debating why the High Court had become completely corrupt, and outlining the positive role of the Royal Court of Justice.

These articles were then sent to various newspapers—since the High Court had become a chaotic mess, the news censorship agencies it oversaw were now paralyzed, and the newspapers were essentially unregulated, with any news allowed to be published.

Thus, under the intense bombardment of public opinion, nearly everyone in Paris was discussing the affairs of the High Court.

The crowd of protesters outside the court had significantly dwindled, but still, nearly a hundred people remained, demanding a thorough investigation of the other judges besides Vezinier.

Soon, discussions about the High Court and the Vezinier case reached even the Palace of Versailles.

Once Joseph felt that the public opinion was sufficiently heated, he, along with Brienne, went to find Queen Marie, intending to hammer the final nail into the High Court’s coffin.

In the tea room, the Queen first praised Brienne: "Archbishop Brienne, your exceptional and fruitful work has brought hope to the nation’s finances. I must express my gratitude for the effort you’ve put into the tax bill."

She had met with Brienne three times recently, each time showering him with praise. It was because she had been so frustrated by the tax bill matters.

Brienne quickly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, it is an honor to contribute what I can to the great France. In truth, this bill’s passage is largely due to the Crown Prince’s efforts."

Queen Marie smiled and nodded, assuming he was merely flattering the Crown Prince.

She believed her son had surely played a large role in the matter, but after all, he was still just a young man. The real planning and scheming had to have been done by Brienne, the old statesman.

Joseph gave Brienne a knowing look, and Brienne immediately handed over the bill: "Your Majesty, this is the new bill drafted by the Crown Prince and myself. Please take a look."

Queen Marie took the document and opened it, curious. "What is this about?"

Brienne quickly replied, "Recently, the public has been very supportive of the Royal Court of Justice’s role in handling the Vezinier case. I believe the Royal Court could serve as an excellent supervisory body for the High Court, to prevent similar cases from happening again."

The Queen flipped through the pages of the bill and saw that the main content involved granting the Royal Court of Justice the power to oversee the High Court. This included the authority to search, review, prosecute, and judge cases related to the High Court.

The bill also suggested renaming the Royal Court of Justice to the Supreme Royal Court, to indicate its position as the superior body to the High Court.

Furthermore, the bill proposed that, due to the High Court’s excessive interference in administrative matters, its control over the news censorship agencies would be revoked, allowing the Court to focus on judicial matters.

Queen Marie’s lips curved into a smile—since the High Court had oppressed her for so long, giving it an overseeing superior department was simply perfect!

However, she immediately became worried: "Archbishop Brienne, this bill still needs to be submitted to the High Court for registration. How could they possibly agree to such an arrangement?"

Joseph smiled slightly and said, "All you need to do is sign the bill, and I guarantee the High Court will approve it."

The Queen looked at her son in surprise, then at Brienne, seeing both of them full of confidence. She picked up her pen and signed her name, then instructed the clerk to take it to Louis XVI for signing and stamping.

...

At the Paris High Court.

In the third-floor conference room, five senior officials stared at the bill before them, most with dark expressions.

This bill was like a noose around the High Court’s neck. The rope was now held in the hands of the Royal Court of Justice, or rather, the now-renamed Supreme Royal Court. One tug from them, and the High Court would be strangled!

The chief justice with the hooked nose, Lieu, slammed his hand on the table and gritted his teeth: "This bill must not be registered!"

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