Capítulo 93: Chapter 93: The Public Trial
Chapter 93: The Public Trial
In the courtroom, the young lawyer representing the victims' families smiled as he listened to the judge twist the truth, but he remained silent.
Soon, amidst the heart-wrenching cries of the victims' parents, Vézinier raised his gavel and declared, "This court finds Lunache not guilty of the charges of rape and murder. He is acquitted."
Just as the gavel was about to fall, the young lawyer suddenly stood up and shouted, "This is an illegal verdict! You are trampling on the law!"
Vézinier shook his head, having seen many young men who shouted like this before. He smirked contemptuously and waved to the bailiff, saying, "Remove this man from the court! And remind me, what is his name? He will be charged with contempt of court afterward."
The lawyer did not back down. "My name is Danton! Georges Jacques Danton. Go ahead and charge me!" He then raised several sheets of paper above his head. "But first, Judge, you must explain these letters!"
"Letters? What letters?" Vézinier looked at the papers, finding them somewhat familiar. His expression suddenly changed—those seemed to be the letters he had written to Varel! How had they ended up in this lawyer's hands?!
Of course, these letters had been provided to the lawyer by the Intelligence Bureau.
Not long ago, Joseph had overheard Fouché mentioning that the victims in the "Lunache case" were represented by a lawyer named Danton. Joseph immediately had the lawyers registered with the High Court investigated and discovered there was only one named "Jacques Danton."
In other words, this young lawyer was the future leader of the Jacobins.
In history, Danton was known for his hatred of injustice and his exceptional oratory skills, capable of inciting thousands to riot.
So Joseph decided on the spot to have Danton handle the final blow against Vézinier. Faced with such an outrageously unjust case, Danton would surely stir up significant trouble.
At the trial, Danton jumped onto a chair in the audience section and loudly read out the incriminating parts of Vézinier's letters: "My dear old friend, I met your servant. But I must confirm, do you really want me to intervene in Lunache's case?
"As for the money, it will all be used for bribes. You know, just getting the evidence room to cooperate costs 10,000 livres, as destroying evidence is a serious crime...
"I don't know how they plan to deal with that witness, but I swear to you, as long as that damned carpenter keeps quiet, I can acquit your nephew...
"Poor Lunache must be suffering in that moldy, cold prison. Oh, originally he was to stay there until he died, or even face the gallows. But don't worry, I'll have him out after the next hearing..."
"Bailiff! Stop him!" Vézinier pointed at Danton, screaming hysterically, "He's lying!"
The court's bailiffs hadn't yet reacted when Vézinier, unable to wait, climbed over the chairs, jumping from behind the judge's bench and lunged at Danton, his eyes red with rage.
But Danton nimbly dodged between the court's tables and chairs, continuing to read the letter as he went.
By the time he had finished reading the most crucial parts, he had already reached the courthouse door. He pushed past the bailiffs standing there and burst outside.
Outside the High Court, a crowd of over a thousand citizens had already gathered, much larger than the usual protesters. They had just been summoned by Marat, Desmoulins, and others to support the trial.
Danton ran to the courthouse's iron gates and shouted, "That shameless and despicable man inside just humiliated the law in front of everyone! He acquitted that murderer!"
The crowd erupted in furious shouts: "Hang the murderer!"
"Hang the corrupt judge along with him!"
"Hanging! He must be sentenced to hanging!"
Danton gestured for silence, holding up the letters. "I have evidence of that judge's corruption. I will make sure he faces justice!"
A few bailiffs tried to stop Danton, but under the threat of the thousand-strong crowd, they were too scared to move forward.
In fact, just a few steps away, there were over thirty police officers standing by. If the bailiffs had made a move, the police would have rushed in to rescue Danton.
Danton continued to shout, "To prevent them from destroying the evidence, I suggest we hold a public trial right here!"
The crowd erupted in cheers:
"Public trial!"
"Hold the trial here, where we can see it!"
"Bring out the judge who let the murderer go!"
And so, the angry crowd roared for an entire day, their numbers growing.
By dusk, Chief Minister Brienne appeared and publicly promised that a royal court would take over and hold a public trial of Vézinier on the square in front of the High Court. Only then did the crowd gradually disperse.
At eleven o'clock that night, after repeatedly confirming that there were no more protesters outside the courthouse, Vézinier, disguised as a coachman, slipped out through the back door.
However, he didn't know that the Intelligence Bureau agents had been watching him from the shadows the entire time.
Vézinier's carriage had only traveled two streets when someone shouted, "The judge who conspired with the murderer is here!"
"Everyone come quickly, Vézinier is here!"
Torches quickly lit up all around as Marat led over a hundred people to swarm the carriage, dragging Vézinier out and beating him mercilessly.
In a nearby corner, dozens of police officers, sensing it was time to intervene, blew their whistles and moved in to separate the crowd—they couldn't let the target be beaten to death, after all, as they needed him for the trial.
By the time the police arrived, Vézinier had already been beaten beyond recognition, lying in a pool of blood, convulsing.
Two days later, judges from the royal court held a public trial of Vézinier in front of the High Court.
The royal court was once a powerful institution under the king's control during the era before Louis XIV. Over time, its power had gradually been transferred to the High Court, and it had become more of a ceremonial body.
The judges never dreamed they would one day preside over a real trial again.
But under the watchful eyes of thousands of angry citizens, no one dared question their authority to conduct the trial.
Vézinier, with one leg broken and his body wrapped in bandages, lay on a stretcher, occasionally moaning in pain.
Danton presented the letters to the judges, claiming there were more at Vézinier's house.
The judges immediately ordered a search of Vézinier's home, where they quickly found the "letters from Varel" in his study.
The correspondence from both sides confirmed the bribery and exoneration of Lunache, solidifying the case against Vézinier.
Lying on the stretcher, Vézinier couldn't understand how these letters, which he had clearly burned, had reappeared in his home.
In fact, the "letters from Varel" had been written in duplicate. Vézinier was made to burn one set, while his maid quietly placed the other set in his study.
Next, the Monteret family was called to testify. Under the weight of the evidence and the intense glares of the crowd, the couple quickly admitted to bribing the judge.
The royal court then publicly pronounced Vézinier guilty of bribery, obstruction of justice, and destruction of evidence, sentencing him to fifty years in prison. Additionally, due to Vézinier's corrupt conduct, the court ordered that all cases he had previously handled be reopened for review.
The thousands of onlookers erupted in thunderous cheers, though Danton, Marat, and others were less than satisfied. The only verdict they wanted to hear was a death sentence by hanging.
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