Capítulo 95: Chapter 95: Finding You a New Dad
Chapter 95: Finding You a New Dad
After the judges of the Royal Court delivered their verdict, a royal court official stepped forward and displayed the decree signed by His Majesty the King—granting the Royal Court the authority to preside over all cases related to Vézinier.
The crowd erupted in cheers once again:
"Judgment power! The Royal Court has judgment power now!"
"Long live His Majesty the King!"
"Long live France!"
"God bless the people of France!"
"Punish the shameless judge!"
The judges of the High Court watched all this unfold from the building behind. In the past, they would have definitely opposed any decree encroaching on their judgment powers, but at this moment, they could only grit their teeth and accept it.
The crowd outside was too emotional. Anyone who dared to oppose the Royal Court's new authority would have been torn apart by the mob.
Even though there were hundreds of police officers around, the judges knew that if they were attacked, the police wouldn't step in to help.
The Royal Court worked efficiently. In just one day, they had overturned six cases that Vézinier had previously judged. The victims were crying out in gratitude, shouting "Thank God" and "Long live the King," with some even fainting from their emotions.
By now, no one cared about how many charges had been piled onto Vézinier. There were already too many to count.
The next day, the Royal Court finished retrials on all eleven cases related to Vézinier.
Initially, more cases were slated for retrial, but some were relatively minor, and others had missing documents. The judges of the Royal Court strictly followed the Prince's directive to resolve cases quickly and decided to set those aside for now.
The eleven major cases were more than enough to impose severe punishments.
One case, in particular, involved Vézinier being implicated in a conspiracy with the defendant to kill a witness in prison. This murder charge was entirely pinned on Vézinier.
His lawyer never voiced any objections throughout the trial.
At 4 p.m. that day, the oldest judge picked up the verdict, first reading a long list of Vézinier's various crimes, and then loudly declared: "Sentenced to—beheading!"
The emotions of the onlooking citizens erupted like a volcano! The cheers and applause continued for more than ten minutes. Some people began running through the streets of Paris, spreading the good news as quickly as possible.
Marat, who had been sitting on a shop windowsill some distance away, jumped down, dusted off his pants, and sneered, "Beheading? Hmph! That scum only deserves the noose!"
At this time, the guillotine was considered a less painful method of execution, reserved for the nobility, while those of lower status were typically sentenced to hanging.
At the office of Le Journal de Paris, Denico, upon hearing the news that Vézinier had been sentenced to beheading, immediately followed Joseph's prior instructions. He took out the pre-prepared article and began organizing the workers to start printing.
Le Journal de Paris had a headline that read: "The High Court Has Too Much Power: Who Should Supervise It?"
Meanwhile, News and Images had its front-page title as: "The High Court's Involvement in Government Affairs: A Huge Danger!"
At the same time, Marat, Desmoulins, and others were quickly writing news articles, detailing Vézinier's case, discussing why the High Court had become so corrupt, and praising the positive role of the Royal Court in the trial.
These articles were then sent to various newspapers—now that the High Court was in chaos, its news review office had ground to a halt, leaving the newspapers almost entirely unsupervised, allowing any story to be published.
Thus, with the media blitz in full swing, almost everyone in Paris was talking about the High Court.
While the number of protesters at the courthouse had significantly decreased, nearly a hundred people were still gathered there, demanding a thorough investigation of the other judges, not just Vézinier.
Soon, even Versailles Palace was abuzz with discussions about the High Court and the Vézinier case.
Once Joseph felt the public discourse had reached its peak, he and Brienne went to see Queen Marie Antoinette to drive the final nail into the High Court's coffin.
In the tea room, the Queen first praised Brienne: "Archbishop Brienne, your outstanding and effective work has brought hope to the country's finances. I must thank you for all your efforts in getting the tax bill passed."
This was the third time she had met Brienne recently, and each time she found new ways to compliment him. She had been so frustrated by the tax bill issues that she was eager to show her appreciation.
Brienne quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am honored to be able to do my part for the great nation of France. In fact, much of the credit for the bill's success belongs to the Prince."
Queen Marie Antoinette smiled and nodded, assuming he was just flattering the Prince.
She believed her son had indeed played a significant role in the matter, but given that he was still just a boy, she thought the real mastermind behind the planning and strategy had to be Brienne, the experienced minister.
Joseph signaled to Brienne, who quickly handed over the new bill to the Queen. "Your Majesty, this is the new bill that the Prince and I have drafted. Please review it."
The Queen took the few pages of the document, opened them, and curiously asked, "What is this about?"
Brienne promptly replied, "Recently, the public has highly praised the role the Royal Court played in the Vézinier case. I believe that the Royal Court could serve as a great supervisory body over the High Court, preventing similar cases from happening again."
Queen Marie Antoinette flipped through the bill, noting that its main content granted the Royal Court the authority to supervise the High Court, including powers to investigate, review, prosecute, and pass judgments.
The bill also proposed renaming the Royal Court to the Supreme Royal Court to signify that it was the superior authority over the High Court.
Additionally, the bill mentioned that because the High Court had been overly involved in administrative matters, it would lose control over the press review office, allowing the court to focus solely on judicial affairs.
The Queen couldn't help but smile as she read—after being "bullied" by the High Court for so long, giving it a superior body was the best solution!
However, she immediately became concerned. "Archbishop Brienne, this bill also needs to be registered with the High Court. How could they possibly agree to such an arrangement?"
Joseph smiled slightly and said, "You just need to sign the bill, and I guarantee the High Court will pass it."
The Queen looked at her son in surprise and then at Brienne, seeing that both were full of confidence. She then signed her name and instructed the secretary to have it sent to Louis XVI for his signature and seal.
...
Paris High Court.
In the meeting room on the third floor, the five senior members of the court glared at the bill in front of them, most with grim expressions.
This bill was like a noose around the High Court's neck. The Royal Court—oh, now called the Supreme Royal Court—held the other end of the rope. With just one pull, the High Court would be suffocated!
Judge Luio, with his hooked nose, slammed the table in frustration and gritted his teeth, saying, "This bill must not be registered!"
(End of Chapter)
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