Chapter 646: Hypothetical Condition

The interrupted Zayen was very displeased. He immediately summoned someone to ask what had happened.

An assistant judge hurried over from the outer castle and told him something had happened in the trial hall. A hereditary baron with an actual fief was dissatisfied with the verdict and was "protesting intensely."

"Emerald Palace is not a place for him to act shamelessly," perhaps because Thales's gaze made Zayen extremely unhappy, the Duke of the South Coast, who was always gentle in front of outsiders, snorted coldly. "All the less the trial hall."

However, the assistant judge told him with difficulty that the baron had cited the "Rodri Ordinance" from the era of the Renaissance King, demanding that a noble of sufficiently high rank be present as a juror, even an arbitrator, to override the previous judgment.

"How bold."

Zayen sneered.

"This is practically contempt of the trial court, and at such a critical time as Queen's Day."

"What happened?" Although this was Jade City's internal matter and inconvenient to comment on, Thales still could not help speaking. "Is it related to what we discussed earlier?"

Zayen glanced at him meaningfully, then gave his order.

"Then do as he asks. Invite an honored noble to be present. It is rare, but it is his right after all."

But the assistant judge looked troubled.

"Lord Zayen, the closest person should have been Honorary Earl Pintor, but he..."

The assistant could not help glancing at Thales with a complicated gaze.

"The earl is still at home recovering from injuries and cannot appear."

Thales felt very uncomfortable under his gaze.

Hm? Earl Pintor?

Why did that name sound so familiar?

Zayen also glanced at Thales and said disdainfully:

"Perhaps he feels he has lost face recently and is unwilling to appear. What about the others?"

"For certain reasons, several lords are unwilling to appear."

"What reasons?" Zayen was clearly dissatisfied, but his expression soon changed.

The assistant did not dare answer.

The Duke of Iris realized something and looked at Thales.

"What? What are you looking at?" Thales touched his face, puzzled.

"The reason," Zayen answered coldly.

Ten-odd minutes later, when Thales walked into Jade City's trial hall inside Emerald Palace for the first time, he discovered that this place was more spacious and more majestic than any hall in Emerald Palace, and more so than any hall of the Covendier family.

An old judge with gray hair, a wrinkled face, and thick glasses sat in a position higher than everyone else in the hall. The plaintiff and defendant seats were on the two sides before him, and the seats farther out were filled with observing guests, most of them neatly dressed people of status. Seeing the duke arrive in person, they could not help discussing among themselves.

Under everyone's eyes, Thales and Zayen, accompanied by attendants, sat in the open box on the second level, slightly higher than the judge.

"Then let us continue," the old judge adjusted his glasses. "Case number 680-10-0881. Defense counsel Mr. Srimanny, representing the farmers of Bountiful Village, suing Baron Eran Trent for unlawful seizure and unreasonable detention."

"That was not seizure!"

At the defendant's seat, a middle-aged noble wearing a luxurious coat and neatly groomed immediately jumped up. He waved his hands, his voice extremely loud.

"Those farmers are all my subjects! That grain was grown on my land! But they are slippery and lazy. Not only did they delay and refuse to pay rent and taxes under various excuses, they also tried to secretly transport away this year's harvest behind my back! They colluded..."

Thud!

The old judge struck down mercilessly with his gavel. The heavy sound echoed inside the trial hall and made all other voices disappear.

"That gavel is made of alloy imported from Hanbul. Their mithril crystal formula is quite clever. The sounds it produces range from low and majestic to lively and bright. It is even said to have an effect of cleansing the mood. Many musical instruments have greatly improved their timbre because of it."

Zayen calmly explained in a low voice, but could not hide the meaning in his eyes: You have never seen this in the countryside, have you?

Thales curled his lip unhappily.

What? Is being rich so impressive?

"Silence."

Although the old judge was advanced in age, his voice was still firm and powerful, inspiring respect.

"Or should I have Emerald Palace's guards help you become silent, Baron Trent?"

Baron Trent was still unconvinced and wanted to say more, but the servant beside him hurriedly persuaded him down.

"Johnny Brennan, the most senior judge in Jade City and even the entire South Coast. He is quite respected," Zayen whispered. "Back then, Jade City went through much effort to hire him from the Duchy of Anlenzo."

"What case is this? Is it related to... the thing we discussed?" Thales silently observed the surroundings.

"You have stumped me." Zayen shook his head.

The old judge turned toward the plaintiff's seat.

"Mr. Srimanny?"

A man with a simple hairstyle, shrewd and capable, rose from his seat. He first bowed toward the two dukes, then faced Judge Brennan.

"Respected Judge Brennan, as I have stated before, my clients, meaning the two hundred and thirty farming households of Bountiful Village under House Trent, do not accept the defendant's explanation. This is unlawful seizure of property and subsequent unlawful detention."

"Villain!"

Baron Trent's roar rang out again.

"You are defending them, Srimanny, only because you are the dedicated defense counsel of the Grain Merchants' Guild! They secretly agreed on a price with the grain merchants in the city to purchase this grain!"

"And you were once a warning officer! Look around. Everyone in this trial court is your former colleague. You are all birds of a feather!"

Thud!

"Baron Trent, once is enough for that reason," Judge Brennan said sternly. "And the current trial court has already responded to your seemingly reasonable protest."

"But..."

"You requested that a noble with identity, prestige, standing, and character acceptable to the public be present as a juror. That request has already been satisfied," Brennan stroked his gray beard, narrowed his eyes, and looked up toward the second level. "Perhaps too satisfied. Since the Bloody Year, the trial hall has not welcomed guests of such noble status in a very long time."

In the next second, the old judge shakily stood up. Along with him, his deputies, assistants, scribes, and finally almost everyone in the trial hall stood.

"Duke Thales, Duke Zayen, on behalf of today's sitting trial court, I welcome you." Brennan bowed toward the two dukes. "Sunset bears witness. May your arrival make justice and law shine ever brighter."

"Judge Brennan," Zayen rose modestly, forcing Thales to stand with him and bow to the old judge. "The Covendier family is part of Jade City. Coming here as a juror is my duty. I only hope you will not mind that I brought a guest. His Highness Thales also wishes to observe Jade City."

"Judge, please understand," Thales smiled. "No matter when or where, as the royal family, the nine-pointed star has the duty to serve the entire kingdom. As a Jadestar, I am all the more bound to it."

When his words fell, the two dukes looked at each other with unfriendly gazes.

The entire trial hall was filled with discussion.

"Very good, you two dukes," Judge Brennan sat down again, his tone normal. "I only hope you keep your political disputes as verbal arguments. Please do not bring them into my trial court."

These words stiffened Thales's and Zayen's expressions, and they sat back down awkwardly.

"He does not seem to give us much face?"

"More than that. He did not even give my father face," Zayen said softly. "It is said that when your grandfather inspected the South Coast, his escort stepped on and damaged a street stall, and Brennan ordered him to pay compensation."

"And then?"

"Your grandfather obediently paid, and later rewarded him after returning."

Thales raised his brows.

The trial court resumed. The defense counsel and the baron argued back and forth fiercely.

"I am exercising the rights a noble lord of the Kingdom of Stars should have!" Baron Trent shouted angrily. "They were farmers working on my land. I give them protection, and they labor for me. This is a sacred relationship and contract!"

Defense counsel Srimanny answered steadily:

"They do indeed work on your family's land. But since Duke Joshi Covendier's Separation Order in year 421, at least in the South Coast, the relationship between most lords and the farmers on their land has become one of tenancy and employment. Yes, they work your fields and pay over a portion of what they obtain. But before that payment is made, the grain produced there is the result of their labor. It belongs to them, not to you."

"But that means the crops in his field, at least part of them, should naturally be paid to me. That is tradition!" The baron grew angrier as he spoke. "That is the rent and tax they should pay! Yet they tried to avoid this by privately making deals with grain merchants. This is vile theft and smuggling!"

The trial hall became noisy. Some supported him, while others objected.

"Silence!"

Judge Brennan had no choice but to strike his mithril crystal gavel again.

"My clients did not pay grain crops, but that does not mean they defaulted on rent and taxes. In fact, they have already paid the full amount in money. As for the method of paying rent and taxes, it was already expanded during the reign of Duke Leinster, may the wise one rest in peace. Besides paying a fixed amount of crops from the field, they may also substitute sufficient labor or money," Defense counsel Srimanny was polite, forming a sharp contrast with the baron. "If you have doubts, I would be very happy to point out the relevant legal provisions for you. Of course, if you care."

"Full amount?"

Baron Trent was furious.

"The rent and tax money they paid me, if used to buy grain at market price, would only buy sixty percent of the same period in previous years! I do not even have enough grain to maintain my guard force!"

During the back-and-forth argument, Thales and Zayen carried out another conversation in the box upstairs.

"I believe you."

"Believe what?" Thales frowned.

"After listening to what you said earlier, I believe you and your father are not the same kind of person. For now."

"Thank heaven," Thales deliberately exaggerated. "So we can set down the past and start over?"

"Before that, let me clarify one thing."

Thales made a listening gesture.

"I know," the Duke of the South Coast said softly. "I knew long ago that you did not actively write to discuss marriage with my sister, much less actively come to take revenge on me. I knew it was only your father's will. In fact, I knew it before you returned to the country."

"Good. It seems you at least did not let the matter with your sister affect your reason. Wait, if from the beginning you thought this had nothing to do with me, why retaliate against me at the royal banquet?" Thales asked, puzzled.

"Believe it or not," Zayen's face did not change, "at the royal banquet, I gave Bayral that sword not because of a personal grudge against you. It was something that had to be done."

"Had to be done?" Thales frowned. "Explain."

"Only by detonating the contradiction between the Western Desert and Renaissance Palace," Zayen calmly watched the two parties arguing below, "could your father have no time for anything else, no time to stretch his hand toward the South Coast."

"What?"

The Duke of Iris looked at him.

"What your father wants to do is no secret to every Guardian Duke."

Zayen said gravely:

"Seven years ago, at the National Conference, the 'New Star's' palace-forcing plan already made His Majesty extremely dissatisfied with me, although the territory and mithril crystal mines I ceded afterward made up for some of it..."

"Those compensations? You mean compensation for inciting vampires to murder me?" Thales snorted softly.

"But that did not feed your father full." Zayen did not deny it, nor did he apologize to Thales. "Instead, it expanded his appetite and let him see the wealth and prosperity of the South Coast."

The wealth and prosperity of the South Coast...

Thales touched the expensive leather of the chair beneath him and sighed.

"I do not want to say this, but when I last entered the palace, my father was indeed reading the South Coast's port tax reports and listening to Chief Juke curse your accounting ability."

Zayen was silent for a long time. He looked toward Judge Brennan, who was striking the gavel again.

"I know. I originally hoped that after Val Arunde was imprisoned, the Northland's internal and external troubles would become your father's greatest restraint. Enough for him to digest for a long time, long enough that he would have no time to pay attention to the South Coast and Emerald Palace."

"But?"

Wariness appeared in Zayen's gaze, as though facing a great enemy.

"But your father's courage and ability, whether daring to sacrifice his son as a hostage, or Chapman Lampard strangely pushing out Nunn and crowning himself king, made that hope fail. You remained as hostage in Dragon Clouds City, Lampard withdrew his troops from the fortress, and Eckstedt's threat vanished overnight."

Your father's courage and ability...

Thales's expression turned strange.

The master of the Iris continued:

"The Northland had no duke and no external threat. It was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. Your father's hand reached into Cold Castle, and in only a few years, he swallowed the vacuum left by Arunde."

Thales hesitated for a while.

"Actually, the matter of Chapman replacing Nunn and crowning himself king was... sigh, forget it. Not important."

"You are right. Your father would not waste too much on matters like father-son affection," Zayen did not notice his words and continued on his own. "So when I learned that the Royal Standing Army had gone to the Western Desert to rescue you, I realized something was wrong. With the ability of the Secret Intelligence Department, he had ten thousand efficient ways to rescue his son. Yet he chose to use the army, the method with the greatest cost and the most future trouble."

Thales could not help frowning.

"Then I received news that Bladefang Camp had been attacked and that the Legendary Wing had returned to rescue it."

Zayen lifted his head, his gaze heavy.

"At that time, I roughly understood what your father wanted to do."

Thales could not help asking:

"Really?"

Zayen snorted softly.

"It is not hard to guess, especially when you know the history of the Jade Legion's establishment."

Damn.

He really had guessed it.

Thales frowned.

"But immediately after that, you returned to the country," Zayen's gaze burned. "And you were escorted back to the capital by the three great families of the Western Desert. I heard Skull with Four Eyes even gave you his family's ancestral sword?"

Thales froze and wanted to explain, but ultimately gave up.

"Actually, Falkenhausen at that time was not... sigh, forget it. Not important."

Zayen found this a little strange, but still nodded.

"From that time, I knew something was wrong. The Western Desert matter must not have gone as your father wished. Based on His Majesty's character, even if he could not earn back the loss immediately, he would certainly make up for it elsewhere."

Hearing this, Thales again wanted to speak but stopped.

"Actually, the reason things in the Western Desert did not go as he wished was... uh, forget it. Also not important."

Zayen was heavy with thought.

"The next step was that I received a letter from Renaissance Palace. The signature was yours, and it came with an ugly portrait, inquiring about the possibility of marriage between Prince Thales and Hilley."

Thales frowned.

"Was the portrait very ugly?"

Zayen did not answer. He sighed long.

"Your father, in the end, still set his eyes on the South Coast. From that moment on."

Thales held himself in for a while.

"Perhaps... think of it positively?" the prince said carefully. "You were not the only family to receive a letter."

"But we were absolutely near the front. This has nothing to do with Hilley. Only with Covendier."

Zayen sneered and shook his head, his gaze cold.

"I later figured it out. This was bound to happen sooner or later. If you were a girl, a princess, then I have no doubt that His Majesty's marriage alliance target would be me personally."

Thales paused when he heard this.

"If I were a prin... Could you not use a different hypothetical condition?"