Chapter 161 – 161. Sentence Negotiation (1)
Ashton’s screams fill the court meeting hall as the bandages that were wrapped around him gradually turn red.
Beyond the violence, Queen Diane, as well as the other nobles, frowned at the unmatched cruelty of trampling on wounds mercilessly.
“Heh, heh…”
Eun-hyeon released her feet, which had been carrying his weight, and pulled Ashton’s collar, which was lying on the floor, and forced him to stand up.
And whispers softly in his ear.
“If you lie. Know?”
Ashton’s body trembled as he breathed heavily with a face contorted in pain.
The first time a javelin had pierced his own shoulder, he felt the cold voice of the interrogator as he mercilessly pierced his spearhead, and the fear he had forgotten so far was reviving.
“No, I will tell you… I’ll tell you, stop!”
“Get up from your knees.”
“Keuuugh!”
Every time he moved his body, a penetrating pain in his shoulder, which he had forgotten about due to anesthesia, hit his whole body, but Ashton followed the survival instinct that set off an alarm in his head, and his body to absolutely carry out Eun-hyeon’s command. Moved
“That person…”
She looks so cruel and heartless, so Eleanor, who saw Eun-hyeon’s appearance, watches her silently with her heart tightened.
It is different from the playful and light attitude of teasing oneself that has been shown so far.
However, it is not the appearance of the hatred and repulsive feelings shown in the fight against the queen of the dead, Mediah.
The first thing Eleanor remembered as a similar figure was during the public trial.
She puts weight and value on her life and pursues only efficiency, filled only with ‘altruism’ where personal feelings are thoroughly excluded.
“It’s worse than then…”
During her public trial, while putting her own life on the trial, she did not lose her composure and light attitude, and Eun-hyeon now has a different feeling that makes people even more anxious.
It feels like seeing a ‘monster of reason’ in which emotions are excluded.
It was the same with Riod who noticed his change.
‘… It went back a bit.’
Although he was a little worried, Lyod decided to put aside what had happened and quietly watch how the hearing went on.
Not only Riod, but all the aristocrats who knew Eun-hyeon at the time of the public trial hardened their expressions at his appearance, which was quite different from the way he provoked and made fun of the nobles with his speech skills, and could not say anything.
Even the members of the Royal Guard, who were trying to subdue Eun-hyeon, who rushed into the meeting room, confronted Eun-hyeon at a certain distance, feeling the indescribable sense of intimidation of Eun-hyeon and Lee Hyeong-hwan, whom Eun-hyeon had shown earlier.
Gulp
The sound of a knight swallowing his saliva, weighed down by an unknown force, could be heard from the side.
As the atmosphere calmed down and the chaotic interior of the conference hall settled into heavy silence, Eun-hyeon opened her mouth.
“What is your name?”
“Ashton…”
“Last name?”
“Armitas.”
“Is it true that he conspired and led Renion Hersha’s embezzlement?”
“… Yes.”
Seeing Ashton’s willing attitude, the aristocrats, who had been keeping a heavy silence full of tension, began to hum little by little.
“Is it the ‘will of the duke’s family’ for the embezzlement of breach of trust? Or is it your ‘personal will’?”
“… It was my dogma.”
“Nonsense!”
After hearing Ashton’s confession, an aristocrat slammed the table violently and rose from his seat.
Soon, he raised a notebook that was placed on his table and shouted loudly.
“This ledger describes in detail how much the country’s taxes have been siphoned off by the nobles of the same faction, including the Duke of Armitas, for a long time. Of course, the names of the Duke and Duchess of Armitas are also included! The author is now trying to cut off his tail by blaming the former duke for all his sins in order to save the duke family! Do not be fooled!”
“Ah, is that it?”
Despite the sharp criticism of an aristocrat who pointed out ‘evidence’ and insisted that Ashton’s confession was false, Eun-hyeon showed a calm expression and was not at all shaken.
Eunhyeon asked the aristocrat who had pointed out.
“That ledger. May I ask where you got him from?”
“This, this… If the identity of the information provider is exposed with secretly obtained information, there is a possibility that it will be at risk, so we cannot reveal it!”
When the expected answer came out, Eunhyun smiled.
“Ashton. Prove that the ledger is the record you wrote.”
“Uh, what…”
“Page 6, second line…”
As Ashton recited the contents of the page, the name of the nobleman in question and how much he embezzled, the expression of the nobleman who presented the ledger as evidence hardened.
This is because he heard all the key contents and confirmed with his own eyes that the contents were the same as the contents of the ledger he presented as evidence.
“Uh, how…”
“Because it was Ashton who wrote the ledger, and it is he who caused the situation to flow to you.”
“… ?”
“You put too much trust in the information guild.”
“Keugh!”
Realizing that the ledger written by Ashton had been taken over through the information guild, the nobleman’s face twisted.
Eun-hyeon laughed at the aristocrat’s expression of resentment, took out from her bosom a notebook that looked exactly like the one the noble was holding, and held it up high, drawing the attention of all those attending the court meeting.
“The real ledger is here.”
“What, what?!”
“What is that… !”
After hearing Eunhyeon’s words, some of the aristocrats make faces of surprise.
The reason was that if the ledger in Eunhyeon’s hand had a list of nobles who really conspired to embezzle the wrongdoing, it was obvious that some of the nobles’ names would also be included.
Ashton is a co-conspirator in the embezzlement of embezzlement, and by attracting all the aristocrats who are greedy for money regardless of faction, the fact of the embezzlement is thoroughly hidden and the work is planned to be done as a joint responsibility so that it does not come out on the surface.
The reason why some nobles of the royal party who participated in the embezzlement of embezzlement used this fabricated ledger to pursue the Duke of Armitas was because the names of the nobles of the royal party faction were all missing, so it was the best weapon to pressure the ducal faction. .
It was also possible because of Ashton’s trick of deliberately removing the names of nobles from the royalist faction who participated in the embezzlement of the embezzlement so that this fabricated ledger could be easily used, and because his vengeful spirit was directed only towards Abros.
“Well, there’s no proof anywhere that it’s a real ledger!”
“Ha, can’t you believe that the person who wrote this ledger is testifying here?”
“If the ledgers in our hands were also forged! There is a possibility that it was also manipulated!”
Eun-hyeon smiled and answered as the expected answer flowed out.
“It is not you who judges that. Whether or not to judge this ledger as a real ledger is for Queen Diane, who is leading this meeting, to make the decision.”
“…”
Even so, Eunhyeon made eye contact with some of the nobles and smiled.
She felt an eerie feeling as all the nobles were looking at each one with a clear intention, rather than one after another.
‘… Know.’
She found out that she was complicit in the embezzlement of breach of trust.
From Eun-hyeon’s fishy laugh, the nobles of the Royal Party faction, who secretly conspired to embezzle the breach of trust, realize the meaning.
“Now, really, please submit this ledger to Queen Diane as evidence… “
“Don’t move!”
As she slowly moved towards Queen Diane, two knights of Krasir’s royal guard stood in front of Eun-hyeon, who were on alert so they could draw their swords at any time, blocking his approach.
“Should I give you this?”
As Eun-hyeon smiled and shook the notebook in his hand, the two knights standing in front of him frowned.
“Hand it over to me. I personally tell the Queen Mother…”
“It’s done.”
“Queen Mama… ?”
“As others have suggested, if the ledger that came out as evidence was fabricated by the former duke and intentionally leaked into this court meeting room, then the credibility of the contents will naturally fall. Therefore, it is natural that the contents of the real ledger you present may also be fabricated. It is meaningless as evidence, so I will not accept it.”
Queen Diane hurriedly refused to accept the ledger presented by Eun-hyeon as evidence.
If that ledger is real, it contains the names of countless nobles, regardless of the boundaries between the Duke faction and the Royal faction.
He intended to punish the duke factions, including Avros, and put them on leashes, but if the names of the nobles of his own faction were included, it would be like digging his own grave.
Eunhyun, who smiled with satisfaction as if she had heard what she wanted to hear, looked at Queen Diane and opened her mouth.
“It is possible that the names of Duke Armitas and the Duke of Minor were fabricated in the forged ledgers that the nobleman has, and it can be taken as meaning that the charges against the two have been cleared, right?”
“…”
At Eun-hyeon’s question she asked again, Queen Diane glared at Eun-hyeon, clutching her fan in her hand as if it would break.
“Admit… Do. But that doesn’t mean the responsibility of the duke’s family is completely removed.”
“Yes. Of course.”
Eun-hyeon obediently nodded her head and agreed to the words of Queen Diane, who hung on her tail.
The scale of the conspirators in the embezzlement of misappropriation was reduced to an individual named ‘Ashton Armitas’ rather than ‘the entire Duke Armitas family’, but the criminal facts of Ashton, who was a minor duke of the duke family, did not disappear.
Moreover, from the moment he confessed to his conspiracy to embezzlement and misappropriation, the prestige of the duke’s family had already fallen.
“What do you think?”
Eun-hyeon turned his head and looked at Abros, who had a miserable expression on his face, and handed over his right to speak.
“… Of course. It is said that he was deprived of the position of a minor duke, but it was clearly done by a person who carried the name of the ducal family. I promise to take responsibility.”
“You say so.”
“I will make a request to the Queen Mother.”
As if he had waited, Leo de stood up and looked at Queen Diane and opened her mouth.
“… Please tell me.”
“These two deceased Renion Hersha and Ashton Armitas are probably not the only ones embezzling this country’s tax money. Please grant me the authority to investigate this case so that I can uncover all the nobles who participated in the embezzlement and give proper punishment.”
“Hmm.”
Upon hearing Riod’s request, most of the nobles around him nodded and responded that his opinion was reasonable.
Most of them are those who have nothing to do with embezzlement and misappropriation, including Bernard, the finance minister.
On the other hand, the few nobles involved in the embezzlement stared at Queen Diane in contemplation.
It was not good for Queen Diane in the long run if she left her family members who embezzled her country’s money to feed themselves.
In fact, there was no way Queen Diane didn’t know that the nobles of the royal party faction she had created were also thinking of enriching themselves by borrowing the prestige of herself and Prince Damian to promote national projects that suit their tastes.
In the end, the kingship will fall to the bottom, and even the survival of the country may be in jeopardy.
There is no change in the fact that they are aristocrats who will one day be cut down and abandoned, but now, before their son, Damian, is installed as the crown prince, the time is too inappropriate.
However, while gritting his teeth, he reluctantly agrees to Riod’s legitimate request, which has no excuse to refuse.
“… Great. Artia’s leader, Marquis Olivion, make sure to arrest all those involved in this embezzlement case.”
“Thank you.”
Queen Diane, inwardly venting her anger at being played by her eunuch and Riod’s tricks, she had no choice but to abandon the nobles who had been guilty of the embezzlement of royalist punishments that they had somehow accomplished.
One thing was comforting.
She said, ‘Because she is not small in number even among the nobles of the ducal faction, and she is able to deal a great blow to the Prince Armitas family, the ringleader of her…’ .’
She had to take her comfort in the fact that somehow she had succeeded in entangling the Armitas ducal family.
Originally, the plan was to bring down the entire family that had touched the country’s budget, demote the dukedom’s hierarchy, and deal a fatal blow by disintegrating his power, but in the end, revealing and punishing the crimes of Ashton and the Duchess of War would be a great harvest. I tried to comfort myself, but I still couldn’t get rid of it.
‘He broke in again… !’
Queen Diane gnashed her teeth at the sight of her grace appearing before her again, turning her situation into a mess and twisting her flow in a strange direction.
“Whoa…”
Soon after taking a deep breath, Queen Diane opens her mouth.
“Aristocrats who participated in the breach of trust will be fined 100 platinum coins within one year from the time the crime is confirmed.”
“Wow, the queen!”
“That is too much of a punishment… !”
“What is excessive punishment? The criminal act of siphoning off the kingdom’s budget is a felony. I bet you guys know that too. That this is a challenge to the authority of the royal family.”
“That…”
“Besides, I don’t know why you react so violently to punishment. Have you ever participated in this embezzlement case?”
“That is not so!”
“Then there is no problem.”
Some aristocrats, who couldn’t get anything at the end of the protest, grind their teeth and glar at Eun-hyeon, who is no different from the culprit of this situation.
The amount of profit that the aristocrats who participated in the embezzlement of misappropriation so far from embezzlement ranged from one platinum coin to five at the most.
This is a very large amount of money for an individual to hold, and in this corruption involving dozens of people, an amount of up to 20% of the royal family’s one-month operating budget has been steadily stolen every month.
The fact that he was able to siphon off an enormous amount of budget by putting a low-level public official at the forefront meant that many aristocrats were involved in the corruption.
In the end, a situation arose in which they had to vomit close to 100 times the amount of money they had gained, not 10 times, so it is clear that the corrupt aristocrats are in a situation where they are going crazy and jumping up and down.
‘Let’s be patient. Be patient.’
Seeing the rotting faces of such aristocrats, Eunhyeon desperately clenched her teeth and maintained a smile, feeling that she would burst into laughter if she was even a little careless.
Before long, Queen Diane frowned and stared at the battered Ashton.
“According to the fact that Duke Ashton Armitas confessed to conspiring to embezzle Renion Hersha’s breach of trust, I will also sentence the head of the Armitas family, Abros Armitas, to a fine.”
With this, it was a great harvest just to be able to impose a limit on the amount and deadline that reached the limit of the law, pressurize the duke’s family, including the dukedom, and erode their prestige little by little.
As a result, it is like putting an invisible leash around Abros’s neck so that the duke’s property can be confiscated into the national treasury, and at the same time, the duke’s family is in financial trouble, leading to a vicious circle.
“Considering that the former duke is the mastermind behind this misappropriation, as an aggravated punishment, the Armitas ducal family orders the payment of 300 platinum coins within six months.”
Abros clenched his teeth and pressed the anger that was welling up in his head, unable to respond readily.
300 platinum coins in 6 months.
Although it is said to be aggravated punishment, I felt Queen Diane’s blatant intention, which was on a different level from the other nobles’ 100 platinum coins within a year.
It is by no means an impossible amount.
300 Platinum Coins, an amount equivalent to the dukedom’s quarterly operating budget, was an amount that could be raised if one tried hard enough.
It’s not impossible if you just raise the taxes on the residents of the territory and maintain and operate the poorer territory.
Instead, it was not only him who had to endure those difficult times, but also the people of the dukedom.
Abros realized that Queen Diane intended to urge the residents to extort taxes, exacerbate public sentiment through tyranny accompanied by whipping, and squeeze in the meantime to devour not only the ducal family, but also the duchy. .
She knew that in the end she would be able to find a way to live, but she knew that the path ahead of herself and the duke’s family was a thorny road.
However, it was true that there was no other way, so Abros slowly opened his mouth.
“Hey, the queen is relentless. But don’t you hate the Duke’s family too much? Please cut it down a little.”
“I-I… !”
“How rude!”
Many aristocrats look in astonishment at Eun-hyun, who makes a ridiculous request with a light laugh as if mocking.
