Chapter 543: Judgment

The first order of business at the noble assembly was the trial of Crown Prince Jialete for patricide, and the primary step was for the party involved to recount his own version of events.

To this end, in addition to the nobles present, the Knights who had experienced the assassination attempt that night also came to the banquet hall as witnesses, stating what they had seen and heard one by one.

It was clear that in this testimony, Luoning was above any suspicion, especially given the testimony of Buluoer, the first person on the scene, which further exposed Jialete's conspiracy.

It took over an hour for everyone to finish the testimony process; the next step was for the nobles to express their opinions on what punishment Jialete should receive for his patricide.

This was a lively segment; voices rose and fell in the banquet hall, and arguments even broke out.

The opinions of the nobles were complex and varied; some advocated for severe punishment, using capital punishment to pay tribute to the late His Majesty;

Others believed that leniency should be shown, as Jialete was, after all, His Majesty's only male bloodline and could not be easily abandoned;

Still others suggested a middle ground: find a woman to bear a child with Jialete, then execute Jialete and let his child inherit the throne, which would satisfy both sides.

Mentioning this, it was indeed a bit strange that Jialete had many women but no children even in his thirties.

Luoning couldn't help but wonder, was the other party infertile?

"Everyone!"

Lulansi stood up, his voice very resonant; his appearance alone made the hall quiet down.

The Thunder Marquis had been famous for Along time; even nobles in remote parts of the Kingdom had heard a thing or two about him.

"Since the founding of the Auduin Kingdom, no one has ever committed such an unforgivable crime as the Crown Prince; he not only abandoned his father and his country, but he also abandoned his identity as a human."

"The critical thing is that such a person also possesses powerful strength, comparable to the first person beneath the Legendary realm. If we let him go easily, and if he escapes our surveillance, who knows who might end up as a ghost under his sword, just like Philemon, without even knowing why?"

Lulansi stated his recommendation: "Therefore, I believe he should be sentenced to death!"

The hall fell into a brief silence, but soon, nobles who supported the death penalty spoke up one after another, responding to Lulansi's opinion.

Some who had been wavering gradually made their decisions after seeing this Kingdom Marquis—especially an old noble who was also Luoning's grandfather—express his opinion.

"Death penalty!"

"Death penalty!"

"Death penalty!"

The voices in the hall gradually became unified.

Next, the high-ranking nobles of the Kingdom also expressed their opinions one after another.

Fasilai: "I second the motion!"

Asenuo: "Seconded!"

"I abstain." Gushan sighed; he had worked with Jialete for many years and had some friendship with him. He couldn't bring himself to vote for his execution.

However, he also knew that the crime Jialete had committed was too great to be punished lightly, so he had no choice but to abstain.

Count Yiben raised his hand; he had originally wanted to say he seconded the motion, but after glancing at Xuelun, he finally changed his words: "I... oppose it!"

Such a stance was somewhat surprising, but people looked at the couple and figured Yiben must have made this statement for the sake of marital harmony.

After all, no matter what, the other party was still Xuelun's younger brother.

Now, only the two Dukes, Waerjisi and Luoning, remained.

Waerjisi raised his hand: "My daughter Dana and my grandson died at the hands of the non-humans in Moonlight Valley; I despise non-humans, so I approve!"

Everyone's gaze turned to Luoning.

If he also approved, then Jialete's death sentence would likely be unavoidable.

It was just unclear whether Luoning would oppose it like Yiben because of Blanche's existence.

Blanche looked at Luoning; the latter had indeed asked for her opinion.

This experience had made her hate Jialete to the core, but Xuelun's persuasion had shaken her.

So in the end, she decided to leave it all to Luoning; no matter what he chose to do, she would support him.

Luoning raised his hand, "Like Gushan, Yiben, and many other nobles, I also oppose the death penalty."

Once these words were spoken, chaotic chatter immediately erupted in the banquet hall.

Many were surprised by this stance; after all, in their view, Lulansi's attitude should have been Luoning's attitude, so how could their stances be inconsistent?

Especially those nobles who had previously communicated with Lulansi; their faces were filled with surprise and confusion.

"Your Grace, please allow me to ask, what is your reason for opposing it?"

A noble stood up to ask: "Everything Jialete did was not only to control the entire country but also targeted at you; he even nearly killed the pregnant Duchess. Such a person is not worth your forgiveness!"

"That's right, Your Grace!"

Many people spoke up for Luoning.

Seeing this scene, Yiben felt a shift in his emotions; unknowingly, Luoning had already influenced many people.

After all, this was not a purely noble world; extraordinary power was enough to influence many things.

This noble assembly was supposed to be a place for various factions to fight for the right to speak, but in reality, many seemed to have already made their choices in their hearts.

Luoning stood up and explained: "I do not intend to forgive Jialete's crimes; I only hope that he can kneel before His Majesty's grave and repent. It is a pity that he is now insane and cannot even understand human speech..."

He paused, "My proposal is to impose life imprisonment on Jialete, strip him of all political rights and his noble status, abolish his cultivation, and at the same time make his crimes public so that everyone throughout the country knows."

"At the same time, we need to seek out famous doctors to try to cure his insane state. Once he recovers and has repented before His Majesty's grave, we will then put the sober him on trial!"

Luoning looked around and said: "Killing a man who is insane has no value; only by making him repent can the dead truly rest in peace and the living find solace."

The nobles looked at each other, and the discussions gradually subsided.

Luoning's proposal both reflected a severe condemnation of Jialete's crimes and retained a glimmer of humanity.

Moreover, he was not saying that Jialete should not be punished, but rather that the punishment should be carried out when the latter was sober.

If Jialete never regained his senses, he would remain imprisoned forever; as a madman, he could do nothing;

If Jialete regained his senses, they could just hold another meeting to decide then.

Gushan stood up and applauded; he said admiringly: "I am clumsy with words and couldn't say these things, but your suggestion is exactly what I wanted to say; I support your proposal!"

"Your Grace's proposal both highlights a commitment to justice and reflects a respect for life; I support it too!"

Waerjisi also nodded, "Indeed, letting a person who has lost their reason suffer the punishment of death might not truly appease our anger and grief. Making him face his crimes after he regains his senses is a more profound punishment."

Yiben also stood up to applaud; compared to his opposition, Luoning's argument was more persuasive.

He had to admit that he was inferior to the other party.

Lulansi also smiled and stood up to applaud; the reason he was the first to jump out and state his position was actually to provide a good foundation for Luoning.

Regardless of whether the latter directly agreed with the death penalty or had other thoughts, it would be easy to handle.

Luoning smiled and accepted the praise from all sides; he could see that his handling of the matter had unified everyone's stance.

This was the power of discourse.

As long as this decision received support, then for many subsequent decisions, his stance would be key.

He was not the king, but his orders were no different from those of the Kingdom.

Just like that, all the nobles in the banquet hall were applauding in support of Luoning's stance, and the fate of Jialete was settled.

However, this noble assembly did not end here; on the contrary, the main event was yet to come.

"Next, let us discuss who should lead the Auduin Kingdom!" (End of this chapter)