Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Adjacent to Paris, the province of Reims.

Reims District Court.

Judge Fosne listened to the prosecutor demanding the death penalty for the defendant and couldn't help but show a look of utter exhaustion on his face.

Previously, he had only presided over minor cases of theft, vandalism of public property, and the like. A case of this magnitude, involving several hundred thousand francs with the likelihood of a capital sentence, was a first in his twenty years on the bench.

To tell the truth, had it not been for cramming two all-nighters before the trial, he wouldn't even have been sure which statutes to apply to this case.

There was no choice; the sheer number of cases involving Tax Farmers had become so rampant that the High Court's schedule was entirely full, forcing even the district courts to deal with major cases now.

The defendant's attorney immediately strode quickly to the podium, arguing loudly, "Your Honor the prosecutor, my client, Mr. Boka, simply failed to strictly adhere to tax procedures and made some errors in the calculation of taxes. These are purely economic matters and do not warrant such a severe sentence!

"Moreover, I believe this case should be heard in a commercial court, not in a general court."

The prosecutor furrowed his brow, nearly chased the attorney off the podium, and lifted a stack of documents in his hand, his voice icy as he said, "Attorney Corantin, you are indeed adept at distorting the facts!

"In 1785, Boka prematurely collected taxes and used this as a pretext to impose hefty fines on 41 peasant households in Meidion Village, leading to the bankruptcy of 18 of them. During this, more than 9 people from these families died from starvation or illness. Had they been still living in their own homes, all of this could have been avoided!

"Furthermore, Boka forged government tax documents in 1786 and collected a 'legacy tax' of 300 francs each from Mr. Blanche and others, which led to the bankruptcy of Blanche's workshop and Blanche's suicide...

"That same year, Boka had subordinates beat Mr. Nei Ri because of unpaid taxes, and Nei Ri died 5 days later..."

Attorney Corantin screeched in his objection, "Your Honor, to begin with, people die of starvation or illness in Meidion Village every year. Those 9 individuals could likely have died within that year regardless of the fines.

"And as for the matter regarding Mr. Blanche, it is even more far-fetched. How can you be certain that he didn't commit suicide over a quarrel with someone or due to a mental problem?

"The circumstances of Mr. Nei Ri's death are also filled with doubts..."

He rambled on for half an hour, his main tactic being to employ equivocations and confusions, insisting on the obsoleteness of the events since many pieces of evidence had disappeared years ago.

He had many ways to drag out the trial for a long time. If he could stall until the uproar over the Tax Farmers subsided, perhaps a lighter sentence might ensue. Even by bribing judges and the like, he might secure an acquittal.

After all, he had collected a hefty 7,000 francs in attorney's fees from the Boka family; he was naturally determined to exonerate his client completely.

The prosecutor was livid with anger at the attorney's words, but given that his preparation time for the case was too short—he was currently handling four cases involving Tax Farmers—he simply didn't have enough time to gather detailed evidence. The evidence he had on hand was essentially what the tax bureau had handed over to him.

He continued to argue his point vehemently when attorney Corantin suddenly changed tack, "Ah, Mr. Prosecutor, the matters you've brought up today should all be subject to private lawsuits by the concerned parties or their next of kin. I believe it is unreasonable for you to bring public charges, on the grounds that..."

These shysters always found novel angles to manipulate the law.

"The families of those concerned simply cannot afford the costs of litigation, nor do they even know how to file a lawsuit!" the prosecutor exclaimed angrily, "Otherwise, Boka would have been in prison long ago!"

"Your Honor, the prosecutor is threatening my client..." Stay connected with My Virtual Library Empire

What followed was over two hours of tug-of-war between the defense and the prosecution until Judge Fosne, feeling helpless, banged his gavel and declared the court adjourned.

He had a premonition that with the attorney's experience, this trial could last at least half a year.

He returned to the lounge room, just about to enjoy a cup of coffee, when a court clerk escorted in a well-dressed, silky wigged, clearly distinguished-looking middle-aged man who knocked on the door.

The middle-aged man signaled for the clerk to leave, then addressed a somewhat nervous Fosne, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Judge Fosne. I am Cyprian, the special representative from the Royal Supreme Court, and I need to discuss some matters of the cases with you..."

An hour later, the Boka case resumed.

Lawyer Corantin continued to digress from point to point, but his words were hardly out when he was abruptly interrupted by the judge banging his gavel hard, "Defense attorney, please refrain from comments irrelevant to the case."

"Yes, Your Honor."

Corantin switched to another angle to spar with the prosecutor, but was quickly reprimanded again, "Defense attorney, your speculation is not admissible as evidence in court. Continue like this, and I will have to warn you."

The prosecutor was overjoyed and launched into an offensive.

Under the clearly aggressive stance from the judge, the prosecutor quickly overwhelmed Corantin, who was visibly perspiring and retreating step by step.

At 4 p.m., Judge Fosne symbolically consulted a few court associates, then forcefully hammered down the gavel, proclaiming loudly, "This court hereby declares, Boka is guilty of illegal tax collection, murder, fraud, forgery of public documents...

"The charges are established, and this court sentences Jacques Ethor de Boka of Turaine…" according to the "Dohrn Decree," "Sylvans Ordinance"...

"...to death by decapitation."

Corantin was stupefied. How had the sentence been passed already?

Even though he had suffered some setbacks in court, there were many facets of the case that could still be exploited, yet the judge had rendered a verdict in less than a day!