Chapter 1470 - Verdict
Shortly after Xiao Zishan returned to his office, Zhao Manxiong called him on the PHS.
"Actually, I didn't much approve of you going to see him personally," Zhao Manxiong's voice remained gentle and soft through the receiver, "but I can understand your mood."
"I'm half-skeptical of his words."
"You can believe them fully. He's not a liar who loves to tell falsehoods."
"Alright, I'll trust your judgment completely. But does using certain means to deal with a certain transmigrator cross the line?"
"That lady is far more active than you imagine. You and I both know the harm in what she's doing. But I think you're very clear that everything she has done so far is legal—from a jurisprudential standpoint, you can't grab any of her handles."
"That's precisely why I find the choice difficult."
"Giving a transmigrator who has long received severe punishment a bit of humanitarian treatment isn't a difficult choice," Zhao Manxiong said. "Currently, all her actions are legal; the Executive Committee and Senate cannot infringe upon her rights. Similarly, as long as Comrade Xin doesn't commit murder or arson, or attempt to rape female transmigrators again, his basic rights as a transmigrator should also be guaranteed—this too is legal."
"I understand your meaning. But..."
"Listen to his words, watch his actions."
"What if he commits his old mistakes again?"
"Then handle it according to the law."
Xiao Zishan hung up. He was clear about the risks involved. Once trouble occurred, the person who had "loosened the chain" for him would definitely have to bear responsibility—after all, Xin Wuzui was a "flagged" individual.
He assessed the risks and consequences repeatedly for a long time before deciding to trust Zhao Manxiong. Secondly, some risks simply had to be taken.
Zhao Manxiong was right on one point: everything Cheng Yongxin was currently doing fell within the framework permitted by the Senate. It could be called an overt plot.
He believed that Cheng Yongxin herself wasn't actually interested in so-called women's rights, democracy, or freedom. She was appealing more for her own political power. These flowery pretexts were merely various banners used to grasp greater power within the Senate system for herself.
One could call this a political wrestling match between transmigrators, but what worried him was that certain elements within it were becoming the beginnings of a struggle between transmigrators and naturalized citizens. Though these naturalized citizens currently had no subjective demands and were merely tools used to make a point.
Cheng sought her own political power, but from a higher perspective, her actions and those of some other marginalized transmigrators were shaping Lingao's overall future political ecology. From situations he had grasped—Cheng secretly training maidservants to act as eyes and ears to gather news, Yang Xinwu attempting to become principal of the Whampoa Military Academy—one could see these intentional or unintentional actions were ultimately raising the naturalized citizens' cognitive level and cultural knowledge, allowing naturalized citizens to participate in the transmigrators' political games.
This was a very dangerous signal. Back during the Maidservant Revolution, when Dugu QiuHun had attempted to use the police to "quell the riot," this tendency had already been revealed. Now Cheng Yongxin and Yang Xinwu were unconsciously walking that same path—only more obscurely, less easily caught.
What worried Xiao Zishan most was that within the current internal wrestling of the Senate, a very bad trend had appeared: conflicts of interest were gradually being artificially colored as conflicts of values—autocracy versus democracy, left versus right, group conflicts, incumbents versus the soy sauce faction, male versus female, and so on.
Though most of these conflicts were merely reasons and excuses, emphasizing values and ethnic conflicts among a mere five hundred people was absurd. The essence of current conflicts was uneven distribution of interests or fear thereof. If interest conflicts were allowed to develop with this "coloring," it would drive conflicts in an irreconcilable direction—conflicts of values were the most intense. Even family members turning into enemies was common, let alone a rabble gathered to grasp interests.
"Our plate is still too small; otherwise, it wouldn't come to this." Xiao Zishan sighed. In the end, the Senate's cake was too meager. Every transmigrator wanted to claim as much of the transmigration dividend as possible. Relying merely on pie-in-the-sky promises like "how you will be in the future" could no longer satisfy them.
Now Lingao seemed to be flourishing, but in reality, it was treading on thin ice. Any split would lead to Lingao's destruction. After all, Lingao could ultimately rely only on these five hundred-plus people. Power struggles and interest conflicts had to be regulated and limited within a certain scope. Otherwise, if someone used the transmigrators' natural rights to continuously incite and agitate, the consequences would be unimaginable. It had to be curbed as soon as possible.
Despite this determination, arranging a new post for Xin Wuzui was quite a headache. His gaze fell on a pile of documents on the desk, one of which was Hong Huangnan's application to open a Transmigrator Club. Hong Huangnan had mentioned this to him several times, but he had always felt it wasn't urgent—after all, the Administrative Office had already established a special supply system. Moreover, wasting resources on such extravagance while the Engine Action was in full swing seemed inappropriate. Especially certain "service items" made Xiao Zishan uncomfortable—he still subconsciously felt the Senate should maintain a certain "ascetic" image of "greatness, glory, and correctness."
But right now, "bread and circuses" were indeed needed to soothe the agitated emotions of the transmigrators. This person was also talented in that regard; he could be used here. Incidentally, his human calculation function could continue to be extracted—this East Gate Market office location was much closer to the General Finance Department than Gaoshan Ridge. Old Hong was also a very sensible person.
Out of caution, he decided to call Majia. Back when the Black Four case had been tried, Majia had served as the main legal advisor. He would consult him about changing Xin Wuzui's job.
But Majia wasn't in his office. His secretary said today was the day of the Yang Jihong trial, and Majia had gone to the East Gate Market Court personally.
Majia was currently resting in the judge's chambers at the court. Emerging from the courtroom, he felt relaxed throughout his entire body. Though he had stayed in the gallery for the better part of the day and felt somewhat sore, his mood was cheerful.
Yang Jihong's trial had finally concluded—though the formal sentencing would come at the next session. Overall, the entire trial process had gone much better than he expected. It could be called a perfect legal education performance.
The trial had implemented the Executive Committee's "no propaganda, no concealment" policy, held publicly at the East Gate Market Summary Court. According to normal procedure, it had been announced beforehand on the bulletin board.
Though the "no propaganda" principle was observed and the Yang Jihong case received only brief mention in the Lingao Times, anyone slightly knowledgeable about the Australian system knew both parties were "pillow partners" of transmigrators. Thus, there was plenty of interest in how the Senate would try this case: Lingao's old rich and new nobles who tracked every move of the Australians, upper-middle-class naturalized citizens, and domestic secretaries with personal stakes had all noticed the trial notice. So when the trial finally opened, though the court wasn't as packed as during the sabotage of military marriage trial, the gallery was two-thirds full.
At the Arbitration Court meeting, Majia had requested that Jurisprudence Society members fully implement "rule of law," emphasizing "completely legal procedural flow." Thus, every step in this trial had followed the draft Criminal Procedure Law. When relevant personnel appeared in court, a segment of swearing to "the Senate and the People" had been added.
To implement the new law's principle of "weight on physical evidence, light on confession," Majia had specially arranged for naturalized trainees serving as forensic and evidence witnesses to appear and demonstrate evidence on site.
Clearly, though the naturalized citizens and natives in the audience couldn't quite grasp all of it, they showed great interest. Autopsies and physical evidence existed in ancient yamen trials too, but limited by technology and concepts, they had been very crude, almost a formality. Trials had mainly relied on oral confessions from both sides and witnesses. Obtaining confessions often became the sole purpose of proceedings, for which torture was used extensively. Not only could criminals not avoid brutalization, but innocent witnesses could also be tortured if their testimony didn't suit the presiding official's preferences.
By contrast, though Australian trials also featured confessions and witnesses, the key lay in physical evidence. Through the prosecutor's descriptions, a complete case thread was gradually formed and proven one by one with physical evidence—interlocked, rigorous, and clear. The superiority was instantly apparent.
Majia was very satisfied with today's trial. The entire process had completely conformed to legal procedures, and all parties had performed well: the newly made Song-style judicial robes and caps, the redecorated court that could be called solemn, the naturalized legal staff fluent in "Newspeak." Among them, Ji Xin's performance had been particularly outstanding: the prosecution charged "intentional injury causing death." Due to solid evidence, he hadn't attempted a not-guilty defense but had focused instead on "mitigating circumstances." Not only had he summoned multiple naturalized witnesses, but he had also read testimonies signed by several transmigrators to prove that while Lin Xiaoya's death was a tragedy, her own behavior had been a major contributing factor. Thus, Yang Jihong's act was a "crime of passion" committed under loss of emotional control, and he pleaded for the court to consider this in sentencing.
The defense argument had been fully substantiated, and his sorrowful countenance and compassionate words had stirred the sympathy of many naturalized citizens and natives present. After he finished his closing statement, Yang Jihong in the defendant's dock sobbed uncontrollably, and sighs filled the gallery. Some emotional women were already streaming tears.
(End of Chapter)