3061 Doing His Job
The divine magistrates exchanged glances. For a moment, they could not find any excuses to refute Zu Huanyao.
Charging Mo Fan under forbidden spell abuse was totally different from what they had intended for him. If they charged Mo Fan for abusing the forbidden spell, he did not have to be put behind bars if he had not harmed anyone.
"Um, that's all for today's trial. Jurors and divine magistrates, please stay. The rest may leave." Ramiel noticed something was not right with the situation, thus he immediately stopped the trial.
They could not possibly go along Zu Huanyao's train of thought. If Zu Huanyao's remarks influenced the jurors or the divine magistrates, their intention of casting Mo Fan into the "darkness of hell" would go awry.
Holy City did not want Mo Fan to be sentenced to life imprisonment, have his magic abolished, or be imprisoned in Holy City. Mo Fan possessed Demon Element Magic. Even if he was beheaded before the public, he could come back to life through some evil spell.
Therefore, Holy City had to send Mo Fan to a dark death sentence!
Like Wen Tai, they would send Mo Fan to a dark death sentence so that he would not be able to make a comeback!
However, many democratic countries in Europe had successively abolished the death penalty, let alone sentencing the soul of the dead into the darkness of hell. If that person did not commit any heinous crimes or crimes that even gods were angry with, it was unlikely to execute that type of trial.
As such, the entire trial had to go according to Holy City's statute. No one was allowed to sabotage their plan. Otherwise, their verdict would deviate.
...
After the crowd left, Zu Huanyao walked down the staircase along the Holy Court in his thick and heavy clerical robes.
Zu Xiangtian stood by the side and waited for Zu Huanyao.
"Grandpa, I heard that you're defending him," said Zu Xiangtian in dissatisfaction.
The news spread like wildfire. Zu Huanyao's way of defending Mo Fan spread across the entire city within a short period of time. Those who were concerned about the news learned about it. It was obvious to see who Zu Huanyao sided with.
He was no longer a chairperson who obeyed Holy City in everything. He had taken the position of China to do everything he could to protect Mo Fan.
"It's a fact that Mo Fan has killed the Parade Angel. It's impossible to clear his name for this charge. Since we can't change his charge, we can only change the results of the verdict. As long as he is not sentenced to the darkness of hell, any other sentences are acceptable," said Zu Huanyao.
Zu Xiangtian looked puzzled. He originally thought his grandfather would side with the Holy City angels without hesitation and cast Mo Fan into hell. After all, it was a fact that Mo Fan's power was truly threatening. Besides, Mo Fan was a madman without any bottom line. He could affect many people's personal interests.
"Grandpa, I don't get it. You spent a couple of decades gaining a foothold in Holy City. You've gained an unshakable position in the Asian Magic Association and Holy City. Why do you abandon Holy City, Archangel Michael, and Archangel Ramiel all of a sudden? These two archangels desire Mo Fan to disappear from this world. If you refuse to follow their will, aren't you just ruining your own career?" Zu Xiangtian said the words from the bottom of his heart.
Mo Fan was their enemy. He was not their ally!
Why did the Zu family have to offend Holy City for the sake of their enemy?
Zu Huanyao paused mid-stride. He stared at Zu Xiangtian. His wrinkled eyes had lost their luster.
"D-Did I say anything wrong?"' Zu Xiangtian panicked. He found his grandfather's gaze to be terrifying. All the while, Zu Huanyao was the most respectable person in the Zu family. Without Zu Huanyao's influence on the international stage, the Zu family would not have achieved its current status.
"Xiangtian, I've done a lot of things in my life. There were certain things that I did with a clear conscience, but there were some that I did against my conscience. I can't be like Chairman Shao Zheng, who would rather lose his official position in order to adhere to his own principles and path. I also can't kill the demons and stand guard over the country like Hua Zhanhong. But I have the skills that they don't have. I'm good at currying favor and clinging to powerful people. To put it bluntly, I'm a good negotiator." Zu Huanyao slowly walked forward with his walking stick.
Zu Xiangtian helped him with respect. The streets were crowded. The surroundings were noisy. The grandfather-grandson pair did not return to their house. Instead, they walked around on the lively streets.
Zu Xiangtian knew Zu Huanyao had something to talk to him about.
Ever since Zu Xiangtian was young, he listened to Zu Huanyao and seldom spoke up.
However, this time, he could not understand it.
Could Mo Fan still be saved?
Mo Fan had offended Holy City. He had killed the Parade Angel. He was a thorn in the archangels' side. How else could such a person be saved?
"I'm not questioning your decision, but we're aware of Holy City's principles. It's possible that we won't be able to change anything. Instead, we might lose our right to speak in Holy City," said Zu Xiangtian.
"People can easily lose themselves. After they are rewarded for clinging to the powerful men, they view it as a new skill. They believe this is their strength from the bottom of their heart. They believe they are improving and transforming to become better. They continue to indulge in the world of the capitalists and enjoy their privileges. But I'm different from them. Regardless of whether the things that I've done were against my own conscience or wrong, I only hope that I'll be able to say things that I want to say and do things that I should do before the true ruler someday." Zu Huanyao gripped his walking stick tightly with his right hand. His walking stick almost sunk into the floor tiles.
Zu Xiangtian stared at his grandfather. He felt that his grandfather had somehow become a stranger to him.
Ever since Zu Xiangtian was young, his grandfather taught him to be forward-looking. His grandfather taught Zu Xiangtian to see the big picture. He taught Zu Xiangtian to learn to be patient and to gain a wide range of knowledge. He taught Zu Xiangtian to take control of the whole situation…
As such, Zu Xiangtian was surprised by his grandfather's words—to say things that he wanted to say and to do things that he should do.
Zu Xiangtian thought his grandfather would be the last person on the planet to say those words.
"So, you think this is the time when you should speak up, is it? Grandpa? Grandpa?" Zu Xiangtian noticed Zu Huanyao had been fixing his gaze at the end of the path.
There was an ancient square used for execution at the end of the path. Since the two people died and disappeared from the world, that place had been sealed.
Zu Huanyao had been walking in that direction, and he barely turned his attention away from that place.
Zu Xiangtian was finally enlightened.
It was that person. Only that person could make Zu Huanyao do such a thing at his age.
Zu Huanyao's hair was all white. He supported himself with his walking stick. The pain in his wrinkled eyes welled up like tears and streamed all over his face. They became tear marks and were left on his face.
Zu Huanyao did not say anything. He could not even squeeze out a tear. Holding firm to one's principles and reasoning was useless. Humans would eventually succumb to their own emotions and desires.
He tried to tell the deceased how remorseful he was through his actions!
