Chapter 358: Public Trial and New Bill
Tritodemos immediately rang the bell, “Defendant, I warn you for the last time! If you keep making random guesses and accusations, this court will forbid you from speaking!”
Pollux hurriedly swallowed his words back and looked back at the jurors, wondering whether he managed to influence them by what he had deliberately said. By now, he could already feel that the possibility of him extricating himself from his crime was becoming slimmer and slimmer.
Aristocrates then took out a piece of papyrus and said to the jurors, “This papyrus records the amount of property that the patrols had found at Pollux’ residence. Fortunately, Pollux did not deposit the money in the bank, so we could use the patrols and servants that were there, and the few bystanders who broke into the household by mistake can serve as witnesses. The total amount is-” (At that time, the reputation of the Bank of Cheiristoya was already well established, so in order to prevent the loss of money, the people deposited their money in the bank where they only had to pay a very low safekeeping fee every year and could withdraw at any time. Moreover, they could withdraw their money from the various Banks of Cheiristoya in Theonia with the certificate issued by the bank, which was very convenient and popular. However, Pollux refused to deposit his money because Davos’ household owned the bank.)
Purposely pausing for a bit, Aristocrats then said loudly and clearly in front of thousands of gazes, “22 Talent and 45 Minae!” causing shouts of surprises to fill the square.
Aristocrates then added, “As far as I know, Pollux, besides the income you receive from your 2.5 acres of land, you do not have any other industries.”
Pollux fiercely argued, “Most of them were left by my…my grandfather and father…”
Smiling with disdain, Aristocrates continued, “But why are most of your family’s coins were Hades Coins*? I had asked your family, and they told me that you have never gone to the bank for an exchange.” (Note: Referring to the silver coins issued after the establishment of Theonia Union, which has the face of Hades on the front.)
Aristocrates’ words blocked pollux’ lie. In his rage, he shouted, “Davos’ household has more money than I, so why aren’t you checking him as well?!”
The crowd then started booing.
Aristocrates smiled again and said, “As you can see, I don’t even need to speak, as the people are clear about the businesses of Davos’ household. How many Theonian citizens have been helped by the Bank of Cheiristoya’s low-interest rate? How many shops that are about to go bankrupt were saved?!”
“Yes, that’s true!”
“Cheiristoya is kind!”
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The crowd scrambled in shouting, and the anger that was about to erupt seemed to disappear without a trace. Seeing this, Tritodemos was happy and did not interrupt Aristocrates.
“And Cheiristoya’s Restaurant and the hot spring does not only made the lives of the people better but also made Thurii be known as ‘the most stunning city in Magna Graecia’…”
“Young man, you are right!”
“Lord Davos brought pride to Thurii!”
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“Moreover, the money that lord Davos earned is not stored at his home like you. And he even donated his money for the construction of the temples, libraries and the stone bridge…”
“Did lord Davos also donated money to the construction of the stone bridge? I really did not know about that.”
“I heard that after the construction of the library, lord Davos would donate a large number of valuable books.”
“You Thurians are so lucky! If I wanted to read, I have to travel from Krimisa…”
“Maybe one day, lord Davos would donate a library to Krimisa as well.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
As the audience discussed, Tritodemos asked, “Defendant, do you have anything else to say in your defence?”
Like a drowning man who is on his last struggle, Pollux said, “Yes! Yes! My family used to have 57 acres of land! It is the truth as I still have the title deed at my home! But since Davos came, I…I voluntarily gave up all my land, and now, I only owned about 2.5 acres of land. I have made such a huge concession for Thurii and Theonia, so shouldn’t you…shouldn’t you also consider the loss of my family?!”
“Even if you still have these so-called title deeds-” Aristocrates looked at Pollux as he knew that Pollux had messed up, so he was now even more confident, “I hope the defendant understand one thing that is, after Crotone destroyed the city of Thurii, the old Thurii no longer exist. Likewise, its government no longer exist. Therefore, the contract signed by the old city hall of Thurii is naturally invalid. If lord Davos had not led his army to repel the Crotonians, would the Thurians dare to live in Thurii? Obviously not, as they can only be forced to wander to other city-states. Surviving is already difficult enough, let alone own land…”
At this point, Aristocrates’ tone became a bit heavy, and then he raised his voice again, “Therefore, today’s city of Thurii, even though it is still called Thurii, it is no longer the old city of Thurii. This Thurii is a part of Theonia Union and the centre of Theonia!”
“That’s right. The current Thurii has nothing to do with the old city. You wanting to own more than 57 acres of land is just you dreaming!”
“Hades will surely send you, who is a greedy man, to hell and let lord Rhadamanthus whip you hard!”
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
In the taunting of the crowd, Pollux’s strength seemed to have been drained as he sat down on his chair dejectedly.
Tritodemos looked at him and said, “Silence! It’s now up to the jurors to vote whether the defendant is guilty or not!”
With that, the court assistant immediately places an hourglass on the judge’s desk, and the jurors must decide before the hourglass gets emptied.
Each of the jurors has two bronze medals, one engraved with “guilty” and the other engraved with “not guilty”. The jurors quickly placed a bronze medal in their hands into the bronze pot with hardly any hesitation.
“Clang! Clang! Clang!…” The clear sound seemed to strike the heart of Pollux like a hammer.
After waiting for the end of the voting, the court assistant went over and began counting. He picked up a bronze medal from the jar and showed it to the members of the jury, “Guilt!…guilty!…guilty!…”
Every time he read one, the audience cheered while Pollux turned pale.
The result came out: 50 votes were guilty, and no one has abstained. (If the results happened to be a tie, then the court’s judge will have the final ruling power.)
The audiences erupted in cheers, while Pollux’ face became ashen.
Next is the trial of Ariphes, Marsyas, Enanilus, Eurypus and the other statesmen, as well as some nobles and officials, which is easier in the face of hard evidence, and all were found guilty.
However, the collective crimes committed by so many statesmen and officials had made the people feel fear and anger. In the end, the shouting in the square turned into asking a ‘collective investigation of the Senate and officials, and find out those who are guilty of corruption of public property’, which resounded throughout the city of Thurii.
The statesmen of the Senate became frightened after the shouting reached their ears. While Davos, who is proposing a bill to the Senate, smiled.
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The public trial lasted until dusk. After that, many people spontaneously went to the front gate of the Grand Senate Hall, protesting against the statesmen, causing the statesmen to retreat quickly through the back door after the meeting ended. After they came out, all of them looked grave.
“After the new bill is enacted, the power of our Senate will be greatly restricted! Lord Davos has unexpectedly proposed such a bill. What good will it do him?!” Stromboli said with slight dissatisfaction.
“Lord Davos is correct to do this! Just listen to the shouting of the people in the square-” Cornelius pointed to his rear and exclaimed, “It is the right of the citizens to participate in politics. Wasn’t this always the case in Amendolara? It’s not like you haven’t experienced it, so why do you feel uncomfortable now?!”
Stromboli was stunned. He thought about it and said, “I think the current system is already good. At least we don’t have to worry about the citizens suddenly accusing us. Let alone the fact that you would get terminated before even finishing your work due to your one-year term ending and not getting re-elected. In Theonia Union, I could think in detail about what I want to do, then plan, and then concentrate on implementing it step by step…but due to a group of people who only cares about their own interests, people who know nothing could now dictate our affairs!”
Such similar discussions happen among the statesmen who were hurrying back to the city.
Marigi and Plesinas walked behind.
“Lord Marigi, even though the citizens’ anger were never directed at him, why did lord Davos proposed such a bill? I usually stayed in the temple, and I know very well that most of them have great respect for lord Davos.” Plesinas couldn’t help but speak his doubts.
Marigi laughed and said in a low voice, “You have already answered your own question.”
Plesinas became more confused.
Marigi raised his head and looked at the setting sun, which was almost hidden behind the mountain. His eyes were lost in a trance as if he is thinking about something. Finally, he murmured, “…you Greeks, it has been a long time since the age of monarchy. So you obviously don’t know what the most important thing for a king is!”
Plesinas was not surprised by the metaphor, “for a king”. He thought it over carefully, but he was still unable to understand it.
Marigi lightly spat out a word, “Balance!”
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It was evening, and the night shrouded the city of Thurii, but Cheiristoya’s Restaurant was filled with candlelight and bustling noises.