"Good start..."

Archduke Simon frowned slightly and pondered for a while before asking, "Are there other ways besides 'sanctions' and 'wait and see'?"

He looked at Mo Tan with some confusion. After all, in Simon's mind, neither the 'sanction', which imposes severe punishments in accordance with the imperial code, nor the 'wait-and-see', which is tantamount to acquittal, is not a good start. The former is almost equivalent to Marshall.

The family will be destroyed, and the latter will lead to the death of the Fire Claw Territory. Of course, the premise is that what Dabus said about Futaba and what Grand Duke Rhino said is true...

Regardless of whether the previous 'threat' from the Fire Claw was true or not, Simon, who puts the empire first in everything, would not dare to bet, no matter how small the possibility was!

If the Fire Claw Territory really starts a war and exposes the Marshall family's criminal activities of catching and selling slaves to the world, and the young and energetic head of the Crystal Wolf family gets involved, the worst case scenario may even lead to the collapse of the empire. A conservative estimate is that

It will be very debilitating.

【So what is his plan?】

Simon unabashedly looked at the calm and composed young poet in front of him. He knew very well that the other person was definitely not an 'enthusiastic citizen of the Violet Empire', not to mention his feat of catching Sac Frith without anyone noticing.

Judging from this person's elusive temperament, his profound words, and his thorough understanding of the situation, Archduke Simon did not believe that this guy had no other motives. In fact, this dark man who was only forty years old but had a lot of experience in the world.

The Elf Grand Duke has already seen some clues from the details not long ago, and coupled with the fact that Baroka, who is also not as innocent as he seems, expressed his position so quickly, he already has some guesses in his mind, but it is just not convenient to put them there.

Just speaking on the table.

"No, there is no other way."

Mo Tan chuckled and shook his head, and said slowly, "The so-called good start is based on the premise that the result of the trial is 'sanction', otherwise the empire will definitely set off an uproar where the conservative cup size must be G. When the time comes, I think

It won't be that easy to end it. Of course, this is just my personal guess. Even if your lord, the Duke, doesn't believe a word, you are free."

So what is a cup size?

Simon did not ask this question, which he vaguely felt was a bit tasteless, but asked directly, "The behavior of the Marshall family... If the judgment according to the Imperial Code is enough to exterminate the family, even one of the nine major families is useless."

Although Grand Duke Simon remained expressionless when he said these words, Mo Tan still keenly captured the pain and struggle faintly revealed in his words. This is also expected, after all, this Ximu Simon

The Grand Duke is still young (compared to his race), and no matter how cold and rigid his character is, he is still not as open-minded as those old ghosts who have lived for nearly a thousand years (Xia Lian, who is far away in Misha County, suddenly

sneezed), and Buffy Marshall was one of his few close friends. Although the two families did not have close contact due to distance, it did not affect their personal friendship, so they often communicated with each other in their personal names.

Going to the other party's territory as a guest, and there is no puppy love... Therefore, Simon, who has no children, naturally also loves Buffy's children, so even if he is very aware of the seriousness of the Marshall family's crimes, even if the family is exterminated several times, it is normal.

But he still couldn't bear it.

Therefore, this grand duke who is loyal to the empire and the code has been wavering before. In addition to the reason that the collapse of the Marshall family, one of the nine major families, may lead to instability in the empire, he is also struggling with his personal emotions.

, so I have been subconsciously amplifying the reason that "the nine pillars of the empire cannot be missing".

This means that if Mo Tan had not come today, even if the current Archduke Simon has not made up his mind, he would most likely choose to vote 'wait and see' in the end, and use justice as an excuse to give himself some peace of mind, and then

Always be vigilant and monitor the Marshall family to prevent the evil they have caused from resurrecting.

But the problem is... Mo Tan is here.

"Haha, although what you said, Your Excellency the Duke, makes sense, it is very, very reasonable, but..."

Mo Tan smiled and asked leisurely, "You just said it yourself that the empire has never seen such a situation where the nine major families have been openly tried for hundreds of years. In other words, if the next trial is really based on '

As the ending, "Sanction" is also an unprecedented first time. Lord Duke, do you know how special the three words "first time" are?"

Simon did not understand the ‘deep meaning’ of the former, so he just narrowed his eyes and whispered softly, “Tell me your understanding.”

"My understanding is more complicated, but in this matter, the meaning of the first time is nothing more than the word 'standard'." Mo Tan did not sell it, but explained with a smile, "To be precise, it means setting standards. Civilians

No matter whether it is a standard that can be seen by nobles or lords, everyone can know what level of crimes even a grand duke cannot commit. This will not only make us ignorant people feel the justice of the empire,

I am full of confidence in my future life, and can also ring a bell for those children in high positions, letting them know that even the big lords who play too much will be punished, not to mention that my power and status are far inferior to myself.

.”

Simon nodded lightly, but he could have thought of these contents even if the other party didn't say them, so he just waited silently for the unfathomable Mr. Anthony Dabbs in front of him to continue.

"Of course, more importantly..."

Mo Tan did not disappoint the former. After a short pause, he continued with a smile, "Because punishing a grand duke is out of reach for most people, and those who are qualified to think about it don't have the guts to do it.

In addition, there is no clear explanation in the imperial code, so even if the final result is 'sanctions', we do not necessarily have to completely destroy the Marshall family."

Simon shook his head, his face looked a little ugly, but he still said in a deep voice, "But a crime of this level..."

"Hasn't this level of crime happened before? You just told me personally."

Mo Tan chuckled, spread his hands and said, "What's the result? Apart from giving a lot of benefits to other families, the party involved suffered no losses at all, and there wasn't even a crime. So what do you think about the 'degree of crime'?

Is there still a need to talk?”

Grand Duke Simon's eyes flickered, as if he understood something.

Mo Tan casually took out two valuable goblets that he didn't know where he came from, put them on the small table between the two of them with a smile, and then took out a small jar of wine-scented goblets.

Huo Lie filled up the two cups and said, "The Grand Duke of Baroka gave them to me. It's such a waste to let people like me who don't know how to drink drink them."

Then he picked up the cup and drank down the strong liquor that could be ignited with just a little fire. He exclaimed with emotion, "Okay, it's quite strong!"

[Then why don’t you just drink alcohol?]

Hearing Mo Tan's comments about Gong Huolie, the corner of Simon's mouth, which was relatively knowledgeable about wine, twitched slightly. He picked up the cup, took a sip, shook his head and said, "It seems you really don't understand wine."

Because of Gong Huolie's special nature, he was not worried about the other party poisoning the wine, and drank with confidence.

Mo Tan just smiled, and then turned the topic back on track, shrugging and saying, "In short, since there is an unwritten rule of exchanging benefits for 'observation' votes, the so-called fairness is just a decoration, you

The Imperial Code that I am concerned about is important, but after all it only exists for ordinary people. As for the Grand Dukes... Haha, although it is indeed necessary to follow the corresponding laws after the 'sanctions', as the makers and executors of the laws themselves

, it can still be done to make it less transparent.”

"Not so transparent..."

"That's right, not that transparent."

Mo Tan snapped his fingers in an ungentlemanly manner, and raised the corner of his mouth with a sly arc, "Whether it is this world or this empire, unfair things and the so-called privileged class will never disappear. Instead of following the past,

The 'hidden rules' make all those in high positions feel confident and lawless. It is better to use the privileges in your hands appropriately. Although it will appear less fair in the judgment of disasters, it is still better than the overly extreme handling methods in the past.

"

As soon as these words came out, the Grand Duke Simon who valued the most rules among the nine Dukes in front of Mo Tan actually nodded. Although the latter was rigid, he was by no means a pedantic person. He knew very well that although what Mo Tan said seemed superficial,

It seems deviant and contemptuous of the law, but it can make the laws and rules closer to reality.

In fact, he himself had such thoughts when he first learned about the trials that ended in vain in history. But at that time, he just thought about it. He did not expect that such an opportunity would actually arise, let alone

The friend he discussed with him at that time would become a 'judged person' with countless blood on his hands.

"You should understand what I mean."

Mo Tan raised a toast to Archduke Simon and smiled: "Strict and extreme sanctions may seem just, but in fact they fully demonstrate the privileges of the highest class. In the past, those crimes that could not be ignored on the grounds of 'observation' are a perfect illustration."

Without this, the supposedly fair trial turned into a joke, a stage for interest exchange between major families, and a dirty tacit understanding that everyone knew very well, so absolute justice turned into absurdity.

Big words and silent understanding water the buds of crime, just because no one can afford the high price of being 'sanctioned', well, in layman's terms, no one wants to kill their whole family."

Simon sighed, picked up the goblet and took a big sip of Gong Huo Lie, with a touch of bitterness on the corner of his mouth, "Because no one can guarantee that their descendants will not make huge mistakes, even if I am so confident that I will never

Those who despise the law cannot guarantee that a certain future Grand Duke Simon will not be unanimously found guilty by everyone in the Purple Jiu Hall."

Mo Tan laughed, "This is also one of the reasons for your hesitation, right?"

"That's right."

Archduke Simon nodded unabashedly and said calmly, "I'm not that aware yet."

At this point in the conversation, the two of them could be considered to have completely talked things over.

"No one has such a high level of consciousness." Mo Tan blinked and said leisurely, "But now we have an opportunity, an opportunity to turn absolute justice into relative fairness, and turn unscrupulousness into scruples."

A glimmer of understanding flashed through Archduke Simon's blood-red eyes: "Is that what you said before, to make 'sanctions' less transparent?"

Mo Tan nodded lightly, "Yes, now only a few people know about the heinous crimes of the Marshall family. Apart from the Grand Dukes and people close to them, almost no one knows about the Marshall family's 'feat' of catching and selling slaves. We

It is completely possible not to tell the whole truth after the 'sanctions' are determined, but to just say 20 to 30% of the things to deal with the people. In this way, the punishment does not need to be too strong, but it can also give everyone an explanation, which will not only make everyone

The privileged class like lords have fully enjoyed their privileges. From a long-term perspective, with this start, the future grand dukes of the empire must carefully consider things they want to do, at least not with the intention of "anyway after the exchange of interests."

The mentality that everything will be over will end.”

"So what you want to say is?"

"What I'm trying to say is, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Mo Tan shrugged, smiled warmly and calmly and said, "As the biggest victim, the Fire Claw Leader has a very firm position; the person in charge of the Crystal Wolf happens to be a girl who is not mature enough but has a strong sense of justice; the Grand Duke Baroka also

He expressed his position; the two votes in the hands of the royal family have always been on one side and not helping each other; if the Simon family is added to the mix...heh, for hundreds of years, when has this happened at the highest level trial table in the empire?

What kind of scene? If you miss this time, you don’t know when it will be next time. And if this happens again, it can only mean that someone has committed a crime no less than what the Marshall family did this time. This is

It’s something we don’t want to see.”

Archduke Simon was silent for a long time, then slowly said, "If I choose 'sanction', what do you think will happen in the end?"

Mo Tan smiled casually, shook his head and said, "I know what you want to ask, dear Duke, but what I said before has solved two knots in your mind, one is your loyalty to the empire, and the other is your worries about the system.

, as for the last one... I'm sorry, even if we only confess one-tenth of the truth to the outside world, the current patriarch of the Marshall family and your best friend in youth - Grand Duke Buffy Marshall must die!"

Simon's already quite pale complexion suddenly lost three points of color, but he just nodded with difficulty and said solemnly, "I understand, as the person in charge, Buffy's hands have been stained with too much blood. If it is really punished,

I have to die, but..."

"But Buffy Marshall's death does not mean the demise of the Marshall family."

Mo Tan didn't wait for the other party to finish what he said, then interrupted, "They are such a big family, it's impossible not to have a few innocent people. If I were Buffy, it would be enough to dirty my own hands. There is such a thing as the slave trade."

My wife and children won’t let them hear it, let alone get involved.”

"I see."

"Haha, so, even though the matter is so big, it's not impossible even if Buffy is the only one who dies in the end."

"So, Mr. Dabbs, one last question..."

"Want to hear the details~"
Chapter completed!