148. She must be very beautiful

  148. She must be very beautiful

  The principal offender has been dealt with, and now the accessories are being dealt with. The lord of Daja Castle asked again: "General, His Majesty's edict allows them to be demoted one rank or pay a corresponding fine to atone for their crime, what is your opinion?"

  Amun spread his hands: "I have no opinion, let them choose voluntarily."

  Dahua City Lord smiled bitterly: "Thank you, General, for letting me off the hook! As for those people who mistakenly accused you and were punished by the Emperor with heavy fines, how much do you think is suitable?"

  Amun smiled: "I don't want to extort anyone, as for the specific amount, it's up to you, Lord City Master. I won't be dissatisfied with more or less. Thank you for your hard work! This sum of money will be divided into three parts, I'll take one part, and the other two parts will go to John and General Longteng. This is both my gratitude and Pharaoh's praise."

  Lascaris II praised two generals but only with empty words, while Ammon turned one sum of money into three and generously rewarded Long Teng and John.

  "The master of Deya Castle let out a sigh and said: 'This matter has finally been settled, the day after tomorrow is the Isis Blessing Ceremony, it's fortunate that we can complete it on schedule.'"

  Gabriel, who was listening in, said: "Her Holiness has decreed that once this matter is settled, all relevant parties are to gather at the temple this afternoon for a meeting. Her Holiness wishes to inquire about the results in person."

  Amon had just stood up, seemingly with more to say, but upon hearing Gabriel's words he hesitated and instead gave John a glance before following everyone else to the temple to pay respects to Saint Lady.

  Still in the same noisy conference hall as last time, Saintess Ya asked about Pharaoh's edict and the treatment of Lord Daya, nodded repeatedly with great satisfaction, comforted Amun for a few words and praised Lord Daya, expressing her condolences for their hard work over the past few days.

  She said to Amun, "General, it's rare for you to come to Dreamflight, but you've encountered this situation. Please don't mind. The day after tomorrow is the Isis Blessing Ceremony, and you're attending it for the second time. Two years ago, you were still a glorious warrior of the temple, and today you've become an imperial general. Returning to your old haunt, what are your thoughts?"

  Amon bowed and said, "I must thank the Holy Maiden for her guidance, as well as Gabriel-sama's life-saving kindness back then. Otherwise, there wouldn't be an Amon today. I have a request, please grant it, Holy Maiden."

  Maria: "What is your request, General?"

  Amun: "At this grand ceremony, I want to wear the armor of a glorious warrior, still holding that same spear gun from back then, standing in the same position as before, guarding the square for Saint Lady and doing my part for the Dream Flying City-State."

  Everyone was shocked, the great general did not want to sit on the viewing platform in front of the temple to attend the ceremony, but instead held a spear and stood in the middle of the square to maintain order, just like the temple warrior two years ago. Ahmon doing so, that is quite giving face to the Isis Temple and the Dreamflight City-State!

  Someone was about to dissuade her, but Maria smiled and said: "Alright, I promise you! The great general does not forget his humble origins, is respected by the whole country, and remains modest and prudent, without a hint of arrogance, worthy of admiration!"

  Everyone reacted and expressed their admiration to Ah Meng. Ah Meng smiled: "Saintess, actually there is one more thing I was going to say in the City Master's mansion, but since everyone is here, let's talk about it now. A noble general wants to accuse a commoner, Rong Yi!"

  Daya Chengzhu was taken aback and hastily said: "General, isn't this matter already settled?"

  Amun said calmly, "The matter of Xi Ye's assassination has already been settled. This is another matter, not something I want to tell him, but General John wants to tell him. The indictment has been written, and the details will be explained by Lord City Master. Are we discussing this here or at the City Master's mansion?"

  Maria frowned slightly and said: "How is General John going to sue Sheng Yi again? Bring the indictment over for me to take a look first."

  John pulled out a scroll from his bosom and handed it to Gabriel, who passed it on to the Holy Maiden. Maria flipped through it, her brow furrowing gradually, and said with a serious face: "Pass it around for everyone to read."

  The Holy Lady actually wants all the officials present to take a look, and everyone passes it on, their faces turning ugly. Some people even showed an expression of relief. This indictment is John's accusation against Sheng Yi, accusing him of sending thugs to make trouble at the farm after Jules' death and deliberately creating assassination cases. He took over Jules' family farm and colluded with Red Rose to occupy Jules' wife. Jules' father died in prison, and his wife drowned herself in a river.

  Roux was once a squad leader under John, today he wants to speak out for his subordinates and seek justice for those who died in the front line!

  A' Moon made a big deal out of something small in the brothel, and at first people thought it was Generalissimo fighting over a girl. Later, when they saw that things weren't right, smart people realized that A' Moong was taking advantage of the situation to counterattack Prime Minister Sir. Now they suddenly understand that A' Moong didn't let Sheng Yi off either, and it was all to avenge the soldiers who died at the front lines.

  If this matter is spread out, it will not only be harmless to Amun's reputation, but also add to his prestige. The event is still the same, but its meaning has undergone a turning change.

  After everyone had finished reading, Maria let out a soft sigh and said: "General John, your investigation was very thorough, the facts are clear, and the experience of the Juarez family is pitiful. However, according to the city-state's laws, this case is difficult to overturn."

  The lady said it's true, this case can't be turned over because the most critical evidence is missing. It was Redros who planned this thing, he bought the farm at a low price from Jules' widow, and he forced Jules' widow to surrender, but Redros is dead, and Jules' widow has also taken her own life.

  As for the case of Sheng Yi being stabbed, the facts at the time were clear. Lao Ru Le indeed led a crowd with weapons and broke into Sheng Yi's territory, rushing to the front of Sheng Yi and Lei De Luos' carriage, causing chaos and someone stabbing Sheng Yi's horse. Unless it can be investigated who deliberately planned this incident and found the perpetrator who stabbed the horse to confess that everything was instructed by Sheng Yi, otherwise, the case cannot be overturned.

  It just so happened that John couldn't find any evidence, and some of the original thugs had long since disappeared. The whole thing was orchestrated by Reddros, who is now dead and can't testify. Old Jorel didn't actually have a plot to assassinate Eriol, just like Eriol himself didn't have a plot to assassinate Arin, but in the face of evidence and facts, that's how the case had to be judged.

  These principles are naturally clear to Armon, otherwise he would not have waited until now to bring out this indictment. He stood up and bowed to the ground: "Saintess, you are right. But I don't seek results, I just ask for a public investigation. According to the Egou Empire's law, when a noble accuses a commoner, the City-State Judicial Bureau must accept it and hold a public trial that allows citizens to listen in."

  His goal is not to reopen the old case, but just to make this thing public. Amun accused Xingyi of assassination, which made him lose his reputation. Now, letting John sue Xingyi and hold a public trial is to make him lose his name. Making this matter public also has benefits for Amun and John, at least making it clear why the great general wants to make a big fuss about Meng Fei?

  Maria asked curiously: "General, you and General John have been in the territory all along. How did you know about this? And when did you go to the farm for investigation?"

  Ammon replied, "It was the day after John injured Sheng Yi. Everyone thought I took that girl out of town for a stroll. In fact, she was Jules' sister. Jules was a hero who died on the battlefield and his family was destroyed. The only living relative ended up in such a place, how could I not investigate? I went to that farmhouse with John and Jules' sister to look into this matter."

  Amon is not a fool, of course he didn't mention the assassination of Reddros by Themis, but instead revealed the identity of that girl. The lord of Daya held the indictment and said with a bitter face: "General, Sheng Yi has been crippled with two broken legs and will be sent to serve in the Anla army according to your will, you have already punished him. Moreover, the Holy Maiden just said that this case cannot be overturned, and tomorrow is the Isis Blessing Ceremony, can't we not make things difficult?"

  Amun, who had been kowtowing, stood up and asked with his hands behind his back: "Your Honors, I see you haven't forgotten that the day after tomorrow is the grand ceremony of Isis' blessing. This general would like to ask, what is this blessing?"

  What is a blessing? Everyone hesitated to answer, and together they looked up at the Saintess. Maria gazed at Amun for an instant, with that kind of eye contact between two people, then slowly replied: "At the Blessing Ceremony, Isis' blessing magic is bestowed upon all, eliminating pain, washing away fatigue, giving people confidence, strength, and courage, symbolizing the goddess's love and compassion. But a true blessing is not just such a ceremony."

  When the heart obtains the power of yearning, God will not close his eyes to the children, witnessing sin and goodness, letting love and honesty meet, justice and peace be intimate, the abundance on earth accompanies the tranquility in the soul, washing away the unclean soul, it is a gift and also an examination, this is the true blessing.

  "General, your reminder is not wrong. If we delay today's accusation of the crime because of tomorrow's grand ceremony, what blessing can we talk about? Lord City Master, you should handle it according to the rules and hold a public trial today! Don't change the due treatment of this matter because of the grand ceremony. If the trial cannot be completed tomorrow, continue the trial after the ceremony, as General Amun suggested, issue an announcement."

  ……

  It was thus decided that on the eve of the Isis festival, the city's judicial office accepted John's lawsuit against Tong Yi and issued a notice allowing citizens to attend. The trial would require a process, bringing relevant personnel to the government for questioning, which could not be completed in one or two days, and the results would have to wait until after the festival.

  The announcement was made public, along with John's indictment, but the trial did not actually take place. Because on that very night, Sheng Yi, who had lost his reputation and status, committed suicide. His death was not unexpected, Ah Mon had anticipated this outcome, as he had already been stripped of his noble status and become a commoner, and exposing his evil deeds would only lead to an even more miserable death in the Anla army.

  ……

  It's no longer important how Sheng Yi died. When John took out the indictment in public, his fate was already decided. When Maria gave the order, things were settled, and the dignitaries retreated. The Holy Maiden kept Ah Mon behind, wanting to ask the general something alone, and dismissed everyone around her.

  After the grand ceremony, Armon had to return to his territory, and it was unknown when they would have such an opportunity to meet again. Maria sat there looking at Armon, her eyes seeming to hold a thousand words. Armon also looked at her, after a long time, the sky outside the window gradually darkened, and the general should also bid farewell, only then did he say in a low voice: "Don't you have something to ask me? I can see that you have something on your mind, speak up."

  Maria's words shocked Amun: "The girl who performed the song and dance for you that night, was she the one who killed Redros?"

  Amon was taken aback for a moment, then let out a sigh and said: "Everything can't escape your eyes, I didn't mention this matter at all, but you thought of it. Yes, it was her who killed Reddros, won't the Holy Maiden pursue this poor girl? There's no evidence in this case either."

  Maria said meaningfully: "If I wanted to pursue her, I wouldn't bring it up with you alone now. Ahmon, that girl is called the flower of Dream Flying Thoughts, she must be very beautiful?"

  Amun spoke in front of Maria, for the first time a little stuttering: "Th-this... she's very beautiful, I won't deny it...... but I think true beauty is under the radiant glow of Goddess Isis."

  Maria's eyes had a hint of smile and a tinge of unspoken regret, but she lowered her eyelids and said softly: "You must treat her well, her experience is very pitiful, her behavior is also very admirable, it's a rare and extraordinary woman. Perhaps the gods have brought her to your side, this is true fate in the world."

  Amun smiled: "It's really God who brought her to me, and I just happened to meet her, and so many things happened."

  Maria lowered her gaze, but still felt Amun's eyes on her, and raised her head to ask: "Why are you looking at me like that? You're smiling so strangely! Was what I said wrong? You've shaken the entire empire for a young girl, and now that poor, miserable woman is left with nothing. Shouldn't you treat her well, my great general?"

  Amun is still smiling: "The Holy Maiden has said so, I will certainly treat this girl well, and I will redeem her and take her away, arrange everything."

  Maria frowned slightly and said: "This is what you should do, why are you still smiling like this?"

  Ah Mon finally burst out laughing: "This young lady's name is Temis Khaya, a 4th-level warrior. If Gabriel the Great Warrior were to see her, he would definitely like her too. It's not easy for a woman to achieve this. You are one of the people I admire most, nothing can escape your eyes, but there is one thing that is so obvious, yet you haven't noticed."

  "Maria asked curiously: 'What's wrong? I don't understand what you mean.'"

  Amon said, "You didn't say it, and you haven't seen her, but you guessed that she was the killer who assassinated Reddros. But General John likes her, really likes her. Such an obvious thing, you didn't see it! I will go ask Themis herself for her opinion, if she is willing, let them be together."

  Maria's expression was also somewhat embarrassed: "Oh, so that's how it is. The person who came to the farm for investigation was John, and the one who formally lodged a complaint was also John. When mentioning that girl, General John's expression was indeed... I should have seen it, but didn't notice. You consider your subordinates and your people very thoroughly, you should also consider yourself more."

  Ammon put away his smile and said: "When it's time to consider, I will consider it. You should also take good care of yourself."

  ……

  The next day, Ammon sent people to the brothel to redeem Kethosdemias. The great general took this matter very seriously and sent his personal guard, General John, a great warrior.

  Unexpectedly, someone was even quicker than Armon's reaction. By the time John arrived, three waves of people had already rushed to the brothel to redeem Temis, and none of them were small fries. They were respectively the City Lord Daja-Turan, an envoy sent by the Dragon Ascending Sect, the chief martial artist of the Temple, and a wealthy merchant, Hio himself, who was also an honorary official of the City-State's Bureau of Commodities.

  The madam, Dillandau, was intimidated by this formation. Originally, whoever redeemed it would be fine, but now agreeing to any one of them would inevitably offend the other two, which would make things even more difficult. When John arrived, Cheo was still arguing with the other two, his attitude was very firm, no matter how high the price, he had to redeem Temis out.

  John was also startled by the scene, but this general was rough and subtle, seeing Xi Ou immediately understood what it meant, and asked: "Lord Xi Ou, you came to redeem Temis' daughter, are you trying to give General Amun a favor?"

  Xiao saw John and came over to greet him warmly. When he heard the question, he quickly replied: "Yes, I was planning to send Temis to General's mansion."

  John turned around and asked the other two, "You go back and ask Lord Deya and General Longteng, if they want to ransom Temis' daughter, do they also need to send her to the general? If so, then it's not necessary. Thank you for your kindness on my behalf, I was sent by the general himself to redeem the person."

  So that's how it is! There's nothing more to argue about, those two envoys have left. Xi'ao grasped John's hand and asked: "The general sent you to redeem the person, I also can't come in vain, you must give me some face. The ransom money I'll provide, use my carriage to send Temis' daughter to the general's mansion."

  John smiled: "No need for a carriage, Miss Themis is at the General's mansion, I just came to say hello, as for the money..."

  The madam of the brothel, Dilland, hastily took over and said: "Temi Suka doesn't owe us any money."

  John turned his head and glared: "You said it yourself, Temis, you don't owe anyone money. Don't come crying to me later saying I used the general's power to bully people!"

  Dilando nodded repeatedly: "Of course, she doesn't owe any money. She has earned a lot of money for us in the past six months. My master said that if General Taimeisi comes to redeem her, the reward should go to Miss Temis entirely and be returned to her." Dilando was just the owner of the brothel, which was an estate of one of the great nobles of Mofeisi, also known as "my master" in Dilando's words.

  John came to redeem the person, but in the end, he just said hello and not only didn't spend money but also took away a large sum of money. Xi Ou was unwilling to leave and said to John again: "Let me send you back, I'll lead your horse for you."

  "John said with a mixture of anger and amusement: 'I walked here.'"

  Xiao Yu: "That's great, you can ride in my carriage back."