After rewriting the verdict, signing, and stamping it, Mayor Carter smiled and asked, “Young master, is this acceptable now?”

Emily Thompson said, “One or two years isn’t enough to dispel the hatred in my heart—make it three years…”

Mayor Carter took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said, “That’s possible, but according to the law, the maximum sentence for causing injury is two years. If I sentence three years, the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review might not approve it…”

Emily Thompson replied, “It’s fine, just sentence as you wish…”

Watching Mayor Carter change the sentence to three years, Emily Thompson noticed that his lifespan reverted to three days.

It seemed that the “Code of Law” would only grant him extra life according to the current legal statutes. The female assassin’s crime could be sentenced to a maximum of two years; if the sentence exceeded the legal maximum, it would be invalid, and Emily Thompson would gain no benefit.

Afterward, he tried half a year, a year and a half, two and a half years… even the death penalty. He found that both the death penalty and two and a half years were invalid; a year and a half added one day to his life, half a year added nothing—it seemed that any extra time outside of a full year would be discarded…

Mayor Carter rubbed his sore wrist, forced a smile, and asked Emily Thompson, “Young master, is this enough now?”

Emily Thompson said apologetically, “Let’s just follow the Great Xia law and sentence two years. Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Sullivan…”

At this moment, Mayor Carter was burning with rage inside.

Sentence, change, sentence, change…

So this spoiled brat came to the county office just to mess with him?

After all, he was the county magistrate of the capital, a fifth-rank official—did they really think he was afraid of the head of the Court of Judicial Review?

Actually, he really was afraid.

Very afraid.

Mayor Carter’s smile remained bright as he said, “No problem, I’ll just write it again. It’s no big deal…”

Chapter 5: Judging a Case in Court

Although the final sentence didn’t change, Emily Thompson had figured out the rules of the “Code of Law.”

The remaining lifespan shown in the code could be altered.

As far as prison sentences went, within the limits of the law, for every year a criminal was sentenced, he could live one more day.

He had asked Mayor Carter; in Great Xia, besides imprisonment, there were lighter punishments like flogging and caning, and heavier ones like exile and the death penalty. How much these punishments could increase his lifespan, Emily Thompson didn’t know yet. First, the female assassin’s crime had a maximum sentence; second, he couldn’t keep tormenting an honest man like Mayor Carter.

But there was one thing Emily Thompson could be sure of.

To have the “Code of Law” increase his lifespan, the criminal had to be related to him—like the female assassin who tried to kill him. If any random case worked, with the government sentencing so many cases every day, wouldn’t he become immortal?

So, does that mean the more people who try to assassinate him, the better?

To stay alive, he’d have to trade lives for his own…

That was just too miserable. Who would be so bored as to try to assassinate a fool every day?

Mayor Carter was worried that if he stayed any longer, he might not be able to resist hitting this spoiled brat. Of course, he was even more afraid of dying from anger. After cupping his hands to Emily Thompson, he said, “Young master, I still have cases to try in court. Perhaps…”

Speaking of cases, Emily Thompson had a sudden idea.

He wondered, even if a case had nothing to do with him, if he personally presided over the trial, could it increase his lifespan?

Time was running out. Even after just gaining two more days, he only had five days left to live. He had to seize every opportunity. With this thought, he immediately said to Mayor Carter, “Mr. Sullivan, I have an unreasonable request—could you let me try this case?”

Mayor Carter was stunned when he heard this: “What, young master wants to try a case?”

Emily Thompson asked, “Is that possible?”

Without official status, presiding over a case in court was, in principle, not allowed.

But your father is the head of the Court of Judicial Review—what you say is the principle. Who would dare object?

Mayor Carter took a deep breath and said, “Of course, please, young master, this way…”

Mr. Harris curiously asked Emily Thompson, “Young master, why do you want to try a case?”

Emily Thompson just smiled and said, “I’m bored, so I’ll try it for fun…”

Mr. Harris didn’t say anything more. The young master was probably just playing around, but since he liked it, let him have his fun.

During the trial, the county magistrate hurriedly left. The bailiffs on both sides of the court were curious but didn’t dare say a word. As for the two suspects kneeling below, even though their knees were numb, they didn’t dare move.

After a long while, the county magistrate returned, and by his side was a young man dressed in luxurious clothes.

The fifth-rank Mayor Carter actually gave up the main seat to this young man and treated him with extreme respect. Everyone present was shocked, even their breathing slowed.

Emily Thompson had already learned outside that Mayor Carter was trying a theft case, with two suspects currently identified, and was conducting routine questioning.

Emily Thompson first took the case file and looked it over. The script of Great Xia was similar to traditional Chinese characters from later times. When writing his thesis, Emily Thompson often had to study ancient documents, so he knew quite a few traditional characters. Although there were still some he didn’t recognize, he could guess most of them from context.

However, his predecessor was, after all, a fool who couldn’t even do addition or subtraction within ten, so he probably didn’t recognize many characters.