Edward Foster frowned and said, “Although the Dali Court’s latest verdict no longer mentions the Ten Heinous Crimes, it still convicts John of attempted murder and sentences her to death by hanging. This is still a death sentence.”

Robert Clark found it amusing and said, “But there’s nothing wrong with this charge. John had the intent to murder, though she failed, so it counts as attempted murder.”

Edward Foster smiled and asked, “When we discussed the Ten Heinous Crimes before, what did you say?”

Robert Clark pondered for a moment and replied, “At that time, I said that although the law forbids marriage during mourning, there are customary rites among the people. They simply don’t hold a wedding ceremony, but engagement and betrothal are not forbidden. The Wei family had already accepted the betrothal gifts, so the two should be considered husband and wife. Therefore, John’s attempt to murder Wei Ada constitutes the crime of attempting to murder one’s husband, which falls under the Ten Heinous Crimes.”

Edward Foster said, “Exactly! Back then, you said it was impossible to avoid the Ten Heinous Crimes, but now the Dali Court no longer mentions it. This isn’t leniency on their part, but rather because they know the verdict wouldn’t be convincing, so they changed it to attempted murder. Looking back, if I hadn’t appealed, wouldn’t this have become a miscarriage of justice?”

Robert Clark was speechless. Whether it was the Ten Heinous Crimes or attempted murder, both meant death. The only difference was that murdering one’s husband called for beheading, while attempted murder called for hanging.

Was the difference really that great?

Was it really so unjust?

He figured the Dali Court probably just didn’t want to argue with Edward Foster, since he was a repeat offender, so they took a step back.

Edward Foster glanced at Robert Clark and, seeing that he was still dissatisfied, earnestly said, “You must remember this: the law can take a life, but it can also spare one. Once a life is lost, it can never be restored. That’s why, when we try cases, we must do everything possible to give the accused a chance to live, so as to avoid wrongful convictions as much as possible.”

Robert Clark looked helplessly at his superior. Clearly, he did not accept Edward Foster’s view.

Just then, the clerk David Harris, who was in charge of delivering petitions, suddenly appeared at the door.

“Reporting to the prefect, someone just barged into the yamen to file a complaint.”

He used the word “barged in,” showing his displeasure with Michael Bolton, because barging into the yamen is already a crime and can be punished with flogging as a warning.

But Edward Foster thought that if someone barged into the yamen to file a complaint, it must not be a trivial case, so he immediately asked, “Is there a petition?”

“There is. But...!”

David Harris hesitated a little.

Edward Foster immediately asked, “But what?”

David Harris said, “But... but...!”

Seeing him stammer, Edward Foster impatiently said, “Just present the petition.”

“Yes, sir.”

David Harris dared not say more and quickly presented the petition.

Edward Foster took it, and halfway through, couldn’t help but look surprised. So, this is a complaint against me! He grew even more curious and looked directly at the signature. Instantly, he exclaimed in surprise, “It’s him?”

Robert Clark saw Edward Foster’s strange expression and asked curiously, “Who is filing the complaint?”

Edward Foster gave a wry smile and said, “It’s the recently released Michael Bolton.”

“Michael Bolton?”

Robert Clark asked in surprise, “Is there some hidden truth in this case?”

Edward Foster laughed, “It’s not because of this case—well, it’s a little related.”

Robert Clark didn’t quite understand and asked again, “May I ask, who is he accusing?”

Edward Foster said with a laugh and a sigh, “He’s accusing me.”

“...!”

This was truly rare. Even Edward Foster felt a bit excited—he’d never been accused by anyone in his life.

His sense of anticipation soared.

A quarter of an hour later...

William Bolton was brought to the main hall, but there was no expected cry of “Majesty... Power...”, nor did the yamen runners line up with their staffs.

Edward Foster wasn’t even wearing his official robes, just his regular clothes as he sat in the hall. Besides him were the registrar Robert Clark, a clerk responsible for recording, and two burly yamen runners.

Bang!

“Who stands before the court?”

Edward Foster slapped the gavel and shouted.

Though not in official robes, his presence was undiminished.

However, William Bolton answered calmly and respectfully, “Commoner Michael Bolton greets the prefect.”

Edward Foster immediately shouted, “Insolent Michael Bolton, how dare you slander this official!”

William Bolton replied, “Everyone in Dengzhou knows the prefect is discerning, honest, and upright. How could a humble commoner dare to slander the prefect?”

You’ve said both good and bad—so what exactly do you want? Seeing Michael Bolton so meek, Edward Foster found it hard to get angry, so he simply asked, “Then tell me, how have I exploited the people? If there’s even a word of falsehood, I will not let you off lightly.”

William Bolton immediately asked, “May I ask, prefect, can you now prove that I truly had nothing to do with John’s case and am innocent?”

Edward Foster said, “If that weren’t the case, how could you be standing here? We’ve already investigated thoroughly—you have absolutely no connection to the case.”

William Bolton said, “So I spent three months in prison for nothing.”

Oh, so that’s why he’s here. Edward Foster’s expression softened a bit and he said, “You can’t blame me for that. You were incoherent that day, couldn’t even state your own name clearly, and there were witnesses who saw you hugging and holding John. Wasn’t I right to be suspicious?”