William Bolton asked again, “Where is the private room?”

Who would refuse to stay in a private room? Now, with debts piling up, William Bolton desperately needed this kind of support.

He was not one to turn down any offer.

But what puzzled him was that, although many people supported him, no one had ever sent him a maid to take care of his most basic needs as a man. Wasn’t that supposed to be standard?

This was truly a bit disappointing!

……

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. William Bolton, who had been on the verge of destitution, was now, with the help of many righteous people, enjoying good food and drink every day, his condition improving by the day.

Today was the day of the trial.

“I never expected such a simple case to cause such a stir throughout the city. Sigh...!”

Dressed in official robes, James Carter walked along the corridor toward the main hall, sighing to Edward Foster beside him.

Edward Foster was only wearing regular clothes today, clearly showing his intention to stay out of the matter and giving the main stage to James Carter. He also picked up on the hidden meaning in James Carter’s words, implying that it was he who had stirred up all this trouble, making everyone uneasy.

To be fair, without his support, this matter would never have escalated.

Edward Foster sighed and said, “After all, this concerns a human life. If we were to take someone’s life based solely on your or my word, wouldn’t that be too hasty? Back in the day, when Emperor Taizong established the Criminal Division, wasn’t it precisely to prevent such reckless loss of life?”

“Magistrate Xu speaks with reason!” James Carter nodded awkwardly.

Edward Foster’s words were truly biting. If I could decide every case, then what’s the point of having a Criminal Division? Isn’t your job as a criminal officer just a bunch of “unnecessary” tasks?

If you deny this, then you might as well dissolve the Criminal Division altogether.

Just then, a cheer erupted outside the courtyard, and faintly, the name “Zhang Sanlang” could be heard.

James Carter frowned and said, “No wonder that fellow is so fearless—he’s already won over the people’s hearts.”

Edward Foster immediately said, “You’re right, Inspector Cao. That fellow is truly arrogant, acting as if this government office is his own home. I can do nothing about him, so I hope you can put him in his place later.”

James Carter did indeed intend to give Zhang San a hard time. He wanted to test what exactly the relationship was between Edward Foster and Zhang San. Hearing Edward Foster say this, he felt reassured.

At that moment, Robert Clark suddenly hurried up from behind and said, “Reporting to the magistrate, a letter has just arrived from the capital. You have been promoted to serve as a judge at the Dali Temple and are to return to the capital to take up your post immediately.”

Edward Foster was surprised. “Why is this?”

Robert Clark glanced slightly at James Carter.

Suddenly, another person came forward and whispered something in James Carter’s ear.

Upon hearing this, James Carter’s expression changed, and he said to Edward Foster, “I’m afraid I can no longer preside over this case.”

Chapter 9: The Intertwining of Fate

Outside the courtyard, the citizens remained enthusiastic, all cheering for William Bolton.

This time, there were far more people coming to observe the trial than last time, including many talented young men and scholars. These young people were full of passion and lacked rational thinking; they were more willing to follow their hearts.

On one hand, they believed the real culprit was Fang Datian, and on the other, they deeply sympathized with John, the beautiful young woman, believing she was innocent.

Of course, there are always two sides to every story. Quite a few people thought John deserved her fate. Most of these were elders, relatively conservative, and placed great importance on propriety and law.

However, these people were comparatively silent and would not go out of their way to attend the trial, making William Bolton’s support seem overwhelming.

Yet, after a long wait, the scheduled time had already passed, and the government office doors remained closed. People began to murmur among themselves.

Did something go wrong?

William Bolton was also very worried. A problem right after a change of officials—how could he not be afraid?

After a while, David Harris suddenly came out and summoned William Bolton into the hall.

But as soon as William Bolton went in, the government office doors were closed again.

This left the citizens waiting outside utterly confused. Wasn’t this supposed to be a public trial?

Why was Zhang San the only one allowed in?

Could it be that the authorities were going back on their word?

Or were they trying to force William Bolton to drop the lawsuit?

Speculation sprouted like bamboo shoots after the rain.

It seems that, throughout history, conspiracy theories have always been beloved by the people!

“Commoner Zhang San greets the magistrate.”

Upon entering the main hall, he saw only Edward Foster and Robert Clark; the inspector James Carter was nowhere to be seen. Moreover, both Xu and Xu looked grave, making William Bolton even more uneasy.

Edward Foster asked, “Zhang San, let me ask you: do you insist on seeking justice for John?”

To this, William Bolton nodded firmly and said, “Yes.”

Edward Foster continued, “Then do you dare to go to Bianliang to appeal on her behalf?”

William Bolton was shocked. “Appeal in Bianliang?”

Edward Foster asked, “Are you afraid?”

“No... I’m not afraid, it’s just... I just don’t understand why we suddenly have to appeal in Bianliang?” William Bolton asked in confusion.

Robert Clark couldn’t help but say, “You have yourself to thank for this. If you hadn’t talked about immunity from guilt in the first place, how would things have escalated to this point?”

“Hm?”