The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1831 Mass
Then came the second and the third, and ever since the old butcher started using biological and chemical weapons, the surrounding people's war preparedness has been constantly upgraded, with all kinds of feces, swill, and rotten eggs being used.

Finally, the crowd practically forced the judge out of the courthouse, conducting individual trials of him one by one, and even forcing them to wear masks to avoid nausea and vomiting.

St. Stephen's Cathedral was also packed with people, and Archbishop Rauscher personally presided over the Mass.

Archbishop Rauscher sang the same outrageous and almost baseless hymns as he had when Franz was born 28 years earlier, but the weeping and prayers of the people inside the church were real.

When the Mass ended, people did not leave as quickly as usual; they were prepared to stay and pray for the Emperor. They did not know whether the prophecy was true or false, but Franz was indeed changing the country.

A grand celebration was also being held at the synagogue not far away, where rabbis were loudly reciting scriptures.

"Lord, you are our Rock, our Redeemer. You delivered your people from slavery in Egypt, and you also delivered us from the darkness of Vienna."

Some people, however, don't quite understand.

Why should we pray for a heretic, a tyrant? Don't forget what he has done.
Hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people lost their homes and families because of his single order.

The Book of Exodus that you are reciting tells of the suffering of our ancestors, but just a few years ago it also gave our compatriots a taste of the Exodus from Europe.”

Before the young man could finish speaking, he was tackled to the ground and his mouth was covered by the surrounding crowd. His mother pleaded urgently.

“The child is ignorant. His father has been sent to Patagonia. Please let him go.”

In fact, Jews involved in the German National Council incident were usually sent to Patagonia with their families.

Logically speaking, since the head of the family was sent away, the mother and son should also be sent away.

Although the emperor's orders were ruthless, the loyalty of the Vienna police responsible for carrying them out was invaluable.

There is no doubt that this family had a close relationship with those corrupt police officers, which made the surrounding Jews feel sympathy for their plight, but also a bit disgust and contempt.

"Enough! Quiet! Stop! This is a church! Don't use violence in front of God!"

The child was right. His Majesty the Emperor has indeed caused suffering to some of us, but His Majesty's original intention was to eliminate those madmen who attempted to overthrow the country and the confederation, those parasites that leech off us.

Those corrupt police officers are the ones who misinterpret the emperor's intentions and persecute us arbitrarily! Don't show that child any contempt!

Which Jew wasn't extorted and threatened by those corrupt police officers back then? But we simply couldn't afford to pay that money, and we didn't have any property that they would even notice.

If we were rich, would we refuse to exchange our assets for the safety of our families?
The real fault lies not with His Majesty the Emperor, but with those corrupt police officers, greedy officials, and those thugs and parasites.”

Suddenly, someone interrupted the rabbi's speech.

“You’re wrong! They are clearly the smartest, bravest, hardest-working, and most generous people among us! Without them, we would have been wiped out by the Austrians long ago!”

Despite the stares of the crowd, the boy still stood tall with his chest out.

The rabbi on the stage was quite helpless; he recognized the child in front of him.

“Isaac, if your father heard you say that, he would break your legs.”

If His Majesty the Emperor hadn't forgiven all usurious loans, you would have had to start working at the age of eight, just like your father.

Did you know that your family has been working for centuries to pay off the debts of your ancestors?

The boy said somewhat stubbornly.

"That must be because my ancestors owed them a huge favor! Paying back debts is only right and proper!"

The rabbi shook his head.

“Child, you are still young. You don’t understand compound interest, and you don’t understand the difference between them and us.”

The crowd nearby also chimed in.

"Those bankers are all the same, whether they're German, Italian, or Jewish. All moneylenders deserve to die!"

"His Majesty the Emperor is not Jewish, yet he has accomplished what no previous king of Israel could do."

He truly broke our chains and forgave our debts.

Regardless of his beliefs, he represented justice at this moment.

Let us pray for him, hoping that he will continue to bring us peace and tranquility.

May the Lord bless him.

Although some Jews were persecuted within the Austrian Empire, the lives and social status of the majority of Jews generally improved significantly.

Their prayers were not limited to mere formalities.

The discussion about the operation in the café did not disappear.

"See that? Those bastards should have died long ago! Their retribution has come! Look at them crying and begging for their parents!"

"His Majesty the Emperor has proven that justice exists! Those corrupt police officers and powerful figures have finally been punished!"

"This is what an empire should look like!"

The people at the bottom of society and students felt this most deeply. They originally wanted to go to a beer hall to celebrate, but there were too many people there, and they just happened to have a little money.

In a dark corner of the café, a retired police officer, pale-faced, kept rubbing his fingers against the inside of his cup, oblivious to the fact that the coffee inside had gone cold.

"My God, what is going on? This has already implicated tens of thousands of people, hasn't it? One or two thousand people have already been executed, and dozens more are hanging in the square."
What is this? Is this supposed to be a rectification campaign? This is nothing short of a massacre in the name of justice!

The person accompanying them immediately gestured for them to be quiet.

"Keep your voice down! If you want to die, don't drag us down with you! We're all retired, what business is it of ours?"

"That's right, Balan, why are you so absent-minded today? Why are you saying all this? We just want to have some coffee and soak up the sun. Let His Majesty the Emperor kill whoever he wants. What does it have to do with us?"

The old man who spoke first lowered his voice.

"How can this not be our business? It's said that His Majesty the Emperor wants to investigate this thoroughly."

The others at the table immediately tensed up.

"What do you mean by 'investigating to the end'? Does he want to dredge up old grievances?"

"I didn't believe it at first either. After all, who in this country is clean? But do you know what? Those people in Moselle have already been arrested!"

"How could this be? What do we do now?"

"He dares! Who have I ever been afraid of?"

An old man with a fierce face glared angrily, revealing a scar on his chest.

The people at the table all shook their heads.

"There are plenty of people more courageous and stronger than you. Which of those high-ranking officials and nobles is easy to mess with?"

Which gang leader doesn't have ruthless thugs under his command?

But where are they now?

"If I had known, I would have gone to the colonies!"

Suddenly, someone had a brilliant idea.

"Go and buy a veteran's certificate."

"Yes!" The group hurriedly left the coffee shop, unaware that they had already been spotted by the secret police.

These people are also panicking now. They don't know if the knife will fall on their heads, so they are all busy desperately increasing their sales.

Several young college students sitting by the fireplace on the second floor were not satisfied with this.

"What can be concluded from such a hasty trial? Letting ignorant people make the judgment? What do they know? Where is procedural justice?"

"If you ask me, this isn't a trial, it's cover-up!"

"Yes! Why only dare to purge the police and prison systems? If the emperor is a man, he should purge the entire Austrian Empire!"
What is he afraid of? What is he hiding? Where are the culprits? Where are the nobles and capitalists?

Why do you only dare to catch small fish and shrimp to fool the public?

The other guests, however, disagreed.

"An Interior Minister, a Police Chief, a Police Deputy Chief—just the fifth-rank civil servants alone have dealt with more than a hundred people. How many people have been dealt with by the super-rich with assets exceeding one million?"
You bunch of brats, even if you work your whole lives, it's questionable whether you can even become a third-level civil servant. And do any of your families combined have a million florins?
"You bunch of people dare to call them small fry? What are you? Dust in the mud?"

(At this time in the book, the Austrian Empire's civil service was divided into nine ranks, with the ninth rank being the highest, consisting of eight officials. Although there were nine ministers, the Minister of War was a military officer.)
Faced with the lecture from the guests, the faces of the young students immediately turned red.

"The Austrian Empire has nine ministers! And the other eight? A fifth-rank civil servant might be a big deal elsewhere, but in Vienna there are at least a thousand of them!"

The guest next to him sneered and asked in return.

"His Majesty the Emperor dealt with more than 10,000 people. Vienna only has a little over a million people at the moment. Don't you think that's enough?"

"That's nothing more than painkillers! Just because you catch a few scoundrels and put on a show, you become a champion of justice?"
I think the emperor and the imperial government are just making an example of us to deter others! So that we'll all behave ourselves!

If you want to change this country, I'd say we should follow France's example!

His companion scratched his head.

"But France is also an imperial system."

"How can that be the same? Napoleon was elected by the people!"

Finally, someone couldn't take it anymore.

"The French? The story of the Great Rebellion? We know that all too well! Those Frenchmen beheaded the king first, and then they weren't satisfied."

Just like you bunch of little brats, they've decided to start beheading each other. Today this faction beheads that faction, tomorrow that faction beheads this faction.

There was a man named Robespierre who would surely have a lot in common with you. He also spent his days beheading people, and eventually he too was sent to the guillotine.

You call that success? I think it should be called madness!

John Nestorro, a cynical playwright known for his biting satire, was one of the few people allowed to bring his own drinks to cafes.

Sitting opposite him was a well-known lawyer in Vienna.

"Those children are really too arrogant. This is probably the most intense conflict since the Habsburgs took control of Vienna."

They had no idea just how much pressure His Majesty the Emperor was under.

Although I am a lawyer, I still have to say that if we follow the normal legal procedures they suggest and wait for the truth to be revealed, it may take decades, and some things will never be known at all.

Once people have forgotten their evil deeds, they can be released without charge by bribing the judge with a small amount of money. At that time, the world will only remember the emperor's cruelty and inhumanity.

His Majesty the Emperor is using the most barbaric and violent methods to achieve the justice that the people expect.

A thorough cleaning isn't treatment; it's tantamount to committing ritual suicide.

John Nestorro's nose was red from years of heavy drinking. Although it was daytime, he was completely intoxicated and shook his head, disagreeing with his old friend's opinion.

"It's just the same old thing in a new bottle; nobody will buy into this kind of show!"

What irrefutable evidence? What heinous crime? I almost burst out laughing when I saw it!

Who knows if that evidence is real or fabricated? Why wasn't there a purge earlier? Why now of all times? It might just be part of an internal political struggle within the empire!

"But were all those victims fake? Was that public outrage also an act?"
"I'm a lawyer, and I've heard plenty of stories about gangsters and corrupt cops."

"Hahaha! Don't be ridiculous! If physical evidence can be forged, why would you be afraid of the trouble of finding a few extras?"

I'll find you a few actors; you can have them play whatever roles you want! Have you actually witnessed those legends you've heard?

Let me tell you! There are good people in the Beggars' Sect who uphold justice. If there were no Beggars' Sect, wouldn't those beggars be bullied to death? Who would take care of those disabled and deformed children?
History is written by the victors! There is no such thing as universal justice in this world; true justice belongs only to the victors!

John Nestorro, having had a good time speaking, wanted to drink another large glass of wine, but just as he pulled out his flask, the table slammed into his chest, and he coughed up wine that sprayed all over his old friend's face.

"Who kicked my table? Do you want to die?!"

The lawyer friend who got sprayed in the face also wiped his face.

"Who? I'll sue you until you're bankrupt!"

However, the famous lawyer lowered his head as soon as he turned around.

In fact, there are quite a few people in Vienna who could make him bow down, but those big shots usually don't come to such small places, and even those big shots are unwilling to offend someone like him.

But he really couldn't afford to offend the person in front of him, and he didn't even dare to speak.

John Nestorro was extremely displeased; he was now completely drunk.

"Do you know who I am?"

"I don't care who you are?"

Talia was not to be outdone. She had been happy downstairs, but after going upstairs, all she heard were fallacies and heresies. The words of the person in front of her were even more vicious, and she was now filled with anger.

"I am John Nestorroy!"

"do not know!"

When John Nestorroy saw that the other party showed him no respect whatsoever, and that it was a woman, coupled with the influence of alcohol, he raised his hand, ready to slap her a few times.

"You wretch! I'll teach you some manners today!"

The bodyguards immediately stepped forward to stop John Nesteroy, but Talia had no intention of letting this guy who had insulted her get away with it. She kicked him in the groin, causing John Nesteroy to roll on the ground in pain.

But the excruciating pain also sobered him up somewhat, and John Nestorro immediately realized that the woman in front of him was no ordinary person.

It is not uncommon for people in Vienna to have bodyguards or guards, but very few can afford to hire nobles as bodyguards or guards.

After all, the nobles of this era were all proud, and even if they were down on their luck, they would not be willing to be someone else's bodyguard.

However, there are exceptions. Either they are really willing to spend money, or they are truly in a high position of power. Those minor nobles will not feel ashamed, but only honored.

His lawyer friend's behavior further confirmed his suspicions. After all, his lawyer friend was known as the "Vienna Nightmare," and ordinary officials and nobles would avoid him.

"Ahem, there might be some misunderstanding between us. What did I do to offend you?"
I apologize for whatever I have done to offend you!

John Nestorro decided that it was wise to wait until he got away before making a scene with this scoundrel.

However, Talia was not going to let him off the hook.

"Are you done talking? It's my turn to speak."