Successors of all mankind

Chapter 48 Who exactly is he?

Yu Le stood still in front of Shen Ji and did not step forward.

The gate and the tin can had long since wisely retreated to a corner; they had an instinctive fear of the nobility, let alone a name they had never even heard of, the "Four Pillars."

However, although they had never heard of the Four Pillars, they had heard of the Duke and knew that it was the pinnacle of nobility.

The nuns did not rise to greet her. They simply stepped aside to allow access to the divine machine, then stood on either side with their heads bowed, continuing to clasp their hands in prayer.

Battle, and prayer, are almost everything to them.

She stood at the doorway, not moving any further.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

Yu Le wouldn't mistake those lake-blue eyes.

This was the woman who walked with him in the outer city, told him about Robespierre's three branches, and reminded him of the etiquette of aristocratic titles.

She didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.

Yu Le nodded.

Then, old Hudson, who was following behind her, had people carry one box after another forward, saying:

"My lord, the Hudson family's compensation to you is here. Eight hundred and seventeen thousand two hundred gold bars. Would you like to count it?"

Old Hudson had completely calmed down.

He no longer lost his composure as before.

He'll take it all back anyway!

No one can get the better of Hudson!

Yu Le didn't even look at him, but turned to look at Shen Ji.

I don't even know how to tell the face value of this thing, so what am I supposed to order?

But it's okay, I know who to ask!

Without him even saying a word, the other party proactively began to scan all the compensation that Hudson Sr. had brought.

After a moment, Shenji said:

"A total of 690,000 Royal Gold Certificates can be legally exchanged for an equivalent amount of physical gold bars, and there are no problems with this part. However, of the remaining physical gold coins worth 137,200 gold bars, 301 are defective and do not weigh their face value."

"This is a wear and tear issue that occurred during casting and distribution. This agency will not pursue it further, but will only order you to provide additional compensation."

"In addition, this machine has also discovered that you seem to have deliberately mixed in 250 counterfeit coins."

"This agency demands your explanation. Are you dissatisfied with this agency's ruling, or with the laws enacted by your monarch?"

The entire room fell silent.

The tribunal's blue eyes looked at Yu Le with increasing surprise.

Even she had rarely seen Shenji perform like this.

And it's part of the Arbitrator series...

Old Hudson's face turned extremely ugly for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

"A brilliant strategist! This must be a misunderstanding. How could the Hudson family..."

"This machine does not ask about motives, it only asks about facts."

The machine interrupted him; the dark red camera head remained motionless as the steering wheel turned.

He just kept pressing forward, making old Hudson's head droop lower and lower.

"Two hundred and fifty counterfeit coins, poorly made, with a gold content of less than 30% of the standard. This is not wear and tear, this is forgery."

"Furthermore, the numbers have specific meanings, and this machine requires you to provide a reasonable interpretation!"

The tribune tilted his head slightly and glanced at old Hudson.

She was very curious about the whole story.

Of course, she was more curious about this strange Mr. Jules.

Old Hudson, on the other hand, had no way to express his grievances.

He really didn't know about this!

He could only grit his teeth and say:

“I swear I have absolutely no knowledge of this, I...I will have someone replace me immediately.”

"No need."

Yu Le finally spoke.

Everyone looked at him.

"How many gold pounds are two hundred and fifty counterfeit coins worth?" Yu Le asked.

Shenji replied:

"The face value is 2,500 gold pounds, but the actual value is less than 300."

"Then calculate it based on its actual value."

"Mr. Hudson, you can make up the remaining difference in another way. For example... all future taxes for Settlement 386 can be paid by the Hudson family."

"Until this entire compensation is paid in full. What do you think, Lord Hudson?"

Old Hudson's eye twitched. The taxes at Settlement 386 were not much, but "paying on behalf of" meant that the Hudson family would leave a mark on official records as "doing things for Robespierre."

Then make sure everyone remembers this.

This hurt him more than losing a few thousand pounds.

Because this is a slap in the face. Even after the other person leaves, it will happen again every year!

But he did not refuse; he lowered his head and said.

"As you wish."

“Then I have no problem at all, Lord Hudson!”

"I shall take my leave now!"

After saying this, old Hudson took a deep look at Yu Le and Shen Ji behind him, then led his men away.

The courtroom doors closed again.

The nuns continued to bow their heads in prayer, their faith unrelated to the matter.

The tribunal walked toward the pleasure house and stopped three steps away from him.

"You seem to have overlooked something in this matter."

The tribunal looked at the two gatekeepers who were huddled in the corner and immediately prostrated themselves on the ground when they saw her looking at them.

He continued:

“I’m not entirely sure what happened here, but your actions just now, are they bringing shame to a noble family, or at least a humiliation that will last for two or three hundred years?”

Two thousand gold pounds—a third-class settlement trying to spend this huge sum by paying taxes on behalf of its inhabitants.

By any measure, it's at least two or three hundred years old.

“In the short term, I believe everything will be fine, but what about after you leave? What about in a few years? You’re not helping them, you’re hurting them.”

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for them to hear.

At that moment, both of them felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

Just as they had judged long ago, entertainment was not something they could rely on.

Because the gap is so large, the other party's goodwill could easily crush them all.

Having said that, he glanced at the two poor people again, and the tribunal officer sighed:

“I understand your goodwill towards them, but this won’t do. I’ll try to find a way to let this go. However, you may need to cooperate with me.”

She had met people like Yu Le before, not many, but each one left a deep impression on her.

There were nobles, commoners, and people who were neither...

But they all have one common problem—they can never see the long term.

Especially the nobility.

She had seen and heard of this more than once: a kind lady had given a gold coin to a third-class person out of kindness, and then the poor fellow didn't even see the sun rise the next day.

But this also made her even more curious about who Yu Le was.

The lake-blue eyes carefully examined the strange creature in front of them.

When we first met, the other person looked depressed and melancholy, and seemed extremely uncomfortable with everything around them.

He was followed by noble guards. But he didn't seem like a nobleman.

Therefore, she naturally assumed that this was yet another pitiful person driven to desperation by the heavy pressure of the aristocracy.

Following her own good intentions and observations, she subtly reminded the other party of some things to be careful about.

But now, when they meet again, the other person has become a corpse without regret, and has not successfully run away with the gold.

He...he really became 'Robespierre'!

This made it difficult for her to determine who Yule was.

Chapter 49 Are you engaged?

Yu Le also turned around and looked seriously at the 'strange lady' in front of him.

"Miss Serena, is it alright if I address you like this?"

Miss Serena?

The address made her tilt her head with a strange expression.

She didn't seem to be of noble birth, but... she looked at Shenji strangely.

Then, she lowered her voice, speaking in a tone only the two of them could hear, avoiding the nuns:

“Mr. Jules, in aristocratic social interactions, men and women are treated differently. Men may be addressed by their first or last name. But it is different for women. We are not familiar with each other, and only close friends and family members may address me by my first name!”

"So, who exactly are you?"

"And please don't forget this. Of course, you can now call me Miss Serena!"

In this way, he wouldn't be seen as an impetuous, impolite person who might be suspected.

Rather, their relationship is indeed close, so there is no problem with his title.

Yu Le paused for a moment before saying:

"Thank you, Miss Serena!"

"Then, Jules Robespierre is very grateful for your help and wonders if there is anything I can do to repay you?"

As Yu Le spoke, he pointed to the boxes and said:

"Although this is too direct, it is indeed simple and effective, so what do you think?"

Yule answered the other person's question by saying that he was Jules Robespierre.

Miss Windsor, who had also glanced at the boxes, chuckled and said:

"Although the Windsor family no longer has any fiefdoms, they are not in a hurry to do so. His Majesty still remembers the Windsor family, and Her Highness the Princess... Her Highness has also been very kind to me."

"So you don't need to say anything."

She then examined Yu Le in front of her and Shen Ji behind him.

To be honest, this scene was quite moving. On both sides were the Qidou men's tents, and behind them was Yule under the cold light and Shenji.

If Her Highness were here, she would certainly be very interested in writing an opera about this.

Then she invited me to the Royal Opera House to see her new work.