Lionel had imagined that the court might forcibly convict him of those three charges, or might release him in court under pressure, or might even adjourn again to delay.
But he never expected that the final verdict would be such an absurd charge, completely outside the scope of the indictment!
He subconsciously looked at his lawyer, Jules Fayol, who was next to him.
The latter's face was also filled with shock and confusion, clearly not having expected this development either.
Lionel couldn't help but say,
"Wait! Mr. Presiding Judge, I don't understand, do the charges I admitted to include 'contempt of court'?
Haven't I always stood here, respected court order, answered all questions, and even proactively pleaded guilty?
Isn't this respect for judicial procedures?"
A triumphant smile appeared on the face of Presiding Judge Louis-Auguste Bernard.
He slowly began to explain,
"Mr. Sorel, you are indeed 'standing' here. But you seem to have forgotten, where were you before you stood here?
This court asks you, after receiving an official summons from the Palais de Justice in Paris, requiring you to appear in court on September 1st, until yesterday, before you appeared in the port of Calais
—for an entire month, where were you?"
Lionel: "..."
The whole world knew he was in London.
Presiding Judge Bernard didn't give him time to answer this obvious question, but continued on his own, his tone becoming increasingly triumphant:
"According to the records of the customs and port authorities, and the information we have—
After receiving the summons, you left the territory of the French Republic without authorization and illegally, without submitting any departure application to this court, and traveled to England, only hastily returning the day before the trial!
This not only violated existing border management regulations, but more importantly, you fled the jurisdiction without permission, knowing that you were about to face judicial trial!"
He paused, intensifying his tone:
"This act, in itself, is an open challenge and contempt for judicial authority! And 'contempt of court' does not require a separate indictment!
As long as the judge believes that the party has damaged the dignity of the court or violated judicial procedures, they have the right to immediately punish acts that obstruct justice in court!
Your illegal departure while under public prosecution constitutes precisely this contempt!"
The courtroom erupted in an uproar again!
Who would have thought that the other party would start from such a tricky angle to pronounce judgment on Lionel—but technically, it made perfect sense!
In Europe at that time, border management was not strict; there was no need to apply for a passport before going abroad, only to have documents checked or fill out a simple form when entering or exiting the country.
However, even unregistered entry and exit was not a major offense, usually resulting only in a reprimand or a small fine if discovered.
But if the party involved had a lawsuit, it was a different matter; strictly speaking, Lionel indeed needed to apply to the court before he could "legally" leave the country.
Lionel couldn't possibly explain to Presiding Judge Bernard in court how he went to London.
For the first time, he cast a pleading look at his lawyer, Jules Fayol, who shook his head helplessly and whispered,
"Mr. Bernard's statement is entirely reasonable; this is indeed within the judge's authority."
At this moment, Presiding Judge Bernard spoke again:
"Lionel Sorel, do you admit to this charge?"
Lionel looked at Bernard's face, then turned to look at the bewildered prosecutor Alexandre Dupont, a feeling of utter absurdity welling up inside him, almost making him laugh aloud, but he forcibly suppressed it.
He really couldn't deny this charge, and there was absolutely no room to maneuver, so he simply nodded:
"I plead guilty!"
Then he closed his mouth, no longer offering unnecessary explanations.
A stir went through the spectator seats; everyone knew that Lionel's plea of guilty this time had a completely different meaning than before.
Presiding Judge Bernard strenuously controlled the muscles on his face so that his smile wouldn't appear too obvious.
Before, he faced a dead end.
Since Lionel had already pleaded guilty, he had to deliver a guilty verdict.
But with the war lost and public opinion turning hostile, no matter how he ruled, even if it was light, it would be a trial of speech and thought.
Not only would he lose his position as presiding judge, but he might even be pushed out as a scapegoat to appease the public's anger.
Acquitting him would mean he would become a disposable tool for the nobility, the church, and some opposition factions within the Republican Party.
His reputation would be ruined, and he would be a laughingstock in the Parisian legal community for the rest of his life.
Even his own children would be implicated, as in this era, individuals and families could not be viewed separately.
He had just exhausted his lifelong legal expertise, almost burning out his brain, to come up with this charge, which was not only entirely based on facts but also guaranteed not to offend the public.
It also fully preserved his dignity as presiding judge; his colleagues in the legal profession would only give him a thumbs-up upon seeing it.
Meanwhile, prosecutor Alexandre Dupont truly began to despair; he knew everything was over.
Louis-Auguste Bernard was actually able to deliver a "guilty verdict" for Lionel while completely circumventing the prosecutor's charges, perfectly escaping from a dead end.
Next, even if Bernard, that old scoundrel, dismissed his charges, the nobility, the military, the legal community, and even the public, would not find a single fault, and might even praise him for handling it superbly.
So, at this moment, standing alone in the public opinion's turbulent shura field, was only himself.
Presiding Judge Bernard nodded in satisfaction and further stated:
"Since you have pleaded guilty, please pay this fine within two weeks; if overdue, you will be prosecuted again.
Of course, if you are in financial difficulty and cannot pay on time, please apply to this court for a payment extension within one week. We will grant a certain grace period after reviewing your financial situation."
After speaking, he and the audience in the spectator seats all laughed.
But Lionel, of course, wouldn't let it go at that.
He stared at Presiding Judge Bernard and pressed,
"So, Mr. Presiding Judge, regarding those three main charges—
'Undermining military discipline,' 'inciting insubordination,' 'insulting the nation'—how does the court intend to rule on them?"
This was the key, after all, these three previous offenses had already caused a huge public uproar, and it would be too naive if the other party intended to gloss over everything with a fine of five hundred francs.
Presiding Judge Bernard's expression became "serious" again.
He cleared his throat:
"Given the defendant Lionel Sorel's 'acknowledgment of error' attitude during the trial, this court has carefully considered..."
He deliberately used the phrase "acknowledgment of error," trying to create the impression that Lionel had conceded and the court was magnanimous.
However, before he could finish speaking—
Lionel abruptly interrupted him, stating emphatically:
"I am not 'acknowledging error'! Mr. Presiding Judge, please listen carefully, and please record it!
I am 'pleading guilty'! I admit that I made those statements against the colonial war, and I admit that I believe it was wrong and unjust! I 'plead guilty' for the beliefs I hold and the truths I spoke!
But this absolutely does not mean I 'acknowledge error'! Nor does it mean I 'repent'! There is a fundamental difference between the two!"
His gaze was intense, directly confronting Presiding Judge Bernard, not backing down:
"You can convict me of contempt of court, you can fine me five hundred francs, and you can even sentence me to prison based on those three charges!
But don't even think of distorting my stance, don't even think of replacing my 'plea of guilty' with 'acknowledgment of error'!"
This sudden, forceful rebuttal plunged prosecutor Alexandre Dupont into even deeper despair.
He looked at Bernard with a pleading gaze he had never used in his life, hoping the other party could once again use his "wisdom" to find a way out for him too.
But Bernard clearly had no intention of doing so.
He looked at Lionel with dissatisfaction:
"Mr. Sorel, don't be hasty, please let me finish.
I declare that, given you were not within French territory for an entire month before the trial, and in the past few days, even this very morning, you were still making statements against colonial policy...
I require the prosecutor to take your words and actions from this past month into consideration, prepare new documents to submit to the court, and then hold a separate trial—"
He turned to the prosecution bench:
"Mr. Dupont, do you understand?"
Alexandre Dupont grit his teeth and replied,
"Understood, Your Honor!"
Bernard kicked the ball back to the public prosecutor's office, practically binding him to the stake.
Needless to say, even if he prepared the new documents and brought them to court tomorrow, that old scoundrel would certainly have taken leave.
Now it was his turn to choose whether to be a scapegoat, an object of public anger, or a disposable tool, losing all his reputation.
The reporters were so excited they were almost trembling, quickly documenting an unprecedented scene in the history of French jurisprudence.
The onlookers and Lionel's supporters applauded enthusiastically, and some even cheered loudly, disregarding court decorum.
Jules Fayol looked at Lionel with emotion, then at the presiding judge and the prosecutor, shaking his head with a smile.
This was the most thoroughly prepared trial of his life; he even thought he might go down in history for eloquently defending Lionel—who knew he wouldn't even utter a single word of defense.
But such a result was simply perfect.
Just as Presiding Judge Bernard raised his gavel, about to announce Lionel's release in court—
"Bang!"
The heavy oak doors of the courtroom were suddenly pushed open from the outside!
A middle-aged man with a solemn expression stood at the doorway.
He clutched a roll of documents tied with a red ribbon in his hand, and walked steadily straight to the center of the courtroom.
Many veteran journalists and politicians present immediately recognized him—it was Jules Cordes, the current Minister of Justice in the Jules Ferry cabinet!
His appearance plunged the entire courtroom back into speculation and surprise.
Bernard's heart almost leaped out—he didn't want any more twists today.
The cabinet's Minister of Justice, personally attending a misdemeanor court trial? This was extremely rare in the history of the Republic!
Minister Jules Cordes ignored the commotion in the spectator seats, and did not look at Presiding Judge Bernard and Prosecutor Dupont, whose expressions had suddenly changed on the judges' bench.
His gaze didn't even linger on Lionel for too long.
He stood in the open space in the center of the courtroom, raising the roll of documents in his hand:
"His Excellency President Grévy, with immense mercy and wisdom, has officially signed the amnesty document for Lionel Sorel!
Whatever crime he is convicted of today, he will be pardoned!"
Whether it was Bernard, Lionel, or the reporters and citizens in the audience, everyone was stunned.
Only prosecutor Alexandre Dupont was close to tears; he really wanted to ask his superior,
"Why did you just get here?"
(End of chapter)