The rooms on the third floor of the Nightingale Mansion are decorated to resemble a stone courtroom.

Although it is impossible to restore the appearance of the ancient Jerusalem Inquisition 100% due to space constraints, it is clear that the construction company responsible for the construction of this place has put serious work into the interior decoration.

The walls of the courtroom are made of gray stone blocks that are carefully carved to mimic the deep marks of time.

The doors of the courtroom were heavy and quaint, and the two huge wooden doors were inlaid with iron decorations, which looked solemn and inviolable.

When the door slowly opened, there was a creaking sound, as if it were the whisper of history.

Passing through the gate, there is a miniature atrium with neat stone slabs on the ground and a small fountain in the center, the sound of the water bringing a touch of tranquility to the austere courtroom.

Inside the courtroom, rows of benches are neatly arranged enough to accommodate a large number of observers.

The oil lamps hanging on the walls emit a soft glow that illuminates the entire space.

The high ceilings, intricate carvings and frescoes depict religious and legal themes, highlighting the sanctity and authority of the place.

The ladies who played the role of religious leaders sat in a semicircle, their eyes full of suspicion and hostility. The blonde lady, who played the role of the high priest Caiaphas, sat in the center, her eyes as sharp as a blade, waiting for the answer of the lady who played Jesus in the audience.

Tension and unease pervade the air, as if every breath could trigger unpredictable consequences.

"Are you the King of the Jews?" Caiafa's voice echoed through the courtroom, her questions full of sarcasm and provocation.

Jesus, who was in good shape, stood there calmly, her eyes were so deep that she seemed to be able to see into the depths of the human heart.

"That's what you said."

Her voice was calm and firm, but it was like a hammer hitting everyone's heart.

The inquisitors exchanged complicated glances, knowing that the answer to this question might provoke the wrath of the Romans.

In their view, Jesus' very existence is a threat to the status quo, and her words and actions have stirred up hope and expectation among the people, which they cannot tolerate.

"He claimed to be the Son of God!" An inquisitor alleged, her shrill voice filled with anger and fear.

Jesus did not shy away from it, she looked the judge in the eye and said in a gentle but powerful voice: "Lift up the Son of Man, and he will be lifted up to draw all men to God." ”

At this moment, in a place that no one noticed, there was a middle-aged man sitting in the auditorium who couldn't stop shivering, he covered his face, his eyes full of fear and despair. His name was August Schneider of the Foreign Office...... Oh, no, it's not time to recast the credits, and his current role should be called Judas Scarry.

But in any case, at this moment, Schneider, who sold the master, looked at the scene in front of him, and he understood that he had sold the master to death.

When the verdict was about to be pronounced, Judas could no longer bear the pang of conscience.

He raised his hand tremblingly, and let out a hoarse cry that surprised the whole audience, and all the people heard: "O Caiaphas! He is innocent, please release him! ”

The tall Schneider squeezed through the shocked crowd.

His face was pale and haggard, and his forehead was dripping with sweat. He rushed to the judgment seat, threw the thirty pieces of silver that the seller had received before the high priest, knelt on the ground, eagerly grabbed Caiaphas's robe, hugged the other man's snow-white thighs, and begged her to release Jesus.

The blonde high priest Caiaphas kicked him to the ground in anger, and Schneider lay on the ground and cried out, "I am guilty of betraying the blood of innocent people!" ”

The frightened Caiaphas tugged at Schnedra's shoulder-baring priestly robes and said contemptuously, "What does that have to do with us? Take it upon yourself! ”

So Schneider fell at Jesus' feet again and said in fear, "You are the Son of God, save me and forgive my guilt." ”

However, Jesus did not say a word of condemnation, but looked at Judas with pity and said, "This is why I came into the world!" ”

Schneider, knowing that the pleas were no longer useful, rushed out of the courtroom, shouting in despair, "It's too late! Too late! ”

And outside the judgment hall, the disciples who were ready to judge the betrayer were already waiting there: "Judas, you have betrayed the Lord, and the evil Lord has been crucified alive!" ”

Schneider was terrified: "I will kill myself, hang myself on a tree outside Jerusalem, and use my life to wash away my sins." ”

The disciples sang in unison: "You have three sins, one of which is that you revealed the whereabouts of the Lord to the high priests and elders for thirty pieces of silver, so that they could arrest the Lord. Second, you are in charge of the disciples' money, but you often steal public property. Third, you feel hopeless after realizing that your actions led to the death of Jesus, and you return the money and want to go out of the city to hang yourself, which is disrespectful to God's life-giving behavior. Judas, have you not repented of it now? ”

Schneider hid his face and knelt down and said, "Now, how can I atone for my sins?" ”

The disciples sang, "Your heart has been blinded by greed, and your choices have led to tragedy." Your actions have gone beyond the boundaries of forgiveness, and you must pay for your sins! Come with us, your guilt has been pronounced, and you will be punished with scourging under the gaze of the believers! ”

There was only a bang, and the door of the courtroom was closed, and Schneider's dejected figure was no longer visible, and he was already escorted by the ladies to the 'execution ground'.

I only heard a loud sound, and a burst of fire lit up in the 'Jerusalem Judgment Hall', which was supposed to be over, and in the seat of the auditorium, Arthur took off the large-brimmed hat that covered his face with a pipe in his mouth, and took a deep breath of cigarette before he commented: "Does the pre-plot of this package seem too long?" ”

The Red Devil, who was standing behind him, looked at the miniature court and said, "Don't tell me, these girls are still in good shape." ”

Fiona sat next to Arthur, her face flushed: "The plot may be a bit long, but most of the guests still like this script, and in recent months, we have sold the best for this project here." Some guests also said that the psychological relief from pretending to be Judas here was better than going to church to confess to the pastor. ”

Arthur pinched his chin and pondered, "It seems that all the gentlemen who like to play here have done a lot of evil!" ”

Fiona looked at Arthur and asked cautiously, "Do you want to try it?" Gratuitous. I can try to pretend to be a justice, or I can wield a whip. I promise, I'll be gentle and definitely won't hurt. ”

Arthur shook his head slightly and said, "No need, ma'am, I'm not interested in Judas's script. I've had a lot of sins, but I've been shot twice before, and I don't think the whip will atone for my sins after eating the shots. ”

Seeing Arthur's refusal, Fiona proposed, "That'...... If we don't change the script, we can still play Jesus here. You pretend to be Jesus, I pretend to be a disciple, you come and wash my feet, and then we will tie you to the cross. Oh, no, no, my dear, I don't mean to offend your faith, I almost forgot that you are a Catholic, and that you are such a humble person. If you feel that you are not worthy of Jesus, why don't we tie you to the reverse cross, as St. Peter, who was martyred by the persecution of the Roman Emperor Nero? ”

This time, before Arthur could speak, the Red Devil had already taken the lead in replying: "Yes, that's right, Fiona, remember to tie this kid upside down, so that his brain will have enough blood to do too many stupid things." ”

Hearing this, Arthur raised his hand and patted Fiona's face: "Ma'am, be sober, although it is better to read some religious stories than nothing at all, but you are obviously reading a little bit better now." Be kind to your little sisters, and if you want to atone for your sins, do this better than anything else. And on that point, you've been doing a great job. I heard Charles say, you seem to have a community of mutual support where everyone takes a share of the money they earn to co-raise their children? ”

Fiona's eyes lit up when she heard Arthur mention it, and she looked a little embarrassed, but at the same time, she was also very happy, there weren't too many things she could show off to the others, and this happened to be the most important of them.

Fiona spoke, "It's not just me who works, the House of Urania founded by Mr. Dickens, and the Rev. John Newman, who has a true faith, have been of great help to us. Mr. Dickens helped us collect many free books, and Mr. Newman connected us to a school. ”

Arthur nodded slightly, "I sincerely praise you for all these good things you have done, especially on behalf of my old unit, Scotland Yard, I have to thank you." You may not know, Fiona, but because of what you have done, in a decade or two, the number of street hooligans in Scotland Yard may be reduced by a few hundred, and our reserve police force will increase accordingly. The crime rate in London's cities has dropped because of your good deeds, and there is much more merit in this than being tied to a cross and whipping. ”

Fiona's cheeks were feverish, and she brushed away the broken hair in her ear and said, "You're too much, I...... I didn't think much about it when I did it, and it was nothing compared to what you did. That...... Well, can I take the liberty of asking? I've heard that you may be going to the mainland soon? Kingdom of Hanover? ”

Arthur stood up and nodded: "Yes, although the letter of appointment has not yet come down, according to the news, my new position should be the second secretary of the legation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the Kingdom of Hanover, although His Majesty the King originally planned to appoint me as the special commissioner of the royal family, but if it is a royal commissioner, it must be announced in the London Gazette." The Lords of Whitehall Street feared that if they did so, it would be too glaring and might provoke artillery fire on Fleet Street, and that there was no need to be concerned about the Second Secretary in the Kingdom of Hanover. ”

Fiona followed Arthur in her footsteps, and she lowered her head and asked, "So, you're here today to find Mr. Schneider?" ”

"Not exactly."

Arthur took Fiona's hand, and he felt the other person's body stiffen a little: "I'm still here to say goodbye to you." Fiona, I thank you for all the dirty work you've been doing for me, and although your asking price is not low, it's just as a virtue in this world to get paid for things. Truth be told, you don't have to be so restrained in front of me, as if I were Jesus. Call me a knight if you like, and Arthur if you don't. ”

Speaking of this, Arthur suddenly seemed to remember something, he stopped, turned his head and warned Fiona: "However, I must also politely remind you, Fiona, you don't think that I am not the assistant superintendent of the Royal Metropolitan Police Department now, you can call me Xiao Mi San casually." I still have some influence in Scotland Yard, and they haven't held me accountable for embezzlement there. ”

When Fiona heard this, she couldn't help but sneer, and her whole body suddenly relaxed, and the stone that had been pressed on her heart for more than half a year seemed to be much lighter.

When a man dies and then lives again, will he change?

At least the person in front of him has never changed.

She lifted her skirt and saluted, "Understood, dear." Now, is there anything else you need me to do for you? ”

Arthur took out his pocket watch and looked at it: "Take me to meet Schneider, and then recommend me a good restaurant nearby, Alexander, Ledley, Plunkitt, Louie, they are all here, I plan to treat these friends to a meal." ”

Fiona playfully asked, "Is there a restaurant with carbonated water?" ”

"Of course." Arthur took out a check and shook it in front of Fiona: "This time I paid for it, and I have the final say." ”

Fiona unceremoniously snatched the check, and she just glanced at it and nodded in satisfaction, "That's too much for a meal." But as a tip for me, that seems too little. ”

Arthur stopped in front of the door of 302, pinched the doorknob and said, "You look at the arrangement, I just have such a budget." ”

Click.

The door was gently pushed open.

I saw that in the dimly lit room, Schneider, blindfolded by a black cloth, was roughly tied to the cross.

His forehead was covered with sweat, and his white shirt had been torn, revealing his pale skin.

The three ladies in charge of the execution wore only a corset, and they were expressionless, holding soft and resilient whips, each swing accompanied by Schneider's moans of pain.

The whip soaked in rose water left blood marks on his back, and blood was flowing along the cross in some parts of his skin that had been slightly torn.

While the ladies were whipping, they did not forget to recite the lines with emotion: "Judas Iscario, you have been accused of betraying your mentor and friend, and your crime is a blasphemy against our faith and a betrayal of the sacred. ”

Schneider, on the other hand, was also full of remorse and pain, and replied in a weak and trembling voice: "I...... I just did what they asked me to do, and I didn't know it would be like this. Spare me, kind ladies. ”

Arthur's gaze flickered, and in the dark corners of the room, he also spotted several uninvited guests who were watching with relish. It was none other than the friends and relatives he was going to feast on.

Ridley watched and exclaimed in a low voice, "I ...... I didn't know that the Nightingale Mansion actually had this kind of new project? ”

Alexandre Dumas looked at the service list in his hand: "Man, I advise you not to spend your money on this kind of service, do you know how much this item costs?" A whole five pounds! Scotland Yard's wages haven't made you richer like this, have they? ”

Louis saw Schneider's skin peeled open, as if recalling some unbearable past, he whispered: "I thought how hard I smoked?" This is not even comparable to the punishment I had in the Swiss military academy, where when a cadet committed an accident, the instructors would usually choose a sunny afternoon, whip him a dozen times, and then hang him on the flagpole. ”

Plunkitt smoked his cigarette and waved his hand: "Monsieur Bonaparte, can that be the same?" You're talking about punishment, people are enjoying here, and the five pounds in the middle are the difference. ”

Arthur glanced at them, and quietly walked over to the ladies who were being executed, and glanced at them.

There was a hint of hesitation in the ladies' eyes, but they finally backed down in front of the gentleman who had made Fiona, the boss, avoid three points.

Arthur took the whip from one of them, and he raised his hand to wipe the beads of sweat from the corners of his eyes, rubbing his hands vigorously, and then heard only a snapping sound in the air.

"Ah!!!!!!!!!h

Schneider's screams could be heard throughout the building.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Alexandre Dumas and the others hurriedly ran out of the smoke.

As for Arthur, he didn't say much, but threw the whip away, stepped back to the door, and knocked it with his hand.

Schneider hissed and gasped, and he was about to scold, but Arthur rushed ahead of him and said, "Excuse me, is it Mr. Schneider?" I knew it was you, and only the purest British gentleman in all of London would have the courage to play so big. ”

(End of chapter)