In the Name of Empress-Chapter 368 - 254: Destroying the Guillotine ≠ Abolishing the Death Penalty
The entry ceremony of Liberator Alina was exceptionally grand.
The officials who remained in West City greeted the [Liberator] and her followers according to the standards for welcoming a Supreme Leader.
The people of Xidai are free and inclusive.
No one jumped out to say the [Liberator] was an honorary title and cannot be inherited.
Everyone knows the guillotine is only paused, not truly broken.
Not many relish in talking nonsense in front of the guillotine.
Flowers, applause, cheers, and even excited young girls rushed into the crowd to embrace the soldiers of the liberator’s team with fragrant kisses, showcasing the romance of the Jin Yuan People.
There are joys and sorrows.
While people are jubilantly welcoming the liberator, some lives are drawing to a close.
Alina promised to spare everyone, but the officials left in West City did not agree.
They rushed to capture all of Marco’s followers before Alina entered the city, holding the principle of rather wrongfully killing than letting go, sending thousands to the guillotine.
The orichalcum guillotines built by Marco worked till their blades dulled, while the remaining convicts were led to the gallows to take their final steps.
These guillotines, having fulfilled their historical mission, were temporarily sealed, serving as evidence of Marco’s tyranny, awaiting the new master of West City.
With their retirement and sealing, an era finally comes to an end.
The blood of the Jin Yuan People has flowed too much, so today all the necessary killings are done thoroughly, sparing the descendants from trouble.
The remaining officials are well aware that a new era is coming, but they bear too many marks from Marco’s era.
They must find ways to separate themselves from the old era.
Executing Marco’s followers is the best way.
They all made a move against Marco’s followers, of course, they can prove their innocence.
Actually, whether they are innocent or not is not important; what matters is how Alina thinks.
Many inside and outside Xidai are watching, waiting for Alina’s thoughts on the disposition.
They most fear Alina becoming a disruptor of order like Marco. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Under the gaze of anticipation, Alina rode a white horse through the Triumph Arch, reaching the high platform built on Freedom Square.
She is going to give a speech here.
This speech will also establish her policy direction.
The cheers gradually subsided, and the young people holding flowers passionately watched Alina, high above as if she was both a girlfriend and a goddess.
The mature and prudent people looked at Alina with somewhat complex eyes, an expectation mixed with concern.
If it were Mr. Carlo coming, they could certainly feel reassured.
Carlo is a mature politician, unlikely to act rashly, and will fully consider the interests of all classes, allowing order to swiftly recover.
Miss Alina possesses skills and strength no less than her father’s, but she is young and has suffered much; it wouldn’t be strange if she acted impulsively.
Even if it’s just expanding the revenge on Marco’s party, everyone would suffer.
Who knows if the wind of an iron fist would hit themselves?
The Jin Yuan Kingdom and West City have been chaotic for too long and cannot withstand more turmoil.
In the eyes of the crowd, whether anxious or expectant, Alina ascended the platform.
Her calm and gentle gaze swept across the venue, looking at the busy crowd, without rushing to speak.
She is looking at me!
Everyone felt a sense of illusion in exchanging glances with Alina, as if she was looking at them.
In reality, Alina was looking at no one, yet she was looking at everyone.
This is a special performance technique; although she is an art student, frequently being among people from other fields has taught her much.
She raised the tricolor Iris flag, her soft yet firm voice resonated across the square.
"Free people, the hardship forced upon you by the devil has ended. I am not a destroyer but a Guardian of free will."
This sentence set the tone for the speech.
The cheers soared to the heavens.
Countless citizens were in tears.
For over a year, they lived too miserably. Almost everyone had family and friends who lost their lives in the terrifying bloodshed.
With Miss Alina’s return, their right to survival is assured.
Freedom? When life cannot be guaranteed, they couldn’t afford this high-end luxury.
Alina’s speech wasn’t long, but her attitude was very sincere.
She didn’t entirely shift the blame onto Marco but also implicated the previous government.
Marco was no good, that’s a given.
If so, why wasn’t his plot detected earlier and prevented?
After subtly criticizing everyone, making the remaining officials sweat profusely, she switched to comfort.
"I can understand your plight, after all, even my father didn’t foresee Marco’s ambitions."
The entire assembly was silent.
She could criticize her father; others dare not follow suit.
Bringing up Mr. Carlo also gives everyone a way out.
If the wise Carlo couldn’t see through Marco’s ambitious plot, it was natural for others to be deceived.
Alina reprimanded all the officials but also gave them a way out.
The officials were indeed resentfully ridiculed by her, but their suspended hearts were finally settled.
Alina still intends to employ them, therefore she gave them a warning.
If she didn’t plan to use them, they would have been taken away under the guise of Marco’s leftovers long ago.
Though risky, they managed to get ashore.
The Vice President Donovan and other officials exchanged glances, stepped out of their ranks, stood at the front of the crowd, and opened their arms, capturing everyone’s attention.
"Liberator, you are right, we were deceived by the villain; only you have insight into everything and ultimately uncovered the villain’s plot. The nation needs your guidance, please heed the people’s cry and lead us forward!"
Actually, Alina had arranged supporters within the crowd.
If no one wise enough came forward, the pre-arranged supporters would jump out and say similar words.
People are always blind.
In the current atmosphere, as long as someone raises their arm and calls, there will surely be a response.
Even if someone opposes, they won’t dare to speak up at a time like this.
According to normal procedure, if the President is unable to perform duties due to an accident, the Vice President should act as proxy.
Although Alina has the upper hand, legally she doesn’t even qualify to run for President.
If the officials remaining in Xidai are greedy for power, another bloody storm will engulf West City.
Thinking of this, Alina just feels tired; she doesn’t like this.
The atmosphere has already been set up to this point, and being modest is meaningless.
The style of the Jin Yuan people is not typically fond of humility; being more assertive is better.
Fortunately, the remaining officials are quite sensible, which is for the best.
Except for the most critical powers of military, finance, and personnel, she doesn’t mind sharing other powers with others.
She is not Marco and won’t be so autocratic.
The loyalty of the exiles is commendable, but apart from a few like Romeo, most are not capable. To govern a country, the old officials and the old nobility are still very important.
This is the current situation in the Jin Yuan Kingdom.
The old forces objectively exist and are strong.
Even Alina herself carries the label of the old nobility.
After her father and brother died, she naturally inherited the family’s territory, becoming the new Count Jacques.
Even if she wanted to cut ties, she couldn’t erase this brand.
Moreover, she never thought of cutting ties at all.
Donovan’s petition gained the support of the masses. The agitated people shouted slogans like "Long live Miss Alina" and "Please, Liberator, save the country" to express their support for Alina.
The voice of the people is above all.
Even if it doesn’t quite fit the procedure, no one raises any objections.
The Speaker wanted to say something but was abruptly awakened by a colleague standing beside him with a sharp elbow.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a team appear at the entrance of the square, making their way into the square with a carriage.
The items loaded on the carriage were covered with black cloth, adding some mystery.
Others might not recognize what was on the carriage, but he could.
The guillotine personally crafted by Marco.
These terrifying instruments of execution have claimed countless lives, including the last Emperor of the Old Empire.
The Speaker thought of at least a dozen A1-level officials of his rank who were sent to the guillotine, and the fear within him was instantly awakened.
He trembled.
Alina’s gaze fell upon him, causing cold sweat to drip down his back, scaring him out of his wits.
Luckily, Alina merely glanced at him casually without saying anything.
Just as the Speaker was scared out of his mind, the black curtain covering the carriage was lifted.
Sunlight shone on the guillotine, reflecting an eerie glow.
The guillotine lay there silently, as if narrating that cruel part of history.
Almost everyone’s face changed.
This thing nearly made them think Marco had returned.
Those who stood closer noticed the obvious nicks on the guillotine, and their faces turned pale.
Thinking about how many lives it had claimed, they were understandably afraid.
The guillotine had been washed with water and wiped very clean, but the water stains hadn’t completely dried, making it look as if it had just been used.
That was indeed the case.
These guillotines had just played their final role, sending away all of Marco’s die-hard supporters.
The blood that needed to be shed was shed all at once as a warning. Shedding blood sporadically isn’t a deterrent—it’s a sign that Marco has returned.
The entire scene fell silent.
No one knew what Alina intended to do. Those officials who once worked for Marco’s government were particularly nervous, pondering whether Alina might plan to take action on the spot.
Just as the tense atmosphere was about to explode, Alina sighed and said softly:
"Both my father and brother died by such a device, and many of you also lost family members to Marco’s tyranny. This is an ominous instrument; destroy it."
On receiving the order, dozens of strong soldiers clumsily dismantled the guillotine and wielded sledgehammers to smash it.
With the crisp sound of metal striking metal, the instruments that symbolized terror, blood, and slaughter were destroyed under the heavy blows of the hammers.
Seeing this scene, the officials and citizens who had just been scared out of their wits finally came back to life.
They burst into applause, cheering for Alina’s enlightened action.
At this moment, no one opposed her assumption of state power.
While Alina was consolidating her power by various means, Lisa, sitting in the spectator stands, couldn’t help but mutter softly, "Destroying the guillotine is certainly good, but abolishing the death penalty would make criminals more rampant. I feel it’s not quite right."
Roland smiled faintly without saying a word, but motioned for Sif to explain.
Sif looked at Lisa, her gentle voice resounding:
"Miss Lisa, destroying the guillotine ≠ abolishing the death penalty. Did Alina ever say that?"
Lisa was taken aback for a moment, then understood Sif’s meaning.
Alina never said she would abolish the death penalty, nor did she amend the laws.
Since that was the case, the death penalty still existed in the Jin Yuan Kingdom; it was just replaced by the gallows, which appeared less bloody.
Not everyone is willing to support Alina.
Destroying the guillotine might lead some to misunderstand, thinking it means the abolition of the death penalty, lighter punishments, and they might get restless and try something.
Alina would prefer opponents to emerge rather than hide in the shadows.
Politics is indeed too complicated.
Lisa shrugged, beginning to look forward to the delicacies at tonight’s banquet.
Jin Yuan’s cuisine is well-known, comparable to Talia’s cuisine, and she is full of anticipation for the banquet.
