Chapter 58
Military Judge Advocate General, Trial Chamber.
Entering the courtroom, a cold, oppressive sense of order descended upon me. The national emblem hung tilted above the dome, its exaggerated height creating a strong visual pressure.
The cold, hard light shines down on the epaulettes of every visitor, silently interpreting the class and honor of the Alliance soldiers in the simplest and crudest way.
Gu Xingzhou would stop and salute every two steps and call out to his superior. After walking half a circle, he didn't see anyone of his rank except Morris Evan.
"Didn't they say this was just a regular inquiry and investigation?" Gu Xingzhou saluted and cursed, "Why are all the people here important people?"
Agatha has two colonel epaulettes on her shoulders, but she has not yet met a general who needs her to call him "sir".
"You believe that?" Agatha nodded at a classmate. "Anything you encounter with Colonel Lu is no longer ordinary."
Gu Xingzhou watched as Lieutenant General Osvid and Miyazawa walked into the waiting room, chatting, and couldn't help but hold his breath. "This place feels so damn oppressive. By comparison, our intelligence agency feels like an elementary school."
Agatha was displeased when she heard this. "That's purely because my leadership style is rather humorous. Go to the Diplomatic Building next time. That damn place is not much better than this place."
In such a solemn atmosphere, every voice of conversation seemed to be wrapped in a heavy order, until a disorderly figure suddenly broke in.
The young colonel strode into the courtroom, like a sharp sword that had been dormant for many years and finally unsheathed, and cleanly cut off the ropes of power under the rule of military rank.
For the first time, military rank lost its meaning to him.
Everyone knew that he was just a colonel.
Everyone knows that he is more than just a colonel.
Lu Huai saw Agatha and Gu Xingzhou, walked towards them, and greeted them casually: "Hi, you two, have you had breakfast?"
Gu Xingzhou said: "I ate, I ate. For breakfast I had a giant sandwich with five eggs and three strips of bacon..."
"Why are you alone?" Agatha decisively interrupted Gu Xingzhou and asked Lu Huai: "Where is your wife?"
There are too many powerful Alphas present today. If Jiang Yun is not here, she may not be able to control them alone.
Lu Huai really liked talking about Jiang Yun with Agatha. If for no other reason, it was because Agatha was one of the few people who would call Jiang Yun "your wife" in front of him.
"My wife is taking the kids to school, so she'll be late," Lu Huai said. "I heard Osvid has returned to the capital. Where is he?"
The only two brothers who had not made an appointment with Jiang Yun after his "death" were Fu Mingqian and Oswald.
Gu Xinzhou said, "I just saw Lieutenant General Osvid enter the waiting room."
Lu Huai smiled and said, "Let's go and talk to him."
The three of them arrived at the door of the waiting room and happened to meet the President's Chief Secretary Marcus.
In terms of rank, Marcus was higher than Lu Huai. But when he saw Lu Huai, the first thing he thought of was the handkerchief he had handed to Jiang Yun on the spaceship to Jinmastu Island.
Marcus's expression changed slightly, and he instinctively took a step back to make room for Lu Huai.
Lu Huai smiled, but with an attitude of abiding by discipline: "No need, please go first."
Marcus, who came to his senses, couldn't help but feel very upset.
He represents the President today, so theoretically, he has the right of way wherever he goes.
Why did he subconsciously give way to Lu Huai just now?
Marcus held his breath and nodded. As soon as he entered the waiting room, he heard the military judges' guards stop Lu Huai at the door.
"Only officers above the rank of Colonel are authorized to enter the waiting room," the guard said, his voice hollow as he performed his duties. "Colonel Lu, Lieutenant Colonel Gu, please remain here."
This scene quickly caught the attention of everyone present.
All the gazes, some admiring, some subtle, and some downcast, converged on Lu Huai, silently watching the once glorious colonel undergo the first trial set for him by the Military Law Office.
"Are you kidding?" Agatha frowned unhappily. "Don't all officers above the rank of Lieutenant Colonel have permission to enter the waiting room?"
The guard mechanically informed him, "This is the latest regulation that came into effect yesterday."
Gu Xingzhou laughed angrily: "Do you think we are stupid? This is obviously intentional!"
Morris hesitated for a moment and then said, "If this is the latest regulation of the Military Judge Advocate General, why wasn't it announced in advance?"
The guards didn't even glance at the two lieutenant colonels: "The Military Advocate General has no obligation to do so."
Looking at Lu Huai's thoughtful expression as he was stopped outside the door, Marcus suddenly felt that the pressure on his shoulders was reduced by more than half.
This is the Military Law Courts, the place in the entire alliance where rank is most valued.
Here, order rules everything and rank represents absolute right to speak.
Even Lu Huai had to abide by the rules...
"What are you all doing here?"
A voice rang out, speaking plainly and without emotion, yet it created a new opening in the seamless order.
Marcus's nerves, which had just relaxed, were once again tense. He immediately joined the other Alphas in calling out the rank of the person who had come: "...Foreign Minister Jiang."
Jiang Yun walked through the path that the crowd consciously avoided. His pure black suit formed an almost oppressive contrast among the dark green military uniforms.
He stopped in front of the Alphas, his eyes passing over his husband calmly, his expression as cold as marble. "What happened?"
"Oh, it's nothing serious." Lu Huai said with a smile, "It's just that my military rank is not high enough to enter the waiting room, so I was stopped."
Gu Xingzhou and Agatha exchanged glances silently.
—Are you complaining to your wife? Right? Right?!
Jiang Yun looked at the security guard indifferently: "Really?"
Under Jiang Yun's gaze, the guard's expression was still as wooden as before, except for his Adam's apple which trembled slightly and rolled uncontrollably.
Marcus knew that now was the perfect time to suppress the Jiang Yun couple's momentum. For the sake of the Presidential Palace, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Foreign Minister Jiang, please forgive me. The guards were just doing their job according to discipline."
Lu Huai sighed and expressed his understanding: "There's nothing we can do about it. Everyone, can someone go in and call Lieutenant General Osvid for me?"
Without waiting for anyone to answer, Jiang Yun said, "Don't bother others, go by yourself."
Lu Huai showed an embarrassment: "But, you also saw..."
"According to alliance regulations, when an official brings his spouse to a formal event, the spouse enjoys the same treatment as the official." Jiang Yun's calm narration carried a force that could overturn the situation. "Excuse me, is my rank high enough to enter this door?"
A drop of cold sweat slid down the guard's forehead. After a brief silence, he finally let go of the hand that was blocking Lu Huai.
Jiang Yun said to Lu Huai: "Go."
Lu Huai admired his wife's beautiful face, nurtured by power. While feeling happy, he was also a little worried about his wife's estrus period that might come at any time: "What about you?"
Jiang Yun said: "I'll go talk to the jury."
"Can I go with you, Foreign Minister Jiang?" Gu Xingzhou asked eagerly, "Otherwise, it would be very embarrassing for a lieutenant colonel like me to be here."
Jiang Yun said: "Shut up and follow."
Lu Huai turned to Marcus and asked, "Would you like to go in together, Mr. Chief Secretary?"
Marcus forced a smile and said, "Colonel Lu, please."
Lu Huai raised his eyebrows: "Hmm? That's not right. I didn't enter the waiting room as a [Colonel]. Maybe you should call me Mr. Foreign Minister?"
Marcus: "..."
Agatha chuckled, shook her head and walked in first.
As soon as she entered the waiting hall, she replaced Gu Xingzhou and became the one with the lowest military rank.
Osvid sat upright in the center of the hall, with a group of colonels and major generals behind him.
Agatha was about to salute Osvid, but Osvid stood up before her.
Once he stood up, it was naturally impossible for others to continue sitting.
Everyone stood up—including Miyazawa, who had no military rank.
They watched as Lieutenant General Osvid raised his elbow naturally and smoothly, snapped to attention and saluted: "Sir!"
Lu Huai walked forward quickly and gave Osvid an encouraging and appreciative hug: "Well done, you've become a general."
Even though Osvid had become a general, he was still as taciturn as when he was a second lieutenant beside Lu Huai. After holding it in for a long time, he called out again, "Sir."
Lu Huai said: "I heard from Jiang Yun that you prepare birthday gifts for the two children every year. Thank you."
Osvid, a tough guy standing nearly two meters tall, actually had tears in his eyes at this moment: "Sir, over the years, many Alphas have been against Foreign Minister Jiang... I can't drive them all away for you. I'm sorry."
Lu Huai laughed: "What does this have to do with you? This is my own business."
Marcus stood there in a daze, and didn't even notice when Miyazawa walked up to him.
"Don't you understand yet?" Miyazawa looked at the young colonel surrounded by the senior colonel and the general, his eyes flickering. "To the current Lu Colonel, military rank means nothing."
Outside the waiting room, Gu Xingzhou accompanied Jiang Yun to find the Chief Judge of the Military Law Department, Rachel.
While Jiang Yun and Rachel were talking, Gu Xingzhou stood by to make sure they would not be disturbed.
Gu Xingzhou couldn't hear what the two were talking about, he could only see that Jiang Yun's expression suddenly became interested, and his attitude towards Rachel was much gentler than when they first met.
After the conversation, Rachel left first. Gu Xingzhou walked up to Jiang Yun and asked curiously, "Foreign Minister Jiang, you seem to be in a much better mood?"
Jiang Yun's mouth curled up: "Because, I just discovered something interesting."
Gu Xingzhou became even more curious: "What's the matter?"
Jiang Yun said, "Rachel told me that this trial was initiated by Lu Huai. It just so happened that the Military Law Enforcement Office wanted to use this opportunity to learn the details of Lu Huai's death seventeen years ago, and the Presidential Office also wanted to suppress Lu Huai's power. It can be said that the three parties hit it off."
"Huh?" Gu Xingzhou was shocked. "Why would Colonel Lu do this?"
"Who knows him?" Jiang Yun said nonchalantly, "But he didn't even tell me in advance. Maybe he's planning some surprise and wants to show off in front of everyone."
Gu Xingzhou couldn't understand: "What kind of [surprise] can be prepared in a military court? Are you sure it's not a [shock]?"
Jiang Yun thought for a moment and guessed, "Perhaps Lu Huai still has something to tell us about that [marriage in the line of duty] seventeen years ago, and he needs to explain it to all the high-ranking military and political officials in person."
Gu Xingzhou looked mysterious. "Could it be that Colonel Lu's death is not as simple as it seems? Is there... a big conspiracy?"
"The trial is about to begin," Jiang Yun said. "Let's go and see what big surprise our Colonel Lu has prepared for us this time."
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