Chapter 13 Chapter Twelve

As soon as the sky is clear, he is waiting. When they lifted his straw mat and pulled him out of the nightmare, the sky and the earth were still dark.When he opened his eyes, the first thought he had was that today, his death was coming. This idea is not as terrible as imagined, not as terrible as the torture that has threatened him in the past few months, and it is better to accept the torture of those torture instruments than to wait like this endlessly. Near noon, the sun streams through the great vestibule of Triana Castle.He has long been used to life in the dark prison, but such sunshine forced him to close his eyes.

And endure this endless silence. There was no sound before the stairs, and no birdsong outside the window.He spread his feet.The chains on the handcuffs were attached to the ankles, tugging at what was left of his sock, and hitting the polished floor with a loud noise.Afterwards, the sound of the iron chain was immediately swallowed up by the boundless silence. In fact, that's what the Inquisition turned out to be: silence.The perseverance and power of silence have the eternal power to swallow all noise. The noise in life is no different from the noise after death. It was nearly dark when the judge smiled at him.

It was a gentle smile, but more unbearable than the menacing look. The judge, still smiling, stretched out his chubby hand, beckoning him to come forward. The style of this trial hall is very ordinary.Red curtains were hung in front of several large windows, blocking out both day and night.A few flickering candles reflected moving figures on the murals on the roof.There is a lavender carpet from the door to the corridor.In the center of the hall was an oak chair with a high and straight back. The entire chair had been captured by hundreds of people in the past, and they kept twisting their bodies out of fear to make it smooth and shiny.

Opposite the chair is the judgment stand.There is a long table in front of the stage, and there are three people sitting there.The judge was a round-faced young man with fair forehead and cheeks, dressed in simple black robes and a fedora hat on his almost bald head.On his right, although he is also wearing a black robe, but from the narrow coat with buttons, it can be seen that he is a secretary, an old man with drooping mouth and reserved eyes.The clerk is a young man who has just made his debut, with fear in his eyes and small red spots on his temples. Just as Jia Boye sat down, someone asked the first question:

"Your name is Gabriel Mendeluka y Flores?" The judge's voice was the complete opposite of his appearance: weak and monotonous, resembling the high-pitched voice of an old man.Jia Boye shrugged impatiently. "You know my name better than I do. I have been in this prison for two hundred and fifty-three days, and this is the twelfth time I have been asked the same question..." "Answer the judge's question honestly!" the secretary shouted. Jia Boye wanted to continue laughing, but in the end he sighed softly and said: "The judge didn't even know that I was called by the name he said; didn't know my father's name and title, didn't even know that my mother was just a maid..."

"Just answer the question asked, Mr. Jia Boye. Did you really enter Santa Maria Higher College in 1525?" "Yes. I studied there for four years, but unfortunately I was forced to drop out. I learned a lot there." "Some strange powers and gods from the north?" "Strange power and chaos? Judge, whether theology, natural elements and laws, philosophy..." "You are said to be a devout Erasmus?" "More devout than half the city's literate inhabitants, Judge!" "There are still half of the residents in the city who are not friends with Mrs. Fang Sijia Hernand." The judge smiled again.

Jia Boye hesitated for a moment, then quickly glanced at the clerk, and replied with reservations: "Your Honor, you are well aware that I have only been to Madame Franska's three times." "How many times! What are you all doing inside the house?" "to chat with." "Just the two of you?" "of course not." "You all talked about... what?" "Things about the mind." "I suppose it must include religion?" "Your Honor does not know that the discussion of the soul is inevitably inseparable from religion."

"You mean Lutheran thought?" "Very few, and if there are any, they are all criticisms!" "Did Madame Francia really openly say that man should boldly accept carnal pleasures, claiming that it is a God-given power of love in man?" "A few times, indeed. Think of it as a form of meditation, because—" "Didn't she claim that the love of God is enough to wash away the original sins of human beings, and there is no need to fear God and the devil anymore?" "If your honor agrees, this idea is actually very complicated! Mrs. Fang Sijia thinks—"

"Have you ever heard that humans need not fear God?" "It has only been heard that man should love God with joy and trust." "Even committed a few sensual sins in public, and now under the guise of being—as you say, a way of 'meditating'?" The judge's face was as ruthless and indifferent as a metal mask.Jia Boye straightened his upper body and put away his sarcastic smile. "I do not understand the meaning of the question, my lord." "yes?" While the clerk was busy massaging his aching fingertips, a fake smile appeared on the judge's round face.He reached out to the secretary who was speaking, and the latter took out one of the documents piled in front of him and put it in the judge's open palm:

"We found this in one of your books. Erasmus' Guide to Literature and Art, to be more precise..." "It was translated by the Congregational Priests of Balancia, and then with the consent of the Pope, your lord, you have to be aware of the details." "What I am worried about is not this book, Mr. Jia Boye, but this note, which was handed by Mrs. Fang Sijia..." Before the judge finished speaking, Jia Boye felt his feet go weak, and his heart seemed to be hollowed out. "You wouldn't have killed me if I'd just read a little bit of it?" Dear friend, how can I somehow gain the favor of a Lord when I'm alone with you? Or even trust you completely? Such a holy flame lit in my bone marrow? Do you know that last night, after spending a too short but extremely warm lonely time with you, I thought over and over again that you are my savior .Dear friend, you are like a crystal planet hanging in the sky, with cat-like, beast-like, lion-like and even...maybe cat-like imprints! Although I know that the animal nature in your body has not shown its power, but I But cherish the meowing sound it makes...'Let's skip the next episode."

The judge put the note down.When he asked again, there was hatred and lust in his eyes: "Is all this cat talk part of talking about...religion?" "Your Honor, it's because I have a birthmark on the back of my shoulder that looks like a big cat, and that's why Madam Fangska..." "How did she find this birthmark on you? Did you ever stand naked in front of her?" "No!" Jia Boye shouted excitedly, "One time we talked about..." "In this note, Mrs. Fangska clearly speaks of 'a time of supreme solitude,' and you say that the two of you have never been alone in the same room. Who will believe you, Mr. Gabriel?" The clerk no longer frantically writes.Jia Boye raised his head and looked squarely at the three pairs of eyes in front of him who wanted to see the secret in his heart.This silence was more painful than the chains on his feet.The judge ran his fingers back and forth across his plump cheeks.Afterwards, his voice suddenly became kind: "Mr. Jia Boye, please calm down. As long as you tell the truth, you will be fine! We know that Mrs. Fang Sijia has tempted you to say blasphemous words many times. We also know that you are not the only victim. We know that you and she have supported Lutheran speeches. We also know that she has committed some deeds with you..." Jia Boye raised his hand to ask him not to continue talking. "Your Honor!" He stood up, took a deep breath and said, "Whatever you want to do with me, I don't want to talk about it anymore." "You mean..." "If I say another word, I will be struck by lightning." "There are worse things waiting for you than a thunderbolt, sir." Jia Boye glared at the judge, but the latter simply closed his eyes, made a small gesture to the police officer beside him, and said: "We will continue tomorrow, Mr. Jia Boye. Whether you want to use torture or not is up to you to choose..."