Xu Dian, Zhou Shuren, and Fan Ainong were walking and chatting by the West Lake. The three were about the same age, all in their mid-thirties. The People's Party canteen paid close attention to nutritional balance, so although Xu Dian was a bit stern, his complexion was excellent, making him look younger than the other two. Fan Ainong had small irises; in other words, the whites of his eyes were visible on all four sides. When he stared fixedly, it gave the impression he was looking for trouble, which was why he often almost attracted trouble just by standing next to a crowd. When Fan Ainong really glared at Xu Dian with force, the expression looked even more vicious to others.

Prosecutor Xu Dian didn't care about such behavior at all. Let alone a vicious glare, he had faced people in court shouting that they would kill his entire family. More importantly, Xu Dian actually quite admired Zhou Shuren and Fan Ainong.

Seeing Fan Ainong remain silent, Xu Dian asked again, "I once heard a saying: the truth will never hurt us. I wonder what thoughts you two have on this?"

How could someone as intelligent as Zhou Shuren not know what Xu Dian was referring to? Fan Ainong, on the other hand, had a temperament where his emotions showed on his face. Hearing Xu Dian ask again, even Zhou Shuren couldn't help but sigh. For the common people of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Cai Yuanpei was one of those high-and-mighty figures of the past. For the literati of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the shock of Cai Yuanpei standing trial was indescribable. It was the feeling of an idol collapsing.

Seeing neither of them speak, Xu Dian slowed his pace and pointed to a willow tree in front of them. "Gentlemen, I see a willow tree ahead. That should be correct, right?"

Zhou Shuren and Fan Ainong exchanged a glance. Both saw disgust in the other's eyes at Xu Dian's pretentious affectation. However, since Xu Dian had spoken, they couldn't simply not reply. Fan Ainong answered in a rather malicious tone, "That should be correct. I wonder if Brother Zhou sees it the same way?"

Zhou Shuren was very polite in his conduct. He answered indifferently, "There is indeed a willow tree ahead. Comrade Xu Dian is correct."

Xu Dian walked up and patted the tree trunk. After hearing the dull thud from the impact, Xu Dian withdrew his hand and rubbed off a bit of dead bark stuck to it, then continued, "We saw the willow tree, we touched the willow tree. If this is not a hallucination, it means the existence of this willow tree is a truth. This truth has not hurt us. I think saying it like that should be correct."

This remark suited the taste of the literati quite well. A hint of respect appeared in Zhou Shuren's expression, and Fan Ainong also put away his antagonistic attitude, although his gaze, with its abundance of eye-white, still made one feel uncomfortable.

Xu Dian smiled. "Chairman Chen looks very serious, but it is said that he studied metaphysical stuff when he was a child. Once he said there is a kind of magic called the Word Spirit technique (*Kotodama*)." Afraid he wasn't clear, Xu Dian picked up a twig from the ground and wrote the three characters on the dirt. Fan Ainong and Zhou Shuren were both students who had returned from Japan; seeing these three characters, they felt familiar, seemingly having heard of such things in Japan. Of course, they wouldn't show off this knowledge in front of Xu Dian.

"The meaning of the Word Spirit technique is roughly that when a person who knows this magic casts a spell, they make those who hear them speak have hallucinations. If he says there is a willow tree ahead, everyone will see that there is indeed such a willow tree ahead. Very magical." Xu Dian laughed again after finishing his explanation. "However, this magic has a problem. If the person under the spell sees the reality... for example, if I know the Word Spirit technique and say there is a vibrant willow tree ahead, but there is actually a dead willow tree here. Then reality and hallucination exist simultaneously. Reality will stimulate the human brain, producing a kind of pain. Under the effect of this pain, the Word Spirit technique will be broken."

Watching the flickering gazes of Zhou Shuren and Fan Ainong, Xu Dian continued, "If an ugly person uses the Word Spirit technique to make people think he is another handsome person, everyone under the spell will believe it. But if this ugly person and that handsome person appear in front of everyone at the same time, everyone's brains will be stimulated by reality, and in the end, they will still be able to recognize the ugly person's disguise. However, the pain of the brain being stimulated is unavoidable."

Actually, Xu Dian didn't need to be so blunt. When he used the willow tree for comparison, Zhou Shuren and Fan Ainong had already roughly guessed what Xu Dian wanted to say. Zhou Shuren's face darkened, and Fan Ainong simply said in a hurt tone, "I suppose Brother Xu is someone who will not be deceived, someone who will absolutely not be hurt by the truth."

Hearing Fan Ainong's mockery, Xu Dian laughed heartily. "That's impossible. People all grow slowly through pain. Having suffered enough injuries and endured enough pain, I naturally refuse to take the initiative to get hurt again. But doing things always requires a method. If one cannot follow materialism, cannot seek truth from facts, then wanting to avoid injury is not easy."

Fan Ainong's current mood was not suitable for education at all. Even knowing that what Xu Dian said was correct, even knowing clearly that the truth had been exposed to the world by the People's Party, Fan Ainong still felt that maintaining the beautiful image of Cai Yuanpei in his mind made him more comfortable. So Fan Ainong said to Xu Dian in a very aggressive tone, "Brother Xu, if you want me to speak ill of Mr. Cai, you have found the wrong person."

Xu Dian remained smiling. "I don't have that intention. Whether you say Mr. Cai is good or say Mr. Cai is bad, it's all just the Word Spirit technique. What kind of person he actually is, just look at what he has done seeking truth from facts."

Although Xu Dian's words were very mild, Fan Ainong felt a dull ache in his chest, as if his brain couldn't bear the pain and irresponsibly handed the sensation over to his heart. Under the stimulation of the pain, Fan Ainong's pupils contracted, his black irises shrinking almost a full circle, making the whites of his eyes look as if there were even more of them.

"Gentlemen, I am discussing this with you today because I feel both of you are excellent talents. Comrade Fan Ainong has also submitted an application to join the Party, so as a Party member, I have an obligation to exchange views on the Party's philosophy with comrades. Everyone has participated in this great change of the era with the attitude of saving China and promoting revolution. Chairman Chen said that if we walk east and it's wrong, then there is no need to ask, walking west is definitely also wrong. We can only walk forward, because history is a spiral ascending process. This is like a donkey pulling a millstone while blindfolded. It has walked east, west, south, and north. It seems to be moving forward, seems to be running in all directions seeking a path. But it is still wandering blindly on the same plane. If the road beneath its feet was sloping upwards, after circling round and round, it would eventually rise into the sky, towards the vast heavens. I hope you two can choose such a direction."

Neither Zhou Shuren nor Fan Ainong expected Xu Dian to use a blindfolded donkey pulling a millstone as a metaphor for the revolution. Recalling the appearance of donkeys pulling millstones they had seen, smiles couldn't help but appear on both their faces. Then imagining what the result would be if there were an upward sloping path under the blindfolded jackass's feet as it persisted in walking, their expressions unconsciously became serious again.

After a long while, Fan Ainong slowly said, "Brother Xu, Mr. Cai is a revolutionary senior after all, and he put in great effort for the revolution. If you were to kill him with one slash of the blade, even if we were sad, we would feel some comfort. To humiliate Mr. Cai to this extent, even knowing clearly that he deserves it, I still cannot bear it in my heart."

After saying this, Fan Ainong felt the pain in his chest had not disappeared but had become more intense. He gasped for breath and continued, "Brother Xu, I actually don't want to see the real Mr. Cai. I hope Mr. Cai will always be that Mr. Cai who would not spare his life to assassinate high officials of the Qing dynasty and even Cixi. What I want to see is that Mr. Cai who dared to revolutionize, who was brave in revolution. I hope Mr. Cai will always be that kind of person! I don't want to see the truth!"

Zhou Shuren had remained silent. Hearing Fan Ainong's heartfelt outpouring, Zhou Shuren couldn't help turning his face toward the West Lake and sighing softly again. However, Xu Dian knew that the reason the sigh was very quiet was that Zhou Shuren's lips were tightly closed and his teeth were clenched together; the breath was exhaled through his nostrils.

Xu Dian continued to smile and said, "Comrade Fan Ainong, Comrade Zhou Shuren, both of you should have walked on mountain roads, right? Answer me, have you?"

"I have." "I have." Fan Ainong and Zhou Shuren answered one after another.

Xu Dian nodded. "Look at this mountain road, winding upwards, also circling the mountain round and round. From the foot of the mountain, we see a nice spot on the road above. We walk up along the road. Following the road, walking blindly east, west, south, and north, we will definitely reach that point. When we were at the foot of the mountain, that point was definitely above our heads. But when we reach that point, we have definitely already trampled that point under our feet."

Speaking to here, Xu Dian's expression became serious. "Mr. Cai is a revolutionary senior; this is a fact, this is the truth. You and I must recognize this fact, acknowledge this truth. But the revolution is upward. Mr. Cai believes that the position he reached is the end of the revolution. But we, the People's Party, believe that was merely a stage that needed to be passed on the revolutionary road. At this time, Mr. Cai feels that walking further up is going down an evil path. Whoever wants to continue forward, Mr. Cai will kill. So, when at the foot of the mountain, Mr. Cai was indeed a revolutionary senior; there is nothing wrong with that. But when we have reached this point and want to continue walking forward, Mr. Cai is a counter-revolutionary. There is nothing wrong with this either."

Xu Dian's words were already quite blunt, but Zhou Shuren and Fan Ainong did not refute them, nor did they get agitated. Zhou Shuren lowered his head, while Fan Ainong closed his eyes as he tilted his head back. Both fell silent.

Considerate of their emotions, Xu Dian paused for a while before continuing, "So, the truth will never hurt us. Gentlemen, Mr. Cai has not changed; it is you who have changed. It is you who relied on your own strength to walk east, west, south, and north along this road, walking to a new height. While constantly moving forward, you two did not look at Mr. Cai, did not see that Mr. Cai had already stopped. The last time you saw Mr. Cai, he was still above you. You also didn't see clearly what the road you walked was actually like. In the arduous trek, everyone was already doing their utmost just to continue walking. Who could think about so much? So when you see Mr. Cai again, you still feel that Mr. Cai is above you. You feel that while you were walking upward, Mr. Cai was also walking upward, and at this moment should be even higher above you. But what is the truth? The truth is that you two have already surpassed Mr. Cai on the road of revolution. Mr. Cai is already behind you, below you. This is the truth I want to tell you two. I hope you can see this clearly."

Zhou Shuren and Fan Ainong were neither fools nor unreasonable people. Since Xu Dian was not speaking nonsense, and they had both experienced so much, they quickly understood what Xu Dian was saying. Zhou Shuren and Fan Ainong couldn't help exchanging a glance. The pained expressions disappeared, and they only saw helplessness on each other's faces.

Fan Ainong walked to the willow tree beside Xu Dian. First, he stroked the rough bark of the willow with his palm, then began to slap the willow tree with his palm. Xu Dian and Zhou Shuren saw Fan Ainong slapping faster and faster, harder and harder, and were just about to step forward to stop him. But they saw Fan Ainong stop slapping, cover his face with his red palms, and begin to sob in a low voice. The two walked up to comfort Fan Ainong, only to see that Fan Ainong was already tear-stained without them realizing it; it seemed he had been crying silently for quite a while.

However, Fan Ainong's crying was no longer that of bewilderment and despair from being unable to accept the facts, but the sorrow brought about by a regret from the bottom of his heart.

When Fan Ainong recovered his calm, Xu Dian let him wash his face casually by the West Lake, and then continued the conversation.

"I invited you two here today, firstly to resolve your cognitive issues. Now it looks like they have been resolved. Then let's proceed to the second matter. We in the People's Party are all a bunch of mortals; a single coin can stump a hero. So this trial must improve efficiency. This is the instruction of the Party Central Committee. You are both persons in charge of the education system, and you know how many people have arrived recently. I have to discuss this matter properly with everyone."

Hundreds of various massacres had occurred in western Zhejiang, with tens of thousands of participants. Trying to fully practice seeking truth from facts was a terrifying task. Procedural justice meant massive costs. Just to sort out a series of criminal facts completely, based on an optimistic estimate of reviewing three cases a day, just to clear things up in court would take at least half a year. If there were twists and turns in between, a year wouldn't be rare.

Xu Dian was once a believer in the supremacy of law. Seeing the entire list and the required various expenditures, his face turned green. This cost could completely use up the annual budget of the judicial departments of over a dozen provinces in the Liberated Areas. The huge gap between ideal and reality had to be filled with massive amounts of money. Even without calculating this money, the daily eating, drinking, housing, and guarding of the more than 100,000 arrested people was a terrible expenditure. Investing this money in economic construction would be enough to change the livelihood of a small half of Zhejiang.

Including the Central Committee, there were views to settle the cases as soon as possible without needing to be too detailed. However, Chen Ke had different thoughts on this matter. "The counter-revolutionaries massacred the masses, so let's have a retaliatory massacre against the counter-revolutionaries. If we do that, the cost can indeed be brought down. But when we deprive a person of their life, there is also a cost. The reason the law forcibly implements order is not for punishment; in a social sense, it is to learn from past mistakes to avoid future ones, and to cure the sickness to save the patient. The People's Party talks about science and democracy, so there must be a legal system. Rely on the legal system to maintain science and democracy. If we deprive so many people of their lives, we must let the masses understand through this great trial how the legal system operates and where the baseline drawn by the legal system actually lies. Otherwise, what is the significance of us killing so many people? We must not only be responsible to ourselves, but we must also be responsible to the enemy! Without such an attitude, the entire trial and execution will only turn into a carnival with limited meaning, a celebration."

After many discussions, a resolution was finally formed. The Central Committee gave this trial more financial and manpower support. Zhejiang would take this matter as its core work in the near future. Students of various legal majors in the Liberated Areas would all be transferred to Zhejiang to participate in the work of the Great Trial. And a large number of comrades from various departments would be drafted to participate in this trial. Apart from the trial itself, internal education of the judicial system must be completed.

After introducing the situation, Xu Dian summarized, "Although it is unrealistic to establish a judicial system in Zhejiang all at once, and even more unrealistic to make all the masses establish a concept of the legal system, we still have to do our best. The social operating costs are too high. The costs we can use are all the fruits of the masses' labor, and we must try our best not to waste them. So how to use these costs efficiently is an important practice. Everyone has to perk up and work hard."