88. Code of Suryagarh
The grand hall of Suryagarh was brimming with anticipation. The chamber, which once echoed with the imperious voices of noblemen, was now filled with the murmurs of commoners, merchants, and artisans—people who had once been voiceless. Men and women of every caste stood shoulder to shoulder, their eyes heavy with both hope and suspicion.
At the front of the hall, Harsh stood tall, his hands resting firmly on the heavy oak table before him. Beside him sat Vidur, a bundle of neatly bound scrolls laid out before them. Ishani and General Raghunath flanked his sides, their gazes sharp and unwavering.
For weeks, Harsh's council had labored over the creation of a legal code—a radical departure from the centuries-old, caste-based adjudication system. It was a colossal undertaking, but one Harsh knew was necessary. War had changed the land, but if the victory was to last, the laws had to change too.
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The hall gradually fell silent as Harsh's deep voice carried across the chamber.
"For too long, justice has belonged to the privileged, and laws have served only the powerful." His eyes swept over the hall, meeting the wary gazes of farmers, blacksmiths, traders, and laborers.
"But no longer," he declared. "From this day forward, the laws of Suryagarh will be written, codified, and made known to all."
The crowd stirred. The nobles who still clung to their remaining influence exchanged glances, their eyes narrowing. The commoners, still disbelieving, listened intently.
Harsh gestured to Vidur, who unfurled a long scroll—the first in Suryagarh's new legal codex.
Vidur's voice was steady and firm as he read aloud:
"No man or woman shall be judged by their caste or lineage, but by their actions and their crimes."
"Any citizen, be they noble or common, may seek trial and appeal before a council of impartial judges."
"Theft, violence, and exploitation of laborers will be punished regardless of rank or status."
"All citizens will have the right to address grievances in public court."
For an hour, the laws were read in slow, clear words, repeated multiple times in the languages of every region under Harsh's rule. It was not merely a declaration, but a revolutionary doctrine, spelling the end of noble immunity and introducing commoner representation.
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When the reading ended, the hall fell into a stunned silence.
For the nobles, it was as though the ground had been torn from beneath their feet. Their privileged status—their divine right to power—was slipping away, crumbling under Harsh's reforms.
One of the remaining lords, Rana Devdutt, stood abruptly, his voice trembling with indignation.
"This is madness!" he barked. "You speak of equality, but you forget the natural order! The peasants are nothing without the hand of the nobles to guide them."
Several nobles nodded in agreement, their faces twisted with contempt. The faintest smirk of disdain curled Devdutt's lip as he looked toward the crowd, expecting their loyalty.
But his eyes widened when he saw the commoners' faces.
There was no reverence.
No submission.
Only defiance.
The hall was silent for a brief moment, until a farmer in the crowd—his hands calloused from years of tilling the soil—stepped forward.
"My lord…" he said slowly, voice trembling but firm, "you've never once guided me. You took the grains I grew and taxed the coin I earned. You took my eldest son for your levy. And you dare say we are nothing without you?"
Devdutt's face darkened with rage.
"Silence, you insolent—"
Harsh's voice cut through the chamber like steel.
"Enough!" His eyes were sharp and unyielding. "There will be no titles, no noble birthright, and no inherited power in Suryagarh's courts. If you hold wealth, it will be earned. If you hold land, it will be worked. If you break the law, you will answer for it. Noble or not."
The nobles' faces paled. They could see the unyielding resolve in Harsh's eyes.
Slowly, one by one, the commoners in the chamber began to raise their fists in salute. Farmers, artisans, blacksmiths, and soldiers—the people—rising in silent unity.
And in that moment, the nobles realized their era was ending.
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Within weeks, the legal code was copied, distributed, and read aloud in every town and village.
Public courts were established, where any citizen could present their grievances.
Judges were appointed not from the noble class but from respected citizens, chosen for their wisdom and impartiality.
The commoners learned their rights—when they could demand fair wages, when they could refuse unjust labor, and when they could stand against the abuses of the remaining nobility.
The reforms did not bring instant equality. The nobles still held wealth, and their influence, though diminished, was not yet fully broken.
But the commoners had knowledge now—the power to fight back, to appeal, and to challenge.
The nobles could no longer act with impunity, knowing that their victims could seek judgment.
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The reforms, however, came at a cost.
The nobles who remained loyal seethed with fury, their wealth slipping away in lawsuits, their political influence fading as commoners began rising through the ranks of both administration and the army.
In secret, they plotted rebellion.
Some fled to neighboring kingdoms, whispering of treason and heretical rule.
Others turned to assassins, seeking to silence the voices of reform.
Several of Harsh's regional governors were ambushed—stabbed in the streets or poisoned in their halls.
But Harsh's reforms had already taken root. The people were no longer afraid.
When nobles tried to reclaim their former power, the commoners fought back.
The village councils, once voiceless, now held authority to depose and exile corrupt officials.
Harsh's soldiers—born from the common folk—sided with the people, crushing the remnants of noble resistance.
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As years passed, the legal system grew more sophisticated.
The courts expanded, covering trade disputes, land claims, and taxation cases.
New schools were established to teach not only mathematics and science but also civic rights and law, ensuring that future generations would know their rights.
Former peasants rose to magistrates. Former laborers became lawmakers.
By the fifth year of Harsh's reforms, the noble class was nothing more than a remnant of the past. Their once-unbreakable power was reduced to mere landowners with no divine authority.
The commoners, once fearful and ignorant of the law, now walked into the courts with confidence. Justice became their shield, and with it, the last remnants of aristocratic supremacy crumbled.
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One evening, Harsh stood atop the western battlements, gazing at the city below.
The torches of village councils burned brightly, symbols of commoners who now ruled themselves.
The once-gilded manor houses of nobles had become public schools and courthouses.
Ishani approached quietly, their children toddling after her.
Harsh turned and knelt before them, taking their tiny hands in his calloused ones.
"One day, you will walk through this kingdom and know it was not built by kings or nobles… but by its people."
And as the night stretched on, the city below stood as a testament to his vision—a kingdom no longer bound by caste and blood, but by justice and equality.
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