When Roland learned of this matter, he was studying the layout of the residential area's power grid. After listening to Carter's report, he put down his quill and sighed. Although he knew that such a day would inevitably come, he still felt a little helpless when it really happened. After all, the ban on selling grain privately had been repeatedly announced, but there were still people who would take the risk for a little money. Obviously, this was the first case of this kind, so it was natural to give a heavy sentence.
In addition, he had to improve all kinds of laws as soon as possible, and then recruit specialized law officers to interrogate and judge the case. After all, after the city was built, there would only be more and more crimes, and he had no time to act as a judge all day long.
The trial was finally decided to be held in the castle hall.
Roland also summoned Barov, the director, to the castle to jointly try the grain smuggling crime.
In the hall, two arrested suspects were kneeling on the ground, pale and with dull eyes. It seemed that they had never experienced such a scene.
After Roland sat in the main seat, he cleared his throat and said, "Tell me everything you have done. Any concealment or lies will add to your crimes."
"Yes, yes, Sir," The two of them seemed to wake up from a dream and scrambled to tell the story of the grain trafficking. The serf, in particular, almost shouted himself hoarse, "His Royal Highness, Sir Lord! I know I am guilty, but if I don't sell the wheat... I really can't live! Those officials didn't buy the wheat according to your requirements, and I had no choice but to do so! "
The whole case was very simple, and halfway through, Roland had already sorted out the clues.
In order to calm people's hearts, the City hall set a grain purchase limit that was slightly higher than the actual consumption, so there would always be a small amount of wheat left for the townspeople who bought the maximum amount every month. Parker, who lived in the sixth residential area, seized a business opportunity. He ground the extra wheat into coarse flour, mixed it with some wild vegetables he picked himself, made it into fragrant pancakes, and sold them in the market. As a result, he found that they sold well. This was also another major function of the Convenience Market, which limited the trading to staple foods, while the chickens, ducks, and eggs raised by the townspeople could be sold at their own stalls.
This business could bring him several silver royals every month, but there was only so much wheat left. If he wanted to expand, he had to be frugal. So Parker set his sights on the serfs who did not sell all the grain to the City hall. After several inquiries, he contacted "Gold", and then there was this smuggling case.
But the serf's last sentence made Roland frown. What did he mean by the officials didn't buy wheat according to the regulations? Was it related to the City hall?
He looked at Barov, who leaned over and whispered, "The Ministry of Agriculture is in charge of the acquisition, and the minister is Sirius Daly. It's unlikely that he would make such a mistake. You can call him over and ask him."
Roland nodded and had the guards summon the Minister of Agriculture to the castle.
Sirius Daly quickly arrived at the hall. After making a standard knight's salute, he inquired about His Highness' orders. He still had the demeanor of a former Wolf Family Knight.
The prince explained the unclear parts of the case. "Did you refuse to buy serfs' food?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, the situation is like this," Sirius answered without the slightest hesitation, "In accordance with your instructions, after the bumper harvest, we did not stop the purchase work, but gradually reduced the purchase price according to the quality of the wheat. In the first two months, the price was almost the same as the original price."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "However, after winter, most of the serfs lacked suitable storage space, coupled with the fact that they moved from the original shantytowns to the temporary residential area, the quality of the wheat declined significantly. When we purchase, we can often find damp, discolored, moldy food, so the price is 20 to 30% lower than at the beginning. Most of this serf's food has been damp and moldy, and it is almost impossible to continue to store it. Therefore, the price I offered is 20% of the harvest price. "
"20% is no different from not buying, Your Highness!" The serf shouted, "I've been working in the fields for a year, and the things I've grown can only be sold at this price. It's even more ruthless than the black street! Didn't you say that the price of grain would remain unchanged? "
"That's referring to paying on time, idiot!" Barov scolded in displeasure, "Do you think no one knows your real purpose for hoarding wheat? If there is a problem with the town's food supply, I'm afraid you can sell it at three or four times the original price! "
At this point, the case was completely clear, but the result made Roland slightly surprised. He had originally thought that it was just a simple case of smuggling grain, but he did not expect that it would involve a case of black-hearted food. Parker clearly knew that the quality of this batch of grain was poor, but he still agreed to buy it multiple times at 50% of the original price. It was likely that he did not care whether the moldy wheat was edible or not.
What the serfs had committed was undoubtedly a felony, but the sentence given by the townsman Parker made it somewhat difficult for Roland to make a decision. He had heard from Scroll about the lives of the poor. When these people lacked food, let alone moldy black bread, even tree trunks and grass could be used to satisfy their hunger. It was precisely because of this that Scroll repeatedly emphasized how great it was to be able to let all the subjects eat wheat. Parker was also a poor person before, so he probably did not realize that using inferior grain to make wheat cakes was a crime.
After discussing with Barov for a moment, Roland finally made a verdict.
He stood up, looked around, and said in a deep voice, "I pronounce — two guilty! The serfs violated the ban by selling grain privately and knowingly. Their crime is one level higher and they are sentenced to ten years of mine labor. If their subsequent performance is good, the length of service may be reduced at their discretion. "
"Parker, a resident of the town, also violated the ban by using inferior wheat to make pancakes and selling them to other townsmen. Both crimes are punished together. In addition to ten years of labor, a fine of three times the profit from the pancakes will be imposed. The above sentence will be carried out immediately! "
The two people's bodies went limp and they involuntarily collapsed to the ground. The guards standing at the side immediately came forward and dragged them out of the hall.
The prince then ordered Sirius, "Write this matter into a notice and give it to Barov to review and publicize it. I want all the subjects to understand the cause and effect of this case and prevent such things from happening again."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
After the trial was over, Roland called Chief Knight Carter to his office. "I heard that the arresting person this time is Vader again?"
Carter nodded. "But this time they went a little overboard. They took off their police uniforms and went to arrest people. In the process, they were even reported by the people as fighting. I'll give him a warning."
"That won't be necessary. In fact, you should praise him," Roland said while stroking his chin. "Isn't this a plainclothes policeman? He knows how to be flexible and has experience in arresting criminals. He used to be a patrol member and has a good understanding of the forces of the black street. He's simply a natural talent for supervision."
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