Chapter 440 Trial

When Roland learned about this, he was studying the power grid layout of the residential area. After listening to Carter's report, he put down his quill and sighed softly. Although he knew that such a day would inevitably happen, he still felt a little helpless when it happened. After all, the requirement to strictly prohibit the private sale of food had been repeatedly preached, but there were still people who would take risks for such a small amount of money. Obviously, for the first case of its kind, a harsher sentence would naturally be required.

In addition, it is necessary to improve various laws as soon as possible and recruit specialized legal officials to interrogate and judge cases. After all, after the city is built, crimes will only increase and he will not have time to act as a judge all day long. job.

The trial was finally held in the castle hall.

Roland also recruited Barov, the general manager, to the castle to jointly examine the crime of smuggling grain.

In the hall, the two arrested suspects were kneeling on the ground. Their faces were pale and their eyes were dull. It looked like they had never experienced such a battle.

After Roland took his seat, he cleared his throat and said, "Tell me everything you have done. Any concealment or lying will make you guilty even more."

"Yes, yes, sir," the two of them seemed to have woken up from a dream, and they rushed to tell the story of the grain trade. Especially the serf, who almost shouted at the top of his lungs, "Your Highness, Lord! I know I am guilty. , but if I don’t sell this wheat... I really can’t survive! Those officials didn’t buy wheat at all according to your requirements, and I had no choice but to do so!"

The whole case was very simple, and Roland had already figured it out halfway through.

In order to stabilize people's hearts, the food purchase limit set by the city hall at that time was slightly more than the actual consumption. Therefore, townspeople who purchased the maximum amount every month would always have a small amount of wheat left. Parker, who lived in the sixth community, caught a glimpse of business opportunities. He ground the extra wheat into semolina, mixed it with some wild vegetables he picked, made fragrant pancakes and dragged them to the market to sell. He found that the sales were pretty good - - This is also another major function of the convenience market. Only staple foods are limited to trade, and the chickens, ducks, and eggs raised by the townspeople can be sold at stalls.

This business can bring him several silver wolves every month, but there is only so much wheat left. If he wants to expand, he has to eat less. So Pike set his sights on those serfs who did not sell all their grain to the city hall. After several inquiries, he contacted "Gold", and then this smuggling incident took place.

However, the serf's last words made Roland frown. What does it mean that the official did not purchase wheat according to regulations? Could it be that the city hall is also involved?

He looked at Barov, who leaned over and whispered, "The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for the procurement work, and the minister is Seni Daly. It is unlikely that he will make such a mistake. You can also call him over and ask. ask."

Roland nodded and asked his bodyguard to summon the Minister of Agriculture to the castle.

Seni Daly rushed to the hall quickly. After performing a standard knight's salute, he asked His Highness what his orders were. His gestures still retained some of the original knight's demeanor of the Benlang family.

The prince recounted the unclear aspects of the case, "Did you refuse to purchase the grain from the serfs?"

"Your Highness, the situation is like this," Seni replied without any hesitation, "According to your instructions, after the great harvest, we did not stop the purchase work, but gradually lowered the purchase price according to the quality of the wheat. In a month or two, the price will be almost the same as the original price.”

He paused and continued, "However, after winter, due to the lack of suitable storage places for most serfs and the move from the original shanty houses to temporary settlements, the quality of wheat dropped significantly. We can often check it when purchasing. I found damp, discolored, and moldy grain, so the price was 20% to 30% lower than at the beginning. Most of this serf’s grain was damp and moldy, and it was almost impossible to continue storing it, so the price I gave was 20% of the harvest price. .”

"There is no difference between 20% and no purchase, Your Highness!" the serf shouted, "I have been working in the fields for a year, and the things I grow can only be sold for this price, which is even worse than the black street! You are not talking about grain Will the price remain the same?”

"That means paying on time, idiot!" Barov scolded displeasedly, "Do you think no one knows your real purpose of hoarding wheat? If there is a problem with the food supply in the town, I'm afraid you will pay three or four times the price. Everything can be sold!”

The case has been fully understood so far, but the result surprised Roland. He thought it was just a simple smuggling of grain, but he didn't expect that it would later involve a shady food case - Pike obviously knew that the grain was of low quality, but still agreed to sell it for 50 yuan. I bought it many times at a reasonable price, and I guess I didn’t even care whether the moldy wheat was edible.

The crime committed by the serf was undoubtedly a serious crime, but the sentence imposed by the citizen Pike made it difficult for Roland to decide. He had heard books describing the life of the poor. When these people lacked food, not to mention moldy black bread, even tree trunks and grass blades could be used to satisfy their hunger. It is precisely because of this that the book repeatedly emphasizes how great a thing it is to allow all the people in the territory to eat wheat. Pike was also a poor man before, and he probably didn't realize that using inferior grain to make wheat cakes was a crime.

After discussing with Barov for a moment, Roland finally made a decision.

He stood up, looked around the audience, and said solemnly, "I pronounce the verdict - the two of them are guilty! The serfs violated the ban and sold grain privately, and knowingly committed the crime. The crime will be increased by one level and they will be sentenced to ten years of hard labor in the mines. If they perform well in the future, they can be punished as appropriate. Reduce years of service.”

"Pike, a resident of the town, also violated the ban and used low-quality wheat to make pancakes and sell them to other townspeople. He is punished for both crimes. In addition to being sentenced to ten years of hard labor, he is also fined three times the profit from the pancakes. The above sentence will be implemented immediately!"

The two men went limp and collapsed to the ground involuntarily. The guards standing aside immediately stepped forward and dragged them out of the hall.

The prince then ordered Seni, "You write this matter into a notice, give it to Barov to review and then publicize it. I want all the people in the territory to understand the causes and consequences of this case and prevent this kind of thing from happening again."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

After the trial, Roland called the chief knight to his office, "I heard that the captor this time is Vader again?"

Carter nodded, "It's just that they went a little too far this time. They took off their police uniforms to arrest people. During the transfer, the people reported it as a fight. I will warn him."

"That's not necessary. In fact, you should praise him," Roland said, touching his chin. Isn't this just a plainclothes policeman? He knows how to adapt and has experience in apprehending criminals. He used to be a patrol member and has a good understanding of the underworld forces. He is a natural supervisor.

When the time comes, recruit him into the security bureau, Roland thought to himself, Nightingale is short of men.