Marco was astonished at the words and then looked at the dejected Barnes following behind the horse. Lowering his voice, he said, "Then we have wronged him?"
"Not at all," Golden Eyes yawned, "The investigation before was very clear. That manor indeed had its serfs working forced and unpaid overti. We’re just bringing people back to face trial this ti. Don’t overthink it."
Seeing Marco still looking troubled, Golden Eyes exceptionally added a few more words, "I don’t think the serfs did anything wrong. Working on the manor is definitely less motivating than working on their own fields, because the latter is unpaid, while the harvest from the forr belongs to them."
"How can it be unpaid? The lords also provide them with shelter and land to make a living," Marco argued stubbornly, "They have a contract, which should be strictly adhered to."
"That’s true, but the contract does not stipulate that you have to work harder on the manor," Golden Eyes waved his hand to drive away two buzzing flies in front of him.
"But the contract..."
"Marco, Marco," Golden Eyes also beca a bit impatient, "Relax. That’s just people. They always think of themselves first. That’s our nature; you shouldn’t bla them for that."
"But this way, the owner of the manor loses out."
"True, but what does that have to do with us? We are followers of the Double Rest Sect, we are the judges. Our duty is to ensure that those precepts are observed."
"How to get those serfs to work properly is a problem that the owners of the manors need to think about, not us. They can’t just challenge the precepts and the authority of our Lord whenever they encounter a problem."
"With such big heads on their necks, they aren’t just for eating and licking that thing on the won’s chests. They should occasionally put them to use."
Golden Eyes and Marco took Barnes back to the Judgent Court, and then soone went outside of Teacup Castle to fetch Thomas, who was supervising the construction of the Earth Ramming City wall.
The Guard Captain showed no resistance upon seeing the judge from the Judgent Court, didn’t throw a temper tantrum using his status, and even stopped two guards beside him who were ready to draw their swords.
He then apologized to the judge in front of him.
The latter remained unfazed, "It’s not surprising; we’ve always been the least welco people in Green Field."
"It’s only because those fools don’t understand the importance of the Judgent Court."
"No, no, no, I take that as a complint. If everyone saw us and felt genuinely happy, it would an we weren’t doing our job properly," said the judge with a strange laugh.
"Sir Thomas, according to our investigation, there is an issue with a manor in your feud where serfs are being forced to work unpaid overti."
"Really? I swear by my ancestors and our Lord that I knew nothing about this. In fact, I’ve been in Teacup Castle recently, overseeing the construction of the outer city wall; it’s been almost two months since I last visited the feud," the Guard Captain defended himself.
"The trial concerning the parties involved will take place in the Judgent Court before sunset this afternoon. Will you have ti then?"
"Rest assured, we will not let a guilty person go free, nor will we wrong a good person," said the judge.
"Of course, I can go back with you right now," Sir Thomas imdiately said.
"Excellent, thank you for your cooperation."
Having finished speaking, the judge did not move, but instead spoke again to the Guard Captain.
"I noticed you just ntioned that you have been in charge of the construction work for two months and haven’t been back ho once in that ti. What do you think about Miss Irelia, who assigned you this task—does she engage in forcing overti work, or has she, using her status, made any such implications?"
"No, no, no, I have strictly adhered to the ’Five Rest and Two Work days’ code, where we do not work for two days each week. The reason I didn’t go ho was because I was constantly honing my swordsmanship on the training grounds," Thomas hurriedly explained.
"Well then, I hope you enjoy your rest days, Lord Thomas."
"Likewise."
The trial concerning the matter of forced unpaid overti for serfs at the manor did not last long. In fact, as soon as Barnes was brought to the Judgent Court, the portly steward was almost paralyzed with fear and ended up spilling everything he should and shouldn’t have said.
He admitted that he was the one who ordered the overti work, and it was he who had the serfs’ labor days underreported by four days, hoping they would work longer on the manor’s fields.
The reason was straightforward; he hoped to make a good impression in front of the Knight’s wife.
Since Thomas had beco an official knight and owned a feud for only a short ti, there were not many people around him who could manage the lands. Barnes, not content with just being a steward of a manor, desired to climb further up the ladder.
However, his montary greed had led him to commit a grave error.
The Judgent Court then separately inquired other knowledgeable parties, and their accounts were much the sa as Barnes’s.
At this point, the Judgent Court could finally declare Thomas innocent in this matter and imdiately pronounced the punishnt for the rotund steward Barnes.
He was required to go to the fields of the serfs who he forced to work overti and labor under the supervision of the Judgent Court.
He had to work in each plot for four days until all the owed rest days were compensated before he could regain his freedom.
Upon hearing this verdict, Barnes’s eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.
He had just been forced by Golden Eyes to go into the fields and cut crops for an entire afternoon, experiencing the hardships of labor firsthand. His back was in such pain he could hardly stand straight, and his hands were covered in blisters.
Barnes had been a steward at the manor for over thirty years, serving two families and three lords, and he had never suffered like this before.
And this was just the beginning. With over thirty serfs on Thomas’s manor, if he were to work four days on each of their fields, he would be working until winter ca.
A quick calculation by Barnes, and it wasn’t surprising that he would faint from the shock.
His wife and son pleaded with the Judgent Court, hoping to pay for soone to replace Barnes in the labor, even offering to work double the amount of ti on each plot of land.
But all their requests were denied by the Judgent Court.
Afterwards, Thomas stood up and declared that as the lord, he bore responsibility for the mistake Barnes had committed. He was willing to compensate each of the serfs with four silver coins.
His generous act also earned unanimous praise from the followers of the Double Rest Sect who were listening at the trial, and so, the trial concluded in a harmonious atmosphere.
Of course, most of the ti things were not that smooth.
But with Miss Rabbit’s staunch support, combined with the strong influence the Double Rest Sect had built up in Green Field, and the occasional cooperation of the Black Hound guards, the Judgent Court’s decisions tended to result in satisfactory outcos.
Thus, the issue of forced overti in Green Field was effectively curbed.
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