Roland was studying the power grid layout for the residential area when he learned of this matter. After listening to Carter's report, he put down his quill and sighed softly. Although he knew this day was inevitable, he still felt a sense of helplessness when it actually happened. After all, the prohibition of private grain sales had been repeatedly publicized, yet some people would still take the risk for a little money. Obviously, the first case of this kind should naturally be severely punished.

In addition, it was also necessary to put the improvement of various laws and the recruitment of specialized legal officials for interrogation and judgment on the agenda as soon as possible. After all, once the city was built, there would only be more and more crimes, and he simply wouldn't have time to act as a judge all day long.

The trial was ultimately held in the castle hall.

Roland summoned Chief Manager Barov to the castle to jointly hear the case of private grain trafficking.

In the hall, two arrested suspects knelt on the ground, their faces pale and their eyes dull, as if they had never experienced such a scene before.

After Roland took his seat at the head, he cleared his throat, "Tell me everything you did. Any concealment or lies will make your crime even worse."

"Yes, yes, sir," the two seemed to wake up from a dream, and eagerly recounted the grain trafficking, especially the serf, who shouted almost hoarsely, "Your Highness, Lord! I know I'm guilty, but if I don't sell this wheat... I really can't survive! Those officials don't buy wheat according to your requirements at all, I had no choice but to do this!"

The whole case was very simple, and Roland had already figured out the ins and outs by the time he heard half of it.

In order to stabilize people's hearts, the grain purchase limit set by the City Hall at that time was slightly higher than the actual consumption, so the townspeople who bought the maximum amount each month would always have a small portion of wheat left over. Pike, who lived in the sixth district, caught a glimpse of a business opportunity. He ground the extra wheat into coarse flour, mixed in some wild vegetables he had collected, and made fragrant pancakes to sell in the market. As a result, he found that they sold quite well—this was another major function of the convenience market. Only staple food was subject to transaction restrictions, while chickens, ducks, and eggs raised by the townspeople could be set up for sale on their own.

This business could bring him several silver wolves of income every month, but there was only so much wheat left, so if he wanted to expand the scale, he would have to tighten his belt. So Pike set his sights on the serfs who had not sold all their grain to the City Hall. After several inquiries, he contacted "Gold," and then there was this private trafficking incident.

However, the serf's last sentence made Roland frown. What did he mean by officials not purchasing wheat according to regulations? Could this involve the City Hall?

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

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

Seni Dali quickly arrived at the hall. He performed a standard knight's salute and asked what His Highness's order was, still retaining some of the demeanor of the former Howling Wolf family knight in his gestures.

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

"Your Highness, this is the situation," Seni replied without hesitation, "According to your instructions, we did not stop the acquisition work after the great harvest, but gradually reduced the purchase price according to the quality of the wheat. In the first month or two, the price was almost the same as the original price."

He paused, then continued, "However, after entering winter, due to the lack of suitable storage places for most serfs, and because they moved from the original shantytowns to temporary settlements, the quality of the wheat dropped sharply. During the acquisition, we often found wet, discolored, and moldy grain, so the price was two or three percent lower than at the beginning. And most of this serf's grain has become damp and moldy, making it almost impossible to continue storing, so I gave him a price of 20% of the harvest price."

"Twenty percent is no different from not buying it at all, Your Highness!" the serf shouted, "I spend a year in the fields, and the things I grow can only be sold at this price, which is even worse than what they offer on Black Street! Didn't you say that the grain price would remain the same!"

"That refers to timely payment, you fool!" Barov scolded displeasedly,

"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 for three or four times the price!"

The case was now completely clear, but the result was slightly unexpected to Roland. He originally thought it was just a simple case of private grain trafficking, but unexpectedly, it also involved a black-hearted food case—Pike obviously knew that the grain was of poor quality, but still agreed to buy it many times at 50% of the price. He probably didn't care at all whether the moldy wheat was edible.

The serf's actions were undoubtedly a serious crime, but Roland was a little hesitant about the punishment for the town resident Pike. He had learned about the lives of the poor from Ermu's descriptions. When these people lacked food, let alone moldy black bread, they could even use tree trunks and grass leaves to fill their stomachs. It was precisely because of this that Ermu repeatedly emphasized how great it was to be able to let all the people eat wheat. And Pike was also a poor man before, and probably didn't realize that making wheat pancakes with inferior grain was a criminal act.

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

He stood up, looked around the room, and said in a deep voice, "I pronounce—both are guilty! The serf violated the ban, sold grain privately, and knowingly violated the law, which is an even more serious crime, sentenced to ten years of labor in the mines. If he performs well in the future, the term of service may be reduced at the discretion of the court."

"Town resident Pike, also violated the ban, and used inferior wheat to make pancakes and sell them to other townspeople. Both crimes are punished together, in addition to ten years of labor, a fine of three times the income from the pancakes will be imposed. The above judgments will be executed immediately!"

The two men softened all over and collapsed involuntarily on the ground. The guards standing on the side immediately stepped forward and dragged them out of the hall.

The prince then instructed Seni, "Write this matter into a notice, give it to Barov for review, and then publicize it. I want all the people to understand the causes and consequences of this case, and prevent such things from happening again."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

After the trial, Roland called the Chief Knight to his office, "I heard that Wide was the one who made the arrest this time again?"

Carter nodded, "But they went a little too far this time. They took off their police uniforms to arrest people, and were reported by the public as a brawl during the escort process. I will go and warn him."

"That's not necessary. In fact, you should praise him a lot," Roland said, stroking his chin. Isn't this an undercover police officer? He knows how to be flexible, has experience in arresting criminals, used to be a patrolman, and knows a lot about the Black Street forces. He is simply a natural inspector.

When the time is right, I'll recruit him into the Security Bureau, the prince thought to himself. Nightingale is short of manpower. (。)"