In the courtroom, the arguments between the two parties became more and more fierce, and Baron Trent blushed as he spoke.

"I demand that traditional public service hours be reinstated on the Trent family's land and that these unruly people be allowed back to work the land! They have been neglecting and evading their duties for far too long, and it is really damaging to my rights.

Profit, the harvest of my territory, this will ultimately harm the South Coast Territory and even the kingdom..."

But correspondingly, the defense counsel Srimani opposite him was slow but clear:

“…In 661, the Duke of Leinster’s Order of Rest exempted the lords and their subjects from many physical services, including military service, security patrols and agricultural labor, as well as construction labor

The losses caused by labor and work that require the regular and regular participation of able-bodied adult men and women of each household are allowed to be paid in cash quarterly and added to the rent and taxes paid to the lord..."

"The cash they handed over, even with rent and taxes, is not enough to make up for my losses!"

Baron Trent interrupted him with an angry roar, and the old Inquisitor Brennan had to bang his gavel several times before ordering the guards of Kongming Palace to come forward to "help".

In the box seats on the second floor, the conversation between Thales and Zhan became more serious.

"I rushed back to Yongxing City, tried to grasp the direction of the wind, and tried to ease the situation," Zhan En said with a solemn expression, "but the king refused to see me."

"As the steward of the palace, the reason for Baron Quentin's reply is: His Majesty rarely reunites father and son, and they need to enjoy family happiness without seeing outsiders."

Thales swallowed his throat:

"Actually, his reunion with me...forget it, it's not important."

Zhan ignored him: "At that time, Anke Bailar came to me."

Thales frowned:

"So you gave him a sword and encouraged him to duel me at the royal banquet?"

Jenn does not deny:

"I said, I must do this."

"First of all, once the conflict between Xihuang and Fuxing Palace breaks out, the South Bank Territory will no longer be your father's priority." He narrowed his eyes and looked at the trial below. "Secondly, only when he is in a state of distress, my gift

That makes it seem so precious.”

Thales frowned.

"your present?"

Jenn nodded.

"Before the royal banquet, I wrote a humble letter to the king. In the letter, I supported the reform of the royal standing army. I asked for money for money and a name for name, which hit him right where it hurts."

Jenn's letter to the king supporting the reform of the standing army...

That letter?

Thales narrowed his eyes and suddenly had a bad premonition.

"Your father refused to see me before," the Duke of Nan'an snorted coldly, "but once the Western Wilderness Incident affects the kingdom and his plans are frustrated and stretched, the price and weight of this letter will be different."

"So," Thales couldn't help but ask, "What's the result?"

"Result, result?"

Zhan En's eyes froze and he sneered.

"After the royal banquet, the Xihuang people who always came here with bad intentions neither protested nor made trouble. Under the leadership of Falkenhauser from the desert ruins, they just surrendered to the Fuxing Palace happily."

He said disdainfully: "It was happier than when the Free Alliance surrendered to the Exeters."

Thales felt mixed after hearing this:

"Actually, the Freedom Alliance is not that happy either."

But Zhan En didn't want to pay attention to his views on the war, and shook his head: "I guess your father must have caught some handle on the people of the Western Wilderness, making them unable to resist. He is worthy of being Kessel V."

The handle of the people of the Western Wilderness...

Thales spoke calmly:

"In fact, the reason why Xihuang compromised so quickly...forget it, it's not important."

The two were silent for a while.

"That's it, I failed to let the leader of Nan'an avoid the disaster."

Zhan En looked ugly.

"Not only that, the letter that I gave as a gift, which might change your father's attitude, has never received a reply. Once it entered the Fuxing Palace, it disappeared into the sea without any waves, as if it had never existed."

That letter...

Lost in the sea...

Thales rubbed his hands with a strange expression: "Yeah, why..."

"There is only one explanation." Zhan En's eyes were sharp at this moment. "The Fuxing Palace has come out of the predicament, so the horizon has improved. His Majesty is no longer satisfied with the conditions I offered, and he wants more."

Zhan gritted his teeth and said:

"More."

Thales held it in for a long time and finally couldn't help but speak:

"In fact, Zhan, the fact that you didn't get a reply to your letter is..."

Zhan's eyes shot towards him.

Thales paused for a moment:

"It's a pity...but forget it, it's not important."

Zhan looked at him for a while, sighed and nodded.

"Yes, time has changed and circumstances have changed. It is useless to regret. It is not important anymore."

At that moment, Thales and Zhan each had their own thoughts and fell silent.

Boom!

Brennan's gavel sounded again, drawing their attention back to the court.

"Master Judge! In the past, after we paid the money and goods, we could do some other crafts, collect some firewood and so on, and we could still live. But this year, the baron's steward said that we should make more contributions...

"

Next to the plaintiff's table, a farmer wearing ill-fitting clothes spoke under the guidance of the defense attorney. It was obviously his first time to come to Kongming Palace, and he was stammering and panicking:

"He wouldn't let us take the grain to the market to sell for money. He said he would collect rent on the spot. If he didn't want to, he would levy more money or give him more work! But I have a relative who is a foot trader in collecting grain.

, he said it was wrong to raise taxes like this..."

"That's not a tax increase!"

Baron Trent stood up from his seat again and spoke angrily.

"Prices are soaring every year, and even the price of food has increased by 20%. However, they still only give me so little cash when paying rent every year. This is like being robbed! These sneaky people can sell the food later.

Go to the city and make a good living with the profiteers who are speculating, and I still have a large area of ​​land to manage! Of course they have to pay more money to pay rent to make up for the losses, or change it back to the original situation, provide food or replace it with labor service

, this is only fair!”

Amid the excitement of the bystanders, Judge Brennan almost smashed his gavel.

Defender Slimani coughed and stood up politely:

"Dear Lord Judge, regarding the tax payable by each household, per person, and on a fixed-sized field, my client follows the rules that have been established for more than ten years. Lord Baron, your land has not been increased, has not been enriched, and has not been changed.

If the type and location are changed, then the number should remain the same, neither more nor less.

"As for the choice of settlement in cash, exchange in kind or labor service, as I said before, this was stipulated when the Duke of Leinster was in office. It is my client's freedom and right."

Hearing this, Zhan hummed softly and whispered to Thales:

"You know, that guy, Srimani, was originally a clerk at the Police Department, but he never even went out on the street. His best job is to help people write closing reports and even quarterly summaries, especially those whose responsibilities are with the Police Department.

The case... Later, at the end of each year, every police station was rushing to second him."

"This... is really not something ordinary people can do. No wonder he later became a defense attorney." Thales shrugged.

“As far as I know, Your Excellency, Judge,” Slimani’s defense attorney continued in court, “there have been no local wars, no serious natural disasters, no plagues, and no large-scale church and castle projects in recent years.

The latest local bandit suppression was jointly carried out by the Emerald Legion and the New Suburban Police Department, but the Duke did not issue a recruitment order. The cost and personnel of the bandit suppression were independently supported by the Emerald City. In other words, the Baron did not have a higher-level person.

Seigneurial taxes and no forced servitude to respond to."

"And the kingdom has not issued a new decree involving Fengfei Village to increase taxes. As for the living tax items, the baron's two sons have grown up and got married, and his three daughters have also gotten married. There have been no weddings in his castle within a year, and no knights have been conferred.

, there is no funeral, it is the only religious ceremony, and the taxes have been paid to the Sunset Church by the villagers themselves... In summary, Baron Trent has no reason or name to ask for extra donations without consultation and the Duke's approval.

Any request in kind, cash, labor, or any other form of customary tax increase is an illegal tax increase!"

"fart!"

Baron Trent started yelling again, and this time Judge Brennan had to send guards to tell him to "calm down."

On the other side, Slimani became more courageous as he fought:

"Lord Baron Trent, the law allows exemption from service, but you force additional service. The law encourages cash payment of rent, but you prohibit it privately. Then my client no longer recognizes your authority as the lord of a land, and no longer performs the special duties and responsibilities of the government.
To be continued...