Landlord Baden was brought to the lobby of the Lord's Manor.
This is a middle-aged man with a well-built body. His round face is dotted with two small mung bean-like eyes. Although he tries hard to pretend to be in disaster, he still has a few greedy eyes from time to time.
After this person entered the lobby, he performed the courtesy of a commoner meeting the lord.
"Respected and great Earl Greiman, the loyal people Baden under your rule have come at your call."
The young lord was sitting on the main seat in the hall. After hearing his words, he didn't say anything and just looked at him with a straight face and an expressionless face.
Baden's heart tightened, and he felt a little bit bad: It's bad, it couldn't be that the lord knew about [War Tax].
The hall was quiet, only the ticking of the grandfather clock could be heard. Paul did not speak, and Baden could only stand there, waiting in embarrassment.
"Are you Baden?"
The lord finally spoke, but Baden almost collapsed on the ground with his legs weak. For a person with his body shape and who has been pampered for a long time, standing for a long time is very tiring.
"Yes, dear Earl Greiman, I am Baden."
"Where have you been some time ago? Have you returned home after the riots subsided?"
"Thank you, Lord Earl, for your concern. I was hiding in a secluded farmhouse in the field. I have already returned home... ah, my house is really miserable. Everything has been robbed, and several honest and loyal servants have also died."
When talking about the riots, Baden's face became increasingly miserable, and he kept accusing the salt people of the atrocities.
Paul did not stop him and allowed Baden to continue talking.
"... This is all the fault of those damn poor devils, Earl Greiman, you must uphold the justice and strictness of the lord and hang these lawless beasts. They are just a bunch of living beasts!"
Seeing that the lord didn't react at all, the voice of Baden who was accusing became quieter and quieter.
"Ahem... Dear Earl Greiman, please be sure to give justice to us kind people and give peace to this land Arda."
Baden ended with these words, and the silence finally returned to the hall.
Paul then asked, "Then first tell me what the so-called [War Tax] is about?"
"War Tax? What War Tax? Never heard of it."
"Oh? Didn't you collect War Tax from the salt people?"
Baden looked like he had been wronged and said aggrievedly, "My Lord Count, you must not listen to the nonsense of those Rioterss. In order to reduce their crimes and win your sympathy, they can make up any lies. For these poor people, there is no such thing as shame, honor or disgrace."
Paul sneered, "But Baden, it's not just the salt people who said that you had collected War Tax. Bring the people up!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the guards led several people into the hall.
Baden almost fainted after looking at them. Isn't this the thugs he sent to collect taxes? Why aren't you dead yet? Shouldn't they have been slaughtered by those Rioters gangs long ago? These thugs all had their heads lowered, and their faces were all bruised and swollen. It looked like they had suffered a lot at the hands of the salt people.
Paul showed a smile on his face and asked, "Baden, do you know them?"
Baden replied hurriedly, "No... I don't know! Lord Earl, I don't know these people."
Paul turned his attention to the thugs. "Baden said he doesn't know you, but do you know him?"
A person standing at the front said, "Lord, he is our former master Baden."
Baden hurriedly defended. "Nonsense! Lord, please don't believe them!"
Paul glared with a stern look, "That's enough, I'll say it again when I ask you to say it!" This landowner was so frightened that his whole body trembled with fat.
He asked the thugs again, "Tell me, did Baden send you to collect War Tax besides Poll Tax?"
The man just looked at Baden and answered honestly, "Yes, we had sent a group of people to conquer Poll Tax and War Tax before, but they were bombed back. Then Baden sent us there and asked us to give the salt people some color."
Paul looked at Baden coldly. "What else do you have to say?"
Baden was sweating coldly and twitching all over, but he still defended himself. "They... they... they have been bribed by Rioters, they are already a group."
"So you did lie to me just now? These people are indeed your former subordinates?"
"I... I... Lord Mingjian!"
Paul chuckled, "I have some people here for you to meet, bring them over!"
The guards led another group of people in, all dressed as ordinary villagers.
Paul asked, "Baden may have collected [War Tax] from you?"
As soon as the lord spoke, the mood of the villagers suddenly became excited.
"Lord Greiman, you are right, he did force us to hand over War Tax."
"When your father and grandfather were in power, we had never heard of War Tax."
"Our income was not much to begin with, but being fucked like this by Baden made life even more difficult."
The villagers complained one after another. They already knew that Baden was cheating them, and they were full of resentment.
Looking at the gray-faced Baden, Paul slowly picked up the water glass and took a sip.
"Baden, these are residents of several villages in the area you are responsible for. They are all good citizens who have never participated in the riots. What else do you have to say now?"
Baden's lips trembled. "I... I..."
His eyes suddenly opened, and his eyes shone brightly, "Lord Greiman! The reason why I am obsessed with evil and greedy is all because of your subordinate Hansel Abbott!"
"Oh? Why did you suddenly get involved with him?"
Baden seemed to be risking everything and complained, "That damn Crystal Radiance guy, he did some damn land transfer, and he replaced a large area of good land in my family with bad land. He relied on the Lord's Manor's support and used chicken feathers as arrows, but he made a fool of us honest and hard-working Local Gentry."
"You guys? Besides you, is anyone else dissatisfied with him?"
"Yes, Lord Greiman." Baden said anxiously, "Many people are dissatisfied with him. We all call him [Skinning Baron] behind his back. Please uphold justice, replace and punish this indifferent Agriculture Director, and calm everyone's grievances."
In the process of land replacement, it is inevitable to exchange good land for bad land. With the entanglement of quality and area, it is impossible for anyone to get it just right. Moreover, a large landowner like Baden has gained far more than he has lost from this matter. Now his farmland is connected to a large area, which is more conducive to large-scale planting and Water Conservancy operations. He has bought several harvesters alone. But most people care about the part they lose and take the part they gain for granted.
Moreover, Baden's resentment towards Hansel actually focused on another matter: during the process of checking the property, a large area of public land occupied by his family was discovered. This caused Baden to lose a large amount of money and a large area of real estate that he believed should be his own. However, Baden also knew that he had violated the law first, so wouldn't it be disrespectful to speak out at this time? So we just point the finger at land replacement.
But a trace of imperceptible joy flashed across Paul's face, and he continued to ask, "What does this have to do with your private collection of War Tax?"
Baden said aggrievedly, "It was because I lost too much during the land replacement, so I came up with this stupid trick, wondering how much I could make up for it."
"Ah... No, no! I didn't come up with this stupid trick. It's all my fault, it's my butler. He came up with the bad idea!"
Baden suddenly remembered something and quickly changed his words.
"Your butler? Where is he?"
"He hid in a farmhouse in the fields with me. He went out to inquire for information and never came back. I'm afraid he was killed by Rioters..."
Paul thought thoughtfully, "Butler? Missing? Interesting!"
He remembered the interrogation information Cecil gave him. When the salt people surrounded Baden Family's mansion, it was the housekeeper who first made sarcastic remarks and then asked his servants to attack with slings. This intensified the conflict.
"Okay, Baden, I don't have time to talk nonsense with you! In any case, it is against the law to collect War Tax without Lord's Manor's back. This riot is also caused by you."
Paul stood up and was about to make the final decision.
Baden knelt down with a plop. "Lord, Greiman Family is known for his kindness!"
Paul ignored his plea and continued, "You should have been given an extremely severe punishment, but since your family has served the lord for generations, I declare-"
"First, we will deprive you of your Tax Farmer identity. The area where you were previously responsible for taxing will now be taxed by Government Affairs Council's appointed tax officer in person!"
"Second, half of your property will be confiscated to make up for the losses caused by the riots - of course not including the losses to your own home!"
As soon as Paul finished speaking, Baden at the foot of the stairs rolled his eyes and collapsed on the ground with a plop.
The guards hurried forward to check and saw that his eyes were narrowed into slits, and only the whites of his eyes could be seen through the slits. He was foaming at the mouth, and his saliva was dripping out. He was already unconscious.
It seems that these two penalties have hit him too hard.