I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 183 Law of Manors

The Burgundy Knights' Castle, first floor of the Deer Hall.

Luc leaned lazily on the knight's stone chair that showed his nobility, yawning continuously, and heard the old butler's slightly nagging words in his ears.

"Master, the serfs have been relocated, including little Maiman's logging hut. A piece of land has been cleared between Deer Hall and your private farmland, but the original shacks have not yet been demolished. I'll wait for your decision."

"The land for the salt works has been cleared. Please forgive me for taking an extra acre without your permission. So now there are two acres of land given to Paul and Guerre's family for cultivation."

"The textile mill has been rebuilt. In two months, the sheep will shed their wool and we will be able to continue weaving more clothes for you."

"Everything is going well with the farming, except for the grapes"

"Robert's vine netting isn't suitable for grapes; the gaps are too wide. Even with the scarecrow, some clueless birds and insects still gnawed at some of the tree trunks. Oh, and the apple orchard, including Rücklin, has suffered the same fate. With the addition of a beehive, Oliver doesn't spend as much time in the apple orchard as before."

Old Eike pursed his lips, seeming to be very apologetic about the grape and apple issue.

Luc moved his butt twice and returned to the Knight's Castle at noon after a bumpy ride. After a quick nap, he immediately gathered everyone in the valley to listen to what had happened during this period.

"This stone chair is so uncomfortable, it's more symbolic than practical."

After listening to Old Eck's narration, Luc moved from the stone chair to a more comfortable wooden chair, saying as he walked:

"You've done a great job. As for grapes, none of us have ever grown them before, right? If you've found any problems, have Robert weave some more vine netting with smaller gaps, and maybe weave some linen into it to make it more breathable."

"As for the apple orchard, if Oliver doesn't have time to look after it, there's no need to hand it over to him. I'll leave it to the new serfs."

The grape problem was a bit tricky for Luc, but fortunately, grapes were widely grown in Burgundy, and among the "hired workers" he brought this time were people who understood grapes.

Speaking of these newcomers, Old Ecke was both happy and sad:
"By the way, sir, how do you plan to accommodate these people?"

Strictly speaking, the other people on the manor could be called free farmers, and these bankrupt farmers were the real serfs.

Although they were abducted as hired laborers, after entering the valley, Luc firmly announced that they would stay and become serfs.

It's not that no one objected, but after seeing Luc's sturdy fortress, fierce soldiers, and having a rare full meal, they had no choice but to stay for a while.

"Some emotions are normal, but they will subside over time. I can't guarantee anything else, but I dare say that when it comes to food and drink, even the less wealthy free farmers in Macon County may not have as much to eat as the serfs in the Knights' Castle."

As long as the population can be swallowed, there is no need to worry about not being able to swallow it. What Luc is more concerned about is the allocation of personnel.

He called Miller over to rub his shoulders, closed his eyes tiredly and said:
"Two things. First, aren't the original serf huts still there? Find some to house them. They could hold thirty people before, but now they're more than enough. As for the rest, tear them down and store them. They're all building materials and will be needed later."

"No problem." Old Eck nodded.

"Second, you may not have seen it yet. Of the eighteen people I brought back this time, not counting the one-armed pilgrim, three are independent farmers. I specially selected them, and I leave them to you."

"We?" Old Ek followed Luc's finger and looked at his Ryan, a little surprised.

He didn't quite understand what Luc meant.
"Don't your serfs understand?"

Luc opened his eyes slightly, scanned the two of them with his narrow gaze, and said with a smile: "What? Are you really planning to keep paying free farmers to plow the land for you?"

"What kind of knight is it to have land but no serfs? You, Ryan, and Jean, each of you will have one, and they will work the land for you. Of course, you will also be responsible for their food."

As soon as Luc finished speaking, Ryan opened his mouth in surprise. The master had never mentioned this to him, and he had thought that all these serfs belonged to Luc. He never expected that there was also a share for himself.
"Master, this..." Old Eike's face also changed several times. Having been a mercenary and farmer all his life, if he owned a small piece of land, it was understandable, just like a free farmer. But having serfs meant that he had truly been granted a fiefdom. Although it was not even a fiefdom.
But the two still couldn't help but look at each other, and happily and respectfully bowed to Luc to express their gratitude.

Miller was massaging seriously on the side. Seeing this scene, his heart was suddenly filled with longing.

The report on people's livelihood issues has been completed.

Luke set his sights on One-Eyed Gil. Seeing this, Gil took two steps forward and said:
"Master, everything is normal around the manor. No external enemies have appeared. George has come to Cooper Castle several times and said there are no unusual movements."

Baron Berry is a sword hanging over the head of the Knight's Castle, and he has to be taken seriously. After the snowstorm, Luc gave George a new task, asking him to be responsible for monitoring every move of the Cooper Castle.

"That's good." Luc nodded.

"But there was an ugly incident in the manor."

"Oh? Scandal? What's that?" Luc frowned.

"Master, you know this is the longest you've ever been away from the valley. Perhaps it was because you were away, or perhaps it was because the land made some people too proud. Half a month after you left, someone who had been pursuing Sharon, one of the widows in Ward Village, secretly broke into her house at night because she had rejected him many times."

Jill touched her eye patch and was slightly angry when she mentioned this. "Fortunately, Eugene, the night watchman, discovered the situation and informed me in time, so no major problems arose. However, Sharon was still frightened and hopes I can punish him."

"But you know, Master, I didn't know how to punish him, so I had to follow your example and put him in a wooden cage. But he clearly wouldn't cooperate, and kept saying I had no right to punish him. It wasn't until Madam intervened that he was forced to stand quietly in the cage for an hour."

"Besides that, there's nothing else."

After saying this, Jill returned to her original position, while Luc rubbed his eyes with a headache and didn't speak for a long time.

The Deer Hall fell into silence for a short while.

After a while, Luc said, "One hour of punishment is not enough. Gather everyone in the valley tonight. I will punish him again in public."

"Ryan, go find some nettles!"

With the rapid increase in food varieties, nettles are no longer a common food. For example, this time in Macon, Luc found two more crops: cabbage and broad beans. They are the most common foods for serfs, especially cabbage, which is one of the representative vegetables. Therefore, nettles have returned to the ranks of punishment methods.

Ryan nodded seriously. Although he didn't care about the people in Ward Village as much as Jill, he was not very happy either.

Old Ek, who knew the situation, had an even colder expression and seemed equally angry.

"Also, Eugene did a good job and needs a reward. Give him some eggs."

Eugene, who lost his thumb, was like a wolf whose teeth had been pulled out. Because his warhorse was ridden away, Jill made him a night watchman since he had nothing to do. Forgive Luc for his prejudice, he initially thought that the scandal had happened to Eugene.

"But it seems we need to establish some basic laws. Otherwise, I will have to decide everything one by one, which will cause too many problems."

Luke knocked on the long table, thought for a moment, canceled his afternoon plan to visit the manor, and told everyone to sit around.

In the center of the Knight's Castle, the shadow of the sundial needle kept moving and finally stopped in the opposite direction of the sun. In the Deer Hall with deer antlers hanging on it, a simple yet basic legal provision was finally formulated.

At dusk, more than fifty people gathered in the valley.

Luc climbed onto a simple wooden platform. The first thing the lord who had returned from afar did was to whip the shirtless free farmer on the back with a nettle in front of everyone, including the new serfs, and amid the screams of the free farmer.

(End of this chapter)