The report said that His Majesty’s brother, Graem Ararat, who is my uncle, had volunteered to pay a fine of 30,000 reens.
“What has Graem-sama done?”
“Graem’s son – that would be my nephew. He has been rampaging through Graem’s territory, and in a drunken rage murdered the man with whom he had a quarrel.”
“What?”
“I charged him with the appropriate crime, but Graem himself offered to impose a fine, claiming that he had failed to supervise his son.”
“Under imperial law, Graem-san is innocent. Just as a child is not obligated to repay a parent’s debt, neither is a child’s crime imputed to the parent.”
As the Minister of Justice, I gave the legal interpretation of this matter from the imperial law.
“Umu. That’s what I said. Still, Graem is probably frightened. He’s probably trying to buy himself some peace of mind by offering to pay the fine.”
I looked at what he handed me.
And checked the number on it again.
Thirty thousand reens.
That’s a lot of money.
On average, an adult male in the Imperial Capital can earn 10 reens per month.[TN: I still can’t wrap around my head on this currency value]
30,000 liens is 3,000 times that.
It is the equivalent of roughly 250 years of earnings.
“What do you think, Noah?”
” …… I think we should reject it outright.”
“What is your reason?”
“We cannot levy a fine for an innocent man, even if he asks for it.”
“Fumu. Then how about amending the law to make it clearer?”
His Majesty stared at me.
“Our treasury is in a state of chronic danger. Rescuing people from disasters, suppressing rebellions, all of these things costs money.”
That’s why we want this kind of extra income.
I can understand how he feels, but…
I said firmly with a straight face.
“If we set a precedent like this, people who can pay will think that as long as they pay, they will be innocent. This is not the case in actual imperial law, but if this kind of thinking prevails, it lowers the barrier to crime.”
“Hmm, you’re right. The deterrent power of the law will die.”
“Furthermore, the majority of such people are merchants, nobles, and officials. That, in turn, leads to political corruption.”
“I see.”
“The lack of funds in treasury is a serious problem. But it should be enhanced by proper means.”
“…… Yes, it’s exactly as Noah says. You have corrected me well. I’ll consult with Oscar at the treasury. I think we will need to hear your opinion again.”
“At your service.”
He nodded and wrote something on a piece of paper in his hand.
After finishing the whole thing, he signed it and stamped it.
It was the emperor’s official document – an imperial decree.
He held it out to me.
I accepted it and looked over the contents.
The document begins with praise that I the 13th Prince is Wise and rare, and concludes with the appointment of me to the position of Advisor to the Prime Minister.
The term “Prime Minister” came from the Prime Minister’s Office, which I had suggested, and his adviser.
“……”
“It’s an honorary position. Do you not like it?”
“It’s not that ……, Your Majesty.”
“What is it?”
“Paying people to get away with crimes is out of the question, but why not let them pay for the honor?”
I told His Majesty about the idea, which was no doubt born of the now-fabricated honorary position of Advisor to the Prime Minister.
“Honor?”
” For example, how about an honorary knighthood for anyone who donates a thousand reens to the treasury?”
The knowledge and memories of my previous life tell me a lot about that.
When a person has a certain amount of money – more than he can spend on himself – he will seek honor rather than material things.
This is one of the reasons why aristocrats become the patrons of various people.
They use the money they can’t spend on themselves to nurture talented but underprivileged people in order to increase their fame as nobles.
That is the same thing.
“I see.”
His Majesty’s eyes seemed to gleam.
“However, it is only Honorary. An honorary knight must be accompanied by the proviso that he will not be able to participate in the selection of knights afterward and will not be connected to the actual authority.”
“Fumu.”
“In exchange, they will receive an award from His Majesty in person.”
“So it’s all about honor, is it?”
“Exactly as you say.”
“That’s a great idea. ……amazing, Noah.”
His Majesty’s eyes shone brighter and brighter.
“Curuz. Call Oscar. It’s urgent.”
His Majesty seemed to be on board with my proposal, so much so that he immediately got into talks with Oscar, the Minister of Finance.