I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 256 The First Cracks Appear
"Lord Luc, this is the decision of the Church of Cluny, and Bishop Hugo can do nothing about it. But rest assured, Bishop Hugo has secured an extra position for you, similar to your role as a contractor on a construction team. Although you cannot directly participate in the Inquisition's decisions, you will still have the right to listen in and speak."

Lynn, standing below, noticed that Luc's expression was not good and spoke up in time.

Actually, there were some inside stories he didn't tell us. Regarding the proposal, Cluny's side initially didn't even want to give Luc the right to sit in.

It was Hugo who secured this for him out of consideration for their friendship and because the two currently had many shared interests.

It wasn't that the Cluny Church disliked Luc, but rather that these groups, keenly aware of their own power, didn't want Luc to be involved in too many affairs—even though Luc was the one who initiated those affairs.

"No, I don't mean to blame the church."

Luc closed the letter with both hands, quickly regaining his composure. The Church of Cluny was currently Luc's greatest backer, even surpassing that of Count Macon, so he wouldn't say anything, no matter how dissatisfied he was.

"By the way, Brother Lynn, did you report the heretical rituals involved in the murder case?"

“It has already been reported.” Lynn paused, looked at Luke, and said, “However, if I may be frank, sir, it will be difficult for the newly established Inquisition, which you proposed, to determine that Baron Feynman is a protector of heretics if there is only one testimony.”

Lynn was clever; he knew that Luke's proposal of the tribunal was not only to gain the church's approval for his manor's technology, but also to use it against him.

However, no matter how ambitious the Cluny Church is, it is impossible to launch so many institutions in a row. Not to mention that there are not enough people, the conditions are probably not even right.

As a staunch follower of Cluny, Lynn naturally did not want Luc's personal affairs to destabilize the reform process.

“You misunderstand, monk. I never said that Feynman was a protector of heretics. I was just fulfilling my duty as an apostle of God. After all, any heresy must be eliminated.”

"God bless you!" Lynn had no doubt about Luke's piety, bowed, and left.

Seeing Lynn leave, Luke instructed the servants to close the castle gates. To be honest, he didn't have any strong male servants yet, and many of the heavy tasks still had to be done by the maid who did the rough work.

Fortunately, the other party was also a traditional Germanic person, burly and strong, which was sufficient for the time being.

Luc went straight upstairs, where Duss had been waiting for a long time. But instead of going to bed right away, he went to the table and started taking notes.

We need to start planting again tomorrow!
In the era of agricultural estates, agriculture was of paramount importance every year.

Even after spending several years in the valley, one still cannot help but be serious, serious, and even more serious.

After all, if something unexpected happens, the territory could be in trouble for the next year or two.

Luc sometimes felt he was quite lucky. For example, the valley where Knightsburg was located was almost surrounded by mountains on three sides, with the Agate River flowing through the flat area. This kind of terrain, nestled against the mountains and facing the water, was certainly more favorable in terms of weather compared to the surrounding areas.

Old Eck had observed that sometimes it would rain in Knightsburg, but there wouldn't be a cloud for miles around.

The rustling sound of reeds filled the air. As a lord of a hundred or so men, Luc had to record everything; he could no longer rely solely on his memory.

“Darling, there’s something I want to discuss with you. Didn’t you want to build a textile factory at Riverside Manor? Amy is fine, but another female worker told me that she hopes you can let her go there too. She’s a little reluctant to give up her textile work.”

Tomorrow, Knightsburg will be cultivating the land, and Riverside Estate will be planting flax.

A large quantity of flax seeds, led by Ryan, had been delivered to Riverside Estate by lame horse-drawn carts.

This matter has caused quite a stir; anyone with a slightly sensitive ear can hear about it.

“No problem, but we’ll have to wait a bit. The watermill at the Riverside Manor hasn’t been built yet. How about we have her go and burn charcoal first?”

Luc had high hopes for the flax industry, after all, it was one of his few businesses: salt smuggling was too risky, wine production was closely related to grain production, and if the dyeing industry could be developed, the estate's income would increase significantly.

Fabric isn't cheap, especially fabrics of various colors. Not long ago, Luc sent David and old Poons heraldic cloaks, which they absolutely loved.

The night passed quickly, and at dawn the next day, Luke got up early, drew back the curtains, and began to oversee the farming.

Meanwhile, at the Riverside Manor.

Byrne and others also directed the serfs to plant flax seeds.

"Hurry up, everyone, right here, put up all the fences around here!"

The fat man gripped a riding whip and glared fiercely at the fewer than twenty serfs.

Unlike Luc, a wealthy and powerful lord who valued both kindness and severity, Grimbald, who had once served as a noble squire, believed more in the law of the whip.

It's better to be strict with these lowly creatures.

The serfs knew that all nobles were the same, so they dutifully built fences and dug ditches, but they were very slow. This was because they didn't have many iron tools and these guys weren't very motivated.

This is also why most people are not optimistic about plantations—after all, it is the property of the Luke family. In the past, serfs could earn a few pfennigs a year if they were lucky while cultivating their own plots of land, but now they probably don't even have a few pfennigs left.

Some of the seasoned veterans even stood around slacking off when the fat man wasn't looking.

“Look at these fellows, all short-sighted, only knowing how to stare at the one or two pieces of bread in front of them all day long. Don’t they know that, given the master’s kindness, they will receive far more pennies in the future than they do now?”

Ryan stood beside the mill on the small hill. He knew the serfs' thoughts better than anyone, and looked down at them with disdain.

Byrne, who was standing to the side, remained silent, but Peter, who was on the other side, said something more objective: "Serfs, of course, put food first."

"Besides, not everyone is Lord Luke, it's normal that they don't understand."

Ryan was a very large man; standing next to him, he almost blocked out the sunlight. He had recently been frequently sent on trips to various places by Luc, which was a way of indirectly training him.

Jean and Byrne are both capable of handling things on their own, but Ryan is still lacking in experience.

"By the way, Byrne, has anything new happened lately?"

“No.” Byrne replied succinctly.

"Did those guys back down?"

Upon hearing that everything was alright, Ryan, contrary to his usual self, scratched his head in frustration.

"It's better to back down. Besides, even if we still have ulterior motives, hasn't Bauer already arrived?"

Byrne, leaning on his longsword, was now halfway into the Knightsburg decision-making circle, having participated in the assassination of little Joseph. Seeing Ryan nod in agreement, he hesitated for a moment before saying:

"But is this Bauer reliable?"

"Reliable? This guy is as clever as a rabbit!"

Ryan stroked his chin, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said, "Well, the seed has been planted. In a couple of days, you can give Bauer a good beating!"

(End of this chapter)