I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 328: One Ghost, Labor Standards Act (6)

The nobles of the Empire, specifically those with the title of baron or higher, are similar to hereditary members of parliament or mayors.

In terms of managing and owning territories directly, they perform duties similar to mayors. Additionally, they have the right to vote and speak on very important laws or matters in the Empire's parliament.

Therefore, I must attend every session of the Empire’s parliament.

"Except for the Marquis, anyone who doesn’t attend risks losing their title. I can’t afford to miss it."

The Marquis, being the head of a northern duchy, was exempt from attending because he was not to get involved in politics.

This system is one that even current democratic countries should learn from.

It’s honestly outrageous that, in many countries, dozens of parliamentarians fail to show up for a legislative session.

But if they were to be stripped of their parliamentary seats for not showing up without a valid reason, would anyone dare to miss it?

‘Sometimes, I think the Toscana Empire is better than Korea.’

"The Emperor is entering!"

At those words, I pushed aside any distractions.

I had already prepared how this session would unfold, but until everything was finished, it was far from over.

‘A moment of carelessness can lead to a disaster.’

The Emperor skipped the usual opening remarks and got straight to the point.

"As of April 14th, riots broke out simultaneously in 16 territories, including the Sforza Duchy, and 68 factories."

I had deployed my agents to target 80 factories in total.

Out of the 77 factories where the operation was successful, nine had workers demand a meeting, and the higher-ups, sensing the mood, agreed to talk.

As a result, we avoided the violent destruction and spear-wielding movements that workers faced during the Luddite movement.

However, others suffered immense financial losses, and supervisors who treated their staff like slaves were beaten near to death.

"Out of the 68 factories where riots occurred, 40 had their machinery and property completely destroyed, and supervisors were severely beaten by the mobs. In the remaining 28, although the damage varied, all machinery was destroyed in these factories as well."

The nobles gathered here must have known there were riots, but they probably didn’t realize how serious the situation had become.

After all, I only lit the fuse; I didn’t directly lead the protests or have my subordinates do so. I never expected the scale of the damage to reach this level.

And while the nobles here may not know, I honestly consider myself fortunate that things didn’t escalate further.

If, by some chance, I hadn’t acted now and in 10 years, a communist leader rose to take over the Toscana Empire?

‘The Toscana Empire would have been a complete mess.’

"There are no laws in the Empire regarding the punishment for workers who incite riots. However, there is a law regarding the punishment of serfs who instigate revolts. According to that law, if rioters injure someone or destroy property, the ringleaders face execution by breaking on the wheel, those who participate in destruction or violence face hanging, and simple accomplices have their heels cut off."

Peasant uprisings happen fairly frequently in the Toscana Empire.

But there’s one important rule to keep in mind.

You must never harm or abuse officials, nor destroy anyone’s property.

Once you cross that line, it’s considered outright rebellion.

‘If you don’t want to die miserably, you need to know where the line is.’

"However, there is no law that directly punishes workers who incite riots, which makes it difficult for me to make a decision. Therefore, I’d like to hear your opinions. Please, speak freely."

It seemed like Duke Sforza had been waiting for this moment. He immediately rose from his seat, glaring at the Emperor, and expressed his anger toward the rioters without holding back.

"Those who instigated this riot are traitors who have defied the order of the Empire!"

"And why do you think that?"

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

"The workers who instigated the riot were people who couldn’t inherit the right to cultivate land from their parents and were forced out of the countryside. If things had gone normally, they would have ended up doing the lowest jobs in the city, becoming bandits, or starving to death in the slums. The factory owners took them in and gave them a chance to live like humans."

If they had paid them [N O V E L I G H T] properly, given them decent housing, I might have agreed with that statement.

But what kind of living situation is it when they put six 4-story bunk beds in a room smaller than 10 pyeong and cram 24 people into it?

And they’re given food that looks like something pigs or cows would eat, two meals a day, and forced to work 13-hour shifts. How is that living like a human?

‘Is this guy at the top of the social pyramid getting too arrogant?’

Duke Sforza slammed his fist on the podium and unleashed his anger.

"The factory owners are not nobles. But they protected the livelihoods of the workers within their factories. In a way, this is similar to how we nobles protect the serfs."

"That’s a perspective worth considering."

"These rioters, who betrayed such a serious duty, deserve no mercy. They should be punished under the same, if not stricter, standards as those for punishing peasant rebellions, to restore the law and order of the Empire."

People argue based on their beliefs.

But most politicians are like power-seeking machines that abandon their humanity. They change their beliefs based on their current situation.

Here’s what Duke Sforza’s situation boils down to.

If this workers' protest is recognized as an uprising born of the oppressed fighting for their lives, not only will he be blamed, but those from his faction will also be labeled as oppressors of the people.

His reputation and honor have already plummeted due to the riots, and just thinking about the damage control feels like how a private would feel when considering the day they leave the army—it’s a dark thought.

But if the accusation spreads that Sforza and his faction didn’t care for the people, leading to such protests, what happens to him then?

‘It’s game over for him.’

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So, to avoid the worst outcome, he’s now trying to paint them as a rebellious faction, full of discontent, in order to shift the blame onto them.

People can be terrifying because of this.

No matter the era, once someone becomes a politician, they change their beliefs as easily as swapping out a hard drive, all for their own benefit.

Duke Visconti stood up and pointed at Duke Sforza.

"Stop with the cowardly excuses, Duke Sforza!"

"What do you mean cowardly excuses? As a duke of the Empire, I have never once tarnished my honor. Why would I make excuses to escape this situation when I have done nothing wrong?"

If honor and belief were truly important to him, he wouldn’t even be standing here.

Throughout history, truly honorable and noble people never rise to power.

Even in government organizations, clerks who can’t tolerate dirty work will never get promoted past level 9, no matter what miracle happens.

In companies, it’s hard to get past the position of manager.

Historians even say that if Admiral Yi Sun-sin hadn’t been detected by King Seonjo’s special radar for talented individuals, he would have been forgotten as just a bitter old man with no social skills, rather than a legendary hero.

"Do the workers not live under your protection, Duke? While they may not be serfs but free citizens, they are still your people under your protection, aren’t they?"

"That may be true, but they are well-fed traitors..."

"Have you ever cared about how they live? Even though they are not my people, I took the time to investigate, and I couldn’t stand it. If I lived like them, I’d probably revolt too."

I can hear it, very clearly.

The sound of Duke Sforza’s reputation and honor crashing down to the ground.

If his honor were a stock, it would be plummeting straight towards the bottom right now.

‘He’s doing great with just a little luck.’

As expected, our Duke is doing well.

"As a noble of the Empire, I truly feel ashamed that someone like you is on the same level as me!"

Duke Sforza looked like he was about to challenge him to a duel right then and there.

However, his attempt was stopped by the Emperor.

"Duke Visconti, please restrain yourself. Even if we disagree on political beliefs, we must still show respect for each other as nobles."

"My apologies."

"Then what do you propose we do about this situation?"

Duke Visconti smiled briefly at me before speaking.

"The workers are people just like us. However, those factory owners treated them like animals, not people, which is why the workers took such drastic action to survive."