Gasps rose one after another.
The expressions on the faces of the common people shifted from numbness, to shock, and finally to utter disbelief.
The one-armed officer who had sworn to defend the government granary yesterday—who had supposedly been swallowed alive by the tide of rioters—was actually still alive!
Ying Ziye tilted his little head as he looked at the one-armed veteran kneeling before him.
“You also want to plant this?”
The old soldier raised his head.
His weathered face was covered in wounds.
Beneath the bloodstained bandages wrapped around his forehead, one eye was swollen badly shut.
But in the other good eye, there was no fear.
No hesitation.
Only the resolve to burn everything to ashes.
“Reporting to Young Master!”
His voice rang out like a bell, every word filled with the strength of his entire being.
“This humble one, Zhang Han, is willing to test-plant this divine crop for Young Master!”
Ying Ziye blinked, curiosity appearing on his face.
“You’re not afraid?”
“Not afraid it won’t grow, and all your work will be wasted?”
Zhang Han grinned, revealing teeth stained red with blood.
He laughed.
“Young Master, I’m a rough man. I don’t understand any grand principles.”
“And I don’t believe all that nonsense about Grandpa Thunder God striking liars.”
Those words made the crowd, which had only just calmed down a little, tense up once more.
But Zhang Han ignored them.
His gaze remained locked firmly on Ying Ziye.
“What I believe in is the Regent Prince who smashed a traitorous official to death with a single punch in the Qilin Hall!”
“What I believe in is the iron-blooded ruler who dared to wash the Wutong Alley in blood and uproot the Net of Heaven overnight!”
“What I believe in is the supreme authority that dared to display mountains of corpses and seas of blood at Xianyang’s execution grounds to terrify all evil-doers!”
His voice grew louder and louder with each sentence, shaking the hearts of all who heard him.
“A person like that would never joke with us common folk about something tied to the nation’s foundation and the lives of millions!”
“So—I believe!”
“I will use this worthless life of mine to gamble that what Young Master says is true!”
Boom!
Those words struck everyone’s hearts like giant hammers.
Only then did they understand.
What he trusted was not the eight-year-old child.
What he trusted was the terrifying ruler who slaughtered decisively and suppressed all opposition with thunderous force!
Ying Ziye quietly looked at him without speaking.
After a long moment, he walked forward on his short little legs until he stood before Zhang Han.
Then he stretched out his soft white hand and gently brushed aside the blood-matted hair on the veteran’s forehead.
“You got these wounds while guarding the granary gates, didn’t you?”
The childish voice carried an almost imperceptible gentleness.
Zhang Han’s massive body trembled violently.
Lowering his head, his voice suddenly choked with emotion.
“Y-yes… this humble one was incompetent…”
“I failed to stop those rioters… failed to protect Young Master’s granary…”
“This humble one… deserves punishment!”
Ying Ziye shook his head.
Imitating the manner of an adult, he gently patted Zhang Han’s broad shoulder with his tiny hand.
“You did nothing wrong.”
“The ones at fault are the rats hiding in the gutters—those who stirred up chaos and wanted the world thrown into disorder.”
Ying Ziye turned around and looked toward Li Si, who had been standing respectfully nearby the entire time.
“Chancellor.”
Li Si shuddered and hurried forward.
“This minister is here.”
“Remember his name.”
Ying Ziye’s voice once again regained its unquestionable authority.
“One-armed officer Zhang Han is loyal and brave, and has rendered great service in protecting the nation.”
Li Si held his breath.
All the common people held their breath.
Ying Ziye’s voice echoed clearly across the open fields.
“From this day onward, all farmland under Zhang Han’s name shall be forever exempt from agricultural taxes!”
A wave of gasps swept through the crowd.
Permanent exemption from farmland taxes?!
What kind of heavenly grace was this?!
But it wasn’t over yet.
Ying Ziye’s voice rang out again, word by word.
“And for three generations, his descendants shall be exempt from corvée labor!”
BOOM!!!
The entire crowd exploded into chaos!
If permanent tax exemption was heavenly favor, then exemption from forced labor for three generations was nothing short of a miracle!
In this age of brutal rule, forced labor was the crushing mountain hanging over every commoner’s head.
How many families had been destroyed because of a single conscription order?
And now, simply by pledging loyalty to the Young Master, not only they themselves—but even their children and grandchildren—could escape those heavy chains forever!
Zhang Han froze completely.
He stared blankly at the tiny figure before him.
Then tears finally burst uncontrollably from his eyes.
His mouth opened, but only choking sounds emerged from his throat.
The next moment, he suddenly bent forward, bracing himself with his one good arm, and slammed his forehead heavily against the hard earth.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Blood flowed from his forehead and mixed with the dirt below.
“Young Master… Young Master’s heavenly grace!”
“This humble one… this humble one is willing to brave fire and water for Young Master—even die ten thousand deaths without regret!”
He cried like a child, roaring as he poured out the endless gratitude and emotion in his heart.
That scene burned itself deeply into the eyes of every commoner present.
Old Sun—the old farmer who had mocked the idea earlier and led the doubts—watched everything unfold.
The expression on his face shifted from shock, to struggle… and finally to fanatic fervor.
The smoking pipe in his hand dropped to the ground with a clatter.
Suddenly, he shoved aside the people in front of him and scrambled forward desperately.
Thud!
He fell to his knees beside Zhang Han.
“Young Master! This old fool was blind! This old fool deserves death!”
He slapped himself twice viciously across the face, his cheeks swelling red instantly.
“This old fool is willing to plant them too! Please, Young Master, give this old man a chance! I’ve tended fields my entire life—I’ll definitely grow the divine crop well!”
Once there was a first, there came a second.
“Young Master! Me too! I’ll plant them!”
“Young Master! Choose me! My family has been farmers for three generations!”
“Young Master! Please!”
The crowd, which had been lifeless moments ago, now ignited like dry timber thrown into a fire.
Countless commoners surged forward like a tidal wave, fighting to kneel first.
A vast sea of people knelt upon the ground.
Greed, longing, and fervent hope filled every face.
Li Si trembled as he looked upon this complete reversal of public sentiment.
He stared at the tiny figure standing amidst the crowd, receiving the worship of the masses.
And in his heart, only endless awe remained.
Ying Ziye looked at the grand scene before him, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
He spread open his arms, about to say something—
When suddenly—
“Bullshit!”
A shrill scream tore through the feverish atmosphere like a blade.
“He killed my son, and you still believe this little tyrant?!”
The crowd was violently shoved apart.
A disheveled woman with tear-streaked cheeks and mud-covered clothes rushed out like a madwoman.
It was the same woman from earlier—the one who had cried about her son being killed.
Her eyes were blood-red, her face overflowing with hatred powerful enough to destroy the world.
Pointing at Ying Ziye, she let out a scream like a grieving cuckoo crying blood.
“Are you all blind?!”
“He’s a monster! Yesterday he killed so many people! The blood hasn’t even dried yet!”
“And you’re actually kneeling to him?!”
“Can you still face the souls of those who died unjustly?!”
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