Promise

Half a month later, the rioters who had robbed the grain shops appeared again.

A group of rioters gathered in front of one of the shops managed by Steward Feng. This time, they did not make any lofty-sounding claims about protesting high prices. Instead, they rushed into the shop in a scramble, grabbing any grain they saw and immediately running outside once they had taken it.

The previously empty street suddenly filled with a large crowd the moment they ran out. Every one of them was strong and sturdy, their muscles visibly powerful, and they stared fiercely at the gaunt, skin-and-bones rioters. The rioters were instantly dumbfounded. There had clearly been no one there just moments ago... Some immediately realized they had fallen into a trap.

It was not that there had been no one. They had simply been waiting for the rioters to walk into the trap themselves.

Among the crowd, a short, shifty-looking man kept darting his eyes about, seemingly searching for an escape route. Yet the area around him was almost completely surrounded. Whenever a gap appeared, someone immediately moved to block it. In the end, he could only pretend to be an ordinary rioter and dared not make any more moves, lest he give himself away.

After the last grain robbery, they had discovered that the An Family had neither reported them to the authorities nor taken any remedial measures or pursued them. Some of the rioters, who had originally been trembling with fear, finally relaxed. Perhaps it was indeed as that person had said: the An Family did not dare report them, and even if they did, the county magistrate would not accept the case.

Clinging to that slim hope, they had spent half a month observing the situation. Only after confirming that the An Family truly had made no response did they choose to strike again. Who would have thought they would be trapped here?

Most of those present were unarmed rioters. If a fight truly broke out, they would certainly be no match for these hired thugs. They immediately panicked, too nervous to know what to do, yet their hands still clutched the grain they had stolen from the shop.

Just then, someone emerged from the grain shop that had just been stripped bare.

He was quite a hefty figure, and his appearance immediately drew most people's attention. They all turned to look at him. When they realized he was An Ziran, the An Family's eldest young master, disgust and hatred immediately flashed through some of their eyes.

They were starving and freezing here, while the An Family sat comfortably, feasting on delicacies. If An Changfu had not seized their land through underhanded means, they would never have fallen to such a state. If things went badly, they might even end up in prison. How would their entire families, who depended on them for survival, live then?

Standing on the steps, An Ziran looked down at the terrified rioters below. In truth, his weight had improved somewhat over the past half month. He had originally weighed seventy-eight kilograms, but now he was down to seventy-three. Though he had lost ten jin, the change was not especially obvious. Only those who spent a great deal of time around An Ziran could tell.

"Don't be afraid of them! The An Family is rich and heartless, exploiting the farmers. Heaven will punish them sooner or later. We are merely carrying out justice on Heaven's behalf! May the An Family die a miserable death!"

A loud voice immediately rang out from the crowd. It was that short, shifty-looking man. Seeing that some of the rioters were already wavering before anything had even begun, he hurriedly shouted. His purpose was to stir up their will to resist. If the An Family attacked them, the plan would be halfway to success.

"That's right! Everyone in the An Family deserves to die! We must bring down the An Family!"

"Make the An Family give our land back!"

His words were highly provocative. Some of the rioters slowly calmed from their panic, their gazes gradually turning resolute. There was now an added trace of hatred in the way they looked at An Ziran. That was right—the An Family was rich and heartless. They were carrying out justice on Heaven's behalf!

With that thought, they all began to stir again, and the scene descended into chaos once more. Some tried to rush up the steps and grab An Ziran, but the hired thugs quickly stopped them. They immediately began hurling insults, vile words spilling out in a torrent.

Seeing that he had successfully incited the rioters, the short man immediately slipped back into the crowd. Little did he know that someone had long since fixed his gaze on him, as though he had known from the very beginning that the man was the rotten rat dropping in the pot.

An Ziran's gaze calmly swept across them one by one, allowing them to shout. Only when their throats were nearly hoarse did he speak. "Under Da Ya law, your actions already constitute robbery. If you are sentenced, each of you will likely face three to five years in prison. Think about your families. Think about your children and your elderly mothers. They are still waiting for you to provide for them. If you go to prison, what will happen to them?"

His voice was highly penetrating. The scene was still noisy, as endless as a bustling market, yet everyone heard his words clearly. Gradually, the crowd fell silent.

The rioters had originally been honest, law-abiding farmers. They had come here only because someone had fed them many pleasant words to incite them. At heart, they were still farmers. Many among them had never attended school, but they still knew Da Ya's laws and knew robbery was a serious crime. Thus, upon hearing An Ziran's words, they grew uneasy again.

"Do you know why the An Family did not report you last time? Because I did not want your families to lose you. I know you are all honest farmers who only seek a bite to eat. Taking this opportunity, I stand here today to make a solemn promise: the An Family will no longer charge you exorbitant land rents as before, and all debts you owe the An Family will be forgiven."

Dead silence fell over the surroundings.

After An Ziran finished speaking, not a single farmer below said a word.

They were all moved. For no other reason than that they still had families to support, they would never have joined the grain robbers. If they all went to prison, their families could only wait to starve to death.

The short, shifty-looking man stared in stunned disbelief. He had not expected An Ziran to change the situation with just a few words. For the plan to proceed smoothly, he had no choice but to step forward again. "Don't let his words fool you! Think about it—haven't the An Family done enough evil over the years? We all know what kind of person the An Family's eldest young master is. His words cannot be trusted at all. He and An Changfu are birds of a feather!"

"An Changfu exploited us for so long. You are his son, so your words cannot be trusted!"

"That's right! How could the An Family possibly give up land rent and forgive our debts? He must be lying to us!"

"I once went to beg An Changfu, but he had his servants throw me out. You father and son are cut from the same cloth. An Changfu is no good, and neither are you."

The short man smiled smugly, but the moment he raised his head, he met An Ziran's black eyes. He immediately shuddered, instinctively lowering his head and not daring to look at him again.

An Ziran slowly withdrew his gaze. "You do not have to believe me, but I will show you through my actions. Three mornings from now, right here, the An Family will return your promissory notes to you."

Having said that, An Ziran did not wait for their reactions. He left the remaining matters to Steward Feng.