The heir of Northern Liang whom Ran Zijin had spoken of was, at that very moment, basking in the lavish praise of the people of Northern Liang.
In the people's eyes, Lin Yi had risen from the ignorant, good-for-nothing son of the Prince of Northern Liang to the heir of Northern Liang, a man of boundless compassion who cared for the people and possessed a chivalrous heart.
When faced with assassins, he met the danger head-on!
When faced with the people, his heart filled with compassion!
He was Lin Yi, the heir of Northern Liang!
From the streets to the back alleys and even in the taverns, whenever the heir Lin Yi was mentioned, everyone gave him a thumbs-up. The heir had brought peace to Northern Liang City and given the people hope.
Out on the streets, the people who had received land were all beaming, excited from the bottom of their hearts.
They had only tried their luck, never expecting it to be real. It was the greatest surprise they had encountered in their lives, and they could not help cheering in the streets.
"They really are giving out land! The heir didn't lie. Everyone, hurry and draw lots!"
"I got two mu of land! The heir is mighty!"
"You're so lucky. I didn't get any, but the prince's residence gave me a consolation prize. At least I got a copper coin."
"Hahaha, I got some too! The heir is such a good man. Everyone under heaven has misunderstood him. He doesn't just know how to have fun; he keeps us common folk in his heart, just like his father."
"Even though we have to hand over half the grain, he's practically giving us the land. The heir is merciful!"
"Isn't he? Those officials never cared whether we lived or died. I'm going to give my daughter to the heir as a maid."
"Heavens, please watch over the heir."
Many of the people had never had enough land, and the moment they received some, they could not help bursting into tears.
They were tears of joy, and their hearts felt warm all over.
They had never imagined that the one who cared most about his people would be this supposedly ignorant and incompetent heir.
As it turned out, the heir was not ignorant and incompetent at all. The world had simply misunderstood him.
A scholar who had managed to get a mu of land could not help exclaiming, "The world says the heir is without virtue, but who would have thought that the one who cares most for the people is our own heir of Northern Liang? The world has eyes but cannot see!"
A crowd chimed in agreement. The heir was the only one who had taken the initiative to give land to common folk like them; as for the others, it was good enough if they did not seize the people's land.
Not far away!
Lin Yi and his companions were watching from a distance. He naturally heard the people's words and could not help sighing.
The common people were truly lovely. Give them just a little hope, and they would remember it. He might lose a little profit this time, but at least his conscience was clear.
But to tell the truth!
The reason he had distributed the land was also that he did not want to spend too much effort on it.
Farming alone might be enough to feed a family, but feeding everyone in Northern Liang City would still be rather difficult. Rather than finding people to farm it himself, he might as well let the people do it and simply collect some grain.
He earned grain and a good reputation. It was definitely a bargain.
Besides, he was the future Prince of Northern Liang. There was nothing wrong with treating his future subjects a little better.
He opened his system without thinking and saw a golden light shooting into the sky, nearly blinding him. The notification chimes rang without end, as if they were about to explode!
Good heavens, how many people had I won over with Win People Over with Virtue?
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for using Win People Over with Virtue to earn the affection of Zhang San, a resident of Northern Liang. Reward: three potatoes." "Ding! Congratulations to the host for using Win People Over with Virtue to earn the affection of Wang Wu, a resident of Northern Liang. Reward: three potatoes." "Ding! Congratulations to the host for using Win People Over with Virtue to earn the respect of Wang Shanhuo, a scholar of Northern Liang. Reward: The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art." "Ding! Congratulations to the host for using Win People Over with Virtue to earn the affection of Zhang Shan, a woodcutter. Reward: one apple sapling." "Ding! Congratulations to the host for using Win People Over with Virtue to earn the heartfelt gratitude of Zhang Chunsheng, a hired farmhand. Reward: a curved-beam plow." "..."
The notifications that kept sounding in his mind all told him what the people felt. What he had done was absolutely worthwhile. This time, more than thirty thousand people had been won over.
Although most of them were ordinary people, and the rewards they generated were mostly little things, there were simply so many of them.
He had received nearly ten thousand jin of potatoes alone. Together with the other rewards, the profit Lin Yi had given up earlier had come back to him a hundredfold in an instant.
He could not help drawing a sharp breath. The return was terrifying. Using other people's land to give back to the people this time had definitely been the right choice.
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime!
He had given these people hope. His merit was truly boundless!
Seeing that the matter was settled and no one had come to make trouble, Lin Yi nodded and returned to the prince's residence.
But he had only just sat down and taken a sip of tea when he saw Zhang Long hurry in from outside.
"What's going on? Why are you in such a panic?"
"Your Highness, an imperial envoy has arrived outside. He says he's here to read an imperial decree!" Zhang Long explained.
An imperial envoy?
At those words, everyone's expressions changed, and they all grew a little nervous.
After the heir had unleashed a massacre this time, quite a few people had impeached him. Could this envoy have come to call him to account?
"Your Highness, should we gather our men?"
"Gather your ass! Everyone, calm down! So what if he's an imperial envoy? This is Northern Liang!"
Only Lin Yi remained completely at ease. His greatest backing was his father. As long as nothing happened to his father, no one could do anything to him. This so-called imperial decree was no more than a reprimand at most.
If they really wanted to make a move against him, an imperial envoy would not be enough.
The others saw the light at once. Zhang Long, who had been panicking only moments before, said in delight, "That's right! This is our Northern Liang. Other people should be the ones afraid of us!"
This was the prince's home turf. Even the emperor would have no sway here.
"Those words may be rebellious, but they make a great deal of sense. In Northern Liang, the heir is absolutely safe," Han Song said, nodding with a smile. Anyone who wanted to make a move against the heir of Northern Liang in Northern Liang was rather overestimating themselves.
The assassins before had been no different. They had never even gotten close to the heir. Had the heir not already been in poor health and fainted from the fright, he would never have lost consciousness.
Lin Yi nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "Let's go and meet this imperial envoy. Let's see what medicine they're selling in that gourd."
Since the emperor of Great Ning was preparing to make a move against Northern Liang, he would not stop there. Now that Lin Yi had cut down some of the hidden hands behind him, this imperial envoy was probably his next move.
He really was a little curious. How would the emperor make his move?