FID – Chapter 975

Chapter 975: They’ve Provoked the King of Nanling!

“You are all wealthy and influential families. You sit at home all day, collecting your money, and could live off it for generations. None of you have ever planted a single field, have you?”

From inside the hall, a man’s voice came—low, rich, and measured, neither too heavy nor too light.

“Do you know how much sweat and effort it takes to grow rice from planting to harvest?”

“Do you know the hardship of laboring under the scorching sun until your clothes are soaked with sweat?”

“Do you know the anxiety during the rainy season, worrying about floods, and the dread when drought threatens to ruin the crops?”

“Do you know what it’s like to live entirely dependent on the mercy of heaven and earth?”

“The land is worked by the tenants. They put in the effort; they reap the harvest. That is only fair. Even I feel guilty collecting three-tenths of the yield without working for it. And you, taking six or seven-tenths of someone else’s labor, are literally consuming their blood and sweat! Aren’t you afraid it’ll kill you?”

The hall fell silent.

Outside, all was equally quiet.

But the moods of those present were very different.

Liu Yusheng looked at the man slouched lazily in the chair. Despite the casual, almost careless posture, his words carried the fearless pride of a righteous hero.

It made him absolutely stand out.

This was her second brother. This was the true side of her second brother.

Liu Yusheng smiled, and the corners of her eyes and brows shone with pride.

Liu Zhixia’s eyes also shone with pride for his younger brother. But this side of him was never shown in front of Zhiqiu, lest his brother become arrogant beyond measure.

“Liu Zhiqiu, you are utterly insolent!” Second Master Gao, the fat man, turned a thousand colors with rage and roared, unable to hold back.

“Tsk!” Liu Zhiqiu straightened from the chair, shaking the pleated edge of his wrinkled garment, displaying his arrogance to perfection. “I’m going to the county office to have the tenant contracts stamped. I don’t have time to entertain you esteemed guests. Forget any discussions. Goodbye, I won’t see you off.”

Liu Muqiu stepped closer to the man, tilting her head to admire his sharp profile, her eyes sparkling as though lit with dazzling stars.

Sensing her gaze, the man looked down at her. His eyes, dark and clear, blinked once; the slight curl of his lips radiated arrogant, mischievous charm. Two seemingly contradictory qualities blended seamlessly into captivating allure.

“Do I look good?” the man asked

“Absolutely mesmerizing,” she replied, smiling, unabashedly showing her love and fascination.

With a light laugh, he took her hand. Liu Zhiqiu looked back. “Brother, brother-in-law, we need to head to the county office. After finishing, we still have to go to the next place. We promised Grandma we’d be back in at most half a month. We can’t waste time.”

He could not break his promise to Grandma. Returning within half a month was essential, or she would worry.

“Let’s go.” Feng Qingbai stood, taking his little lady’s hand, and the group moved out leisurely.

On one side of the hall, the men’s faces had turned ghastly with displeasure, but the group treated them as air.

Even the county magistrate wasn’t worth their notice.

This was true disregard for others.

Seeing them completely ignore and walk past, Ji Hong’s face darkened. “Landlord Liu—”

Wei Zi flashed in front of him, eyes icy. “A mere eighth-rank magistrate, not even on par with my own rank, dares to be so reckless in front of my lord. Do you understand?”

Ji Hong shuddered, his gaze falling on the waist token, dangling at Wei Zi’s side. In an instant, it was as if a hand had instantly clamped his throat. He opened and closed his mouth, but no sound came out.

A black four-clawed python dragon waist token, fourth rank.

And the only ones who would dare engrave a four-clawed python dragon on their token were palace-trained guards, shadow guards, or covert operatives!

Cold sweat soaked the back of his clothes. Watching the group walk away, Ji Hong collapsed to the ground.

“Lord Ji?” Zhou Tong and the others had already noticed something was off about his expression. Coupled with the shock from the man’s earlier words, they hadn’t dared speak. Now seeing Ji Hong like this, their hearts jumped. “What… what happened?”

Ji Hong grabbed Zhou Tong’s arm, forcing himself to stand, face as pale as paper. “Go! Get out of here! Whatever Liu Zhiqiu does, charging whatever portion of rent, don’t care about it! Anyone who dares come here looking for trouble is challenging me personally! Move!”

The county magistrate had, in an instant, become a completely different person. Fear and panic welled in his eyes, and he openly commanded them not to provoke Liu Zhiqiu. 

Zhou Tong and the others exchanged glances and quickly helped him leave.

At this moment, no one paid attention to anything else. No one was stupid. It was obvious Ji Hong had discovered something serious, hence his reaction.

Once outside the Liu courtyard, Zhou Tong asked, “Lord Ji, what on earth is going on? Is that Liu Zhiqiu perhaps a very influential figure?”

“Very influential? He’s more than influential!” Ji Hong was still flustered, fine sweat trickling down his temples. “I’m done for! Before coming here, you didn’t even think to investigate who you were dealing with? That’s royalty! Liu Zhiqiu’s backing is the imperial family!”

Zhou Tong, Second Master Gao, and Landlord Zhang’s faces all changed drastically. “The imperial family?”

“Liu Zhiqiu… his backing is the imperial family…” Landlord Zhang, who had not spoken since entering, suddenly went pale. “The Liu family of Xinghua Village! The King’s Consort, the King of Nanling!”

The surname Liu, connected to the royal family, there was no doubt: it had to be the Liu family of Xinghua Village! They… they had provoked the King?!

“So that purple-robed man sitting in the hall earlier… Was he the King?!”

Silence. Fear spread wildly among them.

If it was truly the King of Nanling, then he was someone they could never afford to offend. Even if they traced the networks of their ancestors eighteen generations back, it wouldn’t compare to the light press of a finger from the King!

“Get out of here!”

“No… w-we can’t leave. We should kneel here, waiting for them to come back so we can kowtow and beg for forgiveness!” After calming slightly from shouting at them to leave, Ji Hong grimly smiled, face pale as paper. “His Highness already knows our names. Do you think we can leave now? We came here with our servants and henchmen looking for trouble. With the King’s style, there will be retribution after the fact! If we can’t earn forgiveness, we’re finished. I’m truly done for because of you all!”

Why did he wade into this mess at all?

If he hadn’t come this time, he could have stayed safely in his position as county magistrate. Now, he didn’t even know if he’d keep his head, let alone his official rank.

Hearing this, everyone’s faces turned as pale as corpses, even more ghastly than Ji Hong’s, especially Second Master Gao.

After entering, he had been the first to strut arrogantly, the one who spoke the most and the rudest!

If the King sought retribution, the first house he would come for would be theirs—the Gao family!

Over, it is completely over!

Who would have expected the King to appear in this remote, backwater village?!

Had they known earlier, not even ten lives’ worth of courage would have allowed them to come here and provoke trouble!

At this point, the group was panicked and terrified, utterly helpless, genuinely kneeling at the gates of the Liu courtyard, awaiting punishment.

As for how humiliating this was,  who even cared?

By contrast, the atmosphere inside the courtyard was vibrant and electrifying.

The tenant farmers looked at each other, grinning, laughing, and shouting with joy.

Just now, their new master had walked out of the hall, and seeing them standing there with their sticks, he even thanked them. He assured them that once spring came, they could work their fields in peace. The contracts they had agreed upon would not change!

Despite facing the immense pressure from the three most influential gentry families of Fangyuan County, as well as the county magistrate himself, their new master truly understood and appreciated the hardships of his tenants. This time, they had really encountered a good master!

And one with deep connections who wasn’t afraid of wielding authority!

The five members of the Liu family, Liu Gen, Liu Tiao, and the others, also wore smiles from ear to ear.

They hadn’t misjudged the person.

The Liu family of Xinghua Village was truly worth their loyalty.