Because the journey was long and they were carrying too many things, by the time Xia Mingyu and Berg returned to the village, it was already dusk.
The sky looked like a beautiful oil painting painted in gradients. Orange-gold and violet blended together, dyeing the clouds a dark golden color. A faint veil of gold covered the earth, making the entire scene incredibly beautiful.
“The noble and kind Prince Mingyu Xia has taken pity on the hardships of our village and personally bestowed upon us fifteen silver Sols and fifty copper Sols!”
The moment they returned to the village, Berg hugged the money pouch to his chest and eagerly stood beneath the old oak tree in the center of the village, shouting at the top of his lungs.
Xia Mingyu found it extremely embarrassing, but he didn’t stop him.
After all, they needed to give the money a proper explanation.
They couldn’t exactly tell everyone that he and Berg had worked together to rob someone...
After hearing Berg’s shouting, the villagers quickly spread the news from one person to another.
They poured out of their simple houses made from thatch and logs. In no time, the open space beneath the old oak tree was completely packed with people.
Robert, the village chief, slowly made his way out of the crowd with trembling steps.
He bent both knees before Xia Mingyu and knelt deeply on the ground.
Then he stretched out his calloused hands, his voice choking with emotion.
“Your noble Highness, your generosity is comparable to the sun in the heavens. Everyone in our village will remember your kindness forever. May the gods bless you, and may you return to your kingdom as soon as possible!”
Only the heavens knew how much Robert had suffered these past few days because of the agricultural tax.
If he had been forced to watch his own villagers be reduced to slaves and sold away with his own eyes, he would rather have smashed his head against this old oak tree and died.
“Your Highness, it’s your turn.”
Seeing this, Berg hurriedly handed the money pouch in his arms to Xia Mingyu.
After all, he certainly wasn’t qualified to personally distribute the money.
Xia Mingyu took the pouch and poured every coin inside onto Robert’s outstretched hands in one go.
The shining silver coins spilled out in such numbers that Robert’s two large hands couldn’t hold them all.
The sight of those glittering coins immediately stirred the emotions of the surrounding villagers.
“Your Highness, you are the kindest person I have ever met! From now on, whenever you want red fruits, no matter how many you want, I will gladly offer them all to you!”
Xinpu lay flat on the ground as tears poured endlessly from his eyes like a spring.
This was the happiest day of his entire life.
He was even happier than yesterday, when His Highness had praised his red fruits for being delicious.
“Your Highness, you are our savior!”
“Your Highness, I kept thinking that if my child was reduced to a slave, I would kill him myself first so he wouldn’t have to suffer for the rest of his life! Thank you! Thank you for allowing my child and me to keep living together!”
“Mom?! You were planning to kill me?!”
“.....”
Choked voices of gratitude continued to rise from the crowd.
After a while, a little boy ignored his parents calling after him and squeezed through the crowd.
He came to Xia Mingyu’s side and innocently asked,
“Your Highness, can you give me one copper Sol so I can buy some black bread?”
The surrounding villagers immediately burst into laughter.
Xia Mingyu smiled softly and nodded.
He took two copper Sols from his pocket and gently placed them in the little boy’s palm.
“Go buy yourself some black bread. Just don’t eat so much that you make yourself sick.”
Xia Mingyu gently rubbed the little boy’s head as he spoke.
The little boy clutched the copper coins and happily ran back.
Then his parents immediately dragged him aside and began giving him a good beating from both sides.
The other villagers showed remarkable teamwork as they surrounded the family, blocking them from view so that the little boy’s miserable screams wouldn’t disturb His Highness’s mood.
Xia Mingyu looked at the villagers before him.
All it had taken was some money for them to cry with gratitude and practically worship him.
While he couldn’t help feeling emotional, a bad feeling also suddenly appeared in his heart.
According to Anliya, the lord of the Black Wolf Territory was considered a good noble.
The taxes within his territory were already among the lowest in the entire Kingdom of Sossia.
Yet even under such circumstances, the villagers of Fruit Basket Village had absolutely no ability to withstand even a single unexpected disaster.
Their children couldn’t even eat enough of the cheapest black bread.
They even faced the risk of being sold into slavery every single year.
Then...
What kind of lives were the people in the other territories of the kingdom living?
Thinking about this, the smile on Xia Mingyu’s face slowly disappeared.
