For three days straight, prices in Penzes City skyrocketed. What was originally three pounds of rice for two copper coins became two pounds for two copper coins on the first day, then one pound for three copper coins on the second. By the third day, the price had already ballooned to six copper coins for a single pound! This left the residents of Penzes City bewildered and enraged. They cursed the unscrupulous merchants while frantically hoarding grain, terrified the prices would climb even higher. But the more they bought, the more severe the price surge became. By the evening of the third day, almost every grain store made the same decision—they closed their doors and stopped all sales!

This pushed public resentment to a boiling point. People couldn’t understand why, seemingly overnight, the prices of all basic necessities had exploded. Unlike the last time prices rose due to rumors of a Beast Race attack on Penzes City, this time there was no reason at all! This was something people simply could not accept. The same amount of money that could have bought nine pounds of rice could now only buy one. For many already impoverished families, this was like piling misery on top of hardship. The number of people who couldn’t afford to eat suddenly swelled!

However, a rumor began to spread from an unknown source.

It was said that the new Lord, Viscount Lingxiao, intended to reclaim all the land held by the city’s nobles. If that happened, nearly every noble in Penzes City, save for a few with small, personal fiefdoms, would lose the land they were currently cultivating. Once the land was taken back, these nobles would lose a major source of their income. Therefore, the soaring price of goods was, in a way, to be expected.

This "secret" news somehow spread wider and wider until almost every resident of Penzes knew about it. Public fury was ignited. The commoners of Penzes City were enraged. Fortunately, the awe and fear of the nobility had been deeply ingrained in the hearts of the common people for generations, so they didn’t dare to actually go to the Viscount’s Mansion to protest. But resentment, once it begins to build, will always find a moment to erupt!

And in the history of the Lanyue Empire, there was no shortage of riots by commoners who had been too harshly oppressed by the nobility. Thus, many people were secretly gloating, waiting for the moment Ling Xiao would be driven out of Penzes City in disgrace!

Ye Wen Ni went out in disguise to wander around and heard the rumors everywhere about the Lord planning to take back all the nobles’ farmlands. The stories were incredibly detailed, claiming the Lord had even taken a beautiful woman to inspect Viscount Cui’s fields. Many people even insisted they had been there that day! They had personally witnessed the new Lord strolling through town with his woman!

All Ye Wen Ni heard were curses directed at Ling Xiao. Looking at the weathered faces of the commoners, she truly didn’t know whether to resent their foolishness or feel pity for them.

She returned to the mansion fuming, only to find Ling Xiao and Uncle Fu sitting there playing chess. Ye Wen Ni strode over angrily and said, "Ling Xiao, how can you have the heart to play chess? The city is about to be turned upside down! Why don’t you go out and explain yourself?"

"It hasn’t been turned upside down just yet." Ling Xiao’s face was calm as he placed a piece on the board and smiled. "Explain? Explain what? That the rumors are true, and I was planning on taking that land back all along?"

Ye Wen Ni said, deflated, "Of course you should explain that you’re taking the land back to rent it to the commoners to farm!"

"That’s a solution for tomorrow when they’re starving today. Do you think the commoners would believe such a good thing could happen? The nobles have controlled that land for a thousand years. Now, all of a sudden, someone says it’s going to be distributed for them to farm. If it were you, would you believe it?"

"I... I... I wouldn’t believe it either," Ye Wen Ni said weakly. Then she added, "But you can’t just let them keep raising prices like this. At this rate, a commoner revolt isn’t far off. You can’t just kill all the troublemakers, can you?"

"Why would I kill them? I have a use for them." After speaking, Ling Xiao let out a soft breath, stood up, and said, "Uncle Fu, that person... it should be about time for them to arrive, right?"

Uncle Fu glanced at the sky and shook his head. "It’s still early. Why, is the Young Master getting anxious too?"

Ye Wen Ni said softly, "The commoners really are pitiful, but their foolishness is also infuriating."

Ling Xiao sighed gently and said, "True equality doesn’t exist anywhere. If you want a good life, you can only rely on your own hard work. I hope... I can give them a chance to do just that."

Uncle Fu bowed. "The Young Master is kind-hearted. I believe the commoners will soon be grateful to you!"

Ye Wen Ni glanced at the two of them, wondering what riddles they were speaking. Ling Xiao said, "Ye Zi, I’m craving the tea you make. It’s delicious!"

Ye Wen Ni stomped her foot lightly. ’Why am I even worried about him?’ she cursed herself inwardly. ’It’s not like I’ve ever seen a problem he couldn’t solve!’

「That night」

Under the cover of darkness, a shadowy figure furtively glanced around outside the back gate of the Ling Mansion. With an agile leap, he vaulted onto the mansion wall. Instantly, several men holding heavy crossbows appeared below and aimed at him. The figure whispered something, and the men vanished as silently as they had appeared. Then, a person emerged from inside and led the man into the residence.

Inside a secret room in the mansion, Ling Xiao sat across from a man dressed head to toe in black. He was in his forties, with a square face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and full lips. It was Mo Qing, the Patriarch of the Mo Family—one of the four great noble families in the city!