Upon hearing this, Prince Sui's old face fell, his lips trembled, and he was on the verge of tears. His heart was bleeding!
As a prince, he fled in haste with Emperor Liang, and he didn't have much gold, silver, or valuables with him.
He had lived in fear and trembling all this way, and it was only with great difficulty that he managed to scrape together this little bit of wealth, which was all the capital he would use to make a living in the future!
Now, with just a word from the fairy, he's being asked to "show his appreciation." Isn't that like tearing out a piece of his heart?
“Fairy Maiden, this, this…” Prince Sui stammered, wanting to say something, but not daring to.
Seeing this, Prince Chen sighed inwardly.
Although he was the Prince of Chen who raised an army, every aspect of his soldiers' pay and expenses required money.
He already felt guilty for plundering the people, and now that this fairy had exposed his crimes, he felt even more ashamed.
He took a deep breath, cupped his hands in greeting to Zhang Jing, and said in a deep voice, "The fairy is right! We have failed to discipline our troops and allowed our men to plunder the people, which is a grave mistake! We should make amends."
He paused, glanced at the dejected soldiers and the ashen-faced Prince Sui, gritted his teeth and said, "Please, Fairy Maiden, make sure that every penny of the money we have brought out reaches these suffering people!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jing nodded slightly and said, "I can vouch for this to the Mountain Goddess."
Her cold gaze swept over the two of them. "But do you think it's over just by paying money?"
Prince Sui and Prince Chen felt a chill run down their spines, realizing that this fairy was indeed not so easy to deal with.
Zhang Jing continued, "Look at the mess your men have made! You've turned these villages into a chaotic mess, with countless houses collapsed! The people are displaced and have nowhere to shelter from the wind and rain!"
Her voice suddenly rose, "You, and your soldiers, all stay here! Rebuild all these destroyed houses! You can leave when they're all repaired!"
"What? You want us to build houses too?" a bold Chen family army officer couldn't help but exclaim. They came to fight, not to be bricklayers!
Prince Chen glared at the officer, who shrank back and dared not utter another word.
Sui Wang's face turned deathly pale. Which of his soldiers wasn't either tricked or forcibly conscripted by him?
They're fine with robbing and looting, but building houses? They probably couldn't even hold a hoe properly!
But circumstances are beyond our control, and the faint but palpable pressure of thunder still looms over us.
The earthen walls surrounding them, which had just been lowered but seemed ready to rise again at any moment, made them even more afraid to disobey in the slightest.
"Yes, yes! The fairy is right!" King Chen was the first to react, gritted his teeth, and pulled out a heavy money bag from his pocket.
He then plucked a few jade thumb rings from his fingers and placed them on the ground, saying, "These are a small token of my appreciation. Please distribute them to the people on my behalf, Fairy."
Seeing this, Prince Sui could only swallow his anger and tremble as he untied his money pouch and pulled out a few pieces of gold from his sleeve.
He placed it reluctantly next to King Chen's money, his expression as if his own father had died.
"Did you all hear that?" King Chen roared at his soldiers as he turned around. "The fairy maiden under the Mountain Goddess has ordered that everyone go and help the people repair their houses! Anyone who dares to slack off or cheat will be punished according to military law!"
Prince Sui also shouted in a shrill voice, "And you all! Get moving! If you displease the fairy, none of us will escape unscathed!"
Although the soldiers were extremely unwilling, they could only hang their heads under the dual pressure of their commander's strict orders and the divine might of the fairy.
Guided by caravan guards and villagers, they began clearing the ruins, moving wood and stones, and preparing to repair the houses.
The guards of the caravan behind Zhang Jing stepped forward and collected all the money that Prince Chen and Prince Sui had brought out.
Zhang Jing then stood up and addressed the people who were looking at her with hope: "Fellow villagers! These two generals have realized their mistakes and have offered money as compensation!"
Her clear voice carried throughout the village entrance: "We, the Wilderness Merchant Caravan, are all devotees of the Mountain Goddess. Today, we are selling grain here. It was already sold at a fair price, but now, all the grain will be sold to you villagers at half price!"
Upon hearing this, the people were first taken aback, then burst into a huge cheer!
Buying grain at half price is an incredible favor!
Zhang Jing smiled slightly and continued, "Not only that! In addition to the gold and silver compensation from these two generals, all villagers can get an extra discount on top of the already half-price grain! Today, all villagers only need to pay 30% of the price to buy grain!"
"boom!"
The crowd erupted in cheers!
"A 30% discount! Oh my god! Am I dreaming?!"
"Mountain Goddess, have mercy!" An old woman knelt down first, kowtowing repeatedly towards the direction of the barren mountain.
"Thank you, Fairy Maiden! Thank you, Mountain Goddess!"
"Mountain Goddess, please save us from suffering!"
In an instant, cries and shouts of gratitude filled the air.
Countless people were moved to tears, and they knelt down, shouting, "Mountain Goddess, have mercy!"
Not only did they get their stolen belongings back, but they've also solved their food problem.
Even their destroyed homes are being repaired with help—this is a life they never dared to dream of!
The caravan members immediately sprang into action, laying out the grain, cloth, and various industrial products they had brought.
The people were overjoyed, and under the organization of the guards, they lined up in long queues to buy the goods.
On those weathered faces, genuine smiles finally appeared.
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