Chapter 64 Reconciliation
Wang An pointed at the returnees from Crescent Moon Mountain and said word by word, "Did you hear that? It was their fault that they became bandits, but it was not their own will. I believe that if you were in the same situation as them, you would probably make the same choice as them."

"But they did something wrong after all..." Wang An changed the subject, "If the conditions are equal, then the people of Baicheng are naturally more qualified to buy affordable grain."

"But, I have publicly recruited people to build the city wall. I was going to ask if anyone among you has signed up?"

"No, right?"

"Everyone thinks building a city wall is hard work and you don't want to endure the hardship, right?"

Goodnight sneered and pointed at the returnees of Crescent Mountain again, "Only they are willing to go!"

"I want to ask, are the city walls built for them? They still live outside the city. You are the biggest beneficiaries after the city walls are built!"

Goodnight's tone became more and more excited, "They are building the wall for you. Is it too much for me to sell them some affordable food?"

After Wan An's roar, no one in the hundred cities dared to refute him.

It’s not that they didn’t dare to offend Wan An’s authority, but what Wang An said was indeed reasonable and could not be refuted.

Some people even felt ashamed and secretly left the crowd.

Goodnight's tone slowed down at this time, and he said: "You don't pay taxes and you don't repair the city. You want to get more benefits when you get them. There is really no such a cheap thing in the world."

"However," Goodnight blinked his eyes, raised a cunning smile and said, "It's not that I don't want to give you a chance. The government is still recruiting people to mine and burn charcoal. Anyone who is willing to sign up can not only get wages, but their families will also be eligible to buy affordable food."

"If you want to get something, you have to pay for it. There is no such thing as pie falling from the sky in this world. I can love the people, but I also want you to support me."

"If I spend money to raise a group of ungrateful wolves, I would rather let those foreign races snatch them all away!"

After saying good night, he no longer paid attention to these people, but turned to look at the returnees of Crescent Mountain. Then a surprising scene happened.

Goodnight actually bowed to the returnees of Crescent Moon Mountain, and said with an apologetic tone: "Although there are people in this world who are cruel by nature, like the mountain tiger who enjoys killing and robbing, but..."

"I know that everyone is kind-hearted, but they just became bandits because they had nowhere else to go and could no longer make ends meet. Ultimately, it is the government's fault for failing to protect the country and the people..."

Chen He immediately stood up and bowed to the returnees from Yueya Mountain, saying, "I am ashamed to be the chief clerk of Jizhou Prefecture. I apologize to the villagers!"

When the dozen or so yamen runners who came to maintain public order saw their superiors bowing and apologizing, they immediately followed suit and bowed and apologized: "I'm sorry, dear friends, for making you suffer!"

The people of Baicheng looked at each other in bewilderment. Immediately, someone with a guilty look on his face stood up and bowed to apologize like Wang An and the others: "I'm sorry, everyone. It's my Meng Lang!"

"From now on, we are one family, and we won't have to talk about our differences anymore!"

"Next time you come into the city, I'll see who dares to show you what's their way. I'll be the first one to not let him go!"

"We sell vinegar. We won't charge you for buying vinegar from now on... We'll give you a discount!"

The vinegar seller immediately made everyone laugh, and the scene suddenly became joyful.

The eyes of the returnees from Crescent Mountain were all red. Although they had become bandits over the years, they were not necessarily at peace in their hearts.

Especially the families, every time they saw their men going down the mountain to rob, they would pray to the gods and Buddhas in the sky for their men to return safely, or make a vow to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures, hoping that God would forgive the crimes they had committed.

And now, as a prince, Wang An personally led the government officials and the people of Baicheng to bow and apologize to them. He understood their difficulties and was moved beyond words. When someone took the lead and stood up, they also bowed and apologized to Wang An and the people of Baicheng, "Dear friends, please don't say these words. It's us who are sorry for everyone!"

The rest of the people also stood up and expressed their inner guilt to the people of Baicheng and Wang An.

Thus, a dispute was instantly resolved.

The anger and dissatisfaction that had been pent up in everyone's hearts disappeared at this moment.

Wang An took the opportunity to bring up the past, "I know that everyone's life is not easy, but the government's affordable grain is limited and cannot be supplied indefinitely."

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the people in the hundreds of cities all turned gloomy, but they were not as emotional as before.

Then Wang An changed the subject and said, "But as long as you are willing to work for the government, you can not only get wages, but also be eligible to buy affordable grain!"

Good night, she said, and winked at Chen He.

Chen He understood immediately. While secretly shocked by Wang An's methods, he immediately said loudly: "The government needs to recruit a group of people to be responsible for burning charcoal and mining limestone. Anyone who is willing to come will be paid one tael and two coins per person for labor, and three meals will be provided!"

The people were overjoyed when they heard the news, and those who raised their hands to sign up immediately surrounded Chen He.

Chen He was squeezed in the center of the crowd, shouting in a panic: "Don't worry, don't worry, the prince said that there are as many tricks as there are, and everyone will have a share and no one will be left out!"

Goodnight smiled and shook his head, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of the returnees from Crescent Mountain looking as if they were hesitant to speak.

Wan An understood and said with a smile, "But you think the wages of the people in Baicheng are higher than yours. Do you think the government is still partial to some people?"

The returnees looked at each other, and someone took the lead and said, "We dare not be suspicious. Besides, we are criminals after all. It is rare that the prince can take us in and give us a chance to live. How dare we be petty!"

The others also echoed,

"Yes, one tael of silver is a lot!"

"Besides, we can buy affordable food, so the whole family can have enough to eat!"

"This is all due to the prince's kindness. We dare not be dissatisfied."

Wan An's lips curled slightly, and he chuckled, "This king will never treat anyone unfairly. From today on, your wages will also be one tael and two qian of silver."

The returnees from Yueya Mountain never expected that their wages would increase just a few days after they came down the mountain. They were overjoyed.

What's more, Wang An's words just now completely touched their hearts and restored their human dignity.

Processing fees and affordable grain give them the dignity of being human.

Because of all these things, even some people who had originally had some ulterior motives became completely loyal to Wang An.

To put it bluntly, even if you were a bandit in the mountains before, life would not necessarily be better than in Baicheng.

Following the lead of an old man, all the returnees knelt down before Wang An.

(End of this chapter)