Finally, the steward pointed to the public notice board and solemnly declared, "From now on, all of the Lord's commands, taxes, and rewards and punishments will be written here for all to see!"
"If anyone acts differently from what is written, they may all go to the Lion's Den to see the Lord! Report and expose them!"
The entire market fell into a long, shocked silence.
The public notice board represented Lord Arthur and his will, as if the wooden board in front of them was Lord Arthur himself.
Then, led by someone, all the commoners present, regardless of gender, age, or youth, spontaneously bowed deeply towards the public notice board, towards the direction of the Lion's Den.
The steward continued to pick up his carving knife and forcefully carve the core of the three laws onto the wooden board.
Wood chips flew, and the writing was deeply etched.
"One, each town shall erect a beacon; smoke means a warning, fire means war, and the entire town shall enter the fortress to prepare for battle."
Two,
, every male in each family, except for the eldest son, who reaches the age of eighteen, shall receive an acre of cultivated land in the mountains to develop on his own and establish a new home."
"Three, for the families of those who die in battle, widows may choose to remarry or remain single, and both shall receive a pension, with their children provided for."
At night, the oil lamp in farmer Nar's home was still lit.
Under the dim light, Nar and his two sons sat at the table, on which there was only a small piece of black bread; silence, like a stone, weighed down the room and everyone's hearts.
"How will you two divide and cultivate the family's common land?" Nar's rough fingers tapped the table, his heart heavy, as he looked at his eldest son, then at his second son, Tamm.
The eldest son kept his head down and said nothing; Tamm's fists clenched under the table, for the dispute between the two brothers over that small bit of common land was already about to ignite the thatched roof, almost leading to them turning farm tools against each other.
But what happened at the market today was like a gust of wind blowing into every corner, into the heart of every second son.
Tamm finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse, "Father! I want to leave home! To cultivate land in the mountains!"
Nar looked at him; his youngest son had been like a little ox since childhood, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten into such a state with his elder brother. Although he felt guilty internally, dividing the family was undoubtedly the best solution:
"Have you thought it through? All the cultivated land is in the Brightmoon Mountains, full of rocks and weeds, not like the familiar land at home."
"I've thought it through!!!!" Tamm raised his head, his eyes shining, "Lord Arthur said he'd give land!!! And five years of tax exemption!!! I'm not afraid of hard work!!"
"What if it's mountain land!! As long as I'm willing to work hard!!"
The eldest son finally raised his head, his lips moved, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back.
Nar sighed and pulled out a crumpled small wooden board from his Pregnant. It was the family division order he had received from the "patriarch" that afternoon.
"This… is yours." His hand trembled continuously as he pushed the family division order in front of Tamm. "Lord Arthur stipulates that the eldest son stays home, and the second son leaves home."
"You—go then, from now on, it's all up to you…"
Tamm took the family division order, his fingers rubbing it back and forth. He suddenly stood up, grinned at Nar and his brother, revealing a mouthful of teeth.
"Great!" Tamm turned and ran out of the house. Nar watched his retreating figure and heard his suppressed cheers.
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