Cultivation: I Can Reincarnate Into Various Worlds-Chapter 103 - 99. Not only the bones of officials are stepped on the Heavenly Street... (4k words, big Chapter)_2

Chapter 103: 99. Not only the bones of officials are stepped on the Heavenly Street... (4k words, big Chapter)_2

He had treated his ministers like private slaves... Thus, seeing Emperor Chongming about to die miserably, these same ministers felt great joy in their hearts.

The Crown Prince and Prince Yong, however, were filled with sorrow and profound unease.

If even their imperial father was treated thus, what would become of them, his descendants?

"Xu Ni..."

"You treat me like this today; in the future, your descendants will suffer the same fate!"

Seeing that groveling was useless, Emperor Chongming resorted to curses.

"The blessings of a gentleman fade by the third generation and are extinguished by the fifth," Xu Xing said with a smile, utterly unconcerned. "If my descendants become like that, I would willingly let them offer their necks for execution."

He was not particularly close to his own son, Xu Zhang, and harbored no deep affection for him, merely fulfilling his duties as a biological father. Why would he care about descendants he might never even meet?

Moreover, he was an Eternal Life Seed, a nation unto himself; thus, the survival or destruction of his bloodline did not concern him too much. Emperor Song Dao of Fengxi Country had been the same, never caring about the lives or deaths of his own imperial offspring.

Xu Xing couldn’t be bothered to retort to Emperor Chongming’s continued tirade. He waved his hand, and the ranks of the Righteous Army instantly parted, forming a wide path. This allowed the starving people of Shenjing, who were watching from the outskirts of the Imperial City, to be brought before Emperor Chongming.

Shenjing, as the capital of Fengxi Country, was the Land of Supreme Goodness. Whenever a natural or man-made disaster occurred in the nearby provinces, the victims would flock to Shenjing. In the provinces, officials might not open the righteous granaries; even if they did, it was often mere lip service. But in Shenjing, under the Emperor’s very eyes, the disaster victims could at least get a mouthful of food, no matter what, even if it was just for show.

As a result, there were over a hundred thousand disaster victims in Shenjing.

With the Imperial City in chaos, these disaster victims saw an opportunity to fish in troubled waters and seize a share of the spoils. Many eunuchs and palace maids who had fled before the Siming Mountain Righteous Army reached the Imperial City had already been robbed by the disaster victims of the palace treasures they carried.

"I am the Emperor! You disaster victims live by my imperial grace..."

Seeing the disaster victims surging towards him, Emperor Chongming’s face paled in terror. He instinctively retreated a dozen steps. When there was no more space to retreat, pressed back by the Righteous Army’s shield arrays, he began to shout angrily at the victims, "Considering that you had lost your homes, I ordered the righteous granaries opened, official grain distributed, and the people’s suffering relieved! Is this how you repay me?"

Emperor Chongming glared at the disaster victims.

Facing Xu Xing, he was submissive. But facing this crowd of people who couldn’t even get enough to eat, he regained his confidence as Emperor.

Lives are inherently noble or base; he was born of imperial lineage! How could these mere disaster victims dare to show him disrespect? Besides, he had "genuinely" bestowed grace upon them. By allocating funds from the private treasury and the National Treasury, he had saved their lives. Turning a blade on one’s benefactor—such a thing is unheard of under the heavens!

Hearing Emperor Chongming’s words, the emaciated, starving disaster victims gradually halted... Their pace slowed.

Perhaps...

Perhaps it is not yet a matter of life and death.

I can still rely on these disaster victims to counterattack Xu Ni, that rebel...

Yes, with this chance, perhaps I can still fight for a slim chance of survival.

This momentary pause sent Emperor Chongming’s mind racing, and fantastical ideas began to form. When people are desperate, they will cling to the last straw. At this moment, these disaster victims were the last straw in Emperor Chongming’s eyes...

But before he could speak, the leading disaster victims began to glare at him with malice.

"Chongming, you dog emperor!"

"Do you think we are blind?"

"True, the righteous granaries released grain to us, but those granaries are meant to store grain provided by the common people to avert calamities."

"Even setting that aside..."

"The funds allocated to a single member of the imperial clan far exceed the money for disaster relief."

"Your Majesty, do you delude yourself that all the disaster victims in the world will remember your benevolence?"

The disaster victims slowly approached Emperor Chongming, speaking one by one.

It is not scarcity we resent, but inequality. If the National Dynasty were truly in trouble, and the nobles and officials were all tightening their belts, the common people wouldn’t mind suffering a bit. However, the imperial clan and nobles were all living in opulence, while the disaster victims were so starved they resorted to exchanging children to eat... Who would be genuinely convinced to submit?

If the world belonged only to the Song Family, then talk of benevolence is unnecessary; all people are but their private slaves. Rebellion is then a matter of course!

If the world does not belong solely to the Song Family, then benevolence can be discussed. However, the people can support the boat, and they can also capsize it. If the Song Family’s Emperor disregards benevolence and righteousness, then these disaster victims will not speak of such things either... The gratitude for a mouthful of rice depends on the circumstances; it cannot be generalized.

"It’s the corruption and bribery of the officials..." Emperor Chongming habitually tried to shift the blame. "That caused you to starve! This is the fault of the Corrupt Officials..."

But no one was listening to him anymore.

Nearly a thousand disaster victims swarmed forward, and, bite by bite, they completely devoured Emperor Chongming.

Within a quarter of an hour, the disaster victims dispersed. Afterward, only a bloody skeleton remained on the ground.

"Everyone," Xu Xing began, his gaze sweeping over the surrendered civil and military officials. Seeing these nobles in their crimson and purple robes remain as silent as cicadas in winter, he smiled. "Just now, Chongming said that the reason the disaster victims are starving is because of your corruption?"

He paused, then continued, "If one person in ten is a corrupt official, then it is that corrupt official’s responsibility. But if all the civil and military officials in the court are corrupt, then it is the responsibility of the National Dynasty, the responsibility of the Emperor..."

He thus set the tone for how Chongming’s wild accusations would be understood.

It was true that the civil and military officials of the court were corrupt, and it was also true that he intended to eradicate these Corrupt Officials in the future. However, if he were to foolishly prosecute all of them according to the laws against corruption, it was likely that in the very next moment, all the local officials throughout the land would turn against him.