How To Survive as a Villain
Chapter 71: I'm Sorry, But the Corrupt Officials Can't Do Whatever They Want.

Ever since the ancient times, natural disasters have heavily damaged the Country. Even the most prosperous times aren’t able to stand it, let alone a Country that’s on the verge of collapsing.

This sudden drought really caught Xiao YuAn off guard.

What’s even more overwhelming to Xiao YuAn is: In the original book, the Northern Kingdom didn’t experience this.

Although the plot of the original book had changed a lot because of Xiao YuAn’s actions, all these changes were motivated for a reason.

However, the current natural disaster was completely unpredictable.

After all, because of this drought, all of Xiao YuAn’s previous efforts would’ve been in vain.

Under the treacherous wind and clouds, Xiao YuAn could faintly hear how the Heaven’s will couldn’t be disobeyed. It was the Northern Kingdom who cursed him for letting Yan HeQing go. The mountains, the rivers and the Country were on Xiao YuAn’s shoulders, and once again, he felt extremely overwhelmed.

However!!!

The history of materialism, after a long road of development, had finally progressed from shallow atheism to materialistic awareness!!!

How can you, as the fourth generation of young good men who helped co-built socialism, be so easily defeated by fate?!

On behalf of Marxism, Xiao YuAn made an indecent gesture towards the Heavens, and then began to prepare for the drought relief.

However, he’s not afraid of the Heavens as his opponent, he’s more afraid of the people surrounding him that are like pigs.

Because of the incompetence of the Monarchs of the Northern Kingdom in the early years, the Country treasury was not full at all. And now, it has exhausted its granary with the sole purpose of the relief of the common people. However, when it was distributed among every town, this one ended up filling the belly of the corrupt Officials.

Xiao YuAn worked really hard to help the common people for several weeks. But, instead of reducing the numbers of refugees, they increased, and they ended up gradually filling the Imperial City.

These son of a bitches¹ are really bold!!!

Xiao YuAn was so angry that he ordered Li Wuding to investigate this matter thoroughly. In the end, this investigation led to the implication of several Senior Officials that stayed in high positions of power for two generations!

A few of these old Ministers were kneeling in the Court Hall, and then dozens of other Ministers knelt with them, pleading for mercy.

Xiao YuAn, who had already overworked himself to death, was now even more annoyed.

Li Wuding stood at the Court Hall with his fist cupped: “Your Majesty, only by distinguishing clearly between reward and punishment², can the sky and the waters be clean. Ever since ancient times it has been said: If the Son of Heaven breaks the law, the common people will be condemned as well³. If the rotten parts of a tree aren’t dug up, the more rotten they will get! Only when the Officials are free of corruption, can a Country become strong!”

“Li Wuding! Your speech is wildly arrogant⁴.” Suddenly, a Minister got up and retorted angrily. “In those years, when the late Emperor founded the Country and pacified the Nation, which of these old Ministers didn’t make great achievements and were blessed by the Heavens? Even the late Emperor honored them three times. Just because you’re acting indifferent and heartless today, do you think you’re worthy of benevolence and righteousness⁵?”

Li Wuding sneered: “Benevolence and righteousness? Do people in a stinking mud hole deserve to speak of benevolence and righteousness? Only by punishing the evil can we promote the good. The way to rule a Country is to exterminate the traitors! And you have the nerve to plead mercy for them?”

“You’re being ungrateful. If you cover up virtue with every wrong⁶, of course I will naturally be compassionate and ask for mercy!”

“Ha⁷——-” Xiao YuAn, who hadn’t spoken until now, suddenly snickered. “Are you done arguing?”

The several people present at the Court Hall kneeled down in succession and stopped talking.

Xiao YuAn stood up and stared at everyone kneeling below him. His eyes were cold and with one sentence at a time, he said: “If you plead for them, then who is going to plead for the common people that are dying of starvation? Who will plead for those whose families have been destroyed? When you were stinking of wine and meat, did you ever think for even a single moment that there were white bones lying at the door of your Mansion? And for those of you who are pleading, don’t think I don’t know who you are actually pleading for. You’re clearly pleading for yourselves! Not because I didn’t let Li Wuding continue the investigation, does immediately mean that I’m ignorant of your wrongdoings.”

Those old Ministers could never have imagined that the Emperor, who once listened to everything they said, would actually punish them so heavily.

Some of them would cry out in remorse, feeling a chill passing through them. Some others could see their own innocence.

Li Wuding raised his head and looked at the upright posture of the Imperial Court, and his hands gradually clenched.

He had fought alongside the old General Sun, and had his own ambitions, but he gradually became disappointed in the wine and meat excessivity in the former Emperor’s banquets, in his promiscuity. In the honeyed words, and sword in the belly⁸ of the whole Imperial Court.

He had dreamt of his hometown countless times, of the skinny darkened bodies of those starving children. He had also dreamt of the battlefield, of a sharp blade piercing through his Xiongdi’s chest, waking up covered in sweat, only to turn around and face a Country whose Monarch was lustful and treacherous.

So Li Wuding kept asking himself, for a Country where the common people are suffering every day, is the sacrifice of the Officials and Soldiers really worth it?!

And now, from a hidden place inside his heart, it began to reignite the belief of wanting to serve the Country once again.

I believe in Li Wuding suppremacy (? asdfghjkl the way he roasted the whole Court and Xiao YuAn getting so mad with these corrupt men (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑) plus Li Wuding believing in the Northern Kingdom again (´꒳`∗) I’m soft♡♡

Footnotes

1. MMP; it’s a curse, forbidden word in Sichuan dialect, something like: “Your mother is a bitch”. Which equals to: “Son of bitch”.
2. 赏罚分明 shǎng fá fēn míng; It’s a Chinese idiom, it means that the reward should be given and the punishment should be imposed / Used to describe how to hand things with clarity. From《潜夫论·实贡》(qián fū lùn·shí gòng), “Confucian Doctrine: Substantial Contribution”, written by (王符 wáng fú) Wang Fu [83-170] a philosopher, political commentator, progressive thinker and poet from the Eastern Han Dynasty [25-220].
3. 天子犯法与庶民同罪 tiān zǐ fàn fǎ yù shù mín tóng zuì; It’s a saying, it means that everyone is equal before the law. Usually used to refer to members of the Royal Family/Royal Court. Because of their special identities, they will get severely punished. Of course, enough evidence is needed and the right time to bring them down.
4. 口出狂言 kǒu chū kuáng yán; It’s a Chinese idiom, it refers when arrogants words come from someone’s mouth / Speaking arrogantly and recklessly / Speaking nonsense. From《水浒传》(shuǐ hǔ zhuàn), “Water Margin” or “Outlaws of the Marsh”, written by (施耐庵 shī nài ān) Shi Nai’an [1296-1371].
5. 仁义 rén yì; It’s an important ethical category of Confucianism. Its original meaning was (仁爱 rén ài) Benevolence and (正义 zhèng yì) Justice. In the “Book of Rites” is referenced as: “Morality, Benevolence and Righteousness cannot be immoral”. In the Warring States Period, (孟子mèng zǐ)Mencius attached great importance to this concept. Afterwards, the Confucianist (董仲舒 dǒng zhòng shū) Dong Zhongshu inherited his teachings and adopted “Benevolence and Righteousness” as the highest principle of traditional morality.
6. 一眚掩大德 yī shěng dà dé; It means to don’t obliterate a person’s merits because of their individual mistakes. From《左传·僖公三十三年》(zuǒ zhuàn·xī gōng sān shí sān nián), “Mr Zuo’s Annals: The Thirty-third Year of Xi Gong” written by (左丘明 zuǒ qiū míng), Zuo Qiuming [556-452], a famous blind historian from the Spring and Autumn Period [770-476].
7. 嗤 chī; Laugh at / Jeer / Scoff at / Sneer at.
8. 口蜜腹剑 kǒu mì fù jiàn; It’s a Chinese idiom, it describes a person who talks sweetly, but has harmful ideas in his heart / The cunning and insidiousness of the double-dealing / Describes a person who is sinister. From《资治通鉴·唐玄宗天宝元年》(zī zhì tōng jiàn·táng xuán zōng tiān bǎo yuán nián), “A Mirror for the Wise Ruler: The First Year of Emperor Xuanzong’s Reign”, written by (司马光 sī mǎ guāng) Sima Guang [1019-1086], a politician and historian from the Northern Song Dynasty [960-1127].