Can I Become Emperor by Being This Lazy? - Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Wu Hongying detailed the various deeds and deceptive methods of the Celestial God Sect, lamenting how deeply the sect harmed people before shaking his head and departing.

After this act concluded, the street urchins came into play. Victims who had suffered oppression and harm under the Celestial God Sect traveled thousands of miles to the capital to petition the emperor. Little did they know the sect would ruthlessly hunt them down to silence them, leaving only their written pleas behind in the world—a truly heartbreaking tale that brought tears to listeners’ eyes.

The news spread rapidly, stirring discussions among the common folk. The bolder ones secretly retrieved copies of the petitions, gathering around to curiously examine them together.

LiuLang, you know how to read, don’t you? Come quickly and see what’s written here! The crowd called over a young man, Pan LiuLang, asking him to read the contents aloud.

I heard it’s a petition accusing the Celestial God Sect. It was originally meant for the capital, but the sect caught up with them and killed them to cover it up.

What petition? Pan LiuLang’s eyelids twitched slightly upon hearing this. He hurried forward, his hands trembling faintly.

Someone nearby reassured him, LiuLang, don’t be afraid. I retrieved this secretly—no one noticed. Just read what’s written for us.

Everyone watched Pan LiuLang with eager anticipation. He swallowed hard, carefully unrolling the yellow paper, his eyelashes quivering uncontrollably.

…The Celestial God Sect deceived this commoner through oil pot tricks, leading me to trust villains and devote all my assets to the higher gods, seeking their protection and health. The followers bestowed Holy Water, cut off the patient’s medicine, and forbade herbal decoctions. Yet, after drinking the Holy Water for three days, my ailing mother suddenly passed away.

Suppressing the fury in his chest, Pan LiuLang continued reading. At the end, he couldn’t contain his rage and burst out, Nonsense! It’s all nonsense! The sect isn’t like this at all!

The crowd was astonished. LiuLang, what are you saying? Do you know about this Celestial God Sect?

Realizing he had misspoken, Pan LiuLang struggled to control himself, his resentment overflowing. Clenching his fists, he angrily declared, The Celestial God Sect doesn’t let followers off so easily. Once you’re in, beatings and humiliation are routine. You’re forced to obey orders, deceive relatives and friends into joining, and continuously pour money into the sect. They always say you’re just a little short, but it’s like filling a bottomless pit—never enough, always just out of reach. They make you itch for success that seems within grasp, but in truth, they drain you of your last drop of blood and still aren’t satisfied.

And then the worst part comes. If you fail to meet their demands, you’re stripped naked and publicly whipped, forced to reflect on your faults before everyone, treated like livestock for their amusement. Some are beaten disabled and discarded on the streets to beg, not even sparing children.

When you’re no longer useful, they light torches and burn you alive, calling it ‘Ascension in broad daylight’ or ‘achieving immortality’… Every day is a living hell.

The evils committed by the Celestial God Sect were too numerous to count. Pan LiuLang’s eyes reddened, tears streaming down his face as intense hatred erupted from within.

LiuLang, how do you know all this so well?

A grim suspicion dawned on the crowd: Pan SiLang had gone out to do business and hadn’t been heard from since.

For a time, the Pan family kept selling off their property. Neighbors thought Pan SiLang had struck it rich and was preparing to bring his family to a better life.

Now, it seemed possible that Pan SiLang had been lured into the Celestial God Sect!

Pan LiuLang, red-eyed, reluctantly lowered his head and fell into silence.

Seeing his reaction, everyone roughly understood—since no one refuted it, it most likely was true.

Recalling Pan LiuLang’s description, they shuddered. So the Celestial God Sect was this terrifying, and it had been happening right under their noses. One misstep, and their own families would suffer.

At this thought, everyone grew apprehensive and began taking this petition seriously. They advised, LiuLang, this is a complaint drafted by someone else to appeal to the imperial court in the capital. But don’t be foolish—those who went to the capital to file complaints were all killed by the Celestial God Sect. Chang’an is unstable too, and the sect is growing even more reckless. You should endure for now and avoid provoking them.

Exactly, staying alive is already an achievement.

Everyone wore worried expressions, sharing a common fear of the Celestial God Sect.

Just then, someone suddenly remembered, Why did I hear on the street that some petitioners survived? Rumor has it they were rescued by the Loyal Army, given food, and even assigned work?

I heard that too. It seems the Loyal Army has some connection with Feng Qiuye. They’re everywhere, staging counter-plays and criticizing the Emperor and court officials, yet the court dares not arrest them.

Everyone present gasped in unison, their eyes wide with shock. What background do they have to be so bold? Why isn’t the court intervening?

Someone well-informed explained, It’s not that they won’t intervene—they can’t. Do you know who leads the Loyal Army?

It’s the newly appointed Prince of Jin, named Xu Mao. They say he possesses divine abilities. When the fake gods of the Celestial God Sect met a true deity, they fled with their tails between their legs. That shows Xu Mao’s power.

After chaos broke out in Chang’an, the Emperor issued an Imperial Decree ordering Prince of Jin Xu Mao to pacify the capital. Who would have thought our newly appointed Prince would dare to openly criticize the Son of Heaven’s faults!

Someone in the crowd snorted coldly, I think it’s a good thing. Prince of Jin’s actions are justified. The court only comes to us when they want money—otherwise, they ignore us. It’s always like this: they neglect their duties while officials and clerks idle about, bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Now that they’ve met Prince of Jin, they pretend to be ignorant. Where’s their usual nitpicking attitude? The Prince was right to rebuke them!

The person beside him glanced around nervously, gesturing for silence and whispering, Enough, keep your voice down. This isn’t honorable—why bring up those counter-plays for no reason… LiuLang, don’t be disheartened. If you seek revenge, follow the example of those who went to the capital to appeal. I think you should seek out the Loyal and Righteous Army Marshal, Prince of Jin. She can protect you and help you avenge your grievances.

Pan LiuLang replied, Thank you, I understand.

He hesitated briefly. Initially, he hadn’t fully trusted Xu Mao, but after everyone’s analysis, it indeed seemed like the most promising path. It was worth a try.

Overnight, discussions about the Celestial God Sect’s numerous crimes spread through streets and alleys. One after another, victims of the sect’s persecution emerged, gathering to expose the sect’s inner workings and planning to travel together to seek Xu Mao’s protection.

At the alley’s entrance, a figure quietly slipped away.

Chaos reigned within the Celestial God Sect. With Xu Mao causing disruptions everywhere, the common people grew suspicious of them. Fewer and fewer were willing to join the sect, and existing followers grew restless, contemplating desertion. That day, several fleeing followers were captured and executed publicly to intimidate the rest, but the situation continued deteriorating, giving the sect leader a severe headache.

I’ve said all along that Xu Mao should have been executed outright. How could we let her live until now, allowing her to become such a troublesome threat? The Left Guardian fumed. Our followers are protesting daily, and we can’t suppress it anymore. There are all sorts of rumors spreading outside. We must resolve this quickly.

This mess was caused by Song Jian, so he should be the one to fix it. Otherwise, I’d suspect he’s a spy planted by Xu Mao within our sect, deliberately putting us in a difficult position!

Let’s not jump to conclusions. Master Song has his own plans. He has no connection whatsoever with Xu Mao. Calling him a spy is quite a stretch.

Everyone in the sect knew the Left Guardian and Song Jian didn’t get along, so they didn’t take his words seriously.

You don’t believe me? The Left Guardian widened his eyes, unable to accept this reality, and shrilled, I’ve been watching him all along. Don’t let him fool you! Song Jian’s subordinates have been to Baoping and contacted a merchant named Shang Fanzhi. And this Shang Fanzhi’s wife, Mo Shi, is now closely associated with Xu Mao. If you don’t believe me, investigate it yourselves—you’ll see I’m telling the truth. Song Jian has definitely betrayed us! He can’t be trusted!

The sect leader’s gaze sharpened. Is everything you’ve said true?

A flash of delight crossed the Left Guardian’s eyes. He immediately clasped his fists and said firmly, Leader, with your discerning judgment, I dare not utter a single false word. You can send someone to Baoping to verify it.

Leader, it’s impossible! Master Song would never do such a thing. Having close ties with Xu Mao of the Loyal Army? That’s utterly absurd!

Song Jian had been recommended by the Right Guardian. If Song Jian were implicated, he wouldn’t escape blame either, so the Right Guardian quickly stepped forward to defend him.

The sect leader waved his sleeve, putting an end to the discussion. Enough, let’s not talk about this anymore. Discuss strategies to deal with Xu Mao. We can’t let her continue to act so arrogantly!

The Right Guardian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The Left Guardian opened his mouth but remained silent, clearly still resentful and planning to sow discord before the leader again in the future.

Behind the door, Song Jian withdrew his hovering hand and quietly walked away, his expression unreadable.

The Left Guardian has always been like this. Please don’t take it to heart, sir, a follower behind Song Jian comforted, trying to smooth things over between them in the spirit of harmony.

Song Jian responded indifferently, as if distracted. You may leave now. I’d like to be alone for a while.

Yes. With recent events being so busy, please don’t go out, sir. Otherwise, the Left Guardian will use it against you. Today, as soon as you were absent, he immediately went to complain to the leader.

I understand. Thank you for the reminder.

The follower said no more and withdrew quietly.

Once alone, Song Jian bent down to pick up a chest by his feet, opened it, and took out a letter. He wasn’t in a hurry to open it, merely placing it quietly on the table, his gaze distant.

He didn’t need to read it to know its general content.

His elder brother had awakened. It seemed this absurd farce was coming to an end.

Song Jian took a small bronze mirror from his sleeve and stared at the face reflected in it. He hurriedly applied specially made black powder to his face, his movements growing faster and more agitated.

Why should their identities be swapped at their whim?

When they needed her, they repeatedly urged her to be a proper son. Now that her brother had opened his eyes and awakened, they expected her to hand over everything she had worked so hard for, unconditionally transferring it all to her brother.

Using her brother’s identity to move about outside was their idea in the first place. She had struggled to build it up, achieving some success. Was it wrong for her to be reluctant to let it go?

Song Dexue couldn’t swallow this injustice.

Correct, she was not Song Jian, but rather Song Jian’s younger sister. Due to her older brother’s sudden coma, she, his twin sister, was pulled in to take his place.

Since childhood, she and her brother had always played the game of swapping identities, though it was often the case that he reaped the benefits while she bore the consequences.

After all these years, Song Dexue had grown weary of it.

Did he think he could just sit back and enjoy the rewards without lifting a finger?

Unfortunately, she would not give Song Jian that opportunity.

Song Dexue pressed her lips together, her gaze icy.