Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 135 The Greatest Villain of All Time, I Will Be It!
last night.

The lonely lantern under the eaves of the Shaanxi governor's office cast a dim, wan light, much like Sun Chuanting's mood at that moment, flickering uncertainly in the cold night wind.

He didn't stay in the study, where mountains of official documents would reek of the suffocating, decaying smell of paper and ink.

He stood alone in the center of the empty courtyard, gazing at the crescent moon in the sky, which emitted a pale, lifeless light.

Just half an hour ago, the Embroidered Uniform Guard spy who appeared before him brought news that would make any high-ranking official ecstatic.

—The three thousand new soldiers Your Majesty has drawn from the Beijing garrison, the three thousand White Spear Soldiers conscripted from Sichuan, and the tens of thousands of bushels of grain that accompanied them have arrived in Lantian and will reach the outskirts of Xi'an tomorrow.

Six thousand elite troops! Tens of thousands of bushels of grain!

This number struck Sun Chuanting hard in the heart. His lips trembled slightly, and he subconsciously murmured to himself, "Heaven's grace... is so boundless..."

However, he felt no joy whatsoever.

On the contrary, it was an immense fear akin to drowning.

Since the Wanli reign, when have the local governors and viceroys of the Ming Dynasty ever received such favor?
Let alone 6,000 elite troops without any discounts, even getting 600 soldiers from the Ministry of War who aren't just drawing salaries is considered a blessing from their ancestors!
The new emperor, who sat high above the nine-layered palace, not only provided soldiers and money, but also provisions! He kept providing them!
This kindness was heavier than Mount Tai, weighing him down so heavily he could hardly breathe.

This trust, like an abyss, made him feel as if he were walking on thin ice with every step.

Sun Chuanting slowly turned around, as if guided by an invisible thread, and walked back to the study that was completely buried in official documents.

His gaze fell upon the mountain of files on the desk, as if he were facing two long-lost enemies.

Each of those files was like a cold tombstone, engraved with all his failures over the past month.

He picked up the top document, which was an urgent military report from Yulinwei, delivered over 300 li (approximately 150 kilometers).

The grain supervisor he sent half a month ago swiftly executed a lieutenant general who had embezzled military rations.

This was supposed to be a swift and decisive measure to make an example of someone, but what was the result? The relatives of that military commander, in league with local gentry and wealthy families, incited the already starving soldiers to besiege the military camp under the pretext of "demanding unpaid wages," thus obstructing his new policies.

At the end of the military report, the general who wrote it wrote with tears in his eyes: "Without strong reinforcements, Yulin may face a major upheaval!"

He put down the military report and his fingertips touched another one, from the Xi'an Prefectural Government.

The document clearly states in neat, official script that his decree to recruit disaster victims to repair water conservancy projects through work-for-relief programs was repeatedly delayed by local officials for an absurd and outrageous reason.

“The disaster victims have been starving for a long time and are weak and feeble. It is not advisable to disturb the earth. They should rest and recuperate.”

Rest and recuperation?

A chilling, utterly desolate smile crept across Sun Chuanting's lips.

Yes, resting quietly, letting them lie on the roadside, peacefully turning into cold corpses—is this what these bastards call resting quietly?
Sun Chuanting crumpled the document into a ball, inch by inch, with such force that his knuckles turned white.

His gaze, as if burned, shifted to the deepest part of the desk, where a mountain of failure records lay.

He knew all about the officials in the city, the deeply entrenched gentry, and those high above...

They are a swarm of locusts clinging to this already rotting corpse in Shaanxi, frantically sucking its pus and blood!
They were certain he wouldn't dare.

They were certain that Sun Chuanting, a governor who was a civil official and cherished his reputation, would not dare to break off relations and commit mass killings!
He was certain that he wouldn't dare bear the infamy of being labeled a "cruel official" or a "butcher," names that would condemn him to eternal shame and condemn him to eternal damnation.
Therefore, they outwardly complied but inwardly defied him, they used every legitimate means to obstruct him, undermine him, and ridicule all his efforts.

Dead end.

A complete and utter deadlock with no solution.

unless……

Sun Chuanting's eyes were filled with spiderweb-like blood vessels.

He stared intently at the candle flame on the table, struggling painfully in the last drops of oil, as if he wanted to throw his soul into that flame and burn it all away.

After a long while, Sun Chuanting took a deep breath, the breath cold and desperate, as if he had made some irreversible decision.

He walked to an inconspicuous iron box in the corner, and used a key to unlock the heavy brass lock. His movements were slow and solemn, as if he were opening a dusty tomb.

From inside, he took out a list that he had personally compiled.

That was a death list.

The top was written in extremely neat small regular script, densely packed with nearly a hundred names.

From the prefect of Xi'an Prefecture to the magistrate of Chang'an County, from the generals of Yulin Guard to the wealthy merchants who colluded with the gentry... behind every name lies a vast network of cronies protecting each other, already intricately intertwined, where one's rise and fall are intertwined.

Sun Chuanting returned to his desk, spread out the list, and picked up the vermilion brush, a gift from the emperor, which represented the power of life and death.

His hands were trembling violently.

Reason, like a wailing ghost in his ear, screamed that he couldn't do it. Once he acted, he would be at odds with the entire court and the scholars of the land; he would be nailed to the pillar of historical shame, never to rise again!
But another voice roared wildly in his mind like thunder.

Those were the desperate cries of countless disaster victims on the brink of death outside the city.

Those were the cold, curled-up corpses of children lying by the roadside.

That was the heavy promise he made to the young emperor on the dragon throne.

"His Majesty……"

Sun Chuanting closed his eyes, and a stream of hot tears finally broke free and slid down his cheeks.

"Your Majesty...I have done my best."

"If there is no other way, I can only be the greatest villain of all time for you!"

"Let their blood pave a way for the people of Shaanxi to survive!"

"I, your humble servant, will bear the infamy recorded in history!"

When this tearful vow fell in the empty study, Sun Chuanting's tears had all dried up, leaving only a cold and resolute expression.

He didn't sleep a wink that night.

……

The sky outside the window changed from pitch black to pale white, then to bright daylight, and finally to high noon.

Sun Chuanting sat there blankly, completely crushing and calming the turmoil in his heart, turning it into a deathly silence.

The suffocating tranquility was broken only when a hurried and overjoyed report came from outside the mansion at noon.

Upon hearing the news of the new Beijing garrison and the White-Handed Saber Army outside the city, Sun Chuanting, leading dozens of his most elite guards, galloped out of Xi'an. The list, soon to be stained with blood, was tucked into his arms, as cold as iron.

After making up his mind to become a butcher, he found a strange peace within himself. But beneath that peace, there still lingered a fantasy that even he himself was ashamed to admit.

He fantasized that the emperor, who could simultaneously mobilize the capital garrison and the White-Spear Army, might once again provide him with some brilliant plan to break the deadlock.

It can give him a reason not to become a demon, not to suffer eternal damnation.

However, this glimmer of hope was as faint as a candle flickering in the wind, and even Sun Chuanting himself found it laughable.

When he arrived at the official road at the agreed location, even though he was prepared, he was still completely shocked by the scene before him.

The two armies stood like two silent mountains rising abruptly from the ground, towering in the wind.

These are the reinforcements His Majesty has sent!

Seeing the imposing military bearing of these two armies, Sun Chuanting's heart, which had long since sunk to the bottom, finally rose a little higher.

Although the emperor's earlier bestowal of five thousand new soldiers was already a great act of imperial grace, it was ultimately just a drop in the ocean when it came to suppressing the chaos in the entire Shaanxi region.

The arrival of these two elite teams has truly given him a trump card that can overturn the table!

But then, Sun Chuanting's pupils suddenly contracted into the most dangerous pinpoints!

Because he saw it.

Before the two armies, beneath the enormous "Ming" banner fluttering in the morning breeze, a figure stood quietly.

That figure...

That figure...

That figure, even though it was just a simple outline, still made Sun Chuanting feel a chill run down his spine—an incredibly familiar figure!

impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
This thought, like wildly growing weeds, instantly occupied all his thoughts!

Sun Chuanting instinctively reined in his warhorse. The intelligent steed let out a loud neigh in pain, its front hooves rearing up, almost throwing him to the ground.

He stared intently ahead. Though his face bore the marks of his journey, appearing somewhat haggard and thin, his eyes remained as bright and sharp as ever!

Not an illusion!

It's true, it's not an illusion!
It's really him!

It is the Emperor who should be sitting high on the dragon throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City, strategizing and winning battles from afar!

Sun Chuanting felt that his understanding of the common sense of the world was completely torn apart at this moment, and then forcibly pieced back together by an invisible hand in a way that overturned the universe!
All that has happened in the past is now an illusion!
An unbelievable thought suddenly exploded in his mind, stirring up a raging storm that made him tremble and almost lose his composure!

Since ancient times! From the time of Pangu creating the world, to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors!

Only a general can save the emperor on the battlefield!

I've never seen this before...

Never before have I seen the Emperor himself rescue a general on the battlefield!

This completely overturned all his understanding as a subject and as a scholar who had spent decades studying diligently!
This miraculous scene instantly shattered all the despair, all the struggle, and all the cold resolve of his impending transformation into a butcher in his heart.

After the initial shock came an overwhelming torrent of emotions that could no longer be contained.

Sun Chuanting suddenly dismounted, and because the movement was too sudden, he couldn't even stand up straight and staggered a few steps, almost falling over.

Then, his knees buckled and he collapsed heavily to the ground.

His forehead slammed hard against the cold, hard road.

Sun Chuanting wasn't bowing; he didn't know what kind of bow he should perform at that moment.

He was using all his strength to vent everything that had been building up in his heart all these days!
He could no longer hold back and burst into tears.

The cries were hoarse and sorrowful, filled with endless grievances and resentment, like a lone wolf trapped in a desperate situation, covered in wounds, finally seeing its master.

"Your subject... Sun Chuanting... is incompetent!"

"His Majesty has been implicated... He personally ventured into dangerous territory!"

"Your Majesty's grace has been failed!"

"Your Majesty... I deserve to die a thousand deaths!!!"

The crying was heart-wrenching.

It was all the helplessness he had felt these past few days in the face of that boundless net.

It was his anger at watching helplessly as starving people littered the roadside, and how he was powerless to do anything about it!
At this moment, before the king who had traveled thousands of miles and risked his life to personally come to "save" him, an earthquake erupted.

……

The official road was deathly silent.

Only Sun Chuanting's mournful cries echoed in the clear air, mingling with the heavy breathing of thousands of soldiers, weaving together into a tragic symphony.

Everyone knelt on the ground.

Whether it was the new army soldiers who had already arrived in Shaanxi, or the new army brought by the emperor and the White-Spear Soldiers from Sichuan who had just arrived.

Along their journey, they witnessed firsthand all the human tragedies described in history books on this land.

Therefore, when they saw this high-ranking official lose his composure and collapse in front of the emperor, they felt no shame, but rather a deep respect from the bottom of their hearts.

They finally understood just how heavy a burden Lord Sun was carrying on this hellish land!
Zhu Youjian quickly stepped forward, walked to Sun Chuanting, and bent down to help him up.

When his hands grasped Sun Chuanting's two arms, which were trembling violently from excitement and exhaustion, he saw it.

He saw it: right at Sun Chuanting's temples, between those hairs that should have been jet black, strands of exceptionally bright white, like frost and snow, had sprouted!
Zhu Youjian's heart suddenly felt as if it had been gripped tightly by an invisible hand, causing him excruciating pain.

A strong feeling, a mixture of guilt and heartache, instantly surged through my body.

In a daze, the image of Sun Chuanting, the Shaanxi governor from the history books, appeared before his eyes. He was decisive, prudent, and cunning, and his plans were flawless. He was the one who made Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong tremble with fear.

But he forgot.

He forgot that the Sun Chuanting in the history books was a monster of officialdom who was finally forged through more than a decade of brutal trials and tribulations.

The Sun Chuanting before us is just a 'young' official who is only thirty-five years old and is overwhelmed by the tragic situation in Shaanxi as soon as he takes on his first major responsibility!
It was he himself who prematurely placed this immense burden, this hope of saving the people of the province from suffering, on his shoulders, which were still immature and not yet fully mature in the officialdom.

Sun Chuanting felt the firm yet warm power emanating from the emperor's hand.

His crying gradually subsided. He raised his head, and on his face, which was covered with tears and dust, all the vulnerability and pain had been replaced by a resolute determination after being overwhelmed by the immense shock and profound emotion.

Sun Chuanting looked at the emperor, who had risked his life to come from afar for him and for this devastated land.

He saw the fleeting, undisguised tenderness in the emperor's eyes.

Sun Chuanting wiped away his tears and, with the emperor's help, straightened up again. His spine, which had almost been broken, straightened up once more.

Zhu Youjian did not say a single word of comfort.

"You've worked hard," "I believe in you"... These words seemed too pale and hypocritical in the face of Sun Chuanting's glaring white hair.

He forcefully pulled Sun Chuanting up from the ground.

Then she held his hand tightly and patted his shoulder hard.

A thousand words are contained in this handshake and this tap.

"I am here."

Zhu Youjian only said these three words.

But these three words are more powerful than any imperial edict or any promise!
……

In an eerie silence, the army slowly marched into Xi'an.

No one greeted them, not even anyone stood on either side of the road!
It wasn't because they wanted to avoid military might, but because hunger had already robbed this once prosperous ancient capital of all its vitality.

Everywhere along the streets, one could see emaciated, poorly clothed refugees huddled in corners.

Their eyes were numb, empty, showing that they had long lost their desire for life, leaving only the biological instinct of waiting for death.

Occasionally, one could see a few equally pale-faced officials dragging a stiff corpse, whether from starvation or disease, like a dead dog, towards the city gates. There was no coffin, no shroud, not even a sigh.

This hellish scene made every new soldier feel a suffocating sense of oppression once again.

Zhu Youjian sat on his horse, his face ashen, his handsome features colder than the ice of Liaodong.

Sun Chuanting rode alongside him, explaining to the emperor in an extremely hoarse voice, as if recounting the nightmare of the past month to himself.

"Your Majesty, this is only within the city. Because the government still provides some thin porridge, the situation... is still relatively good. Outside the city is a true hell on earth. Refugees are everywhere, grass roots and tree bark have long been exhausted, and cannibalism is commonplace..."

Zhu Youjian listened and watched in silence.

In fact, he had seen it clearly enough along the way—he finally saw with his own eyes the true cruelty hidden behind the cold words in the history book, "In the first year of Chongzhen, Shaanxi suffered a severe drought, and people ate each other"!

Xi'an, a major northwestern city and provincial capital of the Ming Dynasty, had long been plunged into a desperate situation due to severe natural disasters and even more severe man-made calamities, including severe food shortages, a large number of displaced people, complete social disorder, and a complete failure of government response.

The chaos within the city and the devastation outside together constitute the true picture of the disaster situation in Shaanxi today.

It was like a huge, festering wound, mercilessly laid bare before him, relentlessly interrogating the soul of this supreme ruler of the empire.

The army continued to move forward.

The sounds of horses' hooves and armor plates clashing were the only clear sounds in this dead city.

The surroundings were silent, deathly silent. There was no market hustle and bustle, no children's laughter, not even a decent cry could be heard. Because even crying required strength.

This well-equipped and menacing army formed a stark and ironic contrast with the lifeless and dying city.

Zhu Youjian's gaze slowly swept over the numb crowd, over the corpses by the roadside, and over every inch of the city's filthy corner.

There was no pity, no sorrow in his heart.

There is only a raging fire that is burning wildly like a wildfire!

　Sorry, I'm more than ten minutes late.

　　good night
　　
　
(End of this chapter)