Let you play a corrupt official, are you saying you want to make progress?

Chapter 25: Is That an Apology? Clearly, Afraid of Death, Right?

Qin Xuan felt a bit uncomfortable, but he didn’t say much. He wasn’t particularly fond of these things in the first place.

Unexpected events happened to complete a transaction – wasn’t that just part of the game?

Qin Xuan didn’t enjoy this sort of thing. Since there were no plans for the day, he decided to relax when he returned home. Just as he returned home, he heard the system’s notification sound.

[Ding, congratulations to the host for rejecting worldly attachments. You will receive a special reward!]

Qin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. Well, the system was giving out new rewards again.

This time, the reward included physical enhancement information on the distribution of the Mongols and the Jurchen tribes during the Chenghua period, presented as a real-time map.

As for physical enhancement, he had already experienced it before, and it felt amazing. The real-time map was also quite impressive.

Why couldn’t people in ancient times proactively attack nomadic tribes?

The reason was simple—pursuing them on their turf was difficult. These nomads would simply pack up and move whenever they wished. If anyone tried to chase them, they would just disappear.

Locating them on the vast grasslands was quite a challenge. With the map, things were different.

“Is the system suggesting I confront the Jurchens?” Qin Xuan muttered. This would certainly make for an interesting plot.

One of the reasons why Emperor Chenghua received a less-than-stellar evaluation was that he led expeditions against the Jurchens three times, essentially raiding their homeland.

Then came the Qing Dynasty, and the history books were authored by them, so naturally, there was no favorable assessment. But online audiences loved watching it.

Qin Xuan closed his eyes and started absorbing the rewards from the system.

A wealth of knowledge flowed into Qin Xuan’s mind. Following that, he felt a warm sensation inside his body, as if it were the release of accumulated energy after reaching a limit.

Qin Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. The system’s rewards had been fully received. The remaining time was for rest and some live streaming.

Time passed quickly, and the next day arrived. Soon, it was time for the program to go live, and the online audience was very excited.

“It’s on, it’s finally on. I missed it so much!”

“This time is going to be exciting! I have a feeling Mr. Li is going to run into trouble!”

“Exactly, Mr. Li is too naive. Did he really think Wang Zhi is a good guy? He dared to go against Wang Zhi.”

“Exactly, Wang Zhi is already very formidable, and with Qin Xuan by his side, this Mr. Li is going to get played to death.”

What the online audience cared about now was Mr. Li’s fate. Yesterday, Wang Zhi specifically told Qin Xuan that he was very displeased with Mr. Li.

Qin Xuan also adopted a strategy of praising Mr. Li. Mr. Li was in a tough spot at the moment.

The camera started rolling. The scene was still inside the Ministry of Punishments. In the room were Wang Zhi, his nephew, and Qin Xuan.

“Zheng Cong, I told you to keep an eye on Mr. Li. Anything happens, report to me. Any progress?” Wang Zhi asked casually without even looking up from the documents.

“We’ve been following your instructions, and we’ve been very polite to Mr. Li. Not to mention others, even I, your nephew, show him great respect!” His nephew had a look of frustration on his face. He couldn’t quite understand why they had to treat this man with such respect.

“So, are you saying there haven’t been any recent developments?” Wang Zhi lifted his head, glanced at his nephew, and inquired.

“No, he’s just a bit arrogant and hot-tempered in his speech, that’s all,” his nephew scratched his head, unable to make sense of it.

His uncle wanted him to keep an eye on Mr. Li, but Mr. Li strictly followed the rules and left no room for error.

“Has he said or done anything harmful to the common people?” Qin Xuan thought for a moment and asked.

He knew that in Wang Zhi’s domain, even the slightest issue could be magnified infinitely. As long as Wang Zhi wanted to deal with someone, if that person lacked a strong background, it would generally be an easy task.

“Oh, by the way, when he was selling tea to the common people today, he called them poor devils.”

“But that’s not a big deal, is it?” After thinking for a while, his nephew could only come up with this incident, and he felt it was quite a stretch.

He also believed this matter was rather weak in terms of significance, and even if they tried to make a big deal out of it, it might not work.

“Why didn’t you inform me about this?” Wang Zhi inquired.

“Well, isn’t this just a minor issue? People experience highs and lows, occasional emotions, isn’t that normal?” His nephew couldn’t quite comprehend.

Qin Xuan spoke deliberately, “Of course, it’s a significant matter. Neglecting gratitude and turning against one’s benefactor, isn’t that a serious issue?”

“Qin Brother, can we attribute this blame to him?” His nephew found it a stretch.

“Spread the word properly. With the support of those tea merchants, Mr. Li is bound to face repercussions,” Qin Xuan said with a grin. It was similar to what internet influencers would go through.

If they gradually gained popularity and suddenly insulted their loyal followers, saying they were lazy and hadn’t worked hard to make money all these years, they would inevitably face a downfall with the right promotion.

“Wise and capable, you’re getting more mature in your actions. I’m glad I entrusted this matter to you. Otherwise, if that young man took action, it would have caused trouble sooner or later,” Wang Zhi expressed his satisfaction.

With Qin Xuan by his side, things had become much simpler for him. Qin Xuan was like his right-hand man.

“This is incredible, I’m well aware. Mr. Li is definitely in trouble!”

“Mr. Li is truly audacious, insulting the common folks. That’s just foolish.”

“Exactly. If a popular online influencer said something like this, I guarantee they’d have to apologize the next day.”

“Unfortunately, Mr. Li isn’t like an online influencer. When they apologize, people tend to forget after a while. But if Mr. Li apologizes, Wang Zhi won’t let him off!”

The intelligence of the online audience had improved. After all, this program had been airing for a long time, and viewers had learned about Qin Xuan’s strategies. Watching it frequently stimulated their minds.

Time passed bit by bit on the stage. After a while, in the Ministry of Punishments, the nephew came in to report, “Uncle, Mr. Li is here to request an audience!”

“Let him in!” Wang Zhi nodded, signaling for Mr. Li to enter.

Although he had already given up on Mr. Li, Wang Zhi wanted to see what Mr. Li would say when he came to plead his case.

After the order was given, Mr. Li came in trembling. He knelt to the ground with a thud and pleaded, “I beg Lord Wang for help!”

“Oh? Why should I help you? I remember you went behind my back last time and started contacting those tea merchants on your own, reveling in your newfound wealth. Why should I save you?” Wang Zhi still didn’t look at Mr. Li directly. He was engrossed in his books.

Qin Xuan, on the other hand, watched silently from the side.

Mr. Li’s attitude was similar to that of certain online influencers or actors when they were caught in scandals.

“Lord Wang, I am aware of my mistakes. I deeply realize my wrongdoings and have been reflecting on them. I implore you to grant me a chance at redemption,” Mr. Li kowtowed earnestly, seeming genuinely remorseful.

“Oh? Is that so? Tell me, what mistakes have you made?” Wang Zhi raised his head, his expression full of disdain.

He had thought Mr. Li might have some backbone.

“I’ve realized that I should not have gone behind your back, that I shouldn’t have acted unscrupulously for my wealth, and that I shouldn’t have lost my original principles!”

Mr. Li prepared this answer in advance and delivered it without hesitation.

“Qin Xuan, tell him why Mr. Li is apologizing,” Wang Zhi glanced at Qin Xuan and let him continue.

“Your apology isn’t because you’ve truly acknowledged your mistakes. It’s only because you fear losing your newfound wealth and being held accountable by Lord Wang. Perhaps you won’t insult the common people as ‘poor devils’ in the short term, and you won’t betray Lord Wang, but deep down, you still hold the common people in contempt,” Qin Xuan spoke slowly, his words resonating.

“Bravo, Qin Xuan is spot on! When many actors or online influencers apologize for their wrongdoings, are they truly repentant? No, they’re afraid they won’t have anyone to fleece in the future!”

“Well said, I now have even greater respect for Qin Xuan.”

“This time, I hope no big online influencer crashes and burns. Qin Xuan has sounded the alarm for you.”

The viewers began commenting on the situation.