vstars Chapter 238 Brainwashing
Chapter 238 Brainwashing
Chapter 238 Brainwashing
"What did you say?!!"
As Old Man Huang revealed the secrets hidden by Jin Lin one by one, the gasps of surprise from the crowd grew louder and louder.
"Human sacrifice?"
Tao Xian's face darkened, and a rare hint of anger appeared on her face. "Could it be that we're using respectable women as sacrifices?!"
Unexpectedly, under the angry gazes of the crowd, Old Huang shook his head slightly.
"Not a woman, but a man, a young and strong man."
The crowd's expressions changed again, but this time from extreme anger to a look of utter astonishment, as if they had seen a ghost.
But their bewildered behavior was not because they believed that a man's life was more precious than a woman's.
Rather, it's because it defies "common sense".
It's not their common sense, but rather the deeply ingrained and conventional "common sense" of this world.
Throughout history, there have always been many people who blindly and foolishly place their hopes on some vague and unrealistic things.
They always believed that by offering sacrifices and praying, they could gain the mercy of the gods.
When they find that ordinary offerings cannot satisfy them, they turn their attention to more "special" offerings.
And those who sacrificed themselves were mostly gentle and pure women.
They have countless reasons to claim it, and can even euphemistically call it "God's Bride".
But it seems that no one has ever thought about why the "gods" they pray to cannot be women.
Naturally, it's because they are defined as the weak by societal norms, which allows them to be exploited to their heart's content.
That's why everyone showed such disbelief when they heard that the offerings for Jinlin's sacrifices here were actually young and strong men.
They were shocked that, according to the current common people's concept, young and strong men are the pillars of the family and the ones who can continue the family line. How could the people accept such an arrangement so willingly?
Xie Yan voiced the concerns of everyone present: "Using men as sacrifices, is there really no one here who objects?"
"Of course, at first we all tried to refuse, none of us wanted our male members to go to the sacrifice, but..."
Old Huang's lips trembled a few times, "But because there were no sacrifices, the earthquakes became more and more frequent, and even caused a lot of damage."
"The people gradually began to waver, and when the prefect promised that each village would receive two hundred taels of silver in compensation, the villagers finally relented."
Ever since Old Man Huang spoke, Chu Ling's expression remained calm.
Although he still wore a half-smile, his eyes revealed an undisguised chill. "When did this begin?"
Old Huang dared not look him in the eye, his whole body trembling like a leaf, and he said in a trembling voice, "Seven years ago."
“Since then, the fifth day of the eighth lunar month has been the time for a grand sacrifice, and each village must send a young and strong man to worship the earth god.”
Upon hearing this, Xie and Chu exchanged a glance and simultaneously thought of the two families in Sifang Village who had lost their husbands and fathers.
One family was left with only a widow, while the other was left with only an elderly father and a young daughter.
They must be the family members of those who were "unfortunately" chosen to be sacrificed.
Xuanfeng slammed his hand on the table and stood up, coldly saying, "What earth god, what sacrifice? Such absurd and cruel things, and you still believe in them without a doubt. You are utterly ignorant!"
He pointed at Old Man Huang's nose and angrily cursed, "Fukangnian, as an official, is an accomplice to evil, treating human life as worthless. Such outrageous behavior, and with so many people in Jinlin, not a single one has reported this to the court?! It's truly, truly..."
Speechless, he couldn't think of any suitable words to curse, and in anger, he could only slam his fist on the table several more times.
Old Huang was intimidated by his imposing manner and immediately shrank back a few times.
But he quickly regained his composure, straightened his back, and said, "What do you know? Lord Fu is a good official! When the court ignored us, it was Lord Fu who extended a helping hand, helping everyone, and helping Jinlin!"
Unlike before, these words came entirely from his heart.
Or rather, these are the heartfelt words of the people of the entire Jinlin region after years of brainwashing.
"Lord Fu is right. The reason why our Jinlin is experiencing constant earthquakes is because the current emperor's throne is illegitimate and the Chu family is immoral!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Ling's eyes instantly turned icy cold.
He Shan, unable to bear it any longer, rolled up his sleeves and prepared to go forward and teach this unreasonable old man a lesson.
But before he could make a move, Yu Bai swiftly took Old Man Huang away.
Xie Yan looked away and shook her head.
Based on what I've seen and heard in Jinlin City over the past few days, although I had some expectations, I didn't expect the extent to which the people here have been brainwashed.
It's understandable, though. Over the years, if the earthquakes only subsided and life returned to peace after each sacrificial ceremony, people would hardly doubt whether the ceremony itself was the cause or if there was another reason behind it.
Perhaps some people noticed something amiss, but under some "mysterious" force, their voices were ultimately silenced.
After years of brainwashing, most of the blindly superstitious people have lost their awe of the court under the rule of the Chu family, while the remaining group can only choose to remain silent out of fear.
It seems that Jinlin is not only the final destination of the treasure, but has also been gradually infiltrated by the Holy Sun Church, becoming their base camp.
After everyone calmed down, they also noticed something strange about it after careful consideration.
"This sacrificial ceremony is quite strange."
Tao Xian frowned. "Although only one person is selected from each village, which may seem like a small number, there are quite a few villages within the Jinlin territory."
“There are quite a few people, and they only want able-bodied young men, so it's definitely not just about having them perform sacrifices, but also…”
Her tone shifted abruptly, startling everyone: "When we first encountered the Holy Sun Cult, they were transporting tribute to the bandit stronghold."
The tributes included not only gold and silver treasures, but also a group of strong young men who had been abducted.
Everyone was startled, and with Tao Xian's reminder, they also dug out the matter from their memories.
“That’s right! And judging from the appearance of those bandits, they’ve been transporting manpower to the Holy Sun Church more than once or twice.”
Xuanfeng frowned deeply, a possibility forming in his mind. "With so many people, could it be that the Holy Sun Sect wants to force them to join them in order to expand their military strength?"
"That makes a lot of sense!"
Before anyone could even realize what was happening, Heshan slapped his thigh and nodded repeatedly, saying, "After all, the Holy Sun Cult is audacious and reckless, attempting a rebellion, so they certainly can't be short-handed!"
As he spoke, he immediately turned to Chu Ling, "Your Highness, now that we know about the Holy Sun Sect's conspiracy and they are right here, why don't we immediately mobilize troops and wipe them out in one fell swoop!"
"No."
But Chu Ling rejected his proposal.