Chapter 336: Internet Violence is Terrifying
The Third Prince was initially confused about what Huo Ningxue was up to.
But the next moment, he suddenly froze.
All around the court, countless projection screens suddenly lit up.
One by one, the screens illuminated, displaying scenes familiar to everyone present.
West Market, East City Gate, the Imperial Master’s residence, the largest tavern in the city…
All were images of Tianlang City, sights that every citizen of the Holy Kingdom would see daily.
And at this moment, every screen was packed with people, a sea of faces as if everyone in Tianlang City had rushed out onto the streets.
“What… what is this?” The Third Prince looked totally bewildered.
“Have you never heard of it, Third Prince?” Li Shanyan, who was sipping tea nearby, chuckled gently, “Even I’ve heard of this newfangled thing young folks are into.”
“This thing… is called live broadcasting.”
The Third Prince was momentarily dumbfounded.
At this point, many officials who had used the Communication Device had already grasped what this meant.
In other words, the entire scene within the palace was being live streamed to the citizens of Tianlang City.
Some officials even spotted their own families in the footage and could hear their wailing:
“The Third Prince has no conscience! Let our lord go!”
“Rebelling against the emperor, this crime deserves death!”
“Good-for-nothing eunuch, a freak who loves South Tong! You still want to be emperor? Pffft!”
Countless citizens shouted angrily in a cacophony of insults, not only infuriating the Third Prince but even leaving Qin Xiuyuan, who stood next to Huo Ningxue, looking perplexed.
…What’s this got to do with us? How did we get dragged into this mess?
“Didn’t the Crown Prince say he would advocate for the people?”
From the dragon throne, Huo Ningxue spoke indifferently, “Yet from what I see, the citizens don’t seem keen on me stepping down… Seems like they want you to die instead, Crown Prince?”
Enraged, the Third Prince turned to angrily point at the citizens on the screen:
“You blind villagers! Look clearly, the one sitting on the dragon throne is the tyrant! She’s incompetent and colluding with outsiders, trying to hand over the entire Holy Kingdom to them! Can’t you see this happening?!”
But.
Before he could finish speaking.
He was immediately drowned out by a tidal wave of curses.
“Go to hell! What has the emperor done for the country? I was living fine until you stirred up trouble, now my tavern has been empty for days, you deserve to die!”
“Yeah, and you had the Tianlang Wei going door to door checking our Communication Devices. I just bought new ones! You owe me money!”
“Your scandals were exposed, and you’re too guilty to explain! You can only smash our Communication Devices to cover your ears, you worthless eunuch! Not even a proper man or woman!”
“I’m still grinding through the new activities in ‘Original Immortal’! If I fall behind, can you compensate me?!”
The Third Prince: “?”
“You… you guys…”
Facing the surround-sound insults from all sides, the Third Prince’s eyes turned red with rage, nearly stomping his feet in madness: “A bunch of shortsighted villagers! Villagers!”
“You’re the one who’s a villager, your whole family is villagers!”
“Laughing my ass off, what’s so great about being a prince? Who are you angling for?”
“Getting flustered, huh? Calm down already, you’re going to blow a fuse.”
“Baba, let’s calm everyone down. Can a mind like yours really incite a rebellion?”
“Classic line, I’m a prince, I’m a big shot, you’re all just villagers~”
…
The Third Prince wasn’t Stephen Chow.
No one was insulting thousands of people at once, let alone reaching the level of making gods and ghosts weep.
So now, he could only silently endure the endless online violence, his expression a kaleidoscope of emotions, eyes nearly rolling back, choking on his rage.
Next to him, Li Shanyan watched the scene and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Internet violence is truly terrifying.”
Good thing I’m the aggressor; this guy really deserves it.
“Shut it down… shut it all down!”
By the end, the Third Prince was half-crazed, desperately commanding the Tianlang Wei to smash the projection screens.
Yet who dared approach the screens, seemingly trapped in an ocean of citizens’ curses, that kind of sensation was truly daunting.
With no options left, the Third Prince’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse, screaming, “Go! Go outside and kill all those villagers! Kill them all!”
And with this order, the Tianlang Wei exchanged awkward glances, nobody daring to move.
What a joke.
Tianlang City isn’t that big; most Tianlang Wei were born and raised in the Holy Kingdom, and eight out of ten citizens on those screens were people they knew, neighbors or childhood friends, perhaps even their parents, wives, and children.
How can we kill our own family?
So no matter how hoarse the Third Prince’s voice got, the Tianlang Wei stood frozen in their tracks.
In his rage-fueled daze, the Third Prince hadn’t even processed what happened when he heard an even worse report.
“Report! Third Prince, outside the palace… citizens have broken in?!”
The Third Prince could scarcely believe his ears.
“Are you all deaf or something?! A bunch of unarmed commoners, and you seasoned warrior soldiers are retreating in defeat?!”
“Not… not exactly…” the Tianlang Wei soldier struggled to explain, “The key point is… the ones who broke in are the families of us soldiers!”
The Third Prince paused for a moment.
And soon, from the nearby palace gates came a growing chorus of rants.
“Tie Dan! You scoundrel, did I raise you to do such reckless things?!”
“Come! If you dare rebel, then take that knife and cut your own mother’s throat first!”
“Oh, so rebelling means getting rich and marrying a pretty mistress and ditching your old hag, huh?”
“Dad! Stop rebelling; I need money to recharge ‘Original Immortal’!”
…
Those hundreds of elderly, weak, women, and children, each wielding hoes and kitchen knives, stormed toward the palace gate with fierce looks, while the well-equipped Tianlang Wei were forced back step by step; some were even beaten to the ground, unable to lift their heads, let alone fight back.
The Third Prince could hardly believe the scene unfolding before him; he simply couldn’t imagine how things had spiraled into this.
“How is it possible… you guys, the Tianlang Wei nurtured with care by the Holy Kingdom, can’t even handle a few mere mortals?”
“Was the Holy Kingdom just raising a bunch of useless trash like you?!”
“Hey, that’s not fair, Third Prince.” Li Shanyan, enjoying the show, suddenly chimed in, “Everyone has friends and relatives. It’s totally normal not to lay a hand on familiar faces~”
“Not everyone is as lonely as you are, Third Prince.”
It was clear to the Third Prince that Li Shanyan was mocking him with every word.
At long last, the citizens charged right up to him, hurling rotten eggs and cabbage leaves, making his situation as pathetic as it gets.
“Ahhh! I’m not done yet!”
In the end, the Third Prince finally let anger consume him; with an extremely piercing and tragic wail, he collapsed into unconsciousness.
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