Chapter 34: The March Toward the Highlands
Word Number:265
Author:苍渊之握
Translator:
Release Time:2026-02-24
The aristocrats of the East once unleashed a torrent of condemnation against Worksmile. They lauded the "gentleness" and "freedom" of their own rule, while branding Worksmile’s laws as a heavy yoke around the neck. To this, the legal scholars of Worksmile offered a biting retort: "Ha! Your so-called 'gentleness' is nothing more than the cowardice of a weak sovereign, and your 'freedom' is merely the license to act recklessly while ignoring the public good. You have grown accustomed to a decadent life of unearned privilege, refusing to earn respect through hard work or merit. Yet you dare to wave the banner of freedom, taking such a noble quality and using it as a shameful mask for your own decay. "In ages past, your ancestors won their renown through valor and virtue. The people admired them as paragons, and kings rewarded their achievements. But you—their stagnant descendants—treat that legacy as an excuse for indulgence and waste, taking it for granted that the industrious and simple folk should toil for you for nothing. "The reason you can sleep soundly is not because of your 'illustrious' lineage or 'distinguished' houses, but because of the brave men you so despise—men who bleed and die in far-off lands while you remain safe at home. When your self-righteous depravity finally exhausts the reputation of your ancestors and your own luck, those you once looked down upon will cast you aside with ease. Even the deeds of your forefathers will become worthless in that moment. "You dress your despicable conduct in the garb of nobility, claiming to act