Chapter 233
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 233
Chapter Title: Present the Rigged Election (4)
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Seventh Elder Mo Jinpyeong hadn't been too pleased with the Beggars' Sect's atmosphere lately.
The succession structure had been shaken by the Dragon Head Leader's sudden collapse.
Of course, there was the Eighth Elder and successor, Unhak, but could anyone really expect a kid that young to shoulder the sect's heavy burden?
But even so.
Vice Leader Yeon Sa-gang wasn't any more thrilled about it.
His martial arts were just a tiny bit—ant waist high—superior to Yeon Sa-gang's, but what did he lack in any other aspect?
Of course, appointing a successor or vice leader was the Leader's prerogative.
So despite his grievances, Mo Jinpyeong had dutifully fulfilled his role as an elder without a word until now.
Until this moment.
"We're changing the method for selecting the Dragon Head Leader."
What followed was nothing particularly special, yet somehow profoundly so.
Unlike Geum Sihyeon's soft, initial idea.
The Beggars' Sect already had positions decided by vote.
The Six Elders.
Or the Law Elders, as they were also called.
When electing those who managed and enforced the sect's internal regulations—like inspectors from other sects—they held votes.
Of course, there was one key difference.
"Giving voting rights all the way down to First or Second Elders? What nonsense is this!"
Just like the Vice Leader's bellowing roar.
Even for selecting Law Elders, it was only among those at Fifth Elder rank or higher—total branch leaders or division heads—who gathered to form a consensus.
No one had ever dreamed of something as extreme as granting every ordinary sect member the right to vote, as the Dragon Head Leader now proposed.
But.
"What is the Beggars' Sect? It's a place where we unite body and soul to shield each other from the harsh winds of the world! So does it matter how many bowls of alms they've begged or how many more knots they've tied on their sashes?"
The Dragon Head Leader's logic had been sharpened to a razor's edge through fierce debates with Geum Sihyeon.
Buoyed by the glow of his deathbed wisdom and the authority of a man not yet departed, it swept the Seven Elders up in a blaze of fervor.
Naturally, there were dissenting voices.
'But then...?'
Mo Jinpyeong harbored other thoughts inwardly.
If things stayed the same and the Dragon Head Leader collapsed again, the seat would naturally fall to the Vice Leader or successor.
But if they changed the selection method?
Wouldn't that open a chance for him too?
"Making them think that way is the first step of the grand plan."
"...Still, the elders have devoted themselves to the sect for so long. Isn't that a bit too naive?"
Unhak, oh Unhak.
How could you know so little about people?
"You ignorant beggar brat, don't you even know the saying 'seeing something stirs desire'?"
"You bastard? Of course I know that much."
"The leader's seat, something they've never even dreamed of, suddenly dangles within reach. If they actually led their own subordinates, gaining support seems easy. The Vice Leader and successor don't sit right, but me? I could do it! I could! That's human psychology."
Even after explaining it this thoroughly, Unhak's face still showed doubt.
He'd figure it out naturally once the Dragon Head Leader passed on, but whatever.
"So, Unhak. Instead of sitting here, why not go outside and hand out another pair of straw sandals?"
"Yeah, alright..."
Elections are the flower of democracy.
And vote-buying is the flower of elections.
In campaigns, money is a key tool for manipulating voters' perceptions and cultural biases toward candidates.
Obviously, in 'true democracy,' it's the worst of corrupt practices, the evil among evils.
But this was happy-happy Central Plains Land, after all.
Even considering its original history untouched by murim, democracy was never destined to take root here.
So he could activate the 'Geum Sihyeon Plan' without a shred of guilt.
Besides, the Dragon Head Leader position wasn't some four-year term; it was for life.
By the time Unhak kicked the bucket, it'd be my problem anyway?
First, get Unhak elected. If it felt fishy later, just add an anti-vote-buying clause for the second democratic Dragon Head Leader election.
.
.
.
Three days later.
"This concludes the registration for Dragon Head Leader candidates. I don't know if the election will finish before I pass... but each of you, strive your utmost for the ideal Beggars' Sect you envision."
Thanks to the Dragon Head Leader's iron will to lock things in irreversibly before his death.
Events unfolded swiftly.
"Stamp it."
"Ugh..."
Earlier, when Unhak doubted the Geum Sihyeon Plan.
I naturally deployed the Geum Sihyeon-style solution—"Wanna bet? Scared you'll die?"—and Unhak, fired up, took the challenge.
The bet was simple.
If four or more candidates emerged, I win.
Sure enough, five total candidates registered, so I won, and Unhak thumbprinted the slave contract I prepared.
Daring to bet against mighty Geum Sihyeon.
Ten years too early, you scrub.
"But they're all renowned figures who've made their mark in the sect... Makes me look even more pathetic by comparison."
"Obviously. Seven Elders are grizzled veterans who've seen it all in the jianghu."
"...Then why increase the competition? Wouldn't it be better to just face off against the Vice Leader—"
"Sigh. The future sect members who'll follow a dimwit like you are truly pitiable..."
Unhak scowled, but I sighed and waved the slave contract in my hand.
You're too dense, so I'll spell it out.
"To ordinary sect members, elders all look the same—like the same old greens. You'd stand out way more as the young successor among them."
"That makes sense, but."
"Now flip perspectives: from the candidate elders' view. Would they worry about some young successor punk, or the other elders running against them?"
"Probably the other elders with their factions and experience, right?"
"Now you're getting it. That's why candidate consolidation is key in democracy. Numbers decide everything, so similar candidates just split votes."
"So what even is democracy...?"
Ahh.
That's knowledge way beyond you, kid.
There was a one-week grace period after candidate announcements before voting.
Ideally, every sect member from across the land would gather, but that was impossible.
Kaifeng would overflow if they all showed up.
But fortunately—or unfortunately—the news of the Dragon Head Leader's imminent passing was enough to draw most total branch leaders and their subordinates near Kaifeng.
"We're... voting?"
"What's that? Do we get food?"
They became voters outright.
As the Vice Leader and elders summoned their factions—total and division leaders—to carouse through the nights in Kaifeng's taverns.
Unhak started from the very bottom.
"Oh dear, elder. Your feet look swollen. These straw sandals are nice and sturdy."
"Getting chilly out, isn't it? Have a hot bowl of barley tea before you go."
"Hm, just between us brothers—this is a tip. Three alleys down, there's a blue-tiled house with generous folks."
Distributing the funds Geum Sihyeon prepared oh-so-naturally, while sharing wise beggar life hacks.
"Haha. Just remember number one. That's all you need."
He emphasized 'number one'—the biggest perk in elections—here and there while doing good deeds.
No other candidates benchmarked Unhak's strategy.
Organizations follow if you control the top, and to those who'd lived that era, Unhak just looked like pointless flailing.
"...This really gonna work?"
"Told you it will. Lived your whole life getting duped?"
But while Unhak fretted.
Geum Sihyeon was utterly serene.
He hadn't even played his final card yet.
"You aren't plotting something shady again, are you?"
"Hm."
Of course, it had to be officially unrelated to Unhak, so Geum Sihyeon trailed off in front of him.
.
.
.
Two days before the main election.
"Wh-what is this?"
"Such an outrage against heaven and earth...!"
"What the hell is it, you bastards? I can't read!"
"Hm, if this is true, it's pretty scary..."
"And they call the Beggars' Sect righteous after this?!"
"The world has no one trustworthy—not even the Vice Leader?"
Rumors began swirling through Kaifeng.
[Vice Leader Yeon Sa-gang is actually a pedophile who enjoys bedding girls not yet thirteen! Word is he dotes on Little Red from Plum Blossom Pavilion lately!]
[Seventh Elder Mo Jinpyeong loves gold and jewels so much he keeps a separate warehouse full of it outside Kaifeng! That's enough to throw a week-long feast for Kaifeng's folk!]
It started with scattered papers.
Then mouth to mouth.
Of course, as the saying goes, rumors without legs travel a thousand li, and though they doubted at first the vicious tales spread so far and wide.
"Hey! Mo Jinpyeong! Never pegged you for it, but you gotta stoop this low?!"
"Vice Leader, why bite me? Plum Blossom Pavilion's owner is a Great Elder."
"Argh, you think I don't know this is your scheme to push me out? That Great Elder quit the race!"
Public quarrels in the total branches instantly reignited the rumors, spreading like wildfire across the fields.
And then.
"I will withdraw my candidacy. Instead, I endorse Successor Elder Unhak—the most perfect, prepared candidate, the only one following the righteous path to lead the sect."
Some escaped the 'kill list' by withdrawing and endorsing.
It was total chaos!
Yet the Geum Sihyeon Plan's final button remained unfastened.
"No matter how I think about it, your being mere early Peak Realm is the biggest issue."
"Guess I have no eye for disciples. While Geum Sihyeon was awakening his harmony, what was the successor doing?"
"...Mmphgrrph..."
They'd succeeded in forging consensus, but the core problem remained.
Unhak's martial realm was still too low compared to the others.
No matter his genius, raising it in such short time was near impossible.
Thus.
"A life already slipping away—might as well play master a bit longer."
The Dragon Head Leader made his decision.