Inside the council hall in the backyard of the county government office, sandalwood incense wafted gently from the bronze incense burner.

Grandma Gongsun sat on a mahogany chair, her thin fingers gently stroking the lotus patterns carved on the armrest, her expression solemn.

Sunlight streamed through the carved window lattice, casting dappled shadows on her dark blue coarse cloth dress.

"The Left Prime Minister has come from afar," the old lady said in a loud and clear voice. "He can't have come here just for sightseeing, can he?"

Old Lady Gongsun was a cunning old fox, and so was the Left Prime Minister. When these two old foxes faced off, they could see right through each other's thoughts at a glance.

“Of course there are other reasons. Although I am in the capital, I also greatly admire the mountain god of Qingzhou, so I came here to pay him a visit,” Shi Fei chuckled.

"Your Excellency, let's not beat around the bush. You want to cooperate with the Mountain Goddess, but what sincerity have you brought with you?" Old Madam Gongsun asked directly.

Shi Fei sat upright opposite him, the sleeves of his indigo brocade robe with cloud patterns spread out on the table.

He lightly tapped the teacup with his fingertips, the celadon and mahogany striking each other with a crisp sound. "Your Highness is wise."

He smiled in a perfectly timed arc. "If there are any further developments regarding the movements of the Grand General of the State and the Grand Preceptor of Yan, I will certainly speak frankly and without reservation."

"If they make any further unusual moves, I will stop them in advance, what do you say?"

"These are all you have. They show no sincerity whatsoever. Everything that happens in this world is under the watchful eyes of the Mountain Goddess. There is no need for you to deliver any messages." Madam An raised her hand to interrupt, her plain blue robe curving upwards.

The old lady Gongsun beside her looked over with a half-smile: "The Left Prime Minister is busy with many affairs of state. You should go back early. There are still important matters to attend to in the capital. Why come to the mountains and fields?"

The hall suddenly fell silent. The sound of patrolling county yamen runners could be heard outside the window, their leather boots making a rhythmic, crisp sound as they stepped on the bluestone slabs.

Shi Fei narrowed his eyes, knowing that without going all out, he probably wouldn't be able to persuade the people in the desolate mountains.

Grandma Gongsun's withered fingers caressed the edge of the teacup: "Your Excellency, even the foxes in the mountains know that if you want to pick peaches, you have to build a ladder first."

Shi Fei suddenly chuckled, the mutton-fat jade bracelet on his wrist clinking against the table. "It was I who was being presumptuous."

He suddenly became serious, took out a bronze tiger tally from his bosom and placed it on the table. "In that case, Madam, you may speak frankly. What does the Mountain Goddess need?"

A glint of light flashed in the old woman's cloudy eyes.

She looked out the window at the distant, rolling mountains, where farmers were working in the terraced fields with their oxen.

“Then please, Your Excellency…” she said, enunciating each word clearly, “make all the people in Liang Kingdom who live by the mountains and rivers relocate from the foot of the mountains.”

The teacup suddenly tilted, and the emerald green tea soup spread a dark stain on the table.

Shi Fei's slender fingers hovered in mid-air, the jade thumb ring gleaming faintly in the sunlight. "This..."

He frowned slightly, "It involves five prefectures and twenty-eight counties, more than 100,000 households..."

"The Mountain Goddess said this is the only condition, otherwise those people might suffer a disaster," An Niangzi added.

She took out a roll of silk map from her waist. The map was marked with countless villages in vermilion, and some of the ink was not yet dry, indicating that it was recently drawn.

Shi Fei stared at the winding mountain range on the map, his pupils suddenly contracting.

He noticed that all the markers were located at crucial points in the valley; if, if a flash flood were to occur…

“I understand.” He abruptly closed the map, his fingers trembling slightly in his sleeve. “Within three days, the orders from all prefectures and counties will be issued.”

As he stood up, the jade pendant at his waist struck the corner of the table, making a crisp cracking sound.

The old lady slowly stood up, leaning on her pear wood cane, the cracked cane revealing the patina that had been worn down over the years.

"The Left Prime Minister is indeed straightforward. Then let the Mountain Goddess see your sincerity with her own eyes!"

Shi Fei turned around, his face regaining its gentle and refined smile: "This matter is of great importance, and I, Shi, will certainly do my utmost."

Shi Fei quickly left with the old man behind him. The old lady looked at the birds startled by the carriage, her wrinkled face growing increasingly heavy.

"Natural disasters are merciless. I hope that people everywhere can escape this calamity."

She sighed inwardly.

The Mountain Goddess has done enough; the rest is up to them.

"Where is Xia Yan?" Old Madam Gongsun turned her head and found that the person she had arranged to meet had not appeared.

"She received an urgent mission and went with Master Wang to reinforce the formations in various places," Madam An explained.

"The other believers in the barren mountains also began to take action, hoping to bring more hope to the majority of the people."

Grandma Gongsun nodded.

This time, she looked intently at the barren mountain and gazed at the mountain god temple on the summit.

"fortunately."

"Fortunately, there is still the Mountain Goddess, who works hard for the people of this world."

Otherwise, how can ordinary people survive in a world full of disasters?

Fortunately, there is a true God in this world who loves and protects the people.