Zhong Muyu said, "What's so difficult about that? Just have the shaman tell the mountain god that we can't send the bride today. We'll choose a better day and auspicious time to send her off."
"Uh, this..."
Everyone was speechless.
Zhong Muyu smiled and said, "Isn't this a good method? Besides, apart from the shaman, no one else here is qualified. Chengfeng, please take the shaman to talk to the mountain god."
"yes!"
After agreeing, Chengfeng directed his men to lift the witch up from both sides and push her off the cliff.
Everyone was shocked and wanted to blame Zhong Muyu, but for some reason, they didn't know what to say.
Zhong Muyu wasn't in a hurry. After waiting a while, she spoke again: "Why hasn't the shaman returned yet after so long? Have her disciple go and urge him!"
Upon hearing this, the witch's disciple turned pale with fright: "I don't want to! I don't want to!"
"You're going to see the mountain god. I believe the mountain god is a reasonable person. He will understand what you have to say and send you back. So go in peace."
Then the two men grabbed the female disciple and pushed her off the cliff.
This time, some of the village elders actually objected: "Your Highness, if you push all the shamans off the cliff, who will preside over the sacrifices in the future?"
Zhong Muyu feigned confusion and asked, "I only sent them to deliver a message to the mountain god, I didn't forbid them from coming back!"
"People can only see the gods after they die. If you send them to see the mountain god, they will never come back!"
"Oh? That's strange. People can only see gods after they die, so how do you know that there are mountain gods? As living people, where have you ever seen a mountain god?"
"You! The mountain god has a spirit! If it weren't for the mountain god, how could our Qingshui Village enjoy good weather and abundant harvests? Even if you are a princess, you cannot blaspheme the gods!"
Zhong Muyu shrugged: "You said that people can only see gods after they die. None of us have died and come back to life, so no one can prove the existence of the mountain god. This is just wishful thinking on your part."
If you cannot prove the existence of the mountain god, how can you prove its will?
The old man was speechless after hearing this. He was so angry that his beard trembled, but he still did not agree with Zhong Muyu's statement.
"You have blasphemed the mountain god today, and the mountain god will surely bring disaster upon Qingshui Village in the future!"
"Then we will trouble you, esteemed sir, to explain to the mountain god that you are so devout that you must be eager to see him in person."
Zhong Muyu waved his hand coldly, and two guards were about to grab the elder.
The elders from the surrounding families couldn't sit still any longer and rushed forward to stop them.
Zhong Muyu then looked at the villagers below: "If you are devout believers, you should all want to see the mountain god, and hopefully receive his blessing. The ceremony has just come to this point, and the mountain god has been invited. Anyone who wants to see him can jump down and fulfill their dream."
Under her sharp gaze, the villagers all lowered their heads; none of them wanted to die.
Seeing that they didn't move, Zhong Muyu laughed and said, "You don't even want to see the mountain god, yet you claim to be devout?"
Behind them, several angry elders were still roaring, "This is utter disrespect! It will anger the gods!"
Zhong Muyu said, "Does killing an innocent person guarantee a good harvest? Your life is three parts destiny and seven parts hard work. It has nothing to do with gods. You can use gods as a psychological comfort, but don't actually invest everything in them. Look at these offerings, these candles, this money. Instead of giving them to some fictitious god, keep them for yourselves; they will make your lives better..."
Zhong Muyu, clutching the draft in his sleeve, delivered a passionate speech. Some of the young people in the village had already come to their senses, but the group of elders behind him remained stubbornly unenlightened.
The older a person is, the harder they are to persuade.
"Your Highness is right!"
"What logic is that? It's all just sweet talk! She's here to disrupt the ceremony!"
The crowd was divided, each holding their own opinion, when the village chief stepped forward and said, "Everyone, please be quiet!"
An elder exclaimed angrily, "She disrupted the ceremony and spread heresies; she absolutely cannot be let off!"
The village chief looked at Zhong Muyu and said, “Your Highness, you see, the people in the village deeply believe in the mountain god. Your disruption of the ceremony is against the rules. Even if you are a princess, this is absolutely unacceptable.”
"So, does the village chief, like those old people, believe in these baseless tales and continue to support the inhumane human sacrifice?"
The village chief said with a serious expression, "This is a tradition of Qingshui Village, a rule passed down from our ancestors!"
"The rules set by our ancestors aren't always right!"
Zhong Muyu was utterly exasperated by these stubborn old folks; she felt like her temper was about to explode.
"Since you don't agree, then we have no choice but to let you leave Qingshui Village! Someone, take good care of the Princess and escort her back to the Ling Prince's Mansion!"
"Who dares to cause trouble!"
Chengfeng stood protectively in front of Zhong Muyu, who was very puzzled. This was different from what was written in the book! Why could Ximen Bao succeed in governing Ye, but he couldn't?
Perhaps it was because she was a woman, or perhaps the people of Ye were only after money, and their superstitions were too deeply ingrained.
But no matter which one...
"Your Highness, the situation is complicated. Let's go!"
Chengfeng's words brought her back to reality. Looking at the chaotic crowd, she quickly grabbed the girl and shouted, "Running away is the best option!"
They broke through the crowd and hurriedly ran down the mountain.
However, Zhong Muyu's dress was long and complicated, and on this rugged mountain road, her speed actually slowed down the team's progress.
If they were to take him back to the Prince's mansion, it would not only be a disgrace, but the situation would also be difficult to manage.
Just then, Zhong Muyu accidentally stepped on a loose rock, and with a pain in her ankle, she fell forward!
"Damn it!"
Zhong Muyu blurted out a vulgar curse on his own. If he fell here, he could easily tumble down the mountain and end up covered in bruises.
However, the expected pain did not come; a pair of hands caught her steadily.
When Zhong Muyu looked up, she saw the man's exquisite jawline.
This person looks familiar, like Lu Ziyuan...
No, this must be Lu Ziyuan!
When Zhong Muyu came to her senses, she immediately tried to break free, but Lu Ziyuan held her firmly in his arms.
"Your Highness!"
Upon seeing that it was Lu Ziyuan, Chengfeng, Zaochun, and the others bowed in greeting. At the same time, all the people Lu Ziyuan brought also arrived.
Seeing this, the villagers dared not continue the pursuit and knelt down, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness!"
"How dare you chase after my queen!"
Lu Ziyuan adopted a accusatory attitude, causing the village chief to tremble and quickly lower his head even further: "This humble one did not do anything wrong. Her Highness the Princess attempted to disrupt the village's sacrificial ceremony, which aroused public outrage. We simply wanted to send Her Highness the Princess back."
Zhong Muyu said, "You're clearly trying to kidnap me! And don't talk about public outrage. The only ones who refuse to wake up are you old fogies. Look at how many people are willing to follow you."
The elders looked around and found that less than half of the people who had come to chase Zhong Muyu were there.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
