Rebuilding a residence was not difficult, and with Yu Luo having some control over his divine intervention, the county government and the people of Qingcheng completed the new mountain god temple in just two days.
However, the mountain god statue needed to be carefully carved, so General Fan personally invited the most famous stone carving master from the provincial capital to work overnight and deliver the statue over.
In less than a week, people were already lining up in front of the new mountain god temple to offer incense to the mountain goddess.
Several wealthy families in Qingcheng, along with their relatives, wanted to throw gold into the vault, but Zhong Yan stopped them.
“Master Zhang, the Mountain God Temple does not accept gold or silver. If you really want to pray to the Mountain Goddess and receive divine favor, you can send some incense sticks over, or during famines, you can provide more porridge and emergency rations to the poor.”
"The Mountain Goddess is omnipresent, and nothing can escape her divine eyes. If you can truly do these things, you may be able to get what you want."
The mountain god temple does not accept any money or valuables; this was established long ago, and the same applies to the other side of the desolate mountain.
Long before the mountain god temple was completed in Qingcheng, Zhong Yan obtained a booklet exactly the same as the one Lin Mo had. The first few pages of the booklet recorded many rules of the mountain god temple.
After reading it, she couldn't help but sigh in her heart that the Mountain Goddess of this world was indeed a compassionate deity who cared for the people.
Not only did they only accept grains for the sacrifices, but they also refused to accept gold and silver offered by believers.
This is a true god!
Zhong Yan felt extremely guilty, realizing how utterly despicable it was that she had initially doubted this deity!
Now, when she hears her second brother praising the mountain god, she no longer feels embarrassed.
Because she felt that these words perfectly matched the Mountain Goddess! The Mountain Goddess is truly great, is there any problem with that? Of course not!
Zhong Yan went through the process in her mind, but only a few seconds passed in the outside world.
Upon hearing this, the gentlemen and ladies immediately understood and quickly knelt before the mountain god again to express their determination.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhongheng, who had gone out to scout the situation, finally returned. Covered in snow, he arrived at the backyard of the mountain god temple and met up with his sister and General Fan.
"I traveled to several nearby cities. The snow outside was getting heavier and heavier, and many official roads were blocked by ice and snow. It was impossible to pass by carriage, and even riding a horse was very difficult."
The reason Zhongheng was able to travel between several cities so quickly was naturally due to his speed. With this ability, he didn't need to worry about how difficult the roads were.
However, this ability can only be applied to himself; otherwise, he would have left with a group of people long ago, instead of waiting until now.
General Fan frowned upon hearing this. "When I rode here a few days ago, the road wasn't this difficult to travel. In just a few days, the heavy snow has blocked the roads. I heard that several nearby prefectures have all experienced heavy snowfall, and even the capital city couldn't escape it. Could it be that this heavy snow has covered the entire Liang Kingdom?"
General Fan actually had another guess: perhaps this heavy snow covered the entire Central Plains, and even the nearby countries were not spared.
"If this heavy snow continues and lasts all winter, I'm afraid our entire Liang Kingdom will suffer from a snow disaster."
Snowy weather isn't scary, but what if this heavy snow keeps falling for two or three months?
Fan He remembered that when she was nine years old, it snowed in Chongzhou.
In December, heavy rain and snow fell, and many people froze to death. This rain and snow continued intermittently until February.
Historians once recorded that "the snow on the plains of Chongzhou was five feet thick, and in March there was a heavy snowfall. The fish in the rivers and streams all froze to death, and the people suffered from hunger and cold, and people even ate each other."
However, the heavy snow at that time was far less severe than it is today, and its impact was limited to the Chongzhou area.
This heavy snow has now spread throughout the entire Liang Kingdom, or rather, the entire Central Plains.
What would happen if it continued for several months?
General Fan couldn't even imagine the suffering the people would endure.
“General, even though the roads around us are frozen, I still saw some refugees on my way back. Many of them were so cold that their faces turned blue, and I’m afraid they won’t last more than a few days,” Zhongheng sighed.
If he were raising his younger sister alone, he certainly wouldn't have time to care about others, since whether he himself could survive was another matter entirely.
But now Qingcheng has also built a mountain god temple, and this old General Fan seems to be a reasonable person. Perhaps he can help Qingcheng learn from Huangxian and bring more believers to the mountain god.
“These refugees all came from the west. There was a rebel army causing trouble in Liangzhou. Many refugees had nowhere to go and dared not stay in their hometowns, so they had no choice but to come to our Chongzhou.”
General Fan sighed. She was well aware of the matter and had personally witnessed the refugees, even sending some of her own provisions along the way.
She was indeed very anxious, but there was nothing she could do. The current emperor was the only one who could change his mind in the capital, and he disliked the old men who had followed the late emperor in his early years.
Fan He followed the late emperor in conquering the country and was among the first to be disliked by the emperor. When she realized this, she wisely relinquished her military power and retired to her hometown, which led to her peaceful life today.
If she really went to the capital regardless of everything and asked to lead troops back into battle, the first to be purged wouldn't be the rebels, but her, the old general.
“General Fan, the Mountain Goddess has already prophesied that this winter will be exceptionally cold, a once-in-a-century event, and this disaster is unavoidable.” Zhong Yan picked up her now-cold teacup and stood up decisively.
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