The royal palace of the Liang Kingdom.
Inside the palace, the carved window lattice of Phoebe zhennan wood was half-closed, letting in a sliver of pale moonlight.
Twelve bronze lamps stood on gilded lamp stands, illuminating the hall brightly. However, this magnificent scene only made the general's expression inside the room even more somber.
Consort Shu leaned against the chaise longue covered with a white tiger skin, her wide sleeves of a crimson-purple palace dress with gold trim hanging down.
She absentmindedly fiddled with the seven-jeweled glass bracelet on her wrist; each glass bead was carved into the shape of a lotus seedpod, gleaming with a lustrous sheen in the candlelight.
"Father, what should we do if the Crown Prince remains unconscious?"
They had already cooperated with the Yan State's Grand Preceptor to deliver a crushing blow to the so-called Mountain Goddess, yet Consort Shu still couldn't bring herself to smile.
The crown prince's persistent madness caused this mother immense distress.
The Grand General stood before the gilded screen, his black iron armor still damp with night dew, the shoulder armor gleaming coldly.
"General, these are soil samples from the three villages of Luonan." A personal guard dressed in a brown short jacket knelt on one knee and presented a brocade pouch with both hands.
The General of the Nation extended his calloused hand to take the brocade pouch. The soil poured out was dry and cracked like sand, scattering across the sandalwood table.
When the general heard that even the soldiers he had sent were unable to subdue those demonic trees, his expression changed.
"Damn it, we've all been tricked by the Yan State's Grand Tutor!" He clenched his fist tightly, the iron finger guards on his knuckles making a screeching sound.
Consort Shu frowned and dismissed her attendants. After the heavy, carved wooden doors of the palace closed, she asked, "Father, do you perhaps regret dealing with that mountain god?"
“Daughter, after those demonic trees appeared…” The general took out a map from his bosom and spread it out on the sandalwood table. The villages marked with cinnabar on the map had all turned into glaring red crosses.
"They drained all the water from the nearby villages, and the remaining fields are all cracked and dry, making it impossible to grow new crops!"
As he explained, he slammed his palm heavily on the table, causing the incense ash in the gilded incense burner to spill out.
Consort Shu suddenly stood up, her crimson palace dress sweeping over the gilded incense burner on the table.
“If the people have no food, there will be unrest…” she muttered to herself subconsciously, then suddenly realized something, abruptly raised her head, and the hair ornament in her hair shook violently.
"The Liang Kingdom will not be peaceful either. That damned Yan Kingdom's Grand Tutor planned it all along! We have all been kept in the dark by him!"
This is indeed a very serious problem. The Liang Kingdom's treasury was already in dire need of funds, and now this has happened. If the Yan Kingdom's emperor takes this opportunity to attack, the consequences will be unimaginable!
Were they all wrong?
Consort Shu's face was as pale as paper, and even the carefully applied rouge on her lips could not conceal her dejected appearance.
A strange gust of wind suddenly blew up outside the window, making the half-closed carved window frame rattle loudly, and the two remained silent.
They did make a mistake. The Grand Preceptor of Yan was not easily manipulated.
…
The State of Yan.
Inside the Imperial Preceptor's residence, the jade-paved floor reflected the pale blue candlelight.
The Imperial Advisor leaned back on a snake-shaped throne carved from black jade, his dark brocade robe embroidered with dark gold taotie patterns, and he toyed with a blood-red jade pendant between his fingers.
"Is everything taken care of?" The Imperial Advisor lazily raised his eyes, his pupils gleaming with an eerie green light.
The kneeling believer wore an indigo robe and a black blindfold, and the copper bell hanging from his waist made a soft tinkling sound as it trembled.
"Reporting to the Grand Preceptor," the believer said, his forehead pressed against the cold floor tiles, "all ten thousand Soul-Devouring Demon Trees have been replaced. As you instructed, these trees only absorb water and do not harm people, until Liang Kingdom runs out of food..."
The Imperial Preceptor suddenly raised his hand, and the bronze lamps in the hall went out instantly.
In the darkness, a small, green-scaled snake darted out from his sleeve, hissing and flicking its tongue: "What I want are living believers, not starving corpses everywhere."
The snake's eyes glowed phosphorescently in the darkness, reflecting the believer's pale face.
"Yes! Yes!" The believer kowtowed repeatedly, the silver crown on his head falling to the ground with a clatter. "When the people of Liang are in despair, you will send down sweet rain, and they will surely worship you as a true god!"
The Imperial Advisor chuckled, the snake chain wrapped around his wrist jingling softly.
“Tell the King of Yan,” he stroked the snake chain on his wrist, “that before long, the people of Liang will welcome the king’s army with food and drink.”
The believer's face was filled with fervor, "Our God lives forever!"
In the square in front of the Yan State's Grand Preceptor's Mansion, thousands of believers knelt on the jade-paved steps.
They wore indigo brocade robes with golden snake patterns embroidered on their chests, and they beat their chests in unison.
"May our god live forever, as long as the heavens!"
"My god is immortal, and my kingdom is boundless!"
…
barren mountain.
A time traveler suddenly opened his eyes.
Not long ago, Feng Yue was blessed by the Mountain Goddess and awakened the ability to foresee the future.
She can see one vision of the future after another through her dreams.
This time, however, she dreamed of the Yan Kingdom's Grand Preceptor's Mansion, a magnificent building with black tiles and red walls, where nine bronze pythons were coiled on the eaves, and the Yan Kingdom's Grand Preceptor was whispering to the Yan King, who was wearing an ochre-yellow dragon robe.
When Feng Yue recalled what these people were discussing, her expression turned strange, and she couldn't help but want to laugh.
"Xiaoyue, what did you dream about again?" Zhang Yao lifted the cotton curtain embroidered with camellias, wiped the sweat from Feng Yue's face, and hung a medicine bag that exuded the fragrance of mugwort by the bedside.
"Come on, let's go find Grandma Gongsun quickly, I dreamed about the Yan Kingdom!" Feng Yue hurriedly got out of bed, walked barefoot across the rattan-covered floor, and ran out of the room impatiently.
When everyone else arrived and heard Feng Yue's description, they all showed strange expressions.
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