The Imperial Palace.
The fragrance of sandalwood wafted from the three-legged bronze incense burner in the corner.
The interior of the hall was luxuriously furnished with golden nanmu wood tables and chairs, and landscape paintings by famous artists from previous dynasties hanging on the walls, their brushstrokes vigorous and their artistic conception profound.
Consort Shu sat on the soft cushions of the chaise lounge, her slender fingers nervously twisting the silk handkerchief in her hand.
Today she is wearing a light purple palace dress with intricate lotus scroll patterns embroidered on the hem.
Her hair was piled high, adorned with pearls and jade, and her face remained beautiful, but a layer of unyielding worry always lingered between her brows, and there were also some dark circles under her eyes.
“Father,” her voice trembled slightly, tinged with uncertainty, “Will that person in the desolate mountains really agree?”
She looked up at the middle-aged man opposite her.
The General Who Protects the Nation wore a black python robe and a jade belt around his waist. He was tall and imposing, and even when he was sitting there, he exuded an aura of authority that commanded respect without anger.
He picked up the white jade teacup beside him, took a small sip, the tea was warm, but his eyes held a hint of coldness.
"Yes." The General of the Nation's voice was deep and resolute.
Consort Shu's worries deepened: "But Father, we...we listened to the sorcerer of Yan Kingdom and mixed those...those demon tree seedlings into the good seeds bestowed by the Mountain Goddess..."
The thought of this made Consort Shu's heart pound with fear.
"Times have changed." The General of the State put down his teacup with a soft click, interrupting his daughter.
"Even gods cannot do without the offerings of mortals." His eyes were sharp as knives, carrying a hint of understanding.
"These kinds of people cherish their reputation the most and value so-called prestige and faith."
"If she could save countless people in the capital, this merit and faith would be enough to secure her position in the Liang Kingdom."
"She won't give up," the general said with unwavering resolve.
Consort Shu looked at her father's resolute expression, but her unease did not diminish in the slightest.
That deity of the desolate mountains is unfathomable. Will he really act as my father predicted?
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.
The familiar lieutenant rushed in, his face filled with undisguised panic.
"General!" The lieutenant knelt on one knee, his voice somewhat strange.
The Grand General frowned and said in a deep voice, "What's the matter that you're in such a panic?"
The lieutenant swallowed hard and said with difficulty, "General, our messenger to the desolate mountain hasn't arrived yet..."
"A message has already been sent back from the desolate mountains!"
The Grand General's eyes narrowed: "Oh? What did you say?"
He still had some confidence, thinking that the other party was simply impatient and ready to make demands.
The lieutenant raised his head, his face deathly pale, barely daring to look the general in the eye, and whispered, "From the desolate mountains, they only sent three words..."
He paused, his voice barely audible, "Speak, speak of you, General..."
"The heart is not sincere!"
"Bang!"
The white jade teacup in the hands of the Great General shattered with a crash!
Tea splashed onto the sleeves of the robe embroidered with a dragon, and fragments scattered all over the floor.
Inside the main hall, the atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point.
The fragrance of agarwood still wafts, but it can no longer dispel the suffocating silence.
Consort Shu's face was pale, and her body was trembling slightly.
Not sincere!
These three words were like a resounding slap across the face of the Great General Who Protects the Nation!
It shattered all his calculations and confidence!
That mountain goddess doesn't play by the rules at all!
The General of the State's face was ashen, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force.
However, after a moment, he took a deep breath, and the anger in his eyes gradually subsided.
"Prepare the horses!" He stood up abruptly, his voice cold and brooking no argument.
The lieutenant was taken aback: "General, you..."
"This general will personally go to the desolate mountain!" The General of the State spoke slowly and deliberately, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.
"Please, Goddess of the Mountain!"
Consort Shu was shocked and stood up abruptly, her voice trembling with tears: "Father! No!"
"What kind of place is that desolate mountain? You, if you go there, what if..."
What if that mountain god holds a grudge against our previous schemes, and detains my father, or even...
She didn't even dare to think about it!
The General turned around, looked at his daughter's pale face, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination.
"Now that things have come to this, do we still have a choice?" he said in a deep voice.
"The future of our entire family, and the lives of millions of people in the capital, all depend on this trip!"
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
He said no more, and strode out of the hall, his back view resolute.
As Consort Shu watched her father's departing figure, she felt a chill run through her body.
They made one wrong step, and then one wrong step after another!
If only I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place?
…
The General of the Nation's carriage, escorted by a group of personal guards, had just driven out of the heavy city gates of the capital.
In less than half an hour, another group of people arrived in the capital in the opposite direction.
This group was not conspicuous and consisted of only about twenty or thirty people.
The leader was a woman dressed in a simple blue dress, with calm and composed features.
This person was Liang Shu, who had just come from the desolate mountains.
Beside her stood a sprightly old woman with gray hair, the legendary physician Tong, whom Emperor Liang had invited several times but had been unable to persuade to come.
Now, this Divine Physician Tong has come uninvited, solely for the sake of the entire capital and the people of the Liang Kingdom.
Although she was quite old, she had sharp eyes and a steady gait, with an old-fashioned medicine pouch hanging from her waist.
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