Just as Liu Mingyuan was dressed and ready to take the stage, he heard a commotion outside. The noise grew louder and louder, as if hundreds or even thousands of people had gathered.
"What happened?"
He frowned and demanded an explanation.
A yamen runner stumbled in, panting heavily.
"Your Excellency! That caravan is coming! Many people have gathered around it, all wanting to buy things!"
Liu Mingyuan's face darkened. He thought to himself that this was indeed a scheme set up by those charlatans to sell things and dump goods!
He rode off on horseback, leading a squad of constables.
Outside the county town, a team slowly approached.
At the front of the procession, several flags fluttered in the wind, standing out prominently.
On one of the flags, a vibrant, lifelike white camellia is embroidered.
On the other flag is an ancient and mysterious emblem of the "mountain god".
It was exactly the same as the symbol he had seen that day, the one enshrined in the shrine!
The people of Anping County had already developed a deep faith in the Mountain Goddess because of that heavy rain, regarding her as a deity.
Upon seeing that familiar flag and the camellia pattern that I had never seen before yet felt an inexplicable sense of closeness, my eyes immediately lit up!
"It's the caravan of the Mountain Goddess!"
"My God! It really is the Mountain Goddess who sent people!"
I don't know who shouted it out first.
Immediately afterwards, countless people poured out of the simple earthen walls of the county town like a tidal wave bursting its banks, rushing towards the direction of the caravan.
The scene was a hundred times more lively than a market during Chinese New Year!
The caravan was led by a woman who was beautiful, slender, and elegant.
She was Chen Shuiyi, who was in charge of the caravan and had previously participated in flood relief efforts.
Seeing the dark mass of people surging towards them, the guards behind them became somewhat nervous, their hands unconsciously reaching for the weapons at their waists.
Chen Shuiyi waved her hand, signaling them to calm down, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.
She cleared her throat and said loudly.
"Dear fellow villagers of Anping County, hello everyone!"
Her voice reached everyone's ears clearly.
"We are a caravan from the desolate mountains, formed by followers of the Mountain Goddess!"
"I have come to your esteemed place on Her Majesty's orders, bringing some local specialties and daily necessities from the barren mountains. I hope they will bring some convenience to your lives and also serve as offerings for Her Majesty, bringing blessings to all beings!"
Upon hearing this, the people were even more excited and could hardly contain themselves.
"They came from the desolate mountains; they were truly sent by the Mountain Goddess!"
"The Mountain Goddess has not forgotten us!"
Chen Shuiyi smiled slightly and continued.
"Most importantly, the Mountain Goddess said that any believer of the Mountain Goddess who truly worships her can enjoy a 30% discount on any items purchased from our caravan!"
"boom!"
These words caused an uproar among the crowd!
"There are even discounts! My goodness! Her Majesty is truly compassionate!"
"Great! Great! The Mountain Goddess really heard our prayers! She sent people to save us!"
An old woman was so moved that tears streamed down her face, and she was about to kneel down and kowtow.
"The goddess not only sent rain for us, but also gave us things and sold them to us at a discount!"
"Who cares what they're selling! We'll buy anything from the Mountain Goddess's caravan!"
"Yes! Even if we have to sell the last pot in the house, we must support the Empress!"
The people were filled with excitement, their eyes shining as if they had seen a savior.
Just as everyone was jubilant, and the people were itching to carry the caravan right into their own homes...
An angry voice, like a bucket of cold water, was suddenly poured down.
"Get out of my way, all of you!"
Liu Mingyuan, leading a group of yamen runners, finally managed to push through the excited crowd and reach the caravan. His face was ashen.
He immediately fixed his gaze on Chen Shuiyi and let out a cold snort.
"What a wonderful caravan of the Mountain Goddess! What a way to benefit the people!"
He raised his voice to make sure the people around him could hear him.
"I ask you, are you selling those damn talismanic waters? Are you selling those peace charms with those scribbled symbols on them?"
"Then tell these simple, honest people that drinking your talisman water will cure all diseases? Wearing your peace charms will make them invulnerable to swords and spears?"
He grew angrier as he spoke, pointing at the people around him.
"Don't you think about it? Whose money grows on trees? This year, Anping County has had a complete crop failure, and the people are already impoverished. Where would you find the extra money to buy those illusory, fraudulent things!"
He abruptly flicked his sleeve, speaking with righteous indignation.
"In my opinion, this is a trap set by that so-called Mountain Goddess!"
"Otherwise, how do you explain that a perfectly timed rain fell just moments before your so-called mountain god caravan arrived precisely at the next stop?"
"This is clearly using weather forecasting methods we don't know about, or they just got incredibly lucky and stumbled upon a natural rain! Then they come here to mystify things, promote feudal superstition, and deceive the ignorant people of Anping County!"
Liu Mingyuan spoke with great passion, believing he had exposed the ugly faces of these charlatans.
Listening to Liu Mingyuan's elaborate explanations of "setting up a scheme," "feudal superstition," "exploiting weather changes," and "mystifying," all of which are highly characteristic of modern times, was quite impressive.
Chen Shuiyi and Xia Yan beside her exchanged a glance without leaving a trace.
A knowing look and a thoughtful expression flashed in both of their eyes.
Chen Shuiyi thought to herself, "This county magistrate must also be a time traveler!"
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