Chapter 1541: Burning with Anger

On the fifteenth day of Xiao, the main servant's stay in the small temple, he was eating breakfast when his confidant rushed in to report: "Main servant, it's not good!"

The main servant was already not good, so he didn't need him to emphasize it. This small temple couldn't even make apple cinnamon crisps well, and it was bitter when chewed. Xiao, the main servant threw the spoon away, his face sank: "Can you speak?"

"Main servant, forgive me, forgive me!" The confidant hurriedly changed his words, but his face was still pale, "Our temple, Xilin Temple, has been demolished!"

"..." Xiao, the main servant stared at him. On the day the main hall collapsed, didn't the official side demolish the remaining buildings? To prevent it from continuing to self-destruct and crack, affecting the surroundings.

Even Lord Liang had nothing to say. Xilin Temple had collapsed seven or eight out of ten, so what was the difference between demolishing and not demolishing? "Demolished, and transported away! Transported to the new city!" The confidant knew he hadn't made himself clear, "The set of Huanbiao just erected in front of the new official office has three stone pillars that were originally from our temple!"

Xiao, the main servant was startled and stood up: "Are you sure?"

"I went to see it with my own eyes. Although it was re-polished and embedded, the shape changed, but the texture, the traces of moss, and the finger marks left by the Great God Messenger a hundred years ago are all still there!"

Xiao, the main servant's mind turned, and he didn't make a sound for a while.

The confidant added in a tight voice: "I sent someone back to Xilin Temple to investigate. The residents and believers around said that after the official side enclosed Xilin Temple, no one knew what they were doing inside. Elephant carts and horse carts went in and out, and the ground shook constantly. Everyone thought they were transporting out soil and residual walls. One night, nearby residents found two giant puppets passing by their door, dragging the stone pillars of the main temple!"

Xiao, the main servant flicked his sleeves: "Prepare the carriage, go to the new city!"

Late that night, he rushed back to Tianshui City to visit Lord Liang at the Goddess Main Temple.

As soon as Lord Liang heard his intention, his half-white eyebrows twisted into a ball: "The items of Xilin Temple were used for the Huanbiao in the new city? Are you sure?"

"I spent the whole afternoon at Sandie Slope, looking at every Huanbiao!" Xiao, the main servant said firmly, "Three of the materials used are the main stone pillars of my Xilin Temple!"

"I also sent someone back to Xilin Temple. That place..." He was so angry that his throat was choked, and he could only continue after a pause, "That place has been emptied. Not only the stone pillars, but even the reliefs, components, and even the stone steps of the main hall are gone! Heh, such a big Xilin Temple, nothing was left except broken tiles and residual walls!"

Lord Liang nodded: "I heard that the progress of the new city construction is too fast, and the materials have not been able to

In such a large Yao Nation, the one thing they didn't lack was manpower. But this system had never operated this fast, and many peripheral affairs couldn't keep up.

The collection of materials had become the most important factor restricting the progress of the New City's construction, with almost no exception.

Short of stone, short of wood, short of all finished and semi-finished products!

Paving roads and building houses wasn't difficult; what was difficult were the finished products that required slow, meticulous work! "Not long ago, when He Xiao was repairing the Youhu Villa, the Qingyang Regent tripped him up, making it impossible for him to get the Green Square Stone needed to build the official residence," Chief Envoy Liang said. "This time, for the New City construction, the hardest thing to get should be the Panjin Stone."

Panjin Stone was used exclusively for temples and royal architecture. Of course, the Shi Huan Tablets that showcased the strength of a powerful nation and the face of the royal family also necessarily, and could only, use Panjin Stone for carving.

Chief Envoy Liang knew very well that the production of Panjin Stone near Tianshui City had never been able to keep up with supply. Just look at the Goddess Temple, which hadn't been finished after two and a half years of repairs; that was waiting for stone materials. The Yao King's temporary palace inside Youhu also seemed to need major repairs, which would likewise require a large amount of Panjin Stone.

Now that they were building Shi Huan Tablets again, where would the stone come from? If they couldn't find new ones, they could only set their sights on the old ones.

Seeing his face as dark as water, Chief Attendant Xiao added another point of suspicion: "The Yao Court secretly moving the building materials of the Xilin Temple, I'm afraid it was premeditated."

"How so?"

"How could it be such a coincidence? They were just short of Panjin Stone, and the Xilin Temple collapsed overnight?" The Xilin Temple had been renovated and expanded by several generations of Yao Kings, making it magnificent, which also meant there was a large amount of Panjin Stone in the temple.

The Panjin Stone most urgently needed for the New City construction.

Chief Envoy Liang warned him: "Your accusation is very serious."

"The day we moved out, they entered the site, and that very night the temple collapsed," Chief Attendant Xiao said in a low voice. "Who knows if it really collapsed, or if they made it collapse?"

Chief Envoy Liang pondered in silence.

"Also, the Xiangzhuan Water Spirit clearly said at the beginning of the year that although there was serious water seepage under the Xilin Temple, it would be no problem to hold on for another three to five years," Chief Attendant Xiao continued. "A hole suddenly appeared from the lakeside to under the temple, and the lake water poured in, which is why the temple became critical. You say, could this hole be man-made?"

Chief Envoy Liang had also read this report: "Didn't the Xiangzhuan Water Spirit say it could also be a natural formation? And this seepage hole had already appeared before the New City construction started."

"The New City construction has only been underway for a month, but the prior planning and discussions have been going on for several years!" Chief Attendant Xiao gritted his teeth secretly. "The Xiangzhuan Water Spirit also said it couldn't determine the cause of the seepage hole, and didn't rule out human influence!"

Chief Envoy Liang pondered for a moment and ordered his attendants:

"Prepare the carriage, I am going to the palace."

That night, You Rongzhi approved several cargo payments and took the opportunity to doze off in the partition.

Anyone who could fight a protracted war had to know how to combine work and rest, lest they collapse before the war was over. After paying the price of losing seven jin of flesh, You Rongzhi finally learned the method of stealing leisure from a busy schedule, simply called reasonable slacking.

Even with just a quarter of an hour, he could sleep until he snored.

But today's trouble wouldn't even give him half a quarter of an hour. You Rongzhi had sat down for less than fifty breaths, his breathing not yet even, when a palace official ran to the tent: "Lord You, the King summons you!"

It was almost midnight, yet the King wanted an emergency summons? An ominous premonition rose in You Rongzhi's heart.

"Do you know what it is about?"

"Lord Qiu revealed that it might be related to the newly built Shi Huan Tablets. You and Mr. He must enter the palace immediately!"

Qiu Long leaking the news was to let him prepare himself mentally. However, even He Xiao had to go?

Before long, the two of them sat in the carriage heading to the palace.

"Island Master He, it is said that the King's late-night summons is related to the Shi Huan Tablets," You Rongzhi said with a serious face. "Do you know the inside story?"

"The Shi Huan Tablets aren't built well?" He He Lingchuan was also confused. "Haven't they already been completed? The civilians coming to admire them come in wave after wave, and the reviews in Tianshui City are also full of praise. There are three more delegations coming to visit in the next few days. Does Lord You know more details?"

You Rongzhi shook his head.

"If it's a blessing, it's not a curse; if it's a curse, you can't avoid it. We'll know when we get there." He He Lingchuan yawned and found a comfortable position for himself. "It's still an hour before we reach the palace, I'll take a nap first."

The Soul-Stealing Mirror in his arms asked him: "Is it about to start? Do you want to prepare for retreat?"

Taking advantage of the carriage's swaying, He He Lingchuan shook his head slightly.

Entering the palace this time did indeed involve some risks.

But with the solid foundation laid beforehand, he was confident he could get through it.

He came to the Yao Nation to accomplish great things; how could he not take any risks from beginning to end?

Passing the Yuquan Palace at night, You Rongzhi couldn't help but rub his arms; it was so cold!

Ever since the old pear tree withered, no plants could survive here, and even the two flower demons transplanted here were frozen stiff.

The current Yuquan Palace should be renamed the Cold Palace; there wasn't a single living thing.

Walking further ahead, the Yao King's imperial study was brightly lit.

You and He walked in, and besides the Yao King, there were two other important figures here—

You Rongzhi introduced them to He He Lingchuan: "This is Chief Envoy Liang, and this is Chief Attendant Xiao!"

Chief Envoy Liang went without saying, the Goddess's earthly spokesperson in Tianshui City; "Chief Attendant Xiao is the chief attendant of the Xilin Temple."

He He Lingchuan greeted them in sudden realization.

However, in fact, he had already seen Chief Attendant Xiao by the lake on the day the Water Spirit entered the city.

The Yao King's face also didn't look good.

Chief Envoy Liang had suddenly come to him in the middle of the night demanding an explanation, not even giving him the chance to summon You and He privately, insisting on an immediate confrontation.

This made the Yao King very passive, with no room for maneuver at all.

But he didn't want to offend Chief Envoy Liang to his face, so he had to get straight to the point: "Chief Envoy Liang told me that the building materials dismantled from the Xilin Temple were used on the Shi Huan Tablets outside the New City government office! Which of you can tell me what is going on?"

Upon hearing this, You Rongzhi's eyes widened.

There was such a thing?! How did he not know? The Yao King's gaze turned right to him: "Lord You, you speak first!"

"I..." You Rongzhi's mind raced. "The materials for repairing the Shi Huan Tablets were approved by me, but..."

But he really didn't know what was going on.

The building materials of the Xilin Temple being moved to the New City's Shi Huan Tablets was also the first time he had heard of it. No one dared to make such a decision, and no one had the authority to make such a decision, except—

You Rongzhi's gaze flickered, but he didn't look at He He Lingchuan.

He He Lingchuan beside him, however, said generously: "It was my order."

As expected.

Chief Envoy Liang said indifferently: "The King has also heard it; this person abused temple property and should be arrested and punished!"

The Yao King's head ached: "He Xiao, what is the meaning of this!"

"King, the Xilin Temple has already collapsed, and the ground is severely seeping water; there is no way to dismantle and rebuild it in its original state."

Chief Attendant Xiao pointed at He He Lingchuan and said angrily: "Is this your excuse for misappropriating the stone materials of the Xilin Temple!"

He He Lingchuan immediately said: "We are fully responsible for the aftermath of the Xilin Temple, and both the King and Chief Envoy Liang approved it."

The two people he named didn't look good. Yao Nation officials wouldn't dare to throw the blame back on them like this.

That's right, the Yao King and Chief Envoy Liang both approved it, but both thought... Chief Envoy Liang was dissatisfied: "He Xiao, my approval was for you to clear the hidden dangers of the Xilin Temple, not for you to misappropriate Panjin stone materials!"

"The Xilin Temple is full of giant stones, and the ground is soft with water seepage. If we don't transport the giant stones away, the temple will become part of the lake in a month," He He Lingchuan said sternly. "You can invite the Xiangzhuan Water Spirit again to verify that if the Xilin Temple is not dismantled, it will soon become a lake area, and the surrounding streets will also be soaked in water, at which point many civilians will be homeless."