Chapter 1545

He He Lingchuan pressed his neck, not taking it to heart at all. His cultivation was profound; as long as he circulated his true power, this bit of cold air was nothing to him. You Rongzhi, on the other hand, wasn't from a martial background and would shiver if he sat here hard. However, You Rongzhi seemed to have prepared, taking a bottle from his arms and pouring out two pills, swallowing one himself and holding the other to ask He He Lingchuan: "This is a Warming Fire Pill; taking it has a warming effect. Do you want one?"

"No need, this bit of cold air is nothing to me." It seemed the Yao King often grabbed people to freeze here, and ministers like You Rongzhi had practiced and gained experience.

He He Lingchuan instead grabbed a cushion from his storage ring and stuffed it to You Rongzhi: "Sit!"

Even after swallowing the Warming Fire Pill, the stone bars here were still freezing to sit on. You Rongzhi didn't decline and took it to cushion his seat.

Soft and warm, not to mention that his body wasn't cold, the cold air of the Yuquan Palace seemed to retreat three feet away.

You Rongzhi knew this was a good thing and immediately thanked He He Lingchuan.

This gadget was picked up by He He Lingchuan from the Ghost King's underground palace; it could keep the sitter from cold or heat and was a very useful little prop.

However, since the Yao King sent the two of them to the Yuquan Palace to freeze, He He Lingchuan's heart was even more settled:

If the Yao King was determined to hand him over, he wouldn't need to use this method to punish them and vent his anger.

You Rongzhi couldn't help but say: "You, sigh, shouldn't have confronted the divine officials head-on."

He He Lingchuan smiled sheepishly: "It was too infuriating, I couldn't help it. Calming down in this Yuquan Palace, I feel I was too impulsive; I hope I didn't implicate Lord You."

If he didn't confront them head-on, how could he drag the Yao King into the water? If he didn't confront them head-on, how could he rub the temple's majesty into the ground? Few people pondered deeply: what were the requirements of these so-called "gods" for humans, and for Miaozhantian for the Yao Nation? But He He Lingchuan knew that these so-called "gods" didn't need humans to provide them with gold, silver, wealth, food, clothing, housing, and transportation. What they wanted was human obedience and their own face.

If humans, or rather, if the Yao Nation couldn't even meet this minimum requirement...

He He Lingchuan also knew very well that the reason he wasn't taken away by the temple attendants on the spot was because he had detached himself from the "usual" category.

The New City eastward expansion was in full swing, having overcome so many difficulties in the early stages, and seeing money flowing back one pen after another, it was almost time for harvest; the Yao King absolutely couldn't let He Xiao, this soul figure, have an accident.

If he were taken away by the temple, how long would he be detained, and whether he could come back alive, was really hard to say.

Who could take over the New City eastward expansion project? Who dared to take it over? Over the past month or so, both inside and outside the project and up and down the Yao Court, a consensus had been reached: as long as He Xiao was there, the capital's eastward expansion could indeed be carried out quickly, steadily, solidly, and effectively.

The Yao King had also asked You Rongzhi privately if he could find someone to replace He Xiao's position. You Rongzhi was realistic and no longer as tactful as before:

No!

Even if the Yao Nation was full of talents, and even if another talent possessed He Xiao's courage and ability, they might not necessarily have He Xiao's wrist to make hundreds of officials honestly obey and make hundreds of teams coordinate efficiently.

People with talent often lack wrist.

People with wrist often lack courage.

People with courage, although daring to take responsibility, might not necessarily make correct decisions.

Having all the above qualities meant being irreplaceable.

Without He He Lingchuan, the capital's eastward expansion project wouldn't fall apart all at once, but it would be very difficult to be as pragmatic and efficient as before.

Planning had been done, teams had worked, exchange tickets had been given, materials had been ordered, and residential land had been opened for sale; everyone had been forced onto the shelf, and having reached this step, the New City construction could only succeed and not fail, with no way back!

So even if He He Lingchuan's actions offended the temple, the Yao King had to protect him.

At this special time node, moving He Xiao was equivalent to cutting off the source of the national treasury and equivalent to digging up the Yao Nation's economic lifeline.

Not to mention the Yao King wouldn't allow it, the Yao Court officials wouldn't allow it either.

Moreover, He Xiao's actions didn't directly touch the real laws, and from the perspective of "reason," they could still stand, which gave the Yao King some room for maneuver.

Although the Yao King also knew that gods didn't need to talk about reason.

Through the struggle between the Yao King and Qingyang, He He Lingchuan had already seen very clearly that the one who truly held the real power of the country was still the Yao King. This old man had all kinds of problems, but his understanding of power was still very clear, knowing he had to hold it firmly in his palm.

So whether it was Qingyang or the temple, if they wanted to attack He He Lingchuan head-on, they had to pass the Yao King's hurdle first.

As long as the Yao King didn't agree, He He Lingchuan was safe for the time being.

For the time being.

You Rongzhi and He He Lingchuan left the imperial study.

In the study, only Chief Envoy Liang, Chief Attendant Xiao, the old palace attendant, the Yao King, and Qiu Long remained.

With the doors closed, the Yao King could finally speak his mind:

"Chief Envoy Liang, He Xiao's actions were indeed unruly. I won't make excuses for him, but the capital's eastward expansion is in full swing; detaining him suddenly would inevitably cause unrest, and I'm afraid the eastward expansion project would be in difficulty."

Chief Envoy Liang's expression was indifferent, while Chief Attendant Xiao's mouth curled into a sneer.

What did the capital's eastward expansion being in difficulty have to do with the temple?

Before expanding the East City, the Yao Nation had also delayed repairing the temple for the Goddess for more than two years; was it not in difficulty then?

However, before he could speak his mind, the Yao King had already continued: "The urgent matter now is to rebuild the Xilin Temple in the New City and spread the Goddess's grace. If we replace He Xiao, the project will be delayed, which will also affect the delivery of the new temple; why not let him finish building the new temple first, and wait until Chief Attendant Xiao and the temple followers have fully moved in before dealing with him?"

"Oh?" Chief Envoy Liang looked at him, "At that time, will the King be willing to hand over the person?"

The Yao King said sternly: "Those who offend the divine power should be punished."

The gods didn't listen to sophistry, and he didn't need to talk about reason with the gods' messengers, just explain the pros and cons:

If this person is arrested, the new temple might not be built well.

At that time, the entire staff of the Xilin Temple would have nowhere to be placed, and it would still be the temple's interests that suffered.

The Yao King then continued: "Also, I have been thinking about this for the past few days. Liang Xiaohao has done a good job in his post; although he lacks experience, he didn't collude with the convicted officials of the Craft Bureau. He has sincerely repented. Young people, since they know their mistakes and can correct them, they should be given a chance—"

The Yao King paused, seeing Chief Envoy Liang listening attentively, and then continued: "I have talked to him several times, and he also has many suggestions for the New City construction. How about this: Liang Xiaohao will enter the capital's eastward expansion project for three months, mainly to assist in the construction of the Xilin Temple."

Liang Xiaohao was originally the chief of the Craft Bureau, and because he obstructed the construction of the Youhu Villa, he was removed from his post, while the five officials of the Craft Bureau were dismissed and investigated, with the most serious ones facing the death penalty.