The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 44 Wanminwa

Han Tang burst into tears inside the Han family ancestral hall.

Meanwhile, in the second branch of the Han family, Han Tang's second uncle summoned his eldest son and said to him:
"Prepare yourself and set off immediately. Take the craftsmen and offerings with you and rush to the outskirts of the city to worship the mountain god and pay your respects to the immortal. Remember, the matters of the ritual are entirely up to that immortal!"

The young master, who had been maintaining a bowing posture, paused and looked up upon hearing this:
"what?"

Han Tang's second uncle didn't explain, but simply took out a map from his sleeve:
"I've already gotten the route for you, just follow the map."

The young man finally couldn't help but say:
"Father, are you joking?"

The man who handed over the map lowered his eyes and chuckled softly, his voice filled with a hint of praise:

"Han Tang is a clever and quick-witted child, and he acts with composure and prudence. In all matters, he always knows when to advance and when to retreat, maintaining a dignified demeanor. I think he will not make any mistakes in front of His Majesty."

At this point, he suddenly drew out his voice and sighed softly:

"But once you get involved with the emotions of your closest relatives, you always seem to lose your sense of propriety."

The young man immediately understood:
"You mean she wasn't lying? She wasn't framed? And it's true?!"

"Yes. Han Tang values ​​family and relatives, so he would never harm our clan. Han Tang is quick-witted and intelligent, so he would never be deceived by such an outrageous and cunning thing."

"But you were the first to assert that this matter was false and denounce it as a scourge!"

The man looked at his son with amusement and said:

"How else can I let you go?"

The eldest son's wife has taken enough; it's time for the second son's wife to take her turn.

The young man remained very hesitant:

"But Father, you never saw her with your own eyes. Besides, Han Tang has been away from home for several years. How can you be so sure that she still looks the same as you remember her from back then?"

At this point, the man became increasingly smug as he poured himself a cup of tea. Holding the cup, in the flickering light, he watched the tea leaves unfurl and swirl in the boiling water before finally settling to the bottom. His smile deepened.

"A person's temperament is mostly shaped by their childhood experiences and upbringing. As for Han Tang..."

He chuckled softly and tapped his knuckles on the rim of his glass.
"Her mentor—was me."

The young master's eyes widened. This was because his father was saying that Han Tang was someone he had taught, so he saw it very clearly.

Or is it that he raised Han Tang to be like this?!
His father didn't say it outright, and he dared not think about it anymore.

This is not quite in line with the etiquette, benevolence, and filial piety he learned.

He could only lower his head and say:

"But, but."

His father finally sighed and said:

"Back then, I was indeed spurred on by your grandfather's favoritism towards my elder brother, otherwise I wouldn't have raised you to be just like your uncle, supposedly all-encompassing and meticulous in every aspect. But in reality, you are hesitant and indecisive, good at maintaining the status quo but lacking in innovation."

"Never mind, anyway, although your uncle trusts you more than I do, his personality dictates that he will never take action until he has thoroughly interrogated those guards and maids."

"Did your uncle actually believe it too?"

The man smiled and looked at his son, saying:
"That's his own daughter, how could he not believe it? It's like asking you, 'Do you think I wouldn't believe you?'"

"That?"

He sneered and said:

"Because, as I said, he is just like you, hesitant and indecisive on crucial matters. He can only maintain the status quo, not expand! That's why he can only serve as the Prefectural Governor of Qingzhou, not the Governor!"

"He wants to find out if there's anything suspicious in every place, and it'll be at least dawn by then! So, let's set off quickly!"

Before the young man could react, the man stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder, saying:

“You must remember, although everyone says your uncle is the future head of the family, in reality, your uncle knows he isn't, I know he isn't, and your grandfather knows even better. Therefore, go and have your grandfather take a good look at him.”

"Who should come?"

The man patted the young man's shoulder heavily. The young man said nothing more, but bowed solemnly:
"Father, I'll go right away!"

"Um"

The man nodded, but still feeling uneasy, he quickly stepped forward and grabbed his hand, saying:
“My son, you must remember this: first, Han Tang could not have lied and been deceived; second, one of your father’s students noticed that the Prince seems to be associating with people he shouldn’t be associating with.”

"Therefore, even if you cannot obtain the blessings of the Han family, you must obtain your own blessings!"

A prince?!
The young man was stunned for a moment, then bowed and retreated.

Only the man remained, waiting quietly.

Soon, the young master arrived at the city gate of Qingzhou with artisans, guards, and numerous sacrificial offerings. Seeing the tightly closed gate, a guard stepped forward and called out:

"Han is traveling, open the door immediately!"

But the city gate, which Han Tang had so easily opened, is now completely unmoved.

A moment later, under the young master's gaze, he was surprised to see one of the state army's close followers, whom his uncle had personally promoted, walk out.

He cupped his hands in greeting and smiled:
"Young Master, the Prefect has ordered that no one is allowed to leave Qingzhou before the morning drum, including all the noble members of the Han family!"

A night wind swept through, carrying sand and dust, and the young master squinted instinctively. He felt the world spinning, and his father's comment, "Complete in every aspect, but barely aware of minor details," suddenly exploded in his ears.
-
The night passed, and dawn was just breaking.

Du Yuan, who was waiting in the dilapidated temple, heard a rather loud commotion coming from outside.

"Hurry, everyone, give it your all! The temple is just ahead!"

"I saw it! I saw it!"

"Everyone, hurry up and keep up!"

"That Taoist priest is inside too!"

Upon hearing the sound, Du Yuan walked out of the temple.

Many people were seen carrying tiles and standing in the open space outside the temple.

And the two men leading the group were the same two men from before.

Looking at the roof tiles behind them, Du Yuan stepped forward curiously and said:

"How did you get so many tiles?"

The man proudly showed off the tiles he was carrying on his back:
"When we went there, we noticed that many of the tiles on the temple of the Mountain God were broken, so the villagers carried the tiles from their own roofs over!"

That's why they were delayed until now to get here.

"We don't have many skilled craftsmen, but we can still fix the roof tiles for the mountain god and prevent the temple from leaking!"

Du Yuan looked at those sturdy old tiles that had indeed weathered many storms and smiled:

"Did you encounter any trouble?"

"Trouble? What trouble? Oh, I see, no, no! The villagers have had a great journey, they all say it must be the mountain god's protection, otherwise, who knows how many of them would have fallen in the middle of the night!"

Du Yuan chuckled and had to rephrase her question:
"Roof tiles are very important to farmers. Did you really not encounter any problems after bringing them here?"

"No, no, building a temple for the Mountain God is a blessing! Everyone got to work as soon as they heard that. Besides, each family is contributing a little, not the whole family, so how could it not be okay!"

The man carrying the tiles chuckled.

Du Yuan nodded repeatedly, then picked up a tile and asked the statue behind her:

"Confucianism regards the Book of the People as a sacred and important instrument, while Buddhism uses the patchwork robe as a solemn Dharma image. Now, I borrow the methods of these two schools of thought that 'gather the strength of the masses to create a great vessel,' and call this roof tile 'Tile of the People,' for your renovation of the temple. What do you think?"

A mountain breeze swept through the hall from between the pillars, causing the copper bells on the eaves to ring softly. Everyone felt a refreshing coolness seep into their sleeves, and even their breath was filled with the clean scent of pine needles and damp earth.

Du Yuan also heard the "Okay!" from beside her ear!
I can't update intensively during the new book launch period. I also have a lot I want to write, but I can only update slowly during this time, otherwise I'll lose recommendations. So I'm sorry, I really can't update intensively during the new book launch period.
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(End of this chapter)